I'll plug you in real soon

Connecting to Device AELG324755...

"Find anything Kudo?"

A stout man with bushy brows and a bushy mustache approaches Detective Kudo. In front of his right eye is a circular, blue tinted lens connected to the earpiece on his right ear. A police-issued rLens used for crime scenes, the same type of device I'm connected to that Detective Kudo is wearing.

"Besides the obvious? Nope. How 'bout you Herge?"

"Naaah, nothin'."

Detective Kudo looks down at the dead body, bruised and bleeding on a dark apartment floor. Several other officers are moving about to take pictures, shine UV lights on objects, and type on their tablets. The data displayed on his rLens is updating in real-time, with the AR overlay assisting with the organization of information as he scans the room.

"Hey Kudo, y'think your 'contact' knows anythin' about this?"

"...Let's go grab a smoke real quick Herge."

"Nah, you go on ahead. I quit smokin' like three weeks ago. Mandy wouldn't stop bein' a good wife lookin' after her husband's health."

"Then grab some fresh air with me, I dunno, just follow me outside."

The two step out of the room and walk through the narrow hallway leading out of the apartment complex. They move to the matte silver car standing out from the rest of the black and yellow police cars parked on the road.

"Listen Herge, don't go blabbing about my contact, alright? I told you because you're my partner. No one else knows."

"Gotcha, gotcha. Keep it confidential. You got it."

Herge nods in awkward silence.

"So... You gonna give 'em a call or what?"

"That's not how it works Herge."

"How does it work then."

"They contact me I can't contact them."

"Whaddya mean you can't contact them? If they give you a call can't you just... call them back? Isn't that how phones work? Do they change phones every time?"

"No. I don't know. Maybe. They don't even leave a number when they call. It doesn't even register as a call. No trace whatsoever."

"That makes no sense. Have you been drinkin'?"

Accessing speakers...

"This isn't what we agreed on, Detective Kudo."

"...What's the matter Kudo? You look spooked."

"Herge, shush... Arc, perfect timing. We could use a bit of help."

"In exchange for my help, you agreed not to let anyone know of my involvement with your investigations, as well as not looking into my identity."

"Listen, Arc, I have to at least tell Herge, he's my partner. He'll at least figure out something's up sooner or later. Keeping him in the dark would just backfire in the long run."

"Him knowing is not the issue. Him telling someone else about me is."

"Herge won't tell a soul. I'll make sure of it."

"I'll have to make sure of it as well... Now then, there were multiple people involved in this."

Detective Kudo audibly sighs out of frustration.

"Damnit they were from one of the gang districts weren't they."

"It would seem so, yes. You're in luck. One of them is still close by."

"Who and where?"

"You're looking for a woman, somewhat deep voice, has a model GD-7Ki artificial left eye. She just drove a bright viridian green car to the local mechanic at 77th street."

"And you're sure she was involved? This isn't just some... hypothetical theory or whatever, you have proof she was in on it?"

"Proving it is your job, Detective Kudo, not mine. I simply know she was there. Just like how I know you went drinking 3 nights ago from 1:13am to 1:58am. I know you're looking at your partner right now. I know your daughter skipped class yesterday to go to a VR café with someone."

"What?! What VR café? With who? Is it a boy? It's a boy isn't it. What's his name? Where is he now?"

Herge's eyes widen and his brows furrow in cautious concern towards Detective Kudo's sudden outburst.

"Hello? Arc? Hello?! Damnit!"

"Talk to me Kudo, what the hell is goin' on?"

"I-... Ugh... We have a lead on a possible suspect."

Disconnecting from Device AELG324755...

"....."

"....."

"....."

"Noa? You spacing out again?"

"...Just conserving what little energy I have left."

Before us is the megamarket, which is actually a regular-sized grocery store serving as a branch store for the real megamarkets.

"That bad huh? Don't worry, we'll be in and out in no time. I'll plug you in real soon."

"Please don't say that sentence ever again."