The Glass Cannon Podcast - Time For Chaos S3 | E4 – Meet Cute

Episode Date: August 2, 2025

Vaughn goes on a fact-finding date while Marion takes a meeting with Ho Fang and introduces the Squad to a knowledgeable contact within town. Watch the video here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/d_oohAJ8TAE For a limited time, use code "TFC2" to save 15% on Cthulhu products at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠chaosium.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Access exclusive podcasts, ad-free episodes, and livestreams with a 30-day free trial with code "GCN30" at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠jointhenaish.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join Troy Lavallee, Joe O'Brien, Skid Maher, Matthew Capodicasa, Sydney Amanuel, and Kate Stamas as they tour the country. Get your tickets today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hubs.li/Q03cn8wr0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. For more podcasts and livestreams, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hubs.li/Q03cmY380⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Watch new episodes when they premiere every Friday at 8PM ET on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/theglasscannon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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FX's Alien Earth, an original series streaming August 12th on Disney Plus. Sign up today. 18 plus subscription required TNCs apply. You are listening to the Glass Cannon Network, the premier source for role-playing game entertainment. Thank you. I was going on Friday night, and it's time for chaos.

I like to start with chaos and end with chaos. We are just a couple minutes away from Russ's character, Vaughn, going on a date with a poor unsuspecting baker. Yeah, people who encounter us generally meet a bad end. I feel bad for the prospects of my new paramour. Do you remember any really, like, awful dates you've had in the past and you're in the before time and the long, long ago? Dates are like world class, I wish I just walked out five minutes in. Like, you knew, you knew was a bad idea and you stuck around or just like, it seems like it's great. Then by the end, you're running down the street clutching your burning clothing.

Yeah. I just looked right to Rob. I'm like, Rob's got something. I didn't have a prolific career, so to speak, in those days. But there was a, I don't remember how a bar. It was before dating apps, which means I'm old. But there was a girl that I went on a date with, and everything seemed fine. I was just shocked that she wanted to go on the date.

That was kind of cool. And we got along pretty well. Then we went back to her place. And she had never seen the Warriors. This is a typical Kirkovich move. Hey, we're on a date. You ever seen the Warriors? You ever seen the Warriors?

You ever see it's like 1980 or 79, I think. Walter Hill joined about a, you know, whatever. So, Future Gang. So we're watching that. Clearly, she's not super into it. And then things start to like, oh, maybe during the Warriors, it's a little bit of... Neckin. Some battling going on in the room.

Going to come out to play, so to speak. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And we go in for the kiss And she kisses me like a lizard It's just It's just this It's just this It's just this

And again, it's not like I'm the most You know Experienced person at this point of my life But I know what a French kiss Is and does And I know that it involves a tongue But not like that And this is just a rapid fire

Pupupopopopopopopop And it was like so much. It wasn't even like, there's a part of your brain's like, maybe I can get through it. Like, let's see where else this goes. You know, what else could this tie me? Anyway. But no, I was just like, I was like, wow.

God, I got tired. And then I was out. I'm tired and you should get back to your heat rock. Just a bearded dragon. Like, I can't. can't believe she didn't see me something go like, like the face that I made. Yeah. Before this, you'd been at the bar splitting a bowl full of crickets. Yeah. Yeah. It was like, uh, yeah. So it was not, uh, that's it. I mean, there was nothing,

you know, that was the drama. I mean, hey. That's a good one. Yeah. I'm thinking of several I can't tell. Yeah. They're all I can't tell. I'm trying to like, is there one? And I'm like, nope, that has that part that I can't Well, you could skip it. I could skip that part, but that's the best part. Oh, okay. And he'd come to mind? No. I guess there's a reason they were bad dates.

Yeah. Can't talk about them. Not too many, not too many like out and out disasters. Yeah. But, um, I don't know. Catfished? No. I think that'd be an out of disaster.

I, um, but, but I, I, there was a brief moment, a brief, brief moment where I, was on an app. Yeah. And I, so, you know, you, you, you make your profile. You do all that stuff. At the time, I had a, a wonderful, uh, chubbed out rescue corgi by the name of Rarebit, my, my best pal.

And many, a few of the pictures featured this dog. And, uh, I think I went on, I went on all of two Tinder dates, but on both of them. it was so clear from the first moment that the person on the day was way more excited about meeting my talk immediately or was it as the conversation went on you realized that their priorities changed yeah no no i think i'm from off the rip but yeah like that's why you got that's why you were swiped right on absolutely absolutely uh so yes rare bit was absolutely cleaning up on the apps, but I was, I was not. The apps are terrible.

Like, everything I've heard about the apps are horrifying. I really, I mean, they've changed a lot, I imagine. I had this window of single before the apps really exploded. It was pre-Tinder. It was like, okay, Cupid. Oh, sure. It was all the rage. And that was awesome.

But then the apps came out. Now there's new apps every day and the swipe, and this is pre-swipe. I can't even imagine. And it's just so transactional, I think. Like, talking to my still single friends are like, you show up. Everyone's sort of on the same page with what's going to happen for the rest of the night. And then it happens. And then you never speak to them again.

Like, you just are the most intimate you've ever been in your life for the person. Well, there are some apps that are, I think, just focused. It's like, bang time. Yeah, yeah. He wasn't necessarily on those. I'm not bang time. I think like, I think the more like major ones are essentially like bang time light. They're just not saying it.

Right. But it's, they don't. Bang time implied. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A guy that I know. A guy that I know.

During COVID was on these apps because I was but during COVID no one could even see each other Sure in person so it meant online it meant over the screen dates oh and it was understood in those dates what would be happening Really? Oh no wow yeah and screen time and so apparently this acquaintance was engaged in a screen to screen dalliance what are you saying? Jam, it was jammed, it was jammed, USA. And it was a mutual jam time. Source connect. Yeah.

And, and, um, source connect. And apparently, uh, he had been drinking. And apparently, uh, before he had jammed. Yeah. Jammed. He had finished. He had reached the climax of the song. Yeah.

He had gotten there. Jammed everywhere. She had not. He fell asleep. He fell asleep. while she was still jamming. Jammin. We really need to fix the male-female ratio.

I'm not endorsing this. I'm not saying that this is what this man should have done. But he fell asleep. And when he woke up, the screen was dead, obviously. And rightly so. And I can only imagine what this poor woman... Hard not to take that personally, I think. Oh, God.

I'd as well have taken her to the English patient. I mean, it's one thing to be an insensitive lover in person, but to do it over damn time. Yes. Well, tell your friend. That was weird. We'll be back. I get sleepy.

We'll be back right after this quick break. I have some more questions. I do not. I have none. Yeah, no follow-ups. No Frills Delivers. Get groceries delivered to your door from No Frills with PC Express. Shop online and get $15 in PC optimum points on your first five orders. Shop now at nofrails.ca.

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percent off. And of course, don't forget, head to join the nash.com. Use code GCN30 for a 30-day free trial of the best subscription service. And the biz! You know, the other thing is like the, and we talked about this when we worked with Chaosium on Pendragon, is if you like this show, using that code directly supports this show. Right. So like, if you go use that code, you save yourself some money on some called Cthulu stuff, but also Chaosium sees that you want more of this show. It helps to get the sponsorship. You know, it all kind of feeds in itself.

So the best way to show that you want more of this show is to get yourself some called Kthulah products at a discount. Yeah. They'll be like, oh, well, we need to continue sponsoring the show. Yeah, it's a win, win, win, win, like it really is. So, yeah, check that out. Man, what is it? It is Friday, April 3rd, 19.

Third or 23rd? No, third. Third. Yeah, because we came in on April 1st. I wrote 23rd. April Fool's Day. You fool. Friday, April 3rd, 1925. You had a busy a few days.

I know after last session, Joe was like, is it always like this? Will you just kind of scratch the surface of lots of different things? Well, no, I just wanted to make sure, you know, that I'm not slowing things up too much. Oh, no. Are we always bumble-fucking around? Yes. Yeah, okay, good, good, good. That's all I was asked.

There'll be many episodes where you feel you've done absolutely nothing. right for sure if you're questioning life and where you are and why you're here you're in the right place if you if you reach the end of a session are like I guess I'm dumb that's that's where we're at if you're sitting here thinking am I contributing anything to this you're in the good hands one of my favorite parts of last week's app is when you are just pontificating and trying to tie things together and then getting locked into those ideas being like well we can't it can't possibly that be that He's running a warehouse full of weapons.

And then Joe was like, well, we haven't decided that's what's going to happen. You guys were going back and forth. But it's good to hear those theories out loud because then later on you could see how close or how far off you were. And people who know the story are just sitting there smiling and laughing. Like me. I'm having a great time. But quick recap. Wait, should we do luck?

Let's do luck. Thank you. Rob, always reminding about luck. Any way to game system. And I'll prepare him. Recap in my mind. Oh, we got tarot. We have so many extracurriculars.

Oh, thank goodness. I did fail. So that means I get to add a D-10. I did fail as well. I succeeded, unfortunately. We gained a whole four points. I got three points to my... Three, four, four.

Guys are really getting the full juice out of those D-10s this season. Yeah, it's not been great. I think I got the ten points last... Oh, yeah, you did. A couple ups ago. Let me ask you this. What does the King of Swords me? Was that what was King of Swords last week?

If you could see by the little picture, just a guy on a throne with a sword. He sits in judgment holding the unsheathed sign of his suit. Divinatory meanings means is whatsoever arises out of the idea of judgment and all its connections. Power, command, authority, militant intelligence, law, offices of the crown, and so forth. Wow. We did have a little discourse on law. Yeah. Yeah.

And obviously we're gathering. And we're dealing with this, militia. We're doing militia, kind of military and paramilitary situation. I was judging you. Troy, always judging us. Sitting in silent judgments of our choices. Can I be the king of swords? You just put that on your business card for the CEO.

So if somebody would like to tell me when to stop shuffling. I'll help this time. Ready? Yeah. I didn't prep anything today, so I'm going to let it keep going. Okay. Do you want me to cut or take them the top? Oh, it's upside down

It's an upside down two of pentacles That doesn't sound good That sounds That sounds terrible It's an upside down two of pentacles I think you said the wrong words Sir, I'm sorry I'm gonna have to ask you to sit down

We need to fix the ratio of men and women on the table Sorry Do you have brothers I believe not. I knew a guy in camp you had upside down pentacles You know Upside down two of pentacles

You gotta go to the doctor I think you're very ill Yeah Much time on the rope swing Too many online Jam sessions Yeah That's right

Oh my God And the frozen bag of peas My pentacles are upside down God, he was a competitive cyclist Until that upside-down I had an uncle die once of up-died-out chemicals Oh, God

He didn't get him checked fast enough I think that's what happened to Houdini Yep Went down The rope swing really got me All right, let's cut to this date Let's cut to this hot date Oh yes, yes

The lynchpin of the entire carerator Here's where we break it wide open Time to bust this case open There, you've, I assume you've taken to a relatively nice place. Relatively. Yeah, very. And you're sitting there across from her and she's just wide-eyed looking at you. And she's barely touched her food.

So tell me again why you came to Shanghai. Are you moving here permanently? Troy is starting off a bad date. No, Jing, no. But the plan is not to fully relocate. Oh. I am... Fully ruled that out, huh?

I'm rather peripatetic in my ways. I'm going all about the world, it seems. Hopefully I shall not have to stay here all too too long, although the pleasure of your company is, of course, greatly appreciated. Yes. Well, it's always nice to have fun, too. Yes, indeed. What do you do for fun?

Um, I bake and I, uh, sit alone in my room. Okay. So, you just waiting for you to, you're such an asshole. So you work at a bakery. That's pretty much it. So that's sorted. Occasionally my mother comes and hits me with a belt. Right. Oh, my God.

We're being single at 24th. Beyond that, uh, urging yours is a life of quiet desperation, indeed. I had a pet bird once. Once? Yes, it died of malaise. Oh, God. Jing, I feel as though you are a little caged bird On the verge of perishing of that whole same malady.

I do feel as if I will end up like Ling. Your bird, I assume. I named my bird Ling. Yes. Jing and Ling. I think you just Pan over And

To get In Carter I'm just like This is going to Like in absolute horror Man It's really fucking this up Yeah

You don't leave tonight Do you? No, not tonight Okay Good Sorry I could only find This place on short notice I would have preferred to...

I think they tell you to try to do an activity on a first date, but I couldn't find any escape rooms or axe-throwing. Oh, sometimes I do eat donuts for dinner. Yes. Well... Very nice donut shop. Brought me too. She knives into her donut.

Good God. I wish Leng was here to see this. Yes, of course. Unfortunately, The little fellow is deceased. Yes. Ching, I'm going to come right out and say it. Oh, yes.

I, um, I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me. I'm not some foreign rake, not some bounder. Yeah, to make some sort of rather indecent and sordid proposal of you. Well, I wouldn't be opposed to it. If that's, if that's what you're trying to get at, listen, I'm, uh, I've, I've, I've been alone for a long time, and if you're only here for a short while, I'm not, I don't want you to feel as if I'm pushing away your advances. I have not been touched by a man in some time, or a woman, or a human being.

One, there was a customer the other day, when he paid me, his finger brushed against my hand, and I almost whipped. But beyond that, uh, I suppose a doctor pulled me out of my mother when I was a baby, but frankly i can't remember the last time i was touched you were saying god yes yes um i was saying this is not going well how long can this man suffer on started fucking up when he told her the truth

he fucked up from the very beginning why is he able to take in the first place I don't know also I don't know what this Boston cream is filled with but it's not cream why are we eating pastries for dinner Jing, I'm going to tell you why I am here in the first place. Yes. Now, you may have suspected a man somewhat of means plucking you up, as it were, may have other designs, but mine are not upon your virtue.

No, no, no. I rather wish to impugn upon your intelligence. When I spoke to you today, we were briefly out of the presence of a regular at your little tea house. a rather intense gentleman that was there when we were and I think the rather an intense gentleman who was there when the doctor who spoke to you yesterday was there Why is he important We have nothing going on if that's what you're worried about

I'm speaking of Mr. Chou Min What about him? I suppose only it is it seeing as he has made a habit of haunting your little tea house, I was wondering if you knew anything about the chair. Wait, is that all this is? You're just using me to find out information about a regular customer of mine? You use is such an ugly word.

What would you call it? You have such a large vocabulary. You probably have a better word than I for large. vast immense one of your other flowery phrases that you used to seduce me to this daughter's shop

I always Under false pretenses Perhaps I have been the worst sort of bounder then Yes it is your intelligence and your knowledge that I am after I confess it I would not blame you if you

stormed out of here right now only to ask you that I can tell I can perceive then you're frightened of that man frightened of him just doing what I've been asked

and what have you been asked and by whom what's in it for me yes use and use alike I suppose That's only fair. What is it, what is it you want? Twice what he gives me.

Ah. Well, perhaps that can be arranged. There's a man who comes every so often and tells me to write something on rice, paper that I bake into the sweetcakes that I give to that man.

I see. Yes, I dare say that intelligence is worth a pretty price. And he might even reach into his pocket and like take out his wallet. I'm not opposed to paying a good price for good information. What is it that you've

been baking in those little cakes of yours for his eye only. Show me the money. And, um, yeah, uh, you will take out what he deems to be a, a amount apropos to this situation. And six million dollars. Yes, it is six million dollars. Carter's like, he's proposition in her. Oh, my God. That's a lot of sweetcakes.

All the money. Well, it's not my business. I just bake it into the cake. I understand. You're just the middle. Swallows it. It's just notes. I don't understand them.

Wait, wait, wait. Coated. Just so I'm clear, you bake the message into the cake itself. Yes. Which is consumed by the man. Yes, I have not done it in some time. Anything else? You, well, you know.

Yes. When was the last time? Yeah, absolutely. This story of yours gets queer and strange by the moment. Yes, when was the last time that you were compelled to put this little culinary message into the cake? It's actually been some time. It was more frequent recently, but I've not seen that man in a while. So the one I'm speaking of is not the man in question?

No, he's the man that receives the message. I see. A man who comes to me is European. by that you would mean white right uh um this um this uh chap who comes to see you uh french english american american american do you happen to do you happen to know the gentleman's name do not he uh came to me i reach into my pocket and take out that drawing of of brady that that sour did rest on the table. That looks like him, yes. What was the...

Now, if you're baking these little messages into your red bean cakes, you must have the time to peruse the message if this gentleman is passing them to you. They don't make any sense to me. They are perhaps coded.

It's probably for the best that you don't, but someone might... My reason I'm talking to you. Hmm? It's the only reason I'm talking to you. talking to you because I don't know what they're doing. He pays me well and I do as he says that man comes in with the hat every day. I haven't had a message for him in a while. Sometimes I do, but he keeps me in business. So to be clear, the last message you received was maybe a month ago?

Oh, maybe three weeks. The last time I saw him. What was it? What? The message. Like I said, I don't understand what. It may be pure. The person. The person. It may be pure. The purest gibberish? Is it truly gibberish? Or is it some sort of, does it have some sort of poetic quality? No, it's not poetic. It's, it's, it's, it's usually just a cipher of some kind? Three or four words, they don't make any sense to me. But the man, when he receives them, I've watched him eat it. So I know he understands it. Something about training,

Lost. I mean, I don't understand. Yes, yes. Training lost. Very well. Can I go? Yes. You provided me with a great deal. I wouldn't want to impose upon your time anymore. And certainly, I understand the nature of such arrangements as what we have made. You never need to see me again. Are we? Just split the bill? Oh, no. Allow me.

Oh, chivalry is not bad in the country. Now, you'll free to get a maple long john on your way out. Oh, man. Oh, wow. That is crazy shit. Yeah. Indeed. Rather,

$6 million. $6 million. My credit rating drops So I might just move Two tables over Bring the rest of her donut Yeah, good God And you don't want to go to

Yeah, they are telling house The poor woman It's the only thing that was open No, you did great Hard to get a reservation on short notice old boy You really feigned interest there for about 20, 30 seconds, it was good Well, interest is not the word

It was largely horror Oh God, what a You know, it sounds good If they crossed a croissant with a donut Uh-huh They have those Or a muffin Yes

No, I don't think The fist bump You invented the fist pump She invented the cronet Yeah Wow, okay So presumably Vaughn I download all this information to you

It's been using the tea house To pass messages, you see Brady brings the coded message, or obscure message, at least to the proprietor, bakes it into a cake, and that gentleman eats it. Does he read it? Yes, does he read it beforehand?

I got the impression. And tell me if I got the wrong impression here, because I think our conversation lasted longer than what he spoke. See, he's not reading them. He's just eating them. I think he's reading them. Oh, he is right. Yeah.

And then you think this. I was like, weird, I was like, really weird. If you want to get metagamey, you know, those spot hidden checks that you failed, Would have been him. Would have seen him doing something in that small. Taking a bite. Maybe he wasn't. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Not, you've read regular success. Yeah, yeah, that's true. But to see something that's slick, you need hard success. Okay, gotcha. Okay. Yeah, so baking the little message into the, into the sweet pastry and plucking it out and reading it. I mean, I hope that paper's made out of something digestible.

Yes, well, you may be eating the message after he reads it, but, um, it's, that's how they're passing it back and forth. That's how Brady's community. communicating with genius this this chap chew men

yes oh sorry I forgot my oh we're his second his second date you moved on so quickly it's the apps you know

go from one to the next they geolocate uh okay interesting so why the fuck does the pale viper want to kill Brady which we know because we saw the letter, right? That's not a misinterpretation.

We saw the correspondence that said... There seems to be a... I don't want to say too much, but you've got the Pale Viper has his name or her name all over blueprints that were sent to Hanson manufacturing to create these strange things or all these strange symbols on those blueprints. Those seem to have been shipped from England via Ho-Fang Import Export Export to Shanghai. Are they being sent to

Ho Fang, or is Ho Fang just the business in the middle you do not know? Meanwhile, Sojay Taro, this Japanese naval officer slash spy, says that he's been trailing Jack Brady. Jack Brady is involved in some sort of creation of a weapon and

training militia. And you know that the Pale Viper is after Jack Brady. Gavagan is communicating with the Pale Viper to take Brady out. I'm just going to again, look at this little note. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so for the attention of the pale viper, Elias has been dealt with by our friends in New York,

now we must turn our attention to our other problem, namely Jack Brady. So the pale viper's problem is Jack Brady. I understand that he may be in Shanghai. And if you would direct your resources to hunting him down, it is stupefying that this troubling man has evaded us for so long. He may become an obstacle to our great plan. If you, and then it trails off. Now, so this.

Perhaps another side theory. If Brady has become a thorn in the side of this viper, who is apparently aligned with the devils you saw at Miserhaus, then perhaps Brady, even though it's... It is, of course, strange and requires explanations to why a dead man still walks abroad, not the first time we've encountered such a thing. why it is that these parties are opposed. If Jack Brady is training a militia, building a weapon,

it may be if he is a man eluding them, if he is a problem for them, that this weapon is in fact intended to dispatch the whatever party, this viper who's putting together these curious parts that you saw being manufactured. Hold on before we go any further Marion, get over here We reveal that you're there

You've been there the whole time Like in a different table Covered in Yeah you have the newspaper Did we not be paying any attention Just doing out of crumbs all over his thing No he's deep into Carter's book

Oh then keep going Crumbs all over his shirt Just I know it's riveting material Do you want to be part of this conversation It suddenly strikes me that if we operate under

the idea that the enemy of our enemy is at times our friend, though how loyal they ever are is in question. It may be that the if indeed that warehouse that we saw locked up so impregnably is

training a group to attack the viper we may wish to make contact. Right now, to be honest, I just don't trust anyone right now. Nor do I. I had an idea. Reading of your journey and thinking back only to yesterday when I sat across from that man at the tea house. He was reading a copy of the Shanghai Courier.

and these reporters a good deal of insight into what goes on in the city, of course, and I have a friend, contact, at the newspaper, the Shanghai Courier, who may be able to help us,

though I'm not sure exactly how to ask. I fear, you know, opening us up to unnecessary scrutiny. If we walk into the, I mean, it is a den of vipers, so to speak. We have had rather good luck with, um, uh, individual reporters in the past, uh, the Miss Chosenberg in, in New York. And, and of course, your, uh, your curious little red friend, uh, Mr. Mahoney. Perhaps if there's a, a reporter on the payroll we might approach.

No, this particular reporter wouldn't just be someone on the payroll. They'd rather high up. The friend Anthony is the editor of the newspaper. And I would love to speak with him. Well, let's... You could come along, but I... Certainly. How do we go to someone like that?

And bring up this business we're looking into, this underworld that we seem to be exposing, and not expect him or the reporters surrounding him to dive in and start poking around where we don't want them poking around. All I mean to say is I don't, I think it's a no question we go and speak with him.

I just wonder how we, can we do it in such a way that we don't reveal too much the information we're looking into? I mean, perhaps simply looking at some archives of news could even help. Certainly, I mean,

those of you in the academic persuasion, they may have the perfect story to give to a person with a large and thorough archive. If you want to go through his records, I'm sure you can come up with some sort of academic excuse. Well, going on the excuse that I used at the university library as conducting research on the new trade routes between continents, perhaps we could look at newspaper archives of any strange activities, any illegal activities that have happened within the import-exports house.

Although, I'm sure, with being a wealthy man like that, would have plenty of money to pay off. You mean her fang? Yes. Yes, indeed. To quiet any negative press. But perhaps this friend of mine, Anthony, is his name, could also, may also have information on, what the militia warehouse once was. Yes.

And even if they did not... And there may be news about what happened there or... Even if it wasn't published, even if it was suppressed. They could tell us that as well. This is true, yes. Well, I'm just a bit nervous, as all. I don't want to expose you to any unnecessary scrutiny as all. Tread carefully.

Yes. I don't know who we can trust in the building. Right. Well, you've got your appointment tomorrow, right? Yes, with Mr. Ho-Fang, is there anything in particular you wish me to ask? I hope to... Did he do it?

I just hope to get a look around. Yes, I think that's really all we can ask of you. Unless you want to go, when his back is here and go peeking into his drawers and overturning the bureaus and what have you. I think, taking the measure of him, seeing if he is in fact just a middle party in all of this knows what he's doing,

or if he seems to be quite elusive and threatened by your presence. I'll try to take a measure of the man. Yes. Take a measure of the security, too. That and even just... We just walked in today, strolled right in. Even just the basic layout of should we go in after hours, even that's helpful. Yes, I got a first look.

But hopefully, getting a look from his office would only add more information. Anywhere that documentation of invoices might be stored perhaps would be of great help Yes, learning precisely where the machine parts sent from Limehouse are being sent

since it now seems to me that it may not be to the Brady Party but to some but to the viper themselves if you know where those cases are being taken and that will give us our greatest clue as to the who is a doctor adopting that rather repellent pseudonym.

Well, I haven't quite thought yet of how to get that exact information, but I'll sleep on it. Even if you spot, like, a ledger, something like that, something that we will know where to find it later. Yes, exactly. All that's going to be super helpful. You got this, bro. I'll keep an eye out. Yeah. I've thought about Wu a lot. I don't think I'm going to bring him. I'm going to go alone.

I don't wish to expose him to any unnecessary danger. Yes. If this man, Ho Fang. is connected in some sort of way to the criminal underworld, the green gang, anything like that. I don't want him or his family at risk. Yes, especially when he's not a first grader to take care of. Yeah.

Whether or not he may be 24 years old. We want to see him one day grow up to be a fireman. You could be a fireman one day. It's good looking out for him because that woman he just talked to her. She's probably dead already. Scrats more of the... You'd see just the pangs of guilt like hanging on her.

Forgive me for my mouth. Manifold sins. God. Well, this business with the nerd is very strange indeed, and I wonder if there is a way to intercept a message. Yes. Find one. See what it says.

I don't know how. That might be a rather expensive request to the proprietress of the tea house. I mean, I could always try to, she hasn't seen me yet, did she? Oh, she came back in. Fuck. Yeah. You had to add that little junk. We were all there at some point, right?

No, she didn't come back in there. Oh, okay. Oh, well, I never wanted in there. Oh, okay. I was going to suggest staking out the joint for as long as we need to see Brady himself. Problem with that is, you said he hasn't come for quite some time. Yes. He may be indisposed.

It seems as though all, everyone says there with rather conflicting reports that he's in parts elsewhere, not in Shanghai at the moment, but about some business of his own, waiting to return and strike. Also, check out Marion saying the word joint. You're learning. Yes. We're roughing up some of those edges. Some rather contemporary slang from you. Yeah.

I can dig it. It's redness. There's a good man. No, Vaughn, you don't do it with a fully extended arm. You got to do it half like this. God, it looks like you're saluting the fuel. Who doesn't yet exist? Go like this.

I'm doing exactly what you're doing. I'm doing exactly what you're doing. You're pumping it out like you're trying to punch the man's chest in. Like a teapot. Send that elbow. You're not offering him your wrist. It's like a lion's paw. You would ask me three episodes ago for a map of Shanghai.

Here it is. I don't care anymore. With some key locations on there. It's so thorough. It's already visited. Yeah, but this is. Are you able to? enlarge this?

This is the real... I can't. The real Shanghai. No. Oh, no, where to go? If you drag it from the bottom right, it'll just kind of zoom it in and then you can scroll.

Except I think I clicked it closed. Is it in the journal somewhere? Oh, no, it's right here. Yeah, it's in the journal. Under map of Shanghai, I just didn't show players. But, yeah, you see a lot of different places. Ah, here we go. Oh, look, I could read it now.

Yeah, it's pretty cool And so you see the different districts The French concession The international settlement Look for on a monastery And a Siemens Club I'll just take note of both of them So look for on a Siemens Club

And a Siemens Club Yeah so there you go It gives you a little better idea of where everything is And you see a lot of these places are right along the Wangpoo River there, obviously including this warehouse that you have an appointment at on Saturday, April 4th. Saturday appointment. They are open on the weekends, I guess. I've just decided.

We never learned to check. Oh, there was one time, Joe, where we went to go, like, check out a place of business. I think it was a warehouse. Yeah, they got on a train, went out of the city. It was a day-long trip. We got there and realized it was like Sunday. Oh, it's Sunday. I was like, sorry, they're closed.

So then they just kept on the train and they came back a few days later after a whole sidetracks an area. Yeah. Oh, my God. All right. So let's, unless there's anything else, I mean, it's night. I don't want to speed you forward. You know, sometimes you guys like to do things under the cover of darkness. There is something I would like to do in the morning.

Oh, early. Shave. Oh, indeed. Of course. Give me a shaving roll. No, there is something I'd like to do. Or let me push it. It's interesting that it is Saturday.

Saturday fowls it up, I think. Yeah, all your flower houses are closed. How dare you? Yeah. I think I'm going to... Don't assume things are closed. Sunday probably most businesses are closed. I want to talk to someone.

of significance. I'm thinking the dean or my dean at the college in the morning, briefly. Okay. Now, you're on sabbatical. Right. But you want to reach out to the dean. Yeah. You want to walk over to the dean's office? Yeah. And see, you know, perhaps I know he works on Saturdays. Okay. You know, or something like that. Or you could just say no go. It has to wait until Monday and that's fine. Now, let's talk to, who am I to deny you the dean? I can have you do a luck roll, but you want to talk to the dean? Let's talk to the dean. Saturday, April 4th, you get up right and early, and you saunter on over to the dean's office. Saunter's on over to the dean's office. We see him sitting down and, you know, simply saying, you know, he comes in, knock, knock, knock.

Excuse me. Hold on, don't over the door. Oh, no. Oh, no. Just finishing a quick jam session. And you hear, don't, don't, don't, don't. All right, come on in. In terms of jam session, some people are.

The Ramones and some are. I was clearing my browser history. One second. When he's putting a guitar away. Sorry, that song. I haven't finished you yet. I don't want people to hear it. He'll open up the door and say,

Dr. Codwright, yes. Good to see you. That's my name. Thank you for telling me. Yes, and do I am. Do I am? What are you doing here?

I don't you on sabbatical? I am, my friend. Man, if I was on sabbatical, I'd never visit an office like this. I would be out drinking. I'd be at the flower girl houses. Don't tell the students. I love them. I just jam with them.

I know you do. I know you do. My guitar and we jam all night. Just jam all night. Damn sessions. Oh, my God. I wanted to come because I... Still, my pentacles started to...

It's so upside down. Unfortunate inversion. The name of my man. I just wanted to make you aware of something. All right. Should it come up. I was speaking with some friends of mine in Cambridge when I was off in London. Very well.

And we were talking about the potential but not definite transfer of a few interesting artifacts in one of their museums, perhaps to bring them here an exhibit on our campus to show our student body a little bit more of the collection of our fantastic London collections of various. Items of theological significance. Give me an example. An example. Well, there is, of course, the monstrance of Nice. Monsters of Nees? They have that in London. Oh, they do.

Yes, yes. They stole it. The remonstrance of niece. The monstrance of niece. Yes. Oh, I can't believe that. Just to name one of many. I don't want to waste your time making an inventory of

all the amazing art facts that you have there but um that was jesus's headband yes um no it's the beautiful sunlight uh uh true academic exactly the beautiful sun they captured sunlight it is the uh beautiful sunlight what does you call it uh thing uh that that holds the host the body of christ my my thinking is jesus's headband why was i thinking jesus his headband anyhow the monster Well, I'd have to look into the budget. How many of these items? And do you have an approximate cost, let alone an importer-exporter that gandals? And this is what I wanted to discuss with you.

Oh, yeah. Look, we're very early on in the conversations. I just wanted to let you know that I'm talking to some of these importer exporters of the warehouses here in Shanghai. Get some budgetary idea. Nothing has been committed to. We're not saying yes or no to anything at this stage. But if you should get a call from a warehouse asking about this and if we're looking into it, just let them know, yes, we're currently in the process of examining our budgets,

but we're not committing to anything yet. Okay, well, I'm glad you brought this to me. I would have felt like a fool had they called me instead of inquiring. I didn't know what they were talking about. Exactly. That's all I wanted to let you know. I mean, going on and on about Jesus' headband and whatnot. It sounded like a damn fool.

Exactly. Well, very well, you just put some paperwork together. Get me a preliminary budget. I can't make you any promises, but if I wouldn't expect you to, and I appreciate your consideration. Just consider it. All right, very well. I don't want to bother you.

I know you walk on Saturday. How don't you just enjoy your sabbatical? Instead of doing all these extra projects. This is how I enjoy it, Dr. Carpricke. I'm focusing, writing my book. I need to be published. You know this. All right.

Well, do what you must. I will be here the next time you need me because I work 24 hours a day. In fact, I sleep here. I know you do. Well, keep at it. Cheerio, have a great day. All right. It's a call covering your tracks.

I just wanted to cover my tracks in case, Ho-Fang starts getting suspicious and calling around. Okay. Let's go. Let's just call my good buddy, what was your name? Dr. Cartwright. That's my name. Verify.

Penties, it's my name. The school of the only old. And then, outside of Ho-Fang, import, export, this warehouse along the Wangpoo River, see boats going by these junkboats, little miniature yachts. And you roll up without Wu.

You're wooless. Roll up without. Woo-less. Totally woo-less. And he opens up the door, just as we didn't. Hello. Excuse me. Is anyone there?

You just see a bunch of workers. Same thing. Tons of workers. They're working on Saturday. Very, very busy moving stuff around, packing into crates. A couple of smoking cigarettes, and they start whistling. And the woman, Sanchois, that you met yesterday, the son comes down, and she greets you, Ah, well, you're early.

Mr. Ho is here. Please, follow me. And let's go to the map. Let's take you through the map here because you get to actually see a little bit more of the warehouse that you're curious about. She's like, oh, yes, follow me. Right this way.

And she kind of takes you through this maze of a warehouse here. Oh, he gets to walk through to the back of the warehouse. Okay. I'm keeping my eyes peeled here. Watch your feet. Watch your feet. There's a lot of fish and valuables everywhere. Watching this fucking thing animated as you guys are talking.

Everywhere he walks, he's looking, Troy, he's taking shit in. He's trying to gather as much information as he can. Record as much in his mind as possible. All right, so I've taken you back to the map here, and you see the warehouse, and I've kind of walked you through. She's escorting you through the warehouse. Dozens of people working, moving crates, shipping containers, loading things in, unloading things. Now you really get a sense of the scope of this warehouse, because before some of the pilot, were so high you really couldn't see deeper in.

You did see a table towards the back in front of a door that kind of caught your eye, but for the most part, it's really like a maze in here, as you can see, by some of the stuff I've revealed here on the map. You are shown all the way to the back. My goodness, son, there's a great deal of

crates in here. You must have clients all over the world coming in every day. Oh, yes, Mr. Ho is quite busy and quite well-known the world around. This is a well-oiled machine, as I'm sure. that he will tell you yes uh right this way and she takes you uh around to the back uh to a uh door uh that she opens and there is a staircase give me a spot hidden

am i reading this right too that she took him through like a corridor or is that just like yeah she like went through you went through the whole warehouse portion and then i mentioned the first time you went inside with woo there's like two stories of offices and rooms uh and you could see the staircase in the back now she takes you through this little hallway that leads to that staircase, and she's taking you upstairs. So the staircase is heading up. Yeah. And he passed that table with four seats.

Yeah, the table with the four seats are to the southern portion of the warehouse, but the crates there were lower that you could now see. Okay, looks like a table, four or five, maybe six seats, but like oddly directly in front of a door. And that's why it jumped out at you. Like, why would you put a table right in front of it? They didn't go through that door. No, no. You went to the north where this little hallway is, and then it opened.

opened up into another small... And the stairwell is going up. The stairwell is going up. Okay. Uh, come on. Get the spot hidden. Oh! Oh!

Gotcha. Gotcha. Still jamming, bro. Still jamming. After all these years. Okay. Uh, if you're actually wrong and you didn't get it all. You know what?

I'm going to spend seven points of luck. making a hard success. There we go. On the spot hidden. Okay. As he's moving through. Interesting. Yeah.

I mean, I haven't gotten a chance to spend any yet. Yeah. I haven't succeeded at any roles yet. Let's go. Regular success, you turn into a hard success. And that's very important. It's just this little tiny thing that you notice. Obviously, there's a lot going on in the warehouse.

But when you get to the back here, it's not like everything is pristine, but everything seems kind of perfectly in its own place. And as you're going up the steps, you step on one little step that is, uh, sort of loose and uneven and weak. And you just register that away in the back of your head. On the staircase. On the staircase. One stair that just seemed very loose and wiggling and uneven.

Files that away. And she's like, oh, right this way, please, come. Why are you lingering on that step? So if you just did a successful, hard spot hidden. Right this way, is it Mr. Mason? No, Dr. Walsh. Why did I think your name was Mr. Mason? I'm one of those people that when you say your name

I'm thinking so much about telling my name that I forget the name of the person that is introducing them But your name isn't Mason No, it's Sanchoar But yours is Dr. Walsh Just Mr. May, Dr. Walsh Right this way

I can see why you're employed Yes, well I'm terrible with names And even worse with faces Especially unpleasant ones Right this way And she takes you to another area. It looks like reception.

You see her desk is there, and it's got windows that overlook the whole warehouse so she can see if someone's coming in, and the windows are open, so she can hear everything going on down there. And she's like, all right, right this way. Mr. Ho is just this way, and she takes you through another door.

Man, see, and the whole... This place is huge. My God. And she takes you into this room in the back here. So we are definitely breaking. into this. All right, so let's talk about this room. You brought into this rather large

and Spartan office, it is clear that this is a place where business gets done. Noise from the warehouse is kind of filtering in along with the noise from the overhead fans. Actually, the fans kind of drown out the noise of the warehouse, which is nice. One end of this office has a circle of comfortable

armchairs with a word I don't know, so I'm not going to say it. Lace antimacassars. The hell's a, did I miss type that? Lace Antimacassar. No, it's a real thing. A piece of cloth put over the back of a chair to protect it from grease and dirt. It's supposed to be ERS, as it could be French? Antimacassar.

Antimacassi. Ross. You don't know this word? Due to me. Wow. Wow, a small piece of cloth, but it's like an old lady cloth that was on a doily for furniture. Antimacasa.

I'll be seen. saying this all the time now. Lace and to Macassas. Yeah, put that into your lexicon. Yeah, it's a good, uh, yeah. Got the requisite amount of syllables. It's like a big old doily. Yeah.

Yeah. And it'll keep, uh, Dr. Walsh's sweat off your chair. That was, it was just, soak his blood right there. Clearly was newly put on. Really scared.

There are, uh, the name refers to the cloth flap or collar on a sailor's shirt or top used to keep Macassar oil off of the uniform. Oh, like the Donald Duck? Like the Donald Duck flap. Oh, shit. Uh.

So that was functional. Not merely fashionable Awesome That's called an Ansi Macassar I like how Donald Duck needs that But not pants That's what needs What needs protecting

Around the Around the little chairs here There are side tables for tea And ashtrays everywhere More doilies You also see in the back of the room There are filing cabinets Bulging with papers

A bunch of rolled-up papers lying about that are like large they could be maybe maps they're very large plans um and uh there are bookshelves that are just loaded with ledgers and whatnot and uh you see a floor safe uh and then sitting behind a table here in the back that sort of serves as the desk in this room is this short fat smiling chinese man uh he wears a baggy white linen suit and he's smoking a cigarette that's wrapped in very dark paper, and you smell it right when you come to the room. It's aromatic, very nice smelling.

I'll show you a picture of Mr. Ho Fang. Oh, okay. Yes. And he's sitting there smiling when you come in. He rises from his desks and smiles at you. I need a fun voice for this guy. He's like, welcome. Yes, thank you for your patience.

You are fortunate that I'm. I am here on a Saturday. We work six days a week here. Yes, very busy, always very busy. Please sit, and he directs you towards the armchairs. Thank you so much. Let me just say right off the jump. I'm very, very appreciate the last-minute appointment.

This is wonderful. Thank you so much. You didn't need to talk to me yourself. Oh, please. This is how we do business. It's Mr. Ho. And please, make yourself comfortable. Sanchua, and he speaks in Chinese to her, and she bows and walks out.

So, forgive me for presuming, but you are not from. Shanghai, yes? No, I'm not from Shanghai. I work at the university, at St. John's. At the university? Yes, I am a professor there, and I am interested in some university business. We may be doing some shipping and receiving, and I wanted to... I see you are dressed.

He's just kind of ignoring what you're saying. I see you're dressed for the sticky seasons to come. You've been here for some time. You're aware of the humidity that is on the rise. Oh, yes. I'm sorry, it makes me sweat a great deal. I'm glad you have these antipakas on the back of your chairs. Oh, you've noticed my antipakasis.

That's Bacassas. Yes, those are vintage. Yes. It is a very sweaty season for me, I'm afraid. So forgive me if I don't shake hands. I don't wish to... A man of my size is used to the sweat as well. You get used to it if you're born here,

but for outsiders, I imagine it is a great change. It's a very different climate from England, yes. Very, very... You smoke, yeah. And he's, again, it's kind of like talking over you in a little bit. I've just started. Yes. And he thinks he had a horn and cigarette here at the other than...

when you got super nervous about doing this and hands shaking maybe a little bit. And it's very intense. It's like floral, herbal. It's like inhaling a cigar. If you're a new smoker, then this is probably a real punch to the face. Lovely. It's good for you, though. It's good for your lungs. Yes, it adds... Feels good for you. Yes, it's something you'll want to do for the rest of your life. And, ah, oh yes. It's something you'll want to do for the rest of your life.

Multiple times per day. Miss Sun comes back in and she has a tray with a teapot and she puts the tray down, puts two glasses, and begins filling your tea and then fills Mr. Ho's tea. You are most hospitable, Mr. Ho. Thank you so much. This is not only how we do things in China,

but this is how we do things at Ho Fang import, export. Now, Ms. Sun tells me, you are looking to ship or receive artifacts to your university? You don't have to smoke that if it's too much. I'm just learning. You've got to mix it with the cheese. Keep going because it's amazing to be.

I am interested in importing and exporting. You've come to the right place. That is what we do. I do wish to be up front, though, that I'm not sure that we'll have a great deal of it. We're talking about very fine, precious items here of significant, at least historical value. And so there would not be a great deal of quantity of shipments, but the shipments themselves are very valuable. And so I'm really more interested in, you know, Your security measures, I'm more interested.

Of course, of course, yes. You know, if indeed you'd like to do business with someone of this, I don't know, it's rather small, is all I'm saying. It's not a great deal of work, but we need it to be done very well because we're talking about precious artifacts that are, in fact, priceless. They cannot be replaced. Well, if it's efficiency you are concerned about, if it is making sure that your items are not get damaged, you will not find a better importer, exporter, and all of Shanghai. And dare I say the world? So, if you don't mind, tell me a bit about it. it how does it work um the the from a a warehouse in london they ship uh through here and the ships

they duck right here outside of the warehouse you forgive me for asking you're a professor and yet you are handling all of this yourself don't you have someone uh who specializes in these things this is sort of a perhaps a compradore that could handle this business for you this is more of a pet project it's a it's a passion project if that makes sense yes my university and even The university that I'm speaking with in London Is not terribly keen on the idea And so I love trying to sell it to them And part of the selling, it is knowing a budget

Knowing what things cost and how these things get done If I may interrupt you, we are not cheap, I will say But that is why we are only trusted by people Who seek quality, yes? We are very expensive, but we are so very discreet, yes? I do not know the nature of the things that you are sending But that is not my business. You want this stuff to be taking

care of when you put your trust in Ho Fang it is taken care of. That's what I like to hear. That's why I'm here on a Saturday. I could be out on my yacht sailing the Wang Pu, but no, I am here, I'm here working because we have business. What is this unbelievably strong aroma that comes

from this, is it the paper or is it the tobacco itself? It's a little bit of everything. Mostly the tobacco, yes, but the paper has something in it as well. You inhale all of it, yes. It's like sticking your face directly into a campfire filled with roses. it's a very poetic way to describe it

you have a way with words oh please so are there any particular if we talk about references to this sort of security are any particular London firms you work with that I might be able to speak to

just in terms of references I will say that we have worked with people in London I work with people all over the world however you know I cannot just be sharing names of businesses for you know everyone has their own sort of you know, again, I mentioned how discreet we are. It would not be fair of me to ask them to share that information.

However, you know, how big of a shipment are we looking here? What sort of budget do you have? As I said, it's... Money is not so much the concern as much as the security... I'm sorry. Just water down with some tea. I'm sorry, thank you. Have some more tea.

Thank you. As far as our budget's concerned, we're talking about university budgets. here, it could be rather impressive. That doesn't sound like a lot. Your university has much money, yes? Well, you're talking about a university here in Shanghai. I think it could afford to make a

convincing offer. We're not in this for the money, you understand, but just as if you are courting me, in a way, I am courting you. I want to make sure that we would be good partners, yes? Indeed, yes, of course. Look, I could throw a number at you. You could throw a number at me.

I'm really more interested in giving my superiors an idea of how much this sort of thing costs and that's where I'm at I don't really know what they're willing to say very well Miss son and he starts speaking in Chinese to her Miss Sun will contact you give you some forms she'll give you some information on your way and then if this is something you would like to do we will move things forward from here and my people will reach out to your people but I wanted to meet you personally face to face so that you know you understand should you work with Ho Fang this is the type of care and business you're going to get, yes?

I very much appreciate that personal touch. It means a great deal. Yes, I'll take that. And he looks around with his buck. There's ashtrays everywhere. You're careful from my aunt to Macassum. Thank you. Don't get ashes on my aunt to Macassum.

Can I do a psychology role just in terms of sizing this guy up? Does he seem like a gregarious businessman? Does he seem like when he's saying, I want to meet you face-to-face like he is judge. if I'm a criminal. You know, I'm kind of curious, like, if I can read him at all in that way. Yeah, give me a psychology role. Uh, uh, oh, man, here we are again.

I'm going to spend another five luck to make it a hard success. Okay. Yeah. Spend them if you got him. Spend him if he got them. And, uh, you know, especially important, what feels like it could be an important circumstance. You want to really try to read this guy.

I was, you know, I'm trying to size this guy. Really size him up. He's not what I expect. Throughout the course of this conversation, you feel like this. a rotund businessman is one cool customer and he has this way of really never offering

any specific information even when he was asked direct questions by you he kind of always talks around he's a bit of a charmer in that way but you feel like you're in good hands

you know obviously this is a front of what you're trying to do but if he if he knows he hasn't let that on and he seems to be seems to be totally above board Okay And do I need or should I

Attempt any sort of a charm role Just as part of this whole experience to You could give me a persuade role or charm I think persuade where you're trying You're really outright lying about this But you've covered your tracks So you know if you want to use charm I didn't find you particularly charming

Well this is my problem Is I put a bunch of points into this And I know I'm not going to roll play charming very well So yeah Give me charm because you were Maybe trying to match his energy. Yeah, exactly.

It could be clumsily charming the way you're dealing with this. This is getting really out of hand now. How close I'm getting to hard successes on every one of these roles that's less like, ah, right there. Sorry, I'm just doing a little math. Let's do four more luck for a hard success. I kept getting so close to hard success. Three the hard way.

Yeah, that's four. so you you feel pretty good about what you did here today and you feel like if this is a guy that you wouldn't want

to catch on to the fact that you're full of shit you feel like you did you I just wanted to make a good impression like he's not going to go like who is this guy what's he doing yeah yeah no he seems

now he seems like the meeting's over yeah and I get it and he's like good good day thank you very much for the cigarette does that he's even called a cigarette oh yes yes it is fantastic one of the best I've very

expensive. I've had two. All right. Do I have the rest of you on day? All right. See ya. Peace out. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Wachs you through this, uh, labyrinthian, uh, warehouse back out the door and says, have a wonderful day.

Thank you so much, Miss son. Um, we'll be in touch. Yes. Good day. And he heads out. Heads out. And we head to a quick break. Hey, so what did you want to talk about? Well, I want to tell you about Wagovi. Yeah, Wagovi.

What about it? On second thought, I might not be the right person to tell you. Oh, you're not? No, just ask your doctor about Wagoe. Yeah, ask for it by name. Okay, so why did you bring me to the circus? Oh, I'm really into lion tamers. You know, with the chair and everything.

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We're back You have finished your appointment at Ho Fang Import Export He seems like a pretty sweet guy It seems to Here's my question Well you know we could do it in characters So I don't know what were your guys

What were you guys doing? We didn't really talk about it Yeah Yeah I'm sure you made a plan No I mean You already looked at his place

Oh, we were talking about going to the newspaper. Yes. That might be actually what we're doing. So maybe you're just waiting for me to wrap up this meeting. Or even going, I mean, happening concurrently, too, unless you'd like to be there since you were. Like, I had the contact. I've got the friend. Yeah.

Yeah, that's right. It's your friend. Yeah. It might be the way to do it. By all means. Maybe you come out and meet us and in some plaza by the paper. And we're like, all right. Sounds good.

Can I have bought a knife? Yes. Great. Thanks. You just keep arming yourself. He's going to like walk in there like check. Somebody told me during a break that maybe I might have purchased a weapon that actually does not work with any of my skills. I just want to have a backup one that maybe does.

So this is in addition to the nunchucks. This is in addition. I'm not losing the nunchucks. I'm not losing it. Slowly accumulating weapons. Just like real life. You can't pick up a pair of nunchucks. It's great at them.

It's very true. Very, very true. Okay. So in meeting back up with the group, I just want to get you guys up to speak on what that meeting was. and I would say, you know, probably in character. Chief takeaway is that he is a very cool customer, and I'm, if I'm honest, quite afraid of him. He seems very friendly, very kind.

I don't think he got on to me at all, but... Yeah, how'd you do? How'd you feel? I mean, this is really... The place is enormous. It is huge. They have clients all over the world. He was so strict about their security. He was very clear that he doesn't want to know what's in the shipments.

He keeps everything highly... secretive, and so this would be the perfect place to run through illegal machinery or parts to make a weapon. And I believe it's possible, very possible, that he could not even be prosecuted as being part of it if he keeps himself

so truly in the dark about what he is and is not shipping and receiving. So it's... Interesting. It is very interesting, but I feel like we have to go back there. There was something I got a strange feeling by a particular step. I stepped on. It was loose as if it was

hiding something. It may have been something underneath or something maybe even perhaps the workers don't know about. I'm not sure. Ooh, but I see. Well, we now have to find out what that is. We've got to get in there.

How did you feel like? Did you get that high that comes when you've conning somebody? Tell me all about it. Breathe it into my face. I'll tell you, it's a very novel feeling. It's not something I'm very used to. But, yes, it feels rather good.

Pretty sweet, right? It does feel rather good. Now, getting in there, I'm not sure. He talked over and over again about his security and how strong it is, but I walked in both times. Now, granted, it was operating hours, and there were many people on the floor. And they were expecting you. And they were expecting me, but it's not as if I had to walk through some sort of security door. It's not as if there was people waiting outside or if you couldn't stroll right into the warehouse itself.

I didn't see any armed guard. Oh, wait, you had said before that I saw some shady-looking characters. You saw some heavies in there when you went in with Wu kind of walking around. But then this time, heavy's in there again? You saw, they weren't there this time around. And you weren't sure if they were four men or guards. Right. They didn't have any weapons out.

But they weren't doing any work. He didn't see them this time. Okay. All right. Yeah, so, um, sorry I couldn't get more, but he was very good. No, no, old boy. You don't want to stick your neck out too far. That's all well.

Sounds as though if we're going to give a more thorough search to your curious little step, then that falls rather into tilling ass to line. If you thought con and somebody was a high Wait till you break into a place you're not supposed to be It's very fun Oh, am I going too? Well, that's up to you, I guess Well, I suppose

Oh, by the way, I did get you something While I was out with Vaughn's money And he like, you've become fiddles in his pocket He's like, I bought you this pack I knew you were getting into these cigarettes These super floral crazy smelling cigarettes I wanted to give it to you as like an award For your first con

Thank you so much There's supposed to be a great This is supposed to smell like a campfire burning a Rose Garden. Literally, I just had one of these. Oh, then you got a lot of them. This is what Mr. Housmos knows. Oh, then have a blast. Good for the respiration and a tonic for one's nerves, old man.

Yes, I feel like I, yes. As you said, I'm jittery with this high. I'll have another one. Call myself down. Yes. That's a good man. Carter has like a whole sub-like call of just the corruption of Marion. We're going to get you breaking and entering.

We're going to have you committing awesome. See, it's giving them something to focus on. Wait till he commits his first murder. Yes. You'll be jamming out in no time. So, yeah, shall we, will you make an introduction with your contact? Yes, my friend, Anthony, yes.

Let's go over to the Shanghai Chronicle and see if he isn't working on a Saturday. That man works constantly, and so I'm sure he'll be there. Let's give it a shot. Let's give it a shot. Wonderful. All right.

All right, so refer once again to the map of Shanghai here, you will see that sure enough, the Shanghai Carrier is on here, number eight, which a quick search is kind of like right in the middle of the map, direct middle of the map, right where it says Shanghai International Settlement.

It is just to the west of the bend in the Wangpu River there. You'll see that's where the Shanghai courier is north of the old city. And so you, the four of you head there, maybe

The Marion tells you, the Shanghai Courier is an English-Chinese dual-language daily newspaper. It's usually no more than 12 pages long, and in fact it has a dwindling circulation. The courier speaks for property owners and folk of financial substance, especially Occidental Christians. But the accuracy and completeness of its reporting is respected throughout the Far East. You roll up on this building and walk in, and... And it reminds you the scoop, although this is probably slightly more reputable. There's a young man, early 20s, smartly dressed, slick back hair, wearing a Western-style clothing, sitting alone in this little cramped newspaper outfit. And he hears the, ding, ding, ding, as the door opens, he's like, just a moment, just a moment, he's typing.

Just a moment. Finished. Yes, how may help you? Dr. Walsh. Oh, yes. I'm sorry, I recognize your face. I don't remember your name. Matthew Chang.

Oh, wait, he's sitting right up front. The editor-in-chief is just sitting in front of the door. He's the only one here. I don't remember your name. We're a very good friend. Yes, I should have told you that this... Anthony, is that you... You've gotten a haircut.

Oh, yes, well, I need to do something with this mop. What are you doing here? What are you away? I was, yes, on a sabbatical, but I am back a bit early and researching for my book. In fact, that's what brings me. by today. He's given him kind of wide eyes. He's like, I've brought some friends with me if that's okay. Friends, yes.

Yes, research fellows that are looking into this, helping me with my book. Friends from the university? Well, friends of a university. Through academia, yes. Friends who are also doing research of similar topics, yes. Okay, and how

can I help? Well, if there's any way, we could have access to perhaps archives of the newspaper where we're looking back into some history in Shanghai over the last 30 years or so and trying to see if we can't find the answers to some questions that have

been left lingering that the library at the university has not been able to provide us answers to. Yeah, you're more than welcome to. Is there any topics that I might be able to fill you in on? Maybe the industrial development, shipping, the warehouses, that sort of thing. Okay, yeah, you're more than welcome to search for the archives. especially coming with a good friend like this.

Yes, you have free reign. You can hang out there. I'll be here until about probably nine, nine o'clock tonight, hopefully earlier. But you're welcome to stay as long as I'm here and have a go at it. So kind and so generous, Anthony. Thank you so much. And he is Chinese, right? Yeah.

Yeah. So I have the right picture. And you guys. And is he like, are there a lot of people in this room? No, it's just him. It's just, yeah, I'd said that initially. Pranking it out on a Saturday. And he's like, um, all right, so I'm...

And you would know he's like inherited this paper from his father. It's like a dying paper. He's trying to... So I think he's just going to say, why don't you go and start getting a look and start digging into these? And I'll just catch up with Anthony here and you guys get a jump on it. Yes, of course. We promised to leave the place better than we found it. Stretches and cracks her knuckles.

I'll be there at a moment. Uh, yes, sorry, right here in that back room, you're more than welcome. Just pleased to obviously put things. back where you find them. Oh, absolutely. And just in case I get bored with all the research stuff, do you have any extra crossword puzzles around for maybe back issues or...

Oh, no, it's mostly Christian and finance stuff. Oh, I was looking for that and maybe like a dagwood. No. No, I have a... Any back dagwoods? We'll get you a maze from the back of a children's menu. Yes, there may be some discarded children's...

I mean, I like, you know, I like literary nonsense now and again, but I also like to keep my brain sharp. Yes, of course. Of course, we'll be going over the economic dat of the various petitions, old man, and you can do the jumble. Or take a look at the most recent Katzenjama kids. Yeah, that's all I'm trying to do. All right, have a go at it, and I'll be here if I can help shed some light. I wrote most of the articles you're reading are probably all of the articles.

Oh, wonderful. Yes, I'm here as a resource. Always happy. And if there's something I can't answer, I could direct you to the Shanghai Museum. There are people there who actually have knowledge that I do not have. But anyhow, good luck. Good luck in your studies. Bye-bye.

And he lets you in there and closes the door. Dr. Walsh, I haven't seen you in some time. Oh, sorry. I'm thinking this might be a good idea to let them go do something for a little while, was my idea. So he talks, and we cut back to you. Go say something interesting. And then we're back to us. Yeah, it was just like, my God, I've been doing all the talking.

You see, oh, Dr. Walsh, Josh, that's time to get into the stacks. Let's get some library use rolls. There is a lot in here. It's going to take you probably all night to see if anything jumps out at you. Oh, so a lot of time is passing right out of the game. Yeah. I rolled 69 over 53. Oh, Miss Library.

I don't know if I'm going to. I'm not going to say. Let me just roll this. Nope. Yep. You could push, but that. I'm going to push. All right.

Which we're built for. Yes. Along with fighting, swimming. Farras takes off her fake eyeglasses, wipes them off. Satis push. The history pushes. No, okay. Let me think of it from.

Oh, wait, these aren't my glasses. Those glasses are these? You know, I think it's because I was wearing somebody else's glasses. My glasses from when I was in second grade. Yes, I roll to put on my cheaters. What did I take from? What is yours? What did you roll?

I also failed. Three fails. So maybe now you put on your glasses and I don't have them on. Yeah. Push those rules. Keep in mind, failed library uses and like, well, I didn't find anything. It could be that, but it's more like it's just taking time and he told you he's trying to get out of here by eight. Yeah.

A clock. Push it. Yeah. You going to go for it? Oh, yeah. I'm going to push the roll. Okay. All right.

Give me a push. 97. Oh. And what is your library? 53. Oh, okay. Yeah, it's not a false. Not a fumble.

What is, when you're below 50, what is the benchmark for fumble? If you're below 50, 96 to 100. 96 to 100. Yeah. All right, so they're in there. We are going to cut back to you real quickly because they're spending hours and you're going to join them. Yeah. And it's just like...

Quickly after they get in, yeah. Yeah, Dr. Walsh, who are these friends? They are the folks from the warehouse in London. I see Yes They met them on the ship Followed them here Offered them to stay at my place

Offered them to stay at your place Well keep a closer eye I guess that makes sense They had nowhere to stay It seemed like they were on the run So I said come Stay with me I could keep a closer eye

What have you learned Unfortunately not much They haven't admitted to anything yet They keep on about some sort of Grand conspiracy. Sounds a bit crazy to me, but there's a chance they may be on to some sort of terrorist sort of angle.

I don't know. Look, what brings them to Shanghai? That's what I'm trying to figure out. They're being very closed mouth about this whole thing, and they didn't trust me yet. So, little by little, I'm trying to work my way in. Okay, all right. Ultimately, the plan here is find out

if indeed they are criminally involved in these murders. and then discover if this is part of a larger plot on an attack against the UK. Britain, whatever we call it. Right. 1825. And so I need more time, I guess, is what I'm saying. And I have to send them something.

They expected a report from you a couple of days ago. Tell them, we may be dealing here with the tip of the iceberg. Maybe dealing with operators. Maybe dealing with operators of very little significance. In fact, some one or some ones of a much more import that are working on perhaps, as I said, they mentioned something about a weapon. This is what I don't want to spook them yet.

I want to keep on this till I can find out exactly what it is that could be a direct threat to Her Majesty's Kingdom. His Majesty's kingdom These people they seek These terrorists as you say Are they the ones responsible For these bodies they found Henson Manufacturing

As I said they haven't admitted to it yet I feel as if Perhaps they are But I'd like to get it right from their mouth directly All right, I will Buy as much time as I can But you'll need to check back in with me soon Well it's also possible

And look, as I said No proof of anything It's also possible These security guards that they murdered Were part of this whole thing as well Doesn't seem to be convenient Make sure they're not duping you Well, exactly, I'm trying to work it all out

But it does seem to me at least That they seem rather I don't know Not the murdering type That is just a judgment call I know it doesn't really hold up So I'm working it I will stay close to them

And don't let on As to who you really are Just ask them for more time I'm working. I shall. I'll let you know if anything changes. All right. This feline certainly hates Mondays.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha. He seems to have a wheeing passion for Italian. Well, that's all quite hilarious. The party bears on the nature of our investigation. His bumpkins failing library is just like, yeah, Dr. Walsh comes back in. What have we learned? Bloody nothing. I mean, the guy that this cat lives with is a fucking sad piece of shit.

I mean, he can't even get the veterinarian to go on a date with. His opponent, he keeps wanting to ship somewhere called Abu Dhabi. It's a terribly immense archive. But we can't seem to find anything of relevancy, this Warren. You say... No histories of these warehouses, none. I'm not saying they aren't in the... in the wrong place.

We probably have been looking at it. Why don't you take agander? Why don't I roll libraries? Judgey McJudgeson. Man, my library is for a professor is terrible. It just, you only, it's shocking. There's so many skills and so many points to spend. You'd think you really, you're incompetent in a lot of areas.

Yeah, but sometimes you get to roll it and it works out. Yes, sometimes. It's strange that a professor would have so limited library, almost as if you're spending your time doing something. I'll start looking around. Oh, no. 98. Oh, man.

Is that a fumble? That is a fumble. The fumble. Damn, we are not supposed to find this out. Because is he legitimately looking? Well, this is how I'm going to interpret this. When Dr. Walsh comes back in, his mood seems a little different. Like, he seems a little edgy, a little nervous whereas he didn't before.

And I'm kind of interpreting. and this is like, you've been riding a tight line and now between talking with the whole fan, getting in the thick of it, talking with your contact here, you have to like switch back quickly and you let slip for

a moment. Something just seems off, seems a little nervous. That's all. That book's upside down. Oh, so it is. And it's a newspaper. I understand you're quite, we're all... Anything with pages and letters is a book as far as I'm concerned. Jesus. This editor chap out there, trustworthy man?

Oh, yes, yes, the most trustworthy, yes. It seems that we're, I mean, we can't make hide nor hair of this archive. In two languages, nonetheless, can't make a, can't even make an inroad in their coalition system. Is it possible that this gentleman out here might know something of what we're after? Might know something about the whole organization, the movements of militias here in the region? Would it be worth an interview, or do you think that it might put too much, attention on to us. Keep a lower profile. Well, that was my primary concern. Von was shining too much light on us, but no one's here

today besides him. Yes, no one of their eyes. If you trust him. Yes, I do. And I also, though I want to be careful about how we approach these questions, especially as it comes to, Lois's voice, the occult. I don't wish to shine any light on anything of this nature. I don't want him digging into these sorts of things just in case connecting me to it. It spooks people, you understand. There's sort of things. So I don't know.

Maybe we could... You said the militias. We focus on that. Focused on perhaps an imminent, very natural threat to the city, right? Yes. Perhaps that could... It's a good angle. If Brady is a mercenary of sorts, or at least a sort of heavy, throwing his weight around,

making himself known about town, that sort of thing must. might fall into the purview of someone looking at agitators. It's possible. Let me see. And he'll open back up the door. Anthony. Oh, yes. I'm so sorry to interrupt your work.

I really thought we could do this on our own and not disturb you, but we are afraid bashing our heads against a wall back here. Is there any way you could take a moment and help us? Yes, yes. Is there something specifically you're looking for? Well, to be honest, we are concerned, perhaps, about some of the potential militia movement within the city, the uprisings, etc., and we're curious about where some of these movements may have started or may be housed or may be located. Yes, but the paramilitary organizations, agitators, things of that sort, especially if there are collaborators with foreigners, a foreign element. Well, the political situation in China is growing more and more unstable.

by the day, and nowhere is that more evident than here in Shanghai. These private militias are popping up all over the city. Corruption is rife. Criminal gangs are feeding off of all the profits. There is much happening in the city below the surface. It is a tough time. It keeps me in business, of course, but it is not the Shanghai that it could be. Do you know of any reports or reporting in recent months or years concerning these uprisings,

the, perhaps the central, I don't know, masterminds behind them or the central locations of where they operate, those sorts of things? I mean, there are political uprightisings and there are labor uprisings and strikes. It's a mismatch of everything. Anyone who's anyone has their own gang that are affiliated with. But I haven't heard of anything in particular. They're all sort of vying for power. Best case scenario, they all destroy each other. Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, doctor.

for what I'm about to say. We are, of course, dealing in the realm of the rational, the material, those pursuing their ends as agents of their particular government, passion, whatever you. Yes. There's a rather spiritual line to much of your publication. That much I've been able to glean. Yes, I am Christian. Yes, I, too. I am a professor of that faith.

Well You've never seen that You're limp-rusting it You've got to be strong with it What am I to do with that? You're not a 19 Well, contemporary boxer I'm not a

Put up your dukes Yes But I am curious The spiritual dimension I understand A gang is a gang And I'm sure There are Christian elements here

there are no doubt um um buddhist and confusion elements here of course and uh and marion is just like careful vaughn careful like in his head he knows where he's going but i'm i can't resist yeah are there any of these gangs militias so to speak that may not be aligned so much with a political philosophy as they are with a um shall we say a spiritual philosophy Do you take my meaning? No, I'm afraid I don't. I'm sure some of these gangs are united in their religious beliefs, but I don't think they are...

We're talking religiously motivated. Oh, Jesus. We're talking K-U-L-T-S. No, that's not how you... Okay. Part C. Cults. I mean, I've heard rumors about a group known as the order of...

of the order, order of the bloated woman. I believe it to just be another criminal gang using old legends to boost their notoriety amongst their fellow hoodlums and victims. I've yet to see any tangible proof of their existence or the reality of what their beliefs could be. If there was, I would have surely reported on it, but... How long have you been hearing about them?

Oh, off and on, you hear mention of it. That's the only closest thing I've heard of a local... Just cult. Interesting. Interesting. Yes. I... I wonder...

Now, you're a newcomer to our little set, Doctor. But in the places we have been before, misfortune seems to dog our heels. In Peru, in New York, the unfortunate... people disappearing in Harlem. The unfortunate people connected with the Blue Pyramid. I'm curious if there has been a pattern of violence in Shanghai of late. Now, of course, where gangland activity and political unrest takes root, there is always violence.

But I find that there is a disturbing grotesquery to the, violence and strange nature of the of the brutality that is associated with the sort of sets to which we're now speaking in hypothetical terms has there been any crime like that of late there has actually

now that you mention it strange several incidences of victims slain and what the police have determined to be a similar or even identical fashion. What is the pattern, sir?

The pattern. The pattern that they've discovered is, it sounds rather grotesque, but all of the victims had their arms severed from their bodies. And no sharp instruments were left at any of the scenes of the crimes, and the victims apparently were unrelated, which is why they haven't really formally linked them. the only thing that brought them together was the manner of their deaths I think recently

as much as two of these victims have been found per month over the last several months and all of these victims are poor and without any influence so it's not financially motivated or power motivated

someone did mention maybe a madman a serial killer I don't think they were invented yet but someone who killed a lot of people. People. What knows all about? A madman or perhaps?

Yes, a relative. Perhaps a secret cult, as your friend mentioned. Maybe it seems like the activity. It is the sort of rather creative evil that that sort would indulge in. What? Do you know anything about the... And again, I apologize. I know that this is somewhat your bailiwick, but this brotherhood of the bloated woman?

Order of the... Order, order of the black white, the bloated woman. Do you know anything about their particular esoteric beliefs? No, it's really just hearsay at this point. Did you just make that name up? I just made it up right now. Covering for my friend here. Anthony, did you perhaps report on any of these murders?

Are there any newspaper articles or clippings that give any details of the crime scenes that perhaps we could look over. Perhaps the second eye could, something could pop. Yeah, yes, absolutely. I'm sure I could take a moment to bring up a few, because they do happen. They have happened often. Perhaps there's an officer who has been on the scene at these.

It's possible. I mean, the officers have denied that there's any connection between these crimes, which seems crazy to me, the manner in which they're dying, but these are not important people in society. Patterns and rhymes all the way down, what? They're being lashed under the wreck.

The unfortunate, the downtrodden, the impoverished, callously destroyed, rashes of it. Yeah. Strange, strange wounds, patterns of curious wounds. Yes, their work is afoot here. By they we just mean evil people. Unrelated, possibly, to another... Where are these newspapers?

Nice, yes. Let me help. And then he comes into the room with you and spends more time than he probably should helping you find some more information on these things and also kind of helps you navigate the way he has things organized and you soon can realize like, oh, okay, so this is where everything ends. And so you can go all the way back to 1990.

you know, beginning of the Carlisle expedition, kind of see. What jumps out at you? And the stuff he points you to is, in addition to these, you know, brutal murders with the severed arms, there's also several reports spanning the last few years where victims were apparently mauled to death during robberies at their own homes. Malled? Malled? Like by an animal? It just says mauled.

It's unclear. It could be similar to what happened to the Carlisle expedition. Beaten, yeah. To shreds, I believe, was the word. And yet again, there doesn't seem to be any apparent connection between the victims. In their homes? In their homes. Yeah, there are a bunch of robberies where all the people died in, like, brutal fashion.

Police are completely baffled. I'm going to say you spend the rest of the night there once he helps you navigate the rest of these articles. My question, though, is if these people were poor and nothing... of as you said of low-ranking people in society as you had put it why were they being robbed well these people

I don't think were necessarily connected these were just other brutal murders some of them were of means and some not perhaps if it was a single killer or a single group they were after something and these poor people were innocent victims

but it's unclear. The police haven't figured out a connection and it's not my job, really. So these mauling murders are separate of the methodical. You had asked about brutal. From the severed arms. Or at least they seem to

contain within them a separate pattern. Yeah. It breaks the modus operandi. Nice. Very good cart. I'll pick up a thing once in a while. Yeah, we are. Oh my God.

I was looking at it. another newspaper, he's like, this bald kid keeps trying to kick this football and this black-haired chick just keeps putting it away from him. What a shit head. And then has the audacity to offer up psychological advice.

Oh, you read this one? I have. All right, so what I'm going to say is with his help and spending the rest of the day there. I mean, it gets to the point where he's like, I really got to lock. up and you realize, all right, you find what you can. You, uh, you find a few stories that, uh, jump out at you as going all the way back. Four recent articles.

Um, and, and probably the reason they jump out of you is they all suggest, uh, something otherworldly, something monstrous. Um, and I have those articles right here. Ooh. Yes. I think that, uh, this one caught von Zy because it's about the Siemens. Club. He had semen on the brain.

Easy. Yeah. Seamin, yes. Just the sort of chaps that would be wearing an anti-McCata. We'll give one to Nora there. And then one to Rob and one to Joe. Let's go around the horn here. These are the four that by the time Anthony's like, you don't have to, you can't stay here. He didn't know the phrase.

It wasn't invented yet. Tell me about the Siemens Club. Seaman's Club damaged. A portion of the Seaman's Club was destroyed late last night. Inspectors report considerable damage to the riverside of the institution in excess of 8,000 pounds sterling, according to the underwriters. No injury or loss of life is reported. According to unconfirmed, though informed speculation,

seepage undermined a portion of the embankment area upon which the club stands, causing the collapse. Revelers from nearby taverns who were congregating along the riverbank at the time of the incident swear that, quote, strange creatures, unquote, emerged from the water shortly before the building came down. The revelers' stories, while far-fetched,

were a momentary relief to the risky business of sorting through the rubble. That's the sort of thing I would write off as so much idle speculation. More strange creatures Got you Uh, which one did you get, Nora? I got fire on Chinling Road

Okay Three monks have been found dead In a pavilion fire At the Garden of the Purple Clouds of Autumn They are thought to have died Due to an overturned brassiere The names of the deceased Have not yet been released

But a reliable source indicates That all three were respected scholars of Tang Five dynasties and Sung literature their deaths are a profound loss to all who value China's great heritage. Eyewitnesses remarked that the evening fire leapt in an uncanny fashion from one blazing structure to chase the fleeing monks into the second pavilion. A floating cloud of fire followed them, quote unquote, according to Mr. Liu Chen Dai of Brilliant Poppy Lane.

A European was seen leaving the vicinity of the conflagration. police respectively ask for this individual to come forward and give his assistance in their investigation What is so funny from? It's rather macabre, isn't it? Weather, coming to life and seeming to pursue one? Yes. Yeah.

What do you have, car? I got there. Yeah, I got a violent incident on Lantern Street. Police report murders and premises at 88 Lantern Street sometime after midnight last night. The victims were identified as Ms. Reparita Wong, resident at the address, and Mr. Chin C. Cho, whose address was unavailable at the time of publication. Lantern Street Habitu's? Habituir. What's that mean?

You're the book guy. The habit, H.A. People who make a habit of something. Okay, cool. Yeah, guys that hang out at Lanham Street, normally not noted for compassion, were taken aback by the cruelty of the crimes. One witness was so distraught

that she identified the killer as a giant bat. Police inspector Chong indicates that the slings were unusually violent. He requests anyone with knowledge either of Miss Wong or Mr. Chin to make themselves known to his inquiry. Family circus.

And then it's just a little kid running around a house with a bunch of dotted lines after it. I don't get what that means. You know, that Lantern Street is also, I believe, where the Stumbling Tiger bar is. So this is on the same street

as the Stumbling Tiger. Giant bat. Yes. Keep it together, Vaughn. Is Anthony here for all this? I guess we're finding these things. No, I think. I think he showed you, directed you, and then he left.

He's going back to work. But now he's just kind of like waiting for you guys being a nice host. We'll be done soon, Anthony. I promise. I have to not go to the flower girl houses. What have you found, M.W.? Please hurry up. This is not an article so much as perhaps an ad.

I believe that it was purchased. The stars are right. Do not allow dark feet to overwhelm you. Worry not that evil rivals seem to possess secret knowledge that you lack? The answer is in the stars. Consult the heavenly stem and the earthly branch to peer behind the mask and uncover what is lost. A most auspicious future is guaranteed. Contact Shanghai's famous astrologer, Mr. Lung.

129, Kalyang Street. No appointment necessary. Well, that's convenient. Oh, and we've had a lot of luck with fortune tellers. We've had a lot of luck staring into mess. What a lot of luck. Fate over one of you would worry not that evil rivals seem to possess secret knowledge you lack. Interesting.

Some are speaking directly to us. Forgive me, a doctor, for bringing up occult matters, but I think as you can see, they bear rather pressingly on our work. No, you're all right, Vaughan. Your instincts are... Oh, good. but I fear for my friend I may need to speak to him again about

not asking any questions about what we're looking into I don't want him to be following these paths and like you said as you said Carter anyone you seem to come into contact with seems to fall into great danger and I don't wish him to do so it seems as if now their paper has reported on these sort of things

brushed over these unnatural elements as being just that the ravings of madmen or the misunderstandings of someone who had just experienced a traumatic event Yes, yes Let's keep them there in Anthony's mind

Let him think that that's exactly what they are Yes, it is a blessing That manner of ignorance is a blessing Doctor You'll do him a kindness by not telling him Everything you know It's like gets lost in Vaughn's crazy eyes just like

yes of course of course so perhaps this semen's club we could ask there if anyone is remember these creatures

saw them is there a witness named no no I've read you the entire article no no witness's name but of course we could go down to the riverbank to to see its former location as it seems most of it collapsed into the into the bloody river, but to, to perhaps interview one of these revelers in a nearby tavern,

a person who saw the, the creatures so-called, or if any of the seamen are still about, uninjured after the collapse. And at some point what I would like to do is look into what the, this article, according to this article says, these three monks who are respected scholars of Tang, five dynasties, and sung literature, I'm very curious to know what this literature is about. The nature of... Yes. Is that something that I would know?

Or any of those things like theological, theological branches of Buddhism or anything like that? Or are these, like, faiths that I would not have ever heard of before or be familiar with? I think, well, Or are they even faith related? I think these are era-related. Tang Five dynasties. I believe this is, this is... Yeah, era.

The Tang Dynasty, the Five dynasties. And the song, yeah. Got it. Yeah, so maybe there's folklore to look into. Maybe something, I don't, I'm not sure, but... Someone mentioned a museum earlier, I think it was your friend. Ah, yes. Perhaps this is, now, of course, you were a theological sort,

but perhaps there is an expert of, on the more trans mundane theologies here that we could interview about the particular folklore of these errors and more about this

rather grotesquely named order plus this giant bat thing oh yes and also in the bat we've not the first time we've heard about some sort of like bat monster correct and also the way that this this fire was

described, a floating cloud of fire that followed them is and she looks at Vaughn and at Carter much much like the strange weather phenomenon of fog yeah so you told me much about that

yeah oh that's right they fought a fog monster in London just a thing that made a pure fog that went up their nose to suffocate them yeah try to get in our holes How did you survive that?

But I wasn't there at the time. Just ran away? Nope. I lit my scarf on fire and waved it and figured it wasn't choking me anymore. And so we all crossed the streams of... Oh, wow. I mean, it was almost lights out for at least two of you. Yes.

You're walking home at night. Oh, my gosh. I don't want to fight one of those things that's also on fire. Yes, yes. The fog, as you described it to me, was... What would the word be? It was photophobic. repelled by light

Fire which gives light Are you all Sorry to rush you We've kept you late on your No no no it's fine I've got the rest of the evening You're welcome to come back In fact I'd love for you to Come back and spend more time here

But you may find that the museum Offers you a little more knowledge But it was wonderful meeting all of you Always pleasure to see you. Thank you, Anthony. Thank you so much for your hospitality. I'll be in touch. Yes.

One more article you see that just kind of catches your eye as you're walking on. I'll say Carter, who's been kind of lost in the funny pages. You just see this thing. What is that? Six months ago. I see six months prior to your arrival here. There's this brief account of a huge, huge wave swamping a trawler boat working near something known as the gray dragon shoals.

It seems like out in the ocean offshore of mainland China. And this quote from the survivor says that it seemed like this wave came out of nowhere and struck him on a calm day. And several people died and he was the only survivor. Is there a name that we can jot down? Address. There's a name, but it's like a super common name. Okay. Rogue wave.

John Smith. John Smith. Chinese equivalent of John Smith. All right. Get the fuck out. Yes. Yes. Goodbye.

Thank you. We didn't find anything weird. We've opposed on you too much. Now it's 9.30. 10 o'clock. Saturday night. Saturday night in Shanghai. What are we doing?

Saturday night in Shanghai. Well, I need a drink. Yes. You're here. Shall we go see what remains at the the Seaman's Club? On. Easy Vaughn.

No, what do you think it is? I would be listened. Is that the sort of place that we can just get a drink? Or is it more exclusive? Sounds like it fashions. Sounds like it fell into the damn swamp. But according to the article I peruse, there are nearby taverns where revelers saw strange things in the water.

So. I hit a bar around the ruins. Perhaps those taverns are still uproves. right. Yes, please. Let's head that way. Kill two birds with one stone. Yes. Get a drink and glues. All right. You swim on over to the Siemens Club.

And you get there and it's just wreckage. You get to the scene and does anyone have like mechanical repair or science, either geology or engineering to try and figure out like, you know, get to the scene. the bottom of this, looking at like, how could this have, how could this have happened? Maybe it's not my area of study, my friend. I have 14 in mechanical repair. Better than me. Very low, but it's better than nothing. I mean, it doesn't hurt to try, right? Yeah, no. I never, well, unless I fumble. Push, push, push. I charm the ruins. I rolled a 39. And what was it?

20-something, 24? 14, no. It's still, I think I don't have, I don't have a lot of luck to spend. I'm very, my skill's even worse, but I think it was Vaughn's, was compelled to come here, and he's poking around, looking at the wreckage keenly. Maybe he'll get lucky, who knows. Yeah. He doesn't.

He falls into the water. Yeah, I mean, you're, you're standing there in the middle of the night. And so you can't see much, but you're just like, big-ass structure. you're rationalizing it part of it's like oh maybe there was like it's right near the water maybe you know the docs loosened it and there was some sort of seepage or maybe there was something

helped the whole thing collapsed yeah I can't remember was it a fire or it collapsed and now it's gone I have the article here the creatures from the sea The article said that the main report that was put out is that seepage undermined a portion

of the embankment area eroded it and the whole damn thing fell into the water but um other people these drunk people said no it's just shouldn't see now granted this is the eyewitness account of a of a of a of a barfly it's probably getting tight in the local tavern

but sorry what am I seeing now just wreckage just wreckage this and how long ago was this ballpark because I'm thinking 1919 like was this six years ago no no this this was a little

over a month ago. Okay, so that's why it's completely unfixed. You might have even heard of it. But half of the building is still standing. A portion of the Siemens. What I would like to do seeing this crumbled in, if it sounds like there are taverns nearby this structure, according to the article anyway,

do I see anyone in naval regalia walking around this neighborhood reveling tonight? Oh yeah, there's people going in and out of a bar that's right across the street from the scene. Get up that tavern. Yeah, a place with the Seaman's club falling down. Of course, the seamen will overflow into other

bars. It's jam time. Let's follow that semen. Always overflowing. Yes, the bars was overflowing with semen. So it was all over the streets. It's all over the streets. It's everywhere.

All right, so you go in. Wait, sorry, before we go in. Yeah. I'm sorry, I said that it was complete wreckage. It's a, and that I misspoke. It's a portion of the club. The Riverside portion. Yes.

So is there a way that we can walk into the still standing area? You can. I mean, it's blocked. off, but yeah, you can. But we could get in there. Yeah, it looks like they're trying to fix it, and they've stopped for the day at the middle of the night. Let's get in there a little bit.

Before we have a drink. Unless you want a little liquid courage. Can I do a look around? That's what I was going to do if we'd plug in. That sort of thing. No, no, no, no, no. I was just going to, like, go in and just maybe get up to where it didn't fall in. I guess what?

Yeah. Because the seepage thing and then the fish monster thing, I'm wondering if I can find, like, where the collapse happened, looking for something that's a little bit more like, is. suspicious, maybe fish claw marks. You go, and I'll keep a lookout. Make sure no one comes in behind. Yeah, I'm just going to inhale some asbestos real quick.

So you just walk over there and... Yeah. I don't want to get in the water. Yeah. At this point, we know things can happen. But I want to go up to where it looks like everything kind of went in. Okay. Snoop around.

Spot a hidden. Yeah, give me a spot hidden. Fuck. Nope. Nothing. Nothing. yeah it's very odd it's like a portion of the building has just been shaved off almost purposefully into the sea yeah okay and this was what this was exactly this was a bar is that what there was a seaman's club so it was a

private club for private club for naval personnel yeah uh and you see those people they've they've moved location now they're hanging out let's go to where they see anybody in in a English or Navy insignia. From outside, no, when you walk in. Give me a luck roll. Those are the guys that have the Donald Duck Hats. Yeah. And whatever the backflops is called.

Success. Yes, you do. We can compliment their abrogate gases, whatever they're called. Yeah, if you have a success there, then yeah. There is a, in fact, I'm looking up the historic. nature of the club. It was a building for foreign merchant semen with a combination in a large restaurant serving sailors who had missed their ship or just needed a place to stay. So it would be more likely for there to be

foreign sailors. So maybe not a naval officer, but a merchant seaman, but maybe I just hear the mother tongue coming from someone at the bar. Let's get some mozzarella streets. Sure, it's a club. I think it's some past apps. I bought some apps. Can I say something? pretty insane. Yeah, I wish

you would. I was just... You've been to the Seaman Slov? No, I was looking out for Cadas. He was exploring, making sure there was... And I'm looking at the side of this building. It's just so strange. It seems to almost be sloughed off, like, as if

some great knife filleted the back of this building, clean off. And I don't have much experience in this area, but I do have a 10 in mechanical engineering. So I rolled it.

And I rolled a fucking two. Which is an extreme success. It's just like looking at the back of it. I would say it is that. I wasn't even going to mention it because I was just going to roll it and it fails. And I just like, I'm looking at the side of this building. And I don't know. Do I see anything that could be like there's no way this was a collapse from water getting into the bottom of the building?

That's exactly what you see with an extreme success. There is no way any seepage caused this collapse. Something external had to have caused it. It just doesn't make sense. You would see signs of seepage. Yeah. And looking at, what is it, brick? Is it made of brick?

It's brick and wood. Brick and wood. Yeah, there's no signs of anything that would have undermined the structure. And in the areas where it fell, it's like clean cut almost. Yeah, it's almost like it was, you know, targeting a specific section of the building. That's the vibe you get, like, because it's not even like a cut. convenient space to do it. Can I just, while I'm waiting,

just sort of kick through and root through some of the bricks that are there on that side or that had fallen pieces of wood, anything, any sign of anything that might be on a piece of fallen rubble? Yeah, you root through it. A lot of is in the water. Okay, so it fell off into the water. Yeah, and they've cleared away a lot of the stuff. But like, you look around, there's nothing really laying around.

Okay. So just kicking through bricks, it's just like, there's no way. there is no way Carter Huh There is no seepage I mean I think we suspected that But I Just look at it

It's so intentional As if something from the outside knew there was something In this portion of the building That had to go It just cut it off I wonder if something from the outside Pulled it down

Or something from the inside blew it out Perhaps a sailor saw something Let's get that drink Let's follow Vaughn Well there's the familiar tones of the motherland. I've never seen Vance so excited

to go into a bar before either. Hello, old boy. Skipping a step. Rule Britannian and all that. I'm sorry, do we knew each other. No, I can't say we do. But I couldn't help it over here. Over here, your voice.

Oh, yes, a fellow countryman. Yes, over there. Are you a merchant officer? What brings you to Shanghai? I was an officer at a time, but of a more terrestrial nature. I didn't keep my caught upon the waves, as it were. I see, I see.

Well, good greetings to you and all that British stuff. Making time in Shanghai long. Well, you know how it is for someone like me, in and out, as it were. Yes, in and out indeed. Yes. Villiers is the name. All right. Oh, my God.

Honk. A terrible business about across the plaza. there. What? I'm a strange. Oh, yes, yes. I must say I had a chance to spend some time there before the unfortunate...

Really, a member of the club, were you? Once in a while, I'm not here that often, but when I am, this is a good area for people such as me. My, my, were you there that night? Um, uh, if I there that night, that's a good question. Um...

Yes! If I said, no, this conversation would be ending much sooner. I had to dig for a moment. I was, yes. I love the GM thing. Like, do I want to do this now? Yes, yes. What's that?

I've been drinking, I've been drinking for hours. I'll have to excuse me, he puts his hand on his shoulder. You know how it is. For us, Englishman, we just love to drink. Yes, yes, yes, yes. One must keep oneself lubricated, what? Now, I'll have two of what he's having. Oh, and one for me.

There's a good chat. There's a good chat. A little tilting of the wrist. Never hurt no man. How do you do that again? Yes. Ah, that's fun for you. You just rub them?

Yes, cheers. All right. Well, yes. Cheers to you. I, oh, so many, the sights and sounds of this place, you turn one's senses practically upside down. Oh, that's why. What must it have been like on that night?

There, in the bosom of your fellow man, there, in your cups with other fellow pliers of the waves, only to find the whole damn thing give way under you. What's been a terrible shock? It's very important. They had to clear the whole place out, but luckily no one was injured, although, you know, to ask around here, other people would say different. Oh, really? What would they say? Well, they said there was a man staying in that room that either ran away or is at the bottom of the sea.

But, you know, nobody was ever found, so the papers said that no one actually died, but, you know, they say there was a man in that room. The room that was swept away. Yes, the room that was basically carved right off the side of the building. an American, I believe. Almost as if it was a targeted attack by the water itself. Montague, what was the name of that man that was in that building there? Yes, who was it, I dare say. John Smith?

John Smith? Yes. You said John Smith? Yes, his name was John Smith, some American man. But, you know, they never saw him again. So it's very well he's at the bottom of the room, but maybe he found some way out, you know. The drunks around here, they say there were these monster.

that came from the sea, but I don't believe any of that. Even in my drunkest moments, I never believe that monsters exist. Yes, yes, yes. It has to be a damn fault, David, I say. It is in our drunkenest moments that we that we find the leithy that lets us forget that such things exist.

I've never seen Vaughn this happy. Yes, in his element. Where did him go? Thank you, thank you ever so much. Let the man work. John Smith, was it? Yes, I believe some of the men around here, They worked at the Siemens Club.

They may know more. Well, I suppose I might give a little chat to them. Forgive me for being so curious. Oh, no, please. Find your way back over, Mr. Villias. Yes. My name. Don't worry about it.

Yes, I understand. This is probably the hardest part of what you do. No, you know, call me Jim Davies. Jim Davies. Well... Yes. Jim Davies. Jim Davis.

Jim Davis, yes. I usually don't give my name a straight. Well, I like the cut of your gym. Villiers, was it? Villiers, yes. Yes, sir, well... Make sure you find your way back over. Oh, circle back.

Maybe find you one day. Not a Monday. Don't know what that means. Yes. All right. I'll take my drinks and sort of tuddle away back to you lot. What did he say? I don't know if you caught any of that, but yes.

I heard the name John Smith yelled about. Well, an obvious, obvious pseudonym. A little more, more theory, more of it resolving. Moment by moment, yes, said that someone was keeping his room there. I don't know if you saw that building we just looked at, but it didn't look as though it was any sort of natural collapse. It looked like something had sucked part of it off. Humor just telling Carter.

And I feel this if there was something, some, some cursed thing in that side of the building. Was it the man himself? The man, it was as though, he said, the disaster targeted a single room where one man was staying. This mysterious John Smith, an American. Although I don't think that John Smith is a likely name for someone. Seems rather a John Doe.

And I know one American, one American indeed, who is probably trying to keep a low profile. And some power is certainly dogging his skin. heels trying to dispatch him. And it seems that after this particular incident at the Siemens Club, that chap just disappeared, body never recovered. Who else do we know

who has absconded himself from Shanghai lately? Jack Brady. Yes. Jack Brady has not delivered any messages at the tea house in months. Yes. Going back to exactly when this club collapsed. Yeah, does that do the dates sort of

correspond kind of? Time seems to match up with what you've heard so far. you know he stopped coming around to the autumn morning tea house right around the same time when this happened they're not exact and you're getting a lot of hearsay here but there does seem to be a picture that's being painted here so maybe we maybe they got them two options yes telling us either the unfortunate mr brady was consumed by whatever disaster claimed that portion of the club or if the body was never recovered perhaps he made good as escape and what we've heard intimated there are the stumbling tiger

is in fact true that he's outside of Shanghai having given this order or this fish people or whoever that devil it is that Gavigan is communicating with has given them the slip well why don't we try to find some drunky around here and talk to them about what creatures they saw

yes by all means let's talk to more semen there's an old man in the corner he's just got like wisps of gray hair and a long mustache and he's shirtless and he's just sitting in the corner drinking I'm going to see

that guy seems pretty cool I'm going to go with you maybe hey should we bring Ferreuse just in case you know a little eye candy no offense you know just in case he doesn't want to talk to us

but you know you're you and Hayrus looks at the nearest table grab somebody's shot. Takes it. Tillinghouse. Thank you so much. You don't have to do anything on Cuth, you know?

He starts walking over to this old man. How would I? What is that song you're singing? It is so familiar. What is it? It's a Bible song. Bible song. Bible song.

A him? Yes, it's a him. It's a him. Or her. Oh, shit. There we go. It's 1920-something. You could be her.

May I join you for a moment? Would you mind? Please, I'm sorry. I'm just singing to myself. No, not at all. I must admit. I must admit he gets really close. I've been drinking. Your singing is what brought me over, but you're in good company. We'll have a good drink as well. Yes, and a good song.

And in fact, this one's for you. And Carter just gives them... Oh, what is this? We didn't even answer and you drank it That was good, that went down well You finished it Yes But one ever talks to me, this is nice

What's your name, where are you from? My name is Dr. Marion Wesley Walsh And I am from London I am from London Yes Visiting and I had I hoped to

Is that where the clock is? Yes A lot of them Yes What time is it there Is it the same time as it is here? No, it's an entirely different time. GMT.

It's crazy. Where are you from? I'm from here. Oh. Yeah, yes. Born right here in this bar. My grandfather owned this bar, and my father met my mother here, and made me in that bathroom. Oh, wow.

And then she drank throughout her entire pregnancy. Amazing. You can't tell. Yes, she had me at three months. Oh, my name. The whole damn family history. Somehow I've seen a miracle you survived. See, miracles happen every day.

Strange occur strange occur Rather a lot in this little corner of Shanghai Hey, let's talk. My name is Mr. Young, by the way, Wang Yong. Oh, Peru's Gibran. Oh, thank you. Oh, dear. Listen, Mr. Wang Yong.

Sir, that is my fiancé. You're licking. Oh, my apologies. Should I lick your hand as well? If you insist. Oh, this is lovely. How on a go? We haven't been here for very long,

and we couldn't help but notice. The, uh, what we, what we now know as the semen's club? Oh, yeah. Oh, terrible tragedy, terrible tragedy. Monsters. What? Yes. Do you, the semen?

Tell me? No, don't get me started with them. They have a couple drinks. They turn out of monsters. But I'm talking about the creatures from the sea that came. I saw it. I wasn't the only one. No, friends, my friends.

Creatures from the sea. Yes, fish people. They were like fish. I'm telling it they were walking fish. Whoa. How large were they? Like you and me Except they're fish faces

Law big eyes, fish Hands and feet In hands I don't know They just you saw them In the dark of night They looked like fish people What were they? This happened

After the back of the building fell off I'll tell you what happened Please I'll tell you what happened We don't need to get that close I can hear you from here Grabbed you real close I was outside

I had to relieve myself And the bathroom was full The very bathroom Where I was conceived Oh wow full circle moments Yes it's always It's always hard to go back in there because I miss my parents so much. They moved.

And so I went outside. They have never called. I went outside to go to the bathroom. And I heard the sound like a crack of thunder, shook the whole street. And so I stumbled across the street. I thought the world was ending. And I go out there, and I swear to you, there were these critters, these people. How many of them?

Look like me in you. Three, four, maybe two. And they're like, what are these men? Coming out of the water, is this some sort of attack from the Japanese? Perhaps this Japanese scuba divers coming to attack the Seaman's Club. So I looked at them, like, yes, they are. Clearly, there's some sort of fins and whatnot. Special forces.

No, they weren't scuba. Their faces, they were the face of fish. And they just were hanging out or they were going to... Oh, they went after the building, and they tore this room straight from the building. They were trying to get inside or on what? Fish people With their own hands It's with their own hands

It's with their fishy claws Did you see them Disappear back into their element Funniest thing At that moment The film cut And I woke up Hours later

Ass up On the bar They let me stay there I don't remember how I got back to there But there were fish people And they were able to pull a building Down with their bare hands They're fish fans

And you said a friend of yours saw this as well. I wasn't the only one, yes. I Wang Yong saw it. My friends over there, saw it, you ask around. They'll tell you there were fish people. I wasn't the only one.

Well, why do you suppose they didn't speak about it or report more about it? They told the police. But the police don't believe that there were fish people. They don't want to see the truth. Yeah, well. Yeah, I suppose it does.

Right. You and I are truth seekers, my friend. Yes. You and I are after the same knowledge. Is this happening, right? It is not. You just told me you're engaged, but I feel like something's happening. That depends. Does anything else, is there anything else that you could...

You're doing great, famous. Thank you. Is there anything else that you could... When else do you want to know? I'll tell you whatever you want. No, I'm not. Do you want a shirt? No, no, it's hot.

Okay. The more I drink, the harder I get. Do you know? Do you know of any of any of any of any of your friends taking residence within that, the? Oh, I don't know. Those sorts of fancy types. They come here. Now they come here.

Now that their precious club is under construction. But no, before they would fraternize with someone like me. Yes, no John Smiths ever cross your path. I don't know. I don't know what that is. Do you have to have been a seaman to go in there and hang out? I think it's preferred in semen only. Oh, well, that leaves me.

It's a club. Fancy club. Can't have people like me in there. They want shirts and shoes. Yes. Do you know anyone that was conceived and born in the Siemens Club? I'm sure there's been a couple. Well, you've been ever so helpful. No, you have.

Have a good night. Mr. Young. Mr. Wong. Please, Mr. Wang. Mr. Wang. Yes, I'll think of you every time I go to the lavatory. You see my parents, tell them, I love. I will do

And so I shall But he comes in close to Vaughn as we walk away Yes I mentioned the name John Smith Just thinking of this now Did you by any chance Show him The picture Brady

Ask if he'd seen him I did not confirm it But I suppose it's not Well he was outside anyway right Yes But Jim Davies Directed you to someone That worked at the Seaman Club

Who also said they knew about this John Smith Oh right Let's go start to that I walk over to that guy. Oh, hello. What is his name? Jim Davies. No, the first guy was Jim Davies.

Montague. Bill Wattuckettleson, Montague. Oh, yes. Hello. Where is it that you were from? Oh, I'm from London all over. Yes, we're all. Yes, but I have been in Shanghai for some time.

Fellow countrymen, yes? Yes, rather a useless question here. We're all from somewhere, but we come here to forget. What is your question? I'm curious if you laid eyes on a particular scene. I've laid eyes on many a seaman. Yes. I'm curious if you've laid eyes on this one.

Stout himself John Smith, I believe. Oh. Just a drawing, I know, but the... This is the gentleman. This is the gentleman. And who disappeared in the crash. Yes. The police didn't believe us when we said that there was a man.

But this is the man. And we flows in on Jeff Brady's face. And we'll see you next week. Yes. Oh, we cannot wait until next week. That is amazing. Respond. Respond.

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