Folly & Agendas & Talulah

Chapter 48

Two Days Later-
-In Wei Yenwu's Parlor:
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Bright lights illuminated the room around them. Wei Yenwu, Kal'tsit, Amiya and Ch'en all stood around a table with cautious eyes. Wei was smoking on his pipe with his gaze directed outside his office window. When his eyes returned to his visitors, Ch'en had a frown laced across her face. Rhodes Island had already discussed their plans for the slums, acting independently in light of the capture of the slums, but Wei wasn't going to let a pharmaceutical company take over the rescue operation.

"Dr. Kal'tsit, Miss Amiya, as you clarified many times, the Reunion is a force to be reckoned with," He stated as he blew out a ring of smoke. "Their invasion came as a surprise to us as we thought that they'd send their lesser troops; who knew that they would send their highest caliber? What we need is time and resources to combat them; Lungmen has an abundance of both."

"Lungmen is slowly being drained of its time," Kal'tsit stated. "You don't have much left before the Reunion tries to conquer your entire city. The slums have poor infrastructure, meaning it can crumble at any time, but it has major strategic value as it is the buffer between Lungmen and Chernobog. We need to stall them from further advances."

"I understand that the destruction of the slums poses a threat, not only to us, but the whole world. Rest assured as I have already given Madam Ch'en permission to handle the return of the slums. Isn't that correct Senior Inspector?"

Ch'en had a stern but respectful expression. She confirmed Wei Yenwu's order before she turned to the leaders of Rhodes Island. 

"Dr. Kal'tsit, Amiya, what do you suppose we should do?" The female Lung asked.

"At the moment, we concentrated our efforts to search for any weaknesses within the slums," Amiya answered. "We need to stall the Reunion as long as possible. After that we plan to rescue one of our operators before we make any moves. That operator will be Kaiser Rye of course."

A wave of curiosity filled Wei Yenwu's ears. Lungmen Inspector Ch'en looked at the rabbit inquisitively. It was a grueling two days for everyone. Fatigue grasped Lungmen by the throat; recovery wasn't able to free it. The movement of the city remains stagnant, caught in an endless limbo of wait. 

"We need Kaiser Rye in order to combat the Reunion. He was their Second in Command before, making him the apt candidate to help us," Amiya continued.

"During our last battle, Kaiser Rye has left us many times. We don't know how many separate encounters he had with the Reunion. He could quite possibly be helping them," Ch'en replied.

"Madam Ch'en. You know very well that Kaiser Rye attached to the Reunion leaders. We are bound to run into conflict whenever he meets them. What matters now is getting him back on our side. We can use what he knows to our advantage to create new plans to stop the Reunion."

The female Lung was convinced by Amiya's answer, but she still had her qualms. Amiya stood firm with her head held high. The entire room reeked of smoke and sweat; everyone was exhausted. A ring of smoke flew out of Wei Yenwu's mouth. 

"So who is going to rescue Kaiser Rye?" Lungmen's ruler asked with a wide grin.

"We have sent one of our elite operators to rescue him. It was an arbitrary decision, but it was for the better. Sending an entire team into enemy territory without proper backup is a suicide mission," This time, Kal'tsit answered.

"But what are the odds of finding Kaiser Rye? The slums are full of intricate webs of tunnels and alleys; much of it has been destroyed by mortar fire. The Reunion has control of Sectors 22 through 29, and it will be difficult to find him."