Lim Yazhu is one of the many felonious enemies we've accumalated during our cosmic missions. We specifically clashed with him during our third mission, during which we had to pose as Chinese scientists to infiltrate his company BIORBITAL, which while seemingly innocent, secretely developed bioweapons for military use.
He was a conniving enemy, whilst also being very mysterious. When we apprehended him once that mission came to a close, I thought all those mysteries were solved. But by no means did we know that he has a brother.
It's not like this question was asked and left unanswered: the idea of him having a sibling, while seemingly natural, just didn't cross our minds. And yet, there he was, standing right in front of me: Lim Yazhu's brother, Chang Yazhu.
The first thing he did was getting oxygen masks for both himself and me. I swiftly put mine on, letting go of the joysticks. Then, once it was clear that we'll live, he chose to talk.
- How did you know about my brother? - Chang asked me.
I didn't really know how to respond for several reasons.
First of all, I wasn't sure if I could speak about classified matters, namely our infiltration of the biodome. The Agency of Cosmic Espionage, being a clandestine organization, always made sure that its secrets stayed under wraps, sometimes through very extreme means, such as intercepting private SMS-s to censor anything that could compromise the organization. Thus, it was clear that whatever happened in the Agency was meant to stay there and more importantly, I didn't know if Chang was trustworthy enough to hear the truth.
This was my second reason. Lim was obviously evil, successfully creating a new weapon of mass destruction: an egg-shaped container filled with spores that grew aggressively onto anything and anyone, not to mention that they could go airborne, which we found out the hard way, when the whole dome was filled with the stuff. So, it wouldn't be surprising if Chang showed the same courtesy: act innocent while plotting something evil.
The third reason fueling my hesitance may be a bit far fetched, but we've been taught to think outside the box, so I still considered it. We've been placed at the centre of conspiracy theories during our previous covert operation and despite the Agency doing its best to discredit the claims, some theorists could still be indominable. I didn't know anything about Venusian conspiracy theorists, but at the same time, I didn't know that jetpacks were real until I saw people flying with them on this planet, so nothing is out of the question. If I were to reveal the true circumstances of our meeting with Lim, conspiracists may overhear our discussion or Chang could feed them the info. I don't know him to well - after all, I didn't even know that he existed until I crashed into his office.
- How did you know about my brother? - Chang asked again.
Despite the doubts bearing down on me, I did come up with an elegant solution. One that Agent Nebula and even those in the Academy of Astronauts taught us: flash your ID card without saying anything.
So that's exactly what I did.
Chang seemed shocked at first, but then his expression changed suddenly, as if he was hit by a meteor, his face now displaying understanding.
- Oh, I see... You're the one who put him behind bars! - he told me - I'm sorry for him. I didn't know that he was such a jerk...
That's when I remembered something. Lim had a pact with the Chinese government, trading his newly created bioweapons in return for funding to run his company. Chang, as a Chinese man, should probably be aligned with his country's interests, right?
- He was working with the military. Doesn't that make him someone who fulfills orders, rather than someone who is villainous because they like it? - I decided to ask him.
- Look, kid... I barely know anything about you, but I think you ought to know something... Few are actually interested in the war. Most people, innocent citizens like me, would do anything besides attacking other nations, because, while they don't start the conflicts, they're the ones who suffer their terrible consequences. Those who actually want to fight sit in safe bunkers or undisclosed locations where they don't have to worry about a bomb falling on their head, forget a biological one... My brother, being a person in cahoots with the army, was under such protection, while I lived like an ordinary man, blissfully unaware of this dark truth, until you defeated him... I'm really sorry for him trying to kill you... - Chang gave me a lengthy explanation.
- Wow, that's... a lot to take in - I was unironically stumped - Well, I'm sorry for smashing into your office, so... I guess we're even.
- By the way, why did you blast into here? There isn't much of interest in my office - Chang responded.
- Well... I was learning to operate a jetpack and manage to blow myself out of the training room... While trying to turn around and come back... - I flashed red with embarassment - I broke into your office...
- Oh, those things... - Chang chuckled - Yeah, they're hard to operate, especially for beginners... On a side note, will your Agency repay me for that window? - he pointed at the shattered mess behind me.
- We'll see, but I can't guarantee you that - said Agent Nebula, flying through the window.
I was so carried away by the coversation with Chang that I forgot about my teammates. Nebula's descent was a lot more graceful than mine, as she calmly touched down on the floor, without breaking anything along the way.
The others, starting with Anthony, arrived shortly after. They were all wearing oxygen masks, certainly much more prepared to infiltrate the room than I was.
- Is that Lim Yazhu? - Claudius asked as soon as he saw Chang.
- No, it's Chang Yazhu, his brother - I introduced him to Lim's twin.
- That guy has a brother? - Amber couldn't hide her surprise.
- Since I'm here, yes - Chang replied before I could.
Nebula and Anthony started combing the room with their eyes, trying to find anything suspicious.
- Why are you looking around as if you were awaiting an ambush from a predator? - Chang noticed this.
- Classified - Nebula cut him off, walking away to investigate the room behind him.
Due to the crashing turn of my flight, I didn't get much time to actually look around the room I ended up him. Therefore, I didn't notice the closed wooden door behind Chang's chair.
- Don't you think I should know why you're investigating my office like I'm a crime boss of some kind? - Chang was growing slightly irritated by Nebula's intrusion, poorly trying to hide it.
- Well... - I naturally wanted to explain this situation to him, but Nebula didn't allow me to do that.
- You know what confidential information means? - she cut me off.
- Let my son speak - Anthony actually glared at her, albeit briefly.
I didn't see that coming. Anthony, being one of Nebula's students, wasn't a person who I expected to argue back against his own teacher. Yet, he was also a caring father. When those two things collided, his fatherhood seemingly got the upper hand.
Agent Nebula didn't respond, but judging by her facial expression, she very much wanted to.
- ...we're here searching for some villains and had to get accustomed to the... most widespread method of locomotion on this planet... Don't worry, it's not about you... - I briefed Chang.
- You think he's trustworthy? - Arika, standing nearby, whispered to me.
- Yes, I think so - I replied, though I started doubting myself. I sighed quietly. It was hard to determine whether someone was worth trusting or not, but, oh well, the beans have already been spilled.
While we were out talking with Chang, Nebula nonchalantly barged into the room behind his desk, already observing every little detail with dilligence. It was now that Chang turned his chair around and saw the opened door. He got up and walked into the room, with us following him.
As we did so, I noticed that the others also started looking around. This clearly annoyed Chang, who looked frustrated. At the same time, it seemed like he was trying to stop himself from complaining, knowing that we're secret agents trying to thwart evil people akin to his brother.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6p4cCWnjbo
I started investigating the room myself, not wanting to fall behind my allies. There was a detail that caught my eyes: Einstien was staring at a stack of what appeared to be documents. When I fixed my eyes on the, my peers saw this and did the same thing. Finally, our caretaker spoke up:
- Looks like there is something of interest here.
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and then Add to home screen.