"Don't you think you're jinxing yourself by saying that, Team Leader?" Yin Xiang said, his face darkening.
"Believe it or not, it's up to you." Ding Chao replied casually.
"Fine, fine, fine..." Yin Xiang nodded. "So what do we do now? Go straight in?"
"Check the perimeter of the factory first," Ding Chao said. "Groups of three, split up, but make sure you remain within the sight of the other two groups and the drones overhead at all times. Regroup here in fifteen minutes."
Ding Chao picked two agents, then said to Yin Xiang, "You'll take Ling Xiao and Jiang Yu. Go inspect the cargo loading area over there."
"Understood." Yin Xiang nodded, waved Ling Xiao and Jiang Yu over, and jogged toward the loading area where two semi-trailer trucks were parked.
Before Yin Xiang even reached the trucks, a nauseating stench drifted into his nostrils—the closer he got to the loading area, the stronger it became.
"Ugh... what is that smell?" Yin Xiang froze for a moment before coming to his senses. He hurriedly fastened the gas mask hanging from his waist over his face, then glanced at the multifunction watch on his wrist.
Besides its standard functions, the multifunction watches issued to field agents could automatically monitor air quality. If oxygen levels were too low or toxic substances in the air exceeded the danger threshold, they would warn the wearer.
Yin Xiang turned the air filter valve to maximum power, but even so, the red warning light still did not come on.
Was the watch broken? Or... was the smell merely foul but actually harmless to humans?
"Team Leader, there's a strange smell in the loading area. It reeks." Yin Xiang pressed the call button and spoke over the team channel. "It's hard to describe... like rotten eggs