Shopping done, Lin Wuming prepared to return.
He had bought quite a bit on this trip, but it was trivial for Lin Wuming's psychic ability. If he weren't worried about attracting too much attention, he could even float three fully loaded shopping bags beside him, moving them with his psychic power.
To maintain a low profile, Lin Wuming dutifully held one paper bag, while two large plastic bags hung on the handles behind his wheelchair, fully loaded for the journey home.
Even so, his appearance attracted attention from many people, and some kind-hearted individuals even came forward to ask if he needed help, but Lin Wuming politely declined.
"Tsk, if this keeps up, I'll get used to this state," Lin Wuming muttered to himself. "I feel like spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair wouldn't be inconvenient at all..."
Psychic ability was truly too useful!
Chuckling internally, Lin Wuming left the supermarket, ready to start the journey back, and then realized something was wrong.
—The scene outside the supermarket entrance had changed!
The view before him was so unfamiliar that Lin Wuming doubted his own memory.
"That's not right. I clearly saw a bank across from the supermarket entrance before I came in..."
But now, what was before his eyes was a lush, green park.
Soon, Lin Wuming figured it out—large supermarkets have more than one entrance, and he had obviously gone out a different exit.
Pulling up the supermarket floor plan on his phone, Lin Wuming quickly verified this and confirmed his location.
"Okay, if I just circle counter-clockwise on the road outside the supermarket, I'll quickly get back to the entrance I came through, and then I can follow the planned route back," Lin Wuming nodded, driving his wheelchair forward.
A few minutes later, the wheelchair rolled into the park greenery, and Lin Wuming predictably got lost.
"Alright, I shouldn't have been so clever..." Looking at the dense shrubs around him, Lin Wuming sighed, opened his phone map, and started studying the route again.
A route as simple as getting back to the supermarket entrance shouldn't have stumped Lin Wuming. However, while walking and checking the map, he suddenly discovered that cutting through the park greenery could save some distance, reaching the apartment neighborhood faster by taking a shortcut.
So, Lin Wuming immediately changed his route and plunged into the city park.
He then became disoriented among the scenic, yet complex, park pathways.
As a modern city youth, Lin Wuming was one of those people who couldn't tell north from south even before his transmigration. When landmark buildings or signposts were present, he was fine, but the park was full of trees and shrubs, a landscape of natural beauty that, to him, was nothing short of a maze.
As an aside, Lin Wuming couldn't distinguish between tree species either, so all sorts of green plants looked the same to him.
"Fine..." Lin Wuming gave up, putting away his phone. "First, let's leave this maze and get back to the civilized world."
At least there were signs in the park indicating the way to the exit. He just needed to follow them faithfully and not try to be clever.
"Next time, I absolutely must avoid places like parks..." Lin Wuming silently recorded this lesson in his mind. "Also, I need to set up my electronic payment account as soon as possible."
The phone's navigation software had an automatic navigation function, but he had to purchase the corresponding service with a membership. Lin Wuming hadn't set up an electronic payment account yet—his phone was bought with Yomikawa Aiho's help—so he couldn't purchase the service, which ultimately led to his current predicament.
...
"Shopping, then strolling through the park. The target is quite at leisure, unlike the escaped subjects we usually encounter."
"Don't be careless. Don't forget we nearly lost the target when he entered the park earlier."
"We are short-handed, and we can't get too close."
"Don't worry, the boss has called in the lackeys. The shortage of manpower has been compensated."
The "Hunter" members maintained their communication while observing from the shadows.
Just then, the "Hunter" boss issued an order: "Get ready, capture him at the park exit."
"Understood! But Boss, we don't have anyone near that exit."
"Just hurry over. There's enough time," the Hunter boss said. "Let the lackeys keep an eye on the target for now; his wheelchair won't be moving too fast."
The "lackeys" they spoke of were Academy City's specialty—delinquent youth groups, or punks.
By structure, every Anbu organization had several affiliated groups to assist with logistics, running errands, and miscellaneous tasks.
These affiliated groups were the main components of the so-called "Armed Powerless Groups."
"Hunter" naturally had such affiliated groups, perfectly suited for situations like this to fill the manpower gap.
In Academy City, where students were the primary residents, "delinquent boys" were a common "phenomenon." They weren't entirely harmful; often, they existed more like background props or scenery, coexisting peacefully with other ordinary citizens without mutual interference.
They were more like a non-mainstream subculture group rather than prospective criminal organizations like "Bōsōzoku."
In broad daylight and public view, as long as one didn't actively provoke them, one generally wouldn't be targeted by punks on the street...
Yomikawa Aiho had told Lin Wuming these kinds of "common knowledge" facts during casual chats. Therefore, when Lin Wuming noticed the group of delinquent boys loitering in the park, he didn't pay much attention, choosing to ignore them and drive his wheelchair toward the exit.
However, the delinquents he left behind exchanged glances, their eager expressions intensifying.
As subordinate organizations, assisting the Anbu in completing missions came with rewards and compensation. In the world of the Anbu, the simple creed of "the capable get more" was followed. To earn more, one had to contribute more.
—Since this disabled person is "Hunter's" target, if we take him down and hand him directly to the boss, we should get a bigger reward, right?
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Because "Hunter's" targets were generally not characters with powerful combat capabilities—experiment subjects who escaped from labs were often better at hiding and running away, so finding them was often harder than capturing them.
As long as the target was located, even the "powerless" punks could easily take them down.
In the past, the "Hunter" adults were always nearby, so the punks wouldn't dare snatch their prey. But this time, there were no "Hunters" near the target!
That's why it was called a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Furthermore, the target was a disabled person in a wheelchair, which further lowered the difficulty of capture.
...The "Hunters" hadn't informed these temporary workers that the target was a Level 3 Strong-Level Esper..