章 174: Chapter 39: The Message
The apartment complex that was offered to Hong Fu and Vindy for their stay are located in the district neighboring the main governmental building. The security checks and clearances were done overnight automatically, and the two of them were given the most basic of access to offices and were asked to come to the building in the mornings at 08:30 standard times. For the first few days, it has mostly been induction into the inner workings of the One Rock Government and how everything is organized. Not exactly the most exhilarating of topics, but one that's rather crucial, especially for Hong Fu.
Vindy, on the other hand, found herself way more interested in the more technological side than the organizational side, and Jozzor quickly realized his plans of making the two of them governmental workers aren't going to work. The entire agreement would have been much better if they are just normal workers in the cities with extra access, rather than paid governmental workers with limited access.
So Hong Fu found himself sent to the business management division, and Vindy found herself an internship in the techno-city, where the displaced scholars and researchers are situated.
All of those jobs are negotiated to be half-days, and Jozzor is the one in charge of their physical and artifact training in the afternoons. Typically, Vindy and Hong Fu met up at the Western park located in between the main city and techno-city for lunch before go train in the outdoor facilities at the park following plans given by Jozzor. However, today's different.
Due to the non-existent level of trust in between them, Jozzor has many times asked them not to use their artifacts outside of the training center, and they are also only allowed in the training center when he is there, which hasn't happened yet. Of course, this isn't followed by either of them to the least, and all of the monitoring units were noised out with Vindy's frequent music practice. The first few times, Jozzor has asked 'maintenance' workers to replace those burnt out cameras and rice sized recording units, but soon he gave in too.
Vindy's playing some proper music, and Hong Fu seemed to be allowing it. Or rather, Vindy is playing some loud music as he and Hong Fu are entangled in between the sheets. There are certain pluses for the Rocky body, and one of them being the incredible speed the Rocky males recover in between...sessions.
This would have been the first day of their afternoon training session that wasn't just physical training they are performing in the parks, and Hong Fu and Vindy met up for lunch before they intend to take the shuttle towards the private training centers in the outskirts of the city, where Jozzor is supposed to meet up with them.
There are various food printers and even stalls dotted around the leisure side of the Western park as crowds of humans, Rockies and the occasional Aquarian gander around, enjoying the warm bath of artificial sunlight. There are groups of students and kids playing at the corner parks, and even further beyond are the public training facilities. The Rockies are the group that has taken 'group fitness' to the most extreme of levels with the plethora of training implements, obstacle courses, tracks, weights, machines all set up in various corners of the city, and their raw physicality is put on display to all the bystanders. This attitude to constant physical preparation has allowed for them to survive in the harsh environments way back, and the culture remained despite the reduction in such a need.
For artifact users, however, increased physical and mental capacity only means you have more potential to fully and efficiently use your artifacts, so there is always a reason for the two of them to train.
For the lunch today, Vindy opted for a mixed meat spicy sandwich, with dark brown roasted meats packed tightly in two slices of brown bread and layers of Rocky lettuce (which tasted like salted paper to Hong Fu's human tongue). Hong Fu went for a spiced bowl with grains, a standard meal for him, and one that's the closest he can get to replicating the taste of human fried rice. He abstained himself from tasting any human meals ever since the transfer in fear of ruining the palette and his image of those foods.
'How's the work?' Hong Fu asked, as they sat next to each other with Vindy's shoulders rubbing gently into his very own.
'Strange.' Vindy said, and Hong Fu looked over with a little confusion as he saw her poking the side of the sandwich with her finger.
'How so?'
'I thought I know much about audio systems, but I wasn't even scratching the surfaces...' Vindy said before drastically lowering her voice, 'when you rely on the artifact for your daily skills...You know...'
'You lose your normal set of skills indeed.' Hong Fu nodded his head, a common problem for artifact users, and it is often better addressed the earlier it is realized. This is especially prevalent for artifacts that are more tailored to easy daily usage.
'Oh, well, it's good that...'
Suddenly, an explosion went off in the distance as the ground shakes and a cloud of dust rose up into the air. A gust of wind and dusts rushed through the walking paths of the park, swallowing the crowds of scared children and obscuring the vision. Vindy snapped her finger and created a shock wave of her own, deflecting the dusts and keeping their lunches safe. However, the food in their lap is the least of their worries.
'Hong!' Vindy said, looking over only to see him already with Probable activated.
'No further danger.' Hong Fu confirmed as he glanced through the list of potential futures before releasing his fingers from the marble, 'let's go.'
'To where?' Vindy asked, as Hong Fu placed the box of fried rice behind him.
'To where the explosion started.'
The explosion went off directly in the middle of the park, where a monument of New Olympus was placed as a symbol of the city. The statue was once a nice tourist attraction for those that first arrived at the city, just for them to get a sense of what the spirit of it all is. Brakagi isn't one that's remotely interested in personal glory, so obviously rising a statue for himself is out of the question.
So what was instead used is an artistic statue of groups of Rockies, humans and Aquarians standing together with their hands reaching up into the stars. This is what it's all about. The three species reaching the great beyond together as equals.
But now, that statue is no more, as pieces of metal and rocks are all scattered throughout the plaza. Groups of medical and riot control droids have already gathered and treat the wounded and evacuate the area as they screened for further signs of danger. But Hong Fu knew that nothing more is going to be happening in the short future. As the two appeared, a riot control droid approached and asked them to stay away, but their extra access into the governmental building seemed to have worked here as it backs away after scanning it.
Walking around the bigger pieces of materials, Hong Fu and Vindy found themselves genuinely distressed by this act, especially when the flying pieces have pierced the torsos of a few humans that are standing too close. Fortunately, it doesn't look like there are any fatal injuries suffered by those around.
They walked in a circle into the front of what was once the statue, and a fragmented piece of white known material sticking to the base stood out immediately. That would be an important piece of forensic evidence, and Hong Fu has no intention of moving it. What drew their attention are the lines of writing now placed over the initial saying of 'peace, equality and progress'.
Now, it said: 'DEATH TO THE FALSE GOD.'
Vindy and Hong Fu shared a shocking glance, and he shook his head lightly indicating that he has no involvement in this at all.
So there is yet another party involved in this mess, as if the whole thing can't get any more complicated with Infinity and the Galactic government, Absolute Being, the Bearers, Brakagi and the One Rock Government and the two of them.
Hong Fu tapped his fingers habitually on Probable as this fidget helps him process things, and the frantic flashing of images in his mind that comes as a result is strangely soothing for him. Then, he saw the paths of possibilities where Jozzor will be arriving at the monument.
Hong Fu turned around, and measured out where Jozzor will be arriving right as a stretched out image of him appeared. Then, the opaque image began to thicken and solidify, and Jozzo slung shot his way into the dusty surface. This doesn't quite work like teleporting, but it is just about as cool, Hong Fu thought.
'You two!' Jozzor wasn't expecting the two of them there, 'how...what?'
After quickly explaining the situation to Jozzor, he doesn't appear to believe it fully. But it also doesn't make any sense that the two of them would do something like this, as even Jozzor know that they are in the phase of trying to earn the trust of both Brakagi and himself. Blowing up the city monument is really one of sending a message rather than truly hurting Brakagi, and so far, the message is clear.
'Death to the false god?' Jozzor repeated after the saying as the shuttles from the police department flew overhead and a few of the officers jumped out into the ground comically like superheroes but only the size of Rockies.
'Sounds like they not only know that we have artifact users, they also hate Brakagi.' Hong Fu commented, 'anyone ringing a bell?
'Too many bells.' Jozzor said, scratching the side of his head and grunting slightly, 'Master doesn't get to where he is without those that hate him all throughout the journey.'
Damn. And that means Hong Fu and Vindy is not only in dangerous territory with their true purpose of coming here, but they will also likely be endangered by those who recognize them as part of Brakagi entourage.
Hong Fu looked over to Vindy and caught her glancing over worryingly at him too.
'Let's go.' Jozzor said, peeking at the status on his personal interface before reaching out his hand towards the two of them, 'Master is calling for all of us too.'
The experience of being warped by Jozzor is an strange one, as the space bends according to his will, and it appeared to Hong Fu that a semi-transparent wormhole of sort is being created upon his command, and he can already see the other side of the wormhole where Brakagi's office sits. Then, the three of them are pulled through and they found themselves appearing in the center of the room with a wave of disorientation fogging over their mind as their body struggles to process what has happened.
'Master.' Jozzor said, as Brakagi raised his head from the holograms in front of him. Waving a finger, Brakagi dismissed them all.
'Are you all okay?' He asked, 'I wasn't expecting Jozzor to meet you there...'
'We always have lunch at the Western Park.' Hong Fu answered, 'and that's when the explosion happened...'
'Casualties?' Brakagi asked, redirecting his attention back towards his second in command.
'Nothing substantial.' Jozzor said, 'many injured, but no fatalities so far.'
Brakagi nodded his head silently before pulling up a hologram of the local news. The media is reporting live the incident, and Brakagi has little intention in censoring what is being put on by the media.
'This is quite personal, isn't it?' Brakagi remarked, his facial expression still like a rock, 'I can spin that into an attack onto our vision and the future easy enough, but we need to figure out who, how and why the attack occurs. Jozzor, work with the police department and take Vindy and Hong Fu with you. It will be good experience for you too.'
'Yes.' The three of them acknowledged the instruction as Jozzor grabbed onto their shoulders again.
'Let's get started then.' Jozzor said as he looked up at Brakagi, 'alert me if anything happens, master.'
Then, the trio found themselves appearing on top of a building not too far away from the towering skyscraper in which Brakagi si working in. The building they are currently in is around the same height as the other around, and looked to be around twenty floors tall. A floating hologram above it showed the symbol of the Geb 4 police forces.
'Welcome to the police department.' Jozzor said half jokingly, as he lead the way towards the escalators located on the exterior of the building which takes down a floor into the top operating floor of the police department. The police department is mostly empty, likely due to the incident at Western Park pulling a majority of the forces currently at the department.
The police chief is a rather tall Rocky with a pair of cybernetic eyes and he is looking over rapid flashes of holograms. None of the three are able to even read a single line for those holograms before it disappears and another one appears. Is this how one consumes a huge amount of information as quickly as one can? All of those reports, pictures and articles flashes in and out of focus, almost like how Hong Fu is reading the paths of probabilities with Probable activated upon touch.
A light flashes when the three of them stood in front of the office door, and the flashing speed of the holograms gradually slows down before it became still as the live reports from the Western Park is played in the air. The office then lit up and the doors slid open.
'Chief.' Jozzor acknowledged, 'I wish I had come here in better circumstances so we can enjoy some spiced tea, but...'
'Today isn't that kind of day, is it Jozzor?' The chief said, leaning back as his cybernetic eyes darkened, 'I would much preferred to meet at the top of the tower.'
'These two are Vindy and Hong Fu, and they are like me and Master.' Jozzor gestured towards the two standing next to him, 'and we will all be helping in the investigation. Is there any updates?'
'The scanner droids have already gathered and analysed what appeared to be the explosive at the scene, and you won't believe it.' Chief said, running his finger along the control pad and brought up the composition and a photo of what remained of the explosive, 'either the explosives all disappeared upon the explosion, which is extremely chemically difficult, or the thing is made out of bubble gum.'
'Bubble gum?' Hong Fu scratches his ears and wondered if his hearing has been affected by the explosion, 'you mean a gun?'
'No, gum. The strange non-digestible human snack.' Chief set, swiping a finger as a horizontal array of pictures appeared in front of all of them, as there are tiny white strands and pieces attached to the various metallic and rocky pieces that once made up the statue, 'if would have been nothing but an uncivilized litter if it had not found it's way onto all of the pieces around.'
'Hong Fu?' Jozzor turned to him, who's the one that declared himself as a man of intelligence and information gathering, 'does this look like...'
'In terms of the bizarre nature of it, it has to be the work of an artifact.' Hong Fu said, 'if you couldn't find anything at the scene.'
'Are we dealing with a power that can explode things on impact?' Jozzor asked.
'Then why the bubble gum?' Hong Fu asked the obvious question, as anyone who can explode the monument upon impact would have just touched the monument directly and leave the scene, 'Chief, have you reviewed the surveillance footage of all those that have went near the monument?'
'There are way too many, but the AI is looking at it right now.' Chief said, glancing over to a screen on the right 'We should at least be able to track down the litterer.'
'And that's not even talking about the message left behind.....' Jozzor said, sitting back onto a chair and thought about all of the strands of information. So far, there appeared to be a dangerous artifact user or users running around in the massive city, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to get to Brakagi, 'this is troubling...'
'Hong Fu, what can you do with your artifact so far?' Jozzor asked, 'can you track down this individual?'
'My search criteria will need to be a lot more specific.....'Hong Fu admitted, 'but I have already made sure that there isn't any further attacks any time soon.'
'Good news.' The Chief said, 'kid, wanna work for me? I can always use an intelligence gathering personnel apart from the AI, you know...the old fashioned way. You can act as a detective, and you may work whenever and however you wish, within certain guidelines. Hows does that sound?'
Hong Fu looked over at Jozzor, who gave him an approving nod. Then, Hong Fu turned his head towards the chief, who stood up from his chair and tossed a holographic badge towards Hong Fu as his personal interface takes it in. Jozzor is surprisingly easy with this, and Hong Fu certainly isn't expecting the Chief to know all about the businesses of artifacts. Perhaps the two had some run in before all of this started.
The computer beeped upon the completion of the screening process, and clusters of pictures of potential suspects filled the entire office. The Chief lets out a whistle and Jozzor lets out a chuckle. As expected for the sub-human level AI, now all that's left is the next few layers of screening by different algorithms and other detectives.
'You take a set of these too.' Chief said, swiping his finger and sending the compilation of pictures into Hong Fu's personal interface, 'now, let's get to work, shall we?'
Glancing at all of the pictures while holding onto Probable, Hong Fu immediately locked his eyes on what must have been the true suspect. A tiny human frame in a black cloak...But why is she here and....why is she doing all of this?
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