When Lu Chen tried to kick the door open, he realized that it was locked. It seems that it wouldn't be easy if anyone were to choose to escape from this theater.
After he stepped out of the hall, he realized that the theater was indeed dilapidated as there was only one hall that was open for business. Upon seeing that the receptionist was resting her head on the table, he immediately understood what was going on.
Upon leaving the theater, he felt the summer breeze whisk across his face as the animals howled in the distance. With the help of the moonlight, he could see that no one was around. This is such a deserted place. No wonder it's chosen as the site for slaughter.
When he tried to touch the pocket on his shirt, he recalled that his clothes had been changed by the Origin Space.
It must have rained in the evening as the air felt moist and carried with it the smell of soil. Under the moonlight, Lu Chen took a look at himself through the reflection of a puddle. His black hair had become short with a fringe, so he appeared to be more clean-cut. The yellow robe he was wearing made him look like a martial artist in those vintage movies. It had been a long time since he last looked at his face.
The serenity was only temporary as a beam of light flashed upon him. With a rumbling sound, a helicopter landed on the open area in front of the theater. Following that, eight dispassionate-looking men in black coats with firearms in their hands leaped off the helicopter and surrounded the theater. Their actions were swift and standardized, as though they were a group of well-trained soldiers.
After their leader hinted with his eyes, a black-haired man approached Lu Chen, causing the latter to be alert. Before Lu Chen could ask them anything, he saw two more helicopters landing somewhere nearby. His hair was flapping in the air due to the wind brought by the propellers.
"Make sure all the irrelevant people stay out of this place." The executive officer, who was a middle-aged man, shot a look at Lu Chen. "Team B will stand guard outside the theater. Team A will follow me into the theater. Team C will get ready."
After receiving the order, all the men in black performed a salute in silence.
"Our target today is a B-grade mixed-race human. He's committed five cases of crime so far. After the depravation, he probably has the power of an A-grade human now, so all of you must pay full attention, especially those who are still learning about the theories of war." The executive officer gave them a reminder before entering the theater as he was worried that those bright students from the college would be complacent.
Lu Chen watched them in silence. However, he secretly readied himself for the battle as he caught a glimpse of the golden glint that had flashed across the executive officer's eyes just now. He's also a mixed-race human!
Lu Chen had just entered this world, so he wasn't sure about the meaning behind these different names. Nevertheless, he just came across a mixed-race human, who killed five civilians in the theater.
Even though it was stated that the mixed-race human in the mission had gone mad, Lu Chen wouldn't put his guard down when surrounded by so many strangers. Furthermore, they were holding firearms, which he absolutely hated.
"Xin Lỗi, cảnh sát." (Sorry, we're the police.) With a dispassionate expression, the black-haired man in front of Lu Chen showed him his police badge and ID.
"What did you say?" Lu Chen was startled. He had learned some English due to the war, but he had never learned Vietnamese before.
The young man was startled for a moment as well before he put on a solemn expression and repeated his words. "Are you Chinese? I was saying that we're police."
Without uttering a word, Lu Chen took a look at the helicopters and these men in black who were heavily armed. When did the Vietnamese police become so powerful? These people are from all sorts of races. Vietnamese police? Do they think I'm a kid?
Seeing that they appeared to be mild and were just trying to chase him away, Lu Chen understood that these mixed-race humans could possibly be normal people in this world. Nevertheless, he wondered if they even felt hot as they were clad in thick clothes in the summer.
Seeing that Lu Chen wasn't going away, the young man became impatient and wondered if he was dumbfounded upon seeing anything unusual. If that's the case, I might need to bring him to meet my mentor, Masashi Toyama, who is a psychologist.
Just when he was about to tell him about it, he heard footsteps coming from the theater. The executive officer and his subordinates were stepping out of the building.
Why did they come out so soon? There wasn't even any gunfire. When he heard that their target had the power of an A-grade mixed-race human, he thought that they might need to blow up the theater in the end. This was fairly normal as they had done it many times before. However, he was puzzled as to why they came out after only a short period of time.
The leader of Team B asked, "Sir?"
With a grim expression, the executive officer replied, "They're all dead."
"Were all the civilians killed?" someone asked furiously.
"I mean, they're all dead, including our target this time." The executive officer shook his head and gave another order. "Not much time has passed since the incident happened. Search around the place now. Also, tell Norma to get the surveillance footage around this area and see whether we'll find any suspect who killed our target."
Just then, he recalled something and shifted his attention to Lu Chen. "Did you enter the theater today?"
Lu Chen was displeased by his interrogative tone. However, having been a soldier for years, he knew that the executive officer meant no harm as he just wanted to get straight to the main point. "I watched a movie there today," he answered honestly because he realized that he had received a new mission.
However, having been a soldier for years, he knew that the executive officer meant no harm as he just wanted to get straight to the main point. "I watched a movie there today," he answered honestly because he realized that he had received a new mission.
***
The second main mission: The Door of Cassell
Content: Enter Cassell College and pass the exam.
Difficulty: Average.
Reward: Depending on your result, your stay in this world will be extended by 6 to 24 natural months, after which a new mission will be unlocked.
Hidden reward: You'll get it if you complete the mission perfectly. The gift is still unknown.
Penalty if your mission failed: You'll be summoned back.
Your available time: 29 natural days
Lu Chen was shocked when he saw the mission. Cassell College? These people who look like secret agents actually come from a college? I had visited military academies before, but the soldiers would only be deployed to the battlefields after they completed their training. However, these people look like the private army the college is keeping.
Upon a closer look, he realized that some of these people were about the same age as he was. Nonetheless, all of them were as impassive as an experienced undercover. He suspected that even if the executive officer told them to assassinate the President, these people would perform a military salute and then kill anyone who got into their way.
Also, I heard them mention theories of war just now. So, is this part of their lesson as well? That seems to be what college students would do if they're here to do some sketching. However, they're obviously here to end the serial killer's life. This is so much different from the kind of life I imagine a college student would lead. Is this how all the colleges in the West train their students? It's no wonder that we weren't able to defeat the West, then.
At the thought of this, he suddenly remembered the place he was in and what the young man said to him just now. The world order in this world was identical to the one in the world he came from, and they shared the same languages.
However, historical developments seemed to have deviated in this world. In his own world, his country had already modernized in terms of technological advancement, so it was able to contend with the Western countries. Could this be a parallel world?