There’s already someone arguing with Zhang Hai when their truck very slowly rolls in, which really makes Zan Xinyi regret her choice to come out. Did everyone hear the military cause a fuss and decide now was the time to pick up supplies?

  It’s not fair when other people make the same reasonable judgement calls as she does.

  Zhang Hai’s “dog” comes out to greet them as soon as Zan Xinyi jumps down from the back. It’s grown even bigger than before, and a forked tongue lolls out of its jaws as it wags its long tail.

  “Oh, aren’t you cute,” Jiang Jin coos, getting on her tiptoes to be able to rub its head while Zan Xinyi sets about unfolding the wheelchair and helping Wei Shengyuan down from the raised passenger seat of the truck.

  “My scales are so dry,” Wei Shengyuan mutters. “It’s itchy.”

  “You can dive into the river after this,” Zan Xinyi says.

  “The river water is filthy.”

  This guy is impossible to please.

  “Oh, it’s you guys!” Zhang Hai calls out as they approach, disengaging from a cross-looking woman with a very large sword. “How’s it living in the green hell? I thought you guys were never going to come back for your stuff!”

  He pulls the cigarette out of his mouth just long enough to waft some smoke at a pile of insulation and a smaller pile of other crap. Hey, don’t get second hand smoke over all of her stuff.

  “You found a guqin!” Jiang Jin says, feathers fluffing up every which way as she beams. “Oh my god, it looks so expensive. It’s even got pearl inlay...and all of the strings are still in tune...This must have been in someone’s family. Is it an heirloom?”

  “Don’t do the salesman’s job for him, Jiang Jin,” Wei Shengyuan says wearily.

  “Oh, it’s definitely an heirloom,” Zhang Hai says easily, the liar. “Brought it out from my own house just for you. I’ll cry myself to sleep having parted with it...”

  Behind him, the woman with the long sword doesn’t look that happy that he moved on to the next customer. She walks up.

  “Zhang Hai, we were in the middle of something,” she says sharply. “The Peaceful Hills Community has its own ways of getting what we want. Negotiating with you isn’t necessary-- we can trade with many others.”

  Peaceful Hills? What kind of name is that?

  Still crouched down where she’s caressing the pile of instruments, Jiang Jin stiffens.

  “Then I’ll just trade with them instead,” Zhang Hai says, throwing his hand out to gesture at Zan Xinyi. “I’m a humble, low-brow guy. You guys already have all the rich stuff from your own area, right? There’s no need to ask me for any of my old junk.”

  “Since you understand it’s junk, you should act more humble. Acting like these vagrants--”

  For the first time, her eyes drift to Zan Xinyi’s crew.

  Both Zan Xinyi and Wei Shengyuan are instantly dismissed. But when she sees Jiang Jin...

  “You’re that dead tutor.”

  “Hello, Wang Xifen. I’m actually alive,” Jiang Jin says, slowly standing up. “And I quit that job. I’m working as a game composer now. Sorry for the confusion.”

  It’s weird hearing Jiang Jin drop the cheery lilt.

  And it’s unpleasant.

  “A game composer?” The woman-- Wang Xifen-- says, the words simply not fitting into her understanding of the current world. “Well, whatever you’re doing, at least you’re alive. The young master has been going crazy since he got the news you died.”

  It’s Jiang Jin’s turn to look confused.

  “Shi Yihua is a talented kid, but are you sure? He doesn’t like me at all. His father forced him to have a tutor, and he threw a huge fit about it. Actually...you’re supposed to be Shi Yan’s bodyguard, aren’t you? Why are you here without him?”

  “You’re doing the creepy heartbeat detection thing again,” Wang Xifen says. “And I’m not obligated to tell you anything.”

  She turns back to Zhang Hai, who looks like his favorite show is on. “No, no, continue,” he says, “Pretend like I’m not here.”

  “We’re just here to pick up our stuff,” Zan Xinyi says. “Wei Shengyuan will check everything and then settle the difference from what we paid upfront with soda off the truck. Jiang Jin, come with me, let’s start clearing space.”

  She had intended to inquire with Zhang Hai about any local crew that had a doctor or healer, but she’s not asking that in front of Jiang Jin’s old crew. With a name like Peaceful Hills Community, she hates them on principle.

  Even if they hadn’t abandoned Jiang Jin to die.

  As soon as they’re out of probable hearing range, Zan Xinyi starts prying.

  “Peaceful Hills is a stupid name. Why are they called that?”

  “It’s the name of their area...the gated community they all lived in. The Peaceful Hills was a gated community within the New East Bank area.”

  “And is Wang Xifen here alone?”

  “She shouldn’t be...Wang Xifen is Shi Yan’s personal bodyguard. If Shi Yan isn’t here, then she can only be accompanying Shi Yihua. And there’s no way she’s let Shi Yihua out of sight alone. I’ve been trying to listen and find familiar heartbeats--”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “You can recognize heartbeats?”

  No, wait, she’d said something about Wei Shengyuan’s heartbeat when the plant got him.

  “Only when I’m really familiar.” Jiang Jin pauses, fumbling with a bag of soda. “I used to only be able to recognize Shi Yan, but I’ve been working hard. So now I can also recognize you and Wei Shengyuan! Wei Shengyuan’s the easiest. Because his breathing is so distinct, and his heart beats so slow. When he’s asleep, it’s barely 30 beats per minute!”

  What an intrusive statistic.

  Zan Xinyi doesn’t ask how her own heart sounds.

  “So where do you think the rest of the group is?”

  “Probably across the river!” Jiang Jin says. “There’s people over there.”

  “It’s weird to split up. I’d stay as a group.”

  “Because you’re a responsible person, Yiyi.” Jiang Jin smiles. “But actually, it’s probably because they’re scared of the green mist.”

  “Wet Dog Post isn’t even really in it,” Zan Xinyi says, looking around. “The sun’s very visible from here. And Zhang Hai could relocate to the other side of the river if he thought it was scary.”

  “That’s true!” Jiang Jin says. “But his dog probably likes the mist. Since it’s very...exhilarating.”

  Is it?

  “It doesn’t feel like anything to me,” Zan Xinyi says.

  “Then maybe it also doesn’t feel like anything to Zhang Hai!” Jiang Jin says doubtfully. “Well, either way. I don’t think it’s good to be exposing children to something so unstudied. I’m glad Wang Xifen came alone.”

  The real stupid thing is that despite the fact they’d needed a bag to cart everything around previously, Zan Xinyi has once again forgotten that fact. It feels exactly like getting charged for the plastic bag every time she goes to the store.

  “I also have some more ideas for the game,” Jiang Jin says as Zan Xinyi drops the agreed upon water over by Zhang Hai and Wei Shengyuan and starts picking up the insulation, which is annoyingly bulky.

  “Start picking up the toilet paper,” Zan Xinyi says. “With only your good hand, Jiang Jin.”

  Zhang Hai laughs.

  “I’ve got it!” Jiang Jin says. “So, I was helping Wei Shengyuan design my character yesterday.”

  Zan Xinyi smirks.

  “He must have appreciated that a lot.”

  “I hope so. And while he was doing that, I remembered some other parts of gacha games I really love.”

  “I didn’t know you played.”

  “A lot of the kids I taught were super into them! It’s a bonding experience to play together. I wish Shi Yihua had been into them, but he thought they were too childish-- said if he wanted to gamble, he’d go to a casino. What a thing for a thirteen year old to say!”

  The mention of casinos ruins Zan Xinyi’s mood. She drops a drum into the back of the truck that rolls until it hits a large can of scentless, sensitive-skin only dish soap.

  She’d never bothered getting that kind before the apocalypse. Too expensive to be worth it.

  “But anyways, you got me off topic. I was telling Wei Shengyuan about some ideas for who my character is, but he said that backstory doesn’t have anything to do with him, that’s all you. But I want my character to be a singer, a famous singer. So does Night City have a stage? Night clubs?”

  “Sure,” Zan Xinyi says.

  “Oh, that’s wonderful. So I can have a sort of lounge singer aesthetic. Help the Lantern-Bearer by day, comfort the citizens of Night City with my beautiful voice at night.”

  And now Night City suddenly has citizens.

  That’s not good. What if she has to animate or imply background characters? What a waste of time.

  “There’s only summonable gacha type characters in Night City,” Zan Xinyi says. “Ordinary people don’t appear there.”

  “Oh...” Jiang Jin says, disappointed. “Well, in the future I’ll be able to say I sing to more and more people as we keep making more characters. But actually--”

  And she bounces right back.

  “Since the city’s got an empty, hollow kind of feeling, isn’t that the perfect aesthetic for a concert? Imagine...the eerie song that echoes through every road and alley...and then the camera cuts to a singer singing alone in a giant auditorium...isn’t that grand?”

  “It’s doable,” Zan Xinyi says, watching in satisfaction as the last instrument gets tucked away.

  “Wei Shengyuan!” she yells. “All good over there?”

  He shakes his head, beckoning them back over.

  Ah, what now.

  “It’s literally just going over a list, Wei Shengyuan. What could have gone wrong?”

  “It’s not my fault,” Wei Shengyuan says sourly. “Ms. Wang here also wants some of the water. Are we selling extra?”

  Well, the water’s free on their end.

  Zan Xinyi looks over at Jiang Jin.

  “Pleasant Hills have anything worth trading for?”

  “Uh,” Jiang Jin says. “I don’t know about trade goods, but I’d like my stuff back.”

  “Can’t do that,” Wang Xifen says immediately.

  Zan Xinyi blinks. She’d been prepared to say that that trade didn’t count because it was practically giving them the water for nothing. Getting your own items back is a given.

  “‘Can’t?’” Wei Shengyuan echoes incredulously. “It’s her stuff. Did you throw it all away.”

  Wang Xifen winces.

  “No. The boss didn’t take her death well. Jiang Jin would probably have to go all the way back to the Shi mansion and ask for her belongings in person if she wants them.”

  “Didn’t take it well? She got left to die!”

  “I know.” Wang Xifen doesn’t explain further. “He wasn’t a part of that decision. She wasn’t a part of his smaller crew-- she was out with,” and now her lips curl, “some other incompetents who fancied themselves also a key part of Pleasant Hills. As obviously evidenced by their lack of ability, they’ve all run into accidents over the past month.”

  The hell? Why hadn’t she been on Shi Yan’s team.

  Zan Xinyi looks at Jiang Jin, who shakes her head firmly.

  “I don’t want anything back that badly,” she says. “I don’t have any personally significant items. It’s all just clothes and necessities. Though...I’m glad he didn’t throw anything away. I’d be sad if my old music compositions were treated like trash.”

  Old music compositions? That’s the same as Jiang Jin saying there’s a reusable shortcut for game music just waiting to be picked up.

  “I don’t know what was trash or not,” Wang Yifen says flatly. “I can make inquiries, but I must emphasize: if you want something, go in person. I don’t have the ability to make a trade contract based on items present in the boss’s home.”

  “But they’re mine...” Jiang Jin says, frustrated. “Those things didn’t stop belonging to me just because I died! You’re always moving responsibility around when things are inconvenient. Ah, I know. I’ll just ask Shi Yihua if I can have my stuff back! Then you won’t have to make any decisions at all!”

  “Wait--” Wang Yifen says, eyes widening.

  Jiang Jin has already waved the bell she keeps hanging from her waist, and from its noiseless cavity, pretty piano music begins to pour across the water. It’s a tune that Zan Xinyi’s never heard before--

  But it’s not meant for her ears, is it?

  It’s meant for the Shi family’s young prodigy.

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