Shi Rang stepped out the door alone, carrying his Electric Bicycle Helt.
He did not bring any Mini-Humans along with him. After heading downstairs, he specifically used his Sensing to ensure no Tiny Ones had sneaked out after him.
Even though he had yet to make a final decision, a knot of unease still lingered in his chest. He needed ti to process the moral and emotional weight of the situation.
Besides, he wanted to keep a few secrets to himself.
The various anomalies contained by the Bureau ca in countless shapes and forms: entities and non-entities, animate and inanimate, humanoid and non-humanoid, those that affected themselves and those that affected others...
Even just looking at the Humanoid Containnt Objects, the origins of their anomalies varied wildly. So, like the Mini-Humans, suffered sudden misfortune without any warning. Others abruptly discovered they possessed so form of superpower. Still others manifested their Anomalous Effects through bizarre triggers—bumping their heads, sustaining severe injuries, or desperately trying to help their families in an ergency.
Since the source of these anomalies remained an unsolved mystery, inadvertently awakening an ability to access the Terminal Station—which was itself an anomaly—sounded perfectly reasonable.
He just hoped he hadn't accidentally broken so function of the Terminal Station earlier. Otherwise, the Bureau would definitely put a global bounty on his head and dig three feet into the ground to drag him out...
Shi Rang rode his Electric Bicycle for two blocks before hopping off next to a phone booth. He waited a few minutes for the previous user to leave, then stepped inside while still wearing his Helt.
The booth's glass was plastered with advertisents and various graffiti, perfectly concealing his figure. Shi Rang locked the door and watched the pedestrians outside vigilantly for a mont before dropping a one-yuan coin into the machine and dialing the number.
Another unexpected benefit of the terrible public security in the Tenth District was the preservation of public phone booths.
Criminals loved using public payphones for their secret etings, and now, to his own surprise, Shi Rang was doing the exact sa thing.
Investigator Scarlett, the crazy woman from that terrifying night in Pingyuan City—was the other Burly Man nad Partner John? Shi Rang hadn't heard clearly at the ti—had boldly engaged in a fierce firefight with the criminals of Blue Signal while wielding a heavy machine gun, and even had people to help clean up the ss. Shi Rang highly suspected she was a bounty hunter or one of those rcenaries, but since she claid to be from the Alliance, he would just take her word for it.
He had no intention of calling Scarlett with his own phone. He didn't actually want to get involved; he just wanted to see if he could make so quick cash.
Of course, Shi Rang didn't have the money to buy a voice changer or any high-tech gadgets. Instead, he opted to stuff a rolled-up piece of tissue into his nose, keep his Helt on, and lower his voice.
"Beep... beep... hello?"
Shi Rang started, "I—"
"If you dialed this number by mistake, hang up imdiately, or I will trace it back and blow up your phone. If it's business, stay on the line. I'll pick up in a mont."
Shi Rang obediently shut his mouth.
It was just a recorded ssage.
Resting his hand on the phone, he waited, peering through the gaps in the advertising flyers. He couldn't shake the feeling that the three street thugs across the street were watching him, but they wandered off a mont later.
His next object of suspicion was an old lady lingering near his Electric Bicycle...
The tir on the landline ticked past thirty seconds, and still, no one answered.
Scarlett's number was registered in the Ninth District, aning the call cost one yuan per minute. If he had been using his mobile phone, Shi Rang might have hung up already, but since he had already deposited his coin, he was determined to get his money's worth.
At thirty-five seconds, a click finally echoed from the other end of the line.
"Who is it?"
Scarlett's loud, brash voice rang out. It was the sa tone she had used a few days ago when ordering soone to toss Shi Rang back into the pit.
"I..." Shi Rang almost forgot to disguise his voice. He quickly let out a cough, adjusted his pitch, and tried again. "We t in Pingyuan City."
"Pingyuan City—oh, the Rookie! You sound pretty lively. Why are you deepening your voice? Scared I'll co over and catch you? Is everyone in the Tenth District this sneaky on the phone?"
Shi Rang peeked through the flyers again to confirm no one was approaching his Electric Bicycle. Glancing at the tir that only had a dozen seconds left, he dropped another yuan coin into the slot. "Does your previous offer about joining the business still stand?"
"Of course it does. Why wouldn't it? I can give you an address for an interview—but let warn you upfront, our standards are extrely strict."
"Are there any other gigs? I'm a little... tight on cash lately."
"If you wanted to make money, you should have said so sooner." Scarlett seed to be spinning a pen or car keys on her end, producing a soft clicking sound as it struck her fingernails. "Consider yourself lucky. I actually do have sothing—an intelligence gig. I need information on a certain organization. Are you up for it?"
"I have so channels. Do you need to investigate Blue Signal?"
"An organization that concerns itself with supernatural phenona."
Shi Rang's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. "...Care to be more specific?"
"Let see—a group of them has been operating in Green Island City lately. Are you familiar with the place? It's in the central province of the Tenth District. I'm very interested in the situation over there, especially what exactly they're doing and why they've locked down the area. I'll give you an address where you'll find the supplies you need for the operation, along with an advance paynt. Get so valuable intel, and I'll pay you in unmarked cash upon delivery. Assuming you get caught, they won't do much to you, but if you rat out, or if I find out you're slacking off, I won't let you off easy. Understand?"
Investigate the Bureau...
Was Scarlett really with the Alliance?
Could her involvent in that criminal double-cross in Pingyuan City actually have been so sort of regional peacekeeping operation?
Rumor had it that the Alliance often interfered in regional internal affairs. He never expected it to be true...
"Understood."
"Straightforward! I like it. Pick a codena for yourself. We're colleagues now, and I'd feel bad calling you Rookie all day."
A row of posters was plastered on the exterior wall of the movie theater across the street. Shi Rang scanned the stylized fonts until he found a specific phrase.
"Deer Hunter. My codena is Deer Hunter."
Running out of call ti, Shi Rang quickly urged her on.
"Give the address."
"Write this down..."
He pinched the receiver between his Helt and shoulder, rapidly typing the details into his phone, and ended the call right at the very last second.
Sure enough, the relationship between the Alliance and the Bureau wasn't exactly friendly. They were also monitoring and spying on the Bureau's activities.
Shi Rang wasn't good at socializing, but he understood history, and history could teach future generations a lot. The task Scarlett gave him was simple, and she hadn't made any further demands. This was most likely a test to develop him into a downstream intelligence asset.
This money wouldn't be easy to earn.
She was asking him to be a Spy.
However, Shi Rang was no ordinary person.
The entire Managent Bureau Main Station was open to him. The Bureau's communication equipnt was laid bare inside his mind.
Now that he had a channel to cash in, the Terminal Station had beco a literal gold mine!
Leaving the phone booth, he split his attention to do a quick search on the Terminal Station. The number of docunts containing the term "Green Island City" was countless. He couldn't just copy all of them and send them over to Scarlett. Money had to be made little by little—preferably without involving critical information, so he wouldn't have to worry about the Bureau finding out. He didn't want to attract the attention of that colossal organization.
Shi Rang had never been to Green Island City, but this wasn't the first ti he had heard the na.
Green Island City was the place where Agent Kyle had once discovered the Midnight Visitor. He later heard on the news that the residents of an entire block there had been relocated.
Shi Rang rembered that the Terminal Station had classified the Records he wrote as a Hazard Item, a C-class one at that.
But even if the monster profile he authored had beco real, it shouldn't have caused such a massive commotion.
In his mind, there was only one Midnight Visitor, which fit the original setting Agent Kyle had provided. Moreover, it was clearly a monster focused on psychological horror. The counterasures were all written right there: grab a gun and you could solve the problem without even having to clean up. It was energy-efficient and environntally friendly, leaving no stains or corpses behind.
Shouldn't Agent Kyle have already dealt with it? According to the Bureau, the Subject had achieved Neutralization.
Could sothing have gone wrong?
Shi Rang felt a slight sense of foreboding.
Even without this errand, he would undoubtedly have to head to Green Island City, shift his Sensing range over there, and listen in on what the Bureau had actually discovered on the ground.
But setting all that aside for now—the point was, he had found a new job!
The whole world seed to brighten up right along with his good mood.
Super Spy Deer Hunter, online today!
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