“Ah, it is you… I have been waiting to hear of the path you have chosen.” The informant welcomed the guest with her typical hospitable smile. But the answer she would receive did not align in the slightest with what she had been predicting. They wanted a way out. Out of the City, away from everything that had been taking place and most importantly, to run from what was yet to come. An uncharacteristic shock flashed across the informant’s face for just a brief moment, before returning to her normal business-oriented appearance. Fu Ji knew of ways out of the City, of course, but they were slightly… off-the-grid, such as supply deliveries and smuggling operations. More official transportation options in and out were extremely scarce and expensive. But after all, there was no real reason for the people to leave the safe and prosperous city. The vast majority would not survive on their own elsewhere anyway, after getting used to the life provided by NAGA.
“And you are sure that this is the path you desire? Do not misunderstand, it is not my intention to sway you from your course. Nor to prevent a lovely little transaction from taking place...” Behind her typical almost ruthless greed, a slight amount of concern for her client could be discerned. But the disheveled client was certain of this, at least. They had made their choice and they would see it through to the end.
The informant thought for a moment, before reaching out for a small napkin-sized holopad and began to scribble on it with her finger. “There’s this smuggler I’m rather well acquainted with, down at the docks. A shipment is outbound tonight. As to where...” She stops scribbling, takes a look at her exhausted guest and smiles. “Well, we’re not business partners, officially, so you’ll need to figure that part out yourself. But it’s a way out of the City, tonight. Here, catch.” She flicks the light holodeck flying through the room like a playing card before getting caught in the wannabe escapee’s slightly shaky hands. “The price is on the pad; just tap ‘accept’ and the details are yours.” The smug informant smiled once more, now with her eyes closed and hands clasped together. The client hesitated for a brief moment, but with a trembling finger accepted the deal. Their choice was already made after all; this was but a formality.
Despite the abrupt departure of one tired, scared and hesitant piece of the puzzle, the conflicts within Neo One Han City continued to escalate as one could easily predict. Fu Ji acting as the neutral informant reveled in this, racking in massive profits from information-seekers on all sides of the conflict. In such an extreme state of affairs, knowledge of all kinds of things becomes invaluable, and no better source exists in the City.


As for the Congregation, the timing of the rebels’ sudden uprising could not have been worse. They were not ready and not prepared enough for what the first days had in store for them, and with the entire city engulfed in chaos, finishing their plans became nigh impossible. The destruction took their toll on the Congregation’s facilities and engineers, slowing down the process of finishing the mind-uploading datajacks, and with the city in widespread panic, finding a trustworthy and willing testing group for them became almost impossible. There was also the now very high risk of the Sentry finding out about their plans one way or another through their war on the rebels. The clock was against them, and the Congregation decided to gamble.  There would be no more testing and no more development. They would do it live.
And so they did, merely a few days after the declaration of war – the entire Congregation, all at once, jacked themselves in, in hopes of achieving Convergence, unity with NAGA… and succeeded. The datajacks actually worked, and the bodies of the Congregation’s followers all went limp at once as their consciousnesses left their mortal bodies and merged with the artificial intelligence of NAGA, creating a sinful fusion of man and machine. Yet the bliss of the Congregation, if any of them were capable of feeling that any longer, was short-lived. The Convergence from NAGAs point of view was akin to an unwelcome infestation, and overcoming that infestation caused its processes to run rampant, making very strange and unconventional decisions and in turn giving much lower ratings than usual to those still playing at Soul Shrines. NAGA’s struggles with adopting its new and unforeseen brain power was just more fuel to the fire for the rebellion. For the first time in ages, NAGA showed weakness, and that was precisely what the rebels wanted to see. Combined with the attacks on NAGA’s supportive facilities and server rooms, the functionality of the serpent was hamstrung, and the City’s fundamental operating principle was consequently in tatters. For the average citizen however, this had a dramatic effect. Their stable and safe lives, all fueled by NAGA-powered systems and supported by NAGA-powered bots, were suddenly torn apart and replaced with violent chaos, fear of the unknown and actually having to take care of oneself just to survive. 
While the regular populace suffered, the rebels were feasting. Their goal was clearly within reach. But just like the Congregation, the rebels were not fully prepared for what awaited them. NAGA’s downfall left the City with some very large boots to be filled, but it would ultimately not be the rebels that would take the power to themselves. Instead, the Viper Sentry saw the opportunity and decided to grasp it. Unknown to the general public and the rebels, the Sentry had been in possession of an immensely large hidden arsenal of weapons and well-trained personnel, and with a brutal and swift pushback sliced the untrained and unprepared rebellion into scattered pieces, claiming Neo One Han City for themselves. 
Fu Ji sets a teacup down on her desk. From the windows of the physical embodiment of the Luck and Fortune Office, a now seemingly calm city goes on about their new daily lives under the Sentry’s iron fist. The age of digital, NAGA-approved mahjong is over for the time being, as the snake has yet to recover, but it is not replaced by the liberated mahjong of the rebellion’s desires. Instead, the Sentry has revealed its true colors, and began to advocate for the outright ban of mahjong altogether, along with the renaming of the city. And the Sentry’s previous loyalty and interest in the revival of NAGA seems to have faded with the corrupting effect of their newly received power, now showing far more interest in continuing their own rule.
The past weeks have been rather enjoyable for her to observe. After all, she has been watching this city from the shadows for centuries, and even with its unpredictable whims of fate, it has never failed to provide entertainment (and wealth) for the sly informant. A sudden knock is heard from the door, and her drone is swift to fly over to the door and turn the handle, opening it to reveal a cat-eared girl in a hoodie, battered and bruised. Fu Ji turns around in her chair, instantly recognizes the rebel, and smiles. The catgirl steps into the office and smirks defiantly, despite her disheveled state. “All last is just the beginning. We still fight. I need names and addresses.” Fu Ji clasps her hands. “That can be arranged.”