Pathways

Don't hurt me, Miss Ch'en. I won't do it again!

Your eyes and the hand behind your back tell a different story.

This looks like a great place to hide your lackeys. You have a bunch of them here, don't you? Get them out.

Hmph, I shouldn't have expected any less from you. Come on out, everybody!

Get her!

Hold that thought.

Who?

Sorry to intrude. Give us a second. Ch'en, what gives? You're in a fight, and you didn't think to call me?

Here you are, anyway.

Heh, Ch'en, I've noticed you've gotten cockier ever since you went to Rhodes Island.

Enough. I'll leave you half.

Sure thing.

Grr, it's all of us against you alone, and you still got the upper hand.

You put on a show to lure me into fighting you, then you want to ambush me. Why all the hassle for little old me?

All of us would be making a killing right about now if it wasn't for you, Ch'en.

I don't get it, all eyes in the city are on you and Lin right now, and the mayor's got your back. You could have all the fame and fortune you wanted.

Why can't you go shoot some commercials and go on your talk shows and leave us alone?!

You could be rolling in all the dough, but you have to stop us from making money.

This has got nothing to do with you. Now come with me to the police station.

Hah, the police station.

The jails at the police stations here have been sitting empty for so long. Guess they will finally get to fill them.

I'm not sure if you know this, Ch'en, but as soon as the man I'm working for gives the cops a call, we'll all be out of there before you walk out the front door.

You'll remember this lesson I taught you, though.

Yeah, of course I will. How could I ever forget such a badass? Heh.

Let it go, Ch'en. There's no talking to these guys. Let's try breaking his hand. That will keep him from giggling.

I won't do that, and don't you dare. Not like I have the authority to stop you, though.

I know the drill, but you don't really think I listened to you just because you were my boss, do you?

Well, I can't break his hand, but I can at least gag him, right?

Nnnnnngh—

Whatever you want.

Okay, let's take them to the station.

These men are suspected of destruction of property and attempted to assault me in a premeditated manner. I'll leave them to you.

What? They'd attack you, Miss Ch'en? P-P-Please, leave them to us! I promise they'll get what's coming for them.

Nnnnnnngh!!

You can stop winking! Now that you got on Miss Ch'en's bad side, there's nothing the men behind you can do for you.

Give them the punishment they deserve. That's all you need to do.

Of course! Anything you say.

Hm? What's going on over there?

You know how much work it took to earn that kind of money?!

How could you even say that?!

And what'll you do about it? I'm in a bad mood today. If you don't want to spend the rest of the week in jail, then scram!

You... *Sigh*!

What's the matter?

M-Miss Ch'en? N-Nothing. This guy's being unreasonable, is all. Haha.

Ch'en?! I'm not being unreasonable. I saved for a whole year just to join this championship. I even won a little money and put it right on my card.

Then somebody stole my card while I was walking down the street this morning! That's why I came to the police station to ask for help catching the thief.

But as soon as I told him how much I had in the bank, he laughed at me and told me to leave!

Is that so?

Yes, uh... No... What I meant was...

Where can I check the surveillance drones' footage?

Huh? Uh... We can watch them right here in the station... It's been a while since we used them, though.

Show me.

Yes, ma'am!

You come too.

T-Thank you, Miss Ch'en!

The room's a little stuffy. Sorry about that.

It's fine. Give me the key. We'll take it from here.

Yes, of course. Uh... If you need me for anything, please don't hesitate to ask.

Well, the equipment here sure looks advanced. More so than anything we have back home.

But all this clearly isn't getting much use. It's honestly a waste.

How's the surveillance equipment back at the department? Has it been upgraded yet? I brought it up once before I left.

Nope, but we got the approval, at least. It'll probably take a good while still.

That's good.

Do you know how to use it?

It's a Columbian system, so I can at least read it. The authentication, on the other hand... Grr, should've kept the guy here.

Let's give this a try...

Alright, looks like they did give me all the permissions... *Sigh*.

What's so bad about that? Maybe you should consider getting a job here. These men listen to you. It's got to be a happier place to work.

I'll pass.

Hey, um, I don't understand what you're saying there.

Oh, we're both from Lungmen, just chatting away in our language. Don't sweat it.

Okay, you two keep on talking.

You seem to have calmed down.

Right. It puts my mind at ease when you are willing to help me. Everyone in the city knows you're not like the cops.

With you helping me, I'll be fine even if we don't end up catching the thief.

Relax. Ch'en and I have dealt with hundreds of cases like this one, if not thousands.

When was it stolen? The more details you can give me, the better.

It was about eleven o'clock, maybe right in the middle of Knox Avenue? That place right in front of the big bar there.

Isn't that around where Lin Yühsia's bar is...? You wait outside. I'll look into it for you, but you can't be here seeing all this.

Don't worry. You gave me more than enough details. Even if the cameras didn't get anything, there were probably witnesses.

Okay, thanks for the help.

Heh, that's just like you, Ch'en. Folks trust you, no matter where you are.

The local police should be dealing with this.

It's not so bad to set an example for them, no?

Only if they are willing to learn.

Haha, that's true.

Come help me.

Set the time from 10:00 to 12:00. I'll watch these two feeds. You check the other two.

Sure thing.

...

...

You know, Ch'en?

What?

Maybe I shouldn't say it...

You always end up saying it anyway.

Haha. Well, you were absolutely swagger when you talked to those incompetent guys just now.

This is how I used to talk to everyone back in the department too. It's a force of habit, but you're right. I should fix it.

No, you're not getting me.

Back home, you knew everyone in the department like the back of your hand, and every time you yelled at someone, you were pushing them to do their jobs.

But you know what these men are like. You know you can't change them, so everything you're having them do is only superficial.

That's not the Superintendent Ch'en I knew.

I...

Oh, don't get the wrong idea. I'm trying to say this is a good thing. A really good thing.

Beating around the bush again.

Oh, don't say that. Hey, I see the guy.

What time?

10:35.

Okay, let me take a look.

There we go... lock on. We'll track his movements.

Okay.

He's regrouping with his mates. Looks like they're with the local gangs.

......

If it isn't Ch'en, the heroine everyone in the city is raving about right now. How can I help you?

You free?

Hard to say. Maybe. Maybe not.

Help me find somebody.

Here. This is your card, right?

Yes, yes, yes. That's right. It's mine. Thank you very much, Miss Lin!

I owe you one.

Don't worry about it. Just figured I'd lend a hand. Besides, there's nothing you can do for me, even if you owe me one.

Yühsia?! I try on just three outfits and you vanish. Where the hell did you go this time?

I saw an old lady having trouble crossing the street, so I gave her a hand.

We're on the fifth floor of the mall! How in the world would you spot an old lady?! And the street down there's a pedestrian zone!

I'm giving you five minutes to show up, or you're dead!

Okay.

You can help me carry Swire's bags.

I'll pass.

Then I've got no use for you.

You can deal with this guy. See you.

See you later.

Well, this I'll never get used to. How are you getting along with Miss Lin, of all people?

You think I'm getting along with her?

Sure do.

Well, okay.

Take good care of your card. Don't lose it again.

Of course, of course. I really don't know how I can repay you, or Miss Lin. You went through all this trouble for me.

Police have to protect the citizens and their interests.

Are you two cops?

I used to be... She still is.

I see. I wish the police here were all as honest as you...

Even if you're not a cop, as a human being, you should always offer a hand to those in need.

That's what I used to think as well, but ever since I came to this city, it kind of feels like I had it all wrong...

You're not a local?

Nope. I'd say most of the job hoppers here aren't either.

My family's from a Singas village.

One day, a fight broke out between the Singas and True Bolívarians. Our whole village was destroyed by True Bolívarians. Lots of people died.

I was lucky enough to be hunting up in the mountains at the time, and that saved my life. I ran away as soon as I saw what had happened to the village.

I wanted to be a soldier, but the army didn't want me. I had no choice. I heard it's easy to make a decent living here, so I came.

That must be a painful memory. Sorry for bringing it up.

To be honest, whenever I think back on it myself, it all feels like a dream.

What makes you say that?

I'm 35 now. I spent some 20 years back in my hometown, and it hasn't even been 10 years since I moved here, but sometimes...

Sometimes it feels like the life I once had was all a lie.

Back then, I thought it was the right thing to do to help out, but when I heard what you said just now, it felt like it's been a really long time since I heard anyone say anything like that. It's been a long time since I even thought that way myself, too.

To tell the truth, if the shoe was on the other foot at the police station, if I was a bystander like you instead of someone asking for help, I definitely wouldn't have lent a hand.

And I knew it was pointless to go to the cops, but I was pissed. I didn't expect anyone there would help me, but then you showed up.

In this city, you can get lots of things done if you have money, but you can forget about it if you don't.

And if you want to climb the ladder, your best bet would be to try your luck, join a gang, gamble, or steal. You'd be an idiot to try to get there by working your ass off.

The championship is trying your luck?

Of course. I'm a coward. I'm not brave enough to gamble, let alone steal. For someone like me, the championship's the most stable way to hit it big.

Men like me don't actually try to win. Just making it through the prelim earns you some decent money. If you win the first round, you get yourself some fame and even more money.

......

I work at a restaurant here. I can talk to the boss and treat you two and Miss Lin to a meal.

How about it, Ch'en? Why don't we call Missy too?

Alright.

Wonderful. I'll head back and tell the boss. I'm sure he'll be over the moon to know Ch'en and Lin will be eating at his restaurant.

See you later, then.

Yeah.

...

What's the matter, Ch'en? Not going to escort him back?

Hoshiguma.

Hm?

I need you to do me a favor.

Oh? Well, if the sun isn't rising in the west now. Let me say this up front: I have no money. If you need some, try Missy.

...

Okay, I'll knock it off. What is it? I've known you all these years, and this is the first time I ever heard you ask for something. Just say the word.

Hmph, acting all high and mighty. The mayor's got her back, and she actually thinks she owns the place.

If I had the mayor pulling strings for me, I could throw my weight around too.

Ahem.

Oh, uh... Umm... You're back, Miss Ch'en.

Sure am.

Haha, and that guy behind you must be the thief.

Yeah, I'll leave him to you.

Of course. Not a problem. I'll make sure anyone who dares to upset you gets what they deserve.

Also...

Something else?

I talked to Lady Candela just now, and, uh...

What Miss Ch'en here is saying is that she knows she stands out too much, and that may have made your office here look bad.

So she paid Lady Candela a visit and asked her to consider increasing your performance bonuses.

And out of respect for Miss Ch'en, Lady Candela allocated a decent amount of money. Anyone from the station who has made a meaningful contribution will get a bonus.

And to help all of you earn the bonus that Lady Candela has set aside, Miss Ch'en will also be holding lectures, teaching your teams the techniques she used back when she was a police officer.

May I ask... how much is the bonus?

This much for each case.

M-Miss Ch'en, you are incredible! I'll go tell everyone right away!

It's nothing...

And this guy's going on your count.

Thanks! Thank you very much!

........

Phew...

Did that feel bad?

It certainly didn't feel good.

But if you ask me, 'What can I do to motivate the police here?' I'd tell you this is the simplest and most direct way to go about it.

But... this isn't right still.

You're right. It isn't.

And I can name all kinds of reasons.

First, you just got here. You may be brimming with charisma, but they still won't bow down to you right away. Just think about how long it took you to get those nitpickers to work with you when you first joined the bureau.

At times like this, moolah is the simplest way to get someone on board.

If I remember correctly... I beat them into submission. You were the last one.

I never caved.

Plus, it's a little arrogant to ignore what you've got on hand and rely only on yourself.

And that's especially if it's money, authority, and power that you have available. You might as well use it.

Is that the impression everyone had of me?

You've put in enough effort over the years to convince everyone in Lungmen. This isn't Lungmen, though, and you aren't planning on staying here that long, so how will you prove yourself?

Next, both of us heard the guy's rambling loud and clear. Do you really think the cops turned out like this because they don't want to do their work?

Were they born this bad? Do they really think it's right for cops to get in bed with gangs, and they are actually happy to release someone as soon as the phone rings?

This is a police station. They know they're the police.

It's not that they don't want to stand up to all that. They can't. They're too afraid to. They might've had the courage before, but reality wiped it all out. Trying to reason with them is a futile exercise. Might as well do what you know works.

Those are all reasons, and you should also know you shouldn't have done that.

But you did, and that's the truth.

I know.

You know, but you don't understand it well enough, Ch'en.

Before, I would probably be worried sick that you were getting yourself killed over something stupid.

But you've actually changed since you left Lungmen, and, in my eyes, you've changed for the better.

Now, Ironically, I'm afraid you'll lose sight of yourself.

Will I?

Who knows?

I guess I've said too much. It doesn't matter how afraid I am. This is your decision to make, and I won't interfere.

And you're sure you won't stand in my way again?

Oh, still holding grudges, huh?

It's hard to say, though. You know I don't think much of promises.

Heh, Hoshiguma not thinking much of promises. Now that's a new one.

........

I don't know how to answer yet, Hoshiguma.

Just like how I still have no idea how I'd judge what just happened here and this place itself.

I'm afraid the only thing I can do is keep on walking.

That will do, Ch'en. That's more than enough.

What I said might have been scary, but don't forget. You have lots of friends around you. If you come across anything you don't know, there's nothing wrong with asking their help.

Really?

Really.

Okay, then maybe you should give the lecture.

What?

You're an active duty police officer, I'm not. Besides, didn't you say I should ask my friends for help?

I'll be the student this time.

*Sigh*... If that's your call, how am I supposed to say no?

But actually, I'm bringing Missy too. I can't be the only one to suffer.

Sure, and feel free to get Lin Yühsia on the stage.

*Sigh*... There goes my holiday.

Hoshiguma...

Hm?

Seriously, the sun here shines way too bright.

It is pretty bright, isn't it? But at least that's the sun, Ch'en.

Maybe.