Chapter 82

"What?"

At the airport.

A businessman passing by with his suitcase glanced at the middle school student who had suddenly raised his voice, then continued walking away while talking on the phone.

Qi Feng covered his mouth, his round eyes widening as he looked around and whispered, "No freaking way. That's Lin Shuhua we're talking about. If his cousin is also from the Lin family, how could someone from the Lin family be a loner like that?"

As he spoke, Qi Feng tilted his head toward Lin Shuhua and his entourage, who were being treated like celebrities. "Even Li Jiayu has people fawning over him."

"You always tune me out halfway," Zhao Yang muttered, tugging his cap down, annoyed. "That's why I said—it's the Lin family's decision."

Xu Zhangying didn't say anything, but Zhao Yang knew he was curious, so he continued, "I heard about this from Song Xinghui in the class next door when we were playing basketball. His family has some distant ties to the Lin family. I thought that was sketchy, so I casually asked my dad about it."

Zhao Yang rubbed his nose. "My dad said Xia Qing's father was kind of a big deal. He and Xia Qing's mother used to manage the Lin family's overseas business. That overseas conglomerate—I can't remember the name—was even bigger than the domestic branch managed by Lin Shuhua's father a few years ago. That's why Xia Qing's family butted heads with the main family."

"Last year, that overseas conglomerate went bankrupt, probably due to financial issues. Xia Qing's father passed away too, and the Lin family didn’t help them. My dad was pretty vague about the details. But he did know about Xia Qing—apparently, before everything happened, Xia Qing was supposed to start college early abroad. Now, that got screwed up."

Qi Feng's jaw dropped. "Damn, no wonder Xia Qing’s grades are ridiculously good. But if this is true, it’s insane—Lin Shuhua acts like Xia Qing doesn't exist. I thought they didn’t know each other."

"Exactly," Zhao Yang said, putting a finger to his lips. "My dad told me to keep this on the down-low and not spread it around. It wouldn’t be good for Xia Qing. But I’m telling you two since I know you can keep a secret."

Xu Zhangying sat with his arms crossed, thinking for a moment before asking, "Did Uncle Zhao say why people keep bothering him?"

Zhao Yang nodded. "I asked. My dad said it’s probably because of private debt collectors or some internal Lin family conflict. He also wondered why Xia Qing’s mother hasn’t dealt with it."

"I’ve never seen his parents either," Xu Zhangying murmured. "No wonder he buys sandwiches from the convenience store every day."

"Damn," Zhao Yang said, horrified. "Dude, you're creepy. You really *have* been stalking him every day."

"Shut up. It’s just normal concern as a teammate," Xu Zhangying retorted, glancing toward the other side of the departure hall. Seeing no sign of the person he was looking for, he checked his watch again.

Zhao Yang sat down too, glancing at his phone before nudging Xu Zhangying’s arm. "We’ve got half an hour till boarding. Do you think your partner’s visa issue will be resolved?"

"It should be fine. If not, we might as well skip Japan," Xu Zhangying suddenly said, sounding almost happy. "At least we won’t have to team up with Lin Shuhua during the competition."

The World Robotics Competition, originating in the U.S., was open to participants aged 18 and under worldwide, testing all kinds of skills. Contestants had to design and build their own robots six weeks before the event, then perform on-site programming and debugging to complete a series of tasks, ending with team battles.

The two teams from their city’s No. 1 High School were the only ones in their province who made it through the regional rounds. Xu Zhangying figured they’d probably end up forming an alliance with Lin Shuhua’s team in the finals.

Zhao Yang rolled his eyes. "Xia Qing doesn’t even seem bothered by it, yet here you are, getting bent out of shape for him. I’ve been paying attention these past couple of months—even though Lin Shuhua ignores him, Xia Qing doesn’t seem to care about Lin Shuhua either."

Qi Feng added, "A Ying, maybe you should go check again. You guys put so much effort into that robot—it’d be a shame if you couldn’t go."

Xu Zhangying checked his watch once more. "It’s fine. I’ll wait another ten minutes before checking."

And so, in the upscale departure hall, the three friends sat in silence, lost in thought—in 2007, even fancy phones didn't offer much to do. The era of short-form videos and mass entertainment was still a decade away.

But their boredom didn’t last long. After just a couple of minutes, Xu Zhangying heard a stir from the study tour group on the other side. The three friends immediately turned to look, following the crowd’s gaze to four people walking toward the business lounge.

Xu Zhangying understood the students’ astonishment the moment he saw them—four tall alphas, three men and one woman, all dressed in sharp three-piece suits.

Though the departure hall was no stranger to passengers with an elite air, these four carried an intense vibe that set them apart.

The leading female alpha appeared to be in her late twenties, standing at an imposing 190 cm, with mixed-race features. Her perfectly tailored black suit accentuated her sharp, commanding demeanor. Like the other three, she wore a simple silver olive leaf pin on her lapel.

"This is my first time seeing AGB in real life," Qi Feng said excitedly. "They’re so cool—exactly like in the movies!"

Female alphas were uncommon in the real world, and Qi Feng was already considered tall among alphas. As a teenage girl, she often felt uneasy because of her height compared to other alphas, but now, seeing an imposing female AGB Officer who was even taller and strikingly handsome, she couldn’t help but feel awestruck and inspired.

Xu Zhangying’s eyes also lit up. "This is an international flight—they must’ve just finished a domestic mission here."

"That’s so cool," Qi Feng mused dreamfully. "Can we become AGB Officers in the future? Are there any recruitment opportunities here?"

Zhao Yang tore open a bag of chips and tilted his head. "Not here in China, at least. My dad said AGB has specialized police academies in certain countries and regions. There was one near where he used to live in the U.S."

Qi Feng looked disappointed. "Guess we don’t have much of a chance, then."

"You serious?" Xu Zhangying shrugged. "No way. Life’s long—maybe we’ll get an opportunity later."

"Whatever," Zhao Yang handed the chips to the other two, watching the departing AGB Officers. "Yeah, right."

"True," Qi Feng chuckled, actually picturing it. "As if! Zhao Yang, if you became a cop, society would basically be doomed."

"Piss off," Zhao Yang snapped. "And you’re any better? If you made it into the force, the police department might as well close down."

Qi Feng and Zhao Yang immediately started bickering, while Xu Zhangying sat to the side, rolling his eyes, watching them bicker. "AGB and regular police aren’t even the same thing."

"Whatever—it’s not like we’d qualify anyway," Zhao Yang shoved the chips at Qi Feng and slung an arm over Xu Zhangying’s shoulder. "Risking your life for a measly few thousand a month? Not even Li Jiayu would take that deal."

Xu Zhangying shot him a teasing look. "You can’t even handle *Silent Hill*. Throw you into a real murder scene, and you’d pass out."

"Cut it out," Zhao Yang said breezily, shrugging. "Even if I had the guts, my dad would never let me."

As Zhao Yang and Qi Feng chatted idly, Xu Zhangying couldn’t resist glancing toward the business lounge where the four had disappeared, lost in thought.

So that’s what they’re like… AGB Officers, huh?

*"You’ve got an extra wish in life now."*

He remembered the man with the silver pin who had suddenly appeared in his life three summers ago.

Meanwhile, in the business lounge.

Laura (29) had just plopped onto the sofa when a can of ice-cold Coke flew toward her.

She caught it effortlessly, then looked up at the blue-eyed man leaning against the opposite couch. "The hell’s wrong with you?" she asked in Chinese.

"Typical—the moment you land in China, you learn one swear word," the male Officer sighed, spreading his hands. Though two centimeters shorter than Laura, he was still tall and broad-shouldered. His charcoal-gray suit jacket hung open, one hand in his pocket, his Slavic features giving him a devil-may-care charm.

"Swears get shit done," Laura switched back to English and tossed the Coke to Xiao—the Chinese Officer of Asia Team 01.

"Thanks," Xiao caught it with a smile. His demeanor was far more refined than the others’. "Relax. After Tokyo, we’ve got vacation coming up."

Amber (33), sitting across from Laura, blinked her blue eyes. "You really think it’ll be that simple?"

"It’s just a Class C mission," Lance chimed in. The French-born black-haired, black-eyed man, 27, was the same rank as Xiao.

"And LEBEN was officially disbanded three years ago," Xiao added seriously. "My money’s on this being a prank."

Three days ago, IGO’s main inbox had received a threatening letter.

The sender claimed to be a member of LEBEN, warning that he and his associates would carry out a major terrorist attack in Tokyo—urging IGO to act quickly. The kicker? It was written like a "tip-off" from a defector.

Bold as brass, sent to IGO’s public email. By the time the admin staff dug it out of the endless spam and ads, 24 hours had already passed.

After a brief discussion, AGB’s Asia Council rated the threat as Class C, tasked Team 01—who were wrapping up a mission in China—for a three-day sweep in Tokyo.

Amber, who had a background as a Russian-trained professional hacker, quickly pinpointed the IP location from which the email was sent—it originated from a large complex in Tokyo. Thus, they prepared to head to Tokyo immediately to verify whether the email was just a prank by some bored Japanese office worker.

"Couldn’t care less," Amber said, leaning back on the sofa, his long legs in a tailored suit propped up on the coffee table. "But I bet Laura really hopes the email is genuine."

"Thanks for the hex," Laura shot back, glaring at her annoying partner. "If it really is a LEBEN terror attack, this mission might just boost our points and get us into the Cross Society in one go."

Xiao couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

"What a beautiful future," Amber said dreamily. "If I ever become director, the first thing I’ll do is fire you."

"Oh, I can’t wait," Laura retorted.

There were 15 minutes left until boarding.

In the waiting area, Xu Zhangying snapped out of his thoughts. He pulled out Ye Xin’s old Nokia N73 from his pocket and checked the inbox—empty. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

Zhao Yang, still with an arm draped over his shoulders, was making small talk with Qi Feng about whether Universal Studios in Osaka or Tokyo Disneyland was more fun. Xu Zhangying thought for a moment, then lowered his head to start typing a text message.

"Xu Zhangying."

A voice suddenly called out. Xu Zhangying paused mid-text and looked around before snapping his head around.

A boy with a single-shoulder backpack was staring at him, tilting his head slightly as he gestured. "Come here."

What the hell—Zhao Yang, who had also turned to look, couldn’t count how many times he’d mentally cursed today. So this was how Xu Zhangying interacted with this lower-ranked member?

When the hell did things get like this?

Xu Zhangying happily bounded over. "Did your visa paperwork clear, boss?"

"Yeah, there was a mistake in the system," Xia Qing replied flatly. He pulled out two boarding passes from his backpack and handed one to Xu Zhangying. "Yours was left at the office earlier."

"Damn," Xu Zhangying checked his pockets, relieved. "I knew something was missing."

Xia Qing was a year younger than Xu Zhangying and the others, but he was about the same height. He wore the same school uniform as Xu Zhangying and carried only a simple black backpack.

"Time to get in line. Grab your bag," Xia Qing said, pointing at the boarding gate where a queue had already formed.

"Got it, got it!" Xu Zhangying cheerfully dashed back to his seat to grab his backpack, only to look up and see Zhao Yang and Qi Feng gaping at him.

"Let’s go. Why are you staring?" Xu Zhangying asked, baffled.

Zhao Yang opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately just shouldered his bag and followed behind Xu Zhangying.

The five of them stood at the end of the line, with Xu Zhangying at the front. The moment he got close, other students on the school trip couldn’t resist striking up a conversation with the popular upperclassman. Xu Zhangying was an easy talker, and soon even the middle-schoolers further back turned to listen.

Motor-mouth Xu Zhangying kept talking all the way into the cabin. A flight attendant stood at the entrance, smiling at each passenger. "Welcome aboard JAL. What’s your seat number?"

Even in that brief exchange, Xu Zhangying got the flight attendant smiling with a few words.

As he walked down the economy class aisle, Xu Zhangying asked the junior high kids ahead about their seat numbers. Before he could finish, his collar was pulled back. "Your seat’s here. Why are you walking further?"

"Oh, this is me. Bye!" Still being held by the collar, Xu Zhangying waved at the younger students.

He then turned around, checked his ticket, and glanced at the seat numbers. "I thought it was further back—Xia Qing, do you want the window seat?"

Xia Qing released his collar. "Sit in your assigned seat. Get in."

Xu Zhangying immediately squeezed into the window seat with his backpack. The moment he sat down, he peered around to look for Zhao Yang. "Zhao Yang, where are you guys?"

Zhao Yang and Qi Feng were sitting right in front of him, turning their heads to look at Xu Changying with strange looks. "Right here."

Xu Changying cheerfully propped himself on Zhao Yang's seatback. "We're sitting together!"

As he spoke, Xia Qing was placing his own backpack into the overhead compartment. Zhao Yang had just chuckled a couple of times when he saw Beta pat Xu Changying's arm and promptly take the backpack off his shoulder to stow it away as well.

"Xu Changying."

Zhao Yang stared at him, grinning through gritted teeth. "Once we get to Tokyo, we're gonna have words."