“They might not be normal bombs,” Rui said, her heart pounding. “Yiran wroteqi pennieson his note. Those are filled with yangqi, and it doesn’t make sense for the Hybrids to use something like that. What if they filled their bombs withyinqiinstead?”
The three in the van exchanged a fraught glance.
“Even if we cancel the lockdown right now, people are still on trains and buses and cars or in restaurants or just walking on the street,” Ash said. “We need to get them out of those areas.”
“But what’s the end game?” Rui said. “Those yinqi bombs won’t transform normies into Hybrids—they’ll kill them. If it’s about not being able to feed, why would the Hybrids cause mass casualties? What’s Song Liming’s goal here?”
“Chaos and panic,” Zizi said with a grim look.
Things weren’t adding up in Rui’s head. “The timing feels off.”
“We’re speculating,” Ash said. “We don’t know if the Hybrids planted anything already or if Yiran got it wrong, but we have to treat this as a real threat to the public. Our priority is keeping the normies safe. I’ll activate all Guild units and coordinate with them to do a sweep of the city immediately. Shuang, alert the Police Commissioner. We’ll need their help.”
“Zizi and I will follow Yiran,” Rui volunteered.
Ash nodded. “You’ll need backup. We don’t know what he’s walking into.”
“We’ll be fine.” Rui turned to Zizi. “Can you drive?”
He gestured at the screens. “Look at the gridlock. Driving might not be an option if we want to catch up to them.”
“We’ve got two motorbikes at Stone Street and Third. I’ll give you the codes to unlock them,” said Lieutenant Shuang. “And, Ash? Go get your brother. We’ll handle the city.”
Ash looked equally torn and grateful. “I’ll get things rolling first and alert the Academy for reinforcements.” He glanced at Rui and Zizi. “I’ll join you as soon as I can. Keep me updated.” He punched a button on his comms set. “Kodie? Anything?”
“Think I found them,” Kodie said. “The sanitation vehicle’s still heading south. It seems to be avoiding all major highways. If they keep going, they’ll cross the river to the west side. Traffic’s building up on the bridge, but I think they’re going to make it before it gets bad. If you take the bikes, you should be able to get close. I can’t tell what their destination is, though.”
“What’s across the river?” Rui asked, puzzled.
“The seaport,” Ash said.
“But the port’s on this side of the river.”
“Theoldseaport.” Ash’s face had gone white. “That’s where my father died.”
64
Yiran
Seagulls perched on rooftops and power lines, their squawks piercing the briny air. The sun was low on the horizon, and its warm orange rays swept over the old seaport as Yiran followed Yuki down the waterfront. The Hybrid who had driven them here stayed back in the sanitation van for some reason.
The reconstruction project that had been planned had fallen through, and the area had been left vacant for a while. Not long after, the thrum of industry shifted east across the river, and the old cargo terminal and warehouses weathered from age and rust. Someone had scooped up the land for cheap, and it appeared that someone might have been his father. In the fading light, Yiran could see scorch marks left from the tragic fire twelve years ago.
The fire that was said to have consumed Song Liming.
Funny how fate worked. In some ways, this was where it had all started.
The warehouses around here seemed like a good place to hide prisoners; the Exorcists and cadets had to be here. Yiran’s disgust with his father grew. The man had claimed consent was important, and yet he’d kidnapped the Exorcists to experiment on them.
Yiran wiped his clammy hands on his jeans, making sure his glove was still in his pocket. His plans had veered off course. He wasn’t expecting to land here, and he had to improvise on his own. But Ash said there would be eyes on him outside the dive bar, and he’d activated Zizi’s charm before he’d left. He didn’t know what the play was with the yinqi bombs, though. Was his father planning an assault on the city? Yiran hoped his brother and friends had picked up the message he’d left in the trash.
Yuki led him to the middle of the lot, where three warehouses nested in a row. They entered the biggest one. Inside, crates and cargo containersformed a labyrinth of tall steel blocks and narrow lanes. Old machinery sat in a corner, and fluorescent lights buzzed overhead from the high ceilings. The lights flickered intermittently, casting pockets of shadow here and there. Something about this place resonated in Yiran’s mind. It looked uncomfortably similar to one of the Simulator programs at Xingshan Academy.
Agitated voices came from somewhere ahead.
“...We need to feed to maintain our strength.” It sounded like Celeste.
“I’m aware of that, but as I’ve said, our prisoners are not here for that purpose,” his father said. “What we all agreed on... decision was not made unilaterally, and it will not change. They’re valuable for our tests.”
