Chapter 397: Chapter 397: There’s a Mole in the Organization!
He scanned the adjutant on the opposite side, naturally not missing the main person of the meeting.
The lenses showed that Abigail had only one ability.
"Barrier" LV10 (restricted), golden.
—Patience and restraint are the prerequisites for achieving oneself.
This is where the Ability Store goes wrong. Sometimes you can roughly judge the effect of an ability from its description, but other times it’s just an incomprehensible phrase.
Take this barrier, for example; its description doesn’t make its purpose clear at all.
Nonetheless, Chen Xuan noticed two unusual aspects.
This was the first time he saw a level 10 golden ability. Having never seen level 11 and above, he boldly hypothesized early on that level 10 is the upper limit for abilities of the same tier, and beyond this they would ascend in rank.
However, gold is already the pinnacle of regular abilities, with only legendary abilities being rarer, colored like those with colorful names. The problem is that legendary abilities are unique, as exclusively discussed in the "Manager’s Code," meaning theoretically a LV10 golden ability indicates it has reached its zenith.
Training an ability to its extreme is quite challenging. How did Abigail achieve this?
Another unusual point is the word "restricted."
This was also the first time seeing such a case.
Is her ability incomplete? Or does using this ability require specific conditions?
Chen Xuan intentionally fired shots beside her cheeks, wanting to see if her blindfold had anything to do with these "restrictions." But the result proved her eyes weren’t blind and resembled green gems, and it was merely a simple black cloth that didn’t modify her ability.
"Is that so..." Honglian mused, "I thought her ability was related to mediation or adjudication."
"Because of her past conduct?" Chen Xuan laughed twice, "You clearly know that the kind of ability someone acquires is unrelated to their character. I think that in her eyes, power is the only effective means of intervening in disputes."
She puffed her cheeks, seemingly disagreeing with this viewpoint, but eventually didn’t argue.
Though they had registered a branch store outside New City, Honglian suggested flying to Australiel first, then return to the main store for full immigration records.
On the way back to the hotel, several police cars roared past them, likely heading toward the café.
Chen Xuan also noticed, despite the tall buildings flanking the streets and the endless stream of suit-clad office workers and foreign tourists, that when passing a few alleyways, he could still spot scattered wanderers in the dim corners. These people were either poorly dressed or wore stained clothing, huddling before tents made of cardboard and plastic sheets, staring blankly at the sky like human-shaped statues.
No one cared about them, nor did they care about themselves. Even less than five meters apart, they seemed to exist in another world.
This fall from grace was akin to the erosive point’s change.
The busiest area of New City was no exception, so elsewhere, it’s conceivable. Even with half a day before their scheduled flight, he had no interest in sightseeing, and upon returning to the hotel, he flopped right onto the sofa.
Unexpectedly, around six in the evening, someone knocked on the hotel door, and opening it, he discovered Abigail and Reid standing outside.
"Hello, may we come in?" Abigail asked.
She had switched to a new blindfold, only slightly different in color, and Chen Xuan even suspected that her wardrobe contained various colorful spares, much like Xiao Canong’s suits.
Before he could answer, Honglian had recognized their voice, and she walked to the door in surprise, "Why are you here?"
"There are still some things I want to say to you."
Honglian hesitated but didn’t choose to shut them out. She gave Chen Xuan a look before saying, "Come in, but we don’t have much time."
"I know, you’ve already booked a flight at eleven tonight; five hours is plenty."
"Is this also one of your privileges?" After they entered and the door was closed, "Checking into our lodging and itinerary, then ambushing us."
"If I couldn’t even obtain this bit of information, what else can we discuss about my job?" Abigail admitted openly, "But I originally thought I’d find two hotel rooms, but you only booked one."
That’s because they didn’t really need to spend the night here.
Though booking two days at the hotel, actually, Chen Xuan had to spend halftime considering future world activities.
"How many rooms we book is none of your business," Honglian said bluntly, "Say what you want now."
"I must first apologize to you both." To their surprise, Abigail lowered her head and bowed in apology, "In the afternoon meeting, I only considered the urgency of the situation and neglected you two... especially Honglian’s feelings."
Honglian froze at her bow.
Only after two or three seconds did she react and, somewhat unaccustomed, stepped forward to lift Abigail up, "Don’t think that just because you apologized, I will necessarily accept."
"Of course, but I had to say it." Abigail paused, "Additionally, I need to apologize for the fact that Reid used capabilities on you both, as a measure against the Evangelical Association. Since you haven’t been swayed by evangelicals, this precaution is unnecessary. Reid."
"Yes," the latter stepped forward and reached out to Chen Xuan, "I will now rescind the abilities from both of you."
Chen Xuan intentionally let him grasp his hand, and Reid’s expression changed instantly.
"What’s wrong?" Abigail noticed the peculiarity in the adjutant.
"He doesn’t have any ability traces on him." Reid also grasped Honglian’s hand, eyes revealing disbelief, "Neither does she."
"No wonder the agency found the Wanderers troublesome," Abigail nodded, as if she had foreseen this, "This is precisely the power we need."
Honglian furrowed her brow, "What do you mean?"
"I’ll be frank; I’m also looking for Rodiya."
Hearing this, Chen Xuan and Honglian exchanged glances.
"Really? Such coincidence?"
Abigail presented a photograph to the two, showcasing a young lady, at most seventeen or eighteen, with short green curls and a face full of freckles typical at that age, with a South American heritage. Her eyes didn’t look straight ahead, hinting at unspeakable fear.
"Honestly, receiving your email and knowing you’re also seeking this person left me as surprised as you two." She put away the photo and said, "A friend I hadn’t seen in over ten years, who works at the distant Jiang City branch, first hears of her betrayal against the agency, then asks me to find someone, and of all people, a defector from the Evangelical Association—isn’t that something to ponder?"
"A defector from the Evangelical Association?" Honglian was bewildered.
Chen Xuan also felt quite surprised; wasn’t this person supposed to be a core member of the agency? How did she inexplicably turn into an evangelical?
Maybe they just share the same name?
"Where is this person now?" He asked, "Do you have any clues?"
Verifying it is simple—finding her and scanning is enough. If she is who Lin mentioned, Prophet Rodiya, it can definitely be discerned from her abilities.
"Unfortunately, I had clues a week ago, but the situation has changed."
"Wait!" Honglian couldn’t help but interrupt, "Aren’t you from the disciplinary team? Why search for an Evangelical Association defector? Isn’t it the intelligence team’s or execution team’s job?"
"Because she fell into agency hands... To be exact, she voluntarily defected to us." Abigail calmly explained, "But a week ago, the Evangelical Association attacked the New City branch’s safe house, resulting in five deaths, and extensive evidence shows they were targeting this defector. After the assault, the safe house was completely destroyed, and Rodiya disappeared."
"What does this have to do with you?" Honglian rubbed her head, suddenly her expression froze, "Could the headquarters suspect a traitor in the New City branch?"
"It’s not just a traitor. I was ordered here to investigate, but I’ve faced setbacks everywhere." Abigail paused, enunciating each word, "I’m afraid the Evangelical Association has infiltrated the organization."
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