Chapter 15: Mind-Boggling Operations
In Yook City, within the office.
Su Xiao stood on the golden light array, the discomfort gradually fading. Having used the Demon Clan's teleportation several times in the previous world, he was slowly getting used to it.
Baha hung from the ceiling lamp, swaying left and right. Bubu Wang crouched on the ground, his abdomen twitching occasionally. Amu looked as calm as ever, even thinking about dinner.
The little boy brought back from Winter Spring Town lay on the floor, tear stains at the corners of his eyes. After a dazed moment, he burst into tears, snot streaming out, accompanied by bouts of dry heaving.
Tide Hunter leaned against the wall, arms crossed, expression indifferent. From her clenched fists, it was clear her stomach wasn't at ease.
"Impressive, staying so calm on your first time."
Baha praised Tide Hunter's composure.
"Oh."
Tide Hunter only said "oh," not daring to say more. She felt like she was about to throw up.
"I'm going to order dinner from the hotel across the street. What does everyone want?"
"Noodles as the main course."
"Woof (Fragrant meat)."
"Moo."
"I'm not hungry."
Hearing Tide Hunter's words, Baha's smile turned mischievous.
"Granny, just say it if your stomach feels bad. No shame in that."
"Meat, grilled fish..."
Tide Hunter listed over a dozen items. Baha noted them down and flew out of the office. Half an hour later, Tide Hunter sat at the dining table, attacking the grilled fish with her fork as if facing an enemy, piercing through the plate and the table beneath.
After the meal, Tide Hunter went upstairs to rest, her expression serious. For some reason, she actually smiled at Baha, a smile that made Baha uneasy. He felt that because of his earlier mischief, Tide Hunter had taken a dislike to him.
Su Xiao sat behind his desk, tallying the gains from this trip. In total, he had obtained 14.51% World Source, one [Calamity Chest], and six [Holy Spirit Chests]. The gold content of these Holy Spirit Chests' suffixes ranged from about 3% to 8%.
While the Alliance World was dangerous, the rewards were astonishingly high. Just one trip yielded such results.
Checking the first part of the main quest, it was 1/2 complete. He needed to contain two more A-level dangerous objects to finish it.
Seeing the progress of the main quest, Su Xiao wondered if he could complete the first part by eliminating or containing another S-level dangerous object.
Su Xiao tried to inquire through his mark, and surprisingly got a response. The result was that if he eliminated or contained another S-level dangerous object, he would not only complete the quest but also receive a higher quest evaluation.
The basic evaluation reward was 2 Golden Skill Points. If he contained another S-level dangerous object, he could get 3 Golden Skill Points. If it was a high-tier dangerous object, he could get up to 5 Golden Skill Points.
This tempted Su Xiao greatly. He even considered releasing one of the dangerous objects contained underground at the "Organization" headquarters and then catching it again to complete the quest.
Su Xiao tried to ask through his mark if this was feasible, but was immediately warned by Reincarnation Paradise that he must not complete the main quest passively.
That idea was clearly not viable. It related to Su Xiao's initial identity. He opened the drawer, took out the documents, and examined them. After a moment, he abandoned these known but uncontained S-level dangerous objects.
These four S-level dangerous objects were each more troublesome than the last. Among them, dangerous object S-122 (Dream Hunter) was the easiest to find. To contact S-122 (Dream Hunter), one had to first gouge out their own right eye and then fall into a deep sleep to lure it in.
S-122 (Dream Hunter) would silently appear in dreams, slowly devouring the victim's dreamscape. Even if briefly killed in the dream, it wouldn't stop consuming the dream. In short, once S-122 (Dream Hunter) arrived, the victim's life entered a countdown.
When S-122 (Dream Hunter) had completely consumed the victim's dream, the victim would never wake up, and their brain would entirely disappear.
That was S-122 (Dream Hunter). Whether it had a physical form was unknown, and its characteristics were unknown. The only known way to find it was to gouge out one's right eye and fall into a deep sleep.
Doing so was a death sentence. 126 field agents and 19 "Organization" supernaturals had died this way.
Conversely, as long as one didn't fall into a deep sleep after losing their right eye, S-122 (Dream Hunter) wouldn't appear. To date, no ordinary person had had their dream consumed by S-122 (Dream Hunter).
For this reason, the Alliance had enacted a special law. To maintain citizen image and protect children's mental health, anyone who had undergone double eye removal surgery, whether due to work injury or accident, had to install prosthetic eyes to avoid scaring children with empty eye sockets.
With prosthetic eyes in the sockets, S-122 (Dream Hunter) wouldn't come. This information was tested by 40 field agents at the cost of permanently losing their right eyes, saving many civilians from death.
Considering the Dream Hunter's wide-ranging harm, danger peak, and unsolvable nature, it was classified as number S-122. It was unsolvable, but its trigger conditions were relatively high and it didn't cause large-scale casualties.
Among the four uncontained S-level dangerous objects, S-122 (Dream Hunter) was the easiest to find. One could imagine how troublesome the remaining three were.
As for the Calamity Bell, its file was dangerous object S-100, with a small range of harm but strong single-target threat.
Su Xiao picked up the phone receiver and dialed a four-digit number. A sweet female voice came through.
"Vice Legion Commander, hello. I am your dedicated operator. How may I assist you?"
Who this operator was, Su Xiao didn't know. Such staff handling confidential information would have their identities permanently hidden, known only to Dean Victor.
"Don't call me Vice Legion Commander. I've been collectively dismissed."
"Understood, Vice Legion Commander."
"..."
Su Xiao flipped through the documents in his hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "Bring me the files on dangerous object Mermaid."
"Please wait a moment."
The somewhat cheeky operator fell silent. Actually, it wasn't her fault. Working in a sealed environment for over 15 hours a day, if she didn't have an interesting personality, she'd eventually develop mental issues.
A few minutes later, the operator's sweet voice returned.
"Dangerous object Mermaid, designation S-006, recorded. It is a living being that cries and sings. Its crying attracts other dangerous objects. Known to attract dangerous objects S-109, S-100, S-094, S-085... S-005, S-003, S-002, etc., 25 types in total, all suspected to have been attracted by the Mermaid's cries. The Mermaid can also attract specific dangerous objects through certain 'sound frequencies.'
S-006 (Mermaid) only appears at sea. All intelligent dangerous objects attracted by her cries will try to protect her, or in some cases, imprison her.
S-006 (Mermaid)'s singing captivates all living beings with love, making them see her as the highest purity and protect her with all their might.
According to recorded information, S-006 (Mermaid)'s crying and singing bring danger. There has been one failed containment. After being contained, S-006 (Mermaid) wilts weekly and eventually dies. There is a record of her being killed, but 15 to 20 years later, she appears at sea again. Last time, we killed her. That's all the information, Vice Legion Commander."
The operator's articulation was clear, but her speech was incredibly fast, like a madly running typewriter. Su Xiao suspected that if the information were any longer, this girl might pass out from holding her breath.
Su Xiao hung up the phone. He finally understood why Kingsley wanted to capture dangerous object S-006 (Mermaid).
It was now known that the Mermaid had two traits: crying and singing. Crying attracted other dangerous objects, and singing bewitched living beings, turning them into love slaves of sorts.
Kingsley's Eclipse Organization used dangerous objects in combat. Their technology in this area was advanced. With S-006 (Mermaid), they could obtain several usable S-level dangerous objects, conservatively estimated at three or more.
Just now, Su Xiao learned that the Mermaid's crying could attract dangerous object S-002 (Death Grail), which he was looking for.
Moreover, if he could contain S-006 (Mermaid), the reward for the first part of his main quest would definitely be 5 Golden Skill Points.
There was still plenty of time for the quest. Competing with Kingsley for dangerous object S-006 (Mermaid) was the best choice at the moment.
With nothing else to do, Su Xiao picked up the newspaper on the table. It was still the Thorn Flower Daily, but from yesterday.
"Baha."
"Here."
"Go buy another copy of Thorn Flower Daily."
"The newspaper from the Honey Badger Press? I'll go now."
Baha went out and returned over ten minutes later. As soon as he entered, he said, "Boss, today's Thorn Flower Daily didn't come out."
"Oh?"
Su Xiao was puzzled. For such a large newspaper, missing a day was a huge loss. Compared to financial loss, the loss of reputation was greater.
Though he felt he might be overthinking, his usual caution made him pick up the phone and dial the operator girl again.
After a moment, Su Xiao put down the phone. The operator's information source was the summary of all the Organization's intelligence channels. In a sense, the operator girl was an encyclopedia.
According to the operator girl, yesterday at noon, the Thorn Flower Press was bombed. The newspaper's owner was severely injured and nearly killed. According to the Organization's intelligence, this incident involved the Alliance and the Eclipse Organization, possibly one of the two.
Almost instantly, Su Xiao recalled a small report he had seen in the Thorn Flower Daily a few days ago: 'Recently, fishermen at sea heard a woman crying underwater.'
That crying was likely from dangerous object S-006 (Mermaid).
The Alliance and the Eclipse Organization, as behemoths, wouldn't easily touch the Thorn Flower Press due to external image concerns, unless the Thorn Flower Daily had reported something it shouldn't have, such as clues about dangerous object S-006 (Mermaid).
Someone bombed the Thorn Flower Press. This was... a truly mind-boggling operation.
Su Xiao was somewhat stunned by this move. If this was really ordered by Kingsley, it was incredibly strange, almost absurd. Would someone like Kingsley do something so stupid? Reporting it, even as a small news item, and then retaliating days later?
Just as Su Xiao was pondering his next plan, he gripped the Dragon-Slaying Flash on the table. The Dragon Shadow Flash ability activated, and he appeared on the third floor. Someone had infiltrated his residence.
The scene before him made Su Xiao frown. Tide Hunter wrapped in a towel wasn't the focus. The focus was the little boy lying on the corridor, half-unconscious. Beside him on the floor lay a metal syringe.
Su Xiao looked at the white, rotting flesh squirming on the wall. It seemed to be a creature modified by some secret technique, with independent consciousness.
The white rotting flesh quickly dissolved, its life force fading. It had self-destructed.
Tide Hunter had reacted quickly. The infiltrator had just arrived and targeted the little boy, but Tide Hunter stopped them.
"Amu, dispose of that thing."
Su Xiao approached the little boy, pinched his neck to check his pulse. From the life and energy fluctuations, he was just unconscious, likely not injected with anything. Su Xiao was an alchemist, and his accuracy in such checks was over 90%.
Su Xiao picked up the metal syringe from the floor, pushed it, and a few drops of blood seeped from the needle tip. Looking at the small red dot on the side of the little boy's neck, the infiltrator, after successfully entering, had immediately tried to draw the boy's blood.
Their target wasn't the little boy himself, but his blood. The boy was born from the Calamity Bell, which was intricately connected to the Mermaid.
The enemy's goal was to capture the Mermaid. Approaching the Mermaid was a major problem. Once a human came within 1 kilometer of her, she would sing. Covering ears or even deafening oneself was useless. Moreover, the Mermaid was likely protected by other dangerous objects.
For the enemy, the biggest issue was how to approach the Mermaid, followed by dealing with the dangerous objects around her.
Last time, the "Organization" had contained the Mermaid because she was weakened for unknown reasons and had no dangerous objects protecting her. There were still many mysteries about the Mermaid.
If Su Xiao wasn't mistaken, the little boy's blood was the key to approaching the Mermaid. Otherwise, the enemy wouldn't have risked taking it.
Sending someone to take blood was another mind-boggling operation. Without this incident, Su Xiao wouldn't have guessed the purpose of the boy's blood.
First bombing the Thorn Flower Press, then infiltrating to steal blood—these two idiotic moves were so baffling they made one's scalp tingle with confusion.
In contrast, when Su Xiao went to Winter Spring Town, Kingsley's setup was extremely meticulous. If it were still the former Organization Vice Legion Commander, they would have been trapped there forever. Su Xiao, though replacing that identity, was much stronger, which was his advantage. Kingsley hadn't known his true strength before.
After a moment of thought, Su Xiao roughly understood the situation. He had two enemies: Kingsley, and several high-ranking Alliance officials plus several Alliance councilors, collectively called the Alliance Council. Of course, the Alliance Council didn't fully represent the entire Alliance.
The current situation for the enemy was one god carrying a pit. Kingsley was the god, and the Alliance Council was the pit—the ultimate useless teammates.
Bombing the Thorn Flower Press and infiltrating to steal blood were both orders from the Alliance Council.
If they were to engage in a full-scale confrontation, Su Xiao wasn't sure he could defeat Kingsley. But now he felt much more at ease. With the Alliance Council as the enemy's useless teammate and his own unconventional "ally," Su Xiao felt he had the upper hand, at least in the matter of the Mermaid.
Ring ring~
The phone downstairs rang. Su Xiao went down and picked up the receiver. A magnetic, slightly deep male voice came through.
"Kukulin, how have you been? Long time no see. You might have forgotten my voice. I'm Kingsley."
Su Xiao sat down, lit a cigarette, and said, "Doing okay. Didn't die in Winter Spring Town."
"I never intended to kill you. Your death would be a loss to the entire Western Alliance."
"Oh."
"Shall we make a deal?"
"No need."
"Oh?"
Kingsley on the other end was puzzled. He estimated that Su Xiao wouldn't refuse this deal. In reality, without the earlier infiltration, Su Xiao indeed wouldn't have refused.
"Just now, someone infiltrated my office and tried to draw blood from that little boy."
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, he heard a crisp crack from the receiver. It seemed something was crushed on the other end. He continued:
"Oh, by the way, did you know the Thorn Flower Press was bombed yesterday?"
Su Xiao said this with a smile on his face.
"Anyone with a mental age over five wouldn't do something like that."
Kingsley's voice was calm, but something was hidden beneath that calm.
"I'm sorry to bother you."
After saying this, Kingsley hung up. Before hanging up, he seemed to sigh. Clearly, he too was stunned by the Alliance Council's absurd moves. He even wondered which side those people were really on.