Jack: <Player's Name>, I don't think that body in the river is supposed to be part of the scenery!
The Bureau goes to Leshan in the Sichuan province of China to investigate about Zhao Mei's ties with SOMBRA and why she decided to run away from home. Following Dupont's advice, Jack and the player visit the city's famous Lotus Bridge, where they find the body of Li Jun, an adoption agency worker, floating in the river.
Tropes:
- Animal Disguise: Wang Fan, the panda reserve worker you meet in this case, is seen wearing a panda disguise to make the animals more comfortable around him. Jack even mistakes him for a real panda the first time you encounter him.
- Animal Lover: Fan really loves the pandas he's taking care of, and April later runs to the reserve to live with the pandas until Angela finds her.Fan: I think she came by the other day to admire the pandas. Lots of people do. Because pandas are adorable.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: Fan claims the victim was a bad person because she shoved one of the pandas out of the way and hurt their paw, so he isn't sad about her death.
- Bludgeoned to Death: The victim was killed by being hit in the head with a vase.
- Connected All Along: The victim turns out to be an important link regarding SOMBRA's business over East Asia, as she was investigating the orphan disappearances the organization has been behind of. Thanks to the notes she left behind, the Bureau is able to obtain a lead about where to investigate next.
- Contrived Coincidence: Ellen just happened to stumble upon the adoption agency worker that denied her application for getting a child years ago during one of her travels, and the fact that Jun didn't remember her made her snap and kill her.
- Distressed Dude: At the beginning of Chapter 3, you're tasked with rescuing SILVERee before he gets eaten by a panda.
- Dreadful Musician: Jack absolutely cringes in second-hand embarrassment after he sees the video the victim filmed of SILVERee singing.SILVERee: There's PANDA-monium in my heart! My love for you tears me apart.My sadness and euphoria blur, like black and white panda fur![Recording ends]Jack: What... the heck was that?!
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Obaasan.Obaasan: Just call me Obaasan, dear, everyone else does!
- Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: SILVERee constantly does this whenever he sings or talks with you.
- Grandparent Favoritism: Obaasan constantly mentions her grandchildren, but her own offspring are absent from her dialogue.
- Idol Singer: SILVERee, a young K-Pop singer who is currently visiting China, appears as a suspect.
- Inappropriate Role Model: The victim was convinced that SILVERee and his music were a bad example for children, hence why she tried to have it banned in the country, which would've dealt a devastating blow to SILVERee's career.SILVERee: Li Jun said that I was a bad artist and a terrible role model! What did she know about music, that old hag?! I'm a wonderful role model!
- Japanese Tourist: Obaasan is a Japanese woman visiting China with a tourist group.Obaasan: I came here from Japan on a group chat. Sichuan is a lovely place to visit - so beautiful. And then there's the food! The gong bao chicken alone is worth the trip.
- "Knock Knock" Joke: This time, instead of using your partner or playing both parts himself, Lars decides to perform his usual knock knock joke with one of his daughters.
- Mad Artist: Ellen Morowitz, the killer, is a traveling artist who went crazy and murdered the victim after she denied her to possibility to become a mother.
- Mama Bear: Angela goes absolutely ballistic when April decides to run away to the panda reserve, and almost arrests SILVERee (when in fact he was the one who found April) until the player manages to calm her down.
- Miniature Senior Citizens: Obaasan, who is 80-years-old, is one of the shortest non-children characters in the game.
- Missing Child: Dozens of orphaned children have been disappearing all over Asia for unknown reasons other than the fact SOMBRA seems to be behind their kidnappings.
- Musical Number Annoyance: SILVERee tends to sing out of nowhere whenever the inspiration strikes him, leading to this. And you know it's bad when even the pandas attempt to attack him for singing.
- Never My Fault: During her trial, Ellen keeps blaming the victim for denying her adoption application and how she ruined her life because of it despite Ellen being clearly unstable and not suitable to adopt.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: The reason why Ellen killed Jun was because she denied her adoption chance after years of paperwork, destroying her dream of becoming a mother.
- Parental Neglect: According to Ying, her mother was never there for her, and as such she's not saddened by her death.Ying: She was never there for me! When I won first prize in calligraphy back in school, did she notice? No! She was busy saving other children somewhere far away from home!
- Rage Breaking Point: After being denied adoption by the victim, Ellen snapped and decided to kill her when Jun didn't even remember her during their encounter at the bridge.
- Repeated for Emphasis: SILVERee is prone to repeating what he says to mark his point.
- Shaped Like Itself: Obaasan is an old woman whose nickname means "old woman" in Japanese.
- Shout-Out: SILVERee is a parody of T.O.P., and is named after SHINee.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: SILVERee being attacked by pandas after disturbing them with his singing shows that, despite their "docile" nature, panda bears are still bears prone to getting aggressive if disturbed like any other wild animal.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: When you first talk to Ying, the victim's daughter, she appears to be very distraught about her mom's death, but you later discover that she's actually happy about Jun's death, since she was never there for her and now she can inherit all her money.
- Ye Goode Olde Days: Obaasan sent a threatening message to the victim because she believed her work as an adoption agent was unethical because that isn't how things were in her days.Obaasan: It's disgraceful! These adoption agencies meddle in family affairs and distribute children as they please! This isn't how families were in my day!
