The next morning, in the base lounge, we met the new senior member of the Esper Team. According to Lin Xue, he was an esper who specialized in defense.
He was an utterly unremarkable-looking young man, around twenty years old. He wore casual clothes that were obviously cheap street-stall goods, had a somewhat pale complexion, and his medium-short hair was combed meticulously. He did not seem to like talking much. Upon seeing the three of us, he merely nodded before sitting off to one side.
Lin Xue stood and began introducing him. "This is Zheng Yiming, the guy in the organization most skilled in defensive abilities. He may not like talking much, but he's actually a very helpful person."
"Hello." Zheng Yiming gave a polite smile and nodded.
"This is my younger brother, Lin Feng. His ability is manipulating compressed air to attack." The shy-looking boy beside Lin Xue stood up, gave Pandora and me a deep bow, and said, "I'm terribly sorry for attacking you last time. It was all my sister's idea. You can take revenge however you like—no need to hold back."
...He really was Lin Xue's little brother. Beneath that shy exterior lurked a black-hearted soul!
"Xiao Feng, I'll beat you up when I have time." Lin Xue smiled faintly at Lin Feng and spoke with particular kindness. Then she pointed at Qian Qian and introduced her to the others. "This is Xu Qianqian. One of the archaeologists in the missing expedition team, Xu Feng, is her father. She'll be accompanying us in the upcoming operation. Zheng Yiming's main task will be ensuring her safety."
"Hello," Qian Qian said to Zheng Yiming with a smile. "I don't know how much help I can be, but I'll definitely do my best!"
"Lin Xue, you've kept saying that