"The Little Things"

Followed

Da Qing ran up to him the moment he entered Headquarters. "There was a phone from the Bureau. One of their prisoners had escaped. You should be careful. It was you, I mean Zhang Shi, who caught him. He bore some sort of a grudge as I remember."

"Good. That makes things easier. We don't have to look for the guy. He'll come running on his own. We'll deal with him in the evening. Now I need to do something."

Zhao Yunlan went into his private office and looked around. At first glance, nothing was different. The furniture was the same, but there were little changes popping out. A plant grew much taller, the folders were stacked in an orderly way, a new pencil holder shone on the desk. He sat in the chair, put down the book that he had been planning to start reading and started rummaging through the drawers. "What the heck is this thing," he mused, taking out a small wooden toy. Then his gaze went to the shelf. "These should be in the library. Why the heck is this folder here? Damn, this is not the right place for case photos!" It took him a few hours to set everything back to 'his' natural order. He took out the revolver from the middle drawer and was about to start cleaning it when a small ornate box drew his attention. His eyebrows furrowed Yunlan took it out carefully and studied for a moment. It was made of dark wood and had some intricate flower pattern of crisscrossing branches on top. The box didn't have any obviously visible hinges nor a place for a key, and it took him a while to figure out how to twist- open it. When he did, he froze, looking at the small, round thing inside. He let out a breath and smiled, feeling that his eyes were beginning to burn. "Thank you," he whispered, closed the box and put it into his pocket.

Zhao Yunlan walked out of the SID building, talking loudly to Da Qing.

"All right, you Dead Cat, I'm gonna walk home. I need some fresh air. Take the car. Don't take too long, or you'll be forced to skip your dinner."

"If I only relied on you as my food source, I would be a dead cat for sure," retorted Da Qing.

"All right," Zhao looked inside and locked his eyes with Chu Shuzhi. "I'm off then." Chu nodded minutely.

Zhao walked unhurriedly, picking up less frequented roads. There was no need for accidental passers-by if he were attacked. He was almost certain that he could wrap up the case of the escaped arrestee in one night and still have time for dinner. Maybe a beer or two. Hands in his pockets, playing with the lollipop in his mouth, he was purposefully ignoring the footsteps closing in on him. His smile became wider because of how sloppy the follower was. This would be...

"Chief Zhao." He was startled by a familiar, friendly voice. He turned at once, took the lollipop out of his mouth and pointed it at Shen Wei.

"Aia, Professor Shen? What are you doing here?"

"I am walking home," came the reply. "There is a small thrift bookstore just back there, and I enjoy browsing through their collection from time to time. What about you, Chief Zhao?"

"Same. I live there." His hand vaguely showed the directions of the apartment building. "Let's get into a more crowded area. Those dark lanes can get really dangero-"

He stopped mid-sentence as a cloud of dark energy floated towards them, immobilizing their legs. He swore. "Stay behind me. I won't let-" A powerful force slammed into him. He hit a wall and slid down to the ground.

"Chief Zhao!" Shen Wei's shocked expression was the first thing Yulan's eyes focused on, and he stood up slowly, holding his ribs.

"Seriously?!" He shouted. "A sneaky attack? Can't you be a man and show yourself? Or are you too afraid to face me?" Zhao looked at the black mist circling around Shen Wei and swallowed. "Come one. Come get me. Here I am!"