act12side

Didn't you just say...

Oh, so you suspect Ernesto.

You don't?

Well, I see where you're coming from. That's no small operation, and news of it wouldn't have gotten to Lady Candela if it had been just a single smuggling operation.

Someone is definitely manipulating the information somewhere down the line. Ernesto's fairly suspicious, but even if he's in the clear, there's definitely somebody else.

I can't get to the bottom of everything just by myself, though I do have one of the bombs right here in my pocket, at the very least.

Want to give it a squeeze?

I'll pass.

Which team?

Grey Feather.

Them, huh? Didn't expect that.

It wouldn't have occurred to me either.

Which means they're definitely up to something, and they have a well organized plan.

And since they've got explosives, that's definitely no normal plan.

What are you going to do?

I think we should talk to Lady Candela first.

Are you sure?

What do you mean?

I'm sure you've noticed what they are propping up this city's colorful appearance with, Hui-chieh.

And Lady Candela, the mayor of the city, is allowing all of this to happen under her nose.

Does a city like this, or someone like her, really deserve your help?

I'm going to fight you again if you tell me you'll let those guys set up bombs just because of that.

Quite the opposite.

I don't really care that much about what this city is like or what's going to happen to it.

I'm here to represent Chief Wei. What I care about is Chief Wei's image.

That's why I don't really have a choice. I have to complete Lady Candela's request.

But what about you? How do I know you're not standing up against me because of that overflowing sense of justice of yours?

All of a sudden, Ch'en lifts her head and stares straight into Lin Yühsia's eyes.

What are you trying to say?

Lin Yühsia isn't backing down either. She, too, is staring straight at Ch'en.

What I'm saying, Hui-chieh, is that you should stop faking all those emotions you have for people you've never even met.

You have no right to get involved with anything that has to do with the city, and you definitely have no right to blame me for anything.

A thunderous 'pop,' that of a fist and a palm clashing together, rings through the quiet bar.

Ch'en's fist is about an inch away from Lin Yühsia's face, held firmly back only by Lin Yühsia's palm.

Their faces are still as water, leaving only their fierce stares to reveal their convictions.

Standing not far away from them, the casino boss sees a shapeless fire burning amidst their silence. The flame is raging and growing more intense by the second, as though it could engulf everything in their vicinity at any moment.

Right away, he starts to work out how much he will spend renovating his casino, as well as which contractor in the neighborhood charges the least.

However, contrary to his expectations, the flame does not erupt into a volcano of rage.

After another brief moment of silence, Ch'en retracts her fist, and Lin Yühsia lowers her hand.

This won't help you absolve yourself.

And I'm not trying to absolve myself.

One day, I will make sure you pay for all that you've done.

Heh.

And how will you make me do that, Lungmen Special Inspection Unit Chief Emeritus, Miss Ch'en Hui-chieh?

With righteousness.

Well, at least that has a slightly better ring to it than justice. If that day ever comes, I will be ready and accept my punishment.

Anything else?

That's it. You can do whatever you want to do, and I will do things my way. That's what I'm trying to tell you.

The fewer people who know about this, the better, but we should at least let Lady Candela know, no matter how we go about this.

Even if you tell her, there isn't all that much she can do.

We still don't know what their objective is. Trying to scope them out or arrest them is just going to startle them.

Also, don't use your phone.

I don't need you to tell me that.

Oh, right. I forgot how much you cops love your wiretaps.

You really want a fight, don't you?

I haven't the interest.

Well, you've made up your mind. Go talk to Lady Candela, then. I've got better things to do.

Alright.

I never thought the day would come for us to work together...

Likewise.

You don't have a big enough fist, and what are you standing up straight like that for...?

Shop's closed today.

I'd like a fincatching rod.

Come in.

Hermano, can't you stop changing the password every day? It's a chore to get them down.

No.

Rafaela, stop letting your guard down. Do you know how hard it was for me to disguise your mistake as some normal weapons smuggling?

If Ms. Candela manages to sniff us out, we're done for.

If you're doing this, see it through.

*Sigh*... Fine.

I'm not trying to yell at you, Rafaela. You're a klutz, but you do a decent job with everything you need to do.

It's the idiots who don't know the gravity of all this.

This city is full of entertainment, but if that's all the city has, there's no way it could've gotten such a foothold in Bolívar.

But you still called me a klutz...

But, my lovely sister, you are a klutz, no?

Hmph.

Actually, I got the feeling that I was being followed just now.

Really?

I'm not sure, but that's what it felt like.

I'll let everyone in the competitions know to be careful.

Never mind... I guess that, outside of the mission, these guys aren't all that different from the folks who live here. You wouldn't be able to get much out of them.

Anyway, how did the mission go?

We got the bombs installed in the residential district.

Did anyone find you?

I ran into the purple-haired girl on your team about halfway through. I avoided a direct confrontation with her, like you'd told me.

And what did she do?

She didn't bother us.

She didn't come to me about it. I guess she really didn't notice...

No, there's no guarantee that's the case. She's clearly mistrustful of me, even more so than Ch'en. It's possible that she found out but chose to hide it from me.

And even if she found out, there's probably very little she could do...

*Sigh*, they don't want to work together, and I can't keep an eye on both of them at once. What a pain.

It's me.

Your orders?

If the mayor starts investigating the competition area, let my father know right away.

Understood.

Phew, I guess this will do for now.

I've taken a look at which teams made it through. Out of the forty teams in the competition, twelve are on our side, and nine of those made it through. It's more or less what I expected.

Yeah, if it wasn't for the blue haired girl getting in the way, we probably could've taken down another team or two.

It was never all that reliable of a plan, luring out teams with pure gold out in the open and then taking them down, so there's really nothing to complain about with these results.

We made it through the first round. All we have to do during the second round is get in the other teams' way.