Part 03: Beginning

ACT 1: Beginning

Christian's perspective:

Christian and Margaret were assigned to investigate a new case. But first Christian had to meet the Curse Binder, known infamously as the head of Yishun. His name was Yi Shun, the head of the Yishun Town Council, and the recorder of all chaos that happens. Yishun was known as the cursed estate, where everything bad that happens in other regions would somehow affect them as well. Because of this, they are the ones who have the most information on how to deal with Dozers.

"Alright, here are the stacked documents for Wolf Corrupted Weapons." Yi Shun carried out a stack of files, plopping them onto his desk. "Man… am I tired from all of this work. They just don't stop coming in, huh?"

"What are Corrupted Dozer weapons?" Margaret asked, sitting on the sofa and flipping through them.

"They never taught you anything in the IDEU?" Christian asked, pouring a glass of champagne. He sipped it thoroughly, and continued to browse through the documents.

"That's how he always is. Cold and unfriendly." Yi Shun said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Do you know what a Dozer Weapon is, Miss Margaret?"

"I've heard that members of the DEA each own one to combat Dozers." Margaret said. "But I never knew how they work-"

A rattling came from the window outside, as a Dozer the size of a mosquito slipped in through the slit. Without warning, Christian fired a bullet across Margaret's shoulder as she turned to face him. The bullet shot through the mosquito with dead accuracy, and the bullet morphed into a sticky net that covered the window.

"What…" Margaret was in such shock that she could not move.

"Christian! That is dangerous!" Yi Shun yelled, as Christian spun his pistol back into his holster.

"This is a Dozer weapon." Christian said, without a sense of remorse. "They are Dozers that are constantly being fed energy to keep them hibernated. That was what Keaton's team was testing out. To constantly preserve a Dozer in a semi-awake state by releasing a steady charge of radiation energy into them."

"What for… going through all of this trouble?" Margaret asked. "Isn't that dangerous if this energy runs out?"

"Why would they care?" Christian said, eyeing at the documents as he took another sip. "The radiation crystals are embedded into the Dozer weapons, hence we have to charge these crystals every so often."

"And how do you know when-"

"Based on feeling, they said." Christian replied immediately like he has heard the question a million times before. "The Dozer weapon uses up a lot of energy, and the lead coating comes off after many uses. Hence, Rahul is the one that replaces the coating. If it ever comes off completely, then the Serangoon Incident will happen once more."

"The Serangoon Human-Dozer Incident…" Margaret was all too familiar with this particular news.

"Adaptability is the main ability for Dozers. But it is also causing issues for us." Yi Shun explained more thoroughly. "So the DEA team wanted to test to see if they can use their adaptability against them."

"An eye for an eye…" Margaret said.

"Correct." Yi Shun said. "But as dangerous as it is, a Dozer weapon is ten times stronger than a proprietor's. With its adaptability-"

"Easy for them to say." Christian interrupted once again. "Dozer weapons… should have never been made."

Christian found a documentation of Corrupted Wolf Claws, and that several people have been caught distributing it in the Underground Secret Society. Paper clipped to it was a news report of the uprising of a group called the Secret Anti-DEA Society, which many named the Sadists as an ongoing joke.

"The Secret Anti-DEA Society's leader is unknown." Yi Shun said. "But the rise of the Wolf Dozers might be his doing. However, it is almost impossible to pinpoint who he is or who works for him."

"A bunch of hooligans running the Underground Market… It is common for Corrupted Dozer weapons to be sold." Christian said, knowing deep down the repercussions.

"I'm guessing Corrupted Dozer weapons are like Dozer weapons…" Margaret said.

"But without the radiation crystal to stabilize them, yes." Yi Shun added. "This means they are basically raw Dozers forged into weapons and are used to gain a quick source of power."

"Yi Shun, do you know anything about the recent Wolf Dozer case?" Christian asked.

"Sadly, I don't know anything." Yi Shun said. "Isn't that why you are here?"

"I don't really care about the Wolf Dozers. I'm just here to look for information about a guy named Wilbert Ho." Christian said. "Reports said he had killed his own daughter and ran off. A missing boy by the name of Li Peng who went to visit his daughter that night is still not found."

"With no leads, how are you going to find him?" Yi Shun asked. "Finding a needle in the ocean is an impossible task."

"Spit it out."

"Heh, you know me too well." Yi Shun laughed. "You're no fun. I have a consolidation report of the eye witnesses in Wilbert's neighborhood."

"Details?"

"He was last seen taking a bus to Punggol Park."

"Then I guess we found our lead." Christian said, sipping down all of his drink before wiping his mouth. "Time to hunt a man down."

Christian left as Margaret picked up her bag and chased after him.

"Don't kill the guy, ya." Yi Shun sighed, as he stared at the mess he had made in agony.

Christian and Margaret left in his car, which he was lent to by the company. The car has a motion sensor and hidden camera that is hard to locate, mainly to spy on him. After all, he was hired by the DEA as an exchange for his death sentence so they had to make sure he did his job properly.

After arriving at their destination of the crime scene, several policemen were already there to investigate. Christian showed his ID card but the police officer in charge refused to let him in.

"Christian Ng, murderer of his own wife. A wanted criminal who got off from his death sentence, now coming here to act as a detective." The police officer smirked. "Scram off if you don't want to be arrested again."

"Is this how the police force act against someone?" Christian said, staring closely at the officer. "But honestly… I don't give a damn about your rules. Arrest me all you want, but you won't get a single thing out of me."

"Heh. You think you can get away just because you are under the government's noses? You are just part of the DEA. A gang full of criminals like-"

Christian placed his arm around his neck, with every intention to choke him. Margaret was frantically trying to stop the mess, and pulled him away from the man.

A group of policemen surrounded them but Margaret showed her own ID card.

"I am Margaret Tan, from the International Dozer Elimination Unit. I condone any violence against Christian Ng, as I am placed in duty to oversee his actions. However, I am also part of the investigations of Wilbert Ho's case. Please, would you be so kind as to let us in."

"You are hiding behind the IDEU now?" The policeman laughed as he adjusted his collar. "And to think you would stoop this low to hide behind a woman. How ironic."

"Your breath stinks." Christian said. "Maybe you should go to the dentist instead of spending your time smoking." He took out a packet of cigarettes which he stole from him and threw it in the trash nearby. Margaret bowed as they entered the HDB's premise.

"I will get the proprietor to attend to you! I'll make sure he throws you out. Damn it!" The Officer's voice was faint, as Christian could barely care about his insults against him.

"Should have let me choke him to death." Christian said, as they walked.

"Oh, don't worry. I hate him too." Margaret said, pulling out a clipboard that had the documents of the witnesses. "But… violence isn't the way out of things."

"Stay out of my business." Christian said harshly. "As much as you are here to monitor me like the rest that came before… I hate to break it to you but it isn't worth trying to follow me around."

They reached the elevator of Blk 415, and proceeded up to the 8th floor.

"It was a choice." Margaret said.

"Huh? So you volunteered?" Christian asked.

"I wanted to know more…" Margaret said. "You knew someone right? All of those who came before me."

Christian remained silent, as the doors slowly opened.

"He told me a lot about you. We were in the same department after all." Margaret said. "He said you both had a lot in common but were born to walk different paths."

"Shut up." Christian said, as they reached the door of the crime scene. "It's a thing of the past now."

Christian was greeted by a man with a green tie. He was dressed in a suit, and his wife was standing next to him talking on her phone.

"You must be Christian Ng, the investigator for DEA. It must be hard to be criticized everywhere you go, huh?" The man said in a soft tone, staring at the markings on the floor.

"That is an unusual claw mark, very unlikely to be human."

"What is the proprietor of Hougang Harmony View doing here?" Christian asked, walking into the home and observing the scene carefully. He noticed the shattered windows and photographs were all clawed in a single strike. There was a girl who was known to be the victim of the murderer. Her face and torso had the same scratch running diagonally down. The mark reached the floor, but stopped completely at where the suspect stood.

"I am Preston Chai, the proprietor of Harmony View. I have to send reports back to the Council on this case." Preston said, while twirling his mustache. "My goodness, what a tragedy. The weapon that was used must have some range…"

Margaret noticed the lady putting down her phone and into her pocket anxiously.

"There was a missing child that was supposed to meet up with this girl that night." The lady spoke in a hurry. "This is unusual, but he has disappeared and no evidence of him entering this home can be identified."

"I know, Alice. Calm down." Preston said, as he looked at Margaret.

"And you must be Margaret Tan from the IDEU."

"Yes, I am here to look after that guy." Margaret pointed at Christian as he sighed.

"You two should leave this to us." Christian said. "We can handle the case ourselves."

"I know the DEA likes to solve every mystery at hand." Preston replied. "But this case is under our block…"

"There is a camera here right?" Margaret asked.

"They were broken that night. Almost as if they were being tampered." Alice held her shoulder. "It was just static when we rewinded the footage."

Christian walked out to the entrance, but noticed that the camera seemed brand new.

"Did you have the old one?" Christian asked, as Preston asked one of his men to fetch it.

"We have it replaced since it wasn't working." Preston said. "Actually, all of the cameras in the area were malfunctioning that night."

"Tch, this sounds like a Dozer's doing…" Christian inspected the old camera that had been brought back. An electric spark can be heard sizzling on the inside, but the camera wasn't damaged outwardly.

"I suspect a Dozer was here." Christian said. "A cleverly placed one in fact."

"So you are saying that someone has forced this murder to happen?" Alice asked, shaking in her shoes.

"It seemed like it was more of a well thought plan." Margaret said. "A coincidence that was purposefully made by someone behind the scenes."

"Are there any leads on where this suspect might be?" Christian asked.

"No, since we lost the footage…" Preston sighed as Christian studied the markings on the door. It seemed to have been pushed with a huge amount of force.

"He definitely escaped with the Corrupted Dozer Weapon." Christian said. "I knew something regarding the manipulation of Dozers would take place, so as a hunch I went to Yi Shun for assistance…"

"Yi Shun, the Master of Chaos?" Preston cried in awe.

"Who is that?" Alice asked.

"Yi Shun, the head of the Yishun Town Council. The Chosen One who knows everything that happens. He is the Recorder of Chaos, the Curse Binder-" Preston was yelling in excitement.

"Okay, that's enough." Christian said. "Margaret, according to the reports from his neighbors and eye witnesses. He was last seen in Punggol Park, right?"

"Yes, but he could be anywhere by now." Margaret said.

"Then we'll just head there first." Christian said, walking away hurriedly towards the lift. "We'll just scout the area."

"We're coming as well-" Preston said in concern.

"No, you stay put and give the Town Council your findings." Christian adjusted his sleeves. " It is too dangerous. We are potentially dealing with a Human-Dozer situation."

"What? Like the Serangoon Incident?" Alice cried, and fumbled in fear.

"Don't worry. We'll deal with this culprit." Margaret reassured her as they both exited the scene.

"What are the chances of us finding Wilbert?"

"Zero." Christian said. "But with a claw that large, I am sure he can't go very far. I am just surprised no one stopped him on the bus."

"There aren't many people outside now without protection." Margaret said. "If he managed to get his way there… then that means…"

"He threatened the driver… Is that what it said on the report?"

"Yes." Margaret was holding tightly onto her clipboard. "Christian, this seems too dangerous."

"We have no choice." Christian said as the lift door opened. They entered the car as he drove to the destination.

“Is there any information about Wilbert?” Christian asked, trying to close in on any potential gaps that could be under their radar. “If he had a daughter, then where was his wife during the whole ordeal?”

“It says here that they divorced three years ago.” Margaret flipped through Wilbert’s personal information.. “But it is highly unlikely that he would meet her… as she is currently overseas in Paris on a business trip.”

“Do we have reports on whether she responded to her daughter’s death?” Christian asked.

“No. I guess… if she was willing to let her daughter live with a crazy maniac of a father.” Margaret paused, as Christian had a cold expression on his face like he was remembering something from his past.

"Should I call for backup?" Margaret asked. "I can call the Proprietor Units…"

"Don't bother." Christian said. "No one will help the DEA. That guy Preston, he wanted to help us, but I’m sure it is just to gain credit."

"What are you talking about? He seems nice… Don’t make assumptions just because you don’t trust others-"

"The guy you said you met… who talked about me.”

“What about him?”

“He was the first man who ever betrayed me." Christian said suddenly, accelerating the pedal.

“In a battle against a Human Dozer, he was attacked by one of them. He told me many times that he was protecting me, but…”

"His last words were… “I hope you die slowly in the jaws of another Dozer.”"

"And he was pretty much like every proprietor that "followed" me."

"In the end… I'm nothing… but a dog that they berated."

There was a long pause as he realized that Maragret was busy reading a manga and laughing away.

"Oi… are you listening to me?" Christian grumbled as Margaret continued to cry tears of joy.

"Haha! This manga is so hilarious." Margaret pointed to one of the pages with a police officer. "I totally adore this character."

"You picked it up from Yi Shun's manga collection, didn't you?" Christian asked, shaking his head in disbelief. He eyed at the pages, and the way Margaret seemed to enjoy it way too much.

"Don't worry… I was listening. It’s good to laugh once in a while…" She said, as she continued reading and Christian felt like he had heard that line before.

"HAHA!"

"Keep your noise down! You are distracting me!" Christian continued to drive while listening to her continuous laughter.