Chapter 509: New Mission Under Uncertain Skies
by xennovel“Gecko, what’s wrong?”
“No idea. Ever since returning from Happy Town, he’s been like this…”
It was already early evening that day, and Lu Xin and his team were making the final preparations and mobilizing before the meeting.
That day, he had been to Second Satellite City, packed his things, and called Director Liu to request leave. Director Liu granted it without hesitation. However, as soon as Vice President Xiao heard Lu Xin was taking time off, he made several calls, asking where Lu Xin was headed, when he’d return, and even suggesting he take him out to see the world.
This left Lu Xin deeply dissatisfied—this big shot was becoming more and more ridiculous and downright immature.
With departure set for the next day, it was time to meet the team and discuss the mission details.
However, three team members were needed in total. The other two were still being selected, leaving only one confirmed, which was quite worrisome.
After receiving Gecko’s brisk reply, Lu Xin immediately reported to his superiors.
Since this support mission was crucial, the superiors approved it without delay.
Thus, even though the previous mission hadn’t been formally concluded, Gecko promptly accepted another assignment.
His diligent, responsible, and dedicated spirit inspired everyone involved.
Yet Gecko himself seemed dejected; after returning by plane, he had been sitting in the lounge, wiping away tears.
“Could it be that someone has wronged him?”
Peering through the window, Lu Xin noticed Gecko’s dejected state and felt deep concern for his deputy.
“Who would dare to mistreat him?”
Han Bing, watching from nearby and suppressing a laugh, remarked, “After all, he’s the deputy of the Single Soldier team…”
Lu Xin considered this for a moment before nodding seriously.
Indeed, it was true—this was his deputy, and if anyone bullied him, Lu Xin wouldn’t stand idly by.
At the very least, he’d be the one to file a complaint with the superiors.
“And besides, Mr. Gecko is amazing right now…”
Han Bing smiled as he told Lu Xin, “For this Happy Town negotiation mission, Mr. Gecko performed brilliantly.”
“We’ve successfully signed a formal cooperation agreement with that Queen. Although she underwent a serious mutation, she seems to be a person who keeps her word. In a way, we’ve even accomplished our task of controlling the nearby Abyss cracks. We might even say we’ve gained a strong ally—worthy of celebration.”
“In doing so, Mr. Gecko has completed an A-level mission with style, bringing him one step closer to his goal.”
“And the best part is, right after finishing that A-level mission, Mr. Gecko seamlessly transitioned to an S-level mission—a level of efficiency even the Special Cleaning Department hasn’t seen before. Now, everyone in the Special Cleaning Department is talking about it…”
“…”
Listening, Lu Xin felt a sense of satisfaction. “Is the word spreading about his dedication?”
“Not exactly.”
Han Bing chuckled, “Everyone says he’s truly pitiful…”
“…”
Lu Xin was far from pleased with that rumor. How could dedicated work be described as pitiful?
S-level missions bring in a lot of money…
Although he didn’t fully understand, seeing his deputy so low, he decided to go in and comfort him.
When he pushed the door open, he saw that Gecko wasn’t merely sitting there with his head bowed.
He was seated while weakly raising his hand to pound his head; his gaze was unfocused as he murmured to himself in a daze:
“Just ten hours ago, I thought there was no one in this world scarier than that Queen…”
“I believed I’d never again face a task as terrifying as negotiating with a Queen…”
“But then, one phone call came, and I discovered an entirely new world…”
“Why do these things keep happening to me?”
“Is it destiny’s cruel twist? Or perhaps a punishment from God?”
“Is it because of the way we live our lives, or is the world just so miserable now?”
“Am I the one at fault, or is it the world…?”
“…”
“You seem to be in a bad mood…”
Lu Xin sat down beside Gecko and gently patted his back.
With a sudden jerk, Gecko straightened up. His face lost all color; although his shoulder remained still, he twisted his neck awkwardly ninety degrees to look at Lu Xin, blinking innocently before asking hesitantly, “Captain, are you… with me?”
“Yes.”
Lu Xin nodded solemnly and said with concern, “In this state, you won’t be able to handle our mission.”
“Huh?”
A spark of delight flashed in Gecko’s eyes before his expression turned even sadder and more exhausted. In a low voice, he sighed, “Then…”
“So you must get yourself together.”
Lu Xin warned, “Otherwise, you might die on the mission.”
Gecko was instantly dumbfounded, his face turning grave as his eyes blinked innocently.
“If something’s bothering you, tell me. If you have any requests, let me know…”
Lu Xin smiled warmly and said, “As captain, I’ll support you in every way.”
For a moment, Gecko didn’t know how to respond.
Before him was a gentle, reassuring smile.
His eyes were half-closed, revealing neat, white teeth—a calm and peaceful expression that inspired trust…
At the same time, his hand rested on his back as if searching for his spine.
His face wore a typical smile, yet his pupils remained unchanged whether he smiled or not—both enigmatic and eerie…
Suddenly, Gecko snapped to attention and declared firmly, “I have no issues. I guarantee I’ll complete the mission!”
“Ah…”
Lu Xin, somewhat delighted, laughed and said, “Excellent! I thought you might not want to go. I was even considering asking the higher-ups to grant you leave.”
“…”
Instantly, Gecko’s eyes took on a pitiful, haggard look…
Before he could say another word, Han Bing knocked lightly on the door and announced, “The other two team members have arrived.”
“Oh?”
Lu Xin quickly looked up to see the door swing open, and another person appeared alongside Han Bing.
It was a young woman, around twenty-two or three, wearing a simple red dress with an uneven hem—longer on the left, shorter on the right—that revealed two long, slender, fair legs, with nearly ten-centimeter high stilettos that immediately caught the eye.
She stood timidly at the doorway, nodded to him, then lowered her head while stealing a quick glance.
“Whoosh…”
Beside her, Gecko suddenly lifted his head.
The look of confusion and bewilderment on his face vanished, replaced by a sharp glint in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the door.
Lu Xin could even see delight spreading rapidly across his face; his ears flushed with excitement…
“Oh dear…”
Before Lu Xin could react, Gecko was already beaming as he stretched his arms toward the door.
“Hello, hello…”
He warmly shook the red-dressed girl’s hand, his face beaming with enthusiasm, “So, you are our new team member?”
“Welcome, welcome. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time…”
“I am the deputy of the Single Soldier team, Gecko. And may I ask, what’s your name, team member?”
“…”
The new female team member seemed a bit startled by Gecko’s firm grip, helplessly casting a pleading look toward Han Bing.
“Ahem…”
Han Bing quickly composed himself and introduced solemnly, “Mr. Lone Soldier, Mr. Gecko, these two are Ability Users secretly selected by Section Chief Chen and me from the Special Cleaning Department. Their codename is Red Serpent. She will join our Single Soldier team and accompany us on this support mission in Black Marsh, so…”
“Oh, hello, hello…”
Upon hearing this, Lu Xin hurriedly stood up and attempted to shake hands with the new team member, but his hand froze in mid-air.
Gecko hadn’t even finished shaking hands yet…
“Ms. Red Serpent, this is our team captain. And…”
Han Bing then introduced Lu Xin and Gecko once more, pausing briefly when mentioning Gecko, and laughing, “Our deputy.”
“Deputy?”
Red Serpent blinked slightly, now looking at Gecko with newfound respect, “Hello, hello…”
Observing their intertwined hands, Lu Xin felt his chance slipping away and awkwardly let go of the handshake.
He returned to his seat and said, “Shall we discuss the mission?”
Only then did Gecko, with a touch of reluctance, eagerly pull the new member to sit by the desk and say, “Before you arrived, I was already discussing this with the captain. I have no objections to the mission, but there is one concern—
As professional and experienced special pollution cleaners, we must prioritize protecting and guiding new members. That is…”
He looked at Lu Xin intently and asked, “Captain, any objections?”
“…”
Lu Xin could only shake his head silently, “No objections.”
Then he turned to Han Bing and asked in confusion, “Didn’t you say there were two new team members? What about the third?”
Han Bing looked momentarily puzzled.
At that moment, a soft tentacle suddenly wrapped around Lu Xin’s palm. Startled, he noticed a small monster in a crumpled suit, with a face as flat as a tablet, sitting beside him—seemingly a bit aggrieved.
It then struck him: originally, Han Bing had said there were two people—one was this small monster and the other was the red-dressed girl.
When Gecko shook hands with Red Serpent, the creature had also extended a tentacle, eagerly waiting for a handshake, although Lu Xin hadn’t noticed it.
If it hadn’t touched him, he might never have realized it was right beside him…
“Oh, oh…”
At that moment, Han Bing suddenly recalled that the other team member was this small monster, and he laughed, “After filtering through Qinggang Ability Users’ information, Section Chief Chen and I realized there weren’t many other Ability Users who could match Mr. Lone Soldier. So, Section Chief Chen decided to send his secretary, Mizang, as our undercover wild card for the mission.”
“Its strength lies in the fact that it doesn’t require coordination; its ability forced it to work alone.”
“But its weakness is obvious—it tends to get lost…”
“So Section Chief Chen’s instruction is that we must remember to bring it back…”
“…”
Hearing Han Bing’s solemn words, Lu Xin turned and saw Mizang, his expression expectant on a whiteboard-like face, gazing at him.
He thought to himself, “It seems the conditions are quite suitable.”
“But meeting Chen Jing’s standard is pretty challenging…”
“That’s just it—Chen Jing’s requirements are really hard to meet…”