Chapter 171: Wake Up

Special Service Nine, Airship.

The two metal door panels slid open in front of him. When Luo Yajun walked in, he found that other people were already in the room. He saw Fana, the little girl who could control phantoms, and Liang Ye, who had just shown off her skills in the ruins. Miss Sonar, Duan Lan, who had briefly teamed up with them in the previous two missions, was also there.

Only two people sat opposite them: Li Changcheng, the chief of Secret Service Nine, and Professor Miyazaki.

The automatic door closed behind him. Luo Yajun walked in, found an empty seat, and calmly assessed the situation of the people in the room. Ms. Sonar sat with her back straight, her posture upright, like a student listening attentively in class. The little girl, Fana, was asleep at the table, her face slightly puffed up. Liang Ye was scrolling through his phone with his legs crossed. When he noticed Luo Yajun entering, he waved enthusiastically, making Luo Yajun feel like he was greeting an old comrade in arms.

"It looks like everyone is here," Li Changcheng said.

"You may have heard a bit about it beforehand. I called you here today because of a proposal from Professor Miyazaki. This matter is top secret. After the project was proposed, Professor Miyazaki has only shared it with me. Therefore, only the two of us are aware of it within the entire organization.

What you're about to hear next not only concerns the entire Secret Service Nine but also our future operations and public safety. It is closely related to everyone present. So, I hope you can seriously consider it after listening and make your own decisions."

He turned to Professor Miyazaki.

"Explain, Professor."

The old thief Miyazaki seemed more focused on his development work, playing with his tablet and keeping his head down. Hearing the leader's words, he reluctantly looked up, stood, and prepared to explain.

"Uh, let me keep it brief." He shook his head. "Everyone here is an agent of the Nine Branches. You've all participated in field operations more than once and must have some understanding of the workings of the Nine Branches so far. So there's nothing to hide..."

Fana, who heard the voice, got up from the table, opened her small mouth, and yawed lazily, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"The current situation is that our agents are facing tough challenges," Professor Miyazaki said. "The emergence of phantoms is a significant challenge, disrupting much of our accumulated experience with infected individuals.

Phantoms are human creations that have surpassed humanity. I believe the agents here have encountered them personally. They possess more power and physicality, making it difficult for our regular teams to handle them.

For this reason, I believe a special response team is necessary. This team will consist solely of individuals with unique abilities, even among the nine agents; they are the most outstanding and capable.

They will unite to tackle crises they couldn't manage alone. They will be the sharp edge of Secret Service Nine, a force that can cut through any obstacle."

Luo Yajun glanced at the people in the room and raised his eyebrows.

"Wait a minute, are you saying..."

"That's right."

Professor Miyazaki pressed a remote control, turning on the display. A document appeared on the screen, prominently titled "Sentinels."

"That's such an uncreative name," Luo Yajun said.

"Of course, whether you choose to join or not depends on your personal wishes," Chairman Li Changcheng said. "This plan is still in its early stages, and even if it gets official approval, there are still procedures before it begins.

You are all candidates selected by Professor Miyazaki himself. He believes each of you has the skills and reasons to be chosen. But if anyone wants to back out, we won't force it."

After he finished speaking, his gaze swept over the group, as if waiting for their reactions. But everyone remained silent, no one speaking for a while.

After a brief silence, Miss Sonar spoke first.

"I... I'm not sure if I have what it takes." Agent Duan Lan said, "I mean, I have some special abilities, but I never thought it made me any different from my colleagues.

An elite team sounds like..."

"You can do this, I promise. You're more than qualified to be on this team. The only question now is..."

He glanced at Miss Sonar with a smile, paused briefly on her, and then looked around at everyone else.

"Do you want to be part of it?"

This wasn't just her question; it was for everyone present.

"I..." Miss Sonar hesitated for a moment, then said, "Thank you, Professor. But I need some time to think it over."

She looked at Li Changcheng, who nodded slightly, indicating she had plenty of time.

"Let's go back," Fana spoke up, "and discuss it."

Anyone who knows her would realize she meant she was ready to talk it over with her mom. She's a good kid who listens to her mother.

"That sounds like a good idea."

Liang Ye supported her without hesitation.

"I'm in."

This surprised Luo Yajun a bit. He thought Liang Ye would be harder to convince, which is often the case with powerful people.

Li Changcheng nodded slightly. Finally, his gaze landed on Luo Yajun.

"Agent Luo, what do you think?"

Luo Yajun: "..."

…

When Luo Yajun got back to his place after a routine check, the clock was ticking close to midnight. 

He took a hot shower and flopped onto his soft bed.

He couldn't decide right away.

It wasn't due to doubts about his abilities or needing to consult some unreasonable family members, but after recent experiences, he felt a confidence crisis in the Secret Service.

Upon his return, the Ninth Office was negotiating with the Bureau of Emotional Affairs. The Bureau felt something was off with the Ninth Branch, but, of course, the Ninth Branch denied it.

The higher authorities have yet to comment. Judging from the current trend, Secret Service Nine may prepare to arrange an independent investigation to clear the suspicion of their high-level officials, but the EIA immediately said they were fooling around. The meaning of independent investigation is to make sure no one gets caught. When we don't know, right? 

Anyway, it seems that achieving any results in the short term will be difficult if this continues. 

Siegel from the Grove Group left Luo Yajun with a one-time communication device before leaving. He said it was because he trusted him. If one day he found something unusual in the Ninth Office and thought the Bureau of Emotional Affairs was right, he could contact them through this. 

But honestly, he doesn't know what to trust now. 

He was extremely sleepy that night and fell asleep shortly after his head hit the pillow. 

In his dream, he saw his old friend. He saw Old Brook, who, even in heaven, still looked like a washed-up fish, with a cigarette in his mouth and a coffee cup in his hand, shaking his head and saying, "I was right; you really can't." 

He dreamed of Chen Meiyue. The beautiful Boss Dabo gave an emotional speech when he was tricked into boarding a pirate ship, saying that if you don't like the world, join us and change it yourself, and we will work together. 

As a result, Dabo's boss is gone, but he is still here. 

Sometimes he thinks his life is quite funny; he's lived without knowing why for most of his life. People around him are always leaving one after another, and whenever he feels even a hint of peace, thinking, "This is good," things will go wrong, and he will lose something again. 

It wasn't until he was alone and looked around that he realized there was nothing around him. 

No, that's not entirely accurate. He hasn't become truly alone yet—not yet. 

Finally, the one who appeared in his dream and brought him a strange sense of security was a lunatic dressed as a bat. 

At this point, he found it amusing that he was the last person left in this world whom he could truly trust, but he didn't even know what he looked like or what his name was. 

"Wake up, Agent Luo." 

He wasn't sure if it was in the dream or outside the dream, but it seemed someone spoke to him. 

He woke up. 

His heavy eyelids barely opened, and the bright light made it hard to see. Luo Yajun instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes, narrowing them. 

Then he froze. 

He saw the black hole of gun barrels. 

The muzzles of several guns were all pointed in their direction.