Chapter Summaries

Jin'en uncovered Old Zheng's attempt to identify Scarlet Mallow by watching how he reacted to photographs of Broken Rainbow, then traced the list to an old building in Miguel District. He and Broken Rainbow went there to retrieve the list and the photograph negatives, and when Jin'en failed to emerge within thirty seconds, Broken Rainbow went inside after him.

• Jin'en entered the eastern warehouse alone, where Old Zheng revealed photographs of Broken Rainbow and admitted he had used them to confirm her connection to Scarlet Mallow.
• Jin'en took the photographs and learned that a car carrying the list would go to the Bridge District docks; Broken Rainbow realized Old Zheng had been watching her habits and had measured Jin'en's reaction.
• Jin'en watched the docks without intercepting the car, memorized the address on its cargo, and discovered that the list had been taken to an old building.
• Jin'en and Broken Rainbow decided to enter the old building that night to retrieve the list and the photograph negatives, with Broken Rainbow guarding his retreat.
• When Jin'en did not emerge after thirty seconds, Broken Rainbow drew her blade and crept toward the window to find him.

Jin'en infiltrated the old building and recovered photographs and negatives documenting Broken Rainbow, Daffodil, Porsette, and himself. He and Broken Rainbow concluded that Old Zheng had anticipated Jin'en's visit, then arranged to alert Daffodil that they had her negatives.

• Jin'en found a guard sorting photographs and negatives on the second floor, questioned him, and took the materials.
• Jin'en drove the three guards out through the side door and met Broken Rainbow at the fire escape.
• Jin'en and Broken Rainbow examined the evidence and identified photographs of Daffodil, Broken Rainbow, and Porsette, along with an undeveloped roll showing Jin'en.
• Broken Rainbow reasoned that Old Zheng had split the photographs and negatives between floors to limit his losses, but Jin'en had taken both.
• Jin'en decided to show Daffodil her material before taking the evidence to Mother, and he gave Broken Rainbow a note to leave at the shoe repair stall.

Jin'en confronted Inanna about his secret pursuit of Old Zheng and kept the negatives to use as bait against Prism. He arranged for Porsette and Broken Rainbow to leave the estate as a second lure while he stayed behind, and the chapter ended as they prepared to face Prism's pursuers.

• Jin'en told Inanna he had taken the negatives and documents from the old building, admitted he had let Old Zheng's men go, and explained that he planned to use the negatives to draw Old Zheng out.
• Inanna challenged Jin'en for acting without her and warned him that she was also calculating the risks; she let him keep the negatives and continue pursuing Old Zheng.
• Inanna proposed sending Porsette out of the estate because Prism wanted her saved coordinates, and Jin'en decided Broken Rainbow would accompany her while he stayed behind.
• Broken Rainbow confronted Jin'en about treating her as cover for Porsette's escape, and he promised to intervene if they could not hold off Prism.
• At the training grounds the next morning, Broken Rainbow told Porsette to travel openly between her saved coordinates while Broken Rainbow guarded the rear, and Porsette asked what she would do against a perception-type pursuer.

Broken Rainbow and Porsette exposed a surveillance team linked to Old Zheng, then followed the trail to a guarded warehouse where Jin'en joined them. Old Zheng escaped, but Jin'en inferred he would move toward the docks, while Porsette prepared to continue training and scouting with Broken Rainbow.

• Broken Rainbow spotted two men tailing Porsette and attacked one after sending Porsette toward the docks; he admitted he had been paid to track her teleportation patterns.
• Porsette revealed she had noticed a dark van and deliberately slowed down to draw a follower away from it, while Broken Rainbow determined the van was waiting for him.
• Broken Rainbow followed the van to a guarded warehouse, where she learned Old Zheng had already left and subdued the two men inside.
• Jin'en joined Broken Rainbow and used Porsette's spatial rift to see the van turn toward the Miguel District, then ended the pursuit and took the others back to the mansion.
• Jin'en concluded Old Zheng would likely head toward the docks with his remaining files and negatives, while Broken Rainbow arranged to take Porsette out again and continue her training the next morning.

Jin'en recovered Old Zheng’s negatives, files, and notebook at the Unheard-of Bay fishing docks, then let Old Zheng escape by boat so he could trace Prism’s shipping route. After Daffodil identified the vessel’s destination, Jin'en planned to intercept Old Zheng at berth three of the old port the next afternoon.

• Porsette reported that someone had followed her, and Broken Rainbow later revealed she had learned Old Zheng was hiding in the old warehouse district at Unheard-of Bay.
• Jin'en, Broken Rainbow, and Porsette went to the fishing docks, where Jin'en entered Old Zheng’s warehouse and took a bag containing negatives, files, and a notebook listing Prism’s surveillance targets.
• Jin'en left Old Zheng alive, and he and Broken Rainbow returned with the recovered materials while Porsette confirmed no one had fled the docks.
• Porsette and Broken Rainbow watched Old Zheng board boat zero-seven and head east; Jin'en decided to track the vessel instead of stopping him.
• Daffodil reported that boat zero-seven was registered at the old port and usually docked at berth three, while Porsette described the sheds and routes around the berth.
• Jin'en arranged to go to the old port with Porsette the next day, planning to reach berth three before Old Zheng disembarked.

Jin'en and Porsette found an injured stray cat behind trash cans after Jin'en detected a spatial rift, and he brought the cat back to the mansion with Porsette. The cat stayed in Porsette's room, and she asked to take it out the next morning to change its dressing.

• Jin'en and Porsette left the convenience store with coffee and oden and detected a spatial distortion in an alley.
• Jin'en sealed the rift and discovered that spatial residue from an old wound on the orange cat had caused it to open.
• Jin'en and Porsette brought the cat back to the mansion, and Porsette carried it to her room in a cardboard box.
• Broken Rainbow met Jin'en in the corridor and learned that Porsette had brought back a cat.
• Porsette told Jin'en that the cat had eaten some daikon and asked to leave later the next morning to change its dressing.

Jin'en, Broken Rainbow, and Porsette tracked Old Zheng’s message route at Berth No. 3 and recovered Prism’s remaining copies of negatives and files. With Prism’s Old Port District line cut, they turned their attention to the three names in Miguel District.

• Jin'en, Broken Rainbow, and Porsette watched Old Zheng arrive at Berth No. 3, where a messenger left a note saying, “Tomorrow afternoon, same place. All the goods.”
• The next afternoon, Jin'en realized Old Zheng had hidden a reply beneath a bucket, and Broken Rainbow followed the messenger who collected it toward the Miguel District.
• Jin'en confronted Old Zheng, who revealed that Prism’s platform watcher had moved copies of negatives and files into his hut before leaving the port.
• Jin'en recovered the copies and let Old Zheng go after Broken Rainbow confirmed that he had nothing more to offer.
• Jin'en said he would investigate Prism’s three names in Miguel District the next day, while Broken Rainbow reported that the messenger had traveled there by bus.

Broken Rainbow warned Jin'en that Prism might connect him to the Old Port District operation and investigate those close to him, so she stayed in his room to keep watch. The night ended with Jin'en agreeing to warn her before he put himself in danger alone again.

• Broken Rainbow told Jin'en that Prism might learn Mandrake cleared out its Old Port District connection by combining Old Zheng's account with the pier lookout's report.
• Broken Rainbow insisted on staying in Jin'en's room overnight, and they agreed to take turns keeping watch.
• Broken Rainbow admitted she had delayed climbing over the port wall to listen for a fight before joining Jin'en.
• Jin'en sensed someone near the stairs, and he and Broken Rainbow realized it was Unica making her nightly patrol.
• Broken Rainbow asked Jin'en to tell her before he walked into danger alone again, and he agreed.

Jin'en dismantled Prism’s network in Miguel District with Broken Rainbow and Porsette, but Wastebasket discovered his dark ability. Back at the manor, Inanna confronted him about his loyalties and ordered him to train the ability, leaving Jin'en facing both Prism’s unseen superiors and the question of whether he would leave Red Letter.

• Jin'en infiltrated Wastebasket’s cubicle, seized Prism’s records, and learned that Wu Xun and the man surnamed Miao also served the network.
• Wastebasket recognized Jin'en’s dark attribute, while Broken Rainbow reported that Porsette was trapped at Wu Xun’s pawnshop.
• Jin'en broke the perception barrier around the pawnshop, allowing Broken Rainbow and Porsette to overcome the guards and recover a fuller list of Prism contacts.
• Inanna confronted Jin'en about hiding his second ability and questioned whether he would protect her, then told him to train the dark attribute and suggested he leave Red Letter.
• Jin'en trained with the black rod on the back hill, while Porsette offered to support him if he chose to confront the people above Prism.

Jin'en confronted a Prism operative in the Old Port District and learned that Wastebasket was alive but being held offshore. After Prism invited Jin'en to join them if he ever left Red Letter, Inanna ordered him not to go out alone as he prepared to train his dark rod further.

• Jin'en learned that Prism had taken Wastebasket after he witnessed Jin'en's dark attribute, and deduced that a Prism superior had come to the Old Port District to reorganize the remaining operatives.
• Jin'en, Broken Rainbow, and Porsette infiltrated the Old Port District shacks, where Jin'en subdued the Prism operative in charge and Broken Rainbow held two others at blade point.
• The thin-faced operative said Wastebasket was alive on a fishing boat offshore from Unheard-of Bay, gave Jin'en Wastebasket's badge as a way to contact Prism, and invited him to join Prism if he left Red Letter.
• Jin'en asked Broken Rainbow to have Unica tell Daffodil to watch the Unheard-of Bay docks for the boat holding Wastebasket.
• Jin'en told Inanna he had refused Prism's offer and planned to train the black rod, while Inanna instructed him to take Broken Rainbow or Porsette whenever he left the mansion.
• Broken Rainbow waited for Jin'en in the corridor after he left Inanna's study.