Chapter 385: Chapter 385: Each with Their Own Agenda
"What is this?" Lin examined the small paper box with a frown.
Chen Xuan proactively opened the box and took out the item inside. "This is called a music box. They’re quite rare now, so I thought I’d give it to you as a keepsake."
Lin was slightly taken aback. "A music... box?"
Chen Xuan turned the knob, wound it up, and placed it on the table. Pleasant music instantly emanated from the box.
This was a gift he had carefully considered—a piece that was both nostalgic and unique in style. The music it played wasn’t the focus; the appeal was its materials and craftsmanship: a semi-surrounding base made of pure gold paired with a rotating crystal prism, making its overall design resemble an engine. The inner cover was made of diamond, transparent and brilliantly fiery, through which one could see the rollers and gears made of various gemstones... This wasn’t a discarded toy from Jiang City but a luxury item custom-ordered from Beitian Academy.
The value of high-priced antiques doesn’t come from age alone.
They’re valuable from the moment they’re created.
Even if Lin had never seen a music box, she would still be attracted to these sparkling elements.
Sure enough, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. "Are you sure you want to give it to me?"
"Yes, it would be a shame to leave it in the shelter," Chen Xuan nodded.
"Thank you." Lin couldn’t help but show a hint of delight. "This is the first time someone has given me a gift. People on the ground are indeed different."
Others wouldn’t even dare to initiate conversation with you, let alone give you something. Chen Xuan smiled, "As long as you like it."
The banquet finally concluded amidst joyous laughter.
He, along with the stationmaster and others, escorted the Mechanism guests back to the spaceship. As they were parting, Lin specifically waved to Chen Xuan.
However, as soon as the hatch closed, she immediately took out the music box and handed it to her assistant, "Check if there’s anything wrong with it. Don’t break it, or else you’ll be in trouble."
"Yes." The latter respectfully accepted it with both hands.
"What’s that?" Captain Makarov asked.
Lin glanced at him. Although she was the most capable in this group of agents, Makarov was the nominal commander. "It’s a small gift."
"Oh? You accepted something from someone else?" Makarov teased, "Did that kid give it to you?"
"Is there a problem?" Lin frowned unhappily.
"Of course not." He wasn’t concerned about the chill emanating from his colleague. "Who would’ve thought there’d be such a person in Jiang City... No wonder it’s the legendary place of origin. If he joined the Mechanism, what level do you think he’d be evaluated at?"
"Level five at least." She succinctly replied.
Level five was the entry threshold for the Arbitration Court.
Most of Makarov’s colleagues were level three Ability Users—even after years of scientific training. A wild level five user might not be unprecedented, but it was at least one in a million. It requires not only talent but also frequent use of these abilities.
"No wonder you value him so much." Makarov rubbed his chin. "Though the database didn’t find any information on him, we can’t rule out the possibility he’s a spy from another organization."
After all, Ability User organizations don’t only consist of the Dimensional Limit Mechanism and Evangelical Association.
"I know, that’s why I suggested making him a liaison." Lin said impatiently, "It’s both recruitment and surveillance—keep him nearby, so any issues can be detected early. If anything unusual happens, I’ll deal with him personally."
"Well, as long as you have it under control."
After a while, the assistant returned with the inspection results. "Multidimensional scan shows no anomalies, the materials seem normal, and there’s no sign of active nanobots."
"So it really is just a pure piece of art?" Makarov chuckled, "Congratulations."
"Hmph." Lin ignored him, taking the music box back to her cabin.
Winding it up, she placed this exquisite gift on the table, then sat down and gazed at it for a while. But the monotonous sound and rotation soon bored her, and she yawned and headed to the bathroom.
...
At midnight, the metro station’s residential power supply was cut off, and the lights in the rented rooms went out one by one, leaving only two kerosene lamps emitting a faint glow.
Chen Xuan nodded at Xu Xuanling, who pulled out an Invisibility Talisman, pinched it between two fingers, and immediately hid themselves as well as Little Pigeon and Liuli from sight.
"Wow..." Wang Baihu, nearby, exclaimed, "You really can’t see anything at all!"
"You and Honglian stay here. Inform us immediately if anything happens," Chen Xuan instructed.
"No problem," he agreed readily.
"Are you really going?" Honglian asked hesitantly. She had heard Chen Xuan’s entire plan but still felt some concern about him going into Mechanism territory alone.
"It’s the best opportunity. To get firsthand intel, you have to take some risks, right?" Chen Xuan said confidently. "Besides, with Liuli and Xu Xuanling, there’s basically no chance of anything going wrong. Let’s go."
Seeing his confidence, Honglian could only nod and opened the door for them.
The four held hands, with Xu Xuanling leading the way, and quietly emerged onto the surface under the cover of night at the metro station.
Neither the guards on duty on the watchtower nor the patrolling robots within the barbed wire noticed their departure.
The microwave radar and infrared devices on the metro station’s billboards could detect them, but these warning systems mainly covered the surrounding neighborhoods and didn’t guard against people leaving from inside the base.
They chose a direction completely opposite to the camp, skirting half of the Sha River, before approaching the spaceship landing site. Now the two were less than a hundred meters apart, with a row of abandoned three-story houses in between.
These houses were undoubtedly excellent cover.
The metro station personnel knew this, so warning signs were posted outside the buildings, claiming there were various booby traps inside to deter any survivors from entering.
Chen Xuan and the others stopped in the alley between two houses.
From here, they could see the spaceship’s upper outline from a distance, its titanium alloy shell reflecting a cold light under the searchlights.
"Is this distance enough?" he asked Little Pigeon.
The latter roughly estimated and replied, "It should be able to receive the signal."
"It’s okay if not. We can move closer if needed." Chen Xuan removed his backpack and took out another music box from it—it looked identical to the one he had given away, but it was completely different inside. He first activated "Shifting Form and Shadow," swapping the positions of the two music boxes instantly.
This wasn’t the first time he’d "borrowed" Honglian’s ability. As long as you became a store employee, the manager could directly access their abilities through the app without asking for their opinion. Of course... Chen Xuan would never do that; he made sure to get their consent before borrowing each time.
Little Pigeon set up an antenna on the spot, connected it to a portable power source he carried with him, and began capturing information from the spaceship. This other music box could also play music, but it had a micro-camera on the bottom to capture the surroundings.
They first needed to determine exactly where this music box was placed.
This was also part of Chen Xuan’s gift selection criteria: it couldn’t be too far from Lin, nor too close. An art-like display piece would likely meet these conditions.
After fiddling for a while, a grainy image finally appeared on the laptop.
It seemed to be a bedroom.
The room’s lights were off, and it was silent without a sound. Gently turning the camera, Chen Xuan saw the surface of a table, two ballpoint pens, and an embedded wall bed. On the bed lay a person, whose silhouette indicated it was undoubtedly Lin.
"Not bad luck," Liuli murmured.
"Indeed." Chen Xuan clenched his fist. This was one of the best scenarios. The only concern was whether the table could support him. But there was no point in waiting for a more perfect situation. "I’ll go over now."
"Rest assured, if Master encounters danger, I’ll even lift that iron shell to ensure your safe return," Xu Xuanling said with a chuckle, seeming to underestimate the ability users of the Mechanism.
Chen Xuan hesitated no longer; he took a deep breath and immediately activated "King’s Castle"!
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