†Chapter 2: Caged Wolf†

 

 

 

†Chapter 2: Caged Wolf†

 

“ZELAIDE Silvergray!”

Six fully armed Guardians were waiting outside when Euphemia and Zelaide exited the mayor’s private residential building.

Guardians were a Special Forces unit made up of citizens who had undergone specialized military training. It was a separate entity from the police and functioned more as a city’s army.

The city mayor was Commander in Chief and the executive with the final say in all military matters, but actual command of Guardian operations was conducted by the Guardian Commander appointed by the mayor. Direct supervision and management of the Guardians was currently handled by the influential Senator Ingalls and wealthy businessman Haydn. Ingalls, in particular, had a career as a Guardian Commander in his younger years, and was elected with popular support to oversee operations during his current senatorial term.

About 2,000 active-duty Guardians served Gothic City. Their primary function was to cooperate with police and ensure the safety of citizens when the danger became too great for police to handle. Guardians were the elite force entrusted with spearheading operations and taking the vanguard against Muta and invasions both planetary and interstellar.

Six of those elite Guardians had Zelaide and Euphemia surrounded.

“State your business,” Zelaide demanded in a low growl, undeterred by the heavily armed men.

He positioned Euphemia behind him, but the willful scientist poked her head around his broad back to get a better look at what was happening.

“I’m Andre Jossel, Captain of the 3rd Special Forces Group with Gothic City’s Guardians. Zelaide Silvergray, you are a suspect in the murder of the prostitute Manuela. Do not resist and come with us to Police Headquarters.”

“What did you just say?!”

It wasn’t the Beast Blood who shouted, but the woman fidgeting behind him.

“What in the colonies are you talking about? Zel just finished speaking with the mayor about the…Manuela case!” Euphemia argued, unsure of how to best explain the conversation they had with Erica. Zelaide hadn’t done anything wrong. She needed to prove that.

“Yumi… Don’t interfere,” Zelaide warned, calmer than ever. Not even a shred of emotion glimmered in his teal eyes.

“But it’s the truth! Why are you being suspected of murder?”

“Yelling at ’em isn’t gonna help my case, right? I’ll be fine. Just stay out of it.” Zelaide looked over his shoulder at her. His tone was brusquer than usual, but he wasn’t angry or emotional. Euphemia wisely chose to bite her tongue. He turned back to the nervous Guardians. “What’s your basis for the charges?”

“The DNA sample collected from the fluids left in the victim’s body at the scene of the crime matched with the blood sample you submitted for your Hunter registration,” Captain Jossel explained with cool indifference.

Anyone who worked as a Hunter, whether they were Beast Blood or Human, was subject to various legal regulations since they often acted independent from the planet’s governing bodies while packing enough heat to take down a small army.

Killing Muta required the use of high caliber lethal firearms and explosives, which were a threat to normal citizens and police if used wrong. Regulations were strict for all Hunters, but they were especially severe for Beast Bloods who weren’t registered citizens. Various biometric identification data including fingerprints, voiceprints, blood samples, iris pattern registration, and the works had to be provided when registering as a Hunter.

Collecting this data was a deterrent against elite Hunters becoming violent criminals. Many Beast Blood men became Hunters. It didn’t require them to blend into human society like other occupations. The Hunter occupation was also established with Beast Bloods in mind as a way for them to vent their bloodlust, while they effectively took down Mutas and dangerous criminals the police rather not deal with.

“My fluids were found at Manuela’s place? Which? Sweat? Spit?” Zelaide asked.

“Drop the act. It’s a prostitute’s workplace. It’s a given it’s semen. All over her genitalia.”

The younger Guardians snickered. Zelaide still didn’t lose his cool.

“Impossible. I just finished reporting to the mayor that I met up with Manuela, but I didn’t sleep with a woman in that room.”

“But your DNA was collected from the crime scene. It came up as a 99.997 percent match with Zelaide Silvergray in the police databank. That’s you. That’s why we’re here to arrest you. We’re here on official orders. See for yourself.”

Jossel brought up an image on the simple IHT attached to his armplate. A complex string of numbers popped up. The blue glowing code number and Gothic City’s official crest coldly illuminated Zelaide’s face. Beneath the code was the reason for Zelaide’s arrest and the Chief of Police’s signature.

“Like the police of a bygone era used to say, we have a warrant for your arrest,” Jossel stated dispassionately.

“That can’t be! Please wait a minute. I’ll go ask my sister. I just came out of her office. She won’t stand for this unfair arrest!”

“Sister? Office?” Jossel and the Guardians eyed Euphemia suspiciously.

She spun around to march back into the building she had just left and bumped into the large man standing directly behind her.

“I can’t recommend that, young lady.”

“Mister Ingalls!”

“Don’t drag Mayor Saionji into this. You will only hurt your sister’s reputation. This is an official, legal warrant for arrest. Think logically. It’s the mayor who holds ultimate responsibility for these orders.”

It was Harry Ingalls, one of the next mayoral candidates who had a heated debate with Erica during the TV debate just recently.

“The official report should be arriving at Mayor Saionji’s desk right about now,” Ingalls said with a hard expression. “She won’t act once she knows the facts. The grounds for arresting this Beast Blood are justified. Knowing her, she will tell the authorities to thoroughly investigate it, but she won’t drop the warrant just because her little sister asks.”

“But she just—”

“Situations change just like the wind. If this Beast Blood is telling the truth, the investigation will be drawn out before his sentence is handed down. All you can do is wait like a good girl under your sister’s protection. You trust him, don’t you? You should be able to wait if you do.”

“If he’s deserving of trust that is.” Senator Ziggurat Haydn, Erica and Ingalls’s political rival, appeared from the right door that opened without a sound. He wore a custom-tailored black suit and showed no emotion on his bony face. “I am also privy to police intelligence. I just read the report. According to it, this Beast Blood frequented that prostitute multiple times in the past. You understand what that means, I hope, Lady Euphemia.”

“I do. But their relationship was a consensual business transaction, right?”

“It seems that this Beast Blood always paid the murdered woman large sums of cash per a visit. Large sums exceeding market price—as if he was being blackmailed into it. Perhaps she had some dirt on him?” Haydn’s pale eyes icily turned to Zelaide.

“She did not,” Euphemia said for him. “Zel—Zelaide was enraged over Manuela’s murder…”

“Enraged, huh? Then why did he come to City Hall? To seek shelter from arrest?”

“Absolutely not! We have good reason for being here.”

“Can you explain what that is, Lady Euphemia?” Haydn coaxed in a velvety voice.

Zelaide stayed perfectly still, his features schooled into a mirror of calm. The Guardians surrounding them and Ingalls watched over their conversation without interfering.

“Because…” Euphemia trailed off. Telling her sister’s political enemies that her life was being threatened would only put Erica in a worse position. Only three days had passed since they last found her under attack by the motorcycle gang in the Wilds. That gang was definitely a part of Infernum, the anti-Beast Blood terrorist group.

“Because he is cooperating in an investigation,” she settled for. That was the best excuse she could come up with.

“He can defend himself at the station. It’s not a good idea to argue out here. I understand how you must feel, but please cooperate,” Ingalls advised Euphemia, his voice stern.

“That’s not fair!”

“It’s fine, Yumi.” Zelaide maneuvered in front of her. The surrounding Guardians instantly tensed and stood protectively in front of the mayoral candidates. But Zelaide continued to take a calm stance and simply moved his eyes over the men as if he was bored with them. “He’s right. I should go.”

“Zel! How could you say that?! This is clearly a trap! They framed you. Once they have you locked up they won’t let you back out!” Euphemia shouted, not caring how it made her look.

Contrary to her emotional outcry, the Beast Blood kept his composure.

“So be it then. You stay here. Don’t even set foot outside City Hall!” he commanded with a frighteningly stern face. Zelaide was dead serious. He was serious about letting them capture him.

“I don’t want that. I’ll fight. I’ll fight them all!”

“Don’t!”

The mood became so tense the air seemed to freeze over. Everyone watching flinched from the intensity of that single word. Zelaide’s normally low, rumbling voice echoed powerfully off the concrete walls.

“Don’t…involve yourself further.”

“No! I don’t want this, Zelaide! I want to protect you!”

“Yumi…”

“Zel, didn’t you hear me say I love you? I love you! With all my heart! So I’ll fight for you!” Euphemia shouted humanity’s most sacred word, watchful eyes be damned.

Obviously the Guardians, and even Zelaide, rolled back on their heels and stared at her in surprise.

“Love…you love me? Aah…is that it? Is that what it means?” Zelaide nodded with a look that seemed to say he finally comprehended mankind’s greatest mystery at the worst possible time. Then he faced Euphemia again. His eyes glowed even though it wasn’t dark. “I understand, Yumi,” he said, refreshed.

“Zel…?”

“Yeah, it’s okay. I get it now. Not with my head, but here.” Zelaide’s long finger pointed to his heart. “So do me a favor and back down, okay?”

“…!”

“Euphemia.”

The double doors leading inside the mayor’s residential building opened. Erica Saionji stepped through the threshold. She had changed into formal attire. Her battle started from here.

“Zelaide is correct. Keep out of this.”

“Erica—”

“Zelaide.” Erica directed her gaze toward Zelaide, completely ignoring her younger sister’s pleading voice. “You have served me well until now. You have my gratitude for protecting my sister with your life. However, it appears things have drastically changed. I will take over protecting Euphemia now. I swear it. Please do what you must. I will watch over how things play out with impartiality. I may directly hand down judgment if the need arises.”

Hand down judgment on Zelaide or his enemies?

Erica didn’t know which she meant when she said it either.

“I’d appreciate that…” Zelaide responded, satisfied despite the situation being against him.

Erica said nothing about the allegations against Zelaide and he didn’t touch on the topic either. Their eyes only met for a brief moment, but it was enough for them to both understand where the other stood and decide to move toward what they each needed to accomplish.

“Zel!”

“I’m going. Be good, Yumi.” Zelaide said nothing more and smiled with just a slight curve of his lips. Then he turned his back on Euphemia to leave with the Guardians flanking him. They didn’t dare touch him or get too close.

“I promise I’ll do something about this! I won’t give up on you!”

He merely raised one hand in the air, his back still turned to her and her heartrending cry. Then he disappeared around the corner of the building with the Guardians blocking his leather-clad back from view.

Euphemia turned on her sister. “I’m disappointed in you, Erica! We’re the ones who dragged Zel into our problems. He’s the victim here!”

“Be quiet. Whining about it won’t solve the problem. Know your place.”

Euphemia gasped.

“Take Euphemia into my residence,” Erica said to the aides who had followed her out. “Give her one of the guest rooms and keep her under surveillance.”

“No! I refuse to go! Let go of me! Why won’t you listen to me, Erica?!”

“Calm down first if you want me to hear you out.”

Cheeks flushed molten red, Euphemia struggled against the two aides who grabbed her by the arms.

Erica watched them secure her before shooting a chilling look at Ingalls and Haydn, who was soundlessly clapping his hands. “I sincerely apologize for the constant trouble my sister has been causing you these past few days. I’m ashamed for not having taught her better.”

“Don’t be. I heard your sister is a brilliant scientist. That was why I thought she would understand when I told her to stay out of this problem right now. The investigation will be intense. But he won’t be treated unjustly because he is a Beast Blood. I don’t like things to be unfair.” Ingalls sympathized with Erica and her harsh approach on family.

Haydn, however, watched Euphemia struggling with deadened eyes. “A word of advice to the young lady, if I may. You are still young and superficial in your thinking. I fully understand why you are attracted to rare things that look pretty. Your love confession was very touching. But your passion will burn out with the next thing that catches your eye.”

Haydn’s voice held a velvety quality. But Euphemia found his coaxing far more disgusting than Ingalls’s parental scolding. He was treating her like a girl who was in love with the idea of being in love.

“You’re wr—”

“Indeed, Senator Haydn. You are absolutely right,” Erica said over Euphemia.

“Erica! I meant what I said! I lo—”

“Bring Euphemia inside already!”

The aides rushed to obey Erica’s unusually dour command by dragging Euphemia through the double doors into the building. They kicked the doors shut behind them. The three mayoral candidates were left alone outside.

“Your little sister is a very entertaining young lady, if you don’t mind me saying so, Mayor Saionji. Though going by that behavior, she’s guaranteed to do something rash to save that Beast Blood. Imprudently shouting her love for him is not something to be praised…”

“I’m sorry, Mister Haydn,” Erica apologized like a businesswoman. “Giving her everything she ever wanted until now has made her into a selfish young woman. I’m responsible for that. Ever since she was a little girl she has had a thing for rarities and a bad habit of wanting things she can’t have even though she easily tires of them once she obtains it… After what happened the other day, I am going to keep her close for a while until she starts thinking straight again.”

“That’s a good idea. In that case, why not send her to my villa? It’s located in Romanesque City. It’s far enough that she can lay low until her lingering attachment for the beast dies out. There’s a research facility nearby that she would like. If you like, I can contact them and arrange for them to prepare a lab for her research. The rest of the world sees you, me, and Ingalls as political adversaries, and while that is true on many fronts, we are also comrades who care about the future of this city. Won’t entrusting your immediate family to me be a way of showing how open-minded you are?” Haydn suggested.

“You certainly have a different way of looking at things, Mister Haydn. Thank you for your generous offer. I would love to take you up on it, but for now I am going to keep her under close surveillance and reeducate her on proper behavior. She is my family, even if she doesn’t seem like it.”

“Is that so? Very well. Then be sure to take extra precautions around her.” Haydn bowed elegantly and left, leaving Erica scowling in his wake. Ingalls pat her once on the shoulder and left as well.

Only Euphemia’s loud curses continued to echo from beyond the double doors.

†††

SOMEONE’S coming, Zelaide thought from where he lay on a simple, hard bed. He didn’t need to sit up to sense them.

The isolation cell was separated from the interrogation room next door by one-way mirrors, but Zelaide’s heightened senses alerted him to activity outside the walls. Someone was coming outside the usual interrogation time, but he didn’t care since they were probably only coming to hound him about a murder he didn’t commit or to beat him up for the heck of it.

I don’t give a damn what they want.

Zelaide did his best to bury his thoughts since being stuffed in this cell. He was actually grateful for their harsh, inhumane treatment. After all, he didn’t have to think while they hit him. His heart bled whenever his thoughts went to Manuela and Euphemia. It was only when the police punched and kicked him that he could briefly forget his inability to protect the women close to him.

Countless bruises and welts marred his body where they relentlessly beat him. Beast Bloods were tough, but they still felt pain and got injured when beaten. They could just take a harder beating than humans and they healed much faster.

Like being bitten by fleas.

Zelaide lifted only his head to look down at the contusions on his abdomen and arms. His superior regeneration had erased the black and blue marks inflicted just yesterday. He loathed how unbreakable he was. That was yet another thing that set him apart from humanity. As he vacantly stared at his recovering bruises, the room dimmed, making it possible to see through the one-way mirror on his side. At the same time, a panel with a speaker and several switches opened near the mirror.

Today marked the fourth day since his arrest.

“Pardon the intrusion.” A young man with a solid, muscular build entered the room.

He wore casual clothes and didn’t seem to be an interrogator. He had spiked, short black hair. Seemingly honest and upright eyes looked Zelaide over with great curiosity. It was a look humans had given him since he was a boy.

But unlike the people whose faces twisted with discrimination, this young man was open-minded and immediately smiled when he noticed Zelaide was watching him.

“Yo, Beast Blood.” The young man cheerfully raised his right hand in greeting. Zelaide had absolutely no interest in him, but sat up in bed to see where this was going. “They’ve been pounding you hard, huh? But you haven’t fought back like they expected. Surprising!”

“……”

“Then again, it won’t get you anywhere if you go wild in there. Not even a Beast Blood can break down these walls,” the young man said as he sat on the chair facing the one-way mirror. “I’m Wei Lin-jie. Just your run-of-the-mill cop. Ever hear about me from Mia? Whoa.” Wei nearly jumped out of his chair. “That’s a killer look you’re giving me. Scary.”

The moment he mentioned Euphemia’s nickname the Beast Blood glared at him with glowing eyes.

“Uncle, uncle! Douse the bloodlust, would ya? It’s worse than I was told.”

“Who are you?” Zelaide snarled. That wasn’t a question but a demand.

The man called himself a cop, but Zelaide didn’t recognize his face. He didn’t look like any of the cops who sat in on the police brutality conducted under the pretense of “questioning”. But maybe he was there and just didn’t draw Zelaide’s attention. His memory was foggy because of the beating he took chained to the wall. To Zelaide, low-ranking, grunt officers who wore the same uniforms and couldn’t be told apart weren’t much different from Euphemia’s pet gerbils.

“Do you have a bad memory? Or did they hit you so hard it made you stupid? I told you, I’m Wei, a cop. And I’m also a friend of Mia’s from university. I’m captain of the officers who joined at the same time as me—ah, never mind. I doubt you care.”

“And? What do you want from me? They’ve already questioned the living daylights outta me. How many times do I have to repeat myself for ya to go away?”

“C’mon, don’t send me away yet. Looks like they’re really giving you a hard time though. Questioning doesn’t usually involve beatings. Cops are supposed to be on the side of the citizens. But you aren’t a citizen.”

“So I’m treated like a punchin’ bag because I’m not a citizen? The Guardians were gentlemen compared to you cops.”

“Probably are. They’re an elite squad. They don’t waste their time questioning and investigating people. I’m not one of them, but there are many police officers who hate them. But let’s get back to the point. You’re likely getting the third-degree because someone up high ordered it. You sure ruffled some big shot’s feathers. Any idea who?”

“I’ve ruffled plenty of feathers. I’m surprised the whole coop hasn’t come after me yet.”

“I bet. With a face like that, every man’s gonna have a bone to pick with you.” Wei observed the silver-haired man who looked sexy even to a straight guy.

“Come back another time if you’re here to screw around.”

“I don’t got that kinda time. And let me be clear, I didn’t just suddenly decide to drop by and see you today. I’ve been involved since day one. You probably didn’t know it, but Mia came asking for info on you about a month ago. That’s why I was surprised when I overheard they arrested you. Weren’t you Mia’s bodyguard?”

“Don’t call her Mia,” Zelaide snarled. Hearing Wei call Euphemia by the nickname her friends used annoyed him to no end.

“…Wow, you’re a royal pain in the ass. You got the hots for Mia or something?”

“I don’t got the hots. She’s just a client.”

Zelaide curtly denied it, but Wei looked at him through narrowed eyes and frowned. The young man didn’t look convinced, but even then he had this charming allure.

Euphemia trusts this man?

At any rate, he didn’t seem especially frightened of Zelaide just because he was a Beast Blood.

“Uh-huh. She outright turned me down in the past,” Wei confessed with a sullen edge to his voice.

“Heh. Sucks for you.”

“Shut up. I won’t tell you about Mia if you keep talking smack.”

The Beast Blood’s shoulders lurched forward. “Yumi… You met up with Euphemia?”

“Yeah, yesterday. I nearly wet myself when I was suddenly called into City Hall. She’s currently being confined to a room deep inside that labyrinth of a government building. She was a crying mess. That was my first time seeing Mia cry in the six years I’ve known her.”

“She…was crying…”

Zelaide felt like his heart was being torn to shreds. It was his first time experiencing heartache imagining someone crying out of earshot.

She cried… Don’t cry over a beast like me, Yumi.

“I got lucky.”

“What the hell?!”

“Dang! Don’t turn rabid on me! Put those fangs away before you hurt someone! You look like a snarling dog. But I’m jealous you look so cool even when you’re scowling. Makes sense why you made everyone’s dream girl fall for you—uh, right, that’s not the point. Anyway, I didn’t do anything to her. I’m not the kinda bastard who takes advantage of a crying woman.”

“……”

“I’m serious! She kept saying your name the entire time she was crying, you know? Imagine the girl you crushed on crying into your chest calling for another guy! It’s hell.”

Wei was seriously trying to pacify the Beast Blood who had half-risen off the bed. With the bloodlust he was giving off, Wei was afraid the other man would smash through the glass and choke him to death.

“Argh! Fine! I’ll admit it, as much as I hate to! Mia is crazy about you! She pleaded with me to help you, her pretty big green eyes full of tears. She insisted ‘Zel’s a nice guy. He looks and acts scary, but he’d never hurt a lady. He’s been set up!’ She went on and on like that.”

“…Then she cried?”

“Yeah. She tried to act tough at first, throwing out all sorts of difficult legalese such as it’s a human rights violation and there being a lack of evidence. Then she suddenly broke down crying when I asked if she loved you. Honestly, it threw me for a loop. By the end, the most beautiful woman I know was on her knees, weeping like a child. That was enough to do me in.”

Dammit to hell! Feels like somebody ripped out my heart and stepped on it! It pisses me off that she borrowed this man’s chest, but her beautiful emerald eyes wept for my sake… Zelaide gnawed his bottom lip.

“Whoa, dude. You okay there? You look like hell. You sure you aren’t hurting somewhere? Heh heh.”

You can’t deny you have the hots for her with a face like that. Wei grinned as he looked up at the robust Beast Blood.

Irked, Zelaide whipped his face to the side.

Going by appearances only, they looked like two men in their twenties joking around with each other.

“Shut your trap. Would ya get to the point? Spit it out already, unless ya just came to keep railing on my looks.”

“Yeah, good point. Don’t have much time as it is.” Wei pulled himself together and cut to the chase. “Some big timer in the Homicide Division wants to hang you as the real culprit no matter what it takes. I’d say he’s getting pressure from someone even higher up the food chain.”

“I bet.” Zelaide expected as much.

“There’s also incontestable proof. They found your sperm all over the victim’s vagina and room. I checked out the data too. It’s legit evidence.”

“I know. But…it was planted. I didn’t have sex with Manuela.”

“Okay, then can you explain why live sperm was found pouring out of the victim? Did you do a sterilitas test somewhere?” Wei asked about the most obvious and critical point, but it seemed to be something Zelaide needed to consider.

“…Hey, there’s somethin’ I need to ask you. How long can sperm survive outside the body?”

“Beats me… I can’t say for Beast Bloods, but I’d venture a guess that a human’s can last two to three days… Hold on, don’t tell me you…” Wei’s spine went rigid when he realized the implication there.

“……”

“Hey?”

“It’s from that time…” Zelaide uttered in a stupor.

“What?”

“I did it two nights ago…on my own. Y’know…masturbate or whatever.”

“Why?” Wei’s sharp eyes widened at that completely unexpected confession.

Zelaide’s nose scrunched in a disgusted frown. “Why does anyone do it? Don’t make me repeat myself. Obviously I just cleaned up and tossed aside the mess. The situation was…a bit sketchy, so I forgot all ’bout it later…”

“Alrighty then. So, where’d you do it?”

“Biotechnology Research Institute. In a tiny breeding lab. The rodent breeding lab.”

“You did it at Biotech?!” Wei’s jaw dropped.

“That’s it, isn’t it? There was some damn voyeur who set up shop knowin’ we’d be in that room… Dammit it all to hell!” Zelaide gritted his teeth. “Yumi said she disabled the cameras, but…even without the video footage, a high-quality bug would give away most of what happened in that room.”

“Oh geez, give me a second to catch up to you, Sherlock.” Wei asked him to stop drawing conclusions so he could process the situation first. “Aagh, basically, you and Mia were alone in a room together, right? Things were getting heated enough for there to be a Peeping Tom, yeah? So why did you have to—” masturbate? Wei swallowed that last word.

Why would he have to do that? Especially when the girl he has the hots for is right in front of him and willing to go all the way? I mean, I’m glad he didn’t do anything with her, but wouldn’t most guys? They would, right? I’m not the only guy, right? It was the perfect opportunity.

Wei was too baffled to know what to ask next. Zelaide was lost in thought with a frightening expression.

“I get it now… The peeper snuck in to collect the leftovers after we left. Filthy bastard…”

“Hey, listen to me, damn it! Why did you masturbate?!”

“But I cleaned up after…with paper towels…”

“Colony to Beast Blood, are you listening to me?!”

“Be quiet… I knew it. There’s a sleeper agent at Biotech and very close to Euphemia. Is it a researcher? Or an Inferni disguised as one? Either way, I’ve got to skunk ‘im out!”

I bet it’s the same bastard who snuck out the Chude last time. Zelaide rose from the bed and glared down at Wei.

“It sickens me, but I need your help.”

“You suck!” Wei snapped, frustrated his question kept being ignored.

“Why?”

“Forget it! Hmph. I’m supposed to listen to a request from my crush’s crush, huh? I’m such a nice guy I’m starting to hate myself! Sheesh!”

Wei turned away. This handsome man capable of captivating people with just a glimpse of his beauty had, for reasons beyond Wei’s comprehension, turned down his dream girl’s tempting invitation. Some part of Wei could tell that the Beast Blood wasn’t lying. Call it his instincts as a cop.

“Please help Zel!”

Wei wasn’t convinced that Zelaide was innocent after hearing Euphemia out. He simply decided to hear the Beast Blood’s side of the story and go from there.

But…Wei’s honed cop instincts were sounding off all sorts of alarms. From the extreme treatment they inflicted in the name of questioning, to the higher ups acting suspicious, to the Beast Blood’s demeanor and stance—each piece added up to being more than just a simple homicide case.

There’s more to it. Definitely more. This could turn out to be a thrilling case.

“Hey, what’re you thinking ’bout over there?” Zelaide asked gruffly.

“All sorts of things… Oh, but I heard you. There’s not much I can do, but…I’ll look into it,” Wei said, looking Zelaide directly in the eye.

“Thanks. I don’t know who you are, but you have my gratitude.”

“C’mon, dude… At least remember the name of the guy you asked for help.” Wei shrugged, disappointed.

“Ah, sorry, Wanton.”

“It’s Wei… There’s no way you have any guy friends.”

†††

HUMAN and Beast Blood.

The two young men put their heads together and analyzed the situation.

“…Okay, I understand what you want now. In short, I just have to narrow down who entered the same breeding lab after you guys left before dawn, right?”

“Right. Yumi logged that she’d be stayin’ overnight in the lab, so anybody who wanted to know where she was could do so easily,” Zelaide explained. “The thing is, she didn’t tell a soul that I was comin’. And yet somebody knew I was there. That’s why I’m positive the spy’s somebody who knows ’bout our circumstances and is also in a position to be near Yumi.”

“Anyone stand out to you? Give me several names. Having several names to go off of is way more likely to net results than shooting in the dark.” After conversing for a while, Wei had started to take everything the Beast Blood said seriously.

“The rat research team is most suspicious. If the members haven’t changed, it’s made up of a flirt named Sonia and a man who’s all smiles named Ronaldo. They’re often in the same lab together for hours on end. I’d also look into the people they’re close to. Both love to gossip. They’re likely responsible for people findin’ out I drive Yumi there and back. We even ate together once,” Zelaide said, sharing the names and traits of the people he had met.

“Aside from them, I’d suspect her bosses… I never met President Murakami, but I’ve had an unpleasant conversation with Laboratory Director Burhardt,” he finished. “That’s ’bout all I know. I’d say they’re equally suspicious… Think you can look into ’em?”

“Can’t say for sure until I start… There’s no way a sleeper agent would get caught on the security cameras, and the institute has some strong extraterritoriality, so investigating is going to be a real pain… Might be easier if we ask someone we can trust on the inside, but…” Wei scratched his chin and puzzled his brow.

A regular police officer going in to question researchers would be a dead giveaway they were on to the spy.

“We can’t ask Mia for assistance. Using anyone tied to the police won’t work in our favor either. Maybe we can have one of their regular trade partners infiltrate for us…”

“You’re gonna tell Yumi ’bout this, right?” Zelaide asked.

“Yeah, the gist at least. We determined where the irrefutable evidence, your sperm, came from. I have to warn her about a spy hiding among her peers too. The spy might be communicating with her under the guise of being her friend. But I…” Wei purposefully trailed off. He studied Zelaide with piercing scrutiny. The Beast Blood stared right back at him through the mirror.

“Don’t fully trust me yet, right? …I can tell.”

“Don’t hate me for it. Mia wept over your innocence, and I’ve kinda gotten a feel for your personality. You don’t seem like the type to kill a woman… But my occupation is rife with the fact that good guys commit unbelievable crimes. Frankly, this is an extremely dangerous bridge for me to cross. I’m dead if my superiors find out.”

“Good point.”

“To make matters worse, public order in Gothic City has been going on the fritz over the past few days. We’ve been seizing Nightz left and right since last week, and the addicts have been ramping up their attacks and craziness nonstop since. The beat cops have had their hands full night and day. The only reason I was able to slip in to see you is because the station is down to a skeleton crew and they don’t have time to worry about questioning. This is a confidential secret, mind you.”

“……”

“I can only see it as some big syndicate distributing more Nightz than usual as a part of a bigger scheme. Today’s my first day off in ages, but I expect them to call me back on duty at any moment.” Wei sighed.

“I get the feelin’ the guy responsible for setting me up is also involved with the explosion in Nightz-related incidents.” Zelaide turned his head, revealing his angular side profile, and lowered his gaze to the concrete floor. He had sat back down on the pathetically small bed with his legs crossed.

“Why? No offense, but I doubt distributing Nightz is needed to bring down a single Beast Blood.”

“I’m a Beast Blood—I’m constantly on the receivin’ end of baseless discrimination. But Mayor Saionji publicly professes to be an advocate for Beast Bloods. Settin’ me up as a violent criminal is the fastest way to destroy the current mayor’s platform,” Zelaide reasoned.

“Meanwhile, they’re destroyin’ public order by making everybody addicted to Nightz, inflicting a double punch into Mayor Saionji’s campaign that hinged on the promise of public safety. Does it seem that unlikely to you that they’re tryin’ to cut her legs out beneath her before the next election?”

“…Wowzers. You’ve got the brilliant reasoning of an ace detective there,” Wei said, genuinely impressed. “It sounds like a bit of a stretch to me, but…it’s a real possibility. If you’re right, then there’s a real nasty puppeteer pulling strings from the top. I wish I could discuss this with my trustworthy superiors, but they aren’t likely to believe a word from a beat cop like me. Doesn’t take a genius to guess the police commissioner is in bed with the politicians…”

“Which politician is most involved with the police?” Zelaide asked.

“There are several, but the top of the list would be senators Ingalls and Haydn. Ingalls comes from a line of farmers, but he used to serve as a cop and then as Guardian Commander in his younger years. Some of his relatives are also in comfy positions inside the police. Haydn, on the other hand, has the media in his pocket and says whatever the hell he wants without getting in trouble. They both give insane contributions and donations to the police and Guardian departments.”

“Ahh, it makes sense now. That’s why they went out of their way to be there both times I was set up.”

“They’re both untouchables in this city. You suspect them?”

“I have good reason to suspect ’em. They always show up in front of us with impeccable timing. Maybe they’re workin’ together.”

“Oh great,” Wei groaned. “I can’t do anything to them. Shouldn’t we have Mayor Saionji make the first move instead? I can tell Yumi your theory and then… Do you think your hypothesis is enough to make Mayor Saionji take action?”

“She trusted me with her sister’s life, so I’d say she places a moderate level of trust in me,” Zelaide retorted sourly.

“Now that’s amazing, especially when you and your parents don’t have citizenship,” Wei said out of spite. He immediately regretted his words. “Sorry. I’m not trying to discriminate against Beast Bloods. Like I said earlier, I don’t think you’re a bad guy. Suspecting people just comes with the territory. My issue isn’t with your race…but something else.”

Wei awkwardly looked away from Zelaide. “…Mia shot me down hard in the past. Like the kind of rejection you can’t get back up from.”

“Hmph… What ’bout it?”

“It’s old history from when we attended university together. So don’t give me the evil eye. I’m just jealous of you for getting that Mia so enthralled with you.” Wei returned his gaze to Zelaide as he scratched the back of his head. “I just can’t stop thinking about it. It’ll distract me forever if I don’t come out and ask you!”

“…Ask me what?” The Beast Blood lounged on the bed, keeping only his eyes turned toward him. He was clearly put off by Wei’s behavior.

“What I’ve been trying to ask since earlier! What I’m trying to figure out is if what you said is true then…uhh…basically, you spent the night with Mia, but masturbated…which means that you didn’t…er…do it with Mia?”

“I didn’t.”

“I don’t believe you! C’mon, why didn’t you? Mia is a babe and a wonderful woman with a personality that’s like a breath of fresh air. Sure, she’s willful and has a hard time reading the room, but she lured you into a dark room and basically begged you to take her. And yet a guy like you who looks like he’s had over a hundred women didn’t touch her… How could I believe that?” Wei ranted.

“I’m a Beast Blood.”

“I know that much. And that makes it…even more surprising… Did you reject Mia?”

“No. A scoundrel like me shouldn’t touch a lady like Yumi. You said it yourself—I don’t even have citizenship. We’re from different worlds. A good human man like you is better for her.”

Zelaide repeated what he told Manuela to Wei. He thought he had kept his voice flat, but it didn’t work on Wei. The cop uncomfortably scratched the side of his head.

“…Sorry. I was wrong. Don’t look so hurt. I feel like the bad guy here… Dang it. Fine! I’ll do what I can to look into things. I’ll go for broke!”

“Thanks.”

“It’s fine. Your intel sounds worth investigating. There’s a chance a terrorist is roaming Biotechnology’s inner ranks, right?”

They’ve definitely gone through a lot of trouble just to take down one Beast Blood. Wei’s cop instincts told him something was up.

If the case just stopped at them killing the Beast Blood prostitute and framing Zelaide for the murder, Wei could chalk it up to a hate crime committed by Infernum. From a public safety standpoint, it was a vicious and violent crime, but not one that shakes the foundation of the municipal government. But peel back the layers and it was a different story—Zelaide was intimately connected to the mayor’s sister. Wei was already aware of the countless incidents they had been dragged into.

What if those weren’t just a bunch of bad coincidences, but situations designed to kill them? Not to mention there were always risks when killing Beast Bloods. You never knew what connections they had, or if one of their kin was some big shot Hunter that would hunt you down until the day they killed you.

Last but not least was the irrefutable evidence in the most recent murder case. If Zelaide’s testimony was true, then the sperm was collected deep inside Biotechnology’s breeding lab. Municipal Biotechnology Research Institute was a critical facility to Gothic City’s existence. It was home to indispensable information and history about this world, influencing everything from the academics, medicine, energy, technology, to ultimately the food supply. Life on a frontier world would be much harder without it. A terrorist lurking inside the institute was a dire threat to every planetary citizen.

“They’ve gone to too much trouble just to get you,” Wei concluded.

“I can protect her if I can get out of here.” The Beast Blood quietly closed his eyes.

“……”

Wei finally figured out why this man didn’t lay a finger on Euphemia. More than class differences, more than being carried away by the moment, Zelaide cared about Euphemia. He treasured her to the point he hesitated to touch her.

Good grief. How could he say she’s just a client with a straight face? Aren’t they in love with each other? For that matter, what’s with him calling her “Yumi”? Don’t go giving her a name only you can use! Wei kept his grievances to himself.

“Don’t get any bright ideas, big guy. Don’t jump the gun. The men who make all the decisions are dying to turn you into a criminal. They’re so desperate it’s suspicious. That’s what got me interested in seeing why.”

“I could get out right now if I wanted to.” Zelaide finally lifted his head, eyes glowing.

“Cool. How?”

“By taking you hostage.”

“Huh? Me? How?” Blinking, Wei pointed to himself.

“The wall is weak right here, where these holes are.” Zelaide pointed to the panel where thin pinholes were opened to hear him speak. “There were always several goons during the usual interrogations, but if you look the other way for the second it’ll take me to rip through the wall, then it’s possible.”

“Eek! Seriously? Beast Bloods are hecka powerful. But I don’t think that’s a good plan.”

“I know. They’ll put me on the wanted list and send guys after me right away. I won’t be able to approach Yumi again if I’m a wanted man on the run.”

“Mayor Saionji’s ratings will tank too. The citizens have been bashing her lately because of the rise in incidents. Her achievements have carried her this far, but if something worse happens, she’ll stand no chance during reelection. If worse comes to worst, they’ll even banish her from Gothic City.”

“Yeah…but I…”

I’m goin’ crazy with worry for Yumi… Zelaide hadn’t seen Euphemia for five whole days now. Her sister likely won’t let her take a step outside her private floors, but that stubborn seductress won’t sit still for long. She’s definitely trying to make something crazy happen as we speak. No, maybe she’s already done it.

Zelaide squeezed his knees so tight he heard bone pop.

I want to see you, Yumi. Why does it hurt so much…?

“Just wait,” Wei consoled the miserable-looking Beast Blood. “They’ll definitely make their move if we wait a little longer. If what you said is true, then confining you here is just phase one of their plans. They’re going to have to move into phase two soon.”

“……”

“You’re worried about Mia, right? Dang. You say one thing, but your actions tell me you’re smitten with her! Dang it! I’m so jealous!”

“Smitten?”

“Yeah! You didn’t have sex with that amazing woman even after she seduced you! And your reasoning is for her sake? Just how much do you treasure Mia?! If that’s not having the hots and being in love, then I don’t know what is! Dang it! You’re killing me! It’s like torture watching you… Are you even listening?”

“Smitten…the hots…in love… Humans have a lot of ways to express things.”

Mate—that single word held more meaning to a Beast Blood than the hundreds of ways humans tried to describe their feelings.

“…I knew it…you…”

Wei couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. The Beast Blood who looked like a living sculpture just turned his head to the side, pink in the cheeks. The dark color of his skin made it hard to tell, but he was definitely blushing.

“Shut up… Anyway, take care of Yumi. If anything happens to her, I’ll smash through this wall, grab you by the neck, and charge outta here.”

“Ugh! It’s scary because I know you’ll do it!”

†††

TWO days later.

Mayor Saionji received an emergency call from Gothic City’s chief of police.

“Saionji! We’ve got trouble! We just received word from Biotechnology’s president—there was a Level D accident!”

“Explain.”

“Bijours… He said that Bijours escaped from their cages!”

The emergency call was about several highly dangerous Bijours having escaped from their cages in the Dangerous Organisms Breeding Pavilion. Mayor Saionji’s aides went blue in the face at the news, even though there were no reports of them escaping outside yet. Bijours attacked anything that moved. Anyone who crossed paths with them wouldn’t live to tell the tale.

Erica remained calm. “This is a biohazard. Call President Murakami at once.”