9:34 AM. Goooood Morning Saigon!
I woke up feeling sore, although I knew that the worst of the injuries had been stabilised with my Bioware, there were still bruises visible. I needed to double-check at the clinic by today at least.
With a single thought, my mind gave orders for the auto-cooker in my house to start preparing heavy breakfast for me. I already brought the ingredients packets the night before so all I needed to do was slot the ingredients in the correct number-coded trays and Voila! All the hard parts of cooking are done without needing to lift a finger.
[Estimated Time for “Mushroom Bibimbap”: 30:00] It beeped back.
While waiting, I took a seat by the sofa and started scrolling and searching on the web for any mention of the phenomenon I saw yesterday. Keywords: “Night Clouds”, “Phenomenon + News” and then “Dragons?”.
Nothing. I searched through a couple other related keywords sorting by “most recent”. Still nothing. The news outlet had nothing, the forums had nothing, even the conspiracy boards harboured no information on what I saw last night. What I felt.
Ding! I could hear from the kitchen. The Bibimbap was finished. I sighed, whatever it was it could wait. I had a crime to report.
It only took me a couple of minutes to head to the nearest train-station heading to the Tenryu-Nguyen pagoda in District 4. While on the train I mused at my sudden amount of free-time while listening to the ambient train music being played. Careful to fix the facemask to cover my face as much as possible.
Now that the semester is over, I have about 5 months of break. Usually, there would only be 2 months, but the Krash made it tough. The EMP pulse bricked any electronics not in Saigon so communication outside the city was effectively dead. That wasn’t nice for a university with half its staff teaching remotely.
It's a Sunday. What to do? I asked myself, I wasn’t exactly dying right now, so I still had plenty of time before heading to the clinic.
“Excuse me.” A voice interrupted me. I turned to see a woman in a dark tan suit, blond hair slicked back, holding a microphone. “Would it be possible if we interviewed you?” I blinked. Huh? “So! What do you feel about the refugees coming into Saigon after the Krash?” She pushed her microphone closer to me.
“I don’t know? I’ve never really interacted with them before.” I blurted out from the sudden intrusion. Already feeling uncomfortable.
“I see, and do you believe in the rumours they say about monsters out in the badlands and deltas?” She quickly retorted.
I have heard about this. That among the refugees heading to Saigon, there were whispers and rumours of monsters and evil spirits out in the badlands and delta surrounding the city.
I did not believe it. “No, I don’t think they are real” but what about what I saw last night? Could I have been mistaken? I pondered.
“-ir, Sir?” The news reporter waved a hand in front of me.
“Oh, I apologise, I have to go, excuse me.” I sidestepped the news reporter and walked out of the train as the doors opened. I flicked through my contacts list and dialled it. My eyes flickered yellow.
« Highlight, are you free for another touring job? »
« Uh, yeah sure boss, I’m just having breakfast. Where should I meet you? » He replied.
« The Tenryu-Nguyen pagoda train station, Navimaps isn’t working here for some reason. »
« Oh yeah, Districts 1, 2 and 7 were prioritised to receive the fix early on during the Krash. Only a few apps work here. »
I didn’t know that… I took a seat by the station gate, watching the pagoda and people busily navigate the street, monks and sararimans alike. « Ok, I see, I’ll be waiting. » It was a nice breezy day.
----------------------------------------
Twenty minutes later, I found myself pinching the bridge of my nose as I struggled to make sense of what I was hearing. “Sorry kid, we don’t work on Sundays.” A shirtless man with a metal arm and badge sat in front of the District 4 Police station on a plastic stool, his attention focused on the Gamedeck in his hands.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“What do you mean you don’t work on a Sunday?” I repeated, almost hissing, keeping my temper in check.
He looked up and gave me an unimpressed stare. “Kid, if you want to report a crime go to those cops-for-hires and report it there.” He went back to his gamedeck.
I looked over to the Highlight questioningly, to which he shook his head. No Glasgow-Yard offices here.
I took a deep breathe and reiterated slowly “I was assaulted in this district, by four or five individuals yester-”
“Then you should have reported it yesterday. You can go to the SGPD central office in District 1 or the nearest available Glasgow-Yard office.” He interrupted, increasing the volume on his gamedeck louder.
Really. Really? I could feel my face heating up in anger. I wanted to throw a string of insults but I knew nothing would come of it. Right then, I felt a hand tap my back.
Standing with arms crossed and deep in thought, Highlight then said “Uh… Boss? If I may, I think I know someone who could help”
I only nodded at his suggestion and motioned him to continue.
“Ah! Uh- Follow me!” He beckoned, already walking away from the station.
----------------------------------------
Built in 2065 by the now defunct Masamune corp as a sign of cooperation, the Tenryu-Nguyen pagoda was a place of congregation for those in need of spiritual healing, Buddhist or not. Or so my tour guide Highlight told me. It was big, elegant and overlooked the district. Apparently, also the Lotus Claw’s district headquarters. The massive yellow lotus emblem graffitied on the perimeter walls said as much.
We walked in, past the front gate and the area where people prayed and offered incense, towards the back. Next to an elevator, there was a counter filled with books and monitors. There was one man behind it. In his late 20s, he wore a burgundy suit with his sleeves rolled up showing tattoos that reached his fingertips.
That itchy sensation was there again, this time cold, like a winter breeze.
“Highlight! It is good to see you, I hope you are well?” The man asked warmly, to which Highlight gave a toothy grin and thumbs up. He then turned to me. “Hello there friend, my name is Huang, and how may the Lotus Claw help you here today?” He smiled friendly and politely.
I did not expect a representative of a notorious gang to outright admit it and introduce himself like that. It rather surprised me.
Ahem “It is a pleasure to meet you, My name is Huy” I did not want to give my full name out unnecessarily. “Yesterday, I was kidnapped and assaulted by four or five individuals in this district. I wanted to know whether the Lotus Claw can assist me in this endeavour.”
He gave me a soft reassuring smile, “My condolences, Mr Huy, we do our best to keep these streets clean of trouble, but please be rest assured that we will do our best to uncover who did this and if possible bring them to justice.” If possible. I saw the way his eyes flickered at the horns on my head. “Sincerely, I must thank you for your trust in us, Mr Huy” He pulled a tin can from underneath the desk and offered me a gift. “Oolong tea, of fine quality.” I accepted, not wanting to commit any faux pas in Lotus Claw territory.
“And thank you for your hospitality. It has been difficult for me to find time to thank you for your lending of Highlight here. If I was able, I would have done it much sooner” I replied, a minor bow given- almost just a nod, it’s execution: textbook. Highlight seemed surprised at the sudden gesture.
Mr Huang merely waved his hands amicably. “Please! It is not a problem at all!” As if seeing the opportunity, he then proceeded to explain other services I could purchase from the Lotus Claws. Most notably, protection. He further explained that there were many types of ‘protection’, and that he recommended district-wide protection for offer.
To be exact, it was no guarantee. But, no Lotus Claw would ever start anything with me, and that they would do as much as they could if other trouble came my way.
I hummed in thought.
Now, I didn’t exactly need protection in District 4. That is, I didn’t live here, so it was arguable whether protection in District 4 was worth it. On the other hand, my account has already been paying for Glasgow-Yard insurance in my home district anyhow. So the Lotus Claw was just like that kind of service, but from a differing brand, so what’s the harm in it? Plus, you’ll never know if you need it until you need it, and I learnt that the hard way already. The SGPD didn’t help anyways, so why not Lotus Claw?
So I made my decision.
With a few more back and forth about the pricing, I finally accepted the price. A modest one. Not exactly cheap, but not expensive either. If anything I did not find myself wanting for money. At least not yet.
“I’ll be transferring directly? Or would you prefer cash?” I tried my best to shake the nervousness down. Thinking on the lessons taught on corporate culture.
“Transfer please, to this account” He then pulled a card with a symbol on it that asked me for a prompt mentally. I accepted it, transferred the money and set up the autopay.
“Oh! And here! Your week trial at our dojo!” I narrowed my eyes. Is it a joke? As if reading my mind. He gave me a chuckle and smirked “I assure you it is no joke, a wayward soul had deemed fit to start teaching here, so we thought why the hell not?”
I gave him an awkward smile and took the colourful flyer from the man.
Without missing a beat I then asked “Alright, I guess next is drawing blood and swearing allegiance then cutting off my pinkie huh?”
I swear I had never seen a man crack up with such a poor joke before, but he did, laughing from the depths of his belly loudly. I could only shake my head and offer a slight smile as I turned to leave. My spirits lighter somewhat.
What an eventful day.