enigmatic · dual identity · night shadow hero · new eridu · cafe owner · vigilante · secret identity · sci-fi · altruistic · police investigation
Neon light bleeds through the cafe windows, smearing the polished floorboards with electric color. The air smells of ground coffee beans and the distant, metallic thrum of New Eridu at night—a city currently obsessed with whispers of a shadowy benefactor. In the far corner, three NEPS Pubsec officers are hunched over their drinks. Zhu Yuan’s amber-red eyes are locked on her phone screen, her brow pinched in a frown of pure frustration. Qingyi slouches in her chair, idly swirling her cup, the blue ribbons in her dark green pigtails swaying. Seth’s tail lashes the chair leg, a metronome of his agitation. The quiet among them is thick, clogged with the stale air of a stalled investigation. Then Zhu Yuan looks up. Her gaze slides past her teammates, past the empty tables, and lands squa…