Yan Feifan scratched his forehead, speaking with less confidence: "Hmm... phasing through walls."
"Phasing through walls?"
Lu Ding found it interesting: "How did you awaken such an ability?"
"Well, back at home, I encountered something paranormal. The wall swallowed me. I tried to escape, to get out... and accidentally phased right through. That's how I awakened the wall-phasing ability." Yan Feifan explained while driving.
"Since you can phase through walls, can you phase through the ground too?"
"I can, technically. But I can't swim. I'd just sink and stay down."
"Hahahahahaha!" Lu Ding's laughter filled the car cabin.
Yan Feifan quickly added: "I'm afraid of water, nearly drowned as a kid. But I will learn!"
"Alright. Perform well, remember to learn swimming. I'll call you for the next mission." Lu Ding promised.
This promise instantly brightened Yan Feifan's eyes! Compared to finding someone else, Lu Ding felt Yan Feifan was quite suitable. Mainly his personality – a bit timid, yet clever. Someone like that wouldn't have too many of his own stubborn ideas. He was reliable for support tasks. Plus, the ability to phase through walls and earth could be very useful later.
"Really, Lu-ge? I'm pretty useless, honestly. Not good at combat, not good at reconnaissance, not good at anything. I even passed the qualification test by finding loopholes."
"That just means you're smart. And when you're on a mission with me, why would *you* need to fight? If it comes to you needing to fight, we'd probably both be beyond saving anyway."
Yan Feifan thought about it. That made sense.
Soon, they arrived at a bubble tea shop on a crossroads. "Lu-ge, we're here. This is where Tong Yong worked his summer job."
They got out of the Jeep. Yan Feifan led the way. The moment they entered the shop, a faint, fishy stench hit Lu Ding's nostrils.
Yan Feifan saw that Tong Yong wasn't there. He ordered two hand-squeezed lemon teas and casually asked, "Hey, miss, where's the guy who usually works here? I saw him last time, really putting his back into pounding those lemons. Not here today? Must be tiring for you to do it all alone."
*This is what a smart person does.* The shop was quiet, and hand-squeezing lemons was hard work. Asking directly might raise suspicion or get a guarded answer. But framing it as concern about her workload...
The girl making the teas immediately complained, "You mean Tong Yong? He quit! He was supposed to give two weeks' notice, but yesterday he just said he was leaving, effective immediately. Now it's just me – making drinks, taking orders, everything! So annoying!" She pounded the lemons with extra force, venting her frustration.
Yan Feifan played along, "Tch, that's inconsiderate. Doesn't follow the rules at all. How could he leave such a pretty girl working so hard? Let me buy you a drink, on me. To cool down." Before she could refuse, he paid for an extra drink.
Hearing the payment chime, the girl looked embarrassed. "Oh no, no, we're not allowed to accept drinks from customers."
"It's fine, just one drink. Someone as pretty as you, even if you can't drink it now, I bet guys are lining up to buy you drinks after work. That Tong Yong guy just didn't realize the advantage of being close to the water to catch the moon first." Yan Feifan wasn't bad-looking himself, his timing was perfect, and his words were smooth. The girl blushed instantly.
Following his lead, she kept talking. "As if! He wouldn't look at someone like me. When he left yesterday, I accidentally saw him chatting with this stunningly beautiful woman. A sports car picked him up soon after! I thought he was just another working student like me. Turns out he's a rich kid slumming it for the experience!"
As she finished the two lemon teas, she looked hopefully at Yan Feifan, her eyes darting towards Lu Ding beside him. One was charming and nice to talk to; the other hadn't said a word but was stunningly handsome, standing there like a model, radiating presence. She thought the charming one who bought her a drink might at least ask for her contact info.
Instead, he just turned and walked out, focused on his phone.
Back in the car, Yan Feifan looked at his phone: "Lu-ge, I had the agency's task support check the traffic cam footage near here, and the car that picked Tong Yong up that day."
At this moment, Lu Ding felt recruiting Yan Feifan was absolutely the right