The homies traveled through the desert, determinedly pushing along the sand dunes with no breaks; even their camels were thirsty by now. However, their progress was halted by the border patrol just before they could enter the city.
Fang Fang's body inside the coffin raised suspicions.
Daniel and Marquis appeared like homeless men, shirtless and disheveled. The excessive use of their Embernits had left their cheeks sunken into oblivion, and their bodies were covered in a layer of dirt mixed with sweat.
Daniel, in particular, looked worse than a hunched middle-aged man, with an aura of impending death surrounding him. The desert's coldness seemed to make him shudder, as if he might collapse at any moment. Even the crescent moon hanging in the sky, casting its celestial light over the sand dunes, appeared to him like a grim reaper's scythe.
"Daniel, hold on tight, dog. You see, this dude here lost his brother." Marquis pointed at the casket. "His fam's gotta know,, they will sort out the funeral and get us patched up. Kindly let us bounce, ma'am."
Standing in front of the homies was a tall woman, followed by three policemen. She was dressed in a flowing red robe that covered her from collar to her thighs. A wide waistband, holding her breasts, cinched tightly around her midriff.
The red fabric crisscrossed right above her chest. Daniel and Marquis wanted to catch a glimpse of her cleavage but a black satin obscured her mellow fruits.
Her hair was pulled back into a neat bun and concealed beneath a red military hat adorned with three white stars. She couldn't help but notice the direction of the homies' gaze and felt a mix of disgust and a subtle sense of victory; she had managed to judge their character without revealing her pure skin.
The extra time she took to pick her lingerie was worth it. Especially to the onlookers which can't help but steal glances at the black butterfly pattern stockings which wrapped around her straight legs.
Her name was Wen Chyou, and she was the Border Patrol Chief's daughter. Her father had transitioned into politics two years ago, and to maintain the family's influence within the border force, she had taken charge of the eastern border. This border was crucial for the city.
Tonight, she was conducting a surprise inspection.
Her long eyebrows arched at a sharp angle when she noticed Marquis and Daniel's perverted stares. Her expression shifted into one of stern disapproval, giving her an aura of a furious vixen.
"Show me your identification and complete the city entry form," Wen Chyou demanded, her lips pursed in annoyance. Her demeanor and tone seemed less like a police officer and more like the demand of a spoiled child.
Unintentionally, Marquis took a deep breath to puff out his chest.
A fragrance of a meticulously cared-for flowerbed, cultivated without any limitations or compromises, wafted into his senses. It had a revitalizing effect, momentarily alleviating some of his exhaustion.
Why did beautiful women have to wear such alluring fragrances? It was always an overkill.
Despite living in the city for seven years, Marquis had never got an opportunity to talk with a high-society girl like her. She stood nearly as tall as Daniel, so Marquis had to tilt his head slightly upward to meet her autumn eyes.
"Here, ma'am, check this out, here's Daniel's identification card." Marquis retrieved the card from Daniel's bag and cautiously offered it to Wen Chyou.
He extended his arm, yet the card was at a few inches away from Wen Chyou. He felt the three guards behind this girl might pounce on his shirtless figure if he tried to lessen the distance.
Seeing Daniel's ID card reminded him of their original plan.
"My boy here is Mr. Frank Score's son, you know the big-shot politician in Conservative Party. Do you miss your old man, Daniel? We will get you and your dead brother home soon."
The card he handed over to Wen Chyou was a thin, silver plate. On it was a picture of a young Daniel dressed in black and white suit, his neatly combed-back hair gave a night and day contrast to the current Daniel. Along with his image were standard details: name, address, date of birth, and other miscellaneous information which included his father's name: Frank Score.
Additionally, five faintly etched skulls adorned the bottom of the card, giving an impression of it as something more than a mere identification.
On the reverse side, a blood-drop-shaped tattoo further distinguished it; this card was, in essence, an Embernit-embedded treasure.
Chyou looked at it, then passed the card to one of her subordinates standing a step behind her.
Ben Austin, a man of around 50 years, stood here dressed in a red police uniform. A blend of fear and hope danced on his face. In this cold night, the source of his heated bloom appeared to be Wen Chyou's presence.
Watch Commander, Ben Austin, typically managed the night duty at the Gate of Liberty. He had been in charge for the last ten years, thus, developed a boorish routine of coming in late and leaving early. Seldom, he thought of retiring.
However, he developed an unusual enthusiasm for his job in the past year. He now came to work early and found himself staying later than before. Wen Chyou's surprise visits had given color to his days. One time, she visited twice a month, that was the happiest time of his divorced middle-aged life.
Which man, despite age difference, didn't dream of banging their beautiful single boss? He certainly did.
On examining the details on the identification card, a familiar surname caught his eye. A Mr. Score had recently risen as a prominent figure within the Conservative Party. Especially, with the preparations for the upcoming elections in full swing, this was not a good time to provoke a politician. Had Wen Chyou not been conducting an inspection that day, he would have allowed the boys to pass the border without any hassle.
Wen Chyou's determination appeared unwavering as she insisted on seeing the remaining identification cards as if she did not hear or care about Daniel's dad being a politician.
Who was she? She was a daughter of Wen Weimin. Either she didn't know, or she didn't care, or maybe she wanted to attack a member of the opposing party. Ben Austin couldn't discern her motives, he could only follow along.
"This here's an emergency; let's keep it moving. His father-" Marquis began, but Ben Austin interjected.
"Our hands are tied as well. Cease wasting time, and let us expedite this inspection."
Left with no choice, Marquis surrendered his identification card. However, the problem was next.
"The desert marauders jacked everything we had," Marquis continued, adopting a pleading tone. It was both the best and worst excuse he had prepared. "See us, open your eyes, we were through some real rough shit. Those bastards took Daniel's brother's ID card along with our real expensive stuff."
By 'Danile's brother', he was referring to Fang Fang, who was pretending to be a corpse inside the casket. They owned nothing expensive to begin with, expect for the DualMax68 which costed more than a month's rent.
Wen Chyou didn't buy the pleading tone at all. Her mind was firm on Marquis and Daniel's character. She ordered the guards to open the casket. As the lid was lifted, they revealed a boy who appeared to be around 14 years old, his shirt adorned with specks of dirt.
"They are attempting to smuggle a person, just as I suspected," Wen Chyou declared.
Smuggling individuals by concealing them as deceased bodies had been a common practice a century ago, during times when the desert was rife with thieves and bandits.
Upon inspecting Fang Fang's attire, Ben Austin couldn't help but notice the high-quality materials. His eyes were keen for clothing because his marriage life had essentially been a shopping spree.
On top of that, wasn't this boy dead; it didn't matter if he was an illegitimate son of Mr. Score's affair with a beast-human and had no ID-card.
But Ben Austin couldn't refute his boss, who was the daughter of his last boss.
Marquis's worries increased. If this continued, they couldn't take Fang Fang across the border with ease. The process of preparing identity cards included a cultivation test, background check, proof of past, wanted-level clearance and much more.
"He's dead, and if you keep stalling, his old man is gonna make things real tough for you." Marquis reiterated, employing the card of Daniel's influential father once more.
Wen Chyou fixed Marquis with a glare, her expression akin to a proud competition cat. She then raised her hand, adjusting the black gloves that covered her long elegant fingers. Her judgment of character of the two men before her was resolute; she was convinced that Marquis and Daniel were lying.
She touched Fang Fang's neck with two fingers to feel any signs of a pulse. Finding none, she dusted her gloved hands before turning away.
"Alright, let them pass. He is dead," she declared. None of her subordinates refuted.
Daniel, who had been observing the situation with half-open eyes, couldn't help but think that this girl was an idiot. Thus, he was taken aback on Marquis's next words.
"Daniel, man, my step-brother is gone."
"Isn't that a-a go-good thing? Now we can enter the c-city." Daniel said plainly. He weakly shook his head towards the casket, hinting Marquis to carry it. At last, they would be able to enter the city.
But at the moment, Fang Fang sneezed. The desert in the night was quite cold, after all.