Chapter 1408 - The Council of Elders' Song Tixing (Continued)

By the time she woke, it was past noon. Su Wan's stomach rumbled, and she was delighted to discover that her long-lost appetite had returned.

"I'm going to have a big meal!" She stretched lazily, threw off the covers, and rose, standing stark naked with bare feet on the floor.

From lying flat to standing upright, gravity sent a surge of pressure through her already-full bladder. Ignoring the wooden-and-leather T-strap sandals placed in the compartment of her bedside table, Su Wan strode barefoot toward the small door on one side of the room.

Relaxing her sphincter on the flush toilet and savoring the pleasure of release, she couldn't help letting out a satisfied moan. After addressing the initial physiological pressure, she sat on the toilet and surveyed the bathroom. Whether in décor or sanitary fixtures, it was no worse than the apartment she had purchased in Lingao. Better, even—it had been arranged with care. The louvered window, protected by wire mesh, was open, letting in nature's cool breeze; a potted green plant sat in the corner.

"So corrupt! Corrupt!" Su Wan declared indignantly, sitting naked on the toilet.

After showering and wringing out her wet hair with a towel, she padded back to the bedroom. The polished natural-wood floor felt pleasant beneath her feet. She glanced at the clothes strewn everywhere across the floor and only then remembered she hadn't yet opened her luggage.

The naturalized-civilian cadre from the Hospitality Office had said the luggage would be left at her door. Without a care, Su Wan pulled open the bedroom door—and a cry of alarm sounded from outside. A female naturalized civilian in police uniform with blue collar tabs jumped up from the bench in the corridor, clapping her hand over her mouth in shock.

"What are you yelling about? I'm not a tiger! Attention!" Su Wan commanded, one hand on her hip, striking a T-stance with chest thrust out while timely covering her "fried eggs."

"Re... re... port..." The other woman was scared witless by this tall, naked "Chief." But training had instilled in her a conditioned reflex to commands; almost instantly she stood at attention and saluted. "Reporting to Comrade Regional Commander! Kaohsiung Police Bureau... Political Security Section, Political Security Trainee Associate Commissioner Yao Yulan, reporting for duty!"

"At ease. Bring my trunk inside."

"Yes, yes." Still shaken, Yao Yulan did not dare look at the female Chief's dazzlingly pale body. Head bowed, she carried the two cases from the corridor into the room.

"Get out! I'm changing!" Su Wan ordered.

Yao Yulan scurried out. Only then did Su Wan slowly open the trunk and get dressed.

Inside was a National Police summer uniform—the so-called summer uniform being nothing more than a cotton-linen blend short-sleeved open-collar blazer shirt, paired with a loose cotton skirt. She methodically fastened her cross-body leather utility belt: genuine cowhide, brass buckle, creaking as she walked. Hanging a command saber from it would look very impressive; the only drawback was the smell it gave off in humid weather. But for Su Wan, this was hardly a drawback.

Still, she felt the cotton uniform lacked violent aesthetics. First, it wasn't crisp enough; second, nearly all uniform decorations had been omitted. If not for the shoulder boards, collar tabs, and utility belt, one could hardly tell it was a uniform. Nor did she have impressive riding boots to wear—of course, in Lingao's climate, wearing riding boots most of the time was a form of self-abuse.

"This cap—the hobby of bumpkins." Su Wan sighed as she picked up the women's service cap: a black, brimless, disk-shaped soft cap with white piping. The enamel cap badge, custom-ordered by the General Affairs Office from Zizhen Studio, at least gleamed nicely. "Even if we can't make peaked caps at this stage, we could at least make garrison caps..." she muttered, putting it on.

In the Council of Elders' apparatus of state violence, police and Political Security Bureau personnel wore the same style of black uniform. This wasn't for aesthetics or deliberate imitation, but rather dictated by simplified supply chains and the textile industry's limited dyeing capabilities. The distinction was that police wore lapel pins while Political Security personnel wore blue collar tabs.

Finally, she took a holster from the trunk and hung it at her waist. The finely crafted leather holster was stuffed with toilet paper—Su Wan found it too heavy to carry a pistol at her side all day, and besides, her daily work required none. She had simply brought the holster alone.

"Wouldn't it be nice to have a saber instead of this junk!" She patted the holster with regret.

Her self-designed image was: black turndown-collar police uniform, garrison cap, utility belt, riding boots, a black-sheathed saber hanging at her waist, and a long-handled riding crop in hand—readily evoking those cruel female Nazi concentration camp guards, or the female special agents of Dregs Cave from films and television dramas.

When she emerged properly dressed, Yao Yulan sized her up with another look, then saluted: "Reporting to Comrade Regional Commander, I have been ordered to take you to the Kaohsiung Infirmary. Several Chiefs are waiting for you there."

"And how do you intend to get me there?" Su Wan gave a mirthless snort. She had truly had enough of carriages. One more ride and she would probably vomit everything from her cardia to above her appendix.

"Horses have been prepared outside. If you wish to leave, we can go now."

Though she had been transmigrated for quite some time, Su Wan had never learned to ride—an oddity among the Elders, especially among those who worked in the organs of state violence. She preferred cars and airplanes. Unfortunately, one of those forms of transportation simply didn't exist, and the other almost never operated.

"Never mind. I don't know how to ride. Let's walk. I can take a look at Kaohsiung along the way." Su Wan tugged at her utility belt, utterly unconcerned that her bare feet in rattan sandals clashed badly with her uniform.

Seeing this tall Chief with waist-length hair, barefoot in sandals, choosing to walk like an ordinary soldier rather than ride a horse, Yao Yulan was somewhat surprised. Horses weren't exactly abundant in Kaohsiung, but even naturalized-civilian cadres of slightly higher rank could requisition one when going out.

Before Yao Yulan could figure out the reason, Su Wan had already strode out the door: "What are you standing there for? Let's go." Yao Yulan didn't dare delay and hurried to keep up.

Although it was the Little Ice Age, Su Wan detected no hint of "ice age" whatsoever. Kaohsiung's summer was no less oppressive than Lingao's. The scorching sun still baked the ground until it was hot to the touch, and the salty, fishy smell borne on the sea breeze triggered another wave of dizziness. But thanks to the textile technology of the old time-space, at least her clothes didn't leave her collapsing from being both stiff and non-breathable.

Kaohsiung City's construction had progressed considerably since Dr. Zhong's visit. The Army's Fengshan Fortress and the Navy's Qijin Base in particular were now taking initial shape. Barracks and training grounds had expanded. A dry dock capable of maintaining and repairing large vessels was under intensive construction. Besides the troops permanently stationed here, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and security forces from as far away as Hainan, Jeju Island, and Shandong had been sent for "rotation training." Soldiers in various uniforms hurried along the roads, fully armed. Sabers flashed. Gunfire, shouts, drums and bugles, cannon blasts, and military songs all blended together, playing a symphony of steam-age war.

The main roads of Kaohsiung had all been paved. Su Wan walked along, enjoying this "symphony" while questioning Yao Yulan about the city. She was tall with a long stride, and Yao Yulan had to nearly jog to keep pace.

After walking for more than twenty minutes along Council of Elders Avenue, Yao Yulan led her to a prefabricated wooden-frame building hidden among trees, about a dozen meters off the main road.

"This is it?"

"Reporting, Chief. This is the Kaohsiung Infirmary. Several Chiefs are waiting for you here."

Su Wan noted the infirmary was quite substantial. The foundation, raised a meter above ground, was built of stone blocks, with a row of dark arched ventilation openings—there had to be a sizable basement below.

Yao Yulan didn't take her through the main entrance but led her in through a side door. Passing through a corridor, they reached the entrance to the basement. Yao Yulan showed her credentials to the two police officers at the door; one opened the door leading below. The two descended via a ramp.

At the end of the passage, a door swung open to reveal a large vaulted brick cellar. Electric lights blazed inside. It was quite cold, the air laced with the pungent smell of disinfectant. Su Wan's nose twitched. What a familiar scent!

In the center of the cellar stood an autopsy table covered with tiles. Along the walls, shelves and cabinets held glass jars of various sizes containing specimens.

Two men sat at a table. One she recognized: Lei En from the Ministry of Health, originally in epidemic prevention. Su Wan had seen him a few times at joint meetings. She hadn't noticed him in Lingao for quite a while—Su Wan never paid much attention to personnel transfers—so he'd come to Kaohsiung.

The other she didn't know: a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six, who, like most male Elders, wore his hair cropped extremely short. At first glance he looked like a background extra. His face wore the expressionless look typical of Elders. From his uniform and blue collar tabs, she could tell he was a Political Security Bureau Elder.

"Ah, Forensic Examiner Su is here." Lei En saw her enter and rose to greet her.

"Dr. Lei, so you've been transferred here." Su Wan returned his greeting politely.

"I've been here quite a while. Let me introduce you—this is Comrade Chen Baibin of the Political Security Bureau." Lei En gestured. "And this is Su Wan, forensic examiner."

"How do you do. Pleased to meet you." The young man named Chen Baibin extended his hand. Su Wan nodded at him with a smile but didn't shake; she merely said: "What's the important matter that required summoning me all the way to Kaohsiung?"

Chen Baibin seemed not good with words. Lei En stepped in: "This is a task assigned by the Political Security General Administration. There's a special corpse that requires your professional expertise to examine."