"Although I can perceive that the mark itself still exists, the specific positional information has become extremely blurred. I can only lock onto a general range. This level of interference usually means that the area is completely blocked by another powerful spatial force, which is why my sensory channel is being disrupted."
He took a deep breath, his tone somewhat heavy.
"Whether she was caught up in it accidentally or specifically targeted, this indicates that her situation is very dangerous."
"As her senior, I cannot sit by and do nothing." Lin Zhenyi's gaze sharpened. "But the biggest problem is that we can only confirm Zhaoran is trapped somewhere in that area, but we cannot pinpoint her. That is why we issued the commission through the Mercenary Association, hoping to use external help to find her exact location. Only by knowing the specific position can we formulate a precise rescue plan."
"Understood." Firefly nodded and summarized, "So what you want me to do is confirm Lu Zhaoran's specific location within the government building?"
"Exactly," Lin Zhenyi pointed to the building not far away, "my perception tells me the mark is near that building, with a very high probability of being inside the government building."
"However," he added solemnly, "the action must be stealthy. Try not to alarm the people of the Sop Government, because I fear that once they notice, they might do something desperate."
"Okay."
After listening to Lin Zhenyi, Firefly responded briefly.
Then, the silver-white armor instantly soared into the air, turning into a stream of light that shot straight into the sky.
...
A few seconds later, above the Sop City national government building.
Firefly hovered high in the sky, looking down at the tall and imposing government building beneath her feet, her mind moving slightly.
"Firefly Type-IV, activate deep scan mode. Target: Lu Zhaoran."
The moment her command was issued, Firefly's vision was instantly covered by a red light. The structure of the entire building was analyzed as if by x-ray, and countless human outlines representing vital signs appeared densely on her retina, as if she had turned on a wallhack in a game.
Immediately afterward, the system performed high-speed comparison and screening based on Lu Zhaoran's biological feature template. These light spots began to be rapidly filtered and excluded.
A few seconds later, all the light spots in her vision completely disappeared.
Warning: No matching signal found for target individual Lu Zhaoran.
"?"
Firefly was slightly stunned; the scan result was unexpected.
Could it be that Lu Zhaoran was not in this building?
But Lin Zhenyi said his spatial sensing clearly pointed here, and he should have no reason to deceive her.
Just as the doubt arose, the scanning interface changed again.
A rotating blue vortex icon rapidly took shape in the center of her vision, and a new line of information popped up below:
Strong spatial energy fluctuation detected. Peak intensity located in the core area of the 30th floor of the building.
"Strong spatial fluctuation..." Firefly immediately associated this with the spatial right Lin Zhenyi had mentioned.
"Is this the source of the force interfering with Lin Zhenyi's perception?"
Looking at the eye-catching vortex marker on the screen, Firefly had a guess.
Although Lu Zhaoran was not in the surface scan, this abnormal spatial node was very conspicuous.
Therefore, she no longer hesitated. Her armor changed direction and dove rapidly toward the position of Lin Zhenyi and Buck on the ground.
...
"How is it, Sam? Did you find anything?"
The moment Firefly's figure landed, Lin Zhenyi impatiently stepped forward to ask.
She shook her head.
"I scanned the entire interior of the building and found no life signal for Lu Zhaoran."
"No?! This..." Lin Zhenyi's face was instantly filled with astonishment. "How is this possible? Could my perception be wrong?"
After saying that, he abruptly closed his eyes. The space around him once again rippled with imperceptible waves, clearly sensing for that spatial mark with all his might.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, his confusion deepening.
"I can feel that the spatial mark still exists, and its location is still near this building."
At this point, he could not help but ask Firefly:
"Sam, could it be that your reconnaissance method was mistaken?"
Then, he began to recall Sam's record.
"After all, in your record, most entries are about killing and destruction. We have not learned about your reconnaissance methods through it."
"My scanning system has not been interfered with or deceived." Firefly interrupted him, her voice carrying unquestionable confidence. "The shielding methods of the Sop Government are not enough to interfere with my core detection module. I scanned every floor and every corner of the building; there is indeed no trace of Lu Zhaoran."
Then, she changed the subject and dropped the key information.
"However, on the 30th floor, I detected extremely strong spatial energy fluctuations, the intensity of which far exceeds normal levels."
"Strong spatial fluctuations? On the 30th floor?" Lin Zhenyi was stunned for a moment, then a sharp light flashed in his eyes. "That must be the source of interference! The spatial block where Zhaoran is imprisoned!"
"Wait," Buck finally returned to his normal state at this time and interjected, "didn't Sam say no person was scanned? Но since it is a spatial block, it is possible to hide someone in another spatial layer or folded area, right? Then it's normal that the scan couldn't pick her up!"
Lin Zhenyi nodded immediately.
"Buck is right! If she is trapped in an independent spatial fragment, conventional life scans indeed cannot penetrate it!" Then, he looked at Firefly, "So, confirming that the 30th floor is the core area of the spatial fluctuation is the biggest clue!"
To this, although Firefly wanted to say that even spatial folding could not interfere with her scanning.
But considering this seemed to be the only clue at the moment, if she denied it, there would be no other breakthrough.
So, she also expressed agreement.
"Then, the next commission objective is to infiltrate the 30th floor of the national government building, investigate that spatial fluctuation area, and look for Lu Zhaoran or related clues?"
"Exactly!" Lin Zhenyi confirmed, his tone very decisive. "If you can find Zhaoran directly and bring her out safely, I will add an extra five million to the commission fee. If unexpected changes occur along the way and extra support or resources are needed, I can add even more to the reward! Prepare to move now!"
Before he finished speaking, he made a sudden stroke with one hand at his side. The air seemed to be torn by an invisible blade, and a pitch-black crack with an edge shimmering with unstable ghostly light opened silently.
"A spatial crack leading to the 25th floor of the building." Lin Zhenyi explained quickly, "If the spatial fluctuation on the 30th floor is very large, then opening a door directly there is too risky and could lead to teleportation displacement or even spatial turbulence."
"So we will go to the safe 25th floor first, and then find a way to infiltrate the 30th floor. Buck, Sam, follow me!"
After speaking, his figure blurred and he was the first to enter the crack.
Immediately after, Buck followed suit without hesitation.
Seeing this, Firefly did not have any hesitation either, and her silver-white armor followed inside.
Subsequently, the crack closed quickly after she disappeared, without leaving a trace in the air.