Chapter 147: Eye Seed |
Despite the small incident, Guan Shan eventually settled down peacefully at the Wuhao Team's base.
The underground base was larger than Guan Shan had imagined, divided into at least a dozen areas. With Sun Han acting as a tour guide, it took him half a day to get familiar with the layout.
Initially, Sun Han had assigned Qi Xingyu to be Guan Shan's guide, but after Qi Xingyu messed things up, Sun Han had to take on the task herself.
Most of the areas were off-limits to Guan Shan as an outsider. These included special training grounds for combat personnel, important research areas, and equipment display zones.
Out of curiosity, Guan Shan asked Lin Shuman, who had been following him, if the Youhao Team's base was similar.
The answer was no.
Guan Shan took the opportunity to ask about the Special Security Group, filling in his vague understanding of the organization.
Through Lin Shuman's explanations, Guan Shan learned that there was a significant disparity in strength among the six main teams of the Special Security Group, and their responsibilities varied as well.
The Wu, Wei, and Shen teams mainly dealt with incidents involving non-human entities, including Panspirit Objects, Panspirit Ruins, and Panspirit Creatures, ranging from D to A level.
For example, the [Ksitigarbha Statue] in Guan Shan's possession was a Panspirit Object.
As for the other two categories, Guan Shan had yet to encounter them.
The incidents caused by these entities often had significant impacts, and most myths, legends, and religious beliefs on Earth were related to them.
Each of the three teams handling these incidents had at least one A-class Esper and two B-class Espers.
The You, Xu, and Hai teams handled cases involving ordinary Esper criminals below A-level.
Curious, Guan Shan asked, "What about A-level and S-level cases?"
Lin Shuman, enjoying her role as Guan Shan's mentor, explained, "There are also ten independent Tian Gan squads, each composed of one to three A-level and S-level Espers. However, we don't know what tasks they perform, and we rarely hear about their movements."
She added, "But they must be silently protecting world peace."
World peace...
The phrase made Guan Shan want to laugh, but recalling his near-death experiences with C-level Espers and their bizarre, deadly abilities, he realized how dangerous A-level and above must be.
Suppressing his smile, he felt a newfound respect for these unknown heroes.
According to the Special Security Group's benefits, these people could lead comfortable lives without doing anything, yet they chose to fight on the front lines.
Regardless of their reasons, they deserved respect.
After touring the entire base and providing some speculative information about "Room," Guan Shan even asked Sun Han for a couple of flowerpots.
Back at his room, he saw White Night returning from an interrogation.
"Good evening, Captain Sun."
White Night greeted Sun Han warmly, chatting briefly before turning to Guan Shan's door as he opened it.
Guan Shan, puzzled, asked warily, "What do you want? Why aren't you going to your room?"
White Night rubbed his hands. "Let's talk in your room."
Guan Shan: "..."
The last person who wanted to come in was Qi Xingyu, now in confinement. What do you want? Seeing his strange look, White Night quickly clarified, "It's about the other half of the 'Ksitigarbha Statue.'"
"Oh..."
Guan Shan understood. "That's it."
White Night was exasperated. "What else?"
Guan Shan opened the door and said seriously, "I thought you were plotting against me."
"Plotting against you? I'm still young and don't want to die early."
White Night followed him in and sat on a chair. "I'll get to the point. The other half of the 'Ksitigarbha Statue' is most likely with a B-level Esper nicknamed 'Venom.'"
"This person is on the Special Security Group's wanted list, currently hiding in the southeast, likely in the Yangtze River Delta area."
Guan Shan was surprised. "You just tell me like that?"
His initial goal wasn't the statue, but having clues was definitely good.
Since he already had half of the statue, it made sense to find the other half and make it useful.
White Night shrugged. "You saved my employer's life this time. When Lu Mingyi woke up and learned you saved him and his daughter, he gave you this lead and didn't mind you taking the statue."
What do you mean taking?
Picking up loot in a dungeon isn't taking.
Guan Shan thought, then said, "What about detailed information on 'Venom'? How much to hire you to investigate?"
Finding a professional was more suitable for such tasks.
Without White Night's previous data, Guan Shan wouldn't have found those three reports. His intelligence-gathering skills were undeniable.
White Night smirked like a merchant and raised a finger. "Free, just this once."
Guan Shan smiled back. "Because I saved your life?"
White Night snapped his fingers. "Exactly."
"Normally, hiring me costs at least a million, but helping a brother is free."
"So I made a profit."
Guan Shan joked.
"Indeed." White Night stretched. "But we still have to wait for these two weeks to pass."
He complained, "The Special Security Group is a hassle. Not joining was the right choice."
After sending White Night away, Guan Shan asked Lin Shuman a crucial question, "I saw 'human world' on the Special Security Group's file seal. Are there other places besides the human world?"
Lin Shuman explained, "The places where Espers exist are divided into the human world and the 'Boundary.'"
"Boundary?"
"Yes, it's a realm that only S-level Espers can access. But I've never seen an S-level Esper, so some say it's just a joke by the Special Security Group's founder."
Guan Shan pondered.
Meanwhile, he placed the two flowerpots on the table and took out a long-forgotten item from his backpack—
[Eye Seed x2].
Yes, he decided to use this time to plant "eyes."