A-rank Hua, Task Handover
A bar on a street corner.
This is a small outpost of Schicksal. Such outposts are almost everywhere in the world, serving as either spies or mobs, or simply as locations for handover and relocation.
One of the responsibilities of the Schicksal is to maintain these outposts at all times and to confirm their availability.
Half an hour earlier, Wraith had led him through a long, winding drive through the old neighborhood before finally arriving at this extremely secluded bar.
Su Qing'an sat on a chair at the bar, with the doorway behind him.
He looked at the paper in his hand, lost in thought.
This was taken from what appeared to be a phonograph. The head of the Schicksal was a man of old ways, so most of the messages they sent were generated through various means, from ink dots onto paper, and then delivered to the people who needed them, rather than being transmitted over the internet.
It's clumsy, but from an ancient perspective, it's an extremely sophisticated and advanced technique.
Wraith, dressed in a fitted waitress's uniform, smiled as she wiped the glass in her hands, her gaze inadvertently drifting to Su Qing'an.
As A-rank Valkyrie belonging to the CIA, she possesses the ability to naturally change her appearance and figure while walking.
Compared to her previous image as a sexy high school girl, Wraith has completely transformed into a sharp and beautiful woman, with even her height and figure changed.
In fact, in the previous ten minutes, she had changed her appearance more than five times, making her look either familiar or unfamiliar to Su Qing'an.
Murata Himeko, Theresa, a fashion magazine cover girl, a leading lady in popular movies, an award-winning actress, a kind-looking old man, and an ordinary-looking middle-aged man.
However, under the boy's calm and uninteresting gaze, Wraith eventually reverted to her current appearance and dutifully continued to play the role of a competent bartender.
This is Wraith's favorite face, and it's also the face shown in all of Schicksal's profiles.
No one knows whether this is Wraith's true appearance.
Perhaps.
Or perhaps her true appearance has long been hidden in the secret files of the Schicksal Core.
But for someone who can change her appearance at any time, her real appearance seems unimportant.
Regardless, others must have thought that this appearance was highly favored by Wraith, and she always used this beautiful and sharp-looking face when she didn't need to disguise herself.
Most of the time, she also likes to wear a cynical smile, looking like a distinctive young woman who still harbors passionate dreams and ideals.
Like many Valkyrie with burning convictions, Wraith may have had her own reasons for embarking on this path of carnage. Now, no one can understand how much of the once-fiery flame in her heart remains.
"Miss Wraith, let me confirm again, this mission is to retrieve the items that Schicksal lost at the auction, right?"
Su Qing'an reviewed the mission details once more and then spoke to Wraith, who was still engrossed in her role-playing game.
Given the mission issuer's past record, he had to be cautious in this regard; the other party's calculations and probing were so meticulous that they even deliberately controlled the armed helicopter's fuel tanks.
He had roughly calculated that if the helicopter deviated from the correct flight path, it would run out of fuel before reaching its destination.
If it really comes to that, besides experiencing a novel life through skydiving, the mission time will also exceed the allotted time.
Meanwhile, the process of waiting for rescue is unlikely to be pleasant.
Wraith put down the clean glass, her slender fingers resting lightly on the table, her nails exceptionally clean and neat.
The brightly colored manicure she wore when she disguised herself as a high school girl has completely disappeared.
Clearly, as a qualified performer, Wraith pays great attention to every subtle detail, even the tone of his voice changes noticeably.
Wraith picked up another glass. Under the orange light, the glass reflected a beautiful arc of light in her hand. Her well-defined knuckles moved, and the glass began to dance precariously between her fingers, as if it might fall to the ground at any moment.
She answered while performing her acrobatics:
"I don't know what your mission is."
"Refusing to review task information that is irrelevant to our work is a rule and a common practice in our industry."
Su Qing'an frowned and said:
"Theoretically, my resume and rank don't qualify me to accept missions independently, so there should be a Valkyrie leading the team for this mission."
"According to the information that gave me the mission, you, who are supposed to be my partner for this mission, should be the one to meet me."
According to the mission information, the mission was not difficult. If the information was accurate, he could theoretically complete the mission by himself. Therefore, it was a reasonable decision to have Wraith, A-rank Valkyrie skilled in disguise and assassination, lead the team.
However, according to Wraith, she doesn't seem to be her teammate.
Wraith ended her unappreciated finger dance, put down her cup, and explained with a smile:
"I'm just here to meet you, and incidentally, to comply with the demands of my superiors. That's all I have to do."
"Does a mere support mission really require an A-rank Valkyrie?" Just as Su Qing'an began to have doubts, the other party continued:
"The reason I was brought here is simple: at least for the time being, I am in charge of this base, so it is theoretically my responsibility to hand over the personnel who have missions to carry out here."
Her smile was strange. After taking acting lessons with Nishikujo Sara, Su Qing'an once thought she had the ability to tell whether someone's smile was genuine or fake, but this ability was completely useless on Wraith.
This can only be explained by the fact that Nishikujo Sara's acting skills were not as good as Wraith's.
Su Qing'an's intuition was not like Kiana's beast-like innate talent; this intuition stemmed from the strength of her Soul Essence and the existence of her sword heart.
He could only sense a vague sense of crisis, but he found it difficult to rely on intuition to see through lies.
If the other party's malice is even slightly reduced, then one can only rely on pure experience and personal ability to make a judgment.
Therefore, in Su Qing'an's view, Wraith is a terrifying person in some ways.
It's unlikely that using the same tactics on someone like her will work the next time.
But Su Qing'an had no intention of thinking about the simulated battle against the other side at the moment. He asked:
"So, my teammates will arrive at this base before 3 PM to meet up with me, right?"
Wraith nodded and smiled, saying:
"Both the information I received and my personal judgment indicated that the other party did not need my assistance."
"She will arrive within the agreed time; she is always a very punctual person."
The boy understood the implication of the other person's words. He tapped his fingers lightly on the counter and said:
"Are you very familiar with her?"
Wraith flashed a smile completely different from before, one that carried a distinctly wicked glint in her eyes. She said:
"Of course, like you, she can see through my disguise. I've been on several missions with her, and the conclusion I've come to is that even if you're a good-for-nothing who just slacks off, it won't affect the completion of the mission."
Su Qing'an didn't feel unhappy; if that were the case, it would be best for him.
This troublesome and unexpected mission was best ended within a day, and he hoped to see the girl who used to watch the sea at dusk again before tomorrow night.
For some reason, ever since the first time she saw the sea with her, Su Qing'an disliked facing such a vast and boundless landscape alone.
That slender figure, appearing so tiny against the backdrop of the sea and sky, was like one of countless bubbles that splashed up and then disappeared into the endless ocean, ready to vanish silently into the sea of people at any moment.
Su Qing'an was confident she could find Wraith in the crowded airport, but for some reason, she had no confidence she could find even a trace of her again.
In addition.
He hoped that his plane ticket wouldn't be subject to any more strange tampering on his way back.
So, Su Qing'an responded nonchalantly:
"A very high evaluation."
He threw the paper into the brazier that Wraith had prepared beforehand; the intense flames burned it all away before extinguishing it quietly.
Just as the fire in the brazier went out, a faint sound came from the doorway, drawing their attention.
A girl in a trench coat, bathed in the sunlight streaming against the current, stepped through the doorway.
With the curtains drawn shut, only the warm glow of the chandelier on the bar counter could vaguely illuminate the indistinct outline of her face.
The girl walked over, speaking softly:
"Rank A Fu Hua has come to hand over the mission."
Wraith smiled and waved to her, completely ignoring Su Qing'an's increasingly strange expression.
Upon seeing the other person, Fu Hua frowned and said:
"It's Wraith. Are you the one who's meeting me again this time?"
"Same as always, hand me the task list."
Su Qing'an looked at the girl's natural and practiced actions, turned her back to the door, and interrupted the very formulaic work process, saying:
"Huh, what a coincidence."
The girl's usually indifferent face showed a rare hint of surprise. After a brief moment of calm, her expression remained complex and subtle. She let out a long sigh and said:
"Su Qing'an, what a coincidence."
At that moment, she finally understood what Otto meant by those words.
As always, a perverse sense of humor.
Both of them knew perfectly well that this was no coincidence at all; it was a result of deliberate arrangement.
Unconsciously casting aside her aversion to the task, Su Qing'an looked at Fu Hua's helpless expression and pondered seriously.
Perhaps, this mission isn't so bad after all.
He wasn't in a hurry to go back.