The communication was cut off.
Qian Musheng hung up the terminal and looked down at the silent, encrypted communicator on his desk. He remained silent for two seconds.
He slowly leaned back against his chair, his gaze falling on a corner of the ceiling.
“Cut off Qin Zhong’an’s communication terminal,” he said, his voice flat and devoid of any unnecessary emotion.
Once the terminal was cut, Qin Zhong’an would no longer be able to initiate contact with the organization, nor would he ever be in contact with them again.
Standing three paces behind him, a young man nodded slightly.
He was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a clean-cut face and regular features. Dressed in a well-tailored, deep gray suit, he looked like a mid-level corporate manager who had just finished a business meeting.
His name was Lu Chen.
He was the technical lead under Qian Musheng, responsible for the monitoring and maintenance of all communication terminals for the Hunter Nest branch in East China.
“Yes, Boss Mu,” Lu Chen replied. He looked at Qian Musheng’s back calmly, waiting for him to finish speaking.
“The people sent by the Special Abnormal Affairs Bureau this time...” Qian Musheng rotated his chair, his gaze shifting to the gray horizon outside the window.
“Based on our estimates, given Liu Junnan’s abilities and his level of adaptability, his probability of escape should be over seventy percent.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “If he is smart and decisive enough, that probability could be even higher.”
Lu Chen didn’t respond, merely listening in silence.
Qian Musheng turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Lu Chen’s face. In those usually steady eyes, a layer of indistinct pity flickered.
“That boy Junnan has decent talent. Although he’s a bit arrogant, he’s fairly obedient and useful.”
His voice softened slightly, sounding like a sigh, yet also like he was talking to himself.
“Over the years, he’s handled many matters for the organization. Even if he has no great merit, he has at least put in the hard work.”
Lu Chen lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Before a superior decided to abandon a pawn, they always had to say a few decent-sounding words.
“I am truly reluctant to abandon him just like this,” Qian Musheng said, withdrawing his gaze and looking back out the window.
After two seconds of silence, his voice returned to its usual steady, emotionless tone.
“But there is no other way. For the organization’s great cause, many people must always be sacrificed.”
Lu Chen stood behind him, his face revealing nothing as he lowered his head in a respectful posture.
However, a faint chill began to spread silently through the depths of his heart.
Liu Junnan.
He had been brought into the organization at the age of five and raised in the Seventh District. He had stood out from hundreds of children to become the only Sensory-type Ability User in the Hunter Nest branch.
Lu Chen had seen his file—it was filled with dense records. From the most basic sensory tests to later combat missions, every evaluation showed progress, and every assessment was a breakthrough.
How many resources had the organization spent to cultivate him?
The specialized training equipment, the instructors brought in from Headquarters, the fixed annual rations of Mental Restoration Potion...
Every single item was incredibly valuable, built up using the organization’s resources.
Qin Zhong’an was even more significant.
He had been following Qian Musheng since he was ten years old and had worked within the Hunter Nest branch’s communication system for nearly thirty years.
He had no abilities, but his loyalty to the organization, his familiarity with procedures, and his execution of superior orders were top-tier in the entire East China region.
He never asked why; he only knew to complete the mission, complete the mission, and complete the mission again.
The two of them, body and soul, belonged entirely to the organization.
They had grown up within the organization from a young age, with no relatives, no friends, and no social connections. Everything they had was given by the organization, and their entire value was reflected in their service to it.
And now, the organization was going to abandon them.
Their “usefulness” reached its peak at the very moment they became abandoned pawns.
Lu Chen kept his eyes lowered, his expression as calm as ever.
He remembered last winter, during an operation in South China, when three official members had also been abandoned.
What Qian Musheng had said then was almost identical to what he said today.
Lu Chen no longer remembered the names of those three people.
In a while, he would also forget the names of Liu Junnan and Qin Zhong’an.
This was how the organization operated.
The organization didn’t need to remember anyone; it only needed the mission to be completed.
“Boss Mu,” he spoke, his voice steady.
“If Liu Junnan and Qin Zhong’an are caught by the Special Abnormal Affairs Bureau, what then?”
Qian Musheng didn’t answer immediately.
He sat in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest as if he were seriously considering the question.
“They don’t know much,” he finally said, his tone flat, like he was stating a pre-calculated result.
“Both are members of the Hunter Nest branch. Although Liu Junnan is a Sensory-type Ability User, he hasn’t reached the core level...”
“He knows nothing about the specific details of the Guixu Project, the information regarding the Abyss Seats, or the organization’s overall structure.”
“What he knows is nothing more than some operational methods of the Hunter Nest branch in East China and the contact points we’ve already prepared to abandon.”
He paused.
“As for Qin Zhong’an, he is a liaison, so he knows a bit more than Liu Junnan, but not by much.”
“Most of the information he handled was routine content reported periodically. If the Special Abnormal Affairs Bureau truly wanted to investigate, they could find almost the same information through other channels.”
Qian Musheng turned around to face Lu Chen.
“Even if they are caught and confess everything they know, it won’t matter to the organization.”
His voice was so flat that it was impossible to detect any emotional color.
“We’ve already transferred what needs to be transferred and destroyed what needs to be destroyed. They don’t hold anything that could truly harm the organization.”
Lu Chen nodded slightly to show his understanding.
“I only hope Liu Junnan can be of some use and not let down the organization’s years of cultivation,” Qian Musheng’s voice suddenly softened, and that layer of faint pity surfaced again.
“Only by successfully escaping from the Special Abnormal Affairs Bureau can his value be maximized...”
He fell silent for two seconds.
“After all, he is a child I watched grow up.”
Lu Chen stood there with his eyes lowered, saying nothing.
He knew that if the two of them fell into the hands of the Special Abnormal Affairs Bureau, they would no longer have their freedom for the rest of their lives after the interrogation.
As an Ability User, Liu Junnan would be injected with an Ability-Suppressing Serum and placed in a Spirit-Isolation Field for life.
Meanwhile, Qin Zhong’an would be locked in a specific prison until he died.
“Keep a close eye on the situation in Jiangcheng.”
“Ensure that the Special Abnormal Affairs Bureau’s attention is drawn away by Liu Junnan and Qin Zhong’an.”
“Yes, Boss Mu,” Lu Chen replied, turning toward the door.
...
Qin Zhong’an gripped his phone, sitting on the edge of the bed without moving.
His expression was grim.
The Special Abnormal Affairs Bureau.
These words were like a giant boulder pressing against his chest, making it almost impossible to breathe.
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