Chapter Forty-Nine: Armored for Battle

Chapter Forty-Nine: Reequipped for Battle

The first things he saw were, naturally, a compact headset and a monocle. He picked them up gently. This time, upon closer inspection, Chen Xiao noticed that the button on the headset was reflective…

“That’s a fingerprint recognition device,” Uncle Tian explained. “It has a security function. The first time you use it, the system will automatically register your fingerprint, so from then on, the detector will be secured. If someone else gets their hands on your equipment, they won’t be able to activate it, let alone use any of its functions. And let me tell you, if this were an official detector, it would have an extra feature: within a certain range, it could interfere with nearby electronic devices. But since this is a black-market item, that system hasn’t been installed.”

Inside the case was also a set of black leather clothing—identical in style to those worn by Black Seven and Black Three.

“This leather suit provides a certain degree of magnetic and pulse protection, and it can also evade infrared detection. In other words, if you were planning to be a cat burglar, wearing this would shield you from infrared security systems—they wouldn’t be able to detect your presence.” Uncle Tian smiled. “Of course, its effectiveness is limited and only works within a certain threshold of energy.”

Next to the suit was a pair of leather boots.

They looked quite similar to ordinary boots, except the soles were thicker. Chen Xiao picked one up to examine it, finding metal plates embedded in both the heel and the toe.

“Magnetic climbing boots,” Uncle Tian elaborated. “The maximum load they can support is one hundred and twenty kilograms. With these, you can literally walk up walls—vertical movement on surfaces becomes possible. The magnetic system in the soles allows you to cling to solid materials. But since it operates on electromagnetic principles, if there’s a powerful interference source nearby, the boots won’t work.”

There was also a pair of leather gloves and something resembling a motorcycle helmet.

“The gloves and helmet are both designed to shield against magnetic and pulse attacks,” Uncle Tian continued. “In the world of Espers, conventional firearms are largely ineffective against most of us. Based on past experience, over sixty percent of Espers have some ability to defend against bullets. So, generally, normal firearms aren’t used against Espers anymore. Instead, the most popular standard combat weapons for Espers among major organizations around the world are electromagnetic and pulse energy guns. But as weapons have evolved, so have defensive tools. Many Espers now choose to wear this kind of gear to guard against electromagnetic and pulse attacks. It’s a constant arms race, really.”

He added in conclusion, “Since this is a black-market set, there are no electromagnetic or pulse weapons included. After all, I got these through private channels. And frankly, under normal circumstances, you shouldn’t need weapons anyway.”

Looking at the gear in his hands, Chen Xiao couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement.

The functions of these items… it was impossible not to sense a trace of science fiction in them!

“In most cases, you won’t really need the magnetic and pulse-resistant suit,” Uncle Tian said with a smile, “but you could wear the boots from time to time—their appearance isn’t conspicuous. Since you’re only handling internal affairs and not going on field assignments, you probably won’t need this stuff. It’s just a precaution.”

“There’s another issue,” Chen Xiao said after a moment of thought. “About my ability. My power… it doesn’t seem to be under my control—it’s unreliable. How do I fix that?”

Uncle Tian gave a wry smile. “That’s beyond my help. The awakening of an Esper’s abilities has always been a major field of research. The organization does have a drug that can stimulate latent potential, but it’s strictly forbidden and its side effects are still unknown, so I won’t be giving it to you—not that I have any on hand. But since the system has already detected your ability—if I recall, last time when Thunder Fox tested you, your ability registered as zero. Now it’s beginning to manifest, so I imagine it will continue to awaken gradually, until it eventually stabilizes.”

Chen Xiao pondered this for a moment and said no more.

“Well, all of this is yours now,” Uncle Tian said, looking at Chen Xiao earnestly. “Because you’re a newcomer, your first assignment will come with a lot of support. But after that, you need to grow quickly. As an agent, the qualities you must cultivate are: the ability to distinguish which commissions to accept and which to reject, especially those that could cause us serious trouble—we absolutely will not take those. Also, as an agent, once you accept a commission, you must develop your own step-by-step action plan. Simply put, you’re the commander, and we are merely the executors. Right now you don’t have these skills yet, so at first we’ll help you adapt gradually, but in time, you’ll have to rely on yourself.”

A chill ran through Chen Xiao’s heart: it seemed that being an agent wasn’t as easy as he had imagined…

Then Uncle Tian’s tone relaxed. “Alright, that’s enough of the serious talk. Let’s discuss Lu Chengzhe’s commission. Heh! To be honest, while you were asleep last night, I read over the information he left in the car. It’s quite an interesting case.”

He tossed a file to Chen Xiao.

•

Lu Chengzhe, male, forty-four years old. Occupation: businessman.

Assets: Era Technology Company, in the electronic entertainment industry, estimated market value $260 million. Era Goldenland Real Estate Company, estimated market value $60 million.

Real estate: Era Building on XX Street, K City, valued at $120 million. Thirty-six shop properties in XX district, K City, total value $40 million.

Other assets: 30% shareholding in XX Shopping Center, K City, worth $40 million.

At this point, Chen Xiao’s heart skipped a beat.

Though the name Lu Chengzhe had been unfamiliar to him before, he definitely knew of Era Technology and Era Goldenland Real Estate—everyone in K City did! Era Technology had developed several wildly popular online games in the country and held nearly half the electronic entertainment market in the surrounding provinces. Era Goldenland Real Estate was one of the two giants in K City, alongside the Xu family’s Xu Real Estate. Even two years ago, before his parents passed away, the luxury villa he lived in was in a residential area developed by Era Goldenland.

Moreover, Lu Chengzhe was famously nicknamed “Half the City Lu,” meaning his family’s wealth amounted to nearly half of K City’s fortunes.

“That’s all the information,” Uncle Tian smiled, “but last night when Lu Chengzhe visited, I discovered something interesting on him.”

As he spoke, Uncle Tian produced a tiny glass vial, no thicker than a finger, and shook it in his hand. “Take a look—what do you see inside?”

Chen Xiao leaned in for a closer look. Inside the delicate glass vial was a grain-sized, ruby-red, crystal-clear object, like a drop of red crystal.

“I found this on Lu Chengzhe’s suit collar the other day,” Uncle Tian said, his smile tinged with mystery. “Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, and I analyzed it. The conclusion: this red crystal is blood—human blood. What’s peculiar is that it’s been crystallized by some unnatural force. There’s more: a faint trace of additional power is attached to it. My personal suspicion is that it’s some form of psychic energy. In other words…”

Uncle Tian met Chen Xiao’s gaze. “The adversary Lu Chengzhe faces is not an ordinary human. We can already make a preliminary judgment: this is one of our kind—an Esper. And likely a psychic-type Esper.”

Chen Xiao opened his mouth, spreading his hands. “So what do we do? I know I’m a rookie. After we accept this commission, how to proceed is up to you and Zhu Rong and Gong Gong, right?”

Uncle Tian smiled—though this usually affable uncle now wore a strangely enigmatic grin.

“Starting tomorrow, Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, and I will take turns surveilling Lu Chengzhe to see if we can flush out this hidden adversary. Unfortunately, none of the three of us are psychic Espers, so we’re stuck with this rather clumsy method. However, the file mentions a special circumstance that will require your participation. Naturally, you’ll receive an extra bonus after the mission, apart from your agent’s pay.”

A faint sense of unease crept into Chen Xiao’s heart.

As expected…

“Lu Chengzhe has a daughter—eighteen years old, named Lu Xiaoxiao. She’s his only family. His wife passed away long ago and he never remarried. So, if the enemy’s goal is extortion, his daughter is likely a prime target. And as luck would have it, this young Miss Lu attends…” Uncle Tian’s lips curled into a smile.

“Kidd Academy.”

[Vote, vote, and vote again! Collect, collect, and collect once more~]