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墨書 Inktalez
More than a month had passed, and the first main course finally made its appearance. Not much longer now, just wait and see.
Chen Rui had just woken up, yet he suddenly felt as if he had been dreaming.
The entire scene felt like a return to when he was still lecturing the members of the Execution Team. If it weren't for the emblem on his desk and the neatly dressed individuals sitting in their places, which contrasted sharply with the team's usual style, Chen Rui would have truly believed he was merely dreaming.
On that emblem, the left side read "FedeRaL," the center "BuReau F," and the right side "InVesIgaIn," representing the steadfast principles of loyalty, bravery, and integrity; above it was a flat line, with the last two lines stating "depaRen F" and "JusIe," indicating affiliation with the judicial department. Surrounding it were thirteen stars symbolizing the original thirteen states of America.
Almost everyone was taken aback by this somewhat absurd opening.
Peng Hao suddenly burst into laughter. "Neese FBI? Sure, that works too."
"Why haven't we undergone facial modifications? Are we special forces here to take down this FBI den?" Lujie speculated wildly.
"No, we are legitimate federal investigators," Zheng Hui replied as he walked to the window, looking down at the ground. "There are no signs of any combat; don't let your imagination run wild."
"You didn't think of that either... What floor are we on?" Chen Rui asked helplessly.
Zheng Hui returned to his seat and leaned on the table. "I don't know; this place really gives me a sense of going to work."
Chen Rui's forehead twitched slightly. "So you come to work just to sleep?"
Liu Xin asked, "So what are we supposed to do? Just wait? Isn't this a dream confrontation? If we're playing FBI, then they must be playing criminals."
"That's for sure. Hey! I didn't see you last time; weren't you supposed to be on duty?" Chen Rui countered.
"Don't mind those details," Liu Xin said as he patted Liu Hai, trying to block Chen Rui's line of sight.
The spacious office was filled with high-tech gadgets, many of which were the first that Chen Rui had ever seen. However, it didn't have the cinematic effect one might expect; the cluttered arrangement and unprofessional staff made it look more like a group of tourists had wandered in.
"How can it be like this?" Chen Rui frowned slightly.
A senior executive replied, "Dream World is modeled after the real world, so..."
Peng Hao chimed in with a smile, "Is this how the FBI operates in reality?"
The senior executive shook his head. "Yes and no. Office efficiency isn't necessarily tied to the office itself. It was like this before; for example, SEAL team members might even be playing cards before a raid!"
Chen Rui shook his head and sat down in a chair. "You've talked so much without providing any reliable information; it's all nonsense!"
"Could they set up a dead end for us?" Zeng Zhi asked worriedly.
"Not at all. I've made it clear to Xiong Kai that if the script puts us in a dead end or makes us completely passive, he doesn't have to follow the agreement and can contact me directly." Chen Rui dismissed the concern, which provided a bit of reassurance.
"What about...?" Zeng Zhi hesitated.
"If I'm not mistaken, Superior Orders will arrive soon!" Chen Rui said with a smile as he looked at the computer screen, projecting the Central Hub display onto the ceiling of the hall through 3D projection.
They waited—an agonizing wait. After nearly a quarter of an hour, Peng Hao was the first to speak up. "Are you just going to let us sit here and wait like fools?"
Chen Rui retorted, "What else should we do? Do you know what we should be doing?"
"Since we haven't undergone facial modifications, they probably haven't either. So we just need to start looking for Chinese people who have recently arrived in this city!" Peng Hao was quite pleased with his cleverness and even sought applause from others.
After hearing Peng Hao's suggestion, Chen Rui smiled helplessly. "Can't they just be set as having already been here or even as American-born Chinese? How would we find them then?" Suddenly, Chen Rui had an idea. "But wait! If they also haven't undergone facial modifications, we just need to identify any groups of recent criminals that are entirely Asian to pinpoint our targets."
"This is just empty talk..." Liu Xin's words brought the atmosphere to a freezing point.
Zeng Zhi looked at everyone who had fallen silent and quickly suggested, "Maybe it's already on the computer? Why not take a look?"
With that one remark, Chen Rui snapped out of his daze, smacking his forehead in self-deprecation. He hurriedly opened the computer files.
The computer only had one disk, and judging by its capacity, the D drive should be empty. Chen Rui clicked on the drive, trying to find any clues inside.
"This folder won't open, what's going on?" Chen Rui wondered aloud as he encountered a folder named 'Records' that he couldn't access. "Is it intentionally set to be inaccessible?"
"That's a restricted file," Liu Xin explained lazily. "Even though the office can be placed into a dream state, there are still confidential matters that cannot be included, which leads to this situation. In short, there's nothing in there; the label on the folder is just a facade."
"Then there's basically nothing; what can be opened are all system files." After searching again and confirming there was nothing else, Chen Rui delivered the tragic news to everyone.
Returning to the main page, Peng Hao pointed at the projection and exclaimed, "Isn't there an RD file on the desktop? Are you blind?"
Chen Rui glanced at the computer screen and indeed noticed an RD file that he had subconsciously overlooked.
Upon opening the file, simple text and an authorization image revealed their mission to everyone.
They were a task force dispatched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to handle the Forewarning Murder Case.
The case originated from a website that predicted deaths; a week later, those predicted actually met with misfortune. The situation had already escalated beyond local police control, which was why their team was sent to resolve it.
After arriving here, they received urgent intel that the daughter of a tycoon would be kidnapped. This was likely connected to the same group behind the previous incidents. Their superiors demanded protection for both the wealthy businessman and his daughter.
Notably, this tycoon was of Asian descent, originally from Japan. The file included photos of both the tycoon and his daughter. Upon seeing the girl, Chen Rui furrowed his brows tightly.
The appearance of that woman was strikingly similar to the Chinese girl I had encountered in Japan! Even the name Chen Rui made me think they were the same person.
"Now our main task is to secretly protect the person who is prophesied to die and safeguard that merchant, right?" Zhan Min asked. "I've never been to this place before; I want to be the first to take a break!"
Peng Hao gave Zhan Min a light smack on the head and, for once, became serious. "This is a strategy of dividing our forces; we need to spread out our manpower to achieve our main objectives."
Everyone nodded in agreement with Peng Hao's plan, and Chen Rui added, "In that case, Zhan Min, you take three people to the one marked for death, splitting into two teams for open defense. Liu Xin, you take three people to the merchant, also splitting into two teams, one for open defense and one for covert operations."
"Why me?" Zhan Min and Liu Xin asked in unison.
"Because you are lazy!" Chen Rui explained earnestly, leaving Zhan Min and Liu Xin wide-eyed and speechless.
You know I'm lazy and still send me over? Are you looking for trouble?
"The rest of you will stay here, on standby twenty-four hours a day. We are the mobile unit," Chen Rui instructed, ignoring the two's unusual reactions.
Now there were thirty-two people on my side, including myself. After sending out eight, there would still be twenty-four left. That should be enough to handle any unexpected incidents, Chen Rui thought silently. Just worried...
After Liu Xin and Zhan Min took their teams out, Chen Rui addressed everyone.
"Now disperse. Keep all walkie-talkies on; no one is allowed to leave this building without orders!"
As soon as Chen Rui's voice fell, Peng Hao could be seen sprinting out of the office at full speed, his voice echoing in the air, "I will keep my walkie-talkie on!!!"
Chen Rui stood frozen in place for a moment before breaking into a smile and changing the previous order. "Alright, everyone disperse. Keep all walkie-talkies on; gather back here in twenty-four hours. Disperse!"
Amidst a chorus of cheers, everyone filed out of the office, and before long, it was quiet again.
Chen Rui walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, quietly gazing down at the city.
"Isn't this a bit reckless?" Ye Han's voice came from behind.
Chen Rui couldn't help but smile. "Why don't you go have some fun? Anyone would feel a bit excited being here, especially since we're in a dream."
"What if something suddenly goes wrong during this time? What then?" Ye Han continued to question without acknowledging Chen Rui's words.
"Time! Time is on our side! They entered later than us; the exact timing is uncertain, but this dream is bound to last longer. So the ratio will definitely be in our favor. That's why I'm letting them enjoy themselves for now. They won't feel at ease until they lose everything," Chen Rui said, placing his hands behind his back and letting out a long sigh.
"That may be true," Ye Han started, but was interrupted by Chen Rui.
"No, based on this group's personality, they won't engage without preparation. So even though we are all in this world together, they will first assess our actions. However, the information they gather might just lead them to think: I'm not managing well and all my team members have run off to various casinos."
Chen Rui chuckled. "False intelligence—one of the most basic tactics in information warfare." Suddenly remembering something, he pulled a gift box from his pocket and tossed it back, perfectly into Ye Han's hands. "Go find him. You seem distracted. This is a replica I had Xiong Kai get for you; the original is with him. But it seems he's been too shy to give it to you. You two are just alike. Although I don't know what it is, it must hold some special significance for you."
All that could be heard behind him was the sound of the box being opened, followed by a light exclamation of "Idiot!" It was unclear whether Ye Han was referring to Chen Rui or Peng Hao.
Then came the sound of Ye Han dashing out into the hallway.
Chen Rui looked again at the city before him, filled with various buildings and streets bustling with automatic gambling machines—the city with the most casinos in the world—and couldn't help but sigh, "Next time we come, let's play."
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