Huo Yichen was a bit disappointed.
From the moment he laid eyes on the "extraordinary girl" on the camera feeds, his interest was ignited. Who is she? he wondered and continued watching her through the security camera to find out more.
Unfortunately, what he saw disppointed him. He had to admit- apart from her outstanding appearance she was nothing special.
She seemed to have purposely stirred up trouble with socialites, and now, with the exam barely begun she had already left the hall and was walking to the visitor's area.
Huo Yichen couldn't articulate what he was feeling when he realized this girl was not serious about her studies. Girls like her get into big colleges to find a husband.
His mother's unbidden lecture came to his mind.
Knowing Lu Mian was like the hundred other socialites who threw themselves at him, made Huo Yichen really grumpy. He also felt strangely cheated. Restless, he got up, needing to lecture her in person.
Maybe she could still be corrected after all. Armed with a sense of righteousness, he barked a few orders to his team and left the control hub to hunt her down.
Had he stayed, he could've seen it - a tiniest flicker across the 5 screens. A micro-glitch, that usually told tech experts like Lin Ke and Lu Mian their system was hacked.
However he missed it.
And in that gap, the entire department's feed was quietly taken over, with the camera in some places playing on loop.
It didn't end there. With that opening, the hacker expertly widened his net - cutting off communication, system alerts and even movement feeds. Soon, the whole of Qinghe Research Institute quickly became isolated from the external world - and the people who were supposed to be watching, did not realize it.
Since he didn't take the mission seriously anyway, Huo Yichen didn't think twice about abandoning his post. In his mind, he was fully justified in addressing a wayward student who didn't take her opportunities seriously.
He quickly descended the steps and made his way to where he had seen her last. There she was - aimlessly sitting in the waiting area. His mind automatically ignored the old janitor who was working in the corner, fully occupied with this girl in front of him.
Up close, she looked even more breathtaking. Like a painting come alive. Huo Yichen felt his breath catch.
Recovering himself quickly and feeling even more annoyed, Huo Yichen addressed the girl directly "Student, what are you doing here?"
Lu Mian's racing heart jumped. She didn't expect the footsteps to bring a "Friend". She recognized Huo Yichen right away. He had been society's golden boy in her last life, a top soldier.
This version of him looked younger, though looked as self-absorbed as ever.
Lu Mian quickly re-evaluated her options. With "help" here, maybe she didn't have to flee quietly?
"I am looking for senior Mo Jiali" she lied quietly.
Huo Yichen frowned, even more annoyed. Indeed, he had read the girl wrong from the start. She was just another star struck girl chasing fame.
"You don't 'wait' for national researchers. Students can't approach them casually. Had you performed your exams well, you would've naturally had the opportunity to meet up with him." he lectured.
"And how does Major Huo Yichen know this student didn't perform well?" came a crisp question from the door.
It was the invigilator. She had hurriedly handed off her duties to someone else to meet the genius she had discovered during the exam.
She didn't expect this student to be in trouble for following her instructions. "Isn't Major Huo Yichen busy with arrangements to guard "the annoying researcher Mo"? How come he is so free now?" she asked him tartly.
"This teacher does not have to worry" replied Huo Yichen, a bit disgusted. Wasn't this the teacher in Director Xi's office? She was firmly opposed to how he had handled the whole operation and had voiced her objections many times.
Going by her young age, he assumed she was a junior teacher. Consequently, Huo Yichen didn't feel kindly towards her either.
"We have Senior Mo under surveillance and will make sure he can come meet the truly deserving students in the evening." he assured them arrogantly.
Lu Mian internally winced. She could see the "Janitor" listening in on this conversation. And here was this stupid soldier sharing operation secrets. How exactly did he make it to the top in her last life?!
"How exciting" squealed Lu Mian, suddenly acting like a young school girl hungry for gossip. "So many of us have been chasing him, tracking him to find him. But Senior Mo moves frequently - almost like someone is chasing him."
Her words were carefully chosen, to alert this clueless Major. Unfortunately, Huo Yichen was too arrogant to listen. Lu Mian's words further cemented his opinion of her as a glory-seeking, superficial student.
The invigilator however noticed. Her eyes sharpened imperceptibly. She also realised this student's attitude was really out of character and didn't fit the earlier composure.
She noticed the words chasing and tracking being stressed by Lu Mian. Before Huo Yichen could say anything, she cut in abruptly.
"This student, I need to talk to you about your exam. It's a disgrace you submitted so early and squandered the opportunity the Qinghe Institute offers. Come to my Staff Room. Now." she barked.
Knowing she had done her best under the circumstances, Lu Mian meekly moved to follow the invigilator.
Unfortunately, her words had also alerted the enemy.
Before they could leave, the Janitor who was so far only quietly listening took action.
He took a flying leap, aiming for Lu Mian's spine. If the kick landed, she would probably be crippled for life.
But Lu Mian didn't hesitate to respond. She was already moving.
She ducked low, avoided the kick and rolled on the polished floor away from him. The attacker's kick sliced through empty air, seconds away from from where she was standing.
The janitor tore off his fake hunch, body straightening into lethal precision. He drew a concealed knife from within the mop-handle sheath and pounced.
They tussled. At that moment, the attacker's sleeve slipped back and Lu Mian saw a tattoo of a black lotus with a single petal dripping "blood".
Her eyes widened in recognition. Han Zeyu - the top operative in Black Lotus. The man who was said to succeed their leader.
What was he doing here? Lu Mian's blood chilled. Researcher Mo was in deadly danger.
Han Zeyu noticed the flash of recognition in this school girl's eyes. He froze for a heartbeat, surprised. This girl knows me? How? Who is she?
The tiny hesitation was enough for Lu Mian to fling him off her.
From behind, Huo Yichen finally woke up to the danger and sprang into action. He tackled the attacker to the ground, his shoulder pinning Han Zeyu in place and the two of them started exchanging blows.
Lu Mian didn't wait around to find what happened next. She grabbed the invigilators' wrist and fled.
"They have hacked the security cameras. They probably know Senior Mo's position. We need to get to control tower" she decisively said.
To her credit, the invigilator didn't blink."Follow me" she replied curtly and moved to take the lead. But Lu Mian yanked her back.
She pointed up at the camera that was now turned towards them and blinking. They were being watched.
"We don't have much time. Tell me the way and let me help" she said quietly. The invigilator gave her a long searching look. Swallowing her questions, she simply said "North east, final room on the second floor".
Two floors up.
Just two floors - it should've been simple. However, with the Black Lotus' deadliest operative here, even a single staircase would be a battlefield.
The halls would be swarming with more Black Lotus operatives soon. Worse, they had at least 3 classrooms full of students still writing an exam, who would make excellent hostages for these ruthless operatives.
A moment of panic, a student finishing the exam earlier than planned and things could escalate fast.
Despite all her training, Lu Mian's heart tightened in a knot. She had never been a solo field operative.
For a moment, Lu Mian really wished her team was with her. Rhino's deadly tactics, Falcon's unwavering strategy, Vipers precision and Aegis. Aegis' calm, steady, bold strength…They had fought and survived as a unit.
But they weren't here.
Lu Mian took a deep steadying breath. It doesn't matter she told herself quietly. She would not be a coward.
Ignoring the concerned gaze of the invigilator next to her, Lu Mian became more focussed. Get to the control tower, and get help she told herself.
She started weaving through the camera angles to reach their destination with impeccable precision and skill.
As long as she Lu Mian was standing here, she would not let them win. Even if it was for just a second longer.