Cyber ​​Ghost Record

Chapter 87, Section 86: The Contact Person

In the Security Bureau's conference room, a holographic screen displayed information about more than twenty arrested suspects.

“Forty hours.” Lu Shixi, the leader of the Third Special Investigation Team, stood in the center of the conference room, his gaze sweeping over the numerous suspects on the screen. “The results of forty hours of investigation are these small fry. These drug dealers and bartenders have all passed the thought test. They have all handled that new type of drug to some extent, but none of them know the exact source of it.”

“The target was tricky,” said an investigator behind the maglev chair on the left. “It had been operating on the black market for years before its arrest. It was difficult to find its true identity through these dealers alone; it wasn’t the kind of monster that would lower its guard and disregard humanity.”

Lu Shixi nodded. "Dealing with demons and monsters of this level requires at least several weeks of planning." She then changed the subject, "However, we now have a breakthrough. An informant has provided a clue."

As Lu Shixi spoke, a faceless blue figure appeared on the screen.

“He is ‘Li,’ a drug dealer who recently appeared in Yingchuan. Those new types of drugs may have come from his hands.”

"Is the lead reliable?" one investigator questioned. Informants are an indispensable part of the intelligence network, but they are often marginalized individuals unable to perform normal work. The intelligence they bring is usually evidence of gangster crimes or information about an upcoming transaction at a certain time and place. But to say that an informant could find the true identity of a demon is inconceivable; this is something that even the Special Investigations Team Three, using the resources of the Security Bureau, could not accomplish.

“It’s highly credible,” Lu Shixi said. “The last time Fan Wujiu was arrested, it was because of a tip from this informant.”

The investigator immediately dismissed his doubts. He had heard of the mysterious informant, who was said to have provided 30% of the leads in the Security Bureau's cases concerning the Yingchuan underground black market.

"How are the results of the contact?" Lu Shixi asked the deputy team leader.

“We used thirty fake identities to contact him, and one of them was successful,” the deputy team leader said, as a huge complex of buildings appeared on the screen, with a yellow circle marking the target location within the complex. “He agreed to sell the goods, but the transaction location was chosen to be in the Six Desires Heaven.”

Lu Shixi nodded. "We're unsure if 'Li' is Fan Wujiu's true identity, so this operation mustn't alert him. The number of people shouldn't be too large, and the commotion shouldn't be too significant. Therefore, this operation will primarily be a probe. Once we confirm the other party's identity, the Feathered Envoy will intervene in the case." She looked at the six investigators in her team. "Who will be the contact person?"

“If that guy really is Fan Wujiu, direct contact with him could be life-threatening,” Bai Miao said.

“Therefore, I need a prudent candidate.” Lu Shixi looked at Bai Miao. “Any suggestions?”

“I don’t want to deal with drug dealers, but I’ve thought of a suitable person.” Bai Miao looked at Yang Guan. “What do you think of Su Ge?”

"Him?" Yang Guan paused for a moment, understanding Bai Miao's meaning. Indeed, Su Ge was a hibernator; he didn't have a brain-computer interface and therefore couldn't be attacked by neural data compiled by demons and monsters. But he immediately shook his head in denial, "That guy is skilled in neural data attacks, but it's not like he can't use conventional attack methods."

“He helped us capture a demon,” Bai Miao interrupted Yang Guan. “Moreover, last time he single-handedly fought an out-of-control Asura.”

"He's just my informant; he has no obligation to carry out dangerous missions..."

Before Yang Guan could finish speaking, Lu Shixi interrupted him.

“You’re wrong,” she said. “Everyone has a duty to protect the city’s safety, and that’s also a duty to protect themselves.”

……

A cockroach robot emerged from a ventilation duct and crawled down the wall. In the darkness, sonic detection revealed numerous human figures, some heads and limbs displayed on shelves. This was an abandoned warehouse in an old-fashioned robot factory. It trudged through half an inch of dust as if wading through snow. It crawled under tables, probing for any cavities in the walls, taking half an hour to confirm there was no danger.

A moment later, the sound of a gate rolling up rang out, and two extremely long shadows stretched into the room along with the light. Su Ge stood behind Chiba Ryoko, using the Gu Diao's sensors to get a clear view of the room's environment.

“If he’s not lying, this is his first backup hideout.” Chiba Ryoko walked toward the corner on the east side of the warehouse.

Before her lay a dozen or so dolls piled on the ground. There was a gap in the pile; several dolls had been pushed aside, as if something had crawled out from within. His footprints were visible in the dust, stretching all the way out of the warehouse.

She crouched down, wiped the dust from the footprints with her fingers, and examined them closely. "That guy has been gone for at least half a month." She turned to look at Suger. "We found where it woke up, but it's definitely moved. It definitely hasn't come back, and it won't come back. There aren't even any security cameras here."

Sog walked over, and a brown-haired head lay at his feet. The sight reminded him of the room where Shen Ke hid the backups. Those dolls lay on the floor; half a month ago, that backup was one of them, before it was activated and left to its own devices. If he had arrived half a month earlier, he wouldn't be in this predicament. This was a lesson. He needed to deal with everything before those malevolent backups awakened, instead of waiting until things worsened.

“Look.” Chiba Ryoko looked towards the pile of dolls, where there was a mess of footprints. Her eyes glowed green, projecting an air screen that played out her actions based on the footprints. In the image, a figure staggered, moving its limbs with strange movements, but its movements became fluid and skillful at a visible speed. Finally, it stretched its neck and strode towards the door.

“It just woke up and adapted to its new machine,” she said. “The guy wasn’t lying, but this is the only place we can find. Its condition is that it won’t lead us to where the backup went unless we release it.”

“If we let it go, it'll be even less likely to help.” Soger turned to look out the door, unable to believe in humanity, much less in the promises of demons and monsters. He looked down at the footprints. “From these marks, we should be able to deduce its height and weight…”

"Save your breath," Chiba Ryoko scoffed. "For 'us,' changing bodies is no more troublesome than you changing clothes."

Suger pursed his lips; the air here was stifling. He turned and walked out of the warehouse, taking a deep breath into the night.

A notification lit up in the lower right corner of his screen—a message from Yang Guan to his informant's account. He glanced at it and quickly left the abandoned warehouse. Five minutes later, he took the elevator to the ground floor. By the time he reached the street, he was already sweating profusely. He thought for a moment, then deliberately unbuttoned his collar and crumpled his shirt before contacting Yang Guan.

"Was it inconvenient just now?" Yang Guan appeared in his field of vision, sizing up Su Ge.

"I was with people from the Spiritual Society just now." Su Ge smiled vaguely. "So, Investigator Yang, any instructions?"

"I have a new task for you. There's a deal that needs a contact person, and you happen to fit the bill."

"A deal? What deal?"

"I can't reveal the specifics beforehand, but I can tell you that this is related to that new type of drug, the one you told me about last time."

Upon hearing about the new type of drug, Su Ge's heart skipped a beat. He and Fan Wujiu's main body hadn't even reached an agreement yet, but the National Security Bureau's leads had already come knocking on his door.

“I understand,” he said. “If the security agency needs me, I will cooperate fully.”

“Don’t oversimplify this.” Su Ge’s reaction made Yang Guan frown. “This mission is dangerous. I have to remind you that your temporary employment contract does not include this obligation.”

“I have no obligation to deal with that Asura,” Suger said. “But some things can’t be avoided. These crimes are happening in my city, so I could become a victim at any time.” He looked at Yang Guan. “When does the deal begin?”

Yang Guan was momentarily dazed; Su Ge's words were exactly the same as the team leader's. He realized that Su Ge was becoming less and less like a hibernator, and that in time, Su Ge might even be more adapted to this era than he was.

"You don't seem like a hibernator."

Suger was taken aback. His heart raced, but he still feigned surprise and asked, "Then what am I?"

"A time traveler?" Yang Guan laughed. "He has to be from the future, because you don't look like an ancient person at all."

Su Ge breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"I just thought you were complimenting me."

(End of this chapter)