Chapter 45: Partners and Priorities
by xennovel“That was terrifying…”
Gecko was still shaken as he walked out of the building carrying a huge backpack.
“Why are you so scared of her?”
Lu Xin asked curiously, following behind Gecko.
Seeing how cool Gecko acted at first, Lu Xin thought he wasn’t afraid of anyone…
“Did you hear her just now? She told me to strip naked and dance in a crowd!”
Gecko turned to Lu Xin, his expression dead serious. “That woman would actually do something like that…”
“…”
Lu Xin thought, “Okay, that *is* pretty scary…”
…
…
“Alright, time to get to work!”
Gecko reached the main road, stretched slowly, and turned to Lu Xin with a grin. “Buddy, since Old Chen asked me to show you the ropes, I won’t hold back. Our Spider-type is different from other abilities. The best way to learn is by doing. I’m not one for theories and grand principles. Just watch what I do, alright…”
Lu Xin nodded, knowing how to handle senior colleagues.
Just as they reached the roadside, a black Jeep pulled up. The two got in.
The driver didn’t even ask where they were going, simply heading straight for the north side of the City.
In the car, Gecko handed Lu Xin a box. Opening it, Lu Xin found a black radio headset, one he’d used before. He took it out, put it in his left ear, and switched it on. Gecko did the same, then grinned. “Here we go…”
“Cleanup Team line connected…”
“Information Analysis Team line connected…”
“…”
A cold, crisp voice soon came over the channel: “Signal test!”
“Haha…”
Gecko immediately burst out laughing. “My dear Linda, hello! I haven’t heard your voice these past few days. I missed you terribly!”
The cold voice replied curtly, “I’m not Linda. My surname is Tie. Call me Tie Cui.”
Lu Xin shot Gecko a glance.
Gecko gave a dry laugh. “Tie Cui? That name doesn’t suit such a lovely voice. So, I’ll stick with Linda. Just saying the name makes my heart flutter… Feels so good…”
The female voice on the channel said, “Then you can call me Tie Cui Linda.”
Gecko suddenly looked constipated.
“Commencing briefing on the Special Pollution Incident:”
“Code: C-level Special Pollution Source — 039”
“Target Level: C-level”
“Infection Level: Medium”
“Threat Level: C-level”
“Incident Summary: Special Pollution Source 039 was discovered 10 days ago by the investigation team…”
“…”
Lu Xin thought he should be listening carefully to the briefing, but he couldn’t make out what Tie Cui, or rather Linda, said next. Gecko had covered his headset, leaned over conspiratorially, and whispered, “Hear that, buddy? This is the most important lesson I have for you. The Information Analysis Team… they’re our most important partners…”
Lu Xin wholeheartedly agreed. The Information Analysis Team could provide timely information.
Gecko continued, “Think about it. If they weren’t there to chat with us, how boring would missions be?”
Lu Xin: “…”
*This isn’t quite what I expected,* Lu Xin thought.
“Each analyst in the Information Analysis Team is assigned specifically to us members of the Special Action Team. It’s so we can build rapport and develop that unspoken understanding. That makes cleanup missions much more efficient. And another thing… think about it. We chat with them every time we’re on a mission… chat, chat, chat… doesn’t that lead to…”
Gecko winked, giving him a knowing look.
Lu Xin subconsciously thought of Corporal Han Bing, with her soft, polite voice. He wondered if she would be assigned to him in the future.
“So, for us guys doing fieldwork, flirting is the number one priority!”
Gecko generously shared his wisdom with Lu Xin before releasing his headset and saying with a smile, “Linda…”
“Call me Tie Cui!”
“Alright, Tie Cui Linda. Last time, you logged off before telling me if you were single…”
Linda’s calm voice came through the channel: “That’s because I had to rush off to breastfeed my child.”
“…”
Gecko looked like he’d swallowed a fly, his face scrunching up in discomfort. But it quickly smoothed out again.
“Don’t joke with me. I’m not that easily fooled. You think I don’t know?”
“Your Information Analysis Team has strict rules. How could they possibly allow you to bring a baby into the office?”
“…”
Linda said, “Who said my child is a baby? Maybe he’s in his twenties!”
Gecko looked like he’d swallowed *two* flies this time.
…
…
The Jeep soon arrived in a dark industrial area in the northern part of the City. Towering factory buildings and wide roads dominated the landscape, but the streetlights were few and far between, making it look incredibly dim. Only one distant factory building showed harsh lights from within. Both Gecko and Lu Xin got out of the car, Gecko shouldering the tall, narrow box.
“My dear Linda, I’m off to save the people of this city again! Anything you want to say to me?”
“Yes!”
The female voice on the channel went silent for a moment before saying, “Stop calling me Linda. And if you do, don’t add ‘my dear’ in front of it!”
“Okay, Linda!”
Gecko waved happily, then suddenly raised his eyebrows at Lu Xin. “Let’s go!”
“Huh?”
Lu Xin paused, startled. He saw Gecko’s rather tall, sturdy-looking body suddenly leap high into the air, landing easily on top of a nearby brick wall about three or four meters high. Gecko waved at him, then pushed off the wall with his feet and scrambled straight up, his figure quickly vanishing in the dim light.
*Hooo…*
Lu Xin took a breath and reached out his hand to the side.
“Why won’t you give me candy?”
Sister’s slightly eerie little face appeared in the darkness, her eyes full of resentment.
Lu Xin covered his headset and whispered to his Sister, “Kids who eat too much candy get cavities…”
“You think I’m a kid…”
Sister seemed annoyed, glaring coldly at Lu Xin.
Lu Xin looked his Sister over seriously. “But you are a kid. A pretty one, too…”
Sister seemed taken aback for a second.
“I don’t just want candy. I want the black kind, the bittersweet kind…”
After a long pause, Sister spoke again, decisively holding out two hands. “Ten pieces…”
“Alright…”
Lu Xin mentally calculated something and nodded, seemingly resigned.
Then he held out his hand. Sister’s small, cold hand finally settled into his palm, and he gently held it.
At that moment, Lu Xin felt his body become lighter. The sheer wall before him seemed like flat ground. He moved nimbly up the wall, meeting Gecko at the top. They then followed power lines to an adjacent rooftop, climbed a rusty water tower, and stopped, crouching atop the metal structure beneath the Red Moon.
“What took you so long?”
Gecko glanced back at him, asking quietly, “See the Pollution Source?”
Following Gecko’s gaze, Lu Xin looked into the distance and saw the factory building about three hundred meters away.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his vision zooming in, allowing him to see inside the factory through its glass windows.
The sight made his spine tense slightly.
A low giggle, audible only to Lu Xin, drifted on the night wind. Sister’s voice: “Fun…”