“You think he’ll make it? I mean, he looked literally half-dead when you ripped him out of that manifestation,” Roderick asked as Xiaoye drove their patrol vehicle into the basement parking area of the hospital.

Xiaoye’s arm was still bandaged from the injury she suffered while saving Roderick, and the latter could not help feeling guilty about it. He also felt uneasy about visiting the victim of the Crimson Shadows’ curse, Zhang Meng, as there had been no news about his status ever since they got him into the hospital three days ago. The cambion must have sensed his unease, though, and she gave him a light slap over the head to snap him out of his worries.

“Relax, Roderick, Hero's Taoist exorcism has never failed before. Besides, if Zhang Meng's dead, we won’t be here visiting with AC Bradley and that new inspector, Jason Narayanan. That bloke’s a direct-entry from what I heard, but in the last four years, he’s solved several hardcore cases, including three high-profile murders.”

“Hero? Oh, you mean Sergeant Weijin… Still can’t get used to that nickname you gave him.”

“The unit gave him that nickname because he has a tendency to go full Hollywood. Personally, I nickname him whatever literary womanizers I have read about, like Ximen Qing or the Trickster of Seville. But despite that roaster’s lousy attempts to get my legs to open, he’s a good person at heart. Passionate about protecting others. If it isn’t for his pyrophobia, he’ll make a good firefighter.”

“Sergeant Chen is afraid of fire? Unexpected,” Roderick commented as Xioaye finally found a parking spot for their vehicle.

“Aye, just don’t mention it in front of the others. He hates it when it gets mentioned, and Bradley likes to bring it up. A lot. Zhang Meng must have woken up by now. The Chinese agents attached to Singapore should be talking to him already.”

“Chinese agents? Why are Chinese agents in Singapore”

“You didn’t know? After the Third World War, both China and the United States tried to mend bridges with Singapore. Since both have lost the right to station military vessels in this country, the current Singapore government made arrangements for law enforcement officers to be stationed here instead, where they can protect their own folks when the latter’s in Singapore. The Americans were easy: FBI already has a presence here even before the war. China, not so easy. Their agents are from a classified division within China’s MSS so arranging for their residence was problematic. This cannot, that cannot, all that secretive blah-blah mixed with that pompous my-country-is-better-than-yours attitude, you know? Eventually made the Chinese premier so crabbit that he personally arranged a new, more flexible and respectful team. Problem solved.”

“They can’t bear arms here, right?”

“Nope. Both attaché teams can’t bear arms and S-Taktiks Corporation had been given strict instructions not to let them into their offices and factories. If they need firearms, the police will lend them our own.”

“Wait, S-Taktiks are the ones that provided us with these guns? I thought they make engines and machines for aircrafts, ships and gaming computers?”

“Aye, they have a sub-division that supplies the police of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia with firearms and tactical equipment. Our handguns are their Coracii line, hench the acronym ST-C. C’mon, let’s not keep Bradley and that new inspector waiting. Gives an ill impression.”

The two got out of their vehicle to join AC Bradley and the newly-transferred inspector, Jason Narayanan. From what they were told, Jason was the younger brother of READ Captain Andrew Narayanan who had helped the Shades with the Hundun incident three days ago. Roderick was not sure why Inspector Narayanan had transferred to the Shades, but he had heard rumours that the latter had stepped on the wrong foot, so to speak: The only three ways a regular officer (human, elven and orc) can get transferred to the Shades are through personal request (respected), displaying unique abilities (feared) or causing too much trouble (condemned), and unfortunately, most Shades that were originally regular officers tend to fall into the third category.

“Well, here we are. Xiaoye, Roderick, our counterparts from China called this morning to inform us that Zhang Meng has regained consciousness. We’re going to check on him, see if our assistance is required,” AC Bradley said as the four entered the hospital.

“Why us, sir?” Roderick asked.

“Because your sergeant is the one who ultimately saved Zhang Meng, and I thought it would be nice for his family to meet her. Also, with Inspector Narayanan here filling the gap left by the dearly departed Inspector Goh, I can finally reform the Grey Team for Third Shift. Jason here will be leading the team along with Inspector Shafiq Farhan.”

“Grey Team? What’s that?”

“A specialized team from each shift within the Special Hazard Exorcism Unit that handles high priority cases, such as murder by magical means, monster attacks, etc. It’s made up of two investigating officers and four to six patrol officers. Although you should also know that the previous Grey Team for our shift got wiped out by a terrorist attack, including auxiliaries,” Xiaoye explained.

“And I’ve been tasked by AC Bradley here to reform the team. Both of you were my first picks based on your abilities and I’ll like you both to help me select the remaining two members later on when we finalize the team.”

“Right, now that the introductions are done. We’re heading up to Level 12, Ward A. That’s where Zhang Meng is currently staying.”

Two burly Chinese men, both dressed sharply with one wearing a pair of shades, stood outside the room Zhang Meng was in as AC Bradley led his officers into the ward. Upon seeing them, one of the men knocked on the door lightly, and a Chinese man in his early forties emerged from the room, dressed in a two-piece suit and possessing an air of confidence that did not fit well with his scrawny appearance, complete with a gaunt face and dead-fish eyes that lit up the moment he saw Xiaoye.

“狄小葉, 為什麼總是這種情況下才會見到面?”

“沒辦法, 佬俊兄, 只能在這種情況下你才會露面,” Xiaoye replied as she shook hands with the scrawny man.

“說的也是, 這位是妳的新伙伴?”

“Roderick, this is Special Agent Lao Jun from a, well, a classified division within China’s police force. He’s a good friend and leads the attached team stationed at the Chinese Embassy,” Xiaoye introduced Roderick to the Chinese agent, who shook hands with him.

“Nice to meet you, Mister Harper. And while Miss Di here claims we are good friends, you should know that she and I tried to kill each other when we first met,” the Chinese agent said with a laugh.

“Seriously? You two tried to kill each other?”

“Before Westminster so kindly exiled me, took away my citizenship and pissed off the entirety of Scotland, I was part of the British Army. Got deployed on a covert mission to Singapore during World War Three to assist Singapore’s military against the simultaneous invasions by both China and the United States. Lao Jun here was a lieutenant in the Chinese army leading the defence of a hospital the PLA had captured. He fought on rather bravely despite finding out what I am until his commander announced a retreat.”

“And now here we both are, helping each other protect both our own people and the other’s. I take it you are here to see Mister Zhang, Assistant Commissioner Bradley?”

“Yes, Agent Lao. How is Mr Zhang?”

“Physically, he is very weak. The 赤影教 used an advanced form of their 魔蛇替身咒 on him. Also, they used him to manifest part of Ying-half of Hundun’s powers into the physical realm. Ying-half of Hundun is a very powerful demon, it nearly destroy Zhang Meng’s body.”

“What about his mental status?”

“Mentally, broken but holding. I doubt he can ever fully forgive himself for causing the deaths of his colleagues, even though he was not directly responsible.”

“So why was he targeted?”

Lao Jun sighed.

“Mr Zhang used to be a member of 赤影教. He joined in his twenties, but left when he saw how ruthless and evil they were. But to leave 赤影教 is seen as betrayal, so he hide himself in Shanghai where he met his future wife and eventually found work in Singapore. He went back to Hubei to find his parents a few months back, and Crimson Shadows ambush him. Wanted to make example out of him. Too bad for them he survive. He’s given us a lot of information about his former comrades. Locations of their hideouts, list of potential targets, everything we need to give those cultists a bad day.”

“Congratulations, Agent Lao. Looks like that thorn in your country’s side is finally being removed.”

“If it were that easy, my people would not call the 赤影教 ‘red cockroaches’. They are sneaky and hardy. We will destroy their bases, but in a year or so, they will reform. That is why they are called a terror-cult. If they had not tried to kill Zhang Meng, he would have kept quiet about the information. Also, before I forget, here. A list of their cells in Singapore.”

“Six cells in Singapore? That’s bad.”

“My government is requesting a simultaneous raid on all Crimson Shadows’ hideouts with your government, Malaysia’s and Japan’s. A total of seventy-one hideouts in all four countries. Hitting them at the same time will prevent them from warning other cells,” Lao Jun replied.

“I’ll see if I can get it done. Thank you, Agent Lao. Jason, come with me, we should make preparations. Xiaoye, you and Roderick get a statement from Mr Zhang for our official reports, then meet us back at HQ.”

“Mr Zhang will be most pleased to meet his rescuer. His wife, however, is a devout Catholic and was very surprised to learn that it was a 魔受胎 who saved her husband’s life. She might not take your presence well, Xiaoye, so be careful,” Lao Jun warned as he opened the door to Zhang Meng’s room, gesturing for both Xiaoye and Roderick to enter while Bradley and Jason left.

Zhang Meng was extremely pale, and he appeared to have lost not only much of his hair but also a lot of weight, for his body was nearly half the size of how he had appeared in a provided picture. A woman and a young girl, whom Roderick presumed was his family, sat beside his bed, looking up in surprise at a pair of uniformed officers entering the room, with the woman pulling the girl close to her at the sight of Xiaoye.

“Those wing-like horns behind your ears… You are that 魔受胎 who saved me?” Zhang Meng asked as he saw Xiaoye.

“A lot of us were involved in your rescue, Mr Zhang, not just me. My partner here, colleagues who are not here at the moment, a number of soldiers too.”

Roderick noticed Xiaoye taking a glance at Zhang Meng’s wife, who was staring at her with suspicion.

“Is your wife all right with me being here? I can wait outside while my colleague to take your statement.”

“No, no. She was brought up religious, she was taught all 魔 are evil and that 魔受胎 are no different-”

“Which is unfortunately true, Mr Zhang. I will admit, my old man’s had his fair share of wicked deeds. He just makes sure not to harm the ones I care about. Every other mortal is fair game for him. As for myself, I’m no saint either. I’ve done horrible things I do not regret in the past.”

“So why did you save my husband then?” Zhang Meng’s wife finally asked, a slight tone of hostility in her voice which caused a slight but notable reaction from Xiaoye, and for some reason, Roderick felt the urge to speak up for his senior officer: “She’s a police officer, like myself. It’s our job to serve and protect. And that was what she did for your husband.”

“Roderick-”

“Your partner is the child of a demon. I find it hard to believe she would save my husband without expecting something in return-”

“If you’re going to judge her based on your religious views, ma’am, I’ll be the first to tell you that I come from a family of devout Catholics. I carry a crucifix and a Bible with me at all times. My father would no doubt murder me if he finds out Sergeant Di’s my training officer, but she’s proven to have a better judgement of character than my fellow humans. Of course, she’s still willing to wait outside if you insist. It’s your call.”

Roderick’s words were delivered gently but firmly, and it flustered Zhang Meng’s wife, who quickly mumbled an apology and remained quiet as the two officers took his statement before wishing him the best of health and leaving the ward.

“That was risky. She could have made a complaint about you, claim you were unprofessional and rude towards her, maybe even pretend to be distressed by your behaviour in order to get you fired,” Xiaoye commented as the two took an elevator back to the parking lot.

“Sorry, it just came out,” Roderick apologized.

“You can’t blame people for being suspicious of me. I know you saw the sigil that manifested when I used my Black Arts against Hundun. You know who my old man is.”

“Yeah. I recognized that sigil. Your father’s Malphas, a mighty President of Hell with command over forty legions of demons under his command and is second in command to Lucifer himself.”

“Then you should know that he has brought down many cities and deceived quite a number of people who tried to conjure him in the past. He’s not a good person, but he watches out for those he has an affection for.”

“I see. But I just felt that she was going out of line. You saved her husband. Even if she doesn’t want to show you gratitude, she should have at least kept her mouth shut. I hate it when someone uses religion to justify being nasty. It’s an insult to my faith, no matter which religion.”

Xiaoye merely went, “Ha”, before the elevator doors opened and they walked back to their patrol car.

“So, back to the normal abnormal, sarge?” Roderick asked.

“Aye, why not. I miss the usual shenanigans… Look, Roderick, you’re not the first officer of the Shades to speak up for me, but thanks anyways.”

“Well, that’s a first. I should record it down.”

“Don’t push your luck, Roderick. You’re still a trainee until the end of November, and I’ll be pouncing on every one of your mistakes soon enough, so be ready,” the cambion warned, eliciting a laugh from her rookie before they pulled out of the hospital’s parking lot…