Extra Chapter: The Kitten in the Dark Alley

  Jan 2071, Quebec Slums | "Undercurrents Stirring"

  Quebec's winter days, the air sharp and cold, the streets of the old city district permeated with a dilapidated sense utterly incongruous with the prosperous downtown. Gabriel Tremblay, Senior Deputy Commissioner of the RCMP , wearing an inconspicuous old overcoat, walked alone through them. He was conducting a secret investigation, trying to determine the connection between the criminal network entrenched here and several cases of high-tech military cybernetic smuggling—being hands-on was both his greatest strength and greatest weakness.

  His attention was drawn to a group of children playing on a street corner. They wore ragged clothes, yet their eyes were exceptionally alert, unlike ordinary children. Gabriel's keen instinct told him these children were manipulated "eyes" and "hands." Sure enough, a boy about seven or eight years old "accidentally" bumped into him, nimble fingers already probing into his coat's outer pocket.

  Gabriel sneered inwardly, deliberately pretending to be completely oblivious. His pocket contained only some loose change and a disguised tracker. His goal wasn't to catch a petty pickpocket, but to follow the vine to the melon, find the "spider" controlling them behind the scenes, see if he could obtain some useful intelligence.

  He maintained distance, watching those children dart into the intricate maze of alleys like startled beasts after their successful theft. Gabriel immediately followed, the tracker's signal and his experience guiding him deeper into this urban labyrinth. The alleys grew narrower and darker, pedestrians nearly extinct.

  Just then, the situation changed abruptly!

  The front and rear alley exits were suddenly blocked by several large, fierce-looking men. More figures emerged from both sides' fire escapes and behind dumpsters. Their movements were coordinated, eyes cold, clearly not ordinary street thugs.

  "Commissioner Tremblay," the lead man spoke in accented French, smiling without warmth, "your investigation should end here."

  Gabriel's heart sank. Trapped! This was an elaborate trap, using his investigative psychology to lure him to this dead end. The opponents were from the smuggling gang! He quickly drew his gun, but the enemy had superior numbers and firepower. Pulse energy beams crisscrossed in the narrow alley, Gabriel fighting back valiantly using cover and experience, but outnumbered, his left arm was soon grazed, movement hindered, clearly about to be surrounded.

  Just as he was nearly despairing, a petite figure leaped down from a high wall's ventilation opening like a specter!

  It was a girl who looked only about ten years old, wearing dirty old white clothes, yet her movements were startlingly fast! She landed silently, like a hunting cat, instantly closing in behind the two thugs nearest him. Her hands struck precisely at the neural cluster points on their necks, the two men collapsing with muffled groans before understanding what happened.

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  "This way!" The girl's voice was crisp and urgent, grabbing the stunned Gabriel's arm. "Quick!"

  Gabriel had no time to think much. Following years of police instinct, he chose to trust this sudden ally. The girl knew this labyrinthine alley network intimately, pulling him through narrow gaps, over low walls, through abandoned buildings. She could always predict the pursuers' blocking routes in advance, nimbly avoiding wave after wave of searches. Her speed made even Gabriel, a rigorously trained veteran officer, struggle to keep up, yet she maintained an effortlessly steady demeanor.

  Over ten minutes later, they had completely shaken off the pursuers, emerging from the other end of the alley, the district police station's lights visible not far away.

  Only then did Gabriel have the opportunity to carefully observe his lifesaver. She had dark hair, a youthful face yet bearing a determination beyond her years, exceptionally bright eyes as if harboring enormous energy.

  "Child... thank you! You..." Gabriel adjusted his condition, shock beyond measure. This girl's displayed physical capabilities, reaction speed, and tactical awareness were simply astonishing.

  The girl just shook her head, pointing toward the police station: "You're safe. I should go." Turning to leave.

  "Wait!" Gabriel called out to her, a thought surging powerfully. "Please give me a chance to thank you. I'm just... very surprised by your abilities. Can I buy you a hot chocolate? And... I have a request."

  Perhaps it was Gabriel's sincere attitude that moved her, or perhaps she was fearless herself—the girl hesitated, then nodded.

  In the fast-food restaurant next to the police station, Gabriel learned the girl's name was Valeria Mendoza, 12 years old. Subsequently, with great curiosity, he invited Valeria to the station's physical training center for an "unofficial" test.

  The test results left all officers present dumbfounded. Valeria's neural response speed, body coordination, cybernetic control precision all far exceeded her age group, even comparable to many specially trained SWAT officers. Her cyberbrain's compatibility with her cybernetics was astoundingly high, as if they were originally symbiotic, able to maximize every bit of performance.

  "This... how is this possible?" Gabriel looked at the data report, incredulous.

  Through consulting medical records and visiting the community, Gabriel learned the story behind it. Valeria had suffered from an extremely rare genetic disease in early childhood that gradually stiffened the body, struggling for years with severe pain and restricted movement. It was a charitable foundation and the new gene therapy "Spring of Hope" that gave her new life. During the long battle with illness, she endured unimaginable pain, greatly tempering her willpower. Later, after cyberbrain and cybernetic technology became widespread, she underwent conversion, completely escaping the disease. Precisely because her brain had long been accustomed to precisely controlling a "disobedient" body under extreme conditions, driving highly coordinated cybernetics now became unusually easy.

  What moved Gabriel even more was that neighbors without exception praised Valeria's kindness and integrity. She was always grateful, often helping others, deeply detesting illegal activities in the neighborhood, possessing an almost instinctive sense of justice.

  Gabriel looked at this girl before him with clear eyes, rough background yet incredibly powerful, making an exceptional decision in his heart.

  "Valeria," he said solemnly, "your talent and your character shouldn't be buried here. Are you willing to accept a challenge? In my capacity as Senior Deputy Commissioner of the RCMP, I'm making an exceptional recommendation for you to enter the RCMP Academy youth program. In the future, you might become a true guardian."

  Valeria froze. She looked at the commissioner's sincere, expectant eyes, then at her own hands that once couldn't even hold a spoon steadily, yet now could strike down criminals. Finally, she nodded firmly, eyes shining with unprecedented, hope-filled light.

  In that filthy dark alley, a high-ranking police official escaped a conspiracy's deadly disaster, while a future star of justice was quietly born.