Chapter 35.1 – Find a tall and handsome new boyfriend!
The alarm went off suddenly, catching everyone who had been working off guard. They were stunned at first, and then they quickly dashed out of the office, heading towards a safe location.
In theory, the people in the laboratory should have secured all the data to prevent leaks. However, in reality, nothing seemed as important as their own safety. The majority abandoned their work and left their stations.
A few individuals still cared about their work, fearing data loss. They hurriedly attempted to make temporary copies on USB drives. As they turned around, two individuals in dark red clothing appeared behind them.
The person copying the data was startled but then realized they were colleagues, letting out a sigh of relief and saying, “I’ll finish this transfer quickly. Could you guys later escort me to the temporary exit?”
As per the branch’s rules prioritizing the protection of research personnel, the request seemed reasonable.
The two individuals behind didn’t speak but stayed put, silently agreeing by their presence.
[Data transfer successful]
A sound from the computer prompted the research person to hastily pocket the USB drive, saying, “We can go…”
Mid-sentence, a sharp pain shot through the back of their neck. Their mind instantly grew faint, slumping onto the lab bench. They were caught by someone and made to appear as if they were still standing and conscious.
Chen Jing supported the person while Xiao Pang discreetly took the USB drive from their pocket. Just before leaving, the sound of hurried footsteps approached at an alarming speed, too fast to attend to the collapsed individual nearby.
Chen Jing acted swiftly, hoisting the research personnel they had almost left behind. Xiao Pang quickly caught on, glancing at the figures that had appeared in the corridor and urgently said, “Hurry, take him to the medical room!”
A group of people passed by the glass outer corridor. Someone peeked in and asked, “Is something happening in there?”
Xiao Pang replied, “When we arrived, this person was already on the ground, possibly attacked.”
The team leader instructed them to quickly take the person to the medical room, and the group swiftly departed.
Their success depended entirely on their acting skills.
One advantage of a large and diverse branch was that not everyone knew each other, making it easier to deceive and pass unnoticed.
Throughout their route, they were searching for intruders, carrying the incapacitated person as a prop. They smoothly made their way from upstairs to downstairs towards the medical room.
Their performance was flawless; they actually escorted the person they had feigned unconsciousness to the medical room themselves.
The medical room was empty, except for several glass cabinets containing white protective suits, likely replacements for the medical staff.
Chen Jing exchanged a glance with Xiao Pang.
Two sets of dark red clothing were thrown into the trash. Two individuals wearing white protective suits emerged from the medical room.
Stopping a passing person in dark red clothing, Chen Jing said, “We have important data. Please take us to the temporary exit.”
They were then escorted through the iron-clad bridge to a small door blending in with the wall’s color.
People clad in white protective suits, much like them, were forming a queue to leave.
The other staff were numerous, but the researchers were few, and they all knew each other. Upon arrival, Chen Jing and Xiao Pang remained silent, moving forward without speaking.
Fortunately, perhaps due to the fear of an unknown intruder breaking in, no one spoke throughout the journey until they approached the main entrance. They noticed a device beside the door, and everyone removed their gloves before entering, scanning their hands.
All these people had barcodes on their hands, presumably indicating their identities, exclusively for research personnel.
Chen Jing and Xiao Pang, undoubtedly, didn’t possess such identifiers. As they drew nearer, they could clearly see the guards at the door holding firearms.
Just a few steps away, a sudden loud noise erupted from a distance, like a forceful explosion or something dropping.
Anxiety spread, and the once silent crowd instantly erupted into chaos. People stopped queuing and surged towards the exit.
…
Later that evening, the police integrated all the clues, reviewed a lot of surveillance footage, and questioned many individuals. Finally, they identified the perpetrator behind the previous disappearances in the city. Based on certain characteristics, they discovered that this individual had also been missing for several years in the past.
After being missing for years and returning, someone previously not involved in any criminal activities began breaking the law. Considering all these factors, they handed the case over to the Special Investigation Unit.
With the leads in hand, it wasn’t difficult to apprehend someone. Once the specific location was known, the local bureau mobilized and found “Yellow Hair” in a run-down apartment, just planning their next crime.
The room was messy, littered with papers and trash. On the table lay a pile of information sheets, one woman circled – presumably the next target.
Yellow Hair resisted on the spot, attempting to escape through a window but was intercepted. In the end, he couldn’t evade capture, and he was taken away in a special transport vehicle designed for such criminals, heading to the SIU.
Xu Tonggui happened to be there. Initially, Yellow Hair was evasive and dishonest, but as soon as he sat opposite Xu Tonggui, a sense of oppression overwhelmed him, and he confessed.
He admitted being a member of an organization whose usual tasks involved sourcing items for the organization’s laboratory experiments, including inanimate objects, specimens, and even people.
Xu Tonggui asked for the organization’s whereabouts.
“A matchmaking agency,” Yellow Hair said, “the one in the northern part of the city.”
The branch’s location was disclosed, and it meant potential disaster. Yellow Hair weighed his options briefly and then spilled out more information in a rapid succession.
He confessed to having killed a total of five people, all for the laboratory experiments. Due to laziness in searching for targets, he targeted people associated with or frequenting the dating agency.
Xu Tonggui asked, “Was the boss fully aware?”
Yellow Hair nodded and shook his head simultaneously.
Regarding the establishment of the branch’s entrance and exit within the facility, the auntie who was the boss only knew that the organization shouldn’t be messed with.
She was threatened not to call the authorities and didn’t dare refuse, so she reluctantly agreed. Hence, she was aware of this, but she didn’t know about their search for experimental subjects at the dating agency.
The last two times he sought experimental subjects for the laboratory, he directly targeted individuals from the dating agency. The auntie, who had been compromising all along, vehemently opposed this now, forbidding him from tarnishing the place’s reputation.
She was afraid of them but, in a certain way, was also frighteningly stubborn. She stated that if he continued in this manner, she would no longer assist in covering things up.
From then on, he searched for targets outside the agency, brought them to the room on the far left of the second floor belonging to the organization, and dealt with them there. Occasionally, others would help bring targets, and he would handle the rest.
The boss of the dating agency couldn’t claim ignorance but also wasn’t entirely informed. She knew that occasionally someone was brought in but still had no idea about what happened to those individuals taken to the room.
When someone asked Yellow Hair what the laboratory was researching, Yellow Hair shook his head.
Each person in the organization had their own task, and apart from their own duties, they couldn’t inquire about others. They knew whether he was searching for experimental materials for the laboratory or if someone had accidentally divulged information.
Yellow Hair said, “I’ve told you everything I know. You must ensure my safety!”
He directed this statement to the branch’s personnel but looked at Xu Tonggui.
Xu Tonggui didn’t say much. He stood up and glanced at the observing branch director, saying, “The HQ has taken over this matter.”
The HQ’s team assembled in the evening and swiftly headed to F City.
The sound of helicopter propellers echoed late at night at the SIU branch. Individuals in combat uniform descended from the helicopter, moving quietly and orderly, quickly assembling and driving towards the dating agency.
They entered the room on the far left of the second floor and found two individuals completely unconscious inside a cabinet. In another cabinet, someone’s upper body was protruding out, adorned with rows of ear studs, already deceased. He had bitten his tongue, eyes still open, pupils dilated, as if struggling before death, seemingly witnessing something dreadful before end*ng his own life.
First to Fourth Unit descended the stairs, with one team leading the way. Near the exit, they encountered armed guards and neutralized them, starting to clear the passage leading to the other side.
Their task this time wasn’t infiltration but a straightforward clean-up operation.
Continuously, individuals in dark red clothing fell from the metallic bridge, directly plummeting into an unseen abyss.
It was an overwhelming sweep. The branch’s officials had no way out. Those who had considered end*ng their own lives were swiftly knocked out by a team, losing the ability to decide their fate. Subsequently, teams dispersed, quickly collecting data on upper floors and intercepting researchers leaving through emergency exits.
The building collapsed, the metal bridge crumbled, and the underground chambers were gradually dismantled. Some went to the top floor in an attempt to find the branch chief, only to encounter a shriveled corpse, half-human and ghostly.
With no branch chief and all officials incapacitated, the extensive underground facility was cleared in just half a night.
After the sweep, a copious amount of data was copied and then erased, the laboratory was sealed, and the branch chief’s body was transported to the SIU HQ that same night. There was a heap of aftermath work to handle, along with a large number of people needing escort, leaving no one at the SIU to have a full night’s sleep, with many working through the night.
