Fishing

"You might not know this yet?" On the Helicopter, Cui Man explained today's task to Ye Wanqing while updating the software on his phone, "Because of the 'Cosmic Core Algorithm,' our country has not only greatly improved its network encryption capabilities, but also the capabilities of its search engine."

"The capabilities of a search engine?" Ye Wanqing asked curiously. Cui Man nodded, "It means that the accuracy, time, and scope of searches have all been comprehensively improved, allowing for more precise searches. Of course, currently this special search engine is only used in military applications; the general public still uses commercial engines."

Using this new "search engine," the Special Response Department recently identified a group of people. This group was divided into two teams, both from overseas. The first team consisted of three people, and the second team consisted of two people. Both teams had been trying to gather information about "Yinglong" through various means, which led to their identification by the Special Response Department.

Having gained the upper hand, the Special Response Department took the initiative and, through a week of maneuvering, leaked false information about Operation Yinglong to them, setting up this "luring the snake out of its hole" scenario.

Cui Man winked at him. "Thanks to the Cosmic Core Algorithm, our search engines, identification software, and network encryption are currently ten years ahead of the world. Moreover, because we are researching the 'perfect algorithm' that we already have, while they can only find ways to develop their own, the gap between us and the rest of the world will only widen in the future, until one day we completely decipher the 'Cosmic Core Algorithm'."

Because researchers in their country study the solutions to this problem by following the answers at the back of the reference books, while researchers abroad can only try to find the answer by following the question itself. Naturally, the gap between the two will only widen.

Then, Cui Man handed the phone back to Ye Wanqing: "Okay, now you can use this search engine on your phone. Just use this identity verification software to scan the other person's facial information or photo, and it will search the world's databases... yes, the whole world's databases. And it can find all the traces they've left online."

This is a bit scary... Xiao He thought to himself: I need to go back and clean up my computer, and delete all my browsing history.

"Alright, let's talk about the next part of the itinerary." Cui Man turned to Xiao He, "We need to go to the prison first, bring Qin Weize along, and then head to our destination. This 'fake mission' is for you to go to a remote mountainous area to pick someone up. Of course, this is just a fake mission; the purpose is simply to lure those 'snakes' out of their hole and then catch them."

"Don't worry." Xiao He nodded.

"We'll stay close by during your operation and help you without hindering you," Cui Man replied. "But our mission is to prevent you from getting into danger during the operation. It would be best if you could capture those people on your own."

"No problem," Xiao He said confidently. "Qin Weize provided me with 'Kinetic Energy Control,' which makes me immune to physical attacks. Plus, I have the Miracle Factor within me, so even poison gas can't harm me. Their only way to counter me is through mental attacks. If we really encounter Mutant uses mental attacks..."

"We'll provide backup, don't worry." Cui Man nodded and said, "The same old rule applies: capture the target alive while ensuring your own safety."

"Understood," Xiao He said confidently, as the Mutant Prison came into view ahead.

For some reason, Xiao He always felt a little excited whenever he came here, like a child going to an amusement park. As he watched the Mutant Prison approach, he wondered to himself: Which unruly "Lin Tiannan" will attack me today?

The Helicopter landed at the prison gate, Xiao He walked through the gate into the prison, where various kinds of power surged from his body.

The courtyard was quite lively at the moment, with everyone exercising on the playground. Upon seeing Xiao He, they all tensed up, putting down their exercise equipment or ball games and watching Xiao He nervously.

"Hmm?" Xiao He, hands on his hips, looked at the crowd in front of him and greeted them with a smile, "Hi everyone? Exercising?"

Xiao He counted them: Jin Shaokang, Yue Feng, Qin Weize, Li Xue, and the five Raven members who were later captured—a total of nine people—were all on the playground. However, they were either chatting or exercising, and it seemed that no ambush had been set up in advance.

He was immediately a little disappointed: What's going on? There wasn't even a welcoming ceremony today? It feels a bit strange... Frustrated and unhappy.

"Hey, isn't this Lord Yinglong?" At this moment, Yue Feng, who was running, roared, then made a sharp turn and crashed into him like an out-of-control tank.

Xiao He remained calm and composed, assuming his stance. Chen Ting hadn't come today, so he didn't possess the "Perfect Cube" ability, but the nine "Lin Tiannan" present were more than enough to provide him with various enhancements.

In particular, "Qin Weize" provided him with the special ability of "controlling kinetic energy," which is quite remarkable. All attacks are essentially kinetic energy, and if used properly, this ability can make him immune to all physical attacks.

After Yue Feng crashed into him, Xiao He raised his right hand and pushed Yue Feng in the chest.

The impact generated kinetic energy that condensed in Xiao He's palm, bringing Yue Feng to an abrupt halt, while Xiao He did not retreat an inch.

However, despite the exceptionally strong impact, Yue Feng's collision did not create any shockwave, nor even a gust of wind, because the kinetic energy generated by his impact was absorbed by Xiao He.

"Oh, what's wrong?" Xiao He teased, then used one finger to block Yue Feng's movement. "Can't move?"

"This... how!?" Yue Feng stared in disbelief as Xiao He stopped him with just one finger, and everyone around them was stunned.

But Xiao He could feel the kinetic energy gathering in his hand increasing and spreading up his arm and across his body.

It seems there's a limit to the amount of kinetic energy that can be absorbed. Xiao He frowned and thought to himself.

To put it simply, the kinetic energy was absorbed, not neutralized. He had to release this kinetic energy, otherwise it would eventually explode within him and cause damage. However, there were no conditions for releasing it; he could even release it into the air, so that wasn't a problem.

Unless it's a hydrogen bomb-level attack that can instantly exceed his Kinetic Energy Absorption limit, he has plenty of time to release the kinetic energy accumulated in his body.

Yue Feng was clearly surprised, wondering why Xiao He had blocked his punch so easily. So he punched Xiao He in the face again, but Xiao He didn't even flinch. Yue Feng, on the other hand, felt his fist lose all power the moment it hit Xiao He.

"I admire you, you always have to rush up and fight." Xiao He sighed, feigning difficulty, and placed his hand on Yue Feng's chest.

A powerful shockwave, visible to the naked eye, spread out, knocking the other eight "Lin Tiannan" to the ground. The entire island in the lake seemed to be shaken, and ripples spread across the lake surface centered on the island.

This impact was also released by Yue Feng himself, so it was based on the same principle as the "contradiction theory" that Xiao He used to defeat him before. Although Yue Feng did not retreat a step, Yue Feng shuddered after taking this impact and then fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Xiao He knew Yue Feng would be alright because the attack came from the front. Even if Yue Feng were knocked down from the front, he wouldn't be injured or forced to retreat. That was the strange thing about his ability.

However, it must be said that this "Kinetic Energy Absorption" technique is perfect for dealing with Yue Feng. Xiao He no longer needs to waste his energy using Yue Feng's own fists to fight himself.

"Is there anyone else who wants to welcome me?" Xiao He asked with a smile, turning to the crowd behind him.

Everyone shook their heads repeatedly. Xiao He, somewhat disappointed, pressed on, "Are you sure there aren't any left? Why don't you come and try? I came alone today, you know. Is there really no one else?"

The crowd simply retreated. Xiao He sighed, shook his head, and walked into the crowd. Then he pointed to Qin Weize, who was hiding at the back of the crowd. "You, come out. You have a task today."

Qin Weize paused for a moment, then nervously swallowed and stepped out from the crowd.

The other "Lin Tiannan" around him whispered among themselves, "Did you see that? He's just waiting for us to attack him. This guy is definitely a pervert." "Yeah, this must be a sadist, right?" "No wonder they chose someone like this to be the warden of this prison, it's terrifying... We absolutely can't let him succeed."

Xiao He led Qin Weize away dejectedly. Qin Weize glanced at Yue Feng, who was lying on the ground with his eyes rolled back, and nervously swallowed. "We're all cellmates after all, and we all know our own strength. Yue Feng was actually defeated head-on..."

Xiao He listlessly led Qin Weize to the prison gate and greeted Ye Wanqing and Cui Man beside the Helicopter: "I brought him out."

"Wow, that was pretty fast this time," Cui Man said, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, everyone..." Xiao He frowned, a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice, "Very honest."

After boarding the Helicopter, Cui Man briefly explained the mission to Qin Weize.

"Your mission location this time is a small mountain village next to Nanhua City in our country. There is a Mutant there, and your mission is simply to bring him over from there. However, a group of foreign Mutant have also set their sights on him, so there may be obstacles along the way." Cui Man informed Qin Weize of the false information. Of course, it didn't really matter whether he knew it or not, because he was just Trigger arranged for Xiao He.

"Specifically, you just need to follow 'Yinglong' and do whatever he tells you to do," Cui Man instructed Qin Weize. "Understood?"

"I understand..." Qin Weize said, glancing at Xiao He, swallowing hard. "You...you're not going to take me somewhere and kill me, are you? To silence me?"

At that moment, Ye Wanqing patted Xiao He's sleeve and said, "Old Xiao, your clothes are covered in dust..."

"We're a legitimate organization, not a triad," Cui Man said, arms crossed. "If we wanted to kill you to silence you, why go through all the trouble of throwing you in jail? We could have just taken care of you before we even brought you back."

"But... I'm afraid..." Qin Weize moved slightly away from Xiao He. "I'd rather act alone."

"So you're afraid now?" Cui Man sneered. "When you took revenge on those who bullied you in the past, didn't you consider whether they were afraid? Yes, they bullied you for years, and you hate them, but what you did only ruined your own life. What you should have done now is strive to overcome yourself and become a better person than them."

Qin Weize swallowed hard, shrinking into the corner without saying a word. Xiao He, with his arm around Ye Wanqing's shoulder, seemed indifferent to what was happening. After a moment's thought, he said, "Xiaoqing, I want to eat sweet and sour pork tonight."

"We're out of pork tenderloin at home, how about tomorrow?" Ye Wanqing comforted him, patting his head. "We'll buy some tomorrow morning, and then we can have it for lunch and dinner, okay?"

"Alright then..." Xiao He relented, pressing Ye Wanqing against his shoulder. "The road is a bit long, you can rest here for a bit."

"Mmm..." Ye Wanqing responded softly, wrapping her arms around his and resting her head on his shoulder.

Cui Man turned to Qin Weize and smiled, "Look, he's a really nice guy. He's having you with him partly to keep an eye on you, but more importantly, to protect you. You don't think your Superpower is invincible, do you? You're overthinking it. Without guidance, an inexperienced Mutant like you would probably die on your first mission. Special Response Department missions are no joke."

"Well, alright then..." Qin Weize nodded, looking at Xiao He nervously, still appearing quite frightened.

But Xiao He wasn't looking at him at all. Instead, he touched Ye Wanqing's leg. "Aren't you cold wearing stockings? It's already December! It's only seven degrees today..."

"It's alright, these are thick stockings..." Ye Wanqing said, unable to suppress a laugh, "If you want to touch my legs, just say so, don't make excuses."

"Ah, we've been found out..." Xiao He scratched his head awkwardly. Ye Wanqing pinched his arm and said angrily, "You pretended to be so proper, but what happened? You're still thinking about being a pervert at a time like this."

"Oh dear, isn't that just pretending to fail? If you succeed, you'll be serious..." Xiao He put his arm around her shoulder and fooled her, rubbing his face against the top of her head.

"..." Qin Weize was speechless: Is this really Yinglong? Wasn't he supposed to be a pervert? He looks like he's henpecked...

At this moment, Cui Man interrupted their sweet talk, "Speaking of which, shouldn't you two get your driver's licenses done soon? Having a driver's license will make future tasks much easier, won't it? Besides, you'll need the car we gave you as a reward."

"So... are we going to take the exam this winter break, Old Xiao?" Ye Wanqing asked Xiao He. Cui Man shook her head. "Oh, that's too slow. There are still several months until winter break. Besides, the Mutant Competition will be very close during winter break, and we'll have to think about the competition then. Let's try to learn before the end of the semester, okay? Go once a week, and we can pass in two or three months."

Xiao He and Ye Wanqing nodded; they shared the same thought: as long as they were together, nothing else mattered.

The Helicopter flew towards its destination, and after about two hours, it stopped in an open area beside a mountain road. Everyone got off the Helicopter, and a Special Response Department SUV was already parked on the side of the road.

"You two can go down here," Cui Man said, explaining, "That village is rather underdeveloped and doesn't have enough space for Helicopter to land, so you'll have to drive there from here. Luckily, Qin Weize, you have a driver's license, right? Take Yinglong there, pick him up, and come back. We'll meet you both here."

This explanation was just a pretext to avoid arousing Qin Weize's suspicion. If he knew that he was merely bait to lure the snake out of its hole, he would probably have some objections. Moreover, he wasn't even the bait; Xiao He was the bait, and he was just the Trigger.

Qin Weize nodded and got into the car. He had already signed a "Oathmark" with Chen Ting and had to obey Cui Man's orders, so he could only obediently do as she said.

At this point, Cui Man added, "During this mission, you are free to use your Superpower. Protect yourself, don't harm innocent people indiscriminately, and just do as Yinglong tells you to do."

Qin Weize was startled and began to ponder: He could use his Superpower now, and he had a car. If he could find a way to deal with Yinglong, perhaps he could escape from him. But what if he couldn't escape? Would he be killed? Or something even worse...?

Thinking of this, Qin Weize glanced at Xiao He: This guy is probably hoping I'll escape.

"Be careful, okay? Don't get hurt," Ye Wanqing said, patting Xiao He's head. They couldn't be intimate because of the mask. Xiao He nodded. "Be good, I'll try to get it done before dinner."

He checked the time: it was a little past three in the afternoon; he would resolve the matter within two hours.

Xiao He then got into the car, while Qin Weize drove forward according to the navigation system. Although the navigation did indeed point to a small village, the "mission objective" was just a pretext, arranged by the Special Response Department. This intelligence had already been "leaked" to Raven's group, and they were just waiting for them to take the bait.

As for the "Trigger," Qin Weize himself wasn't very strong, but the Superpower he triggered was very powerful.

After the two drove off, Xiao He sat in the passenger seat and started listening to music on the car radio.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Qin Weize asked with some suspicion. "Isn't this being too careless?"

"Hmm... I think it's alright," Xiao He replied lazily, then turned to Qin Weize and asked, "Or are you planning to attack me?"

Qin Weize glanced at Xiao He; the cold mask and the hollow eyes emanating a chilling aura made him feel as if he were immersed in an ice cave. He quickly shook his head. "Absolutely not!"

"That settles it then," Xiao He said, continuing to tinker with the car's control panel.

After fiddling around for a while, he finally found a song he liked, so he leaned against the car window, listening to it while waiting for the enemy to appear.

"Darling, the enemy will likely only show themselves after you've moved far away from us, so be careful. We'll send people to follow you along other routes, and we also have military drones in the air ready to provide support at any time," Cui Man reminded him in his earpiece. "The two newbies from last time are still here. If the mission goes smoothly, we can show them the might of 'Yinglong'; if the mission doesn't go well, they can come and support you."

"I understand. I'll definitely show these younger generations how powerful Yinglong is." Xiao He nodded, startling Qin Weize beside him.

"I'm contacting Sister Man, you drive your car," Xiao He said with a yawn. "By the way, have you ever been bullied? When?"

"University... from sophomore to junior year, two years," Qin Weize sneered. "I fell for the most beautiful girl in the department, the one a rich kid had his eye on, and then I lived a dog-like life ever since... But actually, the most beautiful girl in the department didn't feel the same way about me. He just wanted to vent his anger on someone because she didn't like him."

"So? What did you do to them?" Xiao He asked with interest. Qin Weize snorted, "Six people. I called them all together and made them pay for everything they did to me in the past..."

"I can understand your actions," Xiao He replied, "If it were me..."

"You don't understand, those people... if I resist, they really will kill me," Qin Weize said through gritted teeth.

"I'll use smarter methods to fight back, like secretly filming their cyberbullying and exposing their actions..." Xiao He shrugged and said, "Anyway, I won't kill them; that would be too easy on them. People like that should be kept alive, then have everything taken from them, and then slowly torture them."

"This... it seems so." Qin Weize fell into deep thought. "I should also use my identity as a Mutant to achieve fame and fortune, and then slowly torture them..."

"Right? Your actions were so reckless. Those people are dead and that's the end of it, but your own life is ruined," Xiao He shook his head and sighed.

These words were like a sudden awakening; Qin Weize instantly realized his mistake, but he also felt a sense of respect and goodwill towards Yinglong beside him: he wasn't some great saint, he was very genuine...

The car continued driving, and the mountain road ahead became narrower and more treacherous. The road was only five meters wide, with the mountain on one side and a wooden railing that was practically useless on the other. One wrong step and you could be plunging off the road.

"How's the situation?" Cui Man asked through the earpiece. Xiao He lazily replied, "Everything's fine..."

Before they could even say "good," a stone pillar suddenly jutted out from the mountainside and crashed into their car. The car immediately lost control, wobbled, and slammed into the roadside railing before plunging off the cliff!

"Ahhh!" Even though Qin Weize was Mutant, he hadn't experienced many big scenes, and he immediately lost his composure, frantically turning the steering wheel while screaming.

However, the cliff wasn't very steep, and after the car sped off, it just rushed down the slope. But at that moment, another stone pillar pierced out from under the car, causing it to completely lose its balance and tumble headfirst down the cliff.

However, the moment Xiao He reached out and pressed his hand against the car body, he suddenly sensed the kinetic energy emanating from the vehicle.

"Oh? Could it be..." Xiao He raised an eyebrow, concentrating his mind to try and control that kinetic energy.

Sure enough! The impact on the car was transferred to him, and although the car suffered a strong impact, its exterior remained completely undamaged!