The Fallen Merman

The IOA Alliance had evenly distributed observation stations all over the world, due to the invisible monitoring station construction model developed by the Alliance’s Technology Department’s super big boss Duan Yang. Besides one not being the same as the next, the monitoring stations’ interiors also had many varied functions: it was able to obtain all monitoring images within a range, investigate abnormal life forms, and release drones, among other powerful abilities.

Every region’s monitoring station was governed by the local IOA department, M Harbor’s station fell within the administrative range of the Paris IOA’s branch, which was directly governed by the Paris president’s A3-grade bird of paradise omega, but every year the general headquarters would always send people to inspect and fix it. 

Bai Chunian applied to general headquarters for the assignment of inspecting M Harbor’s monitoring station in order to obtain the power to monitor the Paris branch, taking a step closer to obtaining information.

The Alliance’s Technology Department handed access to inspect the monitoring stations to Bai Chunian.

According to Crawler, after President Yan’s global conference concluded, the returning flight would stop at M Harbor, in preparation to attend a charity banquet at Danlisailles Palace, while Red-Throated Bird decided to launch a terrorist attack right when Yan Yi temporarily stopped in M Harbor to attend the banquet.

Crawler wasn’t really an informer on the side of what was just and right, therefore the general headquarters wouldn’t rashly attempt to confirm the veracity of his information. Bai Chunian needed to provide them with solid evidence that terrorists had really entered M Harbor to obtain permission to take the next set of actions and the armed support of the Paris branch.

The external appearance of M Harbor’s monitoring station was a small warehouse, mixed into the multitude of warehouses for rent at the mouth of the harbor, while the interior was no different from a typical warehouse—only after entering the hourly refreshed access code at the login panel would the monitoring station’s control panel be activated.

The narrow and gloomy warehouse displayed countless shelves for storage of goods, the spaces between the shelves were piled full of deceptive old stock. Rimbaud sat on the highest layer of the shelves, fish tail drooping onto the ground, swaying lightly, casually searching for a novel source of amusement.

He found an old barbie from a trunk of junk, and began fiddling with it curiously, expressing no passion or interest for the current mission whatsoever.

Han Xingqian wore an old gray porter’s uniform as he sat on the warehouse’s outer steps, a pair of hole-ridden stringed rubber gloves in his hands, long legs resting beneath the step, acting as a worker and resting while simultaneously paying attention to the activity coming and going. 

Bai Chunian crouched on the ground, entering the access code into the hovering laser keyboard. After the control panel was activated, the warehouse’s four walls lit up in succession, breaking into at least ten thousand monitor screens, each one in operation.

To them this task was just another one of the extremely run of the mill everyday tasks, but to the three behind them, its significance was far from ordinary.

Don’t mention Lu Yan and Xiao Xun, even the one in their midst with the most distinguished grades, Bi Lanxing, was following instructors to do field work for the first time, even if he was entirely experienced with the various examinations at school, they were only tests after all, before coming out Bai Chunian merely said one breezy sentence to them: “Prepare to see blood,” the three youths were hard pressed to avoid nerves, not even knowing where to put their hands.

Lu Yan opened his eyes wide and gazed towards the screens on the walls, noticing Bai Chunian was searching through every bit of surveillance of every corner of M Harbor recorded with the last week, with the video fast forwarded a hundred times, the recorded footage played frantically on at least ten thousand screens, Lu Yan only eyed it for a little before he became dizzy. 

Bi Lanxing stared fixedly at the screens, although he also couldn’t see anything clearly, he would contemplate the position where Bai Chunian’s attention lingered, and then analyze why he did so in his heart.

Xiao Xun silently lowered his head, only gazing at the tips of his own shoes.

Bai Chunian’s pupils followed the dizzying progress of the screens, moving as fast as possible as he gazed steadily at the recordings, freely spouting criticism: “Xiao Xun, where’re you looking, slunk off haven’t you.”

Xiao Xun stilled for a moment, raised his head, his voice clear and cold: “I’m avoiding suspicion.” 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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The leisurely lookout at the front door Han Xingqian lifted his peaked cap, laughing lazily: “Do you think it’s easy to leave the special training base after coming here, even if you really take things too hard, and brought our intelligence back to the Greyhound Family, in less than three days you would quietly vanish from this world, smart children all know who they should be loyal to, I think you understand this principle.”

Xiao Xun didn’t respond, but the dog tail that slowly began to wag still easily revealed how he internally relaxed. 

Footage fast forwarded a hundred times was incapable of being perceived by the naked eye, unless one relied on one’s ability, it was obvious Bi Lanxing and Lu Yan did not possess observational-type differentiation abilities.

“I’ll watch the footage in the rear and to the left, I can see it clearly.” Xiao Xun said faintly.

Lu Yan moved closer, surprised: “Really? I can’t make anything out at all.”

Rimbaud propped up his head, gracefully and luxuriously lay on his side on the shelf, half a barbie’s leg dangling from his mouth, took it out and dipped it in the nearby open can of paint, then put it back in his mouth and sucked. 

As long as it was even tangentially related to science and technology, Rimbaud usually wasn’t of any help and Bai Chunian would also not make it difficult for him. As long as he didn’t eat any rare equipment, it would already count as having made an outstanding contribution to the mission.

After inspecting all morning, Bai Chunian and Xiao Xun locked onto a suspicious target.

Surveillance captured a rich young master alpha below the age of thirty putting some form of drug into his omega’s clutch, while that tenderly beautiful omega clearly had no idea: clinging to his arm intimately while leaving the hotel with him.

Bai Chunian isolated all scenes related to this alpha, summarized it into a file of about ten minutes of footage, after converting it he sent it to the Alliance’s Technology Department. 

Rapidly, the Alliance Technology Department sent over the results of the analysis:

That alpha’s name was Ru Cheng, the son of the CEO of Ru Ruo Fangcheng Group. Fangcheng Group’s most important business transaction direction was biochemical preparation. After the Technology Department and the Medical Association discussed, analyzing from the storage method and the state of the substance, they unanimously thought that what he put into the omega’s clutch was a type of explosive catalyst industry insiders referred to as “sunflower.”

Bai Chunian said: “Help me investigate Ru Cheng’s itinerary for the upcoming week.”

The Technology Department responded: “Tonight he’s arranged to attend the charity banquet at Danlisailles Palace, the invitation is in his name.” 

Danlisailles Palace’s charity banquet, that was precisely the charity banquet President Yan was about to attend.

Bai Chunian: “Applying for a search mission, six people.”

About ten minutes later, the Technology Department responded: “The higher ups have permitted a secret search, please make sure to prevent an explosion from occurring, find and apprehend Ru Cheng’s conspirators.”

Bai Chunian: “Give me Danlisailles Palace banquet’s information.” 

The data was swiftly sent to the receiving screen on Bai Chunian’s wrist.

The Fantasy Gemstone Exhibition held by the Huanshifengfei Gemstone Company shall be presented at the M Harbor’s Danisailles Palace. The proceeds from auctioning the exhibited items will be given to charities.

“Huanshifengfei?” Lu Yan said quietly, “This is one of my dads’ gemstone companies. On new year’s day they gifted me with a jade carrot, I hung it on my bookbag.”

Huanshifengfei, the most well known gemstone company under the Lu Feiying Group. People in the industry who understood gems knew about this luxury goods brand, it never made low quality jewelry, only providing custom ordered gemstones. Ordinary people could never come into contact with such a brand, it embodied the preference of low profile aristocracy. 

Bai Chunian took a brief glance at the time, there was less than two hours before the guests entered the premises.

The guests who participated in this event had net worths of more than one hundred million, Danlisailles Palace’s security was tight, for the safety of its guests it further tightened the security measures, it was very difficult to take Ru Cheng away within the line of sight of numerous security personnel, and as soon as they alerted their prey, it might bring his accomplices to act desperately, bringing about an even messier scene that would be difficult to conclude.

Bai Chunian pursed his lips, considering for a moment, then turned and distributed the upcoming task.

The things the three students had to do were relatively few, Bai Chunian brought them here really not expecting an outstanding performance, rather, he hoped they would participate in live combat as much as possible. 

After the specific tasks were distributed, Bai Chunian once again got in touch with the Technology Department: “Seeking weaponry support.”

The Technology Department was swiftly efficient: “Received Paris branch’s authorization, the monitoring station’s arms warehouse is now accessible.”

The row of shelves next to the wall of the warehouse soundlessly revolved, now various models of firearms, ammunition were placed upon them. Bai Chunian let them go retrieve equipment.

Lu Yan and Bi Lanxing took submachine guns with silencers and ammunition, Xiao Xun swiftly assembled a CS/LR4 high precision sniper rifle with a silencer and placed it into a gun case and carried it on his back. 

Han Xingqian took some chemical preparations, concealed them beneath his uniform against his skin: “Go.”

A truck was parked outside the warehouse, Bai Chunian already calculated this truck’s transportation time beforehand, now it had just finished unloading its cargo and was turning around to fetch more cargo.

The driver smoked a cigarette outside and lingered around for a bit. After inspecting the truck’s storage compartment lock, he got back in and prepared to make the trip back.

The truck had just started to move when the rearview mirror suddenly fogged up. Puzzled, the driver bent over to search for a rag underneath the car seat. 

Rimbaud silently lurked on the roof of the car. The scales all over his body spread wide, exuding an eerie chill into the air, reducing the temperature of the truck’s rear view mirror, then he quietly left.

Taking advantage of the driver working to clean the rearview mirror, Lu Yan relied on Cunning Rabbit’s Cave to easily enter the storage component of the truck, open the door from the inside, and drag Bi Lanxing aboard.

The truck started up again, Bi Lanxing released vines, which wrapped around Xiao Xun and Han Xingqian’s respective waists and dragged them into the compartment too, then quietly locked the door.

Bai Chunian and Rimbaud acted separately from them, the floor of the warehouse gradually split and moved to each side, a Maybach rose from the garage, Bai Chunian opened the car door, found the previously prepared suitcase inside, took out the components to begin dressing Rimbaud. 

They were responsible for entering the banquet through official means, locating that alpha named Ru Cheng and his omega companion, then calmly and assuredly luring the two to the designated place.

The Technology Department supplied Bai Chunian with a forged invitation to the banquet, the identity was an aristocrat paralyzed from the waist down, Prince Shahivi.

The pitch-black lowkey Maybach parked outside Danisailles Palace, Bai Chunian wore a swallow tailed attendant’s uniform, wearing white gloves, exiting the car in a refined manner, bending at the waist to open the door for the prince, then getting on one knee to receive the wheelchair, then placed the Prince Shahivi with his legs covered by a thin blanket on the wheelchair.

Rimbaud sat on the chair, a few strands of gemstones hanging from his golden hair, a sapphire dangling between his brows, each wrist adorned with a grandiose gold bracelet, both hands resting peacefully on the armrests, the air of a king present without a single act. 

As soon as the security personnel saw this extravagant display they knew the guest was an important figure, and hurriedly came over to check their identity, every guest today was an important figure, they didn’t dare to relax even in the slightest.

The security personnel bent over deferentially to salute Rimbaud, glancing at the invitation side by side and asked: “Pardon me, are you Prince Shahivi?”

Rimbaud coldly shot him a glance: “Goon. (Get away.)”

Bai Chunian stood at his side, his stature was naturally tall, he and the swallow tailed attendant’s uniform were particularly well matched, appearing just like a cultured and refined butler of a royal household, he ever so slightly inclined his body to return the greeting, and considerately translated for the security personnel: “The Prince said, yes, that’s right.” 

The security personnel still did not dare to be careless: “Could you show your invitation?”

Rimbaud inspected his fingernail impatiently: “Noliya bigi, wusa boliea mil. (Stupid human, wasting my time.)”

Bai Chunian handed over his invitation, translating smilingly: “The Prince said, he admires your strict work ethic.”

Security personnel carefully verified the microchip within the invitation, confirmed that there was no error, returned the invitation to Bai Chunian, opened the gate and invited the distinguished guest to enter. 

Rimbaus said disdainfully: “Faak tlable, boliea gilagi vi. (So damn bothersome, (can) the trash (hanging on) my head (be removed yet) )”

Bai Chunian politely smiled: “The Prince wishes you good fortune.”

Then, pushing the wheelchair in a low-profile and graceful manner, they entered the gathering.

After a little while the Alliance’s President should arrive, Bai Chunian understood the President; he never arrived late. He had to ensure the President’s safety first. 

At this point, Lu Yan and Bi Lanxing sent over a location signal. Lu Yan’s J1 differential ability Cunning Rabbit’s Cave could be comparable to any door, it was best at infiltrating indoors. He was responsible for mixing into the waitstaff, to flexibly move throughout the gathering space.

Bi Lanxing used his poisonous vines to soundlessly climb into the courtyard.

Xiao Xun swiftly found the most suitable vantage point—the peak of a signal tower a distance aways from Danlisailles Palace. He fixed the sniper frame securely onto it, then patiently settled down to wait for the opportune time.

“Danlisailles Palace’s bulletproof measures are very good.” Xiao Xun said into the communications device in a quiet voice, “I haven’t mastered ambushing indoor targets.” 

Bai Chunian responded: “I know, wait for my command.”

Han Xingqian also said: “I’m in place.”

Bai Chunian sent out the command to begin the play.

Lu Yan already changed into the waiter’s uniform, a neat, figure hugging, black vest and white shirt, a black bowtie at his collar, the gemstone exhibition hadn’t begun yet, he needed to get into position beforehand, so he carried two cocktails as he quickly passed in front of the french windows of the rest area for guests while hurrying towards the main area. 

Within the room, Lu Shangjin sat on the couch drinking coffee with his head lowered. According to his social status, this sort of banquet isn’t the type of thing he absolutely had to come to, but since Yan Yi said he’d come, then he also became interested.

He called Yan Yi’s phone and asked if he needed to go pick him up, halfway through the conversation, through the french windows, he seemed to see a familiar young fellow race by.

Lu Shangjin gently rubbed his eyes.

On the other side of the phone, Yan Yi asked: “What happened?” 

“Nothing really, it’s probably just that I miss my darling son very much. Enough to hallucinate.”