Assembly completed
Shi Youchen had been waking up early for his usual workouts the past few days, and he'd noticed that Ying Yungui and Yan Zhiyuan were both getting up earlier than the other, a break from their usual somewhat lazy ways. There was even a hint of a competitive spirit between the two. For example, if Yan Zhiyuan did two extra sets of deadlifts, Ying Yungui would add a set of weighted step-ups; if Ying Yungui added weights, Yan Zhiyuan would add five minutes of front and back squats.
One morning, when Youchen had finished exercising and returned to his room to wash up and prepare for breakfast, he saw the two people in the gym. He wanted to go over and remind them that they had been training on an empty stomach for too long, but he heard this conversation.
Ying Yungui: "Old Yan, if you can't hold on any longer, don't force yourself. You haven't had any high-level missions in so many years, so don't push yourself."
Yan Zhiyuan: "If you admit defeat, just get out and stop talking nonsense."
Ying Yungui: "As the captain, I naturally have to care about the physical condition of my team members. I don't want anyone to collapse before the mission even begins."
Yan Zhiyuan: "Thank you for your hard work, Captain Lao Ying. If you disappear from my sight now, my physical condition will last me another ten years."
Seeing that they were about to continue provoking each other, Shi Youchen coughed twice at the right time against the door: "He Xian is up, what's for breakfast?"
Hearing his voice, Ying Yungui's restlessness calmed down a little: "Okay, I'll just do it the same as before. I'll go wash up first." After saying that, he looked at Yan Zhiyuan provocatively and walked away with a swagger.
Yan Zhiyuan wiped the sweat off his forehead and said to Shi Youchen, "I'd like to have half an extra portion of fruit, thank you."
......
At the dinner table, He Xian chewed his bread sleepily and said, "Why are you all so energetic?"
Yan Zhiyuan chewed on the leaves for a long time, feeling exhausted both physically and mentally. "It won't be long before the task force is decided. At the very least, we have to give the S-rank the respect they deserve."
Ying Yungui: "I have to fight for my own hometown. I don't want to be outdone by those people." He looked He Xian up and down several times, "A thin dog like you, tsk tsk."
He Xian asked Shi Youchen in confusion, "What does 'thin dog' mean?"
Shi Youchen remained calm and said, "They said you have a good figure."
He Xian looked proud: "Of course, everyone who sees me says that I have a good figure." The others smiled but said nothing.
Three days passed in a flash. Early in the morning, Ying Yungui and Yan Zhiyuan received a message from the association:
"S-rank mission: Search and eliminate intruders at the Area 3 Research Institute. Mission location: Area 9 (tentative). Mission team established. Please proceed to the Association's branch base for a meeting."
He Xian, the liaison officer, also received a similar notice, so the four of them set off to the branch base earlier than usual. Ying Yungui and Yan Zhiyuan went to attend the task force meeting, while He Xian went to the association's reception team to make preparations.
Sometimes Youchen would walk alone in the base.
The base of District 9, like the entire district's ethos, attaches great importance to appearance and has put a lot of effort into gorgeous decoration and landscaping. Shi Youchen strolled around and found that everyone entering and leaving was dressed very elegantly, unlike most students or working people he had met before.
They all have some unique accessories that match their outfits: cufflinks, collar clips, and watches for men, brooches, scarves, and necklaces for women. Among this sophisticated crowd, one person stands out.
It was a tall figure. He wore a black hat, a black mask, a large black coat, black pants, black shoes, and a large black backpack. He was dressed in black from head to toe. The only visible color was the multicolored talisman bag on the backpack.
Everyone else strolled leisurely and elegantly, but this man rushed in. He stopped in front of the stone tablet at the main entrance of the base and saluted, then craned his neck to look in the direction of the administration building and took off his pure black hat.
Shi Youchen was a bit far away from him, so he couldn't make out his facial features, but his white hair seemed to glow against the black background, attracting his attention. He pinched the brim of his hat and did something, and Shi Youchen saw the hat transform into a skateboard, which was stepped on by the man's feet.
Then he drifted away.
"There are really all kinds of people in the circle of people with superpowers." Shi Youchen sighed in his heart again.
At the same time, thirteen people with different skin colors and appearances were sitting neatly in the meeting room of the S-level task force. They were the psychics from various regions who were selected to participate in the mission.
The beautiful woman in the first row near the door checked the time, stood up, walked to the front of the stage, opened the file in her hand, and ran her long, crystal-clear nails over each photo one by one. After checking them once, she frowned and said, "Number: 7066. Isn't Pei Chanbai here yet?"
The conference room is equipped with a simultaneous translator, and each person has a micro-receiver on their ear bone to ensure unimpeded communication.
After she asked, she waited for half a minute. There was silence and no one answered, so she raised her hand to contact the management center.
"Bang!" The door of the conference room was suddenly opened. The woman was frightened and trembled. She looked at the person who came with a little anger in her beautiful eyes - the tall boy dressed in black was putting his hat on his head. The strange thing was that the black hat was covered with a lot of dust and looked dirty.
He panted slightly and said, "Number 7066 Pei Chanbai, I'm sorry I'm late."
The woman frowned, nodded, and said, "Come in quickly." Pei Chanbai pulled up his black mask and sat at the edge of the second row.
Seeing that everyone was present, the woman turned on the screen and formally introduced: "There are thirteen people in this S-level task force, and the member list is as follows..." The registration files of the thirteen people were listed on the screen.
"Among them, there are 2 level 5 psychics, 10 level 6 psychics, 1 level 7 psychic, and 4 healing psychics."
"Task leader: Ying Yungui, deputy team leader: Pei Chanbai."
"Mission details: Search and eliminate the intruders involved in the Area 3 Research Institute incident throughout the entire area. The captain will have specific instructions during the mission. If the captain loses contact or dies, the vice-captain will inherit the authority. If both the captain and vice-captain lose contact or die, the association's command center will take over."
"There is no specific time limit for this mission. The progress will depend on the situation. Reward points for mission completion: 3300."
After the woman finished explaining the above mission-related information, she put away the files in her hand and said seriously: "Thank you all for your contribution to maintaining social order. I hope your trip goes smoothly and you return safely." She bowed to everyone and left the meeting room.
According to the general process, Ying Yungui would have to make some specific arrangements for the task, such as who would be responsible for which work, who would be in charge of which area, etc. However, the circumstances of this mission were special. There was neither a specific mission location nor the whereabouts of the specific mission target.
So he simply mentioned: "First, there's no energy indicator for the invader; second, no facial indication; third, we're too few in number compared to the entire region, so we won't be grouping. Now, please share your thoughts."
Ying Yungui did have some plans in mind, but this time there were only thirteen people in the S-level mission, and there was only one level 7 psychic in charge. For various considerations, he needed to understand the levels of the team members first, and with not much known information like now, this method was the most suitable way to grasp it.
Everyone here is a seasoned person with special abilities. To be selected into the S-level task force, even if their level is not high, they must have their strengths. What's more, the file of Pei Chanbai, who was selected as the deputy team leader, shows that he is a "Level 5 concrete molecular reconstruction mutant."
Generally, the captain and vice-captain of a task force are chosen from experienced personnel. This means Pei Chanbai has defeated several other level 6 psychics in terms of actual combat experience, second only to himself. And this person is only 18 years old this year.
Ying Yungui had never worked with this person before, so he was now eager to know his level.
After he threw out the bait, the first person to speak wasn't Pei Chanbai, the one he was most interested in, but the middle-aged man sitting in the center of the first row. "Given that the enemy is in the dark and we're in the light, too many people would easily alert them, while too few would hinder progress. The number of people the association has decided on for the task force is actually very appropriate," he said in a serious tone. "As the captain just said, the current situation isn't suitable for grouped missions, so I'm thinking of dividing them into regions."
This meant a complete exploration of the area piece by piece, a typical conservative approach that was prone to time lags and loopholes. Ying Yungui immediately rejected the idea in his mind, but said, "Well, what about the others?"
Then most of the group members put forward their own opinions and suggestions. Overall, most of them were as conservative as the man who spoke first.
Perhaps because S-rank missions were difficult and carried considerable risk, most people would choose the safest approach and avoid combat unless absolutely necessary. This, however, happened to be Ying Yungui's least favorite strategy. So, after listening to most of the speeches, he felt a subtle irritation, barely noticeable to others.
Yan Zhiyuan was one of the people who was relatively familiar with Ying Yungui's personality. He keenly sensed his slight emotional fluctuations and promptly addressed him, "Since the mission was released, I'm sure you've all seen the clues related to the incident at the District 3 Research Institute. I personally believe that the other group is acting decisively. If they gain the upper hand, the entire District 9 will be in a very passive position. If we want to complete the mission, we must take the initiative, even if it means partially exposing ourselves."
Ying Yungui's expression softened slightly. "That's what I think. Does anyone else have any suggestions or opinions?" He turned to Pei Chanbai and asked, "Deputy Team Leader?"
Pei Chanbai was fully armed and sat there without saying a word. It was not until Ying Yungui called out that he looked up in confusion: "Ah... Sorry, I just fell asleep."
“…”
At this moment, everyone's thoughts were surprisingly consistent - is this deputy team leader really reliable?
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