Jiangdong New District, Jinhai Road.
A huge LED curved screen cascades like a waterfall from the top of the departnt store, broadcasting an advertisent for a high-end perfu.
The images on the screen continuously change, illuminating the entire street in a dazzling array of colors, even the road is shimring with a dreamlike hue.
In an alley not far from the bustling intersection, there’s an unremarkable silver-gray Jinbei van parked.
The car windows are covered with dark anti-peep film, making it stand out among the sleek supercars and luxury sedans around it.
At this mont, six people are sitting inside the van.
"It’s been almost twenty minutes, when is that legendary ’Chairman’ coming?"
The speaker was the man in the passenger seat.
He looks in his early thirties, with a burly build, buzz cut, and wearing a tight black tactical vest.
His two arms are as thick as old tree roots, with clearly defined muscles, tattooed with a fierce downward-tiger.
At the mont, he has his fan-like large hands resting on the window ledge, shaking his leg a bit impatiently.
"What’s the rush, Fatty Hu."
In the corner of the back seat, a young man wearing a baseball cap lazily replied.
He was almost slouched in the seat, playing with a butterfly knife, the silver blade flicking through his fingers like a dancing butterfly, so fast it left only a blur.
"Didn’t the Professor say, the Chairman is handling urgent matters. Since we’ve joined, we must follow the rules."
"I understand the rules."
The strong man called Fatty Hu smirked, turned his head to look at the middle-aged man in the driver’s seat who was resting with his eyes closed:
"Professor, I’m not complaining. But it’s the middle of the night, we just landed and haven’t even had a bite of hot food, and we’re brought here to wait..."
"Isn’t it a bit like treating us like cattle?"
In the driver’s seat, the Professor slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the few people in the car through the rearview mirror, and smiled gently:
"This can’t be helped. The situation happened suddenly, and the Chairman inford of an urgent mission. Since you were all here, think of it as a practical test before joining."
"Practical test?"
Fatty Hu grinned, shaking his huge head:
"Alright, as long as the organization’s benefits are good, I’ll even tear down the buildings here if needed."
"All you think about is money."
A girl sitting in the middle seat murmured softly.
She looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, hugging a slightly worn backpack tightly in her arms, like a high school student just out of school.
But if observed closely, one would notice that the air around her seed to distort strangely.
The bottle of mineral water on her knee was floating weightlessly, rising and falling slightly with her breath.
"Xiao Ya, stop playing around, save your strength."
Sitting next to the girl was an older man wearing a worn jacket, gray at the temples, holding an unlit cigarette.
He looked like a taxi driver just off work.
But his ears twitched occasionally, as if radars capturing all surrounding sounds.
"Uncle Chen, it’s too stuffy in this van."
The girl stuck out her tongue, and with a ’plop’, the bottle of water fell back into her palm.
The Professor gripped the steering wheel, his gaze paused in the rearview mirror.
Looking at the varied expressions in the car, a hint of sentint flashed in his eyes.
These were the "seeds" he painstakingly selected for the Illuminati during his recent trip to another province.
So were descendants entrusted by old friends, others were longti companions, each with a clean background and notable special abilities.
Once smoothly integrated into the Illuminati, with systematic training and practical honing, they would undoubtedly beco the most solid backbone and core mbers of the organization.
The Professor raised his eyes to the front, his gaze penetrating the deep black car film, falling on the brightly lit skyscrapers.
It’s no wonder Fatty Hu was grumbling.
Just half an hour ago, they arrived in East Capital in haste, just coming from the airport, checking into a five-star hotel in Jiangdong District.
However, before their room keys ward up and their clothes in the suitcase hung in the closet, a sudden ergency command from the Chairman ca in.
Without much explanation, without giving them a mont’s breath.
These new mbers, yet to enjoy the luxury hotel anities, were cramd back into this smoke-filled van.
The hasty schedule, combined with curiosity and puzzlent toward the never-before-seen ’Chairman’, filled the cramped van with a restless and uneasy atmosphere.
They were now just waiting here for the next instructions.
But twenty minutes passed, and there was still no news from the Chairman.
"Professor, is the target of this mission really the Bloodthorn rcenary Corps?"
Old Chen, who was listening for outside sounds, suddenly extinguished the cigarette stub in his hand and asked:
"If it’s that bunch of bastards, we probably don’t have enough people, do we?"
In the driver’s seat, the Professor snapped out of his thoughts, adjusted his glasses, and retained his calm tone:
"Don’t worry, this operation doesn’t require you to confront them head-on. The Chairman said you only need to handle the periter clean-up and support, assisting in rescuing the hostages."
"That’s not what I ant."
Old Chen waved his hand, his eyes always carrying a hint of shrewdness, squinting slightly:
"I’m just curious, we’ve known each other for so many years, and we’re always in the know. What kind of young person could make you follow so wholeheartedly?"
This question was on the minds of everyone else in the van too.
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