At 7pm, after Lu Zexuan left, Yu Ran came to the White Tower Restaurant alone for dinner. He saw Tang Ce, Lin Fengyao and Lu Xiaolong also eating in the restaurant, so he walked over and said hello: "Have you been out playing these past two days?"
Tang Ce said: "I didn't go out. I watched a few movies in the dormitory."
Lu Xiaolong scratched his head and smiled: "I went to buy some snacks."
Lin Fengyao patted his shoulder: "I knew that your only interest was eating. Give me some snacks later." She looked at Yu Ran and gossiped in a low voice: "Ran Ran, how are you and Captain Lu? Did you go out on a date these two days?"
Yu Ran smiled sheepishly: "We went to the park yesterday, and this morning, he took me to buy some clothes."
Lu Xiaolong looked envious: "You two have such a good relationship. When can I meet my own guide?"
Tang Ce smiled and said, "Brother Long, you are so handsome, I will definitely meet you."
Lin Fengyao asked in confusion: "By the way, didn't Captain Lu come with you for supper?"
Yu Ran said, "He went to have dinner with a friend and will be back before 11pm."
Lin Fengyao laughed: "Captain Lu is such a good boyfriend. He always tells you what he does and what time he comes back."
Yu Ran's ears turned red: "He's probably afraid that I'll worry."
Several people ate and chatted, and after finishing their meal, they went back to their dormitories to rest. Tang Ce was new this year, so his dormitory was arranged on another floor. He pretended to go upstairs, but after the elevator arrived, he quietly changed to another elevator and came to the floor where Yu Ran lived.
Tang Ce leaped from a blind spot in the surveillance camera, and his body quickly changed color, blending perfectly with the ceiling.
Yu Ran walked to the door of the dormitory, opened it, and suddenly felt a breeze blowing past his ears. He walked into the room calmly, locked the door, and took the opportunity to climb into the room. Tang Ce then jumped down and revealed his whereabouts.
Yu Ran used his mind tentacles to connect with him and said in his mind: "Major Tang, did you find anything?"
Tang Ce said, "That day on the starship, I secretly went out to investigate, and Lv Xiaolong happened to appear in the warehouse. At that time, I thought he was just stealing things in stealth, but now I think about it, he might be pretending to steal things and eavesdropping on other people's movements. In the past few days, I asked some old team members, and they all said that Lv Xiaolong is a foodie. Many people have seen him stealing food in the middle of the night. Moreover, he often goes out to buy snacks."
Yu Ran frowned slightly when he heard this: "Do you often go to buy snacks?"
Tang Ce said, "A sentinel of the Chameleon Spirit should not have a big appetite. I learned from Sister Bird that he bought a batch of snacks before he left last time. It hasn't even been a week yet, so he couldn't have eaten them all, right? So I guess buying snacks is just an excuse, and being a foodie is a persona he deliberately created. Maybe he's using the excuse of buying snacks to go out and meet someone?"
Yu Ran thought about it carefully and said, "That's possible. What's going on with Moore?"
"Moir went out all day on Saturday and looked very bad when he came back. He didn't go out on Sunday." Tang Ce paused and said, "Xiong Kai was the same. He went out all day on Saturday and didn't go out on Sunday. I have carefully observed the others. A few of them went home to visit their parents. Most of the other sentinels went out in groups, to places like basketball halls, boxing gyms, and swimming pools. There was nothing suspicious."
Sentinels are energetic and love sports, so it is no problem for them to exercise together during their rest time.
Yu Ran nodded: "I understand. Be careful and don't get targeted by the traitor."
Tang Ce said, "Don't worry. Captain Lu will be back soon, right? I'll withdraw first."
Yu Ran turned around and opened the door. Tang Ce jumped onto the ceiling and his body quickly disappeared from sight.
***
At 10:30 in the evening, Lu Zexuan returned to the White Tower on time. He happened to meet Xiong Kai in the corridor.
Seeing Xiong Kai sneaking around the door of his dormitory, Lu Zexuan whispered, "Deputy Captain Xiong, are you here to see me?"
Xiong Kai laughed dryly and scratched his head: "I have something to discuss with you."
Lu Zexuan said, "Let's talk inside."
Yu Ran was thinking about something in the room. When he heard the noise outside, he immediately adjusted his expression. The moment Lu Zexuan opened the door, Yu Ran's face was already filled with a simple and lovely smile. He stepped forward and said, "You're back?"
After that, he took the coat from Lu Zexuan very naturally and hung it on the hanger beside him, looking like a considerate boyfriend. He kept looking at Lu Zexuan, and then he noticed Xiong Kai behind Lu Zexuan and asked in surprise: "Deputy Captain Xiong is here too?"
Xiong Kai looked embarrassed and greeted Yu Ran: "Guide Yu, I, I want to talk to Captain Lu about something."
Yu Ran said, "Come in quickly."
Xiong Kai walked into the room, hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "Captain, I want to apply for retirement. I will not go with you on this mission."
Lu Zexuan and Yu Ran looked at each other—
What was going on? The undercover agent they suspected at the beginning was actually running away midway
Lu Zexuan narrowed his eyes slightly: "Why did you suddenly apply for retirement?"
Xiong Kai's face flushed, "My father has always wanted me to go back to the Capital Planet to work. When he heard that a member of the Falcon Special Forces nearly died in this mission, he took the initiative to submit an application for retirement for me... I'm sorry, Captain Lu, I know this is equivalent to desertion, and I also hope to fight alongside you. But my grandmother has been in poor health for the past two years and has been recuperating. She brought me up, and I want to go back and take care of her for a while."
Xiong Kai has served in the Falcon Special Forces for seven and a half years. According to regulations, a sentinel can only retire after serving for eight years. However, in special circumstances, an application can be made one year in advance. Xiong Kai's father works in Congress and is worried about his son's life safety, so it makes sense for him to apply for retirement directly.
But if Xiong Kai left the team, it meant that he was not an undercover agent planted by the Dark Night Organization. Then, why was he observing him silently? Yu Ran looked at the deputy captain in front of him in confusion.
Lu Zexuan said bluntly: "Since your father has submitted his application for retirement, let's follow the normal procedures. You have served in the team for seven and a half years, which is long enough. If you want to go back to take care of your family, it is your personal choice. I will not interfere."
Xiong Kai bowed deeply to Lu Zexuan and whispered, "Captain Lu, you are the most responsible captain I have ever met. I have gained a lot from following you over the years. After retiring, I will work at the Capital Planet's Security Bureau. If you need me in the future, just let me know."
Lu Zexuan patted his shoulder and said, "Well, work hard in your new unit and we'll see each other again if there's a chance. Do you want me to arrange a farewell banquet for you?"
Lu Zexuan nodded: "Okay, then go ahead."
Xiong Kai turned and left, and the tall spiritual brown bear followed behind him with his head hung, seeming a little lost.
After he left, Lu Zexuan and Yu Ran looked at each other in bewilderment.
Yu Ran immediately used his mind tentacles to contact Lu Zexuan: "Have you found out anything? Why did Xiong Kai suddenly want to leave?"
Lu Zexuan said, "I sent someone to follow him and found that he had a strong anti-reconnaissance awareness and drove to a hot spring hotel in the suburbs on Saturday. Qi An, the deputy chief of the investigation department, is his sister and also went to the same hotel that day. The two should have met."
Qi An is Xiong Kai's sister, Yu Ran had already deduced this.
Yu Ran stroked his chin thoughtfully. After a moment, he suddenly thought of a possibility: "I see. Xiong Kai is not an undercover agent of the Dark Night Organization—he is an undercover agent of the Investigation Department! He is investigating me in secret according to the instructions of Zhu Tianyi and his sister."
Lu Zexuan thought about it carefully and felt that it was possible: "Zhu Tianyi has always suspected that you are related to the killing of the officials on Planet B73. Xiong Kai happens to be Qi An's younger brother and works in the Falcon Special Forces. So, he asked Xiong Kai to secretly observe you to see if there is anything wrong with you?"
Yu Ran nodded and followed Lu Zexuan's speculation and said, "During this mission, you were overwhelmed by the beasts, and I rushed to save you regardless of my own life. Xiong Kai probably thought that I didn't look like a murderer. He went to the hot spring hotel yesterday, most likely to report the results of the investigation to his sister. His family has a strong background, and his father didn't want him to work in the dangerous Falcon Special Forces, so he helped him apply for retirement?"
This way the logic can be straightened out. Xiong Kai has been secretly observing Yu Ran and Lu Zexuan, but this has nothing to do with the Dark Night Organization. He is helping the Investigation Department. But if Xiong Kai has nothing to do with the Dark Night Organization, then the undercover agent of the Investigation Department may not be his sister Qi An.
The configuration of the Investigation Section is S-level Sentinel Section Chief Zhu Tianyi, plus two A-level guides, Deputy Section Chief Qi An and Chief Interrogator Kellogg.
Zhu Tianyi's spider web binding, Kellogg's butterfly mental illusion, Qi An's bee wide-area surveillance, all three are very powerful. If Qi An is not an undercover agent of the Dark Night Organization, then... could it be Kellogg
Yu Ran recalled the time when Kellogg had suddenly invaded him unexpectedly when he was interrogating him.
Logically speaking, he was playing the role of a C-level guide at the time, and Kellogg didn't need to interrogate a C-level guide so cruelly. If he interrogated him wrongly, it would easily cause the other party to have a mental breakdown. However, Kellogg still launched a surprise attack with butterflies and searched Yu Ran's mental picture in a very powerful way.
Unless, he already knew Yu Ran's identity at that time, and the surprise interrogation was just to see if there was any doubt about Yu Ran.
Yu Ran recalled the scene yesterday when the mantis of Adeline and her sister forcibly invaded her mental image.
This style of painting... is surprisingly similar
On the day of the dinner, Kellogg did not come directly to the scene, but he must have been outside to meet them. In other words, if he was an undercover agent of the Dark Night Organization in the Investigation Department, he could also find a way to get the information from Zhu Tianyi after Yu Ran failed, after all, he was the highest interrogator of the Investigation Department.
Moreover, he could also do something during the interrogation of Adeline.
Yu Ran's thoughts were connected to Lu Zexuan, and his thoughts were also transmitted to Lu Zexuan's mind at the same time.
Lu Zexuan pondered for a moment and said, "Your analysis makes sense. When Kellogg suddenly interrogated you, I felt something was wrong. His interrogation method has always been fierce, but if he interrogates a C-level guide mentally, it may cost someone's life if he makes a mistake. It seems that he knows that you have strong mental strength and will not collapse under the interrogation. The sudden attack on you is just a test of whether you have the ability to work for the organization?"
Yu Ran nodded and said, "That makes sense. Moreover, Kellogg is a growth-type guide who has grown from C-level to A-level. I suspect that his mental power is not just A-level. If his colorful butterflies can reproduce infinitely, his mental power should be able to reach S-level."
The two looked at each other.
The Dark Night Organization is truly omnipresent and has spies in every department.
No wonder Zhu Tianyi has not made any progress in the investigation. Maybe Kellogg tampered with the investigation report. The mental images of the two sentinels who attacked each other and died on the space starship were completely destroyed by Yu Ran. Even if Kellogg found something, he would not tell Chief Zhu.
Section Chief Zhu is on the President's side, and the Investigation Section is an independent investigation agency. Assuming that the President has not been bribed, then the Dark Night Organization is likely to get rid of Zhu Tianyi, or let undercovers control Zhu Tianyi, thereby misleading the President's information judgment.
It seems that Section Chief Zhu is as dangerous as Lu Zexuan.
The situation gradually became clear. Yu Ran looked at Lu Zexuan and said, "Since Xiong Kai has left the team, then the Dark Night Organization must have planted someone else as the spy in the team. Do you have any new discoveries?"
Lu Zexuan said: "There is another one, Lu Xiaolong."
This answer coincides with Tang Ce's inference.
It was obvious that Lu Xiaolong and Xiong Kai did not know each other, otherwise, if they cooperated, Tang Ce might not be able to find out anything.
Now it seems that Xiong Kai is an assistant of the Investigation Department. He is not an undercover sent by Zhu Tianyi in advance. It's just that he happens to be Qi An's younger brother and works in the Falcon Special Warfare Team. Therefore, Section Chief Zhu asked him to secretly investigate Yu Ran. That's why he would observe Yu Ran quietly.
And Lu Xiaolong is the dark night organization's most hidden undercover agent.
He has been a member of the special operations team for five and a half years. When he reported to the team, the captain was still Major General Lu Chengan.
Yu Ran asked, "Lu Xiaolong, I saw him at dinner just now, and he said he went to buy snacks on Saturday."
A sharp gleam flashed in Lu Zexuan's eyes: "It is more likely that he went to meet the informant under the pretext of buying snacks. Moreover, I suspect that my brother's sudden madness was also related to this Lu Xiaolong."
Yu Ran was surprised and asked, "Did your brother suddenly go berserk?"
Lu Zexuan nodded and said, "Before he left that day, he ate a pack of biscuits that Lu Xiaolong gave him."
(End of this chapter)