Poison City

 

 

Zishan Cafe, the meeting place designated by Gloria Lee, a place in the South-Eastern District, close to the banks and docks of the Mud River.

 

The owner of the cafe was a sharp and somehow familiar looking woman, who examined him like a skilled martial arts practitioner would when he came in. Gloria Lee was sitting by an inner table, with a friend of hers - the same friend that came with her on their other meetings before, Sue Xu.

 

“Thank you for meeting with me. And I apologize for this sudden and last minute request.” Marcus sat down and said.

 

“I’ll have an artisan cappuccino, and my friend Sue here will have a signature Ube Latte.” Gloria raised her eyebrows at Marcus.

 

Marcus was not sure what the young woman meant at first. After around two seconds, he chuckled and went up to the counter and placed the order.

 

The owner of the cafe was already quite familiar with the two items for the two young women and finished them in no time. Marcus ordered himself another signature drink - a tea with milk foam. For a relatively fancy looking coffee shop, the prices of drinks were surprisingly reasonable.

 

“Okay. Enjoy.” Marcus carried the tray over and handed the drinks to the two young women: “So, can we chat now?”

 

“Have you guys got free access to those Blue Envelopes yet?” Gloria tapped her fingers on the table.

 

“No, unfortunately. We set up a meeting with a councilman earlier this week. He asked for more information. Our captain agrees to provide it - but it’s going to take a while.” Marcus shrugged.

 

“We don’t have time for this, can’t you just take a look at the files directly?” Sue asked.

 

“I wish. But the thing is, if we access the files directly, it might alert those people in the city. And we can’t afford that, not with all the - the investigation going on.” Marcus took a sip of his tea.

 

“That sounds like an excuse.” Gloria shook her head.

 

“Maybe. But right now we don’t really have any leverage.” Marcus pretended not to understand what Gloria meant: “But - that’s not what I came here for. I think I have something - an urgent lead, if you will, that could be mutually beneficial for us if we resolve it.”

 

“Fine.” Gloria put her mug down on the table with noticeable force, a few droplets of coffee jumped onto the table. “What do you want?”

 

“Lanmian Forest. Did you hear that the community collective is hosting a food festival there?”

 

This news made the two young women squirm and gasp under their breaths. Not as big a reaction as Marcus was expecting. But from the stern looks on their faces, he knew they knew at least something about the food festival, if not just as much or even more than what he knew.

 

“What do you know about the food festival?” Sue asked.

 

“Another site of sacrifice, for the 15 year circle.” Marcus got straight to the point. This answer made them more uneasy than the news about the food festival itself. “And those snatched kids who are kidnapped are going to be sent there. We haven’t heard of any new cases for a while - they are probably planning something big - ”

 

This time, the terrible look on Sue and Gloria’s faces were as he expected. The two young women exchanged looks, before Gloria asking: “Are you certain?”

 

“I’m sure. There might be other, smaller sites around the city, but just like the cruise ship ‘accident’ last time. It is very likely that they HAVE TO have a centralized sacrifice. I am not sure why, but it appears so.” Marcus nodded and finished his tea. It was indeed quite tasty, no wonder the young women wanted to meet here.

 

But also - it was strange that the owner of the shop kept looking over, as if she was trying to pay attention to their conversation and eavesdrop.

 

“... okay. That makes sense.” Gloria nodded at Marcus: “I assume - you’ll want to check the place out?”

 

“Yes.” Marcus nodded: “And this will be off the books. This is - this is big, and possibly very bad. And I would like some help.”

 

“I see. I see.” Sue nodded: “Where did they say it’s going to be?”

 

“Somewhere near the edge of the Lanmian Forest. At least that’s what the liaison told us.”

 

“Can we trust him?”

 

“Not really. Which is why I need help from someone who’s a good fighter, experienced with everything and - and I can trust, mostly.”

 

“Oh, is this your attempt at buttering me up? ” Gloria chuckled, then shook her head: “Okay, tell us the plan.”

 

“I don’t really have one. ” Marcus shook his head: “Not a detailed one at least. Since I decided not to ask for too much detail to avoid raising suspicion. And - I know a thing or two about the reputation of the Desolate Forest, so I want to - at least consult with you before making the plan.”

 

“...okay.” Gloria thought for a while, then shrugged.

 

“What?” Sue immediately grabbed Gloria’s arm: “We - we need to talk about this. That place is just around the - ”

 

“It’s okay. I need to check the area out anyway.” Gloria held Sue’s hand: “I assume it’s time as well.”

 

“Your refill.” Just this moment, the owner of the coffee shop put down two extra mugs of drinks on their table, the same kind of drinks for Gloria and Sue.

 

“We need to have a chat outside.” Gloria sighed: “Give us a few.”

 

The owner of the coffee shop was clearly someone who knew the two young women. It was a simple setup. He checked the napkin folder and the paper tissue box. And under the tissue box, he saw a simple transmitter.