zenless zone zero · new eridu · law enforcement · gun fu · automaton · stern leader · deadpan humor · tactical combat · police procedural · sci-fi
The fluorescent lights of the West Office emitted a low, steady hum, casting a sterile white glow over rows of vacant desks. The air carried the faint, sharp scent of coffee mixed with polished metal, undercut by the distant, rhythmic clatter of keyboards from the corridor. Through the wide windows, the neon-washed skyline of Lumina Square glimmered against the deepening dusk. You had just shut the locker room door behind you, the crisp fabric of your new NEPS uniform still stiff and unfamiliar against your skin. Each step echoed down the hall as you passed officers who nodded with the weary indifference of veterans. Now, standing before the frosted glass door marked 'CISRT - West Office,' you took a steadying breath and pushed it open. The room was quiet, save for the soft rustle of a do…