Vol2 Chapter 4: Hello
CiBai:
The Executive Department has assigned you a temporary mission.
You must arrive at the South Railway Station by 10:00 AM Beijing time on July 17 to secretly receive critical documents from Agent B007, Raymond, and return with them to College Headquarters.
Your return flight is booked for the early morning of July 18, 2010.
Sincerely,
Norma
Bai Ci glanced at the message.
July 17—today…
Same day as Lu Mingfei’s birthday.
Rubbing her sore eyes, she stood from the internet café chair and headed to the bathroom.
A week in the café, and she looked wrecked.
Like before Cassell…
She checked the time: 6:38 AM.
Plenty of time.
The South Railway Station wasn’t far.
Might as well… sleep more.
The station hall was bathed in sunlight, rows of seats empty.
Convenience store clerks dozed around the edges, with only the occasional passenger wandering aimlessly, searching for ticket gates.
The glass dome, made of 3,200 tempered glass panels and an aluminum alloy frame, could withstand a magnitude-8 earthquake—a marvel of modern architecture.
Freshly built, barely any trains passed through, and the foot traffic was as sparse as a school on a weekend.
In this vast station, Agent B007, Raymond, stood out: black shirt, baggy shorts, cloth shoes, sunglasses, and a paper bag in hand.
He’d meant to blend into a crowd, but in this empty station, he was painfully conspicuous.
Damn it, why pick this place for the exchange?
A crowded spot or a deserted one would’ve been better.
An ‘SS’-classified document, and he was just supposed to hand it over like this?
In his mind, it was supposed to be cinematic: in a bustling crowd, two strangers pass without a glance, a train roars by, both vanish, and the secret file changes hands in a fleeting moment.
Despite never meeting, a silent understanding would bind them—for world peace, for a better tomorrow.
That’s professional!
But now, Raymond was sweating buckets, his underwear soaked.
Ugh, why’s that security guard staring?
Did he see through my disguise?
“Sorry, Senior, I’m late.”
Raymond snapped out of it, turning.
Before he could say “You’re late,” he froze.
This S-rank…
Messy hair, eyes like she’d been punched, wearing a crumpled hoodie reeking faintly of smoke.
Her face screamed “internet-addicted gamer girl” exhaustion.
Raymond stood in awe.
This is professionalism!
Her disguise was leagues above his, blending perfectly into the setting, not drawing security’s eyes like he did.
Her hair looked deliberately tousled, dark circles so realistic, clothes carrying the café’s smoky scent, paired with a “haven’t slept in days” vibe—flawless!
No wonder the elite S-rank was late—she’d prepped this thoroughly!
He’d been too shallow.
And to spot his “careful” disguise in a crowd?
Truly an S-rank!
Finding Cassell people wasn’t hard—just look for the weirdest or flashiest one.
Normal people didn’t exist at Cassell.
Raymond slid his sunglasses down, revealing shifty eyes.
Glancing around to ensure no one was watching, he whispered, “Code.”
“Senior, where’s the rose?”
Raymond exhaled, slipped off one shoe, peeled off his sock, and revealed a rose tattoo on his size-43 foot.
Bai Ci pinched her nose.
Cassell folks sure had… unique styles.
Pretty bold…
“Alright, Senior, put it away…”
Was something wrong with Norma?
Why make her suffer this in the summer heat?
“Junior, my feet don’t stink—just sweaty.”
Raymond put his shoe back on, grinned, and handed over the file.
“Sign here, add your fingerprint, and text Norma.
She’ll update the mission log, and the file’s under your name.”
“Oh.”
Bai Ci nodded, fiddling with her phone.
Finish this, get back to sleep, then buy Lu Mingfei a birthday cake.
“Junior, you’re so talented—got a boyfriend?
Need one, just say the word.”
“No, and no thanks.”
Bai Ci forced a smile.
“Really?
My wife’s a pro at matchmaking.
I’ve got connections—say the word, and I’ll hook you up!”
“How thoughtful, Senior.”
Bai Ci said, thinking he was hitting on her until he mentioned a wife.
Relief.
“Of course!
I’m your senior—gotta look out for you.”
“Haha (deadpan).”
Bai Ci mumbled, head down.
“Oh, Junior, hurry up.
I snuck out behind my wife’s back and gotta get to work.”
“Scared of your wife, huh?”
Bai Ci said while typing.
“Of course!
She’s gorgeous—”
Before he finished, Bai Ci yanked him down, pinning him to the ground.
The air pulsed violently, the floor shaking!
“Earthquake!
Run!”
Someone shouted, and panic erupted as people fled.
“Junior, it’s an earthquake, we—”
Before he could finish, a deafening tremor came from above.
Crack, crack!
The glass dome’s panels sprouted vine-like fractures, spreading toward the center.
The twisted frame groaned as tempered glass shattered.
Snap!
The first pane fell, smashing into the floor, shards exploding with a heart-stopping sound.
Billions of prismatic fragments reflected countless suns, their light bathing them.
“Junior!
Hide!”
Raymond started to dive under a bench, but Bai Ci yanked him back, shoving him behind cover.
A metallic tang filled the air, her throat dry.
“Senior, I’ll protect you.”
Raymond froze, nearly in tears.
Junior, don’t be reckless!
You’ll get bruised—or worse!
She faced the falling glass, her golden pupils glowing like beacons in fog.
Ancient syllables vibrated between her lips, the air thickening like honey.
“Pure Land!”
An invisible field erupted around her, suspending glass shards three meters above.
Billions of prisms wove a rainbow cocoon around her, fragments buzzing like a swarm of bees.
“Senior, it’s okay now.”
Raymond exhaled, starting to stand, but froze.
So did Bai Ci.
A suffocating fear gripped them!
Not human—a being born at the pinnacle of existence!
A masked figure emerged from the shadows, appearing as a black-haired girl.
“First meeting.
Hello.”
Not good at all!