In the office of the Intelligence Processing Division, Team 7, all the screens lit up.

Satellite maps of Qingchuan Public High School, campus surveillance, surrounding traffic cameras, Calamity reaction monitoring curves, and records of the school’s vicinity over the past month were simultaneously projected onto various screens.

Lin Han sat at his workstation, his face pale, yet he appeared unusually calm.

So calm that Tang Xiaoman felt a little scared just looking at him.

“T-Team Leader…” Tang Xiaoman said uneasily.

“What’s wrong?”

“The Division Chief… The Division Chief said you shouldn’t do anything rash…”

As Tang Xiaoman spoke, she saw Lin Han’s somewhat hollow eyes and couldn’t help but shiver, hastily adding:

“The Division Chief said she has already gone to contact the Special Operations Division, so, so…”

“I know.”

Lin Han interrupted Tang Xiaoman’s endlessly repeating “so” and just continued to stare at the data on the screen.

Ten minutes had passed since they extracted the information from the Former Mutant that the organization known as the “Metamorphosis Society” might attack Qingchuan Public.

Lin Han didn’t even remember how he had returned to the office.

But he felt very peaceful, his mind very clear, so clear that it was almost abnormal.

So much so that he could even calmly issue an order, asking the members of Team 7 to pull up all the relevant data on Qingchuan Public from the past month.

But after pulling it up, Lin Han found that his thoughts couldn’t focus at all; staring at the massive amount of data, his mind was completely blank.

He finally realized that perhaps this calmness was just an illusion.

He just wanted to find something to do to distract himself from the unease in his heart.

“Team Leader, look at this.”

Shen Qingshu pushed the monitoring data from the school’s surroundings toward Lin Han.

“It’s too ‘normal’ here.”

Lin Han nodded.

“I think so too.”

The Calamity reaction curve around Qingchuan Public was so flat it was almost bizarre.

No fluctuations, no noise.

There wasn’t even the common low-level Pollution background value found in cities; it was like a piece of white paper that had been forcefully erased.

If it were a normal day, such an anomaly might easily be overlooked.

But right now…

“Is it shielded by an ability, or a barrier… a spell?” Shen Qingshu muttered to herself.

“That’s not important.”

Lin Han let out a breath, tapping his finger lightly on the desk, trying his best to calm the growing frustration in his heart.

“What’s important is that something has already happened at Qingchuan Public.”

At this moment, the office door was abruptly pushed open, and a petite figure appeared at the doorway.

Qin Zhizhi walked in, her little leather shoes clicking against the floor. Her twin tails bobbed back and forth, and the cigarette candy she usually kept dangling from her mouth was missing.

As soon as she entered, she said in her crisp voice:

“The main force of the Special Operations Division is not in W City.”

Lin Han’s fingers paused on the desk.

“What do you mean?”

“The majority of the Special Operations Division members, led by Division Chief Bai Yu, were urgently transferred to X City the day before yesterday to execute a high-clearance operation.”

Qin Zhizhi looked at Lin Han.

“As for the details of the operation, all I can say is that it is closely related to the recent series of Mutant Incidents.”

X City.

Lin Han’s heart suddenly sank.

The events in the “game” had once again been corroborated by reality.

No wonder he saw Bai Yu appear in X City in the “game” last night…

But it just had to be at a time like this.

“…Then how many people can be mobilized right now?”

“On the Special Operations Division’s side, the only unit that can be deployed immediately is Team 3. It will take at least an hour to recall the other teams.”

“Is Team 3 the one Gu Xinglan is in?”

Qin Zhizhi nodded.

Lin Han thought to himself for a moment: The captain of the team Gu Xinglan is in is a LV3 Ability User, and the other members are all LV2.

Normally, this lineup could handle a standard single B-Class Calamity.

But… thinking of the commotion caused by the Metamorphosis Society over the past month, thinking of the words of the Former Mutant still detained in the Containment and Management Division, thinking of how the Metamorphosis Society went to such great lengths to specifically block the signals from Qingchuan Public…

Lin Han couldn’t help but feel that this incident wouldn’t be that simple.

Staring at the silent Lin Han, Qin Zhizhi continued:

“They have already set off. Please trust that they are professionals.”

“…Of course.”

“Then what are you doing right now?”

Qin Zhizhi blocked Lin Han, who was trying to head out the door.

Her expression had completely shed its usual carefree attitude, even reaching a somewhat solemn level, although such a look seemed quite out of place on her.

“Where are you going?”

“To Qingchuan Public.”

“No,” Qin Zhizhi said without hesitation.

“Do I really need to spell it out for you? You don’t have any combat abilities. If you go, you’ll only be adding to the chaos.”

“I know.”

“You know, and you’re still going?”

“…My little sister is there.”

“Lin Han.”

In a very rare occurrence, Qin Zhizhi reprimanded him using his full name.

But seeing Lin Han’s eyes—which were usually incredibly calm, even carrying a faint sense of lifelessness—now filled with helplessness and suppressed anxiety, Qin Zhizhi couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh.

“I will say it again: right now, you are just an ordinary person, an intelligence officer with no combat ability. Furthermore, you are my subordinate, and you must follow my command. I order you not to do anything reckless.”

An ordinary person again.

If only he had power…

Lin Han remained silent.

Of course he knew.

He knew better than anyone just how fragile ordinary people were at a Calamity site.

The casualties recorded as cold numbers in past reports were the most direct proof of that.

So…

So, he absolutely did not want to see Jiang Wanfeng’s name appear on the casualty list.

He just had a premonition that if he chose to be “rational” this time, if he chose to just wait here despite knowing full well that Team 3 would highly likely be unable to handle it…

It might lead to extremely terrifying consequences.

And so.

Lin Han brushed aside the Division Chief’s hand that was raised to stop him, and quietly took a step forward.

The office fell silent.

“You…”

Finally, Qin Zhizhi sighed, pulled a candy cigarette from her pocket, and popped it into her mouth.

“Team Leader Lin Han of Team 7, for disobeying orders and leaving your post without authorization, I will record a severe demerit against you.”

Lin Han looked at her in surprise.

Qin Zhizhi bit down on the candy cigarette in her mouth and said in a low voice:

“But if you can bring back useful intelligence, I might consider lightening the punishment a tiny bit.”

“…Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me too early.”

Qin Zhizhi glared at him, her twin tails whipping fiercely as she turned and walked out of the office.

“If you die, I’ll pin your attendance sheet to the bulletin board so everyone will know how many times you’ve been late. Hmph… Honestly…”

Her little leather shoes went clack-clack-clack as she left, just as they had when she arrived.

Just as Lin Han was about to step out the door, a voice suddenly came from behind him—

“Team Leader!”

Lin Han turned around.

Zhou Ran gave him a sunny smile, then stopped Tang Xiaoman, Shen Qingshu, and Xu Weian, who similarly looked like they wanted to say something.

“Since we’re going to act recklessly, count me in. I’m the strongest, so I should be able to help you out.”

He said with a smile.

“I’ve never been late, so I’m not afraid of the Division Chief putting me up on the bulletin board!”