Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Seven kilometers outside an abandoned mining area in the northern suburbs of Dingbei City, there is a cluster of low-rise industrial bungalows.

The exterior walls of the bungalow were painted with a grayish-blue paint that had long since peeled off, revealing the dark red bricks underneath.

This used to be the office area of ​​a coal mine. After the mine was shut down, the building changed hands several times before finally falling into the hands of the Black Falcon organization.

They used a shell company called "Beiling Trading" as a cover and transformed this row of bungalows into a temporary base.

At this moment, the stronghold was packed with people.

All the remaining members of the Black Falcon organization stationed in Shannan Province, a total of twenty-three people, are gathered here.

They have just finished an emergency meeting.

The group leader in charge of Shannan Province affairs is named Qin Yan.

He was in his early forties, with an ordinary appearance and medium build. He wore silver-rimmed glasses on his nose and looked very gentle.

But the Black Falcon organization members were afraid of him.

Because he always had a kind smile on his face when he did it.

Qin Yan sat behind a simple conference table made of wooden planks, with a topographical map of Dingbei City spread out in front of him.

The image shows more than a dozen locations circled, some marked with a red cross, and others marked with a question mark.

He liked the feeling of having everything marked on a map.

That would make him feel like he has everything under control.

"Has everyone arrived?"

Qin Yan pushed up his glasses, his voice low and carrying a scholarly composure.

Standing to his left was a burly man with a crew cut named Luo Kui, the tactical team leader of Black Falcon in Shannan Province.

He nodded: "Everyone who can move has arrived. A small team was wiped out in Shanyang, and the rest have all retreated. Including those transferred from Dingbei, there are a total of twenty-three."

"Where are the weapons?"

"We still have four rocket launchers, twelve thermobaric rounds, and thirty neurotoxin injections, which is enough. We also have armor-piercing and incendiary rounds in stock. In addition, the 'Black Ring' mind suppressor that was recently transported from Kitahara has been assembled."

When Luo Kui spoke the last few words, he lowered his voice to a very low level, as if afraid of being overheard by those outside.

Qin Yan hummed in agreement, his gaze remaining fixed on the map.

"What did they say?"

Luo Kui's face darkened.

"The higher-ups said that Li Su must be dealt with, by any means necessary. If that fails, expose her to the authorities and let them wear her down. But under no circumstances can she fall into the hands of the Star Federation, and she must not be allowed to continue investigating the source of the experimental subjects."

Qin Yan chuckled softly.

"Those in power are still so protective of their reputation."

He reached out and tapped a spot on the map.

Has her movement pattern changed?

"Yes." Luo Kui stepped forward and pointed to an area on the west side of the map.

"Five days ago, she appeared in northern Dingbei. At that time, she should have gone to the underground warehouse of the Five Mountains Society. Our people did not dare to get close, but only observed her coming out of it with a group of children from the outside."

Qin Yan raised an eyebrow.

"She rescued the person?"

"Yes. Twelve. They should all be experimental subjects that Zhong Lin transferred back then. She dropped the children off at the entrance of the Dingbei City Public Security Bureau and left, heading west, and then disappeared completely."

Qin Yan remained silent for a few seconds, his finger unconsciously tracing names along the edge of the map.

"If those children fall into the hands of the authorities, all the leads on the Five Mountains Society will be cut off. Huo Kun's warehouse has been raided, Yan Tingyao's side is finished, and the Five Mountains Society's influence in Shannan will be basically wiped out. Now, there is only one person whose origins we can still trace."

He raised his eyes and looked at Luo Kui.

"She knows about us."

Luo Kui was taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

"She killed one of our squads in San'yō. Before she died, the squad leader recruited the Black Falcon organization and mentioned Kitahara. Given her rate of ability growth and perception range at the time, she must have remembered our organization's characteristics. She didn't disappear these past five days. She's been looking for us."

Qin Yan spoke calmly, with even a hint of appreciation on his face.

"A woman who was being hunted by the authorities and targeted by the Five Mountains Alliance was able to extricate herself in such a short time and investigate a foreign organization that had been lurking for more than ten years. Her combat instincts are ridiculously strong."

Luo Kui's expression grew increasingly grim.

"So she might be near Dingbei right now?"

Qin Yan nodded.

"Not just possible, it's highly likely."

He stood up, walked around to the front of the map, and pointed to the abandoned mining area in the northern suburbs of Dingbei City.

"She killed the Five Mountains Society members here. Afterwards, she took the child to the police station, headed west, and disappeared. To the west is the old industrial area, where our three safe houses are located. If she's going to investigate, she'll definitely check the safe houses first."

Qin Yan turned around and looked around at the people around him.

"Why would a woman who can fly spend five days walking on the ground?"

No one spoke.

Qin Yan took over the conversation himself.

"She's concealing her presence, trying not to be detected by the satellites in the sky or the signal stations on the ground. She's learning to be a hunter. We don't have much time left. She'll find us here soon."

Luo Kui gritted his teeth and slammed his right fist on the table.

"Then what are we waiting for! Let's make our move first! Lay landmines and infrared detectors around the area, and set up some decoys to lure her over. Let's catch her off guard!"

Qin Yan glanced at him and slowly shook his head.

"She is an Awakened One, not an ordinary enemy. If you plant mines, she will use her telekinesis to dig them all out. If you set up infrared detectors, her mental power can sense all the hidden electromagnetic signals. If you set up decoys, she won't fall for it, because she knows better than any of us that those decoys are not us."

He walked back to the table and picked up a gray metal box.

The box was opened, revealing a black, round disc about the size of a fingernail.

"This is the newly arrived 'Black Ring.' It can release a special wave frequency that interferes with the mental perception of the awakened. However, its range is only fifteen meters. Within fifteen meters, it can reduce the accuracy of her psychic powers and impair her physical coordination. Beyond fifteen meters, it is basically ineffective."

Luo Kui's eyes lit up.

"Then put it in the hallway. When she rushes in, open it. There are twenty-three of us, twenty-four guns. I don't believe we can't cripple a suppressed awakened one."

Qin Yan nodded.

"So, don't make the battlefield out in the open. Let her in. This outpost looks dilapidated, but the walls are 60-centimeter-thick brick and concrete structures, and there are ventilation shafts from an old mine underground. If she tries to tear down the building, we'll go through the tunnels. If she wants to come in, we'll fight in the corridor."

He closed the box and handed it to Luo Kui.

"Have everyone put on their gas masks. Set up six more nerve gas spray points in the corridor. She can float in the air, but she can't stop breathing. If the gas concentration is high enough, her reaction speed will slow down after she inhales a single gas. At that point, fire a salvo of armor-piercing and incendiary rounds."