When a silent person grew even more silent, the snow settling on his shoulders became exceptionally heavy.
Yu Guo gazed at Ji Li's profile, a radiant smile appearing on his face as he said sincerely,
"Thank you, but I should walk this road by myself."
Ji Li said no more. Just as he had said, this was the last time. After this, he would accept every decision Yu Guo made.
After that brief interlude, which had shaken their hearts and temporarily overshadowed the dark clouds hanging above them,
Xue Tinghai, Zhu Xiaoning, and Lu Chen came to Ji Li's side. It was time to discuss what came next.
Lu Chen stretched his limbs and took a black box from his backpack.
When he opened it, it contained tiny communication devices.
"These are our means of communication. The mission explicitly stated that no methods were restricted, so communication presumably won't be affected."
As he held the box and handed the devices out, he reminded everyone,
"Information is an extremely critical factor in this mission.
"We're entering the school at midnight, and our identities need to be justified. I'm guessing that most of us will have to pose as students.
"Vice Branch Manager Xue, Vice Branch Manager Shan, and the others who are slightly older may have to take on other identities.
"But no matter what, we must act in unison and keep one another informed."
By the time he reached this point, the devices had all been distributed. Lu Chen tossed the box onto a nearby snowdrift and added at last,
"This is a team operation and an individual survival mission. I advise everyone to cooperate fully and not conceal information from one another."
Among the twenty employees in this mission, newcomers made up less than a quarter.
Lu Chen had