Story Reader / Affection / Changyu: Qilin / Story
Changyu: Qilin VI
—Drip. Drop.
A streak of warm liquid flows down your cheek. With the buzz in your ears, you open your eyes to find the fading moonlight behind a cloudy night sky. The small building that trapped you is long gone.
Hoping to take stock of your surroundings, you try to get up, only to find yourself pressed against by something heavy. Something that is dripping the liquid running down your face.
Your vision trails downward, and you find Changyu's body lying on yours.
Commandant!
Hearing your voice, Lucia knocks out the remaining guard and hurries toward you with the rest of Gray Raven.
Everyone's fine. It's just a flashbang.
Diagnosing... His M.I.N.D. hasn't been damaged, and his body isn't critically wounded... The vital fluid he's bleeding is probably from injuries he took during the battle...
Hey, you! How long are you going to lie there?
Annoyed, Lee grabs Changyu by his collar and lifts him off his feet.
...Think of the children, Lee. Can't you just be a smidge gentler?
Not for you.
Lee lets go of him, and Changyu lands—except he barely catches himself, no sign of the dexterous fighter he has been the whole night. Staggered, he leans on the broken wall next to him, rubbing his eyes clean of the vital fluid that seeped in.
A flashbang... I thought the wacko was bringing us down with him with an explosive.
He escaped—thanks to a moron who smashed a hole in the wall for him before the flashbang went off.
C'mon, I couldn't have planned for everything, could I?
Fussing over every detail's gonna give you wrinkles, Construct or not.
That's not true!
You stand up to find all the mechanoid guards you fought now decimated.
We took care of the rest of them when you were both out. Not that there were many of them left—this doesn't seem to be their headquarters.
A temporary base of operation, then.
Enough with this. Care to explain what just happened?
Oh. Well...
Changyu scratches his head, embarrassed.
Sorry for keeping this from y'all.
You were discovered the first time you set foot on the dock.
These were some dirty, rich folks screwing around. They didn't think Babylonia would get involved.
And when they realized that we knew each other, they came to me with an offer: remove the Babylonians, and they'll remove some of the more audacious terms on their deal with Akdilek.
Audacious terms that I'd have to follow to get this—
He picks up the leather suitcase he threw aside and takes out an authenticator, carefully inspecting it.
Phew... Everything's intact. Luckily I secured it when the guards came swinging.
Well, it's important.
Priorities, priorities...
I told you I wanted a win-win situation... But if I have to lose one, I'd rather lose this.
He gives the authenticator in his hand a spin. Then he walks away and sits on a piece of rubble, mumbling to himself.
Would you have said yes?
Duh! What do you think?
Even if you agreed, your buddies here wouldn't!
What exactly was the plan?
Look! You're here in one piece!
It doesn't matter, as long as [player name] is here in one piece.
I guess you're looking for this?
Changyu transfers you a data file.
I just received this from Sophia. She managed to put together a list of names once she was done "cleaning." It should help you track them down, wherever they're hiding now.
Yep. Trades can resume once we get to quickly identify counterfeits with this thing.
Leave you? Have you forgotten the last thing I said?
Changyu raises three fingers, the way he did the day before.
I told you I'd protect you, [player name], and I never go back on my word.
Why? Because I didn't exploit everyone?
Sure, I probably should've left sooner for Akdilek's sake.
But I'm the agent on the scene, and I say you are more valuable than this device, so YOU are my priority.
And I trust you. And I trust me. That's why it was always going to end in our favor.
Ugh... Sure.
Awkwardly he smiles, recalling how he was on the verge of a breakdown during the heat of the moment.
Anyway, it's lovely how everything went so smoothly.
I assume you're going after our escapee as well?
Then I guess it's fair to say we've killed two birds with one stone.
Wait, no—three birds with one stone...
Changyu's and your eyes meet, and he quickly looks away with a murmur.
I've got everything I'm after, with a few benefits thrown in... Sounds like the best deal to me...
Nothing! Congratulations on a mission well executed! I'll take my leave now, see ya!
Changyu waves everyone goodbye, before hopping over the crumpled walls to a small, hidden path. But then he stops, and he turns around to look at you.
I'll see you soon, [player name].
He smiles at you and waves one last time, with a sincerity that you can perhaps recognize now.
Next time I'll be an open book.
With that, Changyu dashes away through the ruins, leaping from one broken wall to another, looking almost lighter than he ever was, as he vanishes from your sight...
