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Sun Yao called the Central District Barrier Station. After suffering through multiple transfers, he finally reached the duty manager, where he enjoyed the privilege of asking one question.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas Liu Fang Fang left the building?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d the manager said. \u201cShe completed her shift and left the building at six thirty-seven.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something must have happened to her. Either on the way home or inside her apartment. Sun contacted the front desk at the Defenders\u2019 Guild.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Defender Sun Yao. Do we have any incidents today related to a Liu Fang Fang?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you write her name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Liu\u2019 is \u2018flow\u2019 from \u2018flowing water\u2019, \u2018Fang\u2019 means \u2018fragrance\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne moment\u2026 No records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAny beast activity in the Central District?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. The barrier kept them out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sun hung up. He had to investigate her apartment. But he had to assume the worst. If someone knew who she was, if that someone had left a trap behind\u2026<\/p>\n
Drawing his infinity pistol, he cracked the door open. No security bolt. No tripwire. No signs of life.<\/p>\n
Slowly, slowly, he continued pushing the door, ready to ease off the moment he felt even the slightest hint of resistance.<\/p>\n
No tripwire.<\/p>\n
He stepped into the hallway past the door. The faint scent of sandalwood smoke tickled his nose. The final rays of the setting sun played through the windows. Slowly, methodically, he searched the apartment.<\/p>\n
The closet next to the door was filled with nothing more nefarious than coats, shoes and bags. The modest kitchen opposite the closet was small but adequately equipped, but there was no sign that she was preparing a meal. The living room was spick and span, and the store room packed with all kinds of odds and ends.<\/p>\n
In a corner of the living room, an altar to the Bodhisattva of Mercy faced the door. A porcelain statuette of the Bodhisattva, seated on a lotus blossom with her right hand raised, took pride of place. In front of the statuette there was a bowl of incense, a cup of fresh water, and an oil lamp.<\/p>\n
The bronze bowl was filled with ashes, the incense consumed long ago. The oil lamp was empty. He touched the cup of water and discovered it was at room temperature.<\/p>\n
In the bathroom he found nothing more suspicious than hair products, makeup and toiletries. And at the balcony he found nothing.<\/p>\n
With slight trepidation, he entered her bedroom. The last time he\u2019d been in her room was five years ago, when they were still in high school and still studied at each other\u2019s homes.<\/p>\n
The bedroom was\u2026 neat. Clean. The bed was made and the dressing table spotless. An alarm clock and a lamp rested on a nightstand, while a potted plant sat on the other. Her closet was overflowing with clothes and bags.<\/p>\n
No sign of her.<\/p>\n
He thought about everything he had observed. The refrigerator was stocked. The closets were stuffed. The apartment was neat and tidy. The offerings had yet to be changed. The windows were all closed, but the air didn\u2019t feel stagnant.<\/p>\n
She hadn\u2019t planned for a long absence. Which meant she had to leave without advance warning, and without time to pack.<\/p>\n
Or\u2026<\/p>\n
He sniffed the air.<\/p>\n
A faint floral scent filled the air, sweet and subtle. It was the fragrance he had always associated with her. She\u2019d lived here for so long her scent permeated the room.<\/p>\n
But why hadn\u2019t he sensed her\u00a0qi<\/em>?<\/p>\n His glasses vibrated against his skull. Incoming call.<\/p>\n \u201cSun Yao, you done with dinner?\u201d Fu Hai Long asked.<\/p>\n \u201cHaven\u2019t even started. What\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a callout.\u201d<\/p>\n Civil defense sirens wailed in the distance. A robotic voice warbled a prerecorded announcement, too muffled for him to make out.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t respond to this one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d Fu demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m handling a potential missing persons case.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeave it to the police,\u201d Fu snapped. \u201cWe have reports of multiple beasts terrorizing the city. We need all hands on deck.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a missing person. It looks like a kidnap.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo? People are\u00a0dying<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe missing person is a Barrier Technician. She\u2019s a critical defense asset\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs she the girl you\u2019re meeting?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m busy investigating. I\u2019ll call you back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait!\u201d<\/p>\n Sun hung up.<\/p>\n Sitting on the floor, he took a deep breath, tuned out the sirens, and called up his spirit sense. He expanded his senses as far as they would go, maximizing his reach, feeling for every scrap of\u00a0qi<\/em>\u00a0in the apartment.<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n That was it. There was no\u00a0qi<\/em>\u00a0here. That was wrong. This was Fang Fang\u2019s home, and she was a cultivator. Her apartment would be filled with her energy. It wouldn\u2019t be empty.<\/p>\n Unless someone else had cleared it out.<\/p>\n He strode to the balcony. From here he had a clear line of sight to the street. He closed his eyes. Stuffed his fingers into his ears. Tried to tune out the sirens howling in the distance. And focused on feeling the world.<\/p>\n There were people in the apartments above, below and around him. Pedestrians scurried for cover. Shutters slammed shut, cars screeched to a halt, guns shouted in the distance. He ignored them all, focusing on\u2026<\/p>\n There.<\/em><\/p>\n At the edge of his perception, he detected a tiny pearl of glowing white\u00a0qi<\/em>. Almost imperceptible, but he was as familiar with that specific\u00a0qi<\/em>\u00a0signature as his own.<\/p>\n He closed the balcony door, activated\u00a0qinggong<\/em>, and leapt down to the sidewalk. Sprinted down the empty streets, made a left turn, a right turn, and found the\u00a0qi<\/em>\u00a0pearl. It was floating above a manhole.<\/p>\n Reaching out, he touched the pearl, absorbing it into his body, feeling it with his heart\u2014<\/p>\n A huge man hauled her over her shoulder. She kicked and flailed but her hands and feet were cuffed.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cStop it!\u201d the man shouted.<\/em><\/p>\n She kept resisting, she kept fighting, she had to fight\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n Electricity tore through her body. White-hot pain fried her nerves, locked her muscles, froze her joints.<\/em><\/p>\n And the pain stopped.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cKeep fighting and it\u2019ll get worse.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n She slumped, defeated.<\/em><\/p>\n A second man lifted the manhole cover. Hot, stinking gas wafted from the opening. She wrinkled her nose.<\/em><\/p>\n She couldn\u2019t fight them. Not like this. She wasn\u2019t a fighter, and they\u2019d stripped her of the bangles she needed to cast her barrier.<\/em><\/p>\n But she could leave a trace.<\/em><\/p>\n The first man was wearing some kind of harness. The second man strapped her in. She focused her energies, creating a tiny ball. Filled with subtle energy, it was undetectable to anyone who wasn\u2019t looking for it. Certainly not these men, too distracted with the logistics of kidnapping her. She floated the ball into the air, filling it with her thoughts and memories.<\/em><\/p>\n Sun Yao, help me! I don\u2019t know who these men are. They were waiting for me at home and took me by force. I don\u2019t know what they want. I\u2019ll leave a trail for you to follow. Please, help\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n She fell.<\/em><\/p>\n Reality snapped back into focus. Sun\u2019s mind cleared. He gritted his teeth. Clenched his fists. Sucked down a breath.<\/p>\n \u201cHang on, Fang Fang. I\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n![\"Cheah](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/0x0\/https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmNPjQAkaGvtrys87bjqAghP62AqHAB7edWEt44bH8yfwD\/Cheah%20Git%20San%20Red.jpg\")
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