Puzzle Madness

Chapter 61 Eve
Richard didn't move, but his fingers tapping against the seam of his pants betrayed his anxiety.

"It depends on the situation. The location will naturally be different depending on the objectives of the operation and the means used. A city like Mong Cai is too remote and too small. I haven't trained on the relevant emergency plans at headquarters."

"Generally speaking—"

"The choice of a downtown location means this frontline operation won't become a major event. Perhaps there are more covert needs, perhaps even requiring the use of civilians as cover to prevent other forces from taking drastic action. Of course, the company itself needs to keep a low profile: Asia-Europe Post isn't a true government agency, and if things get out of hand, it'll be difficult to suppress. Hence the complex reasons for this location."

The mathematician finally laced his shoe thoroughly and moved his ankle back and forth, as if warming up for a possible escape:

"It's possible—it's possible that their original target was the citizens. Right?"

Doudou, chin propped up by his fist, paced back and forth. The short nap in the car seemed to have made him feel better.

"What the doctor said seems to make some sense. Haven't you seen 'Martians Attack the Planet of the Apes'? Maybe they need to use a lot of people as research material! Oh my god, that's terrifying!"

Richard's gaze was fixed on Shouzhu 151. He looked up, searching for the towering summit of the building.

"This... shouldn't be the reason—"

"If you're looking for human material, Asia-Europe Post has better options. There's no need to come to a place like Mong Cai. Asia-Europe Post also has a lot of outbound business in Africa and Latin America. The environment there is chaotic, and it's much more convenient to get things done than in Jiaozhi Autonomous Prefecture."

The mathematician suddenly looked up—even though he had brought up the topic, it still shocked him the most:
"Huh? Human material? Are all those rumors true? Is the Asia-Europe Post conducting human experiments? I thought it was all conspiracy theories."

Before Richard could answer, Doudou asked the question first:

"Interesting—after all this research, where do these special abilities come from? Aliens? Genetic engineering? You big companies should know something. Come on, tell us."

Richard moved slightly left and right, looking at Shouzhu 151 from different angles. He looked like a tourist visiting a tourist attraction.
"I'm not sure, really. Even if Asia-Europe Post understood the true cause of the mania, it wouldn't be used as a training material for every employee."

Doudou uttered a "hmm" sound, as if thinking about something:
"Really? But what I actually find strange is: why don't I usually meet anyone with special abilities? From the videotape you played, it seems like there should be a lot of them."

Richard hid his injured hand deeper into his coat pocket.
"Many people are unaware they possess ecstasy. Some because their symptoms are too subtle, while others because their manifestations are too difficult to observe. This requires long-term follow-up by the investigation team, intelligence gathering, and experimentation to confirm."

"Most of the cases I've seen are organic miracles. No, carriers of organic mania—because only organic mania is the easiest to distinguish, visible to the naked eye. There are basically no other reliable screening methods. As you've seen in the video tutorials before."

“In the hospital, you might encounter patients with diseases like acromegaly, hemangioma, and arteriovenous fistula. But some of these patients are actually caused by ecstasy.”
-
Suddenly, the three of them stopped talking - according to the popular saying in Doudou's school, the sudden silence meant that some monsters were flying over their heads.

Richard and the mathematician both turned their gazes to Doudou; but it was Richard who spoke in the end:

"What do you say now?"

DouDou looked around—then raised her index finger, pointing at herself in surprise: "Huh? You're asking me?"

Richard's eyes met with the mathematician's, and they saw the complicated and incomprehensible expressions on each other's faces.

Doudou, with an expression that was unclear whether it was genuine or fake, began pacing back and forth around the blind path.
"No, we've already reached the gate of their lair. Are we going to sneak back home?! With the atmosphere at this point, it would be rude not to destroy their lair. It cost us an entire night."

Richard glanced at the gray creature rising into the clouds not far away, then looked at Doudou:
"So—do we need to formulate an infiltration plan?"

The pace of walking back and forth has increased:
"Ah? A plan? How could I possibly know that? I'm still a student! You guys come up with it, and I'll help you out. How's that? But I still think we should just rush in through the gate and catch the leader. Don't make it too complicated, Doctor, you still have to go back and help me with my math homework."

Doudou waited for a moment, but received no response. The other two companions stared at him in silence.
"Hey? Hey? Why aren't you talking? Okay, okay! Then I'll think about it."

He spread his hands and slapped his head twice, as if to force the idea out of himself:

"Um, Lao Li, do you know of any secret passages that can lead to this building?"

Richard shook his head and followed Doudou's gaze:

"I don't understand that. I haven't had access to the blueprints. Even if there are special entrances and exits, they'd require a key or something; or they'd have to be opened through the control room."

Doudou rubbed his philtrum furiously with his fingers; the movement left an afterimage, like a flesh-colored mustache.

"Hmm—there's one more! Since the Special Package Handling Department is in charge, then your base should also have psychics? Like your colleague who loves smoking."

Richard lowered his eyes and looked at the drain on the side of the road. Small groups of mosquitoes were hovering over it.
"Well, the standard is that there should be—"

"Since they've decided to establish their base of operations in Mong Cai, they'll definitely be recalling field agents from nearby areas. From what I understand, there are several more teams of monitors and ecstasy holders in Jiaozhi Autonomous Prefecture; they'll likely be rushing to Mong Cai as well."

"But it will take some time for it to be fully implemented - based on my experience, it may not even be that time yet."

"The three of us moved so quickly, I suspect the only people at the base are the section chief, some civilian staff, and the permanent security team."

"But when it comes to direct combat capabilities, field operations can't compare to the security team. So if we only consider the level of danger, there isn't a huge difference."

He circled around traffic signs and street lights, making a figure eight, while his tongue moved rapidly, like a tongue twister:
"That's all! First, we don't know about the secret entrance, second, there's no variable like strange superpowers, and third, the doctor and I haven't received any spy or stealth training. So why bother infiltrating? Why not just charge in and be done with it?"

"Time is tight and the mission is heavy. The more complex the plan, the easier it is to make mistakes. Let's adapt to the situation: I'll go ahead, you follow. If there's any danger, each of us will take cover! Do you understand? Let's go! Oh, let's cross the street slowly, watch out for cars."

(End of this chapter)