Chapter 27 Fully Equipped

As the saying goes, if I have nothing to do, I will take on any task I can...

In the end, Lin Guantang followed Sikong Tan's advice, changed into black pants and a white shirt, and then followed the navigation to find Chaoxi Mansion.

After arriving at the place, he followed Sikong Tan's instructions and got into a black car parked under a nearby tree.

The exterior of the car looks pitch black, but the interior is very spacious and bright. The rear seat space does not seem cramped even after accommodating a row of seats and a propped-up baffle.

Sikong Tan was sitting in the back, dressed in casual clothes, wearing special headphones and white gloves, and was preparing reagents on the spread-out baffle.

After motioning Lin Guantang to come in and sit down, he asked him a question:

"Have you thought about what to do if the other person's pheromones suddenly become unbalanced, causing a susceptible period, which in turn triggers your estrus?"

Although he was still speaking with a smile, Lin Guantang was keenly aware of the seriousness in his tone, and he couldn't help but restrain his expression. His heart was lifted, and he felt an inexplicable layer of psychological pressure.

Fortunately, he had been thinking about this question almost all the way here, so after a brief silence, he sorted out his thoughts and answered:

"First, try to avoid this situation. Second, if a pheromone imbalance is unavoidable, you need to move away as quickly as possible, or force the other person to stop pheromone evaporation to avoid inducing false estrus. Third, if induction is unavoidable, absolutely do not suppress the induced pheromones. Then use external force to suppress it or find a safe place. Finally, if you are in extreme danger and there is no one to rescue you, as an S-rank, you can directly suppress the pheromones."

After he finished speaking, seeing that Sikong Tan did not react, he cautiously tested the issue again:

"Senior, when an alpha is susceptible to the disease, can an omega really suppress an alpha?"

Wouldn’t it really make the alpha who has entered the susceptible period even crazier and thus suffer greater harm?

Lin Guantang was extremely skeptical about this and even felt that it was no different from throwing a meat bun at a dog.

But in the document that Wen Tiange passed to him, the words "In an absolute emergency, S-level alpha/omega can directly suppress the pheromone of the attacking party" were placed at the end, but they were marked in red and bold. It was obviously not a writing error, and it was difficult for him to ignore it.

"Didn't you also say that it was an emergency measure in extremely dangerous situations? At least today's mission doesn't require you to do that."

Sikong Tan answered casually, and when he looked up and saw Lin Guantang still looking worried, he smiled even brighter, dispelling the inexplicable pressure from his body, and comforted him:

"Okay, you answered very well, but we've already taken all possible scenarios into consideration, so you don't have to worry about anything. Today, you only need to do one thing, and that's how to get the pheromone sample from the target person."

Since he said that, Lin Guantang could only nod and ask him if they were going to set off now - to be honest, he really didn't know what to do except nod.

Even though I learned a general solution from the documentation, it seemed more like a simple outline with no specific detailed practices.

Since he didn't need to worry - although he still didn't quite understand why he didn't need to worry, Lin Guantang still obediently asked him what to do.

Then he knew why he didn't need to worry.

"Don't worry, we need to make some preparations before we set off."

Sikong Tan took out a sticker from the silver box spread out on the baffle and said:

"This is a traceless pheromone barrier patch to prevent unwanted pheromones from invading your glands. It also contains the latest pheromone inhibitor developed by the Medical Department, which can resist A+-level pheromone induction."

After saying that, he tore off the barrier patch and put it on Lin Guantang's neck, then picked up the inhibitor he had just prepared - because it was the latest version of the experimental product, it was necessary to test for rejection reaction before the formal injection.

While waiting for the reaction, Sikong Tan took out a dark red vest with the words "Chaoxi Mansion" written on it and asked Lin Guantang to put it on. He also called up the intercepted surveillance footage from the terminal and told Lin Guantang in detail the specific content of his task.

In the picture, a middle-aged man with a beard is entering the box, seemingly waiting for someone. When the waiter goes in to ask, he waved his hand, signaling the waiter to leave first.

Sikong Tan tapped the screen with his gloved finger and explained in detail:

"This is our target, Jiang Youhao, suspected of illegally grafting a gland. We need to obtain his pheromones or test his blood for components to determine if he actually did. This is an automatic blood collection tube used for collecting samples. It simply pierces the skin and automatically draws blood. There's no need to find a special location; it's very simple."

As he spoke, Sikong Tan took out a small box. When he opened the box, inside was an ordinary-looking blood vessel with a needle.

Lin Guantang looked at the props in front of him, recalled the mission description, and asked in surprise:

"This person—isn't he a natural AO? Is it because he grafted someone else's glands that caused the pheromone imbalance?"

Glands are a secondary evolutionary characteristic of the AO population. Beta glands are almost non-existent, making them equivalent to ordinary people in the old era.

There are a large number of betas, and many of them regret not differentiating into AO bodies. Related industries have emerged, but projects related to the transformation of secondary sexual characteristics are not allowed in the empire.

Putting aside all other factors, just talking about the transformation itself, even the hospital with the highest medical level in the empire cannot say that it has no time to transform - it can even be said that so far, there has not been any case of successful transformation without sequelae.

But that couldn't stop wave after wave of people from wanting to transform themselves—it wasn't just betas who wanted to become AOs, and not all AOs were satisfied with their own differentiation, so the related industry chain had never been cut off. But Lin Guantang had only heard of these things in various news or conversations before, and had never imagined that they were so close to him, and that he had actually become a part of the investigation.

I have to say that the psychological pressure suddenly doubled.

"You reacted quickly."

Sikong Tan showed a satisfied smile and continued:

"He's currently in Room 105 of Chaoxi Mansion. I'll take you there, but this is your mission, so you'll need to complete the final sampling yourself."

After a pause, Sikong Tan asked him another question:

"Have you heard the rumors about [joint terminals, shared brains]?"

Lin Guantang thought about it and nodded hesitantly.

Lin Guantang had certainly heard of the concept of [joint terminals, shared brain] which was once very popular and was even called the greatest vision of the new era.

It means that looking forward to the future development of terminals, they can be as small as a button and embedded in the skin, so that terminal information can be checked anytime and anywhere without worrying about being stolen. They can even be connected to the brain, that is, there is no need to speak or type, and you can transmit your thought information to the terminal, and achieve barrier-free communication with other people, thereby achieving the goal of "combining terminals and sharing brains" for all people in the empire.

But if Lin Guantang remembered correctly, the plan was criticized by the authorities the day after it was announced at a certain press conference. Because the concept was too advanced and difficult to implement, and seemed to involve some ethical issues, it was not allowed to be further explored.

However, Lin Guantang only overheard a few words, and he had no idea what was going on. Senior Sikong brought up this matter at this time because—

Lin Guantang said somewhat uncertainly:

"I heard the relevant plan was officially halted... Could it have anything to do with my mission?"

Sikong Tan nodded and said:

"Just because the government has officially stopped this doesn't mean the private industry has completely stopped—this person is also involved in related illegal research... but that has nothing to do with you. What I want to tell you is that he came to Chaoxi Mansion today to make a deal, which means he wants to have a joint terminal embedded in his body. This is a good opportunity for you to impersonate and infiltrate. After all—"

Sikong Tan suddenly smiled mysteriously, showing an expression of watching a good show, and said slowly:

"The people he's dealing with are a group of actors who enjoy role-playing and are very eager to perform, so you can't blame others for taking advantage of the situation, right?"

Lin Guantang: ...

I totally don't understand what the senior is saying.

Facing Lin Guantang's blank gaze, Sikong Tan smiled more normally, coughed, and said:

"Don't worry about that. Basically, you just need to know one thing: his understanding of the transaction partner—the only piece of information he has is that he'll be coming to get a terminal implanted around this time today. So, you must convince him that you're his transaction partner, and use the excuse of implanting a terminal to collect his blood. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Although I understand, I always find it difficult to do.

Lin Guantang nodded uncertainly, indicating that he understood.

Then, Senior Sikong stated a more difficult condition:

"There's one more requirement—you must complete everything within ten minutes. This is because we're only giving you ten minutes. That is, from the moment you enter this room, no one will disturb you for ten minutes, and the surveillance cameras won't record any information about you. So, you can do whatever you want within these ten minutes."

But the problem is... no matter what you do, it's hard to gain a person's trust in just ten minutes.

Perhaps guessing what he was worried about, Sikong Tan was the first to speak and comfort him:

"Don't worry, as long as you get out of the house within ten minutes, you'll be fine. It doesn't matter if the mission fails. It's very common to fail a mission on the first time, so just keep calm."

Lin Guantang did not completely relax because of this sentence, and still asked with some concern:

"Really? Is there any punishment for failing the mission?"

Of course—there will definitely be one.

But that was for the students of the Central Military Academy. Lin Guantang was a free non-staff member. Even if the mission failed, it only meant that he might not be suitable for the work of the Intelligence Department. Sikong Tan would not assign him any more tasks, and there was certainly no question of punishment.

So Sikong Tan shook his head and said:

"Don't worry, there won't be any punishment even if you fail the mission. Just treat it as a game—you're just playing a game anyway."

Lin Guantang: ...

If he hadn't told me, I would have almost forgotten that he was just playing an online game, so why did he start an offline real-life mission?

But now that I'm here... I can only go on with it.

As they were talking, the rejection reaction was about to begin. Sikong Tan looked down to check that Lin Guantang did not show any abnormalities, so he injected him with an inhibitor and then took out a pair of white gloves and handed them to him - they looked the same as the ones worn by Sikong Tan himself.

"Put on your gloves. They're made of a special material that can't be cut by ordinary daggers. But don't worry, your target today isn't some ruthless individual, so they probably won't attack you. Wearing gloves is mainly to prevent fingerprints from being left on the sample or collected in the room. Although your target is just a small fry, the desire for revenge shouldn't be ignored."

Lin Guantang nodded, put on the gloves, and clenched his fingers. It was a dense and cold unfamiliar touch. Surprisingly, it did not affect the flexibility of his fingers at all, and it was very comfortable.

"Here are the headphones and monitors."

Sikong Tan took out a pair of headphones and something like a feather badge, pinned the monitor to the collar of Lin Guantang's vest, flipped the switch, and said:

"Don't worry too much. It's just a record of your mission process. It will be collected after the mission is completed."

Lin Guantang put on his headphones and continued to nod.

"And one last thing—"

Just when Lin Guantang thought it was about to end, Sikong Tan dug out another box and took out something that looked like a bracelet from the box. He said with some emotion:

"This is an electric shock bracelet that the Equipment Department urgently modified for you at the personal urging of Young Master Huo."

ah?

Lin Guantang looked down. From the outside, it was just an ordinary bracelet, only a finger wide. In the center of the bracelet, there was a raised silver-white line, and a teardrop-shaped decoration hung below. To be honest, if it didn't look like it was actually the thickness of his wrist, Lin Guantang would think this shape...

More like a pet collar.

But it's a special product from the Equipment Department and is obviously not used to restrain small pets:

"Just in the unlikely event that you can't handle the target, try to get them to hold the bracelet. Then, simply scratch the water drop pendant underneath and press the button. The silver-white line in the center of the bracelet will release an extremely high current—enough to stun an adult, and you can shock them multiple times."

Lin Guantang: ...

That’s not necessary... Wouldn’t it be too lethal to electrocute an adult?

Lin Guantang was very surprised, but Sikong Tan was obviously used to it.

Sikong Tan demonstrated as he spoke. The pendant below was a two-in-one fastener. After cutting it open, there was indeed a groove inside that could be pressed.

Lin Guantang watched him put the pendant back on and tied it around his wrist. He felt mixed emotions and was in a trance.

Judging from the situation, the only thing missing is some self-defense clothing for him, so is he really just going to carry out a very simple mission, and not to assassinate the Prime Minister of the Empire or something...

Lin Guantang said in a daze:

"Senior, are all people so well prepared when they go on a mission?"

How is that possible? The others are all alphas. It’s good enough that we don’t let them fight with the target’s physical body.

Sikong Tan was amused by his words, winked at him, and said with a smile:

"Didn't I tell you I'd give you special treatment? Let's go, there's no time to lose. Let's see how you perform."

After confirming again and again that nothing was left out and picking up all the equipment, Sikong Tan took Lin Guantang out of the car and entered Chaoxi Mansion through the back door. On the way, they found a cart with dishes on it and placed the equipment on the lower partition covered by the white cloth hanging from the cart.

When they arrived near the target room, Sikong Tan stopped and told him the meeting place after coming out, then signaled Lin Guantang that he needed to act freely next.

Lin Guantang disguised himself as a waiter and entered the room in a daze. After entering, he belatedly remembered another thing - it was normal to enter the room as a waiter, but it was obviously not normal for a transaction partner to enter the room dressed as a waiter!

But there was no room for him to regret.

"Didn't I tell you that there's no need now—"

The man in the box—the target, Jiang Youhao—impatiently raised his head and waved his hand, wanting to kick out the waiter who had come in for no reason. Aren't they said that waiters in mansions are very perceptive? Why did he come over so blindly and ask—

All the curses in his heart were stuck in his throat the moment he looked up and saw the person coming.

To be honest, it should be difficult for anyone to be overly harsh on the beautiful boy, at least he can't do it.

He froze in place, staring at the newcomer with his eyes fixed on her. He forgot to close his mouth, and even forgot what to say. He just stared blankly at the young and beautiful waitress who suddenly barged in.

I've never seen such good-looking waiters. It's no wonder this is such a famous mansion in the imperial capital. Even the waiters are much more attractive than those in other places.

Apparently he had forgotten how to drive away a waiter.

After the two of them looked at each other silently for a moment, Lin Guantang felt that he should say something to break the silence - after all, he was now acting as a waiter, and logically, it seemed that he should speak first to break the deadlock.

But what should I say?

Should I say "I'm sorry, I'm going the wrong way. I'm leaving now" or "I'm sorry, I'm going the wrong way, but since I'm here, how can I help you?"

Lin Guantang's brain was working rapidly. After a few seconds of thinking and making a choice, he decided to say, "Sir, do you need any service?" He only had ten minutes and it was impossible for him to go out and come back in. Besides, that wouldn't allow him to come up with any better ideas.

Unfortunately, Lin Guantang's mind was full of thoughts about how to find a suitable reason to "prove his identity" within ten minutes, so the last thing he blurted out was -

"Sir, do you want to take the injection?"

Jiang Youhao: ...

Lin Guantang: ...

The already quiet box was even more eerily silent. Lin Guantang's mentality was a little broken, and even his eyes showed a helpless look of despair.

How could he say such stupid things!

The seniors had specially prepared so much equipment for him, but the mission was ruined by just one sentence from him... He really betrayed their trust. It's better to say goodbye to this world.

Lin Guantang's mind went blank and he wanted to turn around and leave this suffocating space that made him lose face.