After drawing cards, the evil god became my source of吐槽 (tu cao, a form of humorous commentary/criti

Chapter 97 Large-scale Mysterious Shopping Mall (1)

It is completely confirmed that the Special Service is currently lacking in combat capability.

A large number of people carrying the torch left, and the front-end work came to a standstill.

To what extent is the shortage now?
Que Dao had barely received word of the awakened ones when he panicked and suspected they were involved, risking everything to arrest him.

They dared to take action even though they were being closely watched by the research department. What about those awakened individuals who hadn't been found or protected by the research department yet?

Wouldn't that be directly...?

A very uncomfortable image quickly flashed into her mind.

In the hallway and at the stairwell, several secret agents silently lifted the curtain, pinned the panicked young man to the ground, and put him in a sack.

Wrists and ankles were locked in special shackles, and they were dragged out like sacks.

There was no explanation, and no one cared whether he would get hurt.

No kidding, she thought the current secret service was really capable of doing something like this.

An Jing subconsciously pursed her lips.

When He Lin was around, the people in the Special Service Department would still be somewhat restrained, at least on the surface they wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

Once He Lin leaves, this suppression will be gone, and the discipline ingrained in them will quickly crumble, with the unhealthy tendencies only getting worse.

He Lin was driven away by this evil trend, and now these people are even more reckless and unruly.

But she also understood that He Lin must have thought of this long ago.

There's no need to make it clear in public like this.

It's never good to make things public, things that people are speculating about each other.

She knew that He Lin had her own reasons.

Moreover, the Secret Service just sent people to arrest her, but they failed. Such a huge scandal has only been going on for a few hours, so they will most likely behave themselves for a while.

At least, they'll keep up the act for a while.

This period can be used to do many things.

A week passed quickly.

An Jing originally thought that these days would be a rare period of peace and tranquility.

But reality often doesn't follow the script.

That evening, she had just finished packing up her equipment in the training room when her communicator vibrated.

[Temporary Task Scheduling - S-Level Risk]

Location: Shangheng Plaza, Nanlu City, H Province

[Estimated number of trapped people: ≥1000; estimated death toll: ≥70%]

[Mysterious Energy Peak: Starting at Level C, with fluctuations continuously increasing]

She stared at that line of numbers for a full five seconds.

Shangheng Plaza is a well-known chain of large shopping malls with eight floors above ground and three floors underground. On holidays, the parking lot is packed with people.

The thought of such a place becoming a mysterious magnetic field sent chills down her spine.

With its large number of people, enclosed space, complex number of floors, and limited escape routes, it's practically a natural cage of despair.

The mystery lies in the fact that they ate their fill at the "buffet."

Normally, given the high level of danger, a mission outside the province wouldn't call someone like her, who isn't even officially employed yet and is still a student.

But this time, it was Xin who suggested taking her.

She could tell that this was not just a casual, polite suggestion.

The instructions from the dispatch office stated the reasons very clearly:
"If An Jing participates, the mission survival rate is expected to increase by 12%."

He Lin naturally disagreed.

The reason is simple: S-level risk, cross-province, mysterious energy surge, complex mall terrain, any one of these is enough to send a novice into the brink of death.

An Jing is a carrier of the Origin, and He Lin has always made it clear that she doesn't want to put An Jing in danger. As a result, the master and apprentice had a fight in the office.

Xin slammed his hat on the table and said coldly, "Master, I've taken her into the magnetic field before, but you haven't. Do you know how important she is to us? As long as An Jing is here, we have more power to save people and clear out the mysteries within the mysterious magnetic field! It's like having an extra life!"

He Lin's face was so cold it could drip water: "An extra life is yours, not hers. If she dies in there, can you take responsibility?"

“I can take responsibility!” You Xin retorted.

"If she dies, I'll die with her. Are you satisfied now?"

The air in the office instantly froze, like solidified cement.

Finally, Xin dropped a sentence:
"You know, Sister Lin, if we don't bring her this time, our chances of coming back alive are probably very low."

The door was pushed open and slammed against the door frame.

This time, He Lin remained silent for a long time.

Later that day, An Jing received a private message from her.

I won't force you. If you don't want to go, just pretend I didn't mention it.

But if you agree, I will personally arrange the route and formation to guarantee your survival rate.

An Jing looked at the line of text and replied almost without hesitation.

【go.】

She won't let any opportunity to become stronger slip by.

Moreover, she believed that the reason Chi Chen gave her this strength was not because he wanted her to be protected forever.

Even if this time, I might really have to walk through the gates of hell.

The base was brightly lit the night before departure.

Yunji was drawing a route in front of the map, Youlong was checking the props, and Youxin was sitting to the side trying out his weapon.

When An Jing walked in, a sense of oppressive tension filled the air. It wasn't something they were deliberately putting on; rather, everyone subconsciously restrained their movements, as if conserving their energy for the unknown tomorrow.

He Lin walked over and handed her a combat kit.

"Here is your equipment list. Check it yourself."

An Jing took it and nodded.

He Lin stared into her eyes, her voice extremely low: "Once inside, no matter what happens, prioritize survival. Follow Xin and Youlong's instructions and don't be reckless."

An Jing smiled and said, "Don't worry, I don't want to die."

He Lin looked at An Jing with a heavy expression, as if she was weighing something.

“The research department recently conducted a statistical analysis of the mysterious magnetic field,” she said in a low, weary voice, “and compared to last year, it appears ten times more frequently this year.”

She paused, as if afraid that saying it would make people feel even heavier, "But the scale of our front end... hasn't changed much."

These words struck everyone like a blow to the heart.

What does a tenfold increase in frequency mean? It means that a magnetic field that used to occur once a month can now occur every three days.

This means that rest breaks will be completely compressed, and that agents will have to work desperately even for a moment to breathe.

“Someone in the research department suggested lowering the standards and recruiting more agents,” He Lin continued.

“But in this line of work, lowering the standards will only harm new employees.” Her tone suddenly turned cold. “The secret service won’t be lenient with you just because you’re a new employee.”

This is the truth. An Jing had never heard such statistics before, and she couldn't quite describe how she felt.

“That’s using human lives to fill a gap.” He Lin turned her head slightly, a flash of anger and sorrow in her eyes. “I don’t agree with it.”

But she also understood that without expanding recruitment, given the current frequency of the mysterious magnetic fields, the existing agents simply couldn't handle it.

Caught in a dilemma, every day becomes a war of attrition.

Her fingers pressed gently against her temples, the movement so slow it was as if she were afraid of aggravating some pain. An Jing noticed a deep vertical line between her eyebrows, a line that couldn't have been etched overnight.

(End of this chapter)