Chapter 238: Framing |
After confirming that Guan Shan had indeed reached B-rank, White Night, while amazed, agreed to investigate the detailed information about "Venom" and promised to provide updates in a few days.
Guan Shan was then showered with gratitude by Zhao Keji, who saw him as a lifesaving hero for the second time. Naturally, he held immense admiration and gratitude for him.
Before parting, Zhao Keji expressed his resolve: "I've decided what I want to do. I'll join the military and eventually become part of the Special Security Group's logistics team."
He smiled bitterly. "Anyway, there's no hope of graduating normally now. I've had enough of the rumors and can't concentrate on anything."
"Rather than living in constant fear, I'd rather face those scumbags head-on and fight!"
Guan Shan patted his shoulder, offering encouraging and supportive words.
Life is about making one's own choices, and Zhao Keji's current situation couldn't get any worse.
Once the lunatics from "The Church of Unity" targeted someone, they would stop at nothing to achieve their goal.
Guan Shan had experienced this firsthand.
After bidding farewell to everyone, White Night was bombarded with questions about Guan Shan's identity by his two subordinates.
White Night, feigning mystery, pondered for a moment before stroking his chin and saying, "It's hard to say... For now, he's a special member of the Special Security Group's Youhao Team, but that might change soon."
Kou Ruonan's face was full of curiosity. "Does it have to do with what you two were discussing? What exactly is going on? Why do I feel like... boss, you seem a bit scared of him?"
Lu Hai chimed in, "Who wouldn't be, considering how terrifying he is?"
White Night snorted and then sighed, "You haven't seen him in a real fight. It's terrifying. If I weren't his teammate, I'd have pissed my pants countless times. Do you know his nickname? 'Demon God!'"
"And his power level can't be measured by conventional means." He pointed to the ceiling. "The higher-ups were initially hesitant to use him, suspecting he was red-level. But after many secret tests showed he was green, and with former A-rank Xia Lei vouching for him, they finally allowed him to operate under the Special Security Group's name."
Kou Ruonan nodded, somewhat understanding. Then she asked, "What about now?"
White Night chuckled. "Unbelievable, unbelievable... Soon, your boss might have an S-rank buddy!"
Kou Ruonan and Lu Hai were stunned, their eyes wide with shock. "S-S-rank?!"
White Night clicked his tongue. "No mistake. Someone who can make the Central Investigation Team personally come to test him, and rise from C-rank to B-rank in just a month or two—unprecedented! If he doesn't become S-rank, I'll eat my hat!"
His subordinates were still in shock, cautiously asking, "Can you really tell us this? Are you sure we won't get silenced?"
White Night waved his hand. "Soon, this news will spread throughout the Esper community. How long do you think it can be kept a secret? Besides, Guan Shan already has a lot of attention on him."
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Guan Shan's official B5-rank designation by the Central Investigation Team indeed spread quickly through the Esper community, generating a lot of buzz. Some doubted his abilities, thinking he was only tested in person because conventional methods couldn't measure him. Others, impressed by his past feats, believed he would be the next S-rank.
But at the center of the storm, Guan Shan had already bid farewell to Shen Dinghua and boarded a flight to Shanghai.
Although Li Zhiying had offered a private jet, Guan Shan chose to fly commercially to avoid suspicion.
He didn't encounter any lawless hijackers on his flight—hijacking was even less likely than a crash on Chinese soil...
However, he did unexpectedly discover an Esper on the plane.
He noticed the Esper when the plane encountered severe turbulence due to a thunderstorm during landing. His portable power level detector suddenly activated.
The needle on the detector shot up to A-rank, then stabilized before dropping again.
During this time, the thunderstorm gradually ceased.
Guan Shan observed and identified a woman in the second row on the left.
The woman wore sunglasses, had red lips, pale skin, and a red dress and nail polish, exuding a wealthy aura.
But Guan Shan noticed that during the thunderstorm, the woman lowered her sunglasses slightly, revealing dark golden pupils.
She then lightly traced her finger down the window, causing the hidden lightning in the storm to extinguish instantly.
This woman likely had an elemental ability to control lightning! Guan Shan, unfamiliar with all Esper intelligence, couldn't identify her but decided not to engage. They were merely passing strangers.
After disembarking, Li Zhiying called, saying she had sent someone to pick him up.
The boss had arranged everything, including accommodation in a nearby villa.
"Living like a rich person sure is comfortable..."
Guan Shan placed his luggage aside and toured the villa.
However, once he started working, he couldn't stay here and would need to rent his own place.
Fortunately, he wasn't strapped for cash anymore.
After settling in, the next day he received a text from the Special Security Group with instructions for his next task.
"Go to the bridge underpass near the KFC on Qianmen Street?"
Guan Shan frowned. "Just one instruction... This task must be complicated, with multiple steps."
He reluctantly put away his phone. "Well, I have to do what I'm told. This job pays the bills."
Following the instructions, he went to the bridge, slid down the slope, and found someone waiting under the bridge. He approached to greet them.
"Hello, may I ask..."
Before he finished, he noticed the person wore a familiar collar—the Self-Destruct collar! This was a recruited Esper criminal...
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the person lunged with a knife aimed at Guan Shan! What's going on?!
Guan Shan's eyes narrowed as he grabbed the knife, realizing the blade was turned towards its wielder!
The person grinned eerily and plunged the knife into their own abdomen!