Dual Worlds: I Have a Doomsday World

All he knew was that this thing was a living creature, and that its individual parts were likely interconnected, forming something like a hive mind.

Lin Qi deduced that this hive mind required a host, and this ultimate host had to be the so-called mother sample.

Furthermore, the existence of the mother sample had been confirmed by Guang Ling’s intelligence.

Therefore, his objective had to be the mother sample. Lin Qi wanted to obtain more valuable information from it while simultaneously completing the Mercenary Corps’ mission.

Lin Qi relayed his intelligence to Guang Ling.

[I’ve completed my scan of Ninghang Technology’s interior. The mother sample doesn’t seem to be inside. Should I continue the infiltration as planned?]

Guang Ling, in his usual style, replied to Lin Qi’s email instantly.

[I am certain the mother sample is still at Ninghang Technology. Furthermore, King Arthur has confirmed that the Round Table Knight wielding the Sword in the Stone is still directly beneath the Ninghang Technology branch office. The other Round Table Knight, who pretended to withdraw, has already made his move.]

Guang Ling seemed absolutely certain of his intelligence.

Lin Qi pondered for a moment. There was no reason to doubt Guang Ling’s intelligence.

When it came to intelligence, Guang Ling had never made a mistake.

Besides, Lin Qi hadn’t actually found any trace of a Round Table Knight, much less the so-called Tier Five Extraordinary Item, the Sword in the Stone.

’Underground?’

’Ninghang Technology actually dug that deep? And the entrance to the underground section isn’t even inside the main building. Otherwise, I would have definitely spotted some trace of it when I was observing the structure.’

’I need to get closer to continue my observation.’

Normally, the one-kilometer range of his Spiritual Vision should have been more than enough.

No matter how cautious Ninghang Technology was, it was unlikely they had dug more than a kilometer deep.

’The Sword in the Stone... With a Tier Five Extraordinary Item present, its location shouldn’t be hard to find.’

Lin Qi didn’t rush to get closer. Instead, he shifted his approach.

He stopped observing the building’s structure and instead used his Spiritual Vision to examine the flow of Spiritual Particles within a one-kilometer radius.

A Tier Five Extraordinary Item had a strong Spiritual Particle adhesion effect. Even if it wasn’t as significant as the disturbance caused by an Extraordinary Professional in Meditation, the surrounding Spiritual Particles were bound to show some change.

Lin Qi shifted his focus; the Spiritual Particles now became his primary target of observation.

Sure enough, Lin Qi discovered faint wisps of Spiritual Particles forming a subtle vortex, all converging toward the area beneath Ninghang Technology.

This wasn’t the disturbance caused by an Extraordinary Professional in Meditation; the pull on Spiritual Particles was much more distinct during Meditation.

This had to be the sign of an Extraordinary Item, and a High-Level one at that.

’Tier Five!’

The scale of the vortex was comparable to that of the Tier Five Extraordinary Items in the Doomsday World.

Only after confirming the target’s existence did Lin Qi slowly approach the Ninghang Technology facility.

To ensure his own safety, Lin Qi approached slowly. Who knew if that Round Table Knight possessed some kind of High-Level detection Ability.

Finally, Lin Qi located a new underground structure.

’Seven hundred meters underground? Why dig so deep? Who are they hiding from?!’

Luckily, he was already Tier Three. If this had been back in Greenfield City, his Spiritual Vision would have had a pitiful range of only two or three hundred meters—not nearly enough to reach this far down.

After complaining to himself, Lin Qi carefully observed the scene inside.

...

His Spiritual Vision swept across a man sitting on the ground with his eyes closed. The man was fully outfitted with S-Class Prosthetic Bodies, and his Spiritual Power was radiating outward.

In front of the man was a European-style stone coffin.

The coffin itself was an Extraordinary Item of a high Level—a full Tier Four!

Just as he had experienced in the Doomsday World, the Spiritual Particles clinging to its surface and interior were too dense for his Spiritual Vision to see what was inside.

This was far more than a Tier Four Extraordinary Item could possibly gather on its own.

This meant that a higher-Level Extraordinary Item was hidden inside.

Lin Qi’s gaze shifted from the coffin to the man.

Suddenly, Lin Qi noticed the man’s brow furrow. This happened despite his Spiritual Vision giving him no feedback that his own observation had been detected.

Nevertheless, Lin Qi quickly averted his gaze.

’A sensory-type detection Ability!’

’This Round Table Knight possesses an Ability of that kind.’

’He was able to perceive that single glance.’

"I’m being watched. The method is very sophisticated. The observer is likely not much weaker than MacLeod."

Without hesitation, he relayed this information to the other Round Table Knight.

The MacLeod he mentioned was the current Grand Knight Commander of the Round Table Conference.

As he relayed the information, his brow smoothed out, and his expression returned to normal.

But Lin Qi had already spotted the reaction and naturally wouldn’t risk any further moves.

"An Extraordinary this powerful... there aren’t many of them in the Asian Administrative Region," the other Round Table Knight responded. "Should we cancel the plan? I can return at any time."

Expressionless, he simply sent a reply via encrypted comms: "No need. With the Sword in the Stone, I can handle it. Besides, their target is likely the mother sample. I’m confident no one can find a trace of Her."

This Round Table Knight was very confident, both in the concealment of the mother sample and in his own combat capabilities.

Things were just as the knight expected. After deliberately blocking the small area where the Round Table Knight was located from his senses, Lin Qi continued his search but was still unable to find any trace of the mother sample.

After a long moment of contemplation, Lin Qi sent another message to Guang Ling: "I’ve locked onto the Round Table Knight’s position, but I think he detected my observation. Besides the knight, I also saw a stone coffin that is itself a Tier Four Extraordinary Item. It most likely contains the Sword in the Stone that King Arthur mentioned."

"But aside from that, I still haven’t found any trace of the mother sample."

Guang Ling replied swiftly:

[Understood. Continue with the plan for now and let’s see how things develop. We’ll wait for King Arthur and Master Ma to make their move. If Ninghang Technology still hasn’t revealed any openings by then, we’ll formulate a new long-term plan.]

This was the first time one of Guang Ling’s plans had ever gone awry.

Lin Qi had participated in numerous Highest-Level Mercenary Corps operations, but he had never encountered a situation like this.

’Insufficient information, is that it? When it involves an Extraordinary on the level of a Round Table Knight, a lot of information circulates completely outside the cyber network. Guang Ling isn’t omniscient, after all.’

Lin Qi concealed his own body, then followed Guang Ling’s instructions to continue the infiltration plan. He took control of the misshapen individual known as Dong Liyi and entered Ninghang Technology.

Guang Ling had already sent Lin Qi a comprehensive file on Dong Liyi, which included his social connections, his common catchphrases, and even his accent.

...

[Clock-in successful. Dong Liyi, A-Class Armed Personnel, Security Department, Team 9 Leader.]

[Ninghang Technology Security Department: Today’s work schedule and security key have been sent to your personal email. Please adhere strictly to company regulations to avoid fines.]

Handling work assignments via email indicated a high level of security.

But Lin Qi’s disguise this time was more thorough than ever; both his digital and biological information had been perfectly replicated.

Lin Qi could use Dong Liyi’s email without issue, so there was no need for Guang Ling to intervene.

He checked the work assignment. This was the first time Lin Qi had ever seen a security guard’s duty roster.

If he were to judge it from the perspective of a cyber worker, it was...

’So easy!’

’How could such an easy job exist in this world!’

All he had to do was patrol a designated route, clock in at checkpoints, make records, and upload them. There was no other substantive work whatsoever.

The only catch was the rigid schedule, which required constant attention.

’I had to work back in Red Fruit City, and now that I’m in Alliance City, I’ve hijacked an identity... and I still have to work. This is just...’

Lin Qi sighed to himself and then entered the work area.

In the A-Class security duty room, "Dong Liyi" had just walked in when someone called out to him enthusiastically.

"Quick! Old Dong, let me see your new ’bull’!"

"Old Dong, how’s that ’bull’ working out? I’m thinking of applying for a company loan to get one myself. Man, I’m tempted."

"Old Dong, come on, let me touch it! Let me feel it!"