Remove all restrictions and transform into a bizarre girl.

The call has ended.

Chen Nian put the terminal down. The screen still showed the call log, which lasted for less than a minute.

She leaned against the window frame, looking at the night outside. The streetlights cast a warm yellow glow on the road below the dormitory building. Several people were walking by, chatting and laughing, their voices coming through the window, becoming indistinct and distant.

She sat for a while, then jumped down from the windowsill, hung up her coat, and tidied up the things on the table.

The paper with Mao Zedong's image on it was still in the drawer. She glanced at it, but didn't take it out; she simply closed the drawer gently.

"It's time to make money."

The next morning, Chen Nian woke up half an hour earlier than usual.

After washing up, changing clothes, and having breakfast, I rode my motorcycle to the west side of the Bureau of Paranormal Affairs at around 9:50 a.m.

The corridor was quiet; most of the class staff were at work at this time, and only her footsteps echoed in the empty hallway.

The door at the end of the third-floor corridor was ajar, with a small nameplate hanging on it. After confirming that this was the place, Chen Nian raised her hand and knocked twice.

"Come in," Xu Xue's voice came from inside.

Chen Nian pushed open the door and went in. The office wasn't big, but it was very tidy.

A desk, two filing cabinets, and a base map on the wall.

Xu Xue sat behind the table with a stack of documents and several photos spread out in front of her. When she saw Chen Nian come in, she raised her chin and gestured to the chair opposite her.

"Have a seat." Xu Xue pushed the stack of documents towards her. "This is all the information you requested."

Chen Nian sat down, picked up the top photo and glanced at it. The photo was a close-up of a mine entrance. The color of the ore on the cave wall was similar to that of the previous mining area in Zone C, but the texture was obviously different, with a denser, branching structure like blood vessels.

"This is an image I captured from the monitoring terminal outside the mining area the day after the problem was discovered," Xu Xue's voice came from across the table.

Listening to Xu Xue's words, Chen Nian flipped through the photos, looking at each one very carefully.

The vein-like mineral texture in the photo reminded her of the attachments around the fleshy cocoons she had seen deep in the mining area before. They were similar in shape, but this time they were denser and more concentrated.

"It's too risky for me to go alone," Xu Xue said. "I need your ice-based abilities to control the temperature near the ore vein. Those things are very sensitive to temperature; low temperatures can put them into a dormant state, giving us time to collect samples and identify the source. Even if we encounter danger, your Sequence Seven abilities can handle it."

Chen Nian put down the last photo, looked up at Xu Xue, and asked, "You said you were 30% sure, so what's the other 70% risk?"

Xu Xue tapped her fingers lightly on the table twice, then said, "The remaining 70% is because I haven't figured out its activity patterns yet. Those veins move, and the rhythm of their movement doesn't have a clear pattern. We may only have a very short window of opportunity to operate; once we miss it, we'll have to tough it out."

Chen Nian looked at the photos and maps spread out on the table without saying a word.

The faint sound of an emergency call bell and the rustling of the wind through the treetops could be heard outside the office window.

After a few seconds, she reached out and picked up the photo on the top of the table, flipped it over, and saw several lines of handwritten data written in pencil on the back.

"When do we leave?" Chen Nian asked.

Xu Xue's expression relaxed slightly: "This afternoon. The sooner the better. I'll prepare the car and equipment."

"Okay." Chen Nian put the photo back on the table, stood up, and said, "See you at the school gate this afternoon."

When we came out of the Bureau of Paranormal Affairs, the sun was already directly overhead, illuminating the street brightly.

Chen Nian got on the motorcycle, but didn't start the engine immediately. Instead, she sat on the seat and mentally planned out the rest of the time. She would go back for lunch, and whether or not to tell Su Wanqing and the others was still up for consideration.

After all, it's still a bit dangerous here.

She twisted the throttle, the motorcycle engine gave a deep roar, and it sped out of the block.

When I got back to school, I saw Su Wanqing coming out of the cafeteria with a lollipop in her mouth. When she saw Chen Nian's car parked at the cafeteria entrance, she turned and came over, saying, "Niannian, where did you go this morning? I couldn't find you for lunch."

"I went out to take care of some errands." Chen Nian took off his helmet, put away his motorcycle, and continued, "I might have to go out this afternoon."

Su Wanqing's expression immediately changed, and she took the lollipop out of her mouth. She grabbed Chen Nian's hand and said, "Going out? Where to? To the front lines again?"

"How could that be? We're all back now, why would we go back to the front lines?"

"Oh, what is it?"

"I'm just doing a part-time job. You all know I borrowed so much money from Sister Anya back then, and I have to pay it back when I'm in this business."

"Okay." Su Wanqing pouted and didn't ask any further questions.

Chen Nian patted Su Wanqing on the shoulder: "Don't worry, it's just a normal investigation mission. I went out with a senior student, and she's prepared everything. You and Luo Ling stay at school and have fun. I'll bring you snacks when I get back."

"It's a deal then." Su Wanqing finally released her arms, but her expression still held a hint of worry. "Take care of yourself, and message me if anything happens."

"I know." Chen Nian waved to her and turned to walk into the cafeteria.

As Chen Nian reached the stairwell, she glanced back. Su Wanqing was still standing there, a lollipop dangling from her mouth, typing on her terminal, probably keeping Xia Luoling and the others informed. Chen Nian smiled, then turned and went into the cafeteria.

After eating and drinking her fill, Chen Nian returned to her dormitory.

She quickly grabbed a change of clothes and leaned back in her seat to wait for Xu Xue's notification.

She glanced at the time; it was already 1:30 PM, so it should be soon.

Instead of receiving a call from Xu Xue, several girls returned.

They had already heard that Chen Nian was going out, so they came over to offer their concern and care.

Chen Nian didn't intend to keep it from these girls; she just didn't want them to worry, so she told a white lie.

It took a lot of effort to appease the girls.

Xu Xue called.

Chen Nian didn't linger and left the dormitory immediately.

In the open space at the school gate, Xu Xue was already standing next to a dark gray SUV. When she saw Chen Nian walking over, she slightly raised her chin as a greeting.

"Pretty punctual," Xu Xue said. "Did you bring all your equipment?"

"Don't worry, I'm just doing what people pay me. I have that much professional ethics."

"Alright, since you're all ready, let's set off."

"Okay." Chen Nian nodded and got into the passenger seat.

The vehicle slowly drove away from the school.

The two dark gray figures disappeared into the 996 base.

……