Chapter Text
Jing Yuan leaned back in his chair, an amused grin tugging at his lips as he gazed at the holographic projections before him. The images of his three secret agents—Caelus, Dan Heng, and Bailu—floated in the air, each in their respective little holographic speech bubbles.
"Roger," Caelus said with his usual unserious expression, his voice betraying not even a hint of seriousness.
"Hiya!" Bailu chirped, giving a cheerful wave, her tiny horns bobbing with excitement.
"Consider it done," Dan Heng’s voice was calm, as usual, but there was a hint of exasperation in his eyes as if already anticipating something chaotic.
Jing Yuan chuckled and glanced to his side where Yingxing lounged lazily on the edge of his desk, casually puffing smoke from a long pipe. His partner's silver hair cascaded over his shoulders as he exhaled a cloud of smoke that swirled into shapes in the dimly lit room.
"You know," Jing Yuan said with a teasing smirk, "sometimes I wonder if I should send you out with them just to keep things... lively."
Yingxing, clearly uninterested in such an idea, raised an eyebrow and blew another smoke ring, this one resembling a dragon. "Darling, if I went along, I'd handle everything in half the time. Where's the fun in that for you?" He flicked some ash into a nearby tray, then glanced lazily at the holographic images of the agents. "Besides, watching you manage those three is entertainment enough."
Jing Yuan turned back to the projections, amused by Yingxing’s retort. "Right, let’s focus. Bailu, you’re on recon. Try not to get too excited and accidentally use your lightning magic again. The last time you fried the surveillance system, it cost us a fortune in repairs."
Bailu crossed her arms in her little hologram, pouting. "It was an accident! How was I supposed to know lightning would come out when I sneezed?"
"That’s what happens when you catch a cold on the job," Dan Heng chimed in, shaking his head.
"And Dan Heng," Jing Yuan continued, "try not to destroy any more furniture in your ‘undercover’ missions. I’m still getting complaints about the last time you ‘lost control’ in that bar brawl."
Dan Heng sighed deeply. "Not my fault. They had terrible chairs."
Caelus chuckled in his speech bubble, looking a bit too smug for someone who once got lost in a supply closet for two hours during a mission. "What about me, Boss? What’s my role in this operation?"
"You, Caelus," Jing Yuan said, narrowing his eyes with a grin, "are the backup. Try not to accidentally dismantle anything this time, alright? Last time you touched something, the entire security system went down."
"Hey!" Caelus objected, crossing his arms defensively. "That was one time! And I fixed it!"
"After you turned the alarms on across the entire sector," Jing Yuan pointed out.
Yingxing, who was sitting beside him, let out a soft laugh and tapped out the ashes from his pipe. "You’ve got quite the team there, General. It’s a miracle they haven’t blown up the base."
Jing Yuan turned his head slightly, giving Yingxing a fond look. "Well, that’s what keeps things interesting, isn’t it? Never a dull moment with these three."
Caelus, still pouting, chimed in again. "Don’t worry, Boss! I’ve got this mission under control. I’ve been practicing my stealth."
Bailu tilted her head. "Practicing how? You tripped over your own foot in the last mission."
Caelus huffed. "I was distracted!"
Dan Heng raised an eyebrow. "By what? The vending machine?"
"It was a really interesting vending machine," Caelus muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
Jing Yuan sighed, amused by the banter. "Alright, alright, focus. This is a serious mission. No more distractions. And for the love of everything, no vending machines."
Yingxing smirked at him again. "You sure about sending them in? Sounds like it’s going to be more of a disaster than a covert operation."
Jing Yuan leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "I have faith in them... mostly."
"Mostly?" Dan Heng asked, sounding a little offended.
"I mean, I’m sure you'll all do fine," Jing Yuan said diplomatically, chuckling under his breath.
Yingxing blew another puff of smoke, the wisps forming intricate shapes that dissipated in the air. "Good luck, agents. Try not to die out there."
"Thanks for the encouragement," Caelus deadpanned, rolling his eyes in his speech bubble.
Bailu gave a mock salute. "We’ll make you proud, Boss!"
Jing Yuan smiled, feeling a mixture of pride and exasperation wash over him. "Alright, agents, you’re dismissed. Go out there and make me proud. And try not to trip any alarms this time."
As the holograms flickered out, Jing Yuan leaned back with a sigh, turning his gaze to Yingxing, who was still casually smoking on his desk.
"You really enjoy watching me juggle all of this chaos, don’t you?" Jing Yuan asked, raising an eyebrow.
Yingxing smirked. "Oh, absolutely. It’s the highlight of my day."
Jing Yuan chuckled, shaking his head. "And here I thought you kept me around for my charm."
"That too," Yingxing teased, before taking another drag from the pipe, blowing smoke rings that dissolved into the air.
Jing Yuan gazed at the empty room for a moment, letting the calm settle before the inevitable storm. "Well, let’s hope this mission goes smoothly. For once."
His partner grinned. "With those three? Not a chance."
Jing Yuan glanced over at Yingxing, who was still perched on the edge of the desk, blowing another lazy puff of smoke from his long pipe. Their eyes met, and Jing Yuan couldn't help but feel the familiar warmth that had grown between them since their first mission together. What had started as a business arrangement—hunting down someone from Yingxing’s past—had transformed into something much deeper.
“Remember when we first met?” Jing Yuan asked with a smile, leaning back in his chair, the soft hum of the control panels filling the room.
Yingxing raised an eyebrow, exhaling a trail of smoke before responding. “Hard to forget. You were more of a stiff back then, so serious about that ‘hunt.’”
Jing Yuan chuckled, folding his arms. “Someone had to be. You were practically falling asleep half the time.”
“Hey, I wasn’t falling asleep. I was thinking,” Yingxing corrected, smirking.
“Sure, thinking,” Jing Yuan teased. “And now look at us—partners, coworkers, and you still somehow manage to make every mission sound like it’s a walk in the park.”
Yingxing smiled, his eyes softening as he flicked the ash from his pipe. “I think that’s why we work so well together. You keep things steady, and I keep you from getting too uptight.”
Jing Yuan laughed, remembering all the close calls and the nights they spent planning out the perfect trap to catch the person who had wronged Yingxing. It had been a long, grueling hunt, but when they finally succeeded, Yingxing had stayed. Their bond, forged in the fires of that mission, had evolved into something more.
“And now we’re chasing after vending machine lovers,” Yingxing said dryly, glancing at the now-deactivated holograms of Caelus, Dan Heng, and Bailu.
Jing Yuan shook his head, still smiling. “A far cry from the old days, isn’t it?”
Yingxing leaned over, resting his hand on Jing Yuan’s shoulder. “Maybe. But I’d take this—us—over that hunt any day.”
Jing Yuan’s hand found Yingxing’s, and he squeezed it lightly, his gaze softening. “Me too.”
For a moment, the room was quiet, the only sound was the gentle hum of the systems and the faint crackle from Yingxing’s pipe. Their journey together had begun in the pursuit of justice, but it had become something far more personal. Now, they faced every challenge together, side by side.
“Alright,” Jing Yuan said with a grin, “let’s see if our agents manage to not blow anything up this time.”
“Doubtful,” Yingxing replied, but his tone was affectionate, a light teasing in his voice as he let his hand linger on Jing Yuan’s.
***
The museum was eerily quiet, its vast halls filled with priceless relics and delicate artifacts encased in glass. Moonlight filtered through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the floor as Caelus and Dan Heng moved carefully around the new exhibition.
“This place gives me the creeps,” Caelus muttered, examining an ancient, intricately carved tablet. His breath fogged up the glass slightly as he leaned closer, squinting at the fine details.
Dan Heng, crouched by a different display, was much more focused. “Stay sharp. We’ve got reports that some unsavory people have been taking an interest in this exhibition. They might already be planning something.”
Just as the words left his mouth, Bailu’s voice crackled through their earpieces, urgent and a little too loud. “Uh, guys? You’ve got company. And not the ‘just browsing the museum’ kind. I’m looking at the cameras, and they’re heading straight for you.”
Caelus straightened immediately, his relaxed demeanor disappearing in an instant. “How many?”
“Four. Armed. Definitely not here for a tour,” Bailu responded, her voice tense. "They’re coming in from the west wing, through the main corridor."
Dan Heng and Caelus exchanged a glance, their eyes narrowing.
"Stay out of sight," Dan Heng ordered calmly, already stepping back into the shadows between the towering displays. “Let’s see if we can get the drop on them.”
Caelus followed his lead, quickly positioning himself behind a column adorned with ancient carvings. The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor—slow, deliberate, and growing louder by the second.
Bailu’s voice piped up again, nervous but trying to stay helpful. "They’ve got some pretty serious gear—looks like high-tech disruptors. Not your average museum thieves."
Dan Heng’s eyes flickered. “They’re here for something specific. This isn’t a normal break-in.”
Caelus tightened his grip on the stun baton tucked at his side. "So... what’s the plan? We take them out quietly or go for a little, uh, improvisation?"
Dan Heng didn’t respond immediately, listening intently as the intruders’ footsteps got closer. They stopped just beyond the entrance to the exhibition hall. He motioned for Caelus to stay put, his eyes narrowing as he prepared himself for whatever might come next.
Suddenly, one of the intruders spoke, their voice low but carrying through the hall. “This is it. The artifact should be in here. Keep an eye out for any security.”
Dan Heng’s brow furrowed. Artifact? They weren’t here to steal random relics; they had a target.
“They’re getting too close,” Bailu whispered in their ears. “You’ve got to move before they reach you!”
Caelus, ever the one to act first, gestured to Dan Heng with a silent nod. “I say we take them now,” he mouthed, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Dan Heng exhaled softly, considering. “Alright. But keep it quiet. We can’t afford to damage anything in here.”
Caelus grinned. “Quiet’s my middle name.”
Dan Heng gave him a look that said he very much doubted that, but before he could say anything more, the intruders stepped into view.
Four figures, dressed in dark tactical gear, entered the exhibition hall, their weapons scanning the area. They moved with precision, clearly professionals. One of them, a tall man with a shaved head, signaled to the others. “You two, check the displays. The artifact should be labeled. We need to move fast.”
Caelus, crouching behind the column, held his breath. Now or never.
With a quick motion, he moved, sweeping around from his hiding place and closing the distance to the first intruder in an instant. Before the man could even react, Caelus jabbed his stun baton into his side. The intruder convulsed silently and collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
Dan Heng was just as swift. He appeared from the shadows behind the second intruder, striking with the precision of a trained warrior. One blow to the neck, and the intruder dropped, crumpling to the floor without a sound.
The remaining two intruders spun around, shocked by the sudden attack.
“Contact!” one of them shouted, raising his disruptor weapon. But before he could fire, Dan Heng was on him, knocking the weapon from his hand and delivering a swift kick that sent him flying into a display case.
Caelus, meanwhile, ducked as a disruptor bolt whizzed past his ear. “Whoa! Hey, watch the merchandise!” he yelled, diving behind another display for cover.
Bailu’s panicked voice came through the earpiece. “Caelus! Don’t break anything! The last thing we need is a call from the museum about shattered relics!”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it!” Caelus replied, rolling to avoid another disruptor shot. He sprang up and threw his baton, knocking the weapon out of the last intruder’s hand with a satisfying clang . “How about that for ‘quiet,’ huh?”
Dan Heng, already stepping over the unconscious bodies of their assailants, gave Caelus a half-smile. “Not bad. You actually didn’t destroy anything.”
The museum was silent again, save for the soft sound of Bailu’s relieved sigh in their earpieces.
"Nice work, team," she said, her voice returning to its usual cheerful tone. “I’m coming down to help you tie them up.”
As they began securing the intruders, Dan Heng glanced at one of the labels in the display cases. It read: Ancient Artifact of Immortality – Recently Unearthed from Scalegorge Waterscape.
He frowned. “Looks like we found what they were after.”
Caelus leaned in, eyeing the artifact. “Huh. What do you think it does?”
Dan Heng shook his head. “No idea. But I don’t think it’s the last time we’ll hear about this.”
Caelus sighed, pocketing his baton. “Well, if they send more guys, I’ll be ready. Just... next time, maybe somewhere with fewer priceless objects?”
Dan Heng smirked. “Noted.”
***
Jing Yuan and Yingxing were seated comfortably in his office, the soft clink of teacups and the quiet hum of the control panels the only sounds breaking the silence. Yingxing reclined lazily in his chair, savoring a sip from his tea, while Jing Yuan leaned back, enjoying the rare calm between missions.
The peace was short-lived, however, as the door slid open, revealing Caelus, Dan Heng, and Bailu returning from their latest assignment. Caelus looked particularly eager, carrying the mission report in his hand like it was a trophy.
"Mission accomplished," Caelus said with a grin, slapping the report down on Jing Yuan’s desk with a little too much enthusiasm.
Jing Yuan, setting his tea aside, raised an eyebrow and picked up the report, flipping through the pages with a practiced eye. After a moment, he glanced up, surprised. “You didn’t break anything this time? Shocker. I should consider giving you a bonus for that.”
Caelus’s face lit up with excitement, his eyes wide. “Really?!”
Before Jing Yuan could respond, Yingxing let out a low, amused laugh from the other side of the room. “He’s being sarcastic, you raccoon,” Yingxing said, still smirking as he took a leisurely sip of his tea. “Don’t get your hopes up.”
Caelus blinked, momentarily deflated. "Oh, uh... I knew that."
Dan Heng gave him a sideways glance. “No, you didn’t.”
Bailu snickered from her spot by the door, shaking her head. “Maybe we can get him some stickers for the ‘no damage’ record instead.”
“Hey, a streak’s a streak!” Caelus defended, crossing his arms. “And I did not break anything this time. You saw it, Dan Heng.”
Dan Heng nodded reluctantly. “It’s true. He actually managed to avoid knocking over any priceless artifacts. Somehow.”
Yingxing chuckled again, exchanging a knowing look with Jing Yuan. “Miracles do happen, I suppose.”
Jing Yuan leaned forward, lacing his fingers together as he gave Caelus a mock serious look. “I must say, Caelus, this is quite the accomplishment. But maybe I should hold off on the bonus until we’ve seen if you can manage a second mission without any ‘accidental’ destruction.”
Caelus groaned, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation. “Come on, General! One successful mission, that’s gotta count for something, right?”
Yingxing smirked, leaning back with his tea. “You keep it up, raccoon, and maybe one day you’ll graduate from ‘destruction duty’ to real fieldwork.”
Caelus’s eyes narrowed playfully at Yingxing. “One day, I’ll prove you wrong, old man.”
Yingxing took another sip, his smirk growing. “I’ll be waiting.”
Jing Yuan chuckled, setting the report aside and picking up his tea again. “Alright, enough banter. Good job, all of you. Even you, Caelus. Now, let’s just hope our next mission goes just as smoothly.”
Bailu, still giggling, looked at Jing Yuan with a grin. “Well, we’ll see how long that ‘no damage’ streak lasts, won’t we?”
“Hey!” Caelus shot back, but the whole room erupted into laughter as the tension from the mission melted away, leaving behind only the warmth of camaraderie.