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

Chapter 98 Large-scale Mysterious Shopping Mall (2)

Only 28 years old.

But He Lin looks ten years older than that number.

An Jing couldn't help but reach out and grab her wrist, feeling a cool sensation in his palm.

"He Lin, don't push yourself too hard."

He Lin paused for a moment, then nodded slightly without saying anything more. She simply turned around and said in a calm voice, "Let them prepare to leave."

The airport lights were a cold white, making everyone's face look frigid.

Before boarding, An Jing stood at the back of the crowd, watching He Lin.

Her brows remained furrowed, her gaze piercing through the glass walls of the waiting area, as if looking into the distance.

His eyes held both reluctance and undisguised worry.

That look in his eyes gave An Jing a fleeting illusion, as if it were the last look before their parting in life and death.

Just then, a soft sob broke her thoughts.

An Jing turned around and saw that it was Xin.

Xin covered his face with both hands, his shoulders trembling slightly, as if he was trying his best to hold back his voice.

An Jing hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently patted her back.

“…I shouldn’t have lost my temper with Master.” You Xin’s voice was muffled in her palm, choked with sobs.

"She was clearly worried about us."

She wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and said, "Seeing how tired she was, I... I really wanted to help her, but I didn't know how. In the end, we even argued."

An Jing didn't interrupt, but just listened quietly.

“She has been feeling unwell lately, I can tell, but she refuses to get checked out.”

You Xin clenched her fist, her knuckles turning white. "I've told her so many times, but it's no use. She just stubbornly holds on..."

An Jing gave a soft "hmm" and then patted her shoulder.

“Therefore, this time we must succeed.” Her tone was calm, as if stating an inevitable outcome.

"Although we can't solve her problems at their root, we'll deal with one issue at a time."

You Xin raised his head and glanced at her, his eyes showing a mixture of surprise and reassurance.

This time the team was larger than ever before, with a total of ten agents deployed.

Holly was among them, her expression more composed than usual.

There were also five agents who were former subordinates of He Lin, who had left the Special Service Department and joined the Research Department. Their eyes held a loyalty that extended beyond their mission.

Everyone knows that this target is no ordinary magnetic field.

S-level means that the mysterious energy may surge to an uncontrollable level in a short period of time, and also means that the probability of it going out of control is close to the limit.

The plane taxis and takes off, and the cabin lights gradually dim.

The roar of the engine echoed like a deep battle song within the metal frame of the engine bay.

An Jing sat by the window, her profile reflected in the night. The city lights below gradually faded into sparse dots, like a drowning person's last struggle on the surface of the water.

She closed her eyes and began to mentally rehearse the route.

She had investigated the structure of Shangheng Plaza; its internal layout was so complex it was almost abnormal, with countless bottleneck-like passages and enclosed dead corners.

Once the magnetic field covers the area, almost all escape routes are cut off.

This kind of task allows for absolutely no mistakes.

When she opened her eyes, the plane had already reached cruising altitude, and the cabin was so quiet that only the mechanical hum could be heard.

Everyone had their eyes closed, either resting or looking down at their equipment.

An Jing suddenly realized that everyone here might not be here tomorrow.

She couldn't help but sigh, instantly understanding the expression on He Lin's face as she kept looking at them. It was a mixture of reluctance, guilt, and complex emotions.

But An Jing will not back down because of this.

Just as Xin said, with her joining them, their survival rate would be higher.

Her sincerity gave her strength, so that she could use it.

Even if this time, it really was a brush with death.

She couldn't keep running away or being protected all the time.

The plane flew through the night for two hours before finally landing safely at the airport in Nanlu City.

As soon as the hatch opened, a chill mixed with damp air rushed out.

On the tarmac, a team of local management personnel had been waiting for a long time, and the roar of the car engines sounded particularly urgent in the quiet night.

The leader was a man in his thirties with heavy dark circles under his eyes. He spoke so fast it was as if he was afraid that a second's delay would result in someone's death.

"Gentlemen, please! There are too many people trapped inside this time, and their identities are all very complicated. There are people from the city, people from the province, and tourists from other places... Their families are already blocking the perimeter of the square, and they are very agitated. The bureau is also under a lot of pressure..."

"Let's not talk about these things."

Xin interrupted him directly, her tone as cold and hard as a blade, "We don't want to hear it, and we don't need to hear it. Your pressure will not help us complete our mission in any way."

Her gaze was fixed on the man, unwavering. "We can only guarantee that we will do our best to save him, but we cannot promise you any results."

The other person was taken aback, as if they hadn't expected her to say that, and could only awkwardly shut up and silently hand over the documents in their hand.

It was definitely different when I first started working with people from a rather specialized department.

"...Then, please follow me. The area around the mall has been sealed off."

The car sped along, and the neon lights outside the window flashed by like a silent river in the night.

Ten minutes later, they got off the bus outside Shangheng Plaza.

Police tape was put up around the square, and outside the cordon, there was a dense crowd of people. Cries, questions, and even curses mingled together, like a chaotic sea.

It was even more chaotic than they had imagined.

An Jing glanced at it, her heart tightening inwardly. If these voices reached the ears of the mission personnel, they could easily become a psychological burden.

Youlong had already taken a portable energy meter out of the trunk and skillfully aimed it at the mall entrance.

The instrument's pointer shot up to a high level almost instantly, emitting a "beep beep" alarm sound.

"It's changed; it has reached a Class B concentration."

His voice carried a hint of seriousness, "It's on a different level than when we received the news."

An Jing's heart sank; she knew very well what this meant.

In the mall now, even the weakest mystery creature is at least at level C, and level B mystery creatures are likely to be found everywhere.

In other words, this is no longer a regular mopping-up operation, but rather sending themselves into a den of predators.

That's a Class B mystery!

This result turned many agents pale, their breathing rapid in the night wind.

Their eyes darted quickly between them, a mixture of hesitation and unease, but no one spoke.

Since He Lin didn't come, they had to rely on themselves.

An Jing gripped the equipment bag in his hand, feeling the sweat seeping from his palms.

The pressure is now entirely on the ten agents present.

Youlong smiled at this moment and said half-jokingly, "I've already written my will. If something really happens, at least my family will receive some information from me."

After a moment of silence, You Xin said, "Why didn't you remind me? I'd write one too."

　I feel so sorry for my sister Lin.
　　(End of this chapter)