"Hahaha, Officer, really—it was just a small misunderstanding. Since you two clearly know each other, we'll let you catch up and be on our way!"
"Yeah, yeah! We're just gonna head out now, Officer!"
The two of them sensed things going south and immediately tried to laugh it off, hoping to brush the matter aside. Otherwise, the consequences might not be so light.
But Zhu Yuan was someone who took things seriously. Their little act wasn't going to cut it.
"Stop right there!"
"You looked pretty fired up just a minute ago. And now suddenly it's no big deal?"
Zhu Yuan placed one hand on the gun at her waist, frowning as she fixed her eyes on the two of them.
"C'mon, Officer, since he's your friend, there's no need to make a scene…"
One of the two tried again, his tone placating as he casually inched deeper into the alley.
"Zhu Yuan, no need to waste your breath. These two tried to rob this Bangboo's Dennies. I caught them in the act and gave them a little reminder."
Zane spoke calmly.
"Mm-hmm! (Yeah! These two are bad guys!)"
The Bangboo beside him nodded, its electronic eyes flashing with indignation.
It was a small gray-blue Bangboo with red eyes and a pair of hand-drawn ears painted on its casing. Taped to the top of its head was a handwritten label: "KK."
That was the name it had chosen for itself—or perhaps one that someone kind had given it long ago.
KK chimed in with agreement.
"Looks like they thought they could twist the story with a random officer... too bad for them they ran into someone I know."
Zane had noticed their attempts to sneak off. Trying to escape someone with Zhu Yuan's reputation—an officer awarded "Best Young Constable"—wasn't exactly smart.
After listening to Zane and KK, Zhu Yuan's expression hardened. As a top graduate, she of course understood Bangboo speech—Bangboo language was a required course, after all.
"Run!"
Realizing they'd been exposed, one of the men bolted. The other quickly followed.
Zhu Yuan instinctively reached for her sidearm, then stopped herself and took off in pursuit.
Zane, meanwhile, casually followed behind with KK.
...
Moments later.
"Please—stop! If you keep hitting us, we're gonna die…"
Deep in a narrow alley after several twists and turns, the two men lay curled on the ground, battered and bruised. One of them groaned, unable to speak from a kick to the stomach.
Zhu Yuan stood over them, her expression cold as she radioed the district enforcer and snapped a pair of handcuffs onto the two.
They'd tried to rob a Bangboo, frame someone using her, and now they were reaping the consequences. It was despicable.
"Well well—congrats on your new silver bracelets. Feeling good now?"
Zane walked up at a relaxed pace and let out a small laugh at the sorry sight in front of him.
"Mm-hmm! (Bad guys got what they deserved!)"
Seeing her bullies brought to justice, KK looked downright thrilled.
"So, Zhu Yuan—what are you going to do with these two?"
Zane asked with mild curiosity. He wasn't familiar with New Eridu's legal system, but since they were already cuffed, he figured they wouldn't be getting off easily.
"These two crossed a serious line. Robbing a Bangboo carries the same penalty as robbing a citizen. And on top of that, they tried to manipulate an officer—and resisted arrest after being exposed. One of them even tried to fight back."
"For people like this, we don't play nice. We escalate it. Push for the harshest sentence—eight to ten years, minimum."
In just a few words, Zhu Yuan reframed what might've been a civil dispute as a serious criminal offense.
The two collapsed men could only groan. They hadn't even landed a hit—Zane had basically flattened them single-handedly.
Zane's eyes glinted slightly. It seemed Zhu Yuan was genuinely pissed—probably because of the attempted robbery and the blatant abuse of a public officer.
He glanced at the two and couldn't help but be amused. Even the Hare's House gang wouldn't get ten years just for getting caught in the Hollows.
But now they'd gone and pissed off Zhu Yuan?
Yeah, their lives were over.
"Zhu Yuan, I'll leave them to you. I'm going to check on that KK's friend."
Zane spoke gently.
Zhu Yuan turned to him, her face softening.
"Go ahead, Zane. I'll need some time with these two anyway."
"Alright. It won't take me long. Once I'm done, we'll meet up..."
Zane hesitated. With Zhu Yuan's sharp instincts, she might pick up on something in Sixth Street. But after thinking it over, he realized there wasn't a single spot in the area that wouldn't be suspicious.
"We'll meet back here when it's over."
After making arrangements, Zane let KK lead him to the injured kitten.
"Mm? (Aren't we going to buy batteries?)"
Bangboo didn't understand how to help a kitten. Based on his understanding, he asked the question sincerely. Zane gave a small smile.
"No need. Your friend doesn't run on batteries. But we can buy some dried fish…"
KK didn't totally get it, but happily started leading the way toward the residential blocks.
Knowing he'd finally be able to help his friend, KK was ecstatic the whole way, chattering to Zane about everything—from his friends to the funny stories he had while collecting Dennies.
Zane listened quietly, occasionally giving a short reply to show he was paying attention.
After circling through several backstreets, they arrived at a tucked-away corner of Sixth Street.
Cardboard boxes were stacked everywhere—not discarded at random, but arranged deliberately. Inside were old blankets, dishes, and tiny containers.
Zane quickly understood. This was a shelter for stray cats. Judging by the setup, someone had been caring for them.
"Mm-hmm! (Friend, I'm here!)"
KK ran up to one of the boxes.
Zane followed with his eyes—and saw the kitten: small, its hind leg injured, curled up inside a box.
So this was the friend KK had been running all over the city trying to help.
Zane walked up and crouched down to check the kitten's condition.
But before he could touch it, a rough, raspy meow rang out from nearby.
Turning his head, he saw a jet-black cat standing on a short wall, teeth bared, eyes glaring, clearly trying to warn him to stay away.
It didn't react at all to KK, which meant it probably recognized the Bangboo as a friend.
Once Zane saw the black cat didn't mean harm, he reached out again.
The warning cry came again.
He glanced at the cat and said casually,
"Chill out. If you keep yowling, I'll fix up this one's leg and then take you in for neutering."