Chapter 6 Moonlight Sirens' cold lips touched those wounds...
Inside the conference room, Lu Jin sat back in the main seat, while Sang Li sat obediently next to Yu Qi, looking serious as if she was about to listen to the report and take notes.
Lu Jin formally introduced Sang Li: "BEAM-071, you should have already read her file last week. From now on, she will be a member of our team and participate in anomaly containment missions. In order to carry out the work more smoothly, you will conduct psychological assessments every week to deal with the uncontrollable temptations brought by 071."
Sang Li muttered, "I knew it..."
Does she have that much charm?
Loved by everyone, and admired by all?
Tang Lan laughed smugly: "Captain, her name is Sang Li. Now that she's a member of the group, she's no longer an anomaly."
Sang Li nodded vigorously: "That's right, that's right! Tang Ge still caught the nail on the head! We must respect and care for our team members!"
It seems there are still more good people than bad.
"..."
Tang Lan and Sang Li, these two clowns have finally met.
Lu Jin wasn't angry and repeated, "Sang Li."
“I’m here!” Sang Li smiled.
Lu Jin paused for a moment, then introduced to Sang Li, "We're still missing one person, Zhou Fangyang, the logistics supply officer. He should be handing over his mission today, so you haven't met him yet. These are the core members of the team. Depending on the mission's danger level, I'll have a virtual team available for use."
Sang Li took notes.
Lu Jin: "Yu Qi is skilled in close combat and quickly suppressing enemies; a combat expert. Tang Lan is a non-combatant, mainly responsible for monitoring and support; a technical inspector. You can get to know each other first."
Tang Lan asked curiously, "Xiao Li, are you adjusting well to being out here? Let's go out for lunch together. Sister Yu Qi is treating; there's a really good barbecue place there. I heard the food at the shelter is terrible. Look how thin you've gotten; how are you going to go on a mission like this?"
Sang Li smiled and said, "It's alright. Lu Jin's cooking is pretty good, so he should be able to gain some weight back."
Tang Lan's mouth dropped open: "Holy crap, the boss cooks? That's so amazing! I've been following the boss for years and I've never eaten with him before! I never thought the boss would prioritize women over friends!"
Yu Qi coughed twice and frowned. Although she didn't know what to say, her feelings were clearly written on her face.
Sang Li felt a little embarrassed by what Tang Lan said, as if she had gotten the better deal.
Tang Lan wailed, "I want to eat too!"
Sang Li explained, "My situation is special. He doesn't cook for me, and I'll starve to death at home. Besides, I don't have a salary yet, and I don't have money to eat out. The organization certainly doesn't want someone as rare and abnormal as me to starve to death."
They can't stop talking about money. After all, the purpose of working is to make money, not to pursue ideals.
Something occurred to Tang Lan, and she asked gossipily, "You live together?"
“Mmm.” Sang Li nodded.
Tang Lan's eyes widened, and even Yu Qi looked at her captain in disbelief.
Sang Li: ?
Is that strange?
Do you expect me to provide neither food nor lodging?
It would be better to go back to the cage in the shelter.
Is it really necessary? We're all adults.
In fact, Lu Jin got the better deal!
Otherwise, with his terrible temper, how could he possibly date a girl?
And they're stingy too!
Lu Jin coughed twice, steer the conversation back to the main topic: "I'll treat everyone to lunch. This morning we received news from the bureau that 'The Man in the Painting' has reappeared. Team B09 went to contain him, and now three are missing and two are dead. The bureau's decision is to assign the 'Man in the Painting' case to us, and resolve this anomaly before the end of the month. Tang Lan, go analyze the data and find locations where 'The Man in the Painting' could appear. Yu Qi, the casualty report has been sent to you, and the operational deployment for this mission is yours. And..."
Sudden.
The conference room door was pushed open, and a man rushed in, panting. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, had a handsome face with gentle features, and his clean white shirt was soaked with sweat.
"Something's happened." He said hastily, adjusting his glasses as he looked at Lu Jin.
Sang Li sized him up.
Tang Lan seized the opportunity: "This is Zhou Fangyang."
Lu Jin: "What is it?"
Zhou Fangyang: "Highest priority. Blood ship spotted at sea. Depart immediately."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the other three, except for Sang Li, changed drastically.
Lu Jin checked his watch: "Meet at the airport in 20 minutes."
"receive!"
"receive."
"no problem."
Suddenly, the meeting room was empty.
Sang Li was stunned for a moment, then Lu Jin patted Sang Li's shoulder with one hand: "Come with me."
"Huh?"
"Keep up."
After passing through a wide corridor and office area, you arrive at the warehouse.
After turning a few more corners, we entered the equipment room.
It was all weapons, clothes, and countless electronic devices.
Lu Jin tossed Sang Li a combat suit: "Put it on and call me."
He quickly turned around and went to the next room.
A few minutes later, when she knocked on the door next door wearing her slightly loose combat uniform, Lu Jin was already ready, holding a pile of equipment in his hands.
He beckoned her over, saying, "Come here, you're dressed inappropriately."
Sang Li walked over, and Lu Jin directly removed her belt, bent down, and naturally wrapped his arms around her sides: "Like this."
Suddenly, Sang Li seemed to freeze.
Her arms felt like they were in a cage; she could almost feel the force of his tightening his belt. A faint, cold aura wafted over her as he drew near, and she could almost hear his heartbeat, while her own heart skipped a beat.
"Why are you looking at me? Look at the belt. Don't make me teach you a second time."
"Oh, oh oh."
Lu Jin's gaze remained fixed on the buckle of the belt, without wavering for a moment. He quickly and decisively fastened the belt with one hand.
Even though his hand rested on her waist, it showed no emotion.
Then, he put the tactical vest on her, checking the pockets to make sure they were empty, while he had Sang Li raise her arms.
"Raise your hand higher."
His tone was calm.
Sang Li obediently did as he said, like a delicate porcelain doll being carefully manipulated by him.
This was the first time she had ever seen someone on a mission.
Gloves, knee pads, elbow pads—Lu Jin put them on her one by one.
"Where are we going?" Sang Li asked softly.
"You'll find out when you get there on the mission."
"Do I have to wear all this?"
"For the first mission, concentrate and stay alert," Lu Jin said.
Sang Li had to try to shake off the sleepiness that came with waking up early.
Twenty minutes later, all five members of the team boarded the transport plane.
Everyone was fully armed.
From receiving the mission to the plane taking off, it only took about thirty minutes.
The plane took off smoothly.
Lu Jin stood inside the cabin, pulled down the LCD screen, and said in a serious tone: "Currently codenamed BEAM-915, also known as 'Moonlight Sirens,' the famous Abyssal Avenger. Its physical characteristics include: an upper body that is male, appearing to be about 25 years old, with pale skin covered in small scales. The lower body is a fish tail with a large, silver-white tail fin. The eyes are pure white with no obvious pupils, and the mouth contains sharp teeth similar to those of deep-sea fish, making it a very powerful attacker."
Sang Li stared blankly at the screen.
What a beautiful mermaid.
Although it's just a blurry photo, the mermaid's skin is as white as ocean waves, shimmering with a pearly luster.
He's still a young man.
Lu Jin's voice was calm and devoid of any emotional fluctuation: "According to the General Administration's instructions, the authority to investigate and handle target BEAM-915 has been transferred from the United States BEAM Project Team to us because there are citizens of our Federation among the victims."
"BEAM-915 will indiscriminately attack ships passing through its area of operation, including cruise ships and merchant ships."
"According to analysis, BEAM-915's behavior pattern has a clear regularity. It will physically damage the hull of passing ships, and then the crew will fall into a collective hallucination for unknown reasons, and engage in violent behavior until they kill each other, eventually leading to their deaths at sea. The empty ship was later found by a patrol aircraft with no survivors, and it was also known as the 'blood ship'."
Lu Jin paused, then lightly tapped the screen with his fingertips: "The latest report was yesterday. This is the fifth large-scale incident recorded since BEAM-915 was confirmed to exist. The video footage we have comes from three eyewitness accounts, which occurred in December of the year before last, July of last year, and November of last year. The target tends to appear in winter, operates over a wide area, and is mainly distributed in international waters."
The screen flickered a few times and then stopped at a blurry video.
In the video, a silvery-white light suddenly appeared on the dark sea, and then a figure swept across the frame at an unusual speed.
Lu Jin raised his head, his cold gaze sweeping across the cabin: "Time is limited. Confirm the division of labor immediately. Any delay could result in the next statistic appearing in today's mission report. Headquarters expects us to complete containment within three days."
"receive."
"receive!"
"Received, received."
Only Sang Li felt a slight chill on her back.
Tang Lan, Yu Qi, and Zhou Fangyang went about their respective tasks.
Sang Li was left sitting alone in the same spot.
Lu Jin: "Is there anything you want to ask?"
Sang Li: "It sounds like I'm a law-abiding citizen."
Lu Jin: ...
Sang Li smiled and asked, "What do I need to do?"
Lu Jin: "When you go on a mission, you only need to remember two principles. First, strictly obey orders."
"Um."
"Secondly, no matter what danger we encounter, I will come to save you."
Sang Li touched her belt: "What if my coordinates become invalid?"
Lu Jin looked at her: "Then I can find you too. Here is the information, memorize it thoroughly. We will arrive at our destination in 10 hours."
Sang Li nodded.
I was left alone in the cabin, feeling like a middle school student reciting a text.
***
Lu Jin has a small office on the plane.
The door closed.
He slowly sat down, lowered his head, and pulled open the cuffs of his combat uniform, revealing the skin on his wrist.
Thin, elongated red marks snaked along his wrist, almost invisible, traces of fingernails. These tiny scratches shouldn't leave scars, but somehow, the marks remained intact.
He stroked the scar, his gaze deepening. His brow furrowed slightly, casting a shadow, then he took a deep breath and lowered his head.
The cold lips touched the wounds, the movement extremely slow and reverent.
As his lips parted, he closed his eyes briefly, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
A moment later, he straightened his cuffs and left the office.
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