The past few days went by without any major hitches, as Jin Kai simply accompanied Aiko on their routine visits to the various partner firms of the Foundation, making a few occasional Psyche Dives in the process.
By now, Jin Kai was rather attuned to the whole process, which included combat in the Reflected World. Ever since the introductory session conducted by Aiko, Jin Kai had added a few more Spells to his repertoire, as he knew that he had a penchant for using them because of his innate talent in imagination which boosted his cognition in the Reflected World.
Nonetheless, Jin Kai felt that things were growing mundane, as the Spectres they had faced thus far were not strong enough to pose a challenge against him. Despite voicing his desire to take things to the next level, Aiko insisted that it was still too soon for Jin Kai to partake in higher level missions, as he had yet to clear his 2 weeks probationary phase as a Private.
Despite voicing her objections, Jin Kai could sense that Aiko herself was getting visibly impatient, as she had recognised and acknowledged Jin Kai's strength as a Diver. Unfortunately, rules were rules, and as Jin Kai's superior in the Foundation, Aiko had the responsibility to follow regulations to ensure Jin Kai's safety, especially since there were only 2 of them in Singapore at the moment.
Thus, Jin Kai could only wait till his probation was over before he could embark on anything exciting. Realising that there was no point sulking over the matter, Jin Kai whipped out his mobile phone to scan through his messages as he sat alone in the library before his attention was arrested by a particular notification.
Jin Kai swiftly opened the Messenger app on his phone before scrolling through the message sent to him, its content written in Simplified Chinese. The message read, "你好，别来无恙？我刚刚到达新加坡，如果你明天有空，我们约个时间，在老地方见面！(How are you? I've just arrived in Singapore, if you're free tomorrow, let's arrange a timing to meet at our old jaunt!)"
Jin Kai smiled as he recognised the sender of the message. It was an old childhood friend from China who went by the name Lim Su Lin. Jin Kai had the opportunity to befriend her when her father was stationed in Singapore for work, for they attended primary school together and were in the same co-curricular activity, Wushu, throughout their time there.
Unfortunately, after her final year in primary school, Su Lin's father had completed his attachment in Singapore, thus Su Lin had to return home to China with him. It has been almost 9 years since Jin Kai had seen Su Lin in person, and even though they had communicated occasionally through email, nothing would beat meeting an old friend in person.
Jin Kai swiftly typed his response, "好啊。明天中午一点在实龙岗花园熟食中心见，不见不散! (Sure. See you tomorrow at 1pm at Serangoon Gardens Hawker Centre, I'm not leaving till you show up!)" To Jin Kai's surprise, Su Lin texted a smiley face almost immediately, acknowledging her receipt of his message.
Having settled the meeting for the next day, Jin Kai gave himself a good stretch before resuming his self-study. Perhaps 2 weeks wasn't that long after all, when some time can be well spent on catching up with his old friend.
Jin Kai was humming softly to the tune of the song he was listening through his earphones, as he entered the spacious hawker centre. As it was lunchtime, the crowd was immense, but fortunately, Su Lin had told Jin Kai that she had already got a table, saving him the hassle of finding a free table among the throngs of people.
Using the instructions sent to him by Su Lin, Jin Kai navigated through countless bodies as he sought to locate her whereabouts. Having kept in close touch with Su Lin all these years, Jin Kai roughly knew how her appearance would be like despite not seeing her in person for the past 9 years.
It wasn't long before Jin Kai finally caught a glimpse of a person who matched Su Lin's appearance, and she was sitting at a table which was within the described area in her instructions. As Jin Kai approached the table, he became increasingly confident that the person is indeed Su Lin. However, when he was within 5 metres from the table, Jin Kai was surprised to see another familiar face sitting at the same table and engaging in conversation with Su Lin.
"Aiko, what a coincidence! What are you doing here?" Jin Kai asked. Aiko swiftly turned to face him as she gasped in disbelief, "Hey, Jin Kai! What a surprise indeed! This is perfect, let me introduce to you the latest member of the Foundation to join the Singapore branch from China, Staff Sergeant Lim Su Lin!
She'll be joining us as our Branch Sergeant Major, in other words, she'll be my deputy and your second superior as of now. Su Lin, this is Private Jin Kai, the newest recruit of the Singapore Branch. From now on, we'll be operating as a single cell until we recruit more members, so get along, you two!"
Both Jin Kai and Su Lin broke out in awkward laughter before Jin Kai snapped in Chinese, "你怎么没提起过这件大事啊? (Why have you not brought up such a serious matter before?)" Su Lin replied calmly, "Well, knowledge of the Foundation and its members should only be privy to those whom it concerns. I never knew you were one of us, so of course I kept mum about my involvement with the Foundation."
Confused, Aiko asked shyly, "I'm sorry…do you two know each other prior to this meeting? You two seem to be awfully familiar with each other." Su Lin explained, "I apologise that you have to witness such a disrespectful scene earlier, Lieutenant Aiko. Truth be told, the two of us were childhood friends who attended the same primary school together, but I returned to China 9 years ago while Jin Kai remained in Singapore. We actually arranged to meet here for lunch."
Aiko nodded as she remarked, "I see, so you two are old friends who have known each other for quite some time. This is truly a remarkable coincidence! If you two are having lunch now, do you mind if I join in? I'll love to hear more about your tales together as children! Oh, and by the way, just call me Aiko, I'm not so particular about rank as Jin Kai can testify."
Jin Kai looked at Su Lin who nodded in approval. Jin Kai then replied shakily, "S-Sure, please do! I'll order the food, so you girls just sit tight, okay? Aiko, you don't mind having Kway Chap (local Singaporean delicacy) right? This is usually what Su Lin and I will get when we're here since this Kway Chap stall serves great food."
Aiko expressed an "OK" gesture with her fingers on her right hand before Jin Kai quickly took off to join the growing queue at the popular stall. When Jin Kai was outside earshot, Aiko asked excitedly, "Be honest with me, how was Jin Kai as a kid? Is he as serious-uppity as he is now?"
Su Lin laughed, "No, he was cuter, clumsier and more absent-minded back then. However, if I were to name one thing that hasn't changed about him, I would say it is his kindness. He's always looking out for others, even at his own expense. Let me share with you a story that took place 12 years ago…"
<12 Years Ago, Singapore>
"打的好，苏琳，没有什么特别的差错，继续加油！(Well done, Su Lin, there are no major mistakes, keep up the good work!)" Su Lin's primary school Wushu coach lauded. Su Lin bowed humbly as she placed her hands together in the traditional Wushu salute, before returning to the side to continue practising her Wushu routine.
As Su Lin found some space for herself within the multi-purpose hall, she could hear some murmuring as she walked past her fellow team-mates, though it wasn't clear enough for her to grasp the content.
A boy whispered, "Damn, this Su Lin is really a monster! She could finish the entire routine without even breaking a sweat, and right after she's done, she goes back to her corner and continues practising, as though nothing had happened!"
Another boy added, "Yeah, not to mention that at 9 years old, she can already run faster and jump higher and further than even us senior boys, putting us to shame in front of the Coach. To me, the worse thing is that she does all this with a straight face, acting all high and mighty just because she's the Coach's pet!"
A girl pitched in, "Well, if you boys feel so bad about this, why not confront her about it? No point just standing around and complaining, right? Actions speak louder than words, so if you want to teach that PRC (People's Republic of China) bitch a lesson, you better prove it! Since she'll probably beat you physically, I have another way of dealing with her…"
When training was finally over, Su Lin was helping to sweep the floor when she was confronted by the trio. One of the boys taunted, "Hello, Su Lin. Let's play nice first, guys. Su Lin, we know that you have external training outside that makes you possibly the best Wushu practitioner among us all. However, could you just tone down your training here a little, especially during our physical training sessions? You wouldn't like to embarrass us, would you?"
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Su Lin remained silent, her gaze still fixed on the eyes of the trio. In truth, back when she was 9, Su Lin wasn't proficient in English and thus didn't understand what her senior was trying to convey. Angered by her non-response, the other boy lashed out, "See, I told you being nice wouldn't work! She's just too arrogant for that! Let's proceed with your plan, Amelia!"
Amelia smiled, her plan falling into place perfectly. Amelia recognised the true reason why Su Lin remained unmoved, which was the language barrier between her and her seniors, who were more comfortable speaking English. Amelia was the top female Wushu practitioner before Su Lin arrived, and it was finally time for her to exact her revenge.
Amelia spoke gently in Chinese, "苏琳，师兄们是想请求你在训练时放轻松点，给他们点面子，你说如何? (Su Lin, your seniors are asking you to take it easy during training, so that they can keep some face, what do you say?)"
Being the forthcoming person she has always been, Su Lin replied, "如果是在体能训练，我会试着适应师兄们的速度。可是，除此之外，我还是照着自己的水准来练习。(If it's physical training, I'll try to accommodate the pace of my seniors. However, other than that, I'll stick to my standards during training.)"
Turning around to face her fellow seniors, Amelia wrongly translated, "Well, she said that she doesn't give a hoot about you guys, and she'll continue the way she's been doing. Disrespectful, isn't she? Are all people from PRC as uncultured as her?"
Angered by the false words, the first boy screamed, "My Chinese may not be good, but I know enough to scold you! 回去中国吧，你死八婆！(Go back to China, you bitch!)" The other boy added, "我们武术队不需要一个像你对师兄没有尊重的队员！(Our Wushu team doesn't need a member who disrespects her seniors!)"
Recognising the venom laced within the words of her seniors, on top of their hateful glares, Su Lin swiftly saw red as anger surged within her. While her seniors continued to throw insult after insult in English, Su Lin quietly adopted her martial arts stance, ready to strike them all down.
Among the trio, only Amelia recognised the imminent threat, as she used it to her advantage, "Hey, you two. She's all riled up and ready to beat you up, better beware! You guys don't want to be embarrassed further right, losing in a 2v1 fight to a girl younger than you?"
Instigated by Amelia's words, one of the boys huffed, "Ha! She may be better than us at Wushu, but that doesn't translate to actual fighting ability, not to mention that we outnumber her! Let her come, and we'll teach her the most painful lesson she would ever have!"
Just before Su Lin could pounce on her bullies, she felt someone rushing in from behind. Believing it to be an accomplice, Su Lin swiftly launched a pre-emptive strike, as she lowered her body before twisting it rapidly, directing her palm towards her assailant's head.
PIAH! Su Lin's hand connected with the face of her target, as he collapsed to the floor instantly. To her horror, Su Lin realised that she had slapped her fellow teammate who was of the same age as her, Jin Kai.
The slightly chubby boy rubbed his sore cheek as he whined, "哇，好痛啊！本想阻止你打人，但在警告你之前，却被打了一巴掌。哎呀，总而言之，无论发生什么事情，打人就是错误，即使他们用语言来刺痛你，你也要学着忍啊，用正确的方法来对付他们。
(Wah, that hurts! I had wanted to stop you initially, but before I could warn you, you already slapped me in the face. In any case, no matter what happens, violence is wrong, and even if they try to use words to hurt you, you've got to learn to restrain yourself and use the correct method to deal with them.)"
Jin Kai then turned around to face his 3 seniors as he chided, "You guys are in the wrong too! What's wrong with giving one's all during training? If you're embarrassed by the fact that your junior is better than you, then use that shame to motivate yourself to train harder!
Anyway, why must you even compare yourselves to Su Lin? Didn't Coach always tell us that the most important person to compete with is ourselves? I will not be embarrassed to have a senior who may not be as good as me in Wushu, but I'll be extremely embarrassed to have a senior who doesn't carry himself like one!"
The 3 seniors looked down sheepishly as they couldn't fault the logic presented by their junior. Even though Jin Kai was not exactly the best at Wushu, his maturity and industrious nature made him popular with the coach, who made him captain of the junior squad despite being the youngest among them.
If word had got out from Jin Kai on what they had done, they risked expulsion from the team, which was the worst outcome possible. Recognising her folly, Amelia pleaded, "I'm sorry, Jin Kai! Please don't say a word about this to the Coach, and I'll do anything you say!"
Jin Kai contemplated for a moment before he said calmly, "I only wish for what's best for the team. Su Lin is a precious teammate to us all, and this is not because of her proficiency in Wushu, but rather, the mere fact that she is a member of our Wushu team.
I hope that you all would get along with her and try befriending her. I know it isn't easy, but Su Lin's learning English too, so you guys can do the same with your Chinese, which is our Mother Tongue, after all. Promise me that you would never pick on her again just because she's different and I'll keep my end of the bargain, otherwise, don't blame for the consequences you'll face."
The trio readily agreed as they hastily left, relieved that Jin Kai didn't intend to escalate the matter further. Jin Kai then turned to Su Lin before extending a warm hand with a bright smile on his face, "大家以后是一个团队，希望大家，包括你，能够好好的相处，同心协力为我们学校争取光荣。(We're team from now on, so I hope everyone, including you, would be able to get along with each other and work hard together to bring our school honour.)"
Su Lin felt slightly shy as she spoke softly, "Jin Kai…thank you." before Jin Kai just dismissed it with a wave of his hand as he walked towards the exit. This was the first time Su Lin had properly interacted with Jin Kai, the first of many shared experiences to come…
"I'm sorry for the wait, ladies! Here you go, one plate of Kway Chap, salted vegetables, and tow kwa (a type of bean curd) for us all to share! Tuck in and enjoy, it's my treat!" Jin Kai exclaimed as he laid the tray down on the table before distributing the dishes.
Aiko remarked, "Well, I can sort of believe your story now, Su Lin, from my own experiences with him and his gentlemanly behaviour today. Good work, Private!" Su Lin struggled to stifle a laugh as Jin Kai asked confusedly, "What were you two talking about behind my back? Surely you didn't share with Aiko any of my embarrassing moments, did you, Su Lin?"
Su Lin chuckled, "No, I didn't have the time to go on to that. I merely shared with her how we officially became friends but not to worry, we'll have plenty of time to reach that stage." Jin Kai sighed as the girls laughed away, before tucking into the delicious spread before them.
When they had finished their meal, the trio headed towards the wet market just situated behind the hawker centre, as Su Lin insisted on showing Aiko how the market life was like in Singapore. Unfortunately, as it was already past 2 in the afternoon, most of the stalls selling fresh produce were already closed, leaving behind small retailers who sold miscellaneous products of all sorts.
Just as they were about to get closer to one of the stalls, Jin Kai noticed a slight commotion at the end of the wet market leading into the open-aired car park. A young man appeared to be requesting something from an old woman, as the two was engaged in a rather long talk. Suddenly, a second slightly older man rushed from behind the old woman and snatched her handbag.
Unfortunately, before the old woman could note down his description, her line of sight leading towards him was blocked by the first man, who appeared disappointed that he couldn't get what he wanted as he walked away from her. By the time the old woman's line of sight was unblocked, her snatch thief had already escaped out of sight, and too far for Jin Kai and his friends to give chase.
Jin Kai noted that there were no security nor police cameras in the area, making the behaviour of the first man extremely suspicious. Was it pure coincidence that the path he decided to take would prevent the old woman from catching a glimpse of the robber? Or was there a more sinister plot behind it, especially since an ordinary Singaporean would at least try to help the old woman in one way or another after she became a victim of robbery?
Jin Kai was not the only person who felt that something was amiss. As the young man walked towards them, his pace unnaturally quick, Su Lin took pre-emptive action as she stuck her foot out, tripping the young man. Su Lin then swiftly took one of his arms and twisted it behind his back, pinning him to the ground by using her body weight.
Aiko joined in on the action, securing his other hand behind his back as she used her body weight as well to keep the man pinned onto the ground. The man cursed, "Argh! What are you two girls doing? I haven't done anything wrong! How dare you assault me in public!" Su Lin replied calmly, "We'll see."
Su Lin went quiet for a few seconds before opening her mouth again, "Now, how do you feel? If you're starting to feel guilty, you'll tell me the name of your accomplice and where I can find him."
The man, who appeared resolute just moments earlier, was now breaking out in cold sweat as he stammered, "H-He's not my accomplice, but my boss, Xue Lang (Blood Wolf). You can find him at Blk 154, #08-05, Serangoon Avenue 3. Please stop him…we've done enough misdeeds already and if we don't stop now, we can never be redeemed…thank you for helping me to awaken from my folly."
Su Lin demanded coldly, "You'll tell the Police whatever you've just told us about your boss. Is that clear?" As Aiko watched Su Lin interrogate the suspected accomplice, she was extremely impressed with what she had observed. Aiko knew that the man was hiding something, from the relatively strong imbalance in his psyche which she felt.
However, what truly impressed Aiko was the speed in which Su Lin had purified the man's psyche. Su Lin only took a few seconds in the real world, which translated into at most 10 minutes in the Reflected World. Given the fact that the man's Psyche was considerably distorted, more so than the people whom Jin Kai and Aiko had encountered in the past few days, Su Lin had to be considerably skilled to achieve such a feat, her rank belying her true capabilities.
When the Police arrived shortly after Jin Kai had called them to report the incident, the young offender was escorted away as some members of the Police remained to collect testimonies from the victim as well as Jin Kai and his companions. After the Police left, Jin Kai asked Su Lin, "Hey, why didn't you mention where the boss was hiding? The Police could easily nab him with their resources, isn’t that why you interrogated that information from him?"
Su Lin smiled as she replied, "Where's the fun in that? Firstly, it might make the Police suspicious of us, since it doesn't make sense for a young woman like myself to be able to extract vital information from a crook. Next, arresting the boss isn't a permanent solution, if an underling was already in possession of such a distorted psyche, do you think serving a jail sentence would do anything to help this boss turn over a new leaf?"
This time, Aiko frowned as she questioned, "What are you trying to suggest, Su Lin? I don't like where this is heading." Su Lin beamed, "Well, we've got an address and a target, so what do you expect? This could be our very first mission together as a team, so let's make haste and deliver justice to that crime boss before he notices something amiss and flee!"
Jin Kai felt his heart beating rapidly as adrenaline started to course through his veins. This was going to be his first mission with serious repercussions, to purify the psyche of a crime boss. Finally, things were starting to get interesting…