Chapter 33: Ad Hoc Task Force

A shooting occurred at the Xuanbin Hotel on Ningde Road in Magic City.

From the moment the emergency call was received, the relevant departments immediately contacted the hotel front desk, the duty manager, and the management company, while simultaneously retrieving the organizer's personal information and contact details from the embassy for questioning.

After verification from multiple sources confirmed the authenticity of the case, the Assessment Office labeled it a Level 3 security incident and reported it through a direct reporting channel.

Under normal circumstances, skipping reporting levels is a serious error, but regulations have changed significantly over the past year. Incidents are now categorized based on the scope of impact, casualties, and nature. Once an incident is classified, "liaison consultants"—who, on the surface, all hail from the Good Order Company—must participate in the investigation.

Five minutes after the incident, the report was approved, authorization was granted, and a temporary task force was formed. Following the Analysis Office’s recommendations, the lead officer ordered a regional lockdown with a radius defined by the distance a vehicle could travel in seven minutes at normal speed.

Surveillance within this zone was integrated into the Analysis Office’s command system. Task force members were put in direct contact with personnel at every intersection and traffic facility security checkpoint. Densely populated areas within the zone were evacuated immediately.

...

Inside an unremarkable, old six-story building, hundreds of professionals were working at a feverish pace. The room was illuminated by the glow of electronic equipment. In the center, a massive screen over ten meters tall displayed dense, real-time surveillance footage. Three unkempt mathematical geniuses worked on virtual projections while assistants constantly relayed information. Their sole task was to identify every possible escape route.

Since the arrival of the new era, players participating in remote missions had caused major accidents, leading to a massive influx of personnel into the Bureau of Order as external contractors. Consequently, there were always enough task force members on standby around the clock.

A Level 3 security incident typically involves heavy weapons and low-to-mid-tier players; sniper rifles fall under the category of heavy weapons.

At the command console, An Jing signed a stack of documents without pause. Around forty years old, he had a resolute face and a buzz cut that gave him a sharp, formidable air.

In truth, this was not the only incident currently unfolding in Magic City. With a population of over twenty million, there were three detected Origin Game missions underway simultaneously. Regarding such matters, as long as public safety was not compromised and no major property damage occurred, the Bureau of Order generally adopted a policy of tacit approval and observation. After all, the supernatural was intensifying; containment is often inferior to redirection, and blind suppression lacks flexibility.

On the foundation of established principles, guiding and regulating—recognizing and utilizing the supernatural to enhance comprehensive strength—remained one of the Bureau’s primary policies.

Inside the six-story building, rows of seats were filled with retired assassins who had either chosen to defect or had been recruited.

"He didn't take the rail lines. This brat is actually quite capable."

"A sniper shot from four hundred meters at high altitude; purely based on professional skill, he’s above average, though I suspect he isn't very old."

"How did he dare use a sniper rifle in Magic City, in a public space, no less?"

"If it were up to me, he should’ve just driven a tank. Since it's a Level 2 incident, we could have mobilized the computing power of the Sky Eye and dropped a 'Dragon Scale' on him from the sky. I would’ve been able to eat my midnight snack by now..."

The group discussed the perpetrator's retreat routes, with the math team providing the framework and the others refining it based on their experience.

Not far away, a young man carrying a bow and arrows sat with his eyes closed, resting. He was the team leader of the Operations Department’s C-Group, codenamed "Dong-Bing." In each of the Great Xia’s five major regions, there were ten "Heavenly Stem" leaders, all of equal rank, with no objective hierarchy, as the changes caused by the game were too volatile. However, generally speaking, the Central Region was the headquarters' jurisdiction, and its leaders were typically a cut above those in the branch offices.

Hearing the terms used in the retired assassins' conversation, Dong-Bing suddenly opened his eyes and said coldly, "Do not discuss the Candle Dragon Project casually."

"Isn't it already implicitly open to major organizations?"

"They may find ways to learn about it, but that does not mean you or I can violate the regulations."

The assassin who mentioned "Dragon Scale" smirked. Only by joining the Bureau of Order could one truly understand the weight of Great Xia; its massive human and material resources were capable of producing terrifying results.

As an internal deterrent, the surface-level documents for the Candle Dragon Project had already been issued and tested in the field. The first phase of the project was based on the concept of space-based weapons. Initially, the power of these weapons was underwhelming—their effective range was not even as good as a missile—but they perfectly addressed the "shortcoming" of atomic weapons, which was their excessive scale of destruction.

Combined with supernatural power, these new space-based weapons could now achieve rapid, precise strikes, confining the damage to a ten-meter radius and equipped with "supernatural spearheads" that possessed extreme penetrative power.

To date, the first-phase output, dubbed "Dragon Scale," had completely blanketed several major cities. Once a supernatural event spiraled out of control and was successfully locked on, the Bureau of Order would immediately erase the source of the chaos. However, due to the exorbitant costs, permission to call for such support was only granted after a Level 2 security incident response failed.

...

Half an hour after the incident, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the mathematical, assassin, and reconnaissance teams, the shooter was tracked to a factory.

"Boss An, there is an underground sewage pipe in the factory leading to the riverside. The target is likely preparing to escape by water."

The head of the reconnaissance team manipulated the data, and the light formed a 3D structural map on the massive screen.

An Jing said gravely, "Check if he is a player."

The Analysis Office received the order and immediately ran a search through the big data.

Half a year ago, the Eastern Region suppressed an ancient alien species in Magic City and intentionally leaked the information. Anyone who passed through the marked location was recorded. This process was time-consuming and laborious, but the records significantly bolstered the underlying database.

Whenever a recorded individual appeared near the site of another mission, their priority rating would increase. After three such occurrences, their status as a player was essentially confirmed.

Furthermore, individuals within a player’s social network who were not already recorded were also tracked. However, for neutral-aligned players, the Bureau of Order maintained a stance of observation to avoid counterproductive results.

A moment later, the lead analyst replied, "He is not a player, but he is a professional killer from the Card Club known as Spade Ten. Additionally, the third suspect in this case has an 80% similarity in simulated portrait to the player known as 'Moke,' as recorded in the shared files of the Southern Region. This intelligence was provided by Nan-Jia and the sketch artist. He has managed to evade the vast majority of surveillance—he is extraordinary, even surpassing many players with mental specializations. Locking him down will take more time."

Dong-Bing commented, "It might be an adaptive disguise adjustment. A team leader in the Central Region has encountered this Origin rule before."

An Jing ordered, "Launch the drone swarm, equipped with plasma rounds and bunker-busters. Bring that assassin back. Regarding the player, Dong-Bing, go and keep an eye on him. I don't care how he and the Card Club kill each other, but if he breaks the rules, proceed with the procedure immediately."

The head of the Analysis Office hesitated. "Boss An, the team leaders are always executing these types of missions. It’s very likely to cause them to fall behind the front-line tier of players. This phenomenon will become impossible to ignore sooner or later."

An Jing turned to look at him. "Do you have a solution?"

"No."

"Neither do I. Leave professional matters to professionals. Until the official order comes down from the Headquarters Strategy Office, each group will continue as it has. There are some things I cannot say, but from now on, you might want to pay attention to mechs, and in your spare time, learn how to operate an excavator or put together building blocks."

Dong-Bing, standing to the side, was struck dumb.