A Tiresome Day
Fu Ming kept his hands up. His face remained static and focused while keeping his eyes on Eta and Kei, who were facing him down.
Fu Ming's guard was firm. His arms were intact, but most of the fake skin on his upper body had been cut or scratched by Eta's two-handed sword.
Kei was sporting a bloody nose and mouth, spitting onto her white shirt. She held her cane in her right hand. Eta gripped her two-handed sword with her dominant arm, while her other arm dangled like laundry caught in the wind.
Eta was barely dressed, her coat torn open and loosened. I could see the augment lines beneath her chest, and she was covered in nasty bruises from Fu Ming's punches.
"Alright. You dimwits. Break it up."
I looked toward the entrance where the voice came from. A man in a leisure suit, followed by OB agents, entered the hallway. Eta squinted at the man and sighed.
"Sato."
Next to Sato was another man dressed casually, his steps so light I couldn't hear his shoes touch the floor. It was as if he was floating.
Fu Ming lowered his guard and greeted him with a fist pressed into his palm.
"Brother Chen! Forgive me for this!"
Sato sniffed and introduced him.
"This is Chu Chen. He's the Lead Enforcer of the Ji Ceng Syndicate. He called me because I heard two of my associates have been making a ruckus. Kei, explain."
Kei explained the situation. Sato's face darkened, and I could see the pressure building as he listened. He clicked his tongue and slipped his hands into his pockets.
"Vaun called me, Kei. He told me you had him bust Mr. Chen's cleaning company."
"They tried to ruin my business, so I tried to ruin theirs."
It sounded arrogant, but Chu Chen seemed to understand something. His snake-like eyes moved between Kei, Eta, me, and Fu Ming before he gave Sato a respectful nod.
"Enough bloodshed. It is shameful this started because of my men." He turned to Fu Ming. "Are we paupers, Brother Ming?"
"N-no!"
"Then teach your fools that the information we get from anomaly hunters decides life and death. You dare provoke them. This will not happen again. Do we have an understanding, Brother Sato?"
"Of course. We have no qualms."
Chu Chen turned to me.
"Hand over the data you extracted from them."
I pointed at the hard drive on the table. It sat next to the site manager's head. Chu Chen picked up the head.
"Vaun killed this man?"
"Yes."
"I see."
He handed the head to one of Fu Ming's men.
"We shall go now."
He turned toward the exit. Fu Ming followed him with his head lowered. Sato inspected the room, then turned back to us.
"Sheathe your blade, Assistant. Kei, we need to talk. Now."
"Do we need to do that here?"
Sato didn't reply. He simply pointed at her to sit.
I sheathed the spare sword Eta had given me and let it hang from my belt. I approached Eta with a medkit and a towel from the bathroom and started patching her up while Sato and Kei spoke.
"How are your augments?"
"Beaten. That Fu Ming packs a punch. It's like getting hit by a truck."
I lifted her left arm.
"You'll need a doctor for this."
"No shit."
Eta gave a small grin.
I removed her ruined coat first, then worked around the fabric blocking her wounds. I cleaned the cuts along her chest and stomach. Around her left side, I could see a rib had cracked and was pressing outward.
"That isn't good."
"Yeah. His jabs with those arms of his are precise. I tried to swing at his head, but he weaved around it and countered my kidneys."
"Kidneys, huh."
I checked her side and saw the bruising had already turned deep purple. I pressed lightly, and she flinched.
"That's bad."
"Like I said. He hits like a damn truck."
I lifted her arm carefully and wrapped it with bandages. Using towels from the bathroom, I improvised a brace for her arm.
She had multiple cuts, but they weren't as bad as the bruising and the damaged bones.
"Can I borrow your coat?"
I paused. Seeing my reaction, she laughed and pointed at her own coat.
"Guess you like that overcoat of yours too much to lend it."
She smiled faintly.
I did. Washing it was troublesome.
Helping her up, I grabbed her two-hander and supported her until she could sit. Eta focused on regulating her breathing. The injuries she had would have been worse if she were fully human.
"Got it."
Sato stood and approached us. Kei had an annoyed expression, while Sato seemed to enjoy it.
"Ah, the Assistant. Sorry you had to deal with these two. I assure you, no member of the Shichinin no Ken behaves as rashly and unprofessionally as these girls."
I said nothing. Sato nodded and turned to Eta.
"And you, Eta. It's good that you don't let anyone disrespect your employer, but understand this."
Sato grabbed her head. I could hear Eta grit her teeth as he applied pressure.
"This doesn't happen again. Listen to Kei. She's smarter than you. Try it again, and I'll make sure what you have gets transferred to someone more capable. Simone is waiting for you at his clinic. Get fixed up."
Sato left the building, muttering to himself. Eta held her head and clicked her tongue.
Kei pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
"What a mess."
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. It's done. Nothing you say now will change anything. Ah, fuck, my chest hurts. That Fu Ming doesn't hold back, does he?"
Kei examined Eta's injuries.
"Rare to see you like this."
Eta said nothing and groaned.
I let Eta lean on my shoulder. Kei glanced at the car service Sato had arranged and got into the front, while Eta and I took the back seat.
–
We arrived at Simone's clinic. Simone, the gearhead doctor who had pretty much scraped his face off and replaced it with metal and artificial skin, eyed Eta and Kei before turning to me. The artificial skin on his face barely moved.
"You got injured?"
"No."
"Then you wait. All expenses are paid by Shichinin no Ken."
Doctor Simone got to work. Kei came out of the operating room first, while Eta remained inside for the next few hours.
"You okay, Ma'am?"
Kei stared at me for a moment before sitting down.
"Told you to drop that, Assistant."
"Okay."
She lit a cigarette and glared at a passing nurse.
"Thanks for going through that shithole."
I still didn't quite understand the point of it.
"May I ask why you sent me there?"
"Because I wanted to make a point, that's all. I can ruin their business if I want, and I made that clear. My office isn't easy to bully, you know? I might be able to pull in an HG Graded Agent again if something like this happens. Or have Shichinin no Ken return the favor."
Can she? Despite the scolding, Sato didn't seem to mind what Kei had done. Eta, on the other hand, had clearly gotten on his nerves.
"Hey, I can see the doubt on your face."
"Forgive me, but are they really going to be easygoing after all of this?"
She blew smoke from her mouth.
"Assistant, what is the greatest threat in this world?"
"Monsters and warpers, probably."
"No. Not anymore. Anomalies are the greatest threat mankind has ever faced. We're a small office, but I can pay you well. Know why? Because shutting down anomalies and selling what we know about them pays. Killing them? Hunting them? That's a one-time thing. But learning about them, compiling data, and selling that information? That's where the money is. Changye is a hotspot for anomalies. Every day, at least a hundred people encounter one. There are a lot of hunters, but unlike us, they'd rather kill than study."
She took a long drag from her cigarette.
"You getting me?"
"Somewhat."
Information sold better than corpses. I wondered if Shichinin no Ken and the office had rights over that data, seeing how confident she sounded.
"So yeah. We might not look like much, but we've gathered a lot. And Sato likes useful people. He's harsh on Eta, but you know her. The augments fried her brain… I think."
"I think she's just a cheerful person."
"Hah, I wish. She wouldn't have done something that stupid. Not entirely her fault, though. That idiot with Fu Ming tried to grope her."
My thoughts halted for a moment.
"How did that happen?"
Kei exhaled smoke.
"They wanted her to entertain them. Said if she earned a hundred thousand, they'd forget everything and keep the incident quiet. Eta was patient — until they tried testing her out."
"Still… that's a cheap price to pay. Pissing off a syndicate doesn't usually end well."
"Fu Ming was giving us face. We have problems, and they have bigger ones. Honestly? I think they just wanted to see if a busty warrior type would sell well. Smart man. Good fighter too. Haven't had a fight like that in a while."
I rubbed my chin. From inside the operating room, I could hear faint mechanical sounds.
"Another piece of metal for Eta. She's going to complain about the weight."
"You think they'll try anything?"
"No. Sato settled it."
"How?"
"Don't know."
I wondered how this would affect our pay.
"Will there be pay cuts?"
"Depends if we land a job in the next few days. Sato understood who crossed the line, so as long as we follow the rules and keep earning without stirring trouble, we'll be fine. Besides, Ji Ceng has ongoing business with our association. They won't muddy the waters over this."
"What if the men Eta killed had friends? Someone holding a grudge?"
"Maybe. But we made peace, and with Sato around, no one's acting on it anytime soon. Sure, there are psychopaths in this city, but even they don't want constant fights. Who would? They have work, they have their own problems. Revenge takes effort."
I had to agree. Fighting meant using your body, and your body was the most reliable asset in this city. It wouldn't betray you as long as you didn't betray it. Feed it, train it, maintain it—and it would keep you alive.
"Anyway, today's been a mess. Here, for your trouble."
She handed me some cash.
"Thanks. That reminds me — Vaun asked me to pass this along. He said you shouldn't mingle with Von-Abel too much. Shichinin no Ken is reasonable, but like most OB affiliates, they worship Plutus and Caishen."
Kei groaned and snapped.
"That man is irritating. Does he think I've lost my mind? Of course they worship money. Why does he keep stating the obvious?"
I pocketed the cash and thought about getting a proper meal.
"Do you mind if I take my leave?"
Kei nodded and lit another cigarette. She flicked the butt into a nearby bin without looking.
"Go ahead. I'll wait for Eta and take her home. She'll need someone watching over her."
"You two are close."
"Unfortunately. Thanks for today, Assistant."
"Take care. Try not to pick a fight."
"Tell that to Eta, not me."
I left the clinic and found a steakhouse. After finishing my meal, I washed my face in the restroom and took a service train back to Lotus Lane.
I stood at the very back of the cabin. It was unusually empty, which was rare in this city. Something must have happened.
It was quiet.
I looked at my reflection in the glass. Behind me, the space between two towering buildings showed a dark, starless sky.
The face staring back at me looked dull.
I thought it was a good thing I didn't lend my coat to Eta.
It was just another tiresome day in Changye.