What was the best way to kill people? Not to kill them at all.
Instead, let others do the work for you.
As a matter of fact, this principle went beyond killing. If you could make others do your jobs and chores, why should you do it yourself? Of course, this method didn't come without its own work, but in its defense, it was far more enjoyable than the former.
Shen Yuan sipped his tea as he listened to the continuous rambling of the officer across the coffee table. He rested his cup on its plate and tucked aside a lock of his straight black hair to the back of his ear that kept sliding off to his face. Noticing something on his glove, his sharp, phoenix eyes narrowed, and he picked out a lint caught on the base of his palm.
This was why he hated non-leather couches. Just because cotton became a luxury after the invasion, the military wanted to show off by having one even though, in fact, leather couches made out of vulture skin were much softer, more durable, and low maintenance. Not to mention, there wouldn't be any lint getting stuck on their clothes like this.
"Are you listening, Agent Shen?" Gao Lang called out, noticing his distraction. Irk tightened his eyebrows, and he was about to run out of patience.
He was told that the people from the Specialist Department were all pretentious pricks and regretted giving the benefit of the doubt. He should've known better.
Shen Yuan flicked the lint away and dragged his attention back to Gao Lang. "Finished?"
Gao Lang's eyebrow twitched, and he forced a smile. "Yes. Any question?"
"I wouldn't have one if you had said another 2 sentences because I would be right out of the door." Shen Yuan switched his overlapping legs and interlaced his hands, resting them on top of his knee. "In short, you want me to wake up your general from his coma by entering his neural space. Nobody has ever attempted this kind of stunt before. Whatever data those scientists whip out, as long as there are no past cases, there is no guarantee it's completely safe. I want appropriate rewards."
"It's no different from all your other missions."
"My missions never require me to give other people access to my neural chip. There is also no demand in my contract to do so, and my handler explicitly stated that I'm free to accept or reject this mission at my own discretion. I rather be eaten by a vulture than expose my neural chip. I'm sure you understand this too, Lieutenant General Gao. This is not just about death."
"…" Gao Lang couldn't refute that.
3 years after the invasion, humanity successfully developed a technology to break the limitations of their mind and body. A tiny yet astronomical device that gave them a fighting chance against the vultures.
The neural chip.
It freed the brain of its shackles, and let it operate its full potential. People could move objects with their thoughts, speak through their minds, lift tons of weight with the tip of their fingers, and have many supernatural powers unique to every individual. The development of firearms took a drastic turn afterward, and weapons of this era already graduated from their dependency on gunpowder.
Unfortunately, not only good came out of it. It was still a device. With the right tools and skills, it was possible to be tampered with. A new type of specialist was born, and drugs weren't required to brainwash people anymore. They could erase a person's entire memory, their entire personality, and change them to whatever they liked.
Although safety systems had been implemented and a group of dedicated researchers continued to strengthen them day after day, the chance of getting fucked over wasn't zero.
"I assure you, our only desire is to wake our general from his coma. We will certainly keep the operation in check," Gao Lang said.
"It seems there's water in your ears." Shen Yuan tapped on the table with his index finger straight down, enunciating his words with every tap. "I don't need words of reassurance. I want a fool-proof guarantee and an appropriate reward."
Gao Lang knew there was no chance of negotiating and straightforwardly asked, "What do you want?"
"I want 1 billion credit as an upfront payment. If anything happens to me, you'll have to pay another billion to my handler."
"That's absurd!" Gao Lang slapped the table in indignance.
1 billion credit was equal to 5 fighter jets. Moreover, 2 billion. That much could make a warship vessel enough to hold 1,000 personnel.
"Absurd?" Shen Yuan sneered. "I guess the great war hero isn't worth this much. Good luck finding another agent."
He unceremoniously left his seat and headed to the door. Gao Lang gritted his teeth and stopped him just before he turned the handle. "Half a billion."
"No, 1 billion. Take it or leave it." Shen Yuan spread his arm in nonchalance. "I'm not the one in need here, Lieutenant General. Our departments are also exclusively independent from one another, so there really is no practical benefit for us to help you. Trust me when I say this. Paying 1 billion credit is much better than owing any debt to my department—or more accurately, my boss."
Gao Lang's expression tautened in his struggle.
If it wasn't for this man's specialty, he would rather pick another agent, but he had already gone through all the specialist agents' profiles and knew there was no one better for the job than Shen Yuan.
Code name, the Puppet Master. An agent specializing in manipulation.
His kill count was a clean zero. On record. Not because he failed his mission, but because he never used his own hands to execute them. He specialized in undercover tasks, unarchived missions that simply never happened. Where blood was only a means to an end.
Only he could have the chance of manipulating someone like their general.
"…Fine. Contact your handler. We'll discuss more in detail together."
Shen Yuan curled a smile. "He's already on standby."
***
Walking past the thick metal door, Shen Yuan entered the sterilized ward and found a dozen scientists gathering around 2 recovery pods. They peeled their attention off their tablets and turned to look at him briefly before starting a new round of discussion.
In one of the pods, lay a man in his mid-thirties. Despite his age, his hair was glacial white from the burden of his S-grade ability. His nose and jaws were razor sharp and his thick, slanted eyebrows were clean-cut.
Scars, old and new, littered his battle-hardened body, a hideous one slashing down his right shoulder to the center of his chest. If it wasn't for the current technology, he would've already died a long time ago.
He was like a fractured crystal blade, silently, yet resiliently refusing to break.
The great war hero, Zhou Yi.
Due to the previous general's death on the battlefield, he was appointed as the next in command and became the youngest general in history.
The fourth wave 6 months ago was the most brutal war the vultures had ever waged and eliminated almost all the previous generation. Those who survived chose to retire either from permanent injuries or to spend time with their families. Now, even the grand marshal was only in his late forties.
It was thanks to this man that not only did their country survive, they managed to wipe out the vultures' mothership and force them to retreat as well. Based on previous data, it would take at least 10 years for the vultures to recover and return. For someone who granted 10 years of peace to the world, the title 'hero' was much deserved.
Unfortunately, the commanding vulture was powerful enough to transfer its consciousness into Zhou Yi's neural chip seconds before he managed to kill its physical body. Zhou Yi shut himself down before the vulture took over, imprisoning both him and the vulture in his neural space.
Of course, everybody knew they could just kill Zhou Yi, killing the vulture inside him along with him, but nobody ever brought it up. For the military, especially for his fleet, that wasn't even an option.
Shen Yuan couldn't care less whether someone lived or died, but in this case, he agreed it was better to save him. He had the potential to evolve into an SS-grade power user. They would need him when the next wave arrived.
The lead scientist, a short-haired bespectacled woman called Yang Mei, approached Shen Yuan.
"Let me first inform you of the procedure before we start. After we put you under, we will install a vulture detection system into your neural chip before linking you to General Zhou. Once you're inside General Zhou's neural space, you'll be able to locate the vulture wherever it is. But remember, only General Zhou can and should terminate it. If you forcefully do it yourself, you'll damage General Zhou's neurons."
"Why do you think I'm here?" Shen Yuan entered the empty pod next to Zhou Yi's and lay down. "Let's get this over with."