mountainous areas

He Xian looked at Yan Zhiyuan in horror: "Why is he the captain? The mission members haven't been finalized yet. Did this guy get in through the backdoor?"

Yan Zhiyuan spread his hands, indicating that he didn't know either. "It's hard to say, maybe. But he is indeed the captain now, and I have to listen to him on matters related to the mission."

Ying Yungui smiled complacently, and turned his head to meet Shi Youchen's scrutinizing gaze. The curve of his mouth became more obvious, but there was no obvious smile in his eyes, which were calm and deep.

"It will take a few days to prepare the team members for the S-level mission. During this time, Shi Youchen and I will go to investigate some other matters." Ying Yungui raised an eyebrow and asked He Xian, "Have you made up your mind, Mr. Liaison? Will you join us or continue your single life?"

He Xian exhaled deeply, and said with a forced smile, "If I don't go with you guys, will I have to stay in this shabby place all the time, ready for you to contact me at any time?"

Ying Yungui nodded in agreement, his sympathy evident in his words.

Yan Zhiyuan: "Okay, you three can go together, I won't get involved. I'm going to take care of my own business. If you're lucky enough not to have forgotten me, remember to pick me up before you go home." He waved his hand, leaving behind a lonely figure that He Xian envied very much.

Ying Yungui put his hands in his pockets and said, "Let's go to the archives."

On the top floor of the archives, in the innermost data room behind layers of closed doors.

He Xian leaned against the wall, occasionally glancing at the time displayed on his bracelet: "Ten minutes left~"

"Seven more minutes~"

"Four more minutes~"

"Last minute, leaving~"

It wasn't until the prompt that the time for reading the data had expired that Ying Yungui raised his head and looked at He Xian: "Refresh the permission, use yours, you haven't finished reading it."

He Xian muttered, "What are you checking so excitedly..." and obediently walked to the door to scan his identity information.

The association's archives stipulate that the identity information of each psychic can be scanned at most three times a week, and the time limit for access depends on the psychic's level and position.

Those who are of low rank and have no position like Shi Youchen can only get seven minutes of reading time; those who are close to senior level but have no position like Ying Yungui generally get fifteen minutes; those who are not of high rank but have a higher position like He Xian can get twenty minutes of reading time.

He Xian walked back to the two of them, unable to contain his curiosity. "No, what exactly are you looking for? This archive room contains all the mission information registered in District 9."

Ying Yungui searched quickly and said without raising his head, "It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I'm afraid that you want to avoid suspicion and avoid trouble." What he said was a little obscure, and Shi Youchen was concentrating on reading the information, so he didn't pay much attention.

But He Xian heard his hidden meaning——

Every move is being monitored, so it’s better to stay out of it.

He Xian: "You've already scanned my identity information, and you're talking about this now? Isn't it too late, Master Ying?"

Ying Yungui looked up in confusion, then reacted: "Oh, that's right. Then I'll tell you, you have to figure out how to deal with the troubles later." He asked He Xian to scan just now because of time and authority considerations, and secondly, he subconsciously wanted to protect Shi Youchen.

I don't know if this counts as protection though.

When Shi Youchen heard him say that he was going to tell He Xian, he looked up at him, and found that his expression was serious and did not seem like a joke, so he lowered his head and continued.

It was almost noon when the three of them came out of the archives. He Xian offered to take them out for lunch. "This restaurant we're going to opened just two years ago, but it's become famous very quickly. They specialize in 'natural diets.'"

Ying Yungui: "It only opened in the past two years? Then I probably haven't been there either."

He Xian: "Of course you are. You're a very busy man. Several times before, you came to District 9 and flew away before I could see you. Otherwise, there would be rumors in the circle that the points maniac can earn 2,000 points in ten days."

He then thought of something and asked, "Speaking of which, what's your ranking? I'm not kidding, but with the current president's age and physical condition, you really have to work hard to realize your dream, otherwise you might have to wait for decades."

While drinking water, he choked on some dust and the water spilled out of the bottle.

Ying Yungui quickly wiped the water off his face and body with paper, stroking his back to help him breathe easier while saying with an ambiguous smile, "I feel like slowing down is good now. I've been competing for so many years and still haven't made it to the top 50. Let's take it slow."

He Xian was shocked to hear the King of Roll's words that he didn't want to roll anymore, and looked in the rearview mirror: "Who are you? Give my son back."

Ying Yungui lightly kicked the driver's seat and scolded with a smile: "Drive your car! I'm starving."

They were silent the entire way. Somehow, Shi Youchen had been feeling dizzy lately, with occasional stabbing pains. These symptoms had started after leaving the snowy mountains of Area 10, and had worsened significantly since arriving in Area 9. So far, he had no plans to get checked out, only taking naps more often.

After a short drive, they arrived at a mountain farm. He Xian, with familiarity, led the two out of the car and walked straight into the room next to the mountain spring. He circled and pointed on the display screen on the wall and explained, "The dishes here are fixed. We don't accept orders. You just need to take a seat and register the number of people and the expected dining time."

Ying Yungui: "So domineering? Does that mean we have to eat whatever they cook?"

After He Xian finished the operation, he smiled noncommittally: "Just now you said it was inconvenient in the archives, now you can tell me, what are you looking for?"

Ying Yungui wiped his hands and began to speak, "Shi Youchen and I have dealt with the mental intruder fugitives from Area 10. The announcement should be released soon."

He Xian hummed, then reacted: "You solved it...? Wasn't that years ago?"

Shi Youchen said calmly, "The process is quite complicated, and there's no need to elaborate, but the result is this."

Ying Yungui: "From the information obtained from that fugitive, she is most likely entangled with a senior from the Lu family in District 8, and that senior happened to die in an S-level mission in 169."

This short sentence gave away a huge amount of information, and He Xian began to sort it out: "In other words, you suspect that the fugitive who caused these mental invasions is related to the senior from the Lu family, so you went to District 9 to check his mission information?"

"You said that the senior is from District 8, and mental invasion incidents are frequent in District 10, so why are you focusing so much on investigating the mission in District 9?" Ying Yungui and Shi Youchen were busy investigating for more than half an hour in the morning, and He Xian saw it all.

Ying Yungui: "Because the S-level mission in 169 happened to be in District 9, and he participated in District 9 missions very frequently, today we are investigating the content of the missions in District 9 that he had participated in."

"There weren't any extra rewards from the S-rank missions in 169, as we knew before, but some of the other missions were truly special."

Shi Youchen opened the electronic map, circled several areas on the western and southern borders of District 9, and then enlarged and displayed them one by one.

"Ying Yungui and I previously recorded all the missions he participated in in District 9 based on his notes and discovered a turning point."

"He was involved in missions 150 years ago in various locations, including border areas."

"However, between 20150 and 20152, when the frequency of missions to Area 9 increased significantly, his mission area gradually moved westward and southward, and his movements became increasingly distant."

Ying Yungui: "Also, all of his missions have specific areas, unlike our S-level mission this time which is unknown."

He Xian was thoughtful. "So what you're saying is that he might have some purpose in District 9, which is why he changed like this?"

Shi Youchen zoomed in on the areas that had been released separately. "The west and south are mostly mountainous, with rugged terrain. Plus, it's a border area that's difficult to manage, so the missions are generally quite difficult."

"It's hard to imagine that a supposedly sensual child from an aristocratic family would push himself to this extent just to prove his existence to his family."

He Xian chuckled. "That's not impossible. Maybe he's met the love of his life. They say love gives people endless strength, right?" Then he suddenly realized, "Oh, I see! So this senior has fallen in love with someone else, which is why the guy from District 10 resents him and is taking revenge on society."

Ying Yungui: "That's possible. But we haven't found any information about him having contact with any women during his time in District 9."

He Xian seemed to have some experience: "I understand, I understand. In this kind of situation, we will do our best to protect the other person's privacy and not let others know."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a waiter came in with a food cart. He picked up a dish and introduced it, though neither Shi Youchen nor Ying Yungui understood. The seven dishes were mostly green and white, with yellow, green, and red accents, creating a light, elegant, and refreshing atmosphere.

When the last dish was placed on the table, He Xian asked, "So what is the senior's name? It's okay if you don't want to reveal it."

The waiter bowed slightly and moved the dining cart out.

Ying Yungui took a small bite of the light green square cake and said, "Mr. Lu."

He Xian said "Oh" and said, "Then where will you start from?"

Shi Youchen: "The S-level mission is more important. There's no rush to investigate these things slowly." Ying Yungui changed his chopsticks, picked up a piece of cake and placed it in Shi Youchen's bowl. "This is delicious. It suits your taste."

He Xian curled his lips and said, "Okay, I have to go with you guys anyway, let's see how it goes." He put the matter aside for the time being and concentrated on enjoying the food.

No one noticed that the waiter tightened his grip on the dining cart when he heard the word "Lu Shen", and he left and walked straight to the bamboo house at the highest point.

"Are you sure you heard correctly?"

"Yes, uncle. I'm sure they're talking about Lu Shen, from District 8."

"Okay! Then it must be correct. After all these years, they finally showed up! Do you remember what those people looked like?"

"If you remember, you can compare it with the database."

"Very good. In that case, let's notify them and prepare for action."

"yes."

......

The three people in the room finished their meal and left contentedly. Ying Yungui noticed from Shi Youchen's brisk pace that he was in a good mood, so he said tentatively, "Once the S-level mission team members have gathered, I won't be able to stay with you all the time. Please take care of yourself."

Shi Youchen rubbed his bloated stomach. "Well, the same goes for you and Yan Zhiyuan. Your own safety is the most important thing. Don't try to be brave." He was silent for a few seconds and added, "When you're safe, you can send a message so that I... and He Xian can know."

He Xian opened the car door for a long time, and seeing the two people still in the distance, he asked in confusion: "What's wrong? Aren't you full?"

Ying Yungui: "You eat the least, so go to the back and I'll drive, so that no one faints and causes an accident."

He Xian said nonchalantly, "I need to stay in shape. What's wrong with eating less? Look at how strong you are." But he still happily got into the back seat. Young Master Ying, whose physique was exaggerated to be perfect, suddenly had an idea, and the car door suddenly slammed shut, almost trapping He Xian's hand.

"Let's go." Ying Yungui turned around and said to Shi Youchen with a smile. The rare warm sun in winter shone on his forehead, and his eyes were brighter than anything in the world.

Perhaps it was the soothing warmth of the stomach, perhaps it was the gentle sunlight, perhaps it was the gentle gaze. Shi Youchen curled his lips and said, "Let's go."