Major General Albert Lu could barely contain his excitement. He kept craning his neck to peek at the truck, asking Colonel Hank Han next to him, "Uh, Colonel, are the main components of that Mjolnir Exosuit undamaged? Can I... can I have a look now? Haha, just a peek! To satisfy my curiosity—"
Unexpectedly, Colonel Hank Han shook his head and said, "Uh, Professor Lu, I didn't actually complete this mission myself. My team and I just provided support. So, you'll have to ask Team Leader Fiona Tang about it." He tossed the ball to Fiona Tang.
Before Major General Lu could ask, General Thomas Chen, already curious, started complaining to Fiona Tang: "Fiona, I know I have no authority over your Special Abilities Taskforce, but since your old man Tang and I are good comrades and brothers, how about letting Uncle Chen take a look at that American toy?"
Fiona Tang didn’t expect General Chen to pull that card. Her eyes flickered and she pointed at Shawn Young beside her, saying, "Uh—I'm not the one in charge. The biggest credit for getting the Mjolnir Exosuit goes to him. Without his quick decisions, strategies, and huge help, we wouldn't have gotten the Exosuit at all. Heck, even 'Black Eye' was captured by him! So, Uncle Chen, you should ask him."
"Hmm, I really couldn't tell this young man was so capable. Are you with the Special Abilities Taskforce? Or the National Security Bureau?" General Chen looked up curiously at Shawn Young and asked.
"Me... I'm not with any department. I'm just a regular university student, so after finishing this mission, I have to rush back to campus for class." Shawn Young replied, a bit embarrassed.
"Oh! Old Cui, that's your mistake. For a chief spook, you sure missed out on such a talent. If you don't recruit him fast, maybe your agency's standards are too high?" General Chen turned to Cui Tianlai with a laugh.
Cui Tianlai, for once, blushed and hurried forward to shake Shawn Young’s hand: "Haha—this young man is truly a hero in the making. I completely misjudged you, haha, shame on me! Good thing Old Chen pointed it out, or else a national treasure like you might've been overlooked! May I ask your name, young man?"
Shawn Young quickly shook his hand politely and said, "Oh, I'm Shawn Young, a student from the History Department at Southern University. Fiona and I are classmates and alumni."
Cui Tianlai quickly said, "Oh, so Shawn is classmates with the daughter of Commander Tang from the Southern Military District? Haha, Fiona is actually my niece! Looking at you two, you really are a perfect match! Not bad, not bad. Shawn, would you be interested in joining my National Security Bureau? We're not that famous in China, but our setup and status are pretty special!"
Fiona Tang was not having it. Her eyebrows shot up as she said to Cui Tianlai, "Uncle Cui, Shawn is here with me, and he uses Daoist magic, which means he’s got ties to our Quanzhen Sect. Our Special Abilities Taskforce is no less than your bureau, so with Shawn’s skills, he’s better suited for us."
Cui Tianlai was surprised to learn Shawn practiced Daoist arts and quickly asked, "Hmm, may I ask which sect you belong to, and who your master is? I know a thing or two about the famous Daoist schools!"
Shawn replied quickly, "I—I don’t belong to any sect. My Daoist skills were passed down from my family and self-taught!"
Cui Tianlai was stunned, then exclaimed, "Wow, family-inherited Daoist arts! Your ancestors must have been true masters! I bet you’ve inherited their full legacy, huh? Haha, that’s exactly the kind of talent my National Security Bureau needs. Come join us! I promise you’ll be more celebrated than in the Special Abilities Taskforce!"
Shawn was about to say something when Fiona Tang hooked his arm and glared at Cui Tianlai, her eyes like autumn water, "Uncle Cui, you’ve got some nerve, trying to poach people from our Special Abilities Taskforce! Remember, Shawn came on this mission at my invitation, and if Dragon King hears you’re stealing our talent, he won’t be happy!"
Fiona Tang didn’t hesitate to bring up the Dragon King. That made Cui Tianlai’s scalp tingle—he was clearly wary of the Dragon King’s reputation. Blushing, he quickly said with a smile, "Alright, alright, Fiona, I won’t poach anyone from your Taskforce! If that ruthless old man Leon North finds out, with his temper, he might come knocking for payback! But Shawn captured Black Eye and solved a huge problem for us, restoring our bureau’s reputation and saving the country a massive loss! So, even if Shawn can’t join, I’d like to give him something special. If he ever runs into trouble, he can use the privileges of an external agent of our bureau."
As he spoke, Cui Tianlai pulled a small wallet from his black jacket pocket, opened it to reveal several red credentials marked with three black letters "aaa" on the cover. He stuffed the wallet into Shawn’s hand, smiling, "Haha, Shawn, take these. I’ll have someone make a special record for you later—it won’t be in the bureau’s internal files, but you can use it as an insider. I can’t guarantee anything abroad, but in China, these credentials will be pretty useful. Let’s look out for each other!"
Shawn was about to decline the credentials, but Fiona Tang patted his shoulder, stopping him, "Don’t be shy—these are good stuff! You never know when you’ll need them. In some special fields, having National Security Bureau connections makes things easier than our Taskforce. After all, our department is hidden, but theirs is the real top dog!"
General Thomas Chen glanced at the credentials, raised his eyebrows, and laughed, "Heh, Old Cui, you’re really pulling out all the stops—even giving away the bureau’s legendary 'License to Kill' AAAA-level credentials? With this tiger skin, Shawn can walk sideways in China! Aren’t you worried he’ll abuse all that power?"
Cui Tianlai shot him a look and grinned, "Haha, Old Chen, when Black Eye stole our intelligence and escaped, I swore whoever got it back would get top honors! I believe Shawn deserves these credentials. He’s at least as good as the heirs of the three great families! I trust my judgment—Shawn won’t abuse these powers. And even if something goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility!"
"Whoa—rare sight! Really rare! Never thought you’d be so bold, Old Cui! Hahaha—good! Good! Since both you, the chief spook, and Fiona trust Shawn’s character, this old man will support him too! Wouldn’t want to be the odd one out—" General Chen burst out laughing.
Hearing Fiona Tang’s words, Shawn stopped being polite and accepted the credentials. Cui Tianlai gave him a mysterious smile and waved, "Haha, Fiona’s right, Shawn, we might work together again someday, so take good care of those credentials... Uh... even if you lose them, I’ll have the bureau make a special file for you. I’ve got things to do, so I’ll head out first. Goodbye, everyone!"
With that, Cui Tianlai waved outside, and two young men in plain clothes got off a military helicopter, grabbed the stunned Black Eye from the ground, and dragged him onto the chopper. Cui Tianlai waved to everyone and boarded the helicopter, which was already revving up to leave.