"Whatâs going on?"
The voice on the other end of the earpiece paused for a moment and asked in confusion.
Ghost Scythe pressed against the shadowy depths of the fifth-floor corridor, lightly pressing his finger against the earpiece.
His gaze was fixed through the broken window frame, staring intently at the scene below.
The young man was sitting in the driverâs seat, seemingly searching for something, moving hurriedly, not starting the vehicle immediately.
"The target looks significantly different from the description in the dossier."
Ghost Scythe paused, his voice lowered to a whisper, revealing an unmistakable confusion:
"The dossier describes a stocky, tough-looking young man, but the person I just saw has skin as pale as a freshly shelled egg, wire-rimmed glasses on his nose, so refined itâs absurd, looking more like a pretty boy than a TV idol."
"The most critical thing is, he might be with the Special Search Team."
"Special Search Team?"
On the other end of the earpiece, Night Owlâs voice sharply rose, mixed with a sense of disbelief:
"How could he be with the Special Search Team? Do you have concrete evidence?"
"I almost bumped into him in the hallway just now, and I saw the document fall from his hand with my own eyes. Although it was just a corner, I would never mistake that red shield and sword seal."
Ghost Scythe squinted his eyes, recalling every detail from earlier:
"Moreover, he looked anxious coming downstairs, muttering to himself about being summoned by Director Ling and how it would be hard to explain if he was late."
"Ling Shaofeng?"
Night Owl inhaled sharply, sounding more surprised:
"That mad dog of a guy? This kid actually has a connection with him?"
After a brief silence, Night Owlâs tone turned skeptical:
"Could it be a forged document? Maybe he got intelligence about us from Xuan Zhen, knew we would come for retaliation, and deliberately used the Special Search Teamâs name to set a trap?"
"I also suspected it was a trap."
Ghost Scythe let out a cold laugh, his gaze following the flickering reversing light downstairs.
"But this operation was known only to you and me, and even the departure time was decided on a whim."
"Unless he can foresee the future, predict Iâd be in the stairwell at that moment, and accurately identify my identity."
"The odds of that are lower than him being a humanoid dinosaur."
"And furthermore..."
Ghost Scythe recalled that moment when he thrust his finger out, his brows furrowing:
"He doesnât at all look like a combatant."
"Why?"
"I deliberately attacked him from behind in the hallway earlier, suddenly making a move to test him."
Ghost Scythe glanced at his fingertips, his tone carrying a hint of incomprehension:
"My fingers were only a few millimeters from his eyeball. In such a situation, even a trained Special Search Team elite would instinctively have their pupils contract, muscles tense up instantly, but he didnât."
"No reaction at all?"
"Yes, as slow as a block of wood."
Ghost Scythe said firmly:
"I donât believe anyone could suppress their instinctive urges and remain so calm in the face of a lethal attack."
"Considering his fragile pretty boy appearance, if heâs really with the Special Search Team, heâs likely just some office personnel handling files."
On the other end of the earpiece, Night Owl fell into the same deep confusion as his companion.
It was as if they had encountered an unsolvable problem from their student days, utterly baffled.
"The skin color is wrong, the demeanor is wrong, the capability is wrong..."
Night Owl murmured to himself:
"Could the organization have made a mistake? But with that superiorâs discernment, itâs impossible to mistake the targetâs appearance, and even if the opponent had the skills to disguise themselves, they couldnât escape his watchful eyes."
"Or could it be... the target has been recruited by the Special Search Team?"
At this point, Night Owlâs voice carried a hint of apprehension:
"The situation is extremely sensitive right now, and if we kill the wrong person and provoke the Special Search Team at this juncture, damaging our relationship..."
"That Ling guy would definitely retaliate against us like a mad dog, and if that superior of ours places the blame..."
There was a brief silence in the earpiece.
Just the slight crackle of static, indicating the inner turmoil on the other end of the call.
Chewing on gum that had long lost its sweetness, with a hawk-like gaze
"BuzzâBuzzâ"
A low rumble of an engine came from downstairs.
The black SUV had started, reversing slowly out of the parking space.
However, the road conditions on Old Factory Street were indeed quite poor.
The narrow alley was packed, cluttered with tricycles parked illegally and street food stalls taking up space.
Sitting in the driverâs seat, Fang Cheng had to patiently inch the car forward in the crowded flow of people.
The red brake lights reflected on the mottled walls, flickering intermittently.
Pedestrians squeezed past, brushing against the car body, children who had just finished dinner playfully tapping on the car hood before running off laughing.
This slow speed also gave the observer upstairs plenty of time to think.
"Heâs leaving."
Ghost Scythe watched the red taillights inching toward the street corner, his eyes glinting with a red hue:
"Do we need to continue tracking?"
Night Owl was silent for a few seconds, eventually making a decision:
"Follow the target!"
His tone regained its cool decisiveness:
"Although our data shows this is just an ordinary person, their recent actions are too suspicious. Theyâve been to Tian Nan Province and conveniently returned to East Capital at this precise moment."
"Moreover, based on just-reviewed sealed police archives, this person has certain ties with our organization. The one who killed Xuan Zhen and sabotaged our plans is most suspect."
Night Owlâs voice carried a ruthless edge:
"Itâs been emphasized from above that the focus is not simple retaliation, but to ascertain if thereâs more behind this rat, if Xuan Zhen revealed anything before dying."