CH 4

"The Calamity Control Bureau has deployed precision measures, and we cannot afford any mistakes. We must succeed." After hearing the man's words, Ji Mingzhu quickly arrived at a conclusion.

The young man before him... or rather, the original host and the organization he belonged to, were not an official group but a force opposing the Calamity Control Bureau.

Damn it.

Ji Mingzhu couldn't help but curse silently in his heart.

A force opposing the Calamity Control Bureau could only be a terrorist organization filled with militants... This was the worst news for Ji Mingzhu.

Ji Mingzhu had no interest in getting involved in the conflicts between these forces. He was just a professional esports player, and he had never even held a gun, let alone experienced a battlefield full of gunfire and bullets. After listening to Axiu's explanation about the Calamity Control Bureau, Ji Mingzhu was already contemplating how to escape from this organization.

Standing side by side with the man in the elevator, Ji Mingzhu remained silent, quietly observing him out of the corner of his eye.

The man had his hands empty, naturally hanging by his side. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, his expression relaxed, as if he had no defense against Ji Mingzhu. Ji Mingzhu glanced at his pockets and waist, which appeared flat without any bulges, as if he didn't carry any weapons.

Ji Mingzhu tightened his grip on the gun in his hand.

The man didn't have any weapons on him, while Ji Mingzhu had a gun. If he acted quickly...

"By the way," the man suddenly spoke, breaking the silence, "what mission did the boss assign you? We haven't seen you in action with us for a while. If it weren't for the importance of this mission, the boss wouldn't have wanted us to disturb you."

Ji Mingzhu's voice sounded muffled from beneath the mask, "It's none of your business."

How could he know?

However, judging from the tone of the man, it seemed that they were more familiar with the original host. They had a relationship where they frequently went on missions together. The leader of the organization had given the original host a separate mission, the details of which even the man in front of Ji Mingzhu was unaware of.

Ji Mingzhu thought about the information Axiu had previously found about the original host, the orphan who had lost both parents and worked hard to get into the Zongbingyi Academy... It seemed like an inspiring life trajectory, but now it was highly likely to be a fabricated false identity.

No wonder he wore a mask and the man didn't inquire about it. As a member carrying out special missions alone, it was reasonable to wear a mask to avoid unnecessary trouble.

In the face of Ji Mingzhu's cold tone, the man shrugged. "Alright, I was just asking casually..."

With the man's interruption, Ji Mingzhu also calmed down. He released his grip on the gun handle.

He couldn't act impulsively...

Although the man didn't have any weapons, Ji Mingzhu didn't believe he had a 100% chance of defeating him... It was too risky at such a close distance.

Moreover, even if he did it and succeeded, what would come next? His identity could be fabricated by the organization. Once considered a defector, facing retaliation from a terrorist organization, Ji Mingzhu didn't think he could come out unscathed.

He could only take it step by step.

"Ding."

The elevator stopped, and as the doors opened, the cool night breeze rushed in, causing Ji Mingzhu's coat to flutter.

Outside the elevator was a spacious rooftop, with several figures busy with something. One of them looked up upon noticing their arrival. "You've come."

The other person also wore a mask, made of metallic material. Although their appearance couldn't be seen, Ji Mingzhu could recognize from their voice and figure that this was a young woman.

"Yu Heng, long time no see!" The man next to Ji Mingzhu greeted the masked woman.

So she's Yu Heng?

Ji Mingzhu calmly followed the man out of the elevator, adhering to the principle of speaking less to avoid mistakes. He kept his silence, scanning the scene from side to side behind the mask, observing the situation in front of him.

On the rooftop, including himself and the young man beside him, there were a total of five people.

Apart from the masked woman named Yu Heng, there was a young boy manipulating a pile of equipment not far away. He had white hair and looked quite young. Beside the boy was a middle-aged man with stubble, wearing a slightly wrinkled suit, giving off the typical image of a middle-aged office worker.

Since Ji Mingzhu arrived, the middle-aged man with stubble had been staring at him as if he were observing a rare animal, which made Ji Mingzhu somewhat uncomfortable.

Could he be someone familiar to the original host and noticed something suspicious?

Ji Mingzhu felt a bit uneasy.

In addition to the people, there were two large objects covered in camouflage canvas on the rooftop. They appeared to be some kind of large devices, standing at a height of about four to five meters. Several long cables extended from under the camouflage canvas, connecting to a computer in front of the white-haired boy.

"How's it going, Yao Guang?" 

The young man who brought Ji Mingzhu up to the rooftop approached the white-haired boy with a cheerful smile, reaching out and playfully tousling his hair.

"Don't touch me," Yao Guang, the white-haired boy, impatiently swatted away his hand, then continued typing on the computer keyboard with a rapid pace. "You're annoying."

"How heartless."

The man covered his chest with a smile, feigning a heartbroken expression. "It's been so long since we went on a mission together. I thought you would miss me."

Yao Guang shook his head without looking up. "If it wasn't for the mission given by the boss, no one would want to see you."

"Don't stir up trouble, Tian Quan."

Yu Heng, standing nearby, spoke calmly, "We don't have much time, don't disturb Yao Guang."

The man seemed to fear Yu Heng and immediately restrained himself, saying, "Oh..."

Yu Heng, Yao Guang, Tian Quan...

Ji Mingzhu silently repeated these three names in his mind.

"Tian Shu."

Just as he was thinking, Yu Heng suddenly turned her head and called out to Ji Mingzhu, then turned to the middle-aged man with stubble and said, "Kai Yang, come with me."

Indeed, the members of this organization were using the names of the Big Dipper as their code names.

And this woman named Yu Heng should be the leader of this operation.

Ji Mingzhu learned his own code name and understood the code names of the others, which saved him some effort. As he watched Yu Heng walk towards the two large camouflaged devices, he followed along with Kai Yang, the middle-aged man beside him.

"You should all be clear about the mission this time," said Yu Heng as she walked. "Jin Qing will arrive in the capital tonight, and this opportunity is rare. If we miss tonight, it won't be easy to succeed in the hands of the Calamity Control Bureau."

And who is Jin Qing...

A slight frown appeared beneath Ji Mingzhu's mask. It sounded like their mission target this time was someone named Jin Qing. Is it an assassination? Or something else?

"Jin Qing? Jin Qing is the one coming tonight?" Kai Yang appeared surprised. "No wonder Sky City passed over the capital earlier. According to the orbit of Sky City, it should have cruised over the capital in two days..."

"Jin Qing secretly came to the capital, and not many people are aware of it," nodded Yu Heng. "Because it's not public information, the Calamity Control Bureau also didn't dare to deploy too many personnel, fearing it would attract attention from others. They are being cautious. This information was leaked to us by an insider in the capital government. We hadn't received any information before."

"Is the information reliable?"

"Of course," Yu Heng said. "It's precisely because the information is reliable that the boss suddenly issued this mission. Originally, Tian Shu had other tasks, but with the sudden turn of events, we didn't have enough manpower, so he had to come and help."

After speaking, Yu Heng paused and looked at Ji Mingzhu. "About your mask..."

"Is that so? I was just thinking about it." 

Tian Quan, standing next to Yao Guang, immediately chimed in, "This mask is so ugly. Which serious person goes on a mission wearing a cartoon blue cat mask? Yu Heng jie, don't you think so too! I didn't dare say it in the elevator, afraid that Tian Shu would just shoot me on the spot..."

Suddenly becoming the topic of discussion, Ji Mingzhu felt a slight tension, but he quickly adjusted and casually replied, "Just grabbed it from an arcade."

Fortunately, Yu Heng didn't suspect anything. "Makes sense. Kai Yang is a new member, hadn't seen you before. It's better to hide your identity just to be safe."

"What a pity, I wanted to meet the ace of our Impermanence Department," Kai Yang lamented. "I've heard about Tian Shu's reputation before. With him around, our mission should be almost certain."

Ji Mingzhu: "..."

Damn.

Isn't this a difficult situation to handle?

Their conversation revealed a lot of information. First, Ji Mingzhu learned the name of the organization, "Impermanence." 

Secondly, the original owner was likely a core member within Impermanence, at least someone with a great reputation. On the other hand, Kai Yang, the middle-aged man who just joined, was on his first mission with them. No wonder when Ji Mingzhu arrived, Kai Yang kept staring at him.

The most crucial point is that the previous owner must have had exceptional qualities in certain aspects that earned the trust of other members.

The problem is, Ji Mingzhu himself is just an ordinary person and doesn't know anything... Won't he eventually be exposed?

In his mind, Ji Mingzhu had Axiu search for information related to Impermanence while contemplating how to deal with the current situation.

They were about to embark on a mission tonight, and judging by Yu Heng's tone, it was a highly important one. Ji Mingzhu had other secret missions as well and was temporarily brought in to help, which meant he could play a significant role in the mission. However, he didn't even understand the specifics of the mission. Once the mission began and everyone else was fulfilling their roles, he would be left standing there like a fool. Even an idiot would realize something was off about him!

What should he do?

Various thoughts flashed through Ji Mingzhu's mind as he pondered how to overcome the current dilemma.

Meanwhile, Yu Heng led them straight to the two covered devices, pressing a button.

"Whoosh—"

The sound of the ropes rapidly retracting echoed, and the camouflage canvas quickly unveiled, revealing the objects beneath.

In the instant Ji Mingzhu saw what was beneath the canvas, his eyes widened in disbelief.

TN:

Yu Heng - Epsilon Ursei Majoris

Tian Shu - Alpha Ursei Majoris

Yao Guang- Eta Ursei Majoris

Tian Kuang- Delta Ursei Majoris

Kai Yang- Zeta Ursei Majoris