The Assembly Hall stood at the very center of the city, barely two kilometers away from the market and straddling the border between the Malay Union districts and those under the mayor's jurisdiction. It was a sturdy and giant structure, measuring ten meters tall and twenty times as long, personally shaped out of wood and stone by the mayor’s magic. It was meant for important events and shelter, designed to keep up to ten thousand non-combatants safe in a crisis.
The massive hall was typically empty on most occasions, only serving as a temporary warehouse when the usual ones were full. It was largely empty now, on account of the already dangerously low supplies inside the existing warehouses. A few pieces of old tools and furniture were cramped into a disorganized pile in a corner.
The dusty curtains on the large glass windows had been replaced with fresh linen, even though there was no sunlight to let into the large hall. Instead, the space was illuminated by bright-burning torches all across the wall.
A large, elliptical table carved out of wood had been placed in the center of the hall, though it appeared small in comparison to the space it occupied. A group of people entered from the west entrance and took up seats on one side of the table. The mayor sat down at the very end of the elliptical, followed by Lin Zheng Yao the chief administrator and Peng Li Yan the head of the Worker’s Association. Qing Tian Yi gulped uncomfortably as she sat in her seat, sandwiched between Commander Singh and Captain Yue, wondering what she was doing in this meeting. Doctor Li set down an incense burner giving off a strange, odd-smelling smoke at the center of the table and took a seat beside Captain Yue.
Lin Zheng Yao, the mayor’s right-hand man, seemed a little anxious. He fidgeted with the pen in his hand a little, before turning to the mayor and speaking, “Sir, I’m not sure we should have—”
The mayor interrupted him, his face dark as an unlit tunnel, “They’re late.”
Lin Zheng Yao said nothing else and Kharak Singh let out a heavy sigh.
Twenty minutes passed without another sound from any one of the mayor’s inner circle. The smoke from the incense burner had spread out around them, coating the air in a thick, woody medicinal smell that wasn’t unpleasant.
Finally, when it seemed like the mayor’s face was about to turn as black as coal, the large doors on the east of the Assembly Hall swung open. Nine men dressed in simple, traditional Malay garbs with songkok hats on their heads strode through the doors. Tian Yi recognized a few familiar faces amongst them: Mufti Asri, who she talked to when interviewing the funeral director, and Mufti Aziz, who confronted them after the incident with Mrs. Shaffi. Their prim clothes and the dignified way they carried themselves made their identities readily apparent. It was the muftis of the Malay Union.
An entourage of warriors followed closely behind them. The mayor frowned and rose from his seat when he saw the first of the warriors set foot in the hall. This was a diplomatic meeting. Granted, most of the people on his side were versed in combat magic, but bringing armed soldiers to the meeting was a poor look.
Before he could raise his voice, the white-bearded Mufti Asri turned around and stopped the warriors from entering. A few of the other muftis frowned at this and turned to look at the most senior-looking mufti amongst them. The elderly-looking man did not object to Mufti Asri’s commands, so the rest of the muftis kept quiet and continued walking toward the table.
The elderly mufti moved across the table to shake the mayor’s hand, grabbing him by the shoulder as he did so. He whispered something into the mayor’s ear and the mayor’s expression softened slightly. He sighed and raised his hand. The elderly mufti took his seat at the table across from the mayor and the rest of the muftis followed suit.
Tian Yi noticed a few of the muftis inspecting their wooden chairs warily before they reluctantly sat down, their eyes stealing glances at the mayor. Anything could be turned into a weapon for an accomplished sorcerer like Wei De Xin. The mayor pretended not to have noticed their apprehension.
Mufti Aziz was the first to speak up. He was one of the younger muftis and had no problem being abrasive. He crinkled his nose at the smoke and said, “It smells. Why do you need an incense burner at a meeting, Mr. Wei? Surely, there’s nothing around here that smells so bad you need incense to hide it, is there?.”
“You should take a deep breath, Mufti Aziz. Maybe that will get any worms out of you. The incense is a special formula concocted by Doctor Li to kill any foreign parasites and drive them out of the human body. In case you forgot, that was the enemy we were dealing with. We can’t risk any of you being controlled by a bug, can we?” the mayor rebutted in Malay. Most official discussions in the Undercity were conducted in Malay to accommodate the various races and the different languages they spoke.
“No worries, Datuk Wei. We have our own protections against dark magic. I can verify that all nine of us are in the clear,” the elderly mufti at the head of the table interceded to defuse the situation.
The mayor huffed but returned to a polite tone, “That is reassuring, Mufti Sayid, but there is no harm in being extra sure. As a matter of fact…”
The mayor looked at Doctor Li and nodded. The middle-aged doctor with a bald spot stood up and started filling eighteen teacups with a pot of tea.
“This herbal tea amplified the effects of the incense. Before we proceed any further, I would like everyone present to have a drink,” said the mayor.
Doctor Li went around the table and set a teacup of the liquid in front of everyone. The muftis’ reactions were a mix of caution and outrage.
“Do you doubt the efficacy of our holy blessings, Mr. Wei?” exclaimed Mufti Aziz.
“Sit down, Aziz. Our host has been kind enough to provide us with drinks. Show some gratitude,” Mufti Sayid said, before taking a long sip from his cup.
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Mufti Aziz huffed but sat down and sipped the tea spitefully.
Tian Yi drank from her cup as well. The liquid was surprisingly tasteless, despite its deep brown color. She felt warm spread through her limbs, but nothing else beyond that.
When everyone had drunk the tea and showed no irregularities in their behavior, the mayor nodded but said nothing more. The silence hung in the air for a good while, as everyone stared at one another.
The mayor looked over at Mufti Sayid and finally said, “So, for what purpose has the Malay Union called for a meeting?”
“I’m sure you know well enough, Datuk Wei. This concerns the devastating incident that occurred at Ulu Pilah yesterday. The Malay Union would like some clarification on the details of the incident,” replied Mufti Sayid without a smile
The mayor winced a little inside but he kept a stoic face. They had all expected this coming into the meeting, but judging from Mufti Sayid’s attitude, the Union was clearly not planning on letting the matter slide.
“Very well. Captain Yue, if you could give us a summary of the events that took place yesterday.”
The captain of the enforcers got up from his seat and explained, “One of my enforcers was pursuing a lead regarding a string of mysterious deaths in the Undercity. It lead her to an individual in Ulu Pilah whom she attempted to interview. The individual in question attacked the enforcer and was swiftly incapacitated. We believe she was under the magical influence of another person. The enforcer was able to deduce the identity of the culprit following the attack. The suspect was Wong Kar Wai, who was serving as the coroner’s assistant at the morgue. Using an autopsy as a pretext, we lured the suspect to Ulu Pilah and proceeded to arrest him. We also discovered the means he used to control and murder his victims. He employs a kind of sorcery known as gu, implanting insects in the brains and organs of his victims to take control of their bodies.
Unfortunately, the suspect’s resistance was greater than expected. He broke free of the restraints and attacked the crowd gathered around the house indiscriminately. We succeeded in subduing the suspect shortly after, but could not contain the bugs he released on the crowd. Mayor Wei arrived on the scene moments later and got the situation under control.
Currently, the casualty count for the incident sits at seven dead and forty-three injured. The doctors estimate a full recovery for all injured civilians. Included amongst the casualties are one dead and one wounded enforcer. That is all.”
Captain Yue immediately sat back down.
Mufti Aziz glared at him furiously, the hostility in his eyes plain for all to see.
Mufti Sayid maintained his cordial tone as he asked, “Captain Yue, according to your recount of events, the incident happened in Ulu Pilah, correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but any enforcer activities within the jurisdiction of the Malay Union have to be fully reported to us, yes?”
“That is correct, sir.”
“Then why is it that, to my knowledge, none of these activities were reported to us when they happened?”
Captain Yue was not fazed by the lines of questioning.
“The initial interview was a simple house visit. The enforcers’ protocol did not require us to report it to the Malay Union. Moreover, my enforcer judged correctly that this was a time-sensitive issue and was in a hurry to investigate. Had she not arrived on scene at Mrs. Shaffi's residence at the time she had, the culprit might have gained full control of Mrs. Shaffi and we would not have been able to gather the evidence we needed.”
Mufti Sayid stroked his beard and said, “I agree with that. However, following Mrs. Shaffi's attack on…”
He paused and looked at Tian Yi.
“Tian Yi,” said Captain Yue.
“…following Mrs. Shaffi's attack on Ms. Tian Yi, the incident had clearly escalated to a point that demanded intervention from the Malay Union. A civilian had been killed within Malay Union territory, after all. To my understanding, members of the Malay Union arrived on scene shortly after the scuffle. Is that correct, Aziz?”
Mufti Aziz nodded and said, “We arrived within twenty minutes of the initial commotion. There were enforcers on the scene, but they refused to divulge any information and prevented us access from Mrs. Shaffi’s home.”
“Is that not a violation of protocol when operating within the Malay Union, Captain?” asked Mufti Sayid, his beady black eyes twinkling under the light of the torches.
Captain Yue nodded and opened his mouth to defend himself, but was cut off by the mufti.
“Moreover, I understand that Mufti Aziz attempted to cooperate with the enforcers on scene several times, only to be threatened with force into backing down. By the very captain of the enforcers, no less. Is that how the enforcers do things around here? Or perhaps it is a reflection of the mayor’s office’s attitude toward the Union?”
The mayor tried to speak up as well, but Mufti Sayid wasn’t done talking.
“Setting aside the flagrant disregard of the Malay Union’s authority, the enforcers proceeded to plan an arrest in the middle of Union territory of a highly dangerous individual, with a crowd right outside the location. Surely, there are protocols and procedures to follow prior to combat against a known sorcerer? Had the enforcers cooperated with the Union’s peacekeepers, we would have been able to set up a perimeter and disperse the crowd. The enforcers would have had the aid of the peacekeepers to subdue the suspect. Instead, Captain Yue ignored protocol and carried on with his ill-thought-out operation.”
The mufti was on a warpath and no one could stop him. Both the mayor and Captain Yue knew that their side was in the wrong, but they had to try and reason with the mufti.
Captain Yue spoke up to defend his actions, “I won’t deny that my actions were a violation of protocol, however, at the time, I judged that Mufti Aziz would not have been so open to cooperation. Mufti Aziz was openly hostile from the start, insulting my enforcers and attempting to strong-arm them into giving way. Given the sensitive circumstances of the crime scene, I believe it was a more prudent action to swiftly arrest the suspect first before reporting to the Union.”
Mufti Sayid immediately lashed back, “That is nothing but conjecture! I am sure Mufti Aziz would have been happy to work with the enforcers if you chose to be more open about your objectives. We have six dead civilians on our hands right now and the only objective truth we have is that the enforcers broke the rules first. Am I wrong?”
No one said anything in response. It was true. On paper, the enforcers were the only ones in the wrong for their actions. Tian Yi felt incredibly conflicted.
On one hand, she was furious that all the blame was being laid at the feet of the enforcers when the Union’s forces had shown they were clearly uninterested in helping them in their investigation. Even benign interviews like the one with the funeral director were conducted under intense scrutiny. It was clear as day that the Malay Union scarcely trusted the enforcers to do their jobs and introduced roadblocks wherever they could.
On the other hand, she felt guilty for all the unnecessary deaths that came as a result of the duel with Wong Kar Wai. It was true that these deaths might have been avoidable, had they tried to work with the Union’s forces. Deep down inside, Tian Yi knew that for all the prejudice that the Union had for the enforcers, the reverse was true as well. They had assumed from the very start that their investigation would only be hindered if they involved the Union’s peacekeepers.
The mayor finally said, “Nonetheless, Mufti Sayid, you cannot deny that the suspect was subdued thanks to the efforts of the enforcers. If—”
“That does not matter. What does matter are the six dead and forty-two injured civilians under my care. Someone has to answer for this tragedy.”
The mayor brooded for a moment and asked, “What do you want?”
Mufti Sayid looked up across the table. Tian Yi swore she could see a shadow of a smirk on the corner of his lips. He lifted his hand and pointed at Captain Yue Ran.
“Suspension.”