Chapter 319
Chapter 319 Ability Police
Lin Nan didn’t mind making himself look foolish: “Alright, got it. I’ll visit you guys when I have time.”
After a pause, he added with a smile, “But for now, let’s talk about what’s going on here. I’ve pretty much confirmed the location of the… thing we need to destroy, but it’s a bit tricky for me to handle alone. I was going to call for reinforcements, but since I ran into you guys, that’s no longer necessary.”
“Where is it?” Ling Mo instinctively asked.
“The Mall Building, probably in the underground floors,” Lin Nan pointed not far ahead. “I accidentally wandered in there before and encountered quite a few… monsters that look exactly like humans—you guys must have seen them too, right? Some even look just like us. While their individual strength isn’t high, their numbers can be overwhelming.”
As he spoke, he stroked his chin: “I investigated the area, and as you get closer to the Mall Building, you can definitely feel the likelihood of being attacked is much higher than in other places, and there are usually two or more monsters acting together. I only had time to check the third floor and didn’t notice anything strange, but as I went higher up, I sensed the monsters’ desire to attack was decreasing, so I suspect they’re below ground.”
Xia Xinyan raised an eyebrow slightly.
As expected from someone who climbed so high in the Ability Bureau, his foundational strength and observational skills were quite impressive.
“What are we waiting for?” Tiger Ba Tian pulled out a walkie-talkie used by Chicken Head and the others. “Let’s call everyone over. Those guys, no matter how many imitators they have, can’t possibly compete with us, the originals, right?”
Lin Nan smiled and nodded.
Xia Xinyan and the others had no objections, so the group set off towards the Mall Building.
Tiger Ba Tian contacted Chicken Head, Ling Mo informed Fatty and the others, and Lin Nan also called for reinforcements. However, they didn’t plan to wait for everyone to gather before going in; they agreed to meet up inside the Mall Building.
At least the ones present were all pretty strong—especially Tang Tang, so they were confident enough in their own abilities to not worry about those monsters.
“Who knows, maybe Fatty and the others won’t even arrive before Ling Mo’s group wraps things up, saving us some time.”
The Mall Building was just a block away from them. Just as Lin Nan mentioned, they encountered several replicants as they got closer—the monsters charged at them without a sound.
Ling Mo took the lead, followed closely by Tiger Ba Tian. Xia Xinyan was about to join when she suddenly noticed Tang Tang beside her and quickly pulled her to Lin Nan’s side: “Protecting civilians is also one of the duties of the Ability Police, right? So I’ll leave her in your care.”
Before Lin Nan could respond, she joined the fray.
In an invasion event, some particularly useful items might drop, and since it was uncertain when the spatial watch would bring things back to reality, acquiring useful items in reality was necessary. Especially at this stage, where they were close to resolving the impending incident, the chances of item drops were higher—
For example, if this invasion event were considered a dungeon, then the source of invasion would be the final boss, and defeating it would have a chance of dropping equipment.
So Xia Xinyan had no reason to sit back any longer.
The Ability Investigation Bureau functioned somewhat like a police station within the ability community, so saying Lin Nan is an Ability Police officer made sense. Tang Tang required protection in such a scenario, and Lin Nan happened to fit the bill perfectly.
Of course, Xia Xinyan was also keeping an eye out—should Tang Tang ever be in danger, with her reaction speed, getting over to save her would be a matter of an instant.
This also served as a test for Lin Nan; was he someone worth forming a deeper connection with? This was a trial.
Unaware of Xia Xinyan’s thoughts, Lin Nan merely said: “…”
Well, he had turned into a bodyguard.
Tang Tang looked a little confused, but after sizing Lin Nan up for two seconds, she quietly said, “I actually don’t need protection… I should be able to take care of myself.”
Saying this, she tightened her grip on the scissors in her hand.
Seeing her action, Lin Nan couldn’t help but chuckle.
An ordinary pair of scissors—could that really provide her any protection?
And why would they bring someone so clearly lacking in strength here?
“Whatever, since they can handle that side, I’m happy to be a bodyguard,” Lin Nan grinned. “I’m Lin Nan, from the Ability Investigation Bureau. What about you?”
“Ah? I’m Tang Tang… an intern teacher,” Tang Tang instinctively replied.
“Intern teacher?” Lin Nan raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you with the Chicks?”
“No… my brother is with the Chicks,” Tang Tang shook her head. “He must have asked them to come rescue me…”
But she certainly hadn’t expected big shots like Xia Xinyan and Ling Mo to be the ones to save her.
Lin Nan nodded slightly, seemingly deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Xia Xinyan and the others had finished off the monsters at the mall entrance and were the first to enter.
Lin Nan then led Tang Tang inside the mall after them.
Inside, the number of replicants increased, and their individual strength was relatively stronger, though not overwhelmingly so, so they didn’t pose much of a threat.
Most importantly, the others were moving pretty quickly, whether it was Fatty and Chicken Head or perhaps Lin Nan’s reinforcements arriving; sounds of battle echoed from other parts of the mall, likely helping to alleviate their pressure.
Ling Mo and the others didn’t intend to linger too long with the replicants; they charged straight down to the underground floors. According to the floor indicators, there were two levels underground; the first was the Food Court, and the second was the Warehouse. The number of replicants in the first level was even a bit less than on the ground floor, and after exploring more than half the floor, Ling Mo and Xia Xinyan found nothing unusual, ruling out that level.
The lowest level, the warehouse, could only be accessed by an employee passage, which was naturally locked. However, for Ling Mo, it was just a matter of a BOOM; it wasn’t a big problem.
Yet as they charged into the bottom floor, before they could even get a good look around, a piercing scream erupted from deep inside, momentarily dazzling everyone’s senses.
When they regained their composure, Xia Xinyan noticed a thick yellow mist had formed around them, limiting visibility to only about one or two meters. Everyone who had been beside her just moments ago had vanished.
Xia Xinyan looked around and called out, “Mo Mo?”
No one answered.
She couldn’t help but pout.
Now it was confirmed that the source of invasion was right here; that was likely its last desperate attempt—quite a trickster it was.
But before she could take her next step, Ling Mo’s figure appeared through the mist ahead.
He looked at her expressionlessly and suddenly pulled out two grenades, charging at her.
In the next moment—
He knelt right before her with a thud.
Xia Xinyan’s eyes had inexplicably turned blood-red, holding a hint of teasing.
It had been a while since she had used her mental allure ability.
Looks like she hadn’t lost her touch.
