Wei Linglan didn't waste words. She directly pulled out a signal pistol from her backpack slot and squeezed the trigger towards the sky.
The signal flare, glowing red, shot into the sky. It exploded high above, blooming into a dazzling, complex rhomboid pattern.
Xing Hechou stood by the floor-to-ceiling window inside the temporary base on Hoshan Road. Seeing the somewhat blurry emblem of the Special Affairs Bureau's Mobile Detachment through the dense fog, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He turned, gave a few instructions to his subordinates, and ordered two members of the detachment to go down and meet them.
On the streets, a visibly uneasy crowd whispered among themselves, their eyes cast toward the building ahead.
This building at No. 149 Hoshan Road served as one of the Special Affairs Bureau's outposts in Yin City, its cover being an office for the City Landscaping and Cleaning Service Company.
Although the building was tall, it was quite old. It still featured green, curved facade windows from the early 21st century, and dust had settled in the hard-to-clean spots on either side of them.
On either side of the marble steps at the entrance stood two stone lions, tinged with remnants of bluish-green moss.
The lion on the left, pawing a stone ball, bared its teeth in a grin, looking comically fierce.
The lion on the right, fangs bared and claws out, glared angrily at its counterpart, appearing strikingly lifelike.
The lobby inside was dimly lit, its furnishings outdated. Not a soul was in sight, giving it a rather desolate feel.
It looked nothing like a heavily guarded fortress.
As the crowd watched anxiously, two fully armed Mobile Detachment members descended the second-floor staircase, crossed the lobby, and pressed several buttons on the control panel by the door.
Once the buttons were pressed, ripples shimmered in the air around the main entrance. The scene inside transformed. What was once a desolate and neglected department became a bunker lined with dark-gray alloy wall tiles, brimming with machine-gun turrets and ammo boxes. The inner walls were adorned with intricate, arcane, gray oriental Formation patterns, from which a faint, pale glow radiated.
The two Mobile Detachment members emerged from the bunker onto the street. They checked Wei Linglan's Special Affairs Bureau ID card with a handheld scanner and had her press her fingerprint on it. Then, without a word, they silently gestured for everyone to follow.
The group nervously approached the building and ascended the steps. Suddenly, the stone lion on the left side of the marble staircase moved, lowering its head to sniff at one of the chefs standing at the edge of the group.
Startled, the chef yelled and fell heavily to the ground. The stone lion was also taken aback; its eyes widened, and it raised its forepaws high as if to say, "Bro, calm down! I'm just smelling the food on you."
These two stone lions were special props kindly provided by the Heterodox Academy, originating from the inheritance of one of its members in a previous Killing Game. They were capable of sniffing out visitors' scents to determine if they harbored ill intent or wished harm upon the homeowners.
Besides their scent-detection function, the combat power of the two stone lions was considerable. Their stone bodies could ignore attacks of the Main Battle Tank With Armor-piercing Bomb Level, and with a swing of their paws, they could easily tear through steel plates.
As long as they were provided with enough jade, they could be hired to leave their stone pedestals and go into battle.
However, according to the Heterodox Academy's records, in ancient times, they would go wild for just a piece of junk jade. But now, with market prices soaring, their butts wouldn't move without a good half-pound of Apex Lantian jade. Inflation.
This little episode didn't cause much of a stir, and soon the entire group had entered the lobby.
*The 132 people from Yongyi Pavilion Restaurant have been escorted to No. 149 Hoshan Road.*
*The regular mission "Fog Escape" has been completed.*
Hearing the System prompt in her ears, Wei Linglan couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
This escort mission had taken place in the Misty Territory of Yin City and involved many civilians, including her parents. Executing it had been nerve-racking; she had worried that if she wasn't careful, ordinary people would be devoured by the Misty Territory.
Fortunately, she'd had two strong pillars of support...
At that thought, Wei Linglan looked towards the main gate.
At that moment, the two Mobile Detachment members had returned to the control panel by the door. They pressed a few buttons to re-establish the optical camouflage and a series of Formation barriers around the building.
I wonder where those two pillars are now...
Wei Linglan mused to herself. This routine mission is set in the real world, without any teleportation back. Can they leave the Misty Territory on their own?
Her contemplation didn't last long. Soon, a member of the organization came downstairs to tell her to report.
Wei Linglan quickly turned to her parents and cousin, instructing them to follow arrangements and not to worry about her.
Li Ang frowned slightly. "Yes, Lanlan, don't worry about us." He embraced Wei Linglan earnestly. Under Wang Congshan's murderous gaze, he added solemnly, "I'll definitely take good care of our parents and your cousin. You can go without worry."
What in the world does 'go without worry' mean? I'm just going to report in. Why do you sound like I'm about to die? And man, weren't you almost kidnapped by Hong Sha to be a groom just moments ago? You've recovered so quickly and are still so dedicated to completing the commission. I really should give you a raise!
Wei Linglan fumed inwardly but could only manage an awkward smile. She casually stroked her cousin's hair, then turned and followed her colleague. They navigated several turns through the hall before taking an elevator to the sixth floor.
Although this building was only one of Yin City's minor strongholds for the Special Affairs Bureau—with just over three hundred clerical staff and one hundred eighty Mobile Detachment members (including about twenty resident player members)—it was run meticulously. Given the potentially immense risks from the Killing Game, the Special Affairs Bureau ensured each stronghold had comprehensive infrastructure.
This way, even if the headquarters were severely hit, other minor strongholds could be deployed immediately and re-established as new command centers.
The building at No. 149 Hoshan Road had seven underground levels and eight above ground.
The underground section included employee dormitories, shooting ranges, Fighting practice rooms, physical fitness testing rooms, firearms storage, extraordinary item storage, combat arenas, and accompanying emergency medical wards, as well as Heterodox Academy liaison offices and a series of scientific research rooms.
The first floor above ground was the lobby. It usually had no defenses and operated as the City Landscaping and Cleaning Service Company to deceive ordinary people.
The second, third, and fourth floors were office areas, responsible for processing various documents and archives, receiving independent players, and issuing missions. The fifth floor housed departments such as the Inspection Office, the Information Security Office, and the Logistics Department.
The sixth floor was the command center, responsible for receiving orders from headquarters and dispatching the stronghold's Mobile Detachment to carry out missions in Yin City and its surrounding areas.
The seventh and eighth floors were usually off-limits to non-essential personnel, and Wei Linglan hadn't been up there often.
Upon reaching the sixth floor, the elevator doors opened. Wei Linglan followed her colleague, pushed open the command center's main doors, and walked in.
The command center covered a vast area. Dozens of rows of computer-equipped desks and chairs lined both sides, leaving the central area open. On the front wall hung an enormous screen composed of countless LCD panels.
Since all electronic equipment had malfunctioned, the numerous clerical staff seated on both sides could only wait idly. Their attention was focused on a young man in plain clothes and a blindfold, standing in the central open space of the command center.
Wei Linglan glanced curiously at the young man. She noticed his forehead was beaded with sweat as he held a brush as large as a rafter, dabbing and drawing with ink on the command center floor.
Is he drawing a Formation? But why does it look more like a picture of a chick pecking at grain?
Wei Linglan was puzzled but kept her thoughts to herself. She walked straight to the command platform to report to Jien Rushuang, the stronghold's leader, and Xing Hechou, the Mobile Detachment captain.