Chapter 126: The Logistics Team |
Guan Shan stared at the woman in white before him, her disheveled black hair covering half her face. He widened his eyes and nearly jumped up in fright.
What the hell? A ghost?!
Guan Shan's eyes were wide with terror as he looked at the woman who suddenly emerged from behind the sofa, holding a ringing phone.
Wait, her phone is ringing? Guan Shan looked at the phone in her hand, then at his own phone, falling into contemplation.
Could she be his exclusive customer service agent? "Uh... Lin Shuman?"
Guan Shan cautiously probed.
Lin Shuman, equally nervous, nodded carefully and silenced her phone to prove she was indeed Guan Shan's customer service agent. She spoke softly, "Yes, I overheard your conversation just now... Do you need me to file a report now?"
"If you want to bring people over, I can notify the logistics team for dispatch."
This was her first official face-to-face conversation with Guan Shan. Despite the awkwardness, it was at least a formal step towards communication! Compared to Guan Shan's previous aloofness, his willingness to actively involve the Special Security Group in the operation, rather than just using them as a logistics team, was a milestone improvement! On the other hand, Guan Shan looked at his phone, where the call had been hung up, and couldn't help but hold his forehead.
It wasn't Jiang Siyang's fault for being scared. If someone appeared out of thin air, dressed exactly like Sadako, who could handle it? This was terrifying...
But she had been hiding behind the sofa all this time? Good thing he hadn't done anything embarrassing, or he'd have died of shame.
Guan Shan felt a wave of relief, then warily asked, "Do you always follow me around?"
Lin Shuman quickly shook her head and waved her hands: "Of course not, no, no. After you formally joined the Special Security Group, I stopped monitoring you and started monitoring Li Li. You should be able to tell from the detailed information in the documents you received..."
"Oh... that's fine then." Guan Shan breathed a sigh of relief, then paused, "Li Li?"
Lin Shuman awkwardly explained, "That's... the tabby cat you're keeping."
Now this former Drone Bee of the "Death Hive" had become the mother of several kittens. In a month or so, she would be giving birth... and getting neutered.
Guan Shan twitched his mouth, refusing to delve deeper into this topic, forcefully changing the subject: "That's not important."
"The important thing is, I do need to bring people to Lu Qiuqiu's house to find clues."
Guan Shan wanted to take this opportunity to learn more about the structure and information of the Special Security Group. He cleared his throat and crouched down, asking, "How many Espers can the Special Security Group mobilize now?"
Lin Shuman showed an awkward expression: "Currently... because we're investigating the 'Death Hive' stronghold, all the combat-capable Espers are on missions and can't come over."
"So, the only Esper you can use... is me."
She pointed to herself and introduced, "My ability is 'Invisible Presence.' If you need to infiltrate or the like, I'm the right person."
Guan Shan: "..."
Though Lin Shuman tried to make herself sound useful, Guan Shan could still glean one piece of information—she wasn't very useful.
Damn it, after talking so earnestly with Lin Wu, I still have to rely on myself! Guan Shan sighed, "Alright."
At this point, he couldn't demand they conjure up a combat-ready Esper.
After all, the "Death Hive" had been targeting him for a long time. If the Special Security Group could eliminate the "Death Hive," it would indirectly protect him.
Their mission was more urgent.
Guan Shan asked, "What about the logistics team? Do you have any methods to detect Esper traces?"
Lin Shuman nodded: "Team 3's logistics team is always available. As for detection methods... with your clearance, you can use a high-precision energy detector, which not only has high precision but also shows residual energy traces."
Guan Shan stood up, pondering: "Alright, let's take the detector and bring a few logistics personnel with me according to your standard operational procedures."
"Wait."
Lin Shuman suddenly stopped him and took a small box from her pocket: "This earphone is for you. Once you put it on and adjust the channel, you can communicate with your mind. It just arrived from headquarters recently."
This thought earphone was a Panspirit Object. Though mass-produced, it couldn't be acquired immediately, with a production cycle of about a month. So it was only now handed to Guan Shan.
Guan Shan opened it, tried it on, and found it fit his ear perfectly.
It was clearly customized.
"Thank you." Guan Shan politely thanked her.
Lin Shuman quickly waved her hands: "No need... it's my duty."
Guan Shan extended his hand, and Lin Shuman, puzzled, looked up at him.
Guan Shan helplessly said, "Aren't you getting up? You've been crouching behind the sofa; aren't you tired?"
"Oh, oh..."
Lin Shuman finally reacted, cautiously shaking her head and standing up: "I'm used to it. When doing missions, I often need to stay still or refrain from eating or drinking for a whole day. With some Espers having high mental and alertness levels, I can't make a sound."
"Crouching in corners or behind sofas... is already a habit, or you could call it an occupational disease?"
Guan Shan smiled, feeling that the lives of these Espers seemed more colorful than he had imagined. He joked, "Be careful not to turn into a mushroom."
Lin Shuman thought to herself that this man now seemed to be in the green state as determined by the psychologist—friendly, gentle, and even a bit humorous.
But anyone who had seen Guan Shan in combat would never think he was harmless.
Guan Shan asked, "By the way, what kind of people are in your logistics team?"
---
After hanging up, Lu Qiuqiu anxiously waited at home.
She had searched the house for clues, turning the study and living room into a mess, as if it had just been ransacked.
However, before she returned home, it was as tidy as usual.
Lu Mingyi had mild OCD and was a neat freak, so the house was always meticulously organized, even excessively clean.
When Lu Qiuqiu returned, there was even a cup of warm coffee on the study desk, as if Lu Mingyi was still home.
But after searching the entire house, she couldn't find Lu Mingyi, realizing something was wrong.
"Ding dong—"
The doorbell rang.
Had Guan Shan finally arrived?! Lu Qiuqiu hurriedly went to the door, opening it with excitement.
Standing outside were several burly men, each with arms like tree trunks and chests that could break stones. Dressed in camouflage, their dark skin made them look like they could pass as mercenaries with just a headgear.
"!!!"
Lu Qiuqiu instinctively took two steps back, seeing Guan Shan squeeze past the burly men, awkwardly smiling: "Staff members, they look fierce, but don't mind that."