Qin Xun was quite satisfied with Su Mo’s answer.
“What a phrase—’half passion, half fervor.’ The genuine spirit of a young person really can’t be faked.”
He really liked these eight words from Su Mo. Somehow, he felt this disciple of his seemed more like a boy, because her way of doing things and her personality weren’t typical for a girl.
Qin Xun tapped his index finger on the stone table, producing a rhythmic tap-tap-tap, as if deep in thought.
After a long moment.
He sighed and said, “The Commander wants to see you. Go now.”
Su Mo was puzzled. “Shouldn’t I be heading to the Elite Camp? There’s something else?”
“You’ll find out when you get there. He’s already made the arrangements for you.”
“Alright then. Master, please rest. I’ll take my leave.”
Su Mo left the courtyard and headed straight for headquarters. On the way, she happened to see Xiao He, who was walking from the direction of the cemetery, carrying a basket.
Hiss… no wonder she looked familiar. So it was her I met at the cemetery that time.
Su Mo went up and greeted her proactively. Xiao He looked very happy.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they went their separate ways, like familiar strangers.
Arriving at the Commander’s residence, it seemed Nangong Xuan had already been waiting for her.
Yang He and Li Guozhong were also there; the two of them were now Nangong Xuan’s capable assistants in handling affairs.
“You’re here.”
Su Mo grinned. “Commander, do you have a mission for me?”
Nangong Xuan’s expression was calm. “Why would you think that?”
Su Mo said seriously, “Just a guess.”
Nangong Xuan: “…”
His impression of Su Mo had always been good, mainly because she treated everyone the same, never bowing or scraping to anyone based on status.
In this girl’s eyes, it seemed there were only distinctions like acquaintances and strangers, elders and peers, friends and enemies.
See, even when speaking to him, she was this casual.
“Yang He, tell her.”
Nangong Xuan poured himself a cup of tea, exuding the demeanor of a top brass.
Of course, he was the top brass.
Yang He was an old acquaintance. He smiled and said, “It’s like this. We recently caught a spy. Her build is quite similar to yours.”
“And so?” Su Mo already had an idea but still pretended not to know.
Yang He didn’t beat around the bush either, explaining directly: “This spy’s parents are both from the Island Nation, and so is she. However, she was sent to Xia Country to grow up from a young age, so her Japanese isn’t great, but her Chinese is quite good.”
He paused, then continued, “So, we were thinking you could assume her identity and infiltrate the Island Nation to participate in the Temple Secret Realm held every five years.”
Su Mo’s face fell. “Commander Yang, are you implying my foreign languages are poor? I speak English quite fluently now.”
Yang He looked torn between laughter and tears. “No, I’m just stating the facts.”
Li Guozhong, busy looking at his computer nearby, seemed to be handling some matter and completely missed their conversation.
“You know me, I’m not cut out for such delicate work. Killing people is more my style,” Su Mo declined.
Yang He quickly listed the benefits: “The Temple Secret Realm doesn’t just have divine medicine that can restore one’s foundation, but also many rare natural treasures, secret techniques, and magical artifacts. It’s one of the world’s four most mysterious secret realms.”
Su Mo waited for him to continue, but saw Yang He return to his seat and pull out a file. “This contains all the information about her, plus resources for crash-learning Japanese. Please, Elder Ye, don’t refuse. The capable should do more.”
“And I have to learn Japanese too? My time is already tight…”
Suddenly, Nangong Xuan slapped a golden card onto the table with a smack. “A Gold Card for the Starry Sky Auction. Fewer than ten exist globally. It allows half-price bidding and has a remaining balance of twenty million.”
The words died in Su Mo’s throat. She silently picked up the gold card from the table, glanced at Yang He, and without hesitation took the folder from his hand.
The Starry Sky Auction! Rumor had it it was the most luxurious, highest-level auction globally, filled with countless rare treasures. Its location was Starry Sky Island, which was also where the Elite Camp was held.
“What exactly do I need to do?”
Yang He was taken aback, then offered a somewhat stiff smile. “Come with me. We have specialists to train you for this.”
Su Mo gave an “Oh” and followed Yang He out. As she left, she glanced at Nangong Xuan and saw him frowning, looking troubled.
After she was completely gone, Li Guozhong suddenly asked with a furrowed brow, “Commander, why does our own Bei Dou member need incentives to work for us?”
Nangong Xuan glanced at him and said mildly, “Because she’s worth it. Anyway, the value she brings back always far exceeds what we give her. Since that’s the case, why not make everyone happy?”
Li Guozhong found it hard to accept for a moment, but could only sigh. “Alright then…”
…
Su Mo followed Yang He to the dungeon. Unlike the dungeons on TV, there was no smell of decay or dampness here; the air was surprisingly fresh.
“The prisoners live quite well,” Su Mo remarked.
Yang He smiled. “Well, it’s a new era. We at least have to ensure the health of our brothers on duty here.”
That made sense. Su Mo nodded in agreement.
Going inside, there were surveillance cameras every few steps, monitoring every corner of the dungeon.
And these were just the obvious ones. Some were hidden; who knew what they captured.
The dungeon had three levels, with the security level increasing the lower you went.
Their destination was the very bottom level. The prisoners here either had important statuses or possessed great power.
Clearly, the woman before them belonged to the former category.
“The ‘specialist training’ Commander Yang mentioned… it’s not her personally, is it?” Su Mo didn’t understand, but was greatly shocked.
Realizing the misunderstanding, Yang He quickly explained, “No, the one we caught isn’t her. That one doesn’t have such a high status. The one before us is one of our own.”
One of our own?
Su Mo was shocked once again.
Why would one of our own be imprisoned here?
Seeing her confusion, Yang He continued explaining: “This is a deep undercover agent we planted in another country. She had to return due to certain circumstances.”
Su Mo suddenly understood. “So, I’m taking over her shift?”
“Not exactly. Someone else is taking over her shift. Your main tasks are in the documents I gave you. The specific details will be explained to you by Wei Yang.”
After saying this, Su Mo was also locked in the cell. Yang He waved goodbye.
If it weren’t for the fact that she wasn’t shackled with special restraints on her hands and feet like the other prisoners, Su Mo might have suspected she was being accused of colluding with the enemy and imprisoned.
Su Mo was locked in with Wei Yang, who was scrutinizing her carefully from head to toe, as if trying to see right through her.
“Hello, Senior Wei Yang,” Su Mo greeted proactively.
Wei Yang started, quickly correcting her, “Elder Ye, please don’t call me that. It makes me nervous…”
The atmosphere turned awkward. Both fell silent simultaneously.