Chapter 95: The Advancing Mole
"Yes, I believe everyone here knows how strict the Thirteen Bureau's vetting process is. And all of you present are trustworthy companions, even if our philosophies may differ slightly."
Hearing the Director's words, all fourteen people present nodded in unison, clearly agreeing with him.
Recalling the arduous path to promotion they had walked, they couldn't help but shed tears, and their dissatisfaction with each other lessened considerably for a time.
"Even if a fabricated background is constructed perfectly, it's still fake, and people with ambiguous backgrounds cannot become true high-level officials. So, those moles can at most be promoted to the middle ranks, and then they have no further opportunities for advancement.
And the important information that middle-level personnel can access is scarce, and they have no authority to access top-secret information, so it's incredibly difficult for them to achieve merit.
But now, there is someone with a million-dollar bounty from his own organization in the same city as you. Do you want to continue living a mole's life, constantly fearing and only accumulating hard work; or do you want to take a gamble and capture that million-dollar target?"
"We definitely want to take a gamble."
Most people gave the Director a satisfactory answer.
To have reached this point, they never lacked the courage to risk their lives, and they had experienced no small number of life-and-death situations.
The remaining few were silent, all sharing a commonality: they were relatively senior.
When they were young, without ties, power, or status, they dared to fight.
But now, they had all settled down and started families; that youthful, vibrant heart had long since quieted, and now they only wished to live peacefully and cultivate a few talented successors who could inherit their positions.
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However, the Director never intended for the high-level officials to personally enter the fray. After all, he still had so many soldiers under his command. If all the high-level officials went to the battlefield, who would command?
"So, we'll do this first, then this, and then that—"
A secret meeting concluded, and the mole disturbance in the Thirteen Bureau was gradually quelled by personnel sent by the high-level officials, with several undercover agents being rooted out.
All of this was what the mastermind behind the chaos wanted to see.
Even those few undercover agents who were rooted out were basically pawns he had pre-selected, all to ensure that the Thirteen Bureau continued to take the mole issue seriously.
If the Thirteen Bureau had been indifferent to the mole issue and disregarded its agents, he would not have been pleased; he would only have found it strange.
He would have thought there was definitely a problem and speculated about what those old foxes were plotting.
Even now that the high-level officials had taken action, he couldn't help but wonder why those old foxes were so slow to send people; they must be plotting again!
"Sir, we have already contacted the teams closest to West Capital, and Executive Officer Nosar Kono is also among them."
Hearing that Germination's ace assassin would also come to assassinate Zero, the mastermind couldn't help but grin broadly.
He felt certain of victory; with Zero's strength, it was impossible to evade Nosar's assassination.
As long as he won this grand gamble, even if he lost a large number of people he had infiltrated and cultivated in the Thirteen Bureau, he felt it would be worth it.
He had long been tired of battling wits with those old foxes in the Thirteen Bureau. As long as he returned to Germination with the merit of having slain Zero, he would definitely possess higher status and power than he had now!
"Excellent, everything according to plan!"
[Folding Battle Blade]
Origin: Star Sea · Han Xiao Quality: Green Category: Weapon (Folding Knife)
Durability: 40/40
Attack: 12~24
Prerequisite: Strength greater than 5 points.
Effect 1: Sharpness +1, Attack +8%
Effect 2: Foldable for close-fitting placement, easy to conceal.
Rating: 29
Description: Technician Han's all-nighter masterpiece.
"What is this?"
Mu Yang played with the metal battle blade in his hand.
Although he knew what it was, he still had to ask to satisfy Han Xiao's desire to explain.
"This is my latest invention—the [Folding Battle Blade]!
Look at the distinct angular handguard on the hilt; the segmented blade, about 0.6 meters long, is all folded and hidden inside. The blade can be deployed at any time during combat, controlled by a mechanism button on the hilt.
It's truly an essential item for home travel, murder, and robbery!"
Han Xiao had been grinding experience with mechanical parts for the past two days, and with the help of the mechanical knowledge book Lu Qian had stolen from Lu Old Man, he finally put together the blueprint for this recipe.
Although it was relatively new, it was quite useful, but it could easily be deciphered and reverse-engineered by other Mechanics.
However, it was harmless; it was just to make some quick money, and there would be other, better items for sale later.
And in order to participate in the hidden event that would lead to Mu Yang's death, Han Xiao hadn't rested much these two days, but fortunately, he had abundant energy,
So he could still hold on.
"Looks pretty good. What's the cost? How much does one sell for?"
"The cost isn't high, but I can't even afford the cost right now; I still owe my boss several thousand yuan. As for the price, it's one thousand one hundred per piece."
With that, Han Xiao rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, seemingly hinting—or rather, clearly indicating—something.
"...Here, take twenty thousand yuan. Consider it my investment."
"Good brother!"
After some discussion, the Folding Battle Blade was priced at one thousand one hundred, with Mu Yang getting 400 and Han Xiao getting the remaining 700.
This somewhat surprised Mu Yang, as Han Xiao, due to his poverty in the early stages, could be said to be very stingy, never reducing the price if he could earn more.
But now he wasn't stingy; after deducting the 300 yuan cost, the remaining profit was essentially a 50/50 split with Mu Yang.
No wonder the ancients said: "He who touches pitch shall be defiled."
Han Xiao must have learned his excellent qualities, which is why he became so conscientious. It was truly gratifying.
Han Xiao naturally didn't know what Mu Yang was thinking. He was rushing to produce the Folding Battle Blades so Mu Yang could take them to the Thirteen Bureau to sell.
When Mu Yang returned to headquarters with the products, the atmosphere there was noticeably more relaxed than a few days prior.
Because, in the eyes of others, the mole issue had almost been resolved by the high-level officials, so life had returned to normal.
But Mu Yang was certain this was just a façade. A mole who had been undercover for so long, willing to expose himself, could absolutely not be completely wiped out in such a short time; there would definitely be major actions later.
However, this should no longer concern him. At that time, a D-rank Super would most likely appear, which was beyond his ability to handle.
According to Mu Yang's observations these past few days, he found that F-rank ordinary people had body attributes around 5-19 points.
And once an attribute broke through 20 points, it meant that person had become an E-rank Super.
As for E and E+ rank Supers' body attributes, Mu Yang had repeatedly investigated agents within the bureau and confirmed they were between 20-49 points.
In other words, D-rank Supers were most likely considered second-tier in Reincarnation Paradise's judgment, far beyond what Mu Yang could contend with.
And Han Xiao was valued by the Thirteen Bureau, and Lu Old Man at the repair station was also a D-rank Super; if enemies attacked, he would not stand by and do nothing.
And Han Xiao himself had the Ranger and Light Power Arm for protection, so he should be fine.