Three Trackers

Perhaps it was thanks to opening fourteen Mysterious System Gene Points—or maybe it was because he'd thrown caution to the wind last night.

Either way, Xu Tui's senses had become exceptionally sharp.

Men and women came and went at the Maglev Bus station. It was crowded.

Most people had their eyes fixed on their Personal Communication Devices, while the young men and women also had earbuds in.

No one had nothing better to do than size up the people around them.

Even when someone glanced over, they quickly looked away.

But while waiting for the Maglev Bus, Xu Tui noticed someone periodically sizing him up.

He'd thought maybe his new white sneakers had made him look so cool that some girl couldn't take her eyes off him.

But when he tracked down the source of the looks, he felt rather helpless.

It was two men.

They weren't picking their feet.

Maybe it was because they were at a Maglev Bus station.

When one of the men noticed Xu Tui looking his way, he quickly turned his head.

Xu Tui didn't pay it any mind.

At a station, people were part of the scenery—especially the handsome ones.

Were people not allowed to look?

The Maglev Bus arrived. Xu Tui took a long stride, but didn't get on.

He had to let the elderly and children board first, didn't he?

Xu Tui got on with the last group.

But as soon as he boarded, he saw that the two men who'd been watching him had hurried aboard too.

After that, Xu Tui noticed that at every stop, especially just before the Maglev Bus pulled in, someone's gaze would land on him. It was as though they were watching to see whether he would get off.

After five stops in a row, the feeling of being watched became increasingly clear.

Xu Tui also realized that at least three people were keeping an eye on him.

As a young man of the twenty-second century, he'd watched countless dramas and followed countless anime. He'd learned a little about how to handle an emergency.

He might not have eaten pork, but surely he'd seen pigs run.

Xu Tui immediately came up with a plan.

First, he had to confirm whether the three of them were following him.

And he had to do it without putting himself in danger or alerting them.

He'd learned idioms like "startle the snake in the grass" and "push a dog into a corner."

As for avoiding the three men's notice, Xu Tui figured he could manage with the skills he'd picked up from movies and anime and only ever practiced on his homeroom teacher, his parents, and his classmates.

He could think of only one way to keep himself safe.

Go somewhere crowded.

The arrival of the Gene Great Era had caused the physical abilities of a small number of people to skyrocket, leading to frequent conflicts. But public safety in Huaxia had always been pretty good.

When the Maglev Bus passed the West Lake stop, Xu Tui got off as though nothing were amiss.

There was an Internet Celebrity Milk Tea Shop here, a popular check-in spot for many young men and women.

While striking various poses for photos, Xu Tui took the opportunity to observe his surroundings.

His heart sank.

Sure enough, the three men had followed him off.

Two of them went off together to smoke, while the third had just bought a bag of fried chicken and taken a bite.

Crunch.

Smelled great!

That was enough to confirm it: the three men were following him!

As he waited in line for milk tea, Xu Tui's mind was full of questions.

What had he done to deserve the attention of three tracking experts?

He shouldn't be worth that much, should he?

Even if he'd opened fourteen Gene Points, surely that wasn't enough?

The Dawn Redemption Traitor Organization couldn't have set its sights on him for that alone, could it?

This year's high school seniors in Jincheng Prefecture were impressive. At Jincheng Third Middle School, there was a prodigy who'd opened sixteen Gene Points.

There were also two powerhouses who'd opened fifteen, and rumor had it one of them was from the Mysterious System.

Even if the Dawn Redemption Traitor Organization was making a move, wouldn't they go after those students first?

The Dawn Redemption Traitor Organization were traitors who had betrayed all of humanity.

According to official sources, they had colluded with the Extraterrestrial Invaders long ago and struck deals with them for their own benefit.

Several major defeats humanity had suffered on the extraterrestrial battlefield, as well as the stalemate that had lasted for nearly a century, were supposedly linked to the Dawn Redemption Traitor Organization.

In particular, over the past few decades, the organization had steadily acquired a large amount of cutting-edge technology from the Extraterrestrial Invaders. Its power had grown rapidly, and its influence continued to expand.

Even under pressure from the entire Blue Star Alliance, the organization remained extremely active.

Xu Tui had thought of the Dawn Redemption Traitor Organization because every year, after the Gene Aptitude Tests in countries and regions around the world, the organization's members could be seen operating brazenly all over the Blue Star.

Gifted students were assassinated, and many others were abducted and went missing.

News reports said the Dawn Redemption Traitor Organization was using these students, who had only just opened their Gene Points, as test subjects.

Given the timing, it was quite likely the Dawn Redemption Traitor Organization was behind this.

Amid his nervousness, Xu Tui felt the faintest hint of excitement.

Was this what life was like after opening Gene Points?

No more dull days, all the same?

But his anxiety soon took over.

If it really was the Dawn Redemption Traitor Organization, and they abducted him, then even if they didn't cut him open, they might test all kinds of drugs on him. His fate would be miserable either way.

Xu Tui's first thought was to call the police.

Let the police handle the problem.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

It wasn't that he didn't trust the police. It was just that no matter how alarming his story sounded, the police wouldn't take it very seriously at that moment.

At most, they'd send over a beat officer to look into it.

A high school senior had discovered members of the Dawn Redemption Traitor Organization in action?

As if!

The people the Dawn Redemption Traitor Organization sent out to cause trouble were all seasoned veterans with professional training.

In a situation like this, one mistake and Xu Tui could end up dead.

At present, Xu Tui had only scored First Blood.

One kill and he'd be OVER!

Go home and find his parents?

Absolutely not.

That would just bring danger home with him!

Call Class Mom for help?

After thinking it over, Xu Tui dismissed the idea.

Class Mom Yu Zeping was really just a gym teacher with a motherly heart in a man's body. The most he could do would probably be to call the police and rush over himself.

One wrong move, and Xu Tui might endanger Class Mom.

"Take a taxi straight to the police station, even if it costs a bit more?"

That idea wouldn't work either.

Those three trackers wouldn't stupidly follow Xu Tui to the police station. It would only alert them.

Even if Xu Tui made it into the station and explained what had happened, the police probably couldn't offer him much protection if they found no evidence.

Two-thirds of the examinees in Jincheng Prefecture had gathered in Jincheng City and just taken the Gene Aptitude Test. There were over a hundred thousand students. The police were stretched thin.

Besides, even if they weren't short on officers, the police couldn't assign protection to Xu Tui based on just a few words.

Suddenly, Xu Tui felt a little desperate.

He'd detected the danger ahead of time, but he had no way to deal with it and no means of getting help.

No. I have to save myself!

Suddenly, Xu Tui remembered the female researcher's business card.

I'll ask her if she has any good ideas. If there's really no other way, I'll sleep at the police station for a couple of days.

Xu Tui opened his Personal Communicator and called the female researcher, Professor An Xiaoxue.

"The user you're calling is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."

Aw, man.

Xu Tui was speechless.

Was he really going to have to sleep at the police station for a couple of days?

Suddenly, the Personal Communicator he wore on his wrist vibrated, and Xu Tui received a message.

It was a reply from Professor An Xiaoxue.

"I'm in a meeting. What is it?"

Xu Tui was overjoyed.

"Professor An, I noticed three people following me. Calling the police and the like doesn't seem like it'll resolve the danger. Do you have any suggestions?" Xu Tui didn't have time to worry about being polite.

In the Gene Great Era, a person's level of genetic enhancement and evolution had to reach a certain level before they could become an associate professor or professor.

Of course, individual researchers with outstanding achievements in a particular field could be made professors by special exception, even if their own level of genetic enhancement and evolution was only average.

But An Xiaoxue was so young. She couldn't have been made a professor by special exception.

"Are you sure someone is following you? How did you notice?"

It was just as Xu Tui expected. Even An Xiaoxue, who knew he'd opened fourteen Gene Points, doubted him. He couldn't expect anyone else to believe him.

"Professor An, after I got home last night, I noticed my senses had become much sharper. That's how I first noticed them. Then I changed locations and confirmed they kept following me." Xu Tui didn't hide much.

"Send me your location. Stay somewhere crowded, and wait for my reply."

"Okay."

Xu Tui wasn't in a hurry anymore.

Judging by the line, it would take him at least half an hour to get his milk tea from the Internet Celebrity Milk Tea Shop. If he politely let the pretty girls go ahead of him, it would take even longer.

Xu Tui noticed that the two men who'd been smoking together, along with the one who'd been eating fried chicken, were now standing not far behind him.

They were all waiting in line for milk tea.

In the conference room on the top floor of Jincheng Prefecture Government Hall, a senior colonel in a crisp military uniform, his face covered in a thick beard, was speaking.

"That's the gist of it. During this year's university registration period, if anyone drops the ball or refuses to follow orders, I, Liu Tianhu, will be the first to settle the score."

Those present were all senior officials involved in the registration of students who'd taken this year's Gene Aptitude Test.

They included the deputy prefect of Jincheng Prefecture, officials from the Jincheng Education Bureau, the Jincheng Public Security Bureau, and the Jincheng Special Intelligence Agency, along with several military officers.

Besides them, An Xiaoxue and another man from Huaxia Gene Military University were also present.

As a professor in the Mysterious System at Huaxia Gene Evolution University, An Xiaoxue had a very high social status.

Moreover, she had come to Jincheng Prefecture as the admissions director for Huaxia Gene Evolution University's Jincheng Prefecture recruitment office.

"Colonel Liu, may I interrupt for a moment?" An Xiaoxue suddenly spoke up.

Colonel Liu Tianhu was very displeased at being interrupted.

Still, he had to show some respect for her status as a professor at Huaxia Gene Evolution University, the country's top-ranked university.

"Professor An, what is it?"

"Oh, I just wanted to ask Director Zhou something." An Xiaoxue looked toward Zhou Sheng, director of the Jincheng Special Intelligence Agency.

"Director Zhou, one of my students asked me for help. He says he's being followed. Are you sending someone to handle it, or should I go myself?" An Xiaoxue asked bluntly.

"Of course we'll handle it."

They couldn't very well let a professor from Huaxia Gene Evolution University rescue a student from Jincheng Prefecture on their own turf.

That would be a humiliating slap in the face for the Jincheng Special Intelligence Agency.

"Professor An, what's your student's name, what are the basic details, and where is he?" Zhou Sheng asked.

"Xu Tui. Eighteen years old, male. He just opened fourteen Gene Points, and he's currently at the Xile Milk Tea Shop by the entrance to Fengshou Building at the West Lake stop." An Xiaoxue replied.

"Okay. I'll look him up and send people over right away." Zhou Sheng casually opened his Personal Communication Device, brought up the Special Intelligence Agency Dedicated System, and entered Xu Tui's name.

There weren't many people with that name.

He found him at once.

But after pulling up Xu Tui's information, Zhou Sheng paused. He glanced at Colonel Liu Tianhu before smiling at An Xiaoxue.

"Professor An, there's no need to worry. The people following your student were sent by our Special Intelligence Agency.

"They were probably only dispatched this morning," said Zhou Sheng, director of the Special Intelligence Agency.

An Xiaoxue frowned slightly. "You sent three Special Agents to protect a student in the Wisdom Heart Category. What are you planning to do?"

"Three?"

Zhou Sheng's expression changed. "Are you sure there are three people following him?"

"What's going on?" An Xiaoxue immediately sensed something was wrong. "How many Special Agents did you send?"

"According to the information, we only sent two!"

***