The Dragonhorn Tower served as the political core, closed to outsiders. The Bureau 13 headquarters lay beneath it, connected by numerous covert passages. Xiao Han followed Feng Jun through an underground bunker for half an hour before reaching the headquarters—his first visit to the Bureau 13 without being blindfolded.
"This place is a real pain to find."
"Hard to find, but secure." Feng Jun swiped his credential at the access point, and the metal door slid open.
The space opened up dramatically. Immediately beyond the entrance was a spacious lobby bustling with people coming and going. Xiao had expected a secret agency to feel gloomy and foreboding, but Bureau 13 was surprisingly well-lit. Despite being underground, the air felt fresh and unstuffy. If Xiao had seen the blueprints, he would have known that Bureau 13 was suspended underground at the exact same depth as the height of Dragonhorn Tower—a fortified subterranean base.
Feng Jun handed Xiao a mask and a Level 1 access card for the Star Dragon Territorial Strategic Defense Bureau. "It's best if not too many people recognize your face. Put it on."
The black mask featured an embroidered image of a muscular, bare-bottomed figure, positioned precisely over the lips. Xiao narrowed his eyes and turned to Feng Jun, who was struggling to stifle a laugh.
You did that on purpose!
"Why are you staring? Just put it on." Feng Jun pressed his lips together, but a chuckle escaped through the crack before he could stifle it, prompting him to cover his mouth hastily.
"Heh." Xiao tugged Feng Jun's sleeve, tore off a strip of fabric, and tied it around his face to cover it. He casually stuffed the revealing mask into Feng Jun's pocket. "Keep this gem for yourself."
Feng Jun looked heartbroken. This was his brand-new uniform...
Xiao suddenly sensed someone watching him. Turning, he saw a young stranger in a white lab coat staring intently, eyes blazing with fury as if he were the arch-enemy next door.
"Why is he so angry?" Xiao wondered.
Feng Jun recognized Luo Xuan but didn't know how to explain. He gave a wry smile. "This... Just pretend he's not here."
Luo Xuan hadn't seen Xiao's true face, but he was certain the masked man beside Feng Jun was the real deal. Watching them head toward the Secret Operations Department, his eyes nearly shot flames....
The Secret Operations Department occupied an entire floor, its staff noticeably smaller than other departments.
The meeting point was the squad conference room. Feng Jun left them at the door.
Han Xiao pushed open the door. Li Yalin, Lambert, and Lin Yao had been waiting for a while.
Li Yalin had her legs sprawled casually across the conference table. Lambert silently polished his military knife, head bowed. Lin Yao sat upright, hands pressed against her knees.
"So you're the logistics member specially approved by the Director to join our squad?"
Li Yalin rose, circling Han Xiao as she scrutinized him from head to toe with curiosity.
Special approval from the Director? Logistics member? Xiao's eyes flickered as he studied Li Yalin. This woman was tall and curvaceous, wearing a sporty yellow hoodie over a black bodysuit. Her features were delicate and charming, her eyes lively and spirited. She was easily a 90 out of 100 in looks. Among the women Xiao had encountered, only Haila could rival her beauty.
"I'm Xiao Han, a mechanic."
Lin Yao stood up awkwardly, her sudden movement causing the chair to creak. She extended her hand stiffly. "H-hello, I'm Lin Yao, the team's hacker."
Lambrecht remained seated, his voice cool. "I'm Lambrecht, the sniper."
Xiao shook hands with Lin Yao, paying little mind to Lambert's aloof demeanor. The burly man was clearly the type to use words sparingly.
"Why are you wearing a mask?" Li Yalin batted her big eyes, curious to lift Xiao's covering.
Xiao dodged her attempt.
"Hiding your face like that—don't you trust us?"
Li Yalin pouted in displeasure.
Xiao paused before replying, "My identity is classified."
Being assigned to Li Yalin's team meant higher-ups deemed them trustworthy—revealing his face shouldn't be an issue. Yet Xiao believed staying masked minimized trouble. A moment's thought painted the inevitable interrogation:
"Aren't you that bounty target?" "Why did the Bureau let you join?" "Why is the Sprout hunting you?" "What did you do?"
The mere thought gave him a headache.
To avoid a wasteful barrage of questions, Xiao decided to keep his face covered.
He wouldn't stay at Bureau 13 permanently—it was merely a stepping stone. Beyond the higher-ups, the fewer people who knew his true identity, the better.
"Your identity is classified? Wait..." Li Yalin suddenly remembered something, rushing closer to Xiao with eager anticipation. "Did you build that lightweight power arm?"
Xiao froze. "How did you know?"
"Ha ha, so it really is you!" Li Yalin cheered, casually slinging her arm around Xiao's shoulder as she declared, "As long as you can build me a mechanical arm, I'll have your back."
Xiao's mouth twitched. "I charge for my services," he stated firmly.
Li Yalin laughed up at the sky before whispering, "Any chance of a discount?"
"None."
"Cheapskate," she muttered.
"I don't even know your name," Xiao remarked, exasperated by this overly friendly beauty.
"Li Yalin. Handle close combat." She pouted.
Xiao scanned the trio. "So the four of us are a squad now?"
"Nope. There's the captain too. He's the breacher."
"Where is he?"
Xiao looked around, even rummaging through trash bins, but found no one hiding.
"Don't bother. The captain's recovering from injuries."
Xiao's tone turned serious. "Even the captain gets injured. Looks like Secret Operations is pretty dangerous work."
The three exchanged awkward glances.
Lin Yao apologetically explained, "The captain's hospitalized with food poisoning."
"..."
Xiao rolled his eyes, too exhausted to even mock them.
Lin Yao cleared her throat and volunteered an explanation of the Secret Operations Department's structure:
"The Secret Operations Department handles special high-difficulty missions. It's organized into teams of four to seven members. Each month, we only need to complete the mandatory tasks assigned by the department. Outside of missions, we have free time to manage as we see fit."
"The structure is that loose?" Xiao was surprised. He'd assumed such an elite department would be extremely busy.
"Because Secret Operations Department members are all elite. Some agents are specially recruited outsiders, not direct affiliates of Bureau 13. Uncle Lambert is one such case—he was an ace in a special forces unit before being specially recruited into Bureau 13." Lin Yao scratched his face awkwardly, feeling it bordered on bragging. His skin wasn't as thick as Xiao's.
"Your role is field logistics support. You'll handle equipment provisioning and supply coordination. During operations, you'll gather, organize, and analyze intelligence—serving as our eyes and ears from the rear. That's your job."
That sounds pretty chill... But I wanna fight monsters and enemies!
Xiao understood this arrangement. With his vast intelligence network, Bureau 13's higher-ups wouldn't risk exposing him to danger.
As the saying goes, no pain no gain. He gained Bureau 13's protection, a secure environment for development, exclusive access to a faction's potential market, and orders to manufacture mechs for experience grinding. All in all, it was a fair deal.
Mech-based classes were weak early on, lacking combat prowess and leaning toward logistics. Technical work was their primary source of experience. The guns and ammo consumed in monster hunting cost money—unlike martial arts or psychic classes, which possessed inherent destructive power.
"Does our squad have a name?" Xiao suddenly wondered aloud.
"A squad name?" Li Yalin curled her lip. "We don't do that kind of flashy nonsense."
Oh, pragmatism. Xiao admired that.
After a few more exchanges, the four had effectively met their future teammates.
Lin Yao glanced at the computer and announced, "The department assigned us a mission: apprehend Black Spider, hiding in West City."
Xiao raised an eyebrow. A mission right after joining? Likely the bureau's way of testing the new team's cohesion.
Li Yalin said lazily, "Black Spider? I know the guy. Infamous bounty hunter, lone mercenary. Last time the Field Operations Department tried to capture him, he blew up two whole blocks with explosives. Who knew he'd still dare hang around West City?"
Lambeth cut straight to the point, "When do we move?"
"No rush. Intelligence has pinpointed his location. Nighttime operations will be more advantageous."
Lin Yao addressed Xiao, "This is your first mission. You'll start by getting accustomed to logistics duties."
The trio showed no concern over Xiao's background. His admission into the Secret Operations Department signaled high-level trust.
[You triggered E-rank mission [Black Spider]. Accept/Decline?]
"Accept."
[Mission Briefing: Black Spider, a notorious assassin and bounty hunter. As your first operation with the Secret Operations Department, your role as backup is to assist the squad in completing this mission.]
[Mission Objective: Defeat Black Spider.]
[Reward: 5,000 EXP]
[Special Reward: 40,000 EXP or a Mind Stabilizer.]