Disguise

The sky was clear.

Dozens of large transport ships, resembling oversized green shipping containers with engines firing at all four corners, slowly rose into the air.

The Three-Legged Cat hid among them.

Their destination was the Research Society's airborne fortress, ten thousand meters above the ground.

"Boss Qin."

"You actually said I didn't last long."

"That made me feel as though a star had slammed into the rich depths of my soul, shattering heaven and earth and wiping out all life."

As Jingye Meinan spoke, he rummaged inside his clothes, then pulled out three gray masks. They were extremely thin, as though pressed into shape from sheets of paper.

He handed one to Chen Mudou.

He offered another to Qin Yiguan.

Jingye Meinan sighed. "But I still have to look after you. You're my boss, after all."

The young man took the mask. It was light, almost weightless, and felt like metal.

"What is this?"

"It's called Active Electronic Coating. Put it on and you'll see."

The young man slowly placed the mask over his face, only to find that it could change shape, fitting his facial contours perfectly.

The next instant.

The mask began to spread, covering Qin Yiguan's entire body.

But it felt as though he were slowly being coated in a layer of paint. It didn't hinder his breathing or obscure his vision.

His outline remained unchanged: canvas shoes, fitted jeans, a jacket, and the backpack at his waist were all still there. Even the individual strands of his hair remained distinct.

It was just that all his colors seemed to have been erased, leaving him grayish white from head to toe.

The young man turned around. The observation window aboard the Three-Legged Cat reflected his image.

And because his face was now a single color, much of the shading that gave his features depth was gone. It looked somewhat blurred, with only the faint impression of a stern face.

"A good disguise."

The young man tilted his head slightly toward Jingye Meinan. "You actually carry something like this around."

Jingye Meinan shrugged slightly. "You know I have a lot of girlfriends. Inevitably, some of them are married. Whenever I go on dates with them, I have to sneak into certain homes, so..."

"All right, I get it."

The young man raised a hand to stop him.

At that moment.

Jingye Meinan and Chen Mudou put on their masks as well.

Chen Mudou's skirt and thick prescription glasses turned metallic gray, but she still hugged her folder with her head lowered, like a sculpture cast from gray metal.

Jingye Meinan chuckled and pointed at the folder. "Mudou, we're going to kill someone, you know. Won't carrying that thing be inconvenient?"

"These aren't just documents."

The slightly ditzy metal sculpture spoke. "These are the precious memories I shared with my boyfriend. I compiled them into records and carry them everywhere. I'll never part with them. It feels like my boyfriend is holding me all the time."

Jingye Meinan clicked his tongue and shook his head. "What a shame. So young, and already giving up on life."

At that moment.

Qin Yiguan slowly raised his head and gazed at the clear sky.

The next instant.

Their surroundings abruptly changed. The Three-Legged Cat seemed to have risen past some kind of boundary.

Patches of light and shadow resembling mosaic tiles flickered across hundreds of thousands of meters of surrounding space, like a monitor powering up just before displaying an image.

Within just a few seconds.

Countless patches of light and shadow linked together, revealing an enormous aircraft in its entirety.

It resembled a giant metal net, but every strand was over ten meters in diameter. Made of alloy, they looked like metal tunnels crisscrossing one another.

Solemn, vast, imposing.

The three members of Hall 157 slowly drew a breath.

Dozens of transport ships slowly landed on the cargo platform.

Two ground inspection personnel watched the Three-Legged Cat.

"What could such a battered little aircraft possibly do up here?"

"Watch what you say. Commander Luna personally authorized this aircraft's arrival. Apparently, it's carrying precious organs!"

"Organs?"

"But Commander Luna has always been strictly impartial. No one can influence her rigorous approach to work. If Commander Luna says this is important, then it must be important!"

"Haha, let me indulge in a little gossip. I heard Commander Luna has extremely high standards for men, which is why she's still a virgin..."

No one saw them.

Three hazy gray figures darted out of the rear of the cabin and slipped into the interior of the aerial fortress.

Inside a brightly lit metal corridor.

Qin Yiguan hesitated slightly.

Was the Research Society short-staffed?

There hasn't been a single person in any of the corridors we've passed through. And... all the partition doors are open, too.

Hiss.

Another heavy door ahead slowly opened as the three approached.

The plaque beside it clearly read: 3S Core Zone. Personnel with classified clearance below level 10 were not authorized to enter.

Jingye Meinan whispered, "I got the information out of Luna. Jiao Shensan is in Conference Room 1 right now, holding an emergency meeting."

The young man marveled inwardly once again. Only one minute and forty seconds, and you were that efficient.

Jingye Meinan froze briefly. "Are you praising me or insulting me?"

But Qin Yiguan suddenly turned serious.

"You two."

"Find somewhere safe and wait for me."

The young man slowly turned his head. His expression was hidden beneath the mask. "I'll handle this mission myself."

Qin Yiguan had thought it over repeatedly.

Judging by the earlier attempt to capture him, Jiao Shensan, as the head of the Research Society, undoubtedly had information about his ability.

There was no guarantee that he wouldn't mention it during their confrontation.

The Experimental Zone was such a chaotic place.

And he had only known Jingye Meinan and Chen Mudou for a few hours, after all. The less he revealed, the safer he would be.

Once we trust one another, there'll still be time to be honest with them!

Besides, those two's abilities didn't seem likely to be of much use.

"Um, Boss Qin."

"I heard earlier that your Fusion Rate is zero."

"For you to handle something this complicated alone..."

Chen Mudou, now metallic all over, lowered her head and said timidly, "My Fusion Rate is 2%, and even I get called useless at the company..."

"What are you saying? What are you saying?"

Jingye Meinan stepped forward, his face brimming with righteousness. "Chen Mudou, how could you say our Boss Qin is worse than someone useless?"

Chen Mudou hugged her folder and said aggrievedly, "I didn't. I'm just worried about him."

"Chen Mudou, you're far too much of a snob. I cannot agree with you!"

Jingye Meinan narrowed his eyes. "Mudou, just look at your expression. Your face has a whole speech written across it: 'Boss Qin volunteering like this is exactly what you wanted. He somehow became our boss, but you still don't know how strong he is, so you want to use this chance to test him. If he can't handle this job alone, that proves he isn't qualified to be our boss, doesn't it?'"

Chen Mudou looked utterly shocked.

Have you no shame?

That's obviously what you're thinking.

Jingye Meinan flung out a hand. "I'm furious! I need somewhere to calm down. Please go ahead, Boss Qin! I absolutely will not find somewhere safe to sit back and enjoy the show!"