Chapter 122: Outside the Walls

Fourth floor, Second Satellite City Security Hall. Lu Xin let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Chen Jing’s answer.

He’d been genuinely worried she’d firmly refuse, leaving him unsure of what to do next.

After all, the family meeting had reached a conclusion and they’d already planned to leave the city together for this task. If his leader rejected the application at the last minute, it would feel like he’d made big promises to his family only to have it blow up in his face.

That would definitely disrupt the rare peaceful and friendly atmosphere at home.

Moreover, it might make his family think he wasn’t trusted at work or even that he was being mistreated…

…The consequences could be terrifying!

…

…

With a heavy weight lifted from his chest, Lu Xin felt a wave of happiness wash over him.

Honestly, whether Chen Jing mentioned a bounty or not wasn’t the deciding factor.

His reasons for requesting this trip went beyond making those people pay. He had other worries too.

For instance, the Second Satellite City had suffered severe losses this time, with most deaths concentrated around the old textile factory area in the South City. Teacher Xiao Lu and the orphanage children used to live there. Lu Xin couldn’t imagine what might have happened if Chen Jing hadn’t been vigilant enough to move the orphanage near the Security Hall beforehand and assign guards…

…What would the outcome have been then?

…

…

But since Chen Jing had already agreed, there was no need to bring these things up.

Over the phone, Chen Jing’s voice went silent for a moment before returning, “While I can approve your application, you must give me a rough timeframe before you officially depart… This is a required procedure for work, no exceptions!”

“I understand.”

Lu Xin considered it seriously for a moment. “Maybe… ten days?”

“Ten days?”

Chen Jing sounded clearly surprised. “You plan to track down and eliminate three Ability Users in ten days?”

“Yes.”

Lu Xin thought it over himself before confirming, “Mainly, I’m not familiar with the road conditions outside the city…”

“I’m worried I’ll waste too much time tracking them, so… I gave it a little leeway.”

…

In the entire meeting room, it wasn’t just Chen Jing who winced, aggravating her abdominal wound due to shock.

The others seated around the conference table also silently gaped.

A bald professor wearing a wig nearly blurted something out but was stopped by a sharp look from the person beside him.

…

…

“Hold on a moment.”

Chen Jing paused before speaking into the phone, then gently hung up.

The meeting room instantly erupted into a buzz of discussion.

The bald Professor Chen, wearing glasses, anxiously asked Chen Jing, “Does he usually boast this outrageously?”

Chen Jing slowly shook her head. “I’ve never known him to exaggerate.”

“This…”

The young, bald, overweight professor wearing a wig gestured towards his own head. “Are we sure he’s… normal up here?”

Chen Jing nodded slowly, thinking to herself: *Judging by his performance, he seems more normal than these professors.*

“Could we… could we…”

The female professor, dressed impeccably but always giving off a fortune-teller vibe, pushed up her glasses. She instinctively started speaking to Chen Jing, then suddenly realized and turned to Mr. Su seated in the middle, “Mr. Su, seriously, have you considered sending the Mr. Lone Soldier to our Research Institute? If that’s not possible, sending me to him would work too…”

Mr. Su gave a helpless, wry smile. Before he could answer, Minister Shen cut in decisively, “Absolutely not!”

The female professor flew into a rage. “You’re obstructing scientific research…”

Minister Shen retorted coldly, “I’m saving your life!”

Amidst the clamor, Mr. Su smiled and glanced towards Professor Bai, who sat at the head of the long table and had spoken very little throughout the meeting. This subtle gesture drew everyone’s attention.

Gradually, the meeting room quieted down. Everyone looked towards Professor Bai with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

…

…

“I only have two points!”

Seeing all eyes on him, Professor Bai nodded slightly and began to speak slowly.

His tone was somewhat heavy, and everyone present adopted a more serious expression.

“First.”

Professor Bai stated, “Raise the confidentiality level of all information pertaining to the Mr. Lone Soldier. It cannot be leaked!”

Everyone in the meeting room looked at each other in surprise. No one spoke.

Mr. Su was the first to nod, replying simply, “Agreed!”

He then looked at the others, his expression still amiable but his tone carrying more weight. “Starting today, the Mr. Lone Soldier’s file classification is elevated to A-level. All matters concerning him henceforth will be treated as top secret.”

“No one in this office is permitted to mention anything about the Mr. Lone Soldier, including the contents of this meeting, to any outsiders.”

His gaze swept across the room. “In the future, access to his files will require the approval of at least three Qinggang officials at the Colonel level or higher.”

“Questioning him will require the consent of two officials at the Minister level or higher.”

…

“As for those who have already learned some intelligence about him…”

Pausing slightly, he added softly, “Handle it appropriately. Perhaps issue warnings!”

An uneasy quiet fell over the meeting room.

It was clear they understood the implications behind Mr. Su’s casually spoken words.

Some found it sudden, while others nodded gravely.

The occult expert, who had been eager to study Lu Xin, clutched his hair in anguish.

…Apparently, his wish to open up the subject’s brain was becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.

Professor Bai nodded towards Mr. Su before slowly stating his second point:

“Furthermore, since we have approved the Mr. Lone Soldier’s request, we must provide him with our full support…”

“Please note, this support isn’t just material, it also includes our attitude!”

…

He directed this statement towards Minister Shen.

His tone was calm, but the words were spoken with earnest gravity.

After hearing him, Minister Shen remained silent for two seconds before replying, “Agreed!”

It took a while for everyone in the meeting room to process this.

Various discussions started up again, the atmosphere no longer as lighthearted as when they were teasing Minister Shen earlier.

At this moment, Chen Jing subtly glanced at Professor Bai.

She had already informed Professor Bai about her experience at the Red Moon Orphanage. His response was to have her write a report and submit it directly to Mr. Su, bypassing the usual channels. Beyond that, everything was kept top secret, told to no one. Now, he had conveniently classified all information about the Mr. Lone Soldier. Could it be that he had already discovered something?

…

…

After hanging up, Lu Xin waited quietly for Chen Jing to call back.

He figured since she approved it, there wasn’t much else to discuss…

Unless she specifically wanted to talk about the bounty?

Nearby, by the window sill, Gecko, who had been happily watching the girls on the street, finally tore his gaze away after Lu Xin hung up. He glanced at him curiously, “Who were you talking to just now?”

“Section Chief Chen.”

Lu Xin replied, “I was just applying for a work trip.”

Gecko’s expression immediately turned strange. “A work trip where?”

Lu Xin said, “Outside the city.”

Gecko paused, stunned. “Brother, are you crazy?”

Lu Xin looked back at him, puzzled.

“Only an idiot would go outside the city…”

Gecko exclaimed in a low voice, “Don’t you know what it’s like out there?”

Lu Xin looked blank and shook his head. “Is there a problem?”

“It’s not me with the problem, it’s you…”

Gecko gave him a look, sighing helplessly. “Do you think being outside the city is like living inside our high-wall city? That you can just find food anywhere and sleep soundly at night? Compared to life within the walls, the outside is sheer torture…”

“There’s a reason those transport guys who run routes outside the city make so much money…”

“Everyone wants to hide inside the city, yet you’re actually volunteering to run out there…”

…

“This…”

Lu Xin was genuinely taken aback by Gecko’s words.

Just then, the satellite phone rang again.

Chen Jing’s voice was crisp. “This trip outside the city will be treated as a special operations mission. Mission classification: A-level.”

After a slight pause and the sound of rustling papers, she continued, “For this mission, besides the necessary transport and maximum possible intelligence support, I will assign two investigation teams and one logistics team to accompany you. If you have any special requirements…”

Hearing this, Lu Xin quickly interrupted, “That won’t be necessary…”

Chen Jing paused. “What won’t be necessary?”

Lu Xin stated, “Those investigation teams, logistics teams you mentioned, I don’t need them.”

Chen Jing’s voice took on a distinctly different tone. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Do you realize that operating in the Wasteland is different from the Satellite City? Reconnaissance, logistics, information analysis, even necessary rescue, none of it can be provided promptly. These…”

“I’ve considered all that.”

Lu Xin nodded. “No need to arrange them. Otherwise… it would be more troublesome.”

Chen Jing seemed to catch something in his tone. She asked softly, “One last confirmation: you don’t need anything at all?”

Hearing her question, Lu Xin hesitated.

He thought silently for a moment, his gaze drifting towards Gecko, who had crawled back onto the window sill and was excitedly whistling like a hooligan.

“I need a driver.”