“Commander Pei, you know me. Aside from the jars and bottles in my lab, I’ve never had much interest in anything else.”
His voice remained calm and gentle, but Pei Su could hear a calculated nonchalance beneath the words.
“It’s just that lately, the Research Institute has been running low on experimental subjects, and our usual channels aren’t yielding much.”
“I happened to hear about a shelter in the Ruin Zone called the Terminal Station...”
“I heard there are a vast number of vagrants there...”
Pei Su’s heart stirred.
Just as he was worrying about how to deal with the Terminal Station, the Research Institute had delivered itself right to his door.
He knew the methods of those lunatics at the Research Institute all too well.
Those people in white coats usually appeared refined and cultured—wearing glasses and speaking in soft voices—but the moment their own interests were involved, they became the coldest, most unscrupulous predators.
To them, living people were nothing more than consumables.
If they were interested in the vagrants at the Terminal Station...
A faint, imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Pei Su’s mouth.
Why not use the Research Institute’s strength to deal with the Terminal Station?
He knew that since Chen Shijie had asked, the man must have learned about the Terminal Station’s existence and general situation through other channels.
However, they certainly didn't know the true level of danger or the possibility of a Level 4 Ability User being inside.
To harness the power of these lunatics, he first had to make them go mad.
At that thought, Pei Su let out a heavy sigh.
The sigh carried a perfectly measured amount of exhaustion and helplessness.
“Dr. Chen, there’s something you don’t know...”
Pei Su’s voice dropped, carrying a hint of gravity that was hard to conceal.
“This Terminal Station isn’t an ordinary vagrant shelter.”
“To be honest, two days ago, I already sent people to investigate the Terminal Station’s background.”
Pei Su paused, as if weighing his words.
“The person I sent was from the Dark Department—a Level 4!”
As those words left his mouth, the breathing on the other end of the communicator hitched noticeably.
The Dark Department.
The most mysterious and elite assassination branch of the Dawn Federation City Defense Force.
A Level 4 Dark Department assassin was a force to be reckoned with, someone who could practically walk unchallenged in a C-class city like this.
Chen Shijie certainly understood the weight of that.
Pei Su continued, his voice growing even heavier.
“A Level 4 Dark Department assassin, plus two Level 3 Mid Stage Ability Users from the City Defense Force.”
“All three were experienced veterans who had carried out countless dangerous missions without ever failing.”
“But this time—”
He fell silent for a moment.
“It’s been two days, and not a single word has come back.”
“We’ve tried to contact them, but there’s been no response.”
“Three people... just vanished into thin air.”
On the other end of the line, Chen Shijie’s breathing quickened slightly.
Pei Su could imagine his expression—those eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses must be darting rapidly, analyzing every detail of this information.
“Dr. Chen, do you realize what this means?” Pei Su lowered his voice even further.
“A Level 4 Dark Department assassin and two Level 3 Mid Stage Ability Users. That configuration is enough to sweep through any faction in the Ruin Zone.”
“Yet they couldn't even make a sound before disappearing without a trace.”
“What does that tell you?”
“It means the Terminal Station's power far exceeds our estimates!”
At this point, Pei Su sighed again.
That sigh carried the deep sense of powerlessness a City Defense Force commander felt when facing a situation beyond his control.
“I even suspect...” His voice suddenly softened, as if he were talking to himself.
“There might be more than one Level 4 inside the Terminal Station.”
“More than one Level 4?” Chen Shijie’s voice finally wavered.
The owner of the Terminal Station was supposedly only a Level 3 Late Stage Ability User!
How could there be Level 4 Ability Users inside? And more than one?
Chen Shijie’s mind was momentarily thrown into chaos.
Could it be that the person they interrogated had lied?
No! Absolutely impossible!
Chen Shijie refused to believe that anyone could withhold the truth under the influence of the Truth Serum.
If the procedure was correct, then the experimental data had to be absolutely accurate!
But then Chen Shijie realized that his data was too one-sided; a single point could not represent the whole.
The truth revealed by that person might only be one facet of the reality, failing to cover everything.
Faced with Chen Shijie’s question, Pei Su didn’t give a direct answer. Instead, he spoke meaningfully.
“A Level 4 Dark Department assassin couldn't even manage to escape...”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.
If a Level 4 couldn't escape, it was either because the opponent had superior combat power or some specialized means.
Either way, it meant the Terminal Station’s danger level far exceeded their imagination.
“Dr. Chen, I won’t hide it from you.” Pei Su’s voice returned to normal, carrying a businesslike coldness.
“I’ve already decided to report the existence of the Terminal Station and its current danger level to the Area C Chief.”
“I’ll let the Area City Defense Force take over this matter.”
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then, Chen Shijie’s voice rang out, tinged with an unmistakable urgency. “Commander Pei, this... there’s no need to alert the Area, is there?”
Pei Su sneered inwardly, but his voice remained steady. “Dr. Chen, it’s not that I want to alert the Area, but I truly have no other choice.”
“My available manpower won't be enough once the Cold Wave hits. I simply can't spare the personnel to deal with the Terminal Station.”
“As for the Research Institute...” He paused, as if deep in thought.
“While the Research Institute’s gene-modified organisms are powerful, their numbers are limited, and they are primarily used for Inner City defense. I doubt you can spare many either.”
“With only the current strength of Panshi City, I’m afraid... we won’t be able to handle this mysterious Terminal Station.”
He intentionally drew out the words “I’m afraid,” letting Chen Shijie absorb the weight of the implication.
“Instead of wasting time here, it’s better to report it early and let the Area handle it.”
“When the time comes and the Terminal Station is taken down, those vagrants...”
Pei Su’s voice suddenly softened, adopting a gentle tone of concern.
“I’ll help the Research Institute coordinate the application to ensure more vagrants are allocated to the Deep Blue Research Institute for experiments.”
“After all, we’re both veterans of Panshi City. If there’s a good opportunity, I’ll certainly keep you in mind first.”
Hearing this, Chen Shijie grew frantic.
His voice suddenly spiked with clear anger. “Commander Pei! You can’t do that!”
Pei Su laughed silently to himself, but his voice remained calm. “Dr. Chen, what do you mean by that?”
“I...” Chen Shijie’s voice hitched, as if he were suppressing his emotions.
“What I mean is, this matter hasn’t reached the point where we need to report it to the Area!”
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