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| Descend from the Stars (STARS) |
Xu Dan spent his first week at Pangu studying middle school to university-level courses inside the Containment Unit.
Xu Rongchuan had two idle days before becoming too busy to pay him any attention.
First came the annual performance review, followed by a three-day short assignment with Lin Banxia. Just as his old and new injuries had healed, before he could even glance at the backlog of tasks, Du Ruo suddenly approached him: "There's a problem with Wen Shu's mission."
Wen Shu's mission...?
Xu Rongchuan recalled something and looked surprised. "Wasn't this just a Class C mission?"
"Yes, a very simple black-market case. He only requested three days for fieldwork, but it's already the sixth day, and he hasn't returned." Du Ruo handed him the case file. "The logistics team from Unit Three hasn’t been able to contact Wen Shu for over two days, nor have they received any distress signals from him."
Xu Rongchuan frowned, took the file, and began skimming through it quickly.
"Right now, the only ones available for missions are you, Lin Banxia, and Tang Sumu. Captain Lin went to the R&D center yesterday for maintenance and upgrades on his Mechanical Body. Captain Tang... the Eye of Doom has been restless lately, so he can't leave Unit One."
A simple Class C mission with a case file barely a page long—normally not even requiring a captain’s direct involvement—had somehow trapped Wen Shu?
Case File No.: A-3-05899
Recorded: 2200.09.25
Report Details: (23:45:01) Received an anonymous call from a phone booth at No. 12, Black Harbor Road, reporting illegal human trafficking, sex trade, and unverified drug transactions in the basement level of ORACLE Bar on Black Harbor Road. Undercover police investigation revealed the transactions involved Anomalous Objects, prompting the case to be transferred to Pangu.
[Caller: Hello, police? Help me! Save me! Please, I’m begging you, come quickly, I’m going to die, I—]
[Operator: Please remain calm. Tell us your location and the nature of the threat.]
[Caller: I’m—I’m… right! I’m in the back alley of ORACLE Bar on Black Harbor Road! A dog with a human head is chasing me! It has a sharp nose, I can’t stay in one place for long (sobbing in terror). Save me, please, I’m so scared… They’re selling people in the bar—no, they’re selling demons!]
[Operator: ORACLE Bar back alley, Black Harbor Road—life in immediate danger. We will dispatch officers within five minutes. Please find a safe place to hide. Confirming: Have you consumed any drugs or alcohol?]
[Caller: No! They’re selling that stuff, I didn’t touch any!...] (sudden silence, heavy breathing audible on the other end. The operator noted she could distinctly hear an eerie heartbeat.)
Operator: Are you still there? Are you safe?
Call disconnected. (23:46:50)]
Police Report: (00:12:25) Arrived at the reported scene, no abnormalities found (including: no bloodstains, no signs of struggle, no damage to public property, [bold]no fingerprints found in phone booth No. 12[bold]). Officer S-08895 disguised as plainclothes attempted to enter the underground second floor of ORACLE bar but failed (special invitation required). On his way back, he spotted a peculiar customer in the dimly lit bar—a figure in a long dress with what appeared to be a serpent tail protruding from beneath. S-08895 did not linger and quickly departed. No further reports were received the next day. Case file transferred to Pangu."
Serpent tail.
No wonder Wen Shu personally took on this C-level case assignment.
From Xu Rongchuan's experience, this was a textbook case file involving illegal Anomalous Object trading. The bar named ORACLE was likely a front for the local black market. Despite official bans on esoteric knowledge, certain individuals always found ways to dabble in the mystical, especially the wealthy who were eager to flirt with danger.
Du Ruo said, "Before the mission, Wen Shu obtained an invitation to ORACLE bar. According to him, invitations are only issued to two types of people: those with wealth exceeding a billion, and exceptionally attractive young men and women without power or influence. For the latter group, the invitations are disguised as talent scouting auditions, with legitimate ties to actual agencies. Some participants later confirmed they attended real auditions without any illegal activities occurring."
"When did he enter the bar?" Xu Rongchuan asked.
"Five days ago. Here's the communication log between Wen Shu and Third Warehouse logistics during the mission."
[Communication Log No. 3-25899-09.30-23:30
Logistics: Captain Wen, is everything proceeding smoothly?
Wen Shu: (voice slightly hoarse and magnetic) So tired, just want to sleep on my Water Bed. Walked so much today, even danced for those fools... my tail tip hurts. Would be nice if someone massaged it for me...
Logistics: cough Ahem, you've worked hard. We'd be honored to assist upon your return.
Xu Rongchuan reading this: ...Flirting with logistics during a mission? Get to the point already!
Wen Shu: I've attended a black-market trading event on the bar's underground second floor. They call it the "Fallen God Festival"—basically hiring beautiful men and women to dress as mermaids, human-serpents, etc., perform erotic dances, then sleep with clients for roleplay fun. Had I known it'd be this dull, I'd have stayed home watching my new Human-Serpent Film.
Logistics: If there's no danger, perhaps you should rest early. Everyone at Third Warehouse awaits your return.
Wen Shu: (light chuckle) Rest? Since I'm here, might as well have some ~fun.
Logistics: Please... take care of yourself.]
[Communication Log No. 3-25899-10.02-22:35
Logistics: Captain Wen, you haven't contacted us for two days. Is the mission proceeding smoothly?]
Wen Shu: It's a bit troublesome. The waters here seem deeper than I imagined. (Sighs) I thought those things were all humans in disguise, but there are real Anomalous Objects among them. The bar also has three underground levels connected to the largest local five-star hotel. Higher-tier guests can access some "special services"—though it's unclear what those entail for now. I plan to follow my guest to the hotel tonight to scout it out.
Support: You're on this mission alone this time, so please be careful. Do you need backup?
Wen Shu: Not for now. I’ll contact you if there’s progress. Miss me~
[Call Log No. 3-25899-10.03-23:58]
Support: Captain Wen, how are you doing?
Wen Shu: Those motherf—
(After five minutes of waiting, no further response from Wen Shu.)
Support: Captain Wen? Captain Wen?
(No response.)
The call log ended there.
Xu Rongchuan frowned as an inexplicable sense of foreboding creeping over him.
Trusting intuition was the first rule of survival in the occult.
"I’ll go see Captain Tang to use the Eye of Doom, then set off immediately," Xu Rongchuan said, putting down the case file and making a swift decision. "Wen Shu might be in trouble."
Du Ruo suddenly spoke up: "Take Xu Dan with you."
Xu Rongchuan froze.
The idea of "together" hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Since joining Pangu, as the only ordinary human captain, he had always relied on the Eye of Doom to enhance his physical abilities before missions, allowing him to withstand extreme supernatural threats. But the price of that power was a curse of misfortune—especially since the sentient S+ Anomalous Object didn’t seem to like him.
On his first field mission, none of his teammates returned alive except him.
On his second, one teammate died and three were injured—only he emerged unscathed.
Among the most notorious rumors circulating in Pangu:
1.
Never ask Captain Wen of the Third Division whether he was born from an egg or a womb—it would trigger his serpentine instincts, and after ecstasy, you’d become his meal.
2.
Never ask Captain Chen Lian of the Fourth Division which of his heads is in charge—you’d be ensnared by his charm and develop multiple personalities.
3.
Never be Captain Xu Rongchuan of the Sixth Division’s teammate—you’d be saddled with a death curse.
So, from his third mission onward, Xu Rongchuan had never had a companion. No matter how difficult the task, he went alone. By now, even the word "together" felt foreign.
"What’s the point of taking him?" Xu Rongchuan reflexively refused.
Du Ruo sighed softly. "You should have someone with you."
"He’s not even human..."
"Rongchuan," Du Ruo said seriously, "he’s likely an 'Offspring of Gods'—higher-tier than the Eye of Doom and probably immune to its curse. From what we’ve observed, he also bears you no ill will. Taking him along to expose him to the supernatural could help him grow while giving us more insight into what he truly is."
Xu Rongchuan fell silent for a few seconds before raising his hands in surrender. "Are you secretly a Superhuman? Is your power persuasion? You’re way too convincing."
Du Ruo laughed. The staunch materialist drew a perfect cross over his chest and, just as he had for the past four years, reminded him: "Be safe on the mission. Come back in one piece."
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