Lu Yan was scheduled to return on October 31st. Headquarters arranged a special plane to pick him up. As the plane arrived, fireworks burst in the sky above the island. The clear blue sky was soon veiled by colorful smoke, and golden ribbons fluttered down like confetti.
It looked like a celebration.
The stationed personnel on the island, despite their long service, were puzzled by the spectacle. "What's going on? Are those signal flares?" wondered one.
An elder among them gave a sharp smack to the back of the speaker's head. "How was your employee training? Since when does the Disease Prevention and Control Center set off fireworks in broad daylight?"
"...It's when an outsider Harbinger successfully completes an advanced mission and is about to return home," the junior staff recited as if reading from a script, then paused, his expression turning to one of pleasant surprise. "What? What mission? Who completed it? And they're here on our island?"
But soon, he realized.
This base was originally established to monitor data on Changjia Island. Lately, there had been numerous discussions on the Tianqi Forum regarding the Divine Realm operation.
Lu Yan gazed down at the red carpet laid out before him, momentarily unsure of how to react.
The base's director said, "Mr. Lu, this is a specially approved private aircraft from headquarters. Wherever you go, the plane will follow. The pilot previously served at the White Eagle Air Force Base and has 13 years of experience flying fighter jets. After retiring, he obtained a civilian pilot's license. You can trust his skills. If you ever want to fly yourself, you can attempt it after obtaining a pilot's license."
The well-built captain saluted Lu Yan before heading into the cockpit.
Lu Yan took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned back, casting a puzzled glance at Tang Xunan behind him.
Tang Xunan smiled at him. "Go ahead, this is your moment of glory. I'll be heading to the vicinity of Changjia for reconnaissance."
[System: He's lying to you. At 10 am, Tang Xunan received a notification that Shen Qingyang had been spotted in the western sea area. Bai Qiushi happened to be on a mission and implanted a tracker into Xiao Zhangyu's body.]
[Tang Xunan is preparing to participate in this operation to besiege Shen Qingyang. Headquarters didn't inform you because they're concerned about your past with Shen Qingyang.]
When former comrades from the Special Operations Unit become Pollutants, they usually aren't notified beforehand, due to protective measures and other concerns.
Lu Yan didn't stop Tang Xunan, mainly because if he couldn't explain himself clearly, Shen Qingyang might end up as their next-door neighbor.
That wouldn't be a problem easily solved with just a friendly chat.
"Then come back soon."
He ascended the gangway. This private aircraft was small, but aside from the standard features found in other private planes, there was a large bathtub in front of a small round window, perfect for soaking. It seemed headquarters had gone to some lengths to cater to his preferences.
As the plane started up, Lu Yan sat on the couch and turned on the wireless television in front of him.
The news was playing.
Lu Yan glanced over. The anchor was explaining the events of the Divine Realm operation that day to the general public. Since it wasn't a documentary, the concise news report only mentioned cold, hard death tolls.
Ordinary people, Harbingers. Collapsed bridges, desolate city centers—the anchor's narration lacked personal color, but coupled with the recorded footage, it felt undeniably tragic. Many probably felt fortunate that the Divine Realm hadn't emerged in their own land.
In this operation, the identities of Special Operations Unit members were obscured.
[System: Mainly to prevent drawing attention from higher-level Pollutants or retaliation. Members with high profiles are prone to being targeted during missions. But that's all ancient history now; it's been decades since the contamination diseases were first disclosed.]
Now that it's out in the open, fear still lingers, but humanity doesn't seem to be on the brink of collapse.
"What if some Harbingers have a good reputation?" Lu Yan asked.
[Are you talking about Michael?]
Lu Yan recalled the network cable headquarters had connected him to and fell into a brief silence.
The journey from the sea to K City took about seven hours.
Lu Yan checked his phone, hoping to see if the twenty million had been transferred.
Unexpectedly, the first thing that popped up was a system notification.
[Notification] (In no particular order): Congratulations to Alpha, Menghu, Bai Lang (deceased), ** (anonymous) for completing the S-level Divine Realm operation mission. Relevant data has been updated.
Lu Yan logged into his account and submitted a request to the administrator in the background, asking for a submarine to be made for him by the Fifth Research Institute.
The administrator replied promptly: Alright, Mr. Diteng. We will forward your request to the Fifth Research Institute, and relevant researchers will contact you afterward.
Administrator: But may I ask why you need a submarine?
Diteng: Money to spare, might as well spend it.
Administrator: ..
Although his identity wasn't exposed, Lu Yan certainly enjoyed VIP treatment on his return journey.
He arrived in K City at night.
Director Li looked at the warm pot of sugar water eggs and sighed with concern. "Will Mr. Lu really like this?"
"Don't worry, we checked. When Mr. Lu was in high school, he used to go to the east gate cafeteria every morning for sugar water eggs. This egg is from the Seventh Research Institute. Although the chicken looks a bit ugly with three eyes and eight wings, the taste is impeccable. It lays only one egg a week, which was always taken to hatch before."
So when Lu Yan stepped off the plane, Director Li greeted him with a beaming smile, carrying a thermos: "Lu Yan, Lu Yan. Welcome back. Are you hungry? I cooked a bowl of sugar water eggs at home. Want to try?"
Lu Yan accepted and said, "Thank you."
The brown sugar was simmered over a low flame until it dissolved in the water, giving it a slightly sandy texture. It was very sweet.
"Oh, by the way, a researcher from the Third Research Institute messaged, saying that your bow is almost done. They can send the finished product over for you to test and see if there are any improvements needed."
"Good."
Director Li asked eagerly, "Lu Yan, could you spare some time for a psychological assessment and update your file? This is what we most want to discuss, and what headquarters is worried about."
That was what he wanted to say most, and it was also what headquarters was concerned about.
Lu Yan spent two hours completing the psychological assessment and updating some personal information.
Talent 14 was written into his file. Measurements of spiritual power threshold and degree of mutation were done with more specialized equipment.
Spiritual power threshold: 8134.3, degree of mutation: 42.1.
"It's already A-level. You're really amazing, sir." Researcher Xiao Bing's eyes practically sparkled with admiration. "And your level of mental stability is the highest among same-level Harbingers. As sturdy as an equilateral triangle."
Xiao Bing made a note in the file: "The degree of mutation isn't high, although we're already developing a special medicine for you. You can take it with you on your next mission."
Xiao Bing was originally a researcher at the Third Research Institute.
Because Lu Yan pulled the rabbit's tail, he successfully obtained a new job: becoming an overseas researcher, mainly responsible for updating and recording Lu Yan's files.
Xiao Bing was quite satisfied because this counted as a business trip funded by the government, with a daily travel allowance of 200 yuan. Over the course of a month, he could earn an extra 6000 yuan compared to his previous monthly salary! At this rate, working for another 62 years would allow him to buy a house in City A.
Although 62 years seemed like a long time, he was a Harbinger, with a much longer lifespan than normal people. He should still have another sixty years to live before dying.
Lu Yan: "Thank you."
Carrying the files, Xiao Bing asked somewhat shyly, "Sir, why didn't you pinch my tail today?"
When Xiao Bing said this, his cheeks turned red, making him look adorable.
Knowing that Lu Yan was returning today, Xiao Bing went to the pet hospital specifically to buy fur fluffer, asking his senior brother to spray it on his tail several times. Now the fur on his tail was white and soft, with a very good texture.
Lu Yan thought for a moment. "My boyfriend has a sensitive nose."
It was inevitable.
Xiao Bing's expression froze for a moment, then he quickly straightened up and said, "Of course, Comrade Lu Yan."
*
At 6 a.m., Lu Yan finally returned to his long-lost home.
The house had a fingerprint lock, and because it hadn't been lived in for nearly two months, it was covered in dust.
Lu Yan removed the cloth covering the furniture and began sweeping and mopping the floor, while also tidying up the bedding.
System: [Ha, even if you earn two trillion from a mission, you still have to clean up by yourself. No one's here to warm your bed for you.]
Perhaps due to the contamination disease, the weather had become increasingly extreme. K City was colder earlier than in previous years, with temperatures dropping to single digits in November.
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