As much as it hurt, Yiran forced himself to focus on what was at stake: his city, his friends, his family. He walked to the trapdoor. Yuki made no move to stop him this time.
The cellar had been cleared out.
Yiran’s brain rattled against his skull. The crumpled piece of paper. There were locations written on it. What if—
He strode to Yuki and pulled him around to face him. “What were those devices in the cellar, and why are they gone?”
“Celeste said the girl—your friend Rui—used some kind of pennies that were filled with yangqi at Outram. They acted like tiny bombs that would go off when they touched a Hybrid. They were very effective, and Cel’s been obsessed with replicating them. She and a few others created a version, but instead of yangqi, they filled it with yinqi. They made them bigger and more destructive.”
“They’re explosives that attacknormies? Where are they now? What did my father plan to do with them?”
“I don’t know—”
Yiran cut him off. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying,” Yuki protested. “I got here just before you arrived. I don’t know what happened to the devices—no one told me anything.”
“Look,” Yiran pleaded. “I don’t know where you stand in all this. I don’t know if you’re truly with them, but if you give a damn aboutme, I need you to tell me two things.”
Conflicting emotions blurred on Yuki’s face, each battling for dominance. Finally, he nodded.
“Where’s the talisman?” Yiran said.
“He keeps it with him. Only takes it out when he wants to use it.”
“Can you bring me to him?”
“I’ll try, but I can’t guarantee he’ll want to see you.” Yuki looked wary. “What are you planning to do?”
Yiran slammed the trapdoor shut. “I’m going to end this.”
63
Rui
Rui, Ash, and Zizi parked their delivery van a few streets away from the dive bar Yiran had gone to, ready for their stakeout. The back of the van was cramped with surveillance equipment, and Rui found a semi-comfortable spot and planted herself there for the potentially long wait. Across from her, Ash sipped his coffee and watched the live feed of the traffic cameras on the nearby streets Kodie had tapped into.
Rui snuck a glance at Zizi. He was sprawled in the back of the van, fiddling with a piece of yellow paper. It didn’t look like the usual talisman. It was shaped like a paper doll, with red calligraphic squiggles drawn on it. He’d been staring at it for a while with a deep look of concentration like he was waiting for something to happen.
Zizi sighed and looked up, and their eyes locked for an electric moment, the space between them shrinking, drawing them closer.
Rui pulled her gaze away first, irked by herself. She’d barely spent two days with him, and she couldn’t get him out of her head. Had they really known each other for a long time? Ada said that Rui had, allegedly, been in love with him. She didn’t think she felt anything for him now except unbridled curiosity. It made sense, seeing how strange he was.
But he was also kind. Smart. A little silly on occasion. Extremely annoying, but it was the kind of annoying that was oddly endearing. She didn’t know why she wanted to talk to him. Didn’t know why she wanted to know him better. Maybe she just wanted to fill the holes in her memory so that she could feel fully herself again.
In contrast, Zizi had become reticent, repeatedly rebuffing her efforts to have a conversation longer than a few words. It was whiplash, considering how he’d rambled on and on when she’d woken in his shophouse. Hehad been so eager to jog her memory then, but now it felt like he wanted to keep a distance between them, and she couldn’t understand why.
Static buzzed.
Lieutenant Shuang’s voice came through the comms set. He was stationed closer to the dive bar. “I’m picking up a small burst of spiritual energy coming from inside. Confirmed it to be yangqi.”
Zizi perked up and gave his paper doll a little shake.
“Dammit, Yiran,” Ash muttered. “I said nothing flashy.”
“Could it be Song Liming?” Rui wondered.
“It’s Mochi.” Zizi held up the paper doll. It had a blue glow around the edges.
