TECSBRO-(36)
The next morning, the group arrived at their designated meeting point in separate batches.
Li Haili took Rong Que and Lu Xu over by herself.
The abandoned, unfinished building was located on the outskirts, with a row of buildings all in a state of incomplete construction.
According to the agreed-upon building, Li Haili carried the two kids and went over.
Rong Que wore a golden wig and borrowed Li Si's usual clothes.
The children had similar body shapes, making it difficult to recognize them without looking at their faces.
Upon reaching the building mentioned by the person, it was even more dilapidated than the others, with no concrete on the ground.
Li Haili treaded through the weeds, taking one step after another. The unmanaged area was filled with who knows what foul-smelling water.
Inside the building, Li Haili's arms were already a bit sore. She was just about to quietly ask if Rong Que and the others could stop pretending to be unconscious and stand up for a while.
However, Rong Que suddenly used his finger to discreetly pinch her.
Li Haili wasn't foolish enough to misunderstand Rong Que's signal. She immediately pretended to be waiting for someone, thinking that there might be surveillance in the area.
But the other party still hadn't appeared, and Li Haili was finding it increasingly difficult to support the act.
Fortunately, after almost ten minutes, there was finally some movement.
However, the movement didn't come from outside but emerged from a mound of soil right in front of them.
Li Haili took a few steps back, feeling a bit scared. Could there be some corpse or ghost scamming in the wilderness?
The soil seemed like it was going to sink down, and then suddenly, a person wearing a white coat emerged from it, as if riding an elevator.
Li Haili felt like she had hit some funny bone and couldn't help but want to laugh.
But when she thought about the undercover mission she was currently engaged in, she forcefully held back her laughter.
However, the two kids being held by her could sense the vibrations in her chest caused by her suppressed laughter.
The person in the white coat looked relatively serious, with an ordinary appearance and black-framed glasses. Their slightly long bangs obscured their eyes, making it hard to see them clearly.
He glanced at the two kids who were unconscious, their heads hanging down, finding it hard to believe that Li Haili managed to capture them both.
But he had been underground for a while and couldn't detect any issues.
"Thank you for your hard work," the person in the white coat smiled and approached Li Haili. Although there was no dirt on their body, a strong earthy scent accompanied their movements.
Li Haili was about to hand over Rong Que to the person in the white coat when suddenly, they stopped.
Li Haili's heart tightened. Could they have been discovered?
The person in the white coat stared at Rong Que, and Li Haili dared not move.
Time seemed to freeze for a second. The person in the white coat abruptly stepped back, creating some distance.
Without any pretense, Rong Que, who had no intention of exposing his ability, quickly swung a dagger from his sleeve towards the person in the white coat before the distance widened.
A shield of soil suddenly appeared in front of the person in the white coat, blocking the dagger. He sneered, "Indeed, there's a problem."
Rong Que didn't waste words. He drew out another dagger and rushed directly at the person in the white coat, who, lacking any martial arts training and not being physically robust, could only dodge and use the earthen shield to block while a child with a knife rapidly closed in on him.
Li Haili put down Rong Que and stepped back. Before their encounter, they had agreed that if a fight broke out, she should focus on staying out of harm's way.
Lu Xu, who had just pretended to be unconscious, nearly dozed off when suddenly placed on the ground. The person in the white coat thought they had found a loophole. While grappling with Rong Que, who was pressing on relentlessly in close combat, he silently extended a soft mud pit beneath Lu Xu's feet.
Lu Xu's feet sank into it, rendering him immobilized by the sticky mud.
Li Haili intended to help Lu Xu, but as soon as she revealed herself, she witnessed Lu Xu opening his hand. His nails turned black, and long, black hair rapidly extended, resembling living tentacles that flew towards the person in the white coat.
Li Haili was astonished; these kids were indeed not ordinary. She felt like the least competent among them, attempting to capture two kids.
Recalling her embarrassing history, Li Haili felt awkward to the point of toe-scratching.
In the midst of the ongoing battle, the person in the white coat was taken aback by this unexpected development, allowing Rong Que to land a decisive blow.
The red eyes of Lu Xu's stared at the opponent, and the index finger lightly pointed forward. The hair behind him continuously surged toward the white coat.
The white coat immediately realized that he couldn't possibly defeat the opponent; he was just an earth-element esper.
Seeing this, he created distance. The ground under his feet instantly cleared, and just a second before the hair could grab him, he disappeared into the ground.
After the white coat vanished, Lu Xu's hair quickly retracted, and her somewhat terrifying appearance returned to its usual cute look. "How did Xiao Lu perform, Brother Rong Que?"
Rongque smiled, "Very well."
He had already attached his spatial esper ability to the opponent while pretending to be unconscious.
Rong Que's spatial esper ability could be used to track in this manner.
From the beginning, their goal was not to capture the person they intercepted.
Instead, they aimed to use his proud earth manipulation ability to find their hideout.
Li Haili pulled Lu Xu out of the mud; his shoes were completely ruined, covered in mud.
So she directly unfastened the buckles and pulled the child out of the shoes.
They left the unfinished building together and met up with Qi Sui.
Driving a car, Qi Sui followed the direction sensed by Rong Que's esper ability.
They were originally in a suburban location, and as they progressed, they found themselves going further off the beaten path.
When they reached a mountainous road, Rong Que spoke up, "Stop here; we should be there."
"Probably at the top of this mountain."
Qi Sui dialed the emergency number, something Xue Ying had reminded him of last night.
The remnants from the research institute were also being pursued by the police.
Moreover, among the esper individuals from the previous life, there were many high-ranking leaders. If any of them had been reborn, they might have already established a special department to handle such matters.
Driving was slower than earth manipulation; perhaps the esper could directly ride a mud elevator from the foot of the mountain to the top.
When they arrived at the mountaintop, they parked the car behind a slope and walked the rest of the way.
Qi Sui stayed in the car, while Rong Que, with the intention of activating his own esper ability, followed them.
The mountaintop was spacious, and in the distance, they could see an area fenced off with an electric net.
There were also many surveillance cameras around, making movement inconvenient.
Li Haili could easily conceal herself and carry the two children flying from above.
However, Qi Sui, being an adult, was too big for Li Haili to carry.
He helplessly returned to the car, fantasizing about how he could recover his esper ability and showcase his skills.
Before setting off, Rong Que looked at Lu Xu, "Xiao Lu, are you okay?"
Lu Xu had endured so much torment in the research institute.
Was it really right to bring him along?
Lu Xu tilted his head, looking at Rongque, "Huh? What?"
Rong Que: ...
It seems that because they were not from the same laboratory, Lu Xu's memories were not triggered.
Li Haili could choose whether to make things she touched invisible.
So, when she flew out with the two children, nothing could be seen in the air.
Li Haili's heart was pounding; this was the first time she had done something like this.
Navigating through a maze of surveillance cameras and infrared detection, they infiltrated the restricted area.
After flying for several hundred meters, they came across what looked like a large greenhouse.
Inside, there seemed to be various plants; their purpose was unclear, but the leaves had a strange, bright purple color.
Passing through the greenhouse, they found numerous experimental animals, all appearing relatively normal.
Rong Que, sensing the location of his esper ability, directed Li Haili to maneuver around inside.
They went deep inside until they reached a building that resembled a research institute.
The structure looked like a gigantic hatching eggshell, with one side made of transparent glass. From outside, they could see people in white coats coming and going, appearing quite busy.
Li Haili circled around and found the entrance.
However, the door seemed strict, requiring multiple scans, and various verifications were needed to enter.
Rong Que raised his head and whispered, "Find a secluded spot."
Upon hearing this, Li Haili flew around the hatching egg for a while before landing near an air duct. Perplexed, she asked, "What are you planning to do?"
Rong Que extended his hand, covering the spot where they landed.
The next moment, the touched metal sheet was neatly cut into a square.
Rong Que's spatial esper ability could directly sever a significant portion of objects.
Li Haili picked up the metal sheet and flew them inside.
The ventilation duct connected the entire hatching egg.
Inside the building, there were many rooms, and everyone seemed to be busy.
However, these people appeared to be mere subordinates.
Capture the leader first.
The place where the earth-element esper was delivering the task was their ultimate destination.
These researchers in white clothes might not even know what their research was serving.
Continuing deeper into the giant egg, they saw a massive control panel through a ventilation opening.
On the large screen in front, every corner of the giant egg and greenhouse was monitored.
The esper who launched the assault was kneeling in front of an elderly man, his body bearing traces of whipping, visible through the soaked white clothes.
There were only the two of them inside.
Rongque's esper ability was silent; although it required time to accumulate power, this covert situation was highly advantageous.
He reached out, creating two spaces just big enough to contain adults, and then enclosed the two individuals below.
The earth-element esper, realizing something was wrong, attempted to escape underground but collided with Rong Que's spatial barrier.
The other elderly man tried to reach for a forbidden button but could only touch a solid and invisible wall.
After confirming their safety, they dismantled the ventilation opening and flew down.
Li Haili remained invisible, so from the perspective of the two below, it seemed like the ventilation grille had fallen off by itself.
Then, the buttons and controls on the central platform were randomly manipulated.
Realizing that the other party intended to destroy all the experiments, the elderly man cried out in pain, crazily smashing the air barrier.
However, separated by space, neither his voice nor movements could be heard.
Rong Que noticed the central experiment control panel, seemingly involved in the formulation of some polluting gas.
On the control board, Rong Que saw a black button labeled "Self-Destruct."
Without hesitation, he pressed it.
They didn't deactivate their invisibility. After the self-destruct sequence, all those who were aware of the situation would come.
Rong Que would then gather energy to create the largest space possible, sealing the only exit when the group entered.
A few minutes later, the main door of the control room opened.
One after another, more than ten people rushed in.
The elderly man and the earth-element esper, who had been locked up, were already unconscious from the toxins produced by Lu Xu.
However, this group of people seemed to have gone mad for the formula, almost ignoring the presence of the trio as they rushed towards the control panel to prevent the self-destruction of the original solution.
They passionately discussed what to do and even began smashing the central control panel.
Surprisingly, not a single person bothered to check whether the two on the ground were alive or dead.
No one else came in, and Li Haili brought the two individuals back to the ventilation duct. Rongque closed the space.
Maintaining such a massive space was a considerable drain on Rong Que.
His two hands gradually approached each other, and the sealed space gradually shrank with his movements.
The emotionally charged individuals realized too late that they were being pushed by an invisible wall.
It seems that they currently don't have many espers among them.
The glass enclosure finally shrank to the size of a restroom, and the group of people crowded inside, chattering noisily.
It appeared they were arguing heatedly.
However, the people outside couldn't hear anything.
After several tens of minutes, a group of individuals dressed in special attire rushed in fully armed, instantly surrounding the central area where a dozen or so people were locked up.
Not all of them necessarily had esper abilities, but the tools in their hands were specifically designed for dealing with espers.
One of them placed a device resembling a radar on the ground, and when activated, Rong Que's spatial esper ability instantly disintegrated.
This seemingly magnetic field interference directly severed Rong Que's control over esper abilities.
Li Haili, by extension, naturally lost her invisibility ability as well.
The group of people instantly aimed their guns at Li Haili, "There's another esper over there!"
Li Haili hurriedly shouted, "I'm a good person! We lured them all out and caught them!"
She intended to fly down with the two children.
However, she forgot that her flying ability was also considered an esper power and nearly fell down, but fortunately, Rong Que caught her.
The leader below seemed momentarily speechless, then instructed someone to bring a ladder for them to descend first.
The individuals in white coats were each fitted with a mechanical collar, emitting a flashing red light, likely functioning similar to handcuffs.
Li Haili, along with Rong Que and Lu Xu, followed the team outside and briefed them on the situation inside.
Outside, there were many regular police officers, apprehending the researchers inside.
Regardless of whether they knew the situation or not, everyone needed to be questioned first.
The leader, a man, seemed interested in whether they wanted to join the special department. If it was inconvenient, they could also work as external personnel.
Li Haili, who had spent three years studying to become a civil servant without success, agreed without much thought.
When Rong Que learned that he only needed to register information and would be contacted if needed, he also agreed.
Li Haili couldn't help but complain, "Is managing this special department so relaxed?"
The leader glanced at her and said, "It's not easy. It's just that the people you caught are very important, and, with the appearance of not being too clever, being external personnel is acceptable."
Li Haili felt like she had been scolded, and it seemed like she was the only one scolded.
Following that, they went back for a short interrogation together and were then released.
This matter came to a conclusion.
The remaining issues were handled by specialized departments.
Tomorrow would be a normal Monday with the start of the school week.
Lu Xu looked forward to it.
*
After two exhausting days, Lu Xu and Rong Que successfully arrived late on Monday morning.
Qi Sui, as a parent, was also criticized.
Lu Xu returned to the classroom, looking at the lively Cai You, the focused Tao Yue reading a book, and Li Si outside the door who seemed to be lurking like a thief before being chased away.
He couldn't help but reveal a happy smile.
For the kindergarten kids, they had maintained a bit of their everyday peaceful life over the weekend.
A normal daily routine is really nice.
Having spent a regular morning, Lu Xu had already pushed aside thoughts of espers and research institutes.
In the cafeteria at noon, when Lu Xu earnestly asked the lunch lady for an extra serving of his favorite vegetables, the lunch lady in front of him, with a bit of red hair peeking out from under her chef's hat, blinked at Lu Xu with a pair of attractive and captivating eyes. "Oh dear, little one, you need to eat more meat to grow tall."
Lu Xu: ...
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