Suppressing the urge to spout vulgarities, Gu Lian endured her internal discomfort and stuffed the swimsuit into her small backpack. After all, the garment was only slightly embarrassing, not enough to reach that level of [Ugh…], so she chose to ignore it for now.
“These swimsuits are made of waterproof material, you can just wear them while you work,” the female boss paused before adding, “However, if things get busy during special times, or during staff meetings, you will also wear this outfit. The stockings were designed with this in mind as well.”
“…”
Gu Lian scratched her arm, which had suddenly started to itch. She almost believed that explanation, but…
Looking at the ID card hanging around the female boss’s neck, Gu Lian decided to remain silent. She is the boss; what she says goes.
After finishing the briefing and leaving behind a “There’s nothing else, you can familiarize yourselves with the surroundings,” the female boss headed toward the pool exit.
As she stepped out, she paused while pushing the double doors and said, “Work officially begins tomorrow. Following the schedule, Luo De, you are in charge for the first day, Wei Ni Ka the second, and Gu Lian the third. Is that understood?”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
“…”
“Good, then I wish you all a pleasant time working from here on out.”
The female boss waved her hand and walked out the exit. Click, the double doors closed, leaving only the three of them in the pool area.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Familiarize ourselves?”
“You blockhead, what else can we do? Go home to your mothers. We’re familiar enough; why stay here?”
The working hours for the Swimming Base were from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Following the three-shift rotation, it would be the afternoon of the third day before she actually had to work.
Gu Lian shouldered her backpack and left the Swimming Base. Having some free time in the coming days, she planned to help Yi Yi obtain a legal identity first. But before that… she needed to check the file given to her by the Masked Man.
—
[God loves the world, but it’s just a collection of scripted plays~]
[Perhaps love and hate are real, but the reasons are stolen, who has the guts to break the puppet strings~]
The melodious, pulsing song echoed beside a milk tea shop. The notes seemed to possess a charm, making it hard for people to resist sitting down and ordering a drink.
Her backpack was tossed carelessly beside a small round table. Gu Lian sat on a chair, opened the folder, and found three report sheets inside.
She pulled out the first report, which was Yi Yi’s blood test. It showed that the cryptic energy in her blood was highly active, and the blood contained a gene from a long-extinct snake species. Preliminary judgment suggested it was a giant snake, highly aggressive and likely already eroded by cryptic energy.
Gu Lian pulled out the second inspection report with a blank expression. It stated that according to analysis by special equipment, the cryptic energy activity in the blood was merely a display of high resistance and compatibility; no energy fluctuations were detected.
The preliminary judgment was that it was just a beast with high resistance to cryptic energy, though the possibility that the internal energy had dissipated over time could not be excluded.
[Replacing shells with souls as if from 10,000 years ago, a conspiracy brewed a century ago, the forbidden circle drawn by the backsliding madness.]
Gu Lian pulled out the final document. It was no longer a blood test but the mission she needed to complete.
Name: Te Er La Wei Ke Dun.
Age: 56.
Current Location: Eastern part of the Mountain Country, about 3 hours away if using an aerial vehicle.
Objective: Infiltrate the base directly beneath Wei Ke Dun’s main residence, break in, and steal file 051. If possible, prioritize the assassination of Wei Ke Dun.
Overview: Absolute ruler of a large warlord faction, engaged in arms trafficking. Previously recruited multiple times by [Redacted], all of which he refused, later becoming hostile toward [Redacted].
Sphere of Influence: From Gold Coast to Rona River East District, with 13,403 subordinates, all fully armed, and in possession of 8 armored vehicles and 3 tanks.
Intel: This individual visits his station every day between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM for a few minutes.
…
[There is always someone carrying the torch of belief, peering into the long night and pushing open the curtain.]
The music echoed in her ears. After a moment of silence, she clicked the folder shut with her index finger and thumb, stuffed it back in, grabbed her small backpack, and walked out of the milk tea shop.
Not long after she left, someone walked up with a cup of milk tea and sat down with a woman, chatting and laughing.
In the bustling street, Gu Lian scanned her surroundings and stepped into a small alley. On the hand that had been holding the document folder, the Fire of Dead Silence ignited.
Under the shroud of pale flames, the edges of the folder began to turn black, curling up before rapidly collapsing. As it deformed, the folder began to weather, disintegrating from the burning edges and spreading at high speed.
Whoosh…
The wind blew away the scattering dust. Gu Lian waved her hand to extinguish the Fire of Dead Silence and took out her smartphone, dialing the only number in her contact list.
“Who is it…”
The voice on the other end was hoarse, making it difficult to discern clearly.
“Me. I have some time lately, where are we meeting?”
Gu Lian scratched her cheek, wondering why her skin had been feeling a bit itchy lately.
“The outskirts. There will be tools for you there…”
“Understood roughly. Get the identification ready for me. Also… not for me.”
“Then for whom?”
“Emm, use the name Jiang Yi. You can handle the rest.”
“Heh, I understand. Then I wish you success.”
“Beep, beep, beep…”
Hanging up the call and tucking the phone into her pocket, Gu Lian walked out of the alley toward the designated location.
At this moment, Gu Lian’s attire and accessories made it easy to mistake her for a student skipping class.
She ignored the women on the street who shifted their gazes toward her, as well as the men who swept her with predatory eyes. It wasn’t the first time she had been looked at this way; she was used to it.
Taking out her phone, Gu Lian’s thumb tapped rapidly across the screen. After finding the location mentioned by the Masked Man, she quickened her pace.
Half an hour later, Gu Lian entered an abandoned factory in the dense forest, arriving at the meeting spot.
Several men in suits carrying three half-person-sized suitcases walked slowly out from the depths of the factory.
Crack…
Gu Lian stretched her neck, shoved her phone into her backpack, and tossed it onto the ground.
“…”
Stepping on the backpack with one foot, Gu Lian crossed her arms, coldly watching the people in front of her.
“Boss, this one seems pretty tough to deal with, huh?”
A muscular, broad-shouldered man nodded and said, “No kidding, that’s just stating the obvious.”
“Boss, my stomach feels a bit…”
A thin man looked like he wanted to run, and the boss’s mouth twitched.
“Bao Zi, if you leave, your bonus for this month is gone.”
Bao Zi sighed.
“Fine, fine. I’m just support and supply. The aura on that girl is unusual; she’s likely killed people before…”
“You don’t have to tell me that. Anyone with eyes can see it.”
The leading man stepped forward and extended his right hand.
“Hello, we are ‘from over there,’ specifically in charge of transfers and follow-up work. We mean no harm in meeting you.”
Grasping his right hand, Gu Lian said faintly, “Never heard of you.”
“Ahem, regardless, we are members of the Black Market responsible for your current support. We are in charge of supplying the weapons and equipment for your upcoming operation. My codename is Lei Zi.”
Lei Zi took out his Secret Key and waved it in the air. Upon seeing the key, Gu Lian’s eyes narrowed.
“Too long, keep it simple.”
“Basically, we’re here to deliver weapons so you can complete the contract.”
Lei Zi smiled; as long as they could negotiate, it was fine. The moment he saw her, he didn’t doubt for a second that she might tear him apart. That detached coldness, as if she were completely indifferent to life, was truly terrifying.
“What weapons… did you prepare for me?”
“They’re all here.”
After he spoke, Lei Zi gestured. The three men in suits next to him opened the large cases. Black handguns, daggers with pitch-black blades, and a variety of other weapons—the three cases contained almost every type of armament imaginable.
Gu Lian walked up to inspect them. When she saw a straight long blade, about 1 meter in length, she hesitated for a moment before finally reaching out to grip it.
Clang…
The blade hummed softly. It radiated a chill in Gu Lian’s hand; the pitch-black edge seemed to swallow light, making the blade appear plain and unadorned, yet its sharp edge was palpable.
“A good sword, but a pity, it’s a folding blade.”
Gu Lian tapped the blade with her finger, and the edge vibrated, emitting a crisp sound.
“After all, it is an assassination; carrying a long sword isn’t convenient for concealment.”
“True enough.”
Gu Lian flicked her hand. The link on the blade’s spine separated by a small gap. While extending a bit more in mid-air, it began to fold starting from the tip. In just half a second, the entire blade collapsed and hugged the hilt tightly.
Holding the folding knife, which was about the size of a folding fan, Gu Lian nodded with satisfaction. While the weapon was not as sturdy as a full-length sword, a folding knife had its own advantages.
If used well, the blade was like a flexible sword or a chain blade—impossible to defend against.
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