Esper X Family – Chapter 138 – Are You Saying That Sequence 001 Is the Mole?

As Ye Yao and the others quickly withdrew.

The guards who sensed the mental power fluctuations swiftly arrived at the suspected location.

Yet, they found no trace of anyone.

It was as if the faint mental power fluctuation from moments ago was merely an illusion.

However, the alarm sounding in the restricted zone proved that this was no illusion.

Sequence 033 was missing.

It was a bizarre and inexplicable disappearance.

Not even a shadow of the suspect was seen.

The Espers from the Countermeasures Bureau quickly searched the surrounding area upon receiving the news.

But they still found no useful clues.

Everyone fell silent.

“Was it… Sequence 013 who did it?”

A voice rang out in the crowd.

This was the downside of having a bad reputation.

Whenever something happened, they would always suspect him first.

After all, Mu Luo had done it plenty of times.

“Do you have evidence? Sir Fang Ze just strengthened the defenses. How could that guy have sneaked in?”

“That’s true. This incident is different from Sequence 013’s usual style. No matter what, there’s usually a trace of his presence at least. There’s nothing this time. It’s hard to confirm if it’s him.”

“Then who else could it be?”

This question left everyone in silence.

Soon, someone reported the findings from the investigation.

According to the surveillance footage.

Sequence 033 seemed to have vanished into thin air, with no other person around.

If it was Mu Luo, he would usually show up before taking the target away.

His modus operandi always allowed the Countermeasures Bureau to accurately pinpoint the suspect.

But it was no longer the old routine this time.

Instead, it was full of novelty.

“From what we’ve observed, it seems like a change in Sequence 033 herself. It looks like she vanished into thin air, but it’s more like she turned into something intangible and ran away on her own.”

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“No physical form? Sir Fang Ze’s Law Space should include this aspect.”

“Sequence 033 is different. She’s too special, capable of resonating with various mental powers. The Law Space might have identified her as its own.”

However, Sequence 033 had no means of becoming “incorporeal”.

Her ability simply didn’t have that function.

So, it must have been someone else’s interference.

Someone outside the restricted zone used their ability, taking advantage of Sequence 033’s resonance to influence her.

That was how they successfully took her away.

But pulling this off required a combination of several factors.

First, they needed to know about Sequence 033’s information.

Second, they needed the ability to approach the restricted zone silently.

And third, they needed the right ability to exploit Sequence 033’s power.

No matter how you thought about it, they all seemed extremely demanding.

Starting with the first point.

Sequence 033’s information was a top secret within the Countermeasures Bureau.

It couldn’t possibly be known by outsiders.

Yet, the other party seemed to know a great deal about Sequence 033.

The entire operation was executed flawlessly.

It was hard to believe.

Unless there was a mole in the Countermeasures Bureau!

The second point was even more far-fetched.

How many people could silently approach the restricted zone?

Only S-rank Espers could guarantee that.

Excluding that.

It seemed like only that scoundrel Sequence 013 was the most suspicious.

His hiding abilities were well-known.

It was even certified by an S-rank Esper ¹ If you don’t remember, Mu Luo took Xia Lian away under an S-rank esper’s watch. .

The third point was quite broad.

Sequence 033’s ability had synergy with most abilities.

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But an ability that could take her away from the restricted zone like this was extremely rare.

It might have required extensive preparation.

“If we assume it’s Sequence 013, what should we do?”

In the past.

If an innate Sequence Esper went missing in the Countermeasures Bureau, they would first assume that it was Mu Luo.

They didn’t even need to doubt.

But it was different now.

Someone shook their head.

“Sequence Zero is now considered a neutral faction, and Sequence 013 is one of them. To prove that it was him, we need evidence first. Otherwise, it’s not good to jump to conclusions.”

From the moment Sequence 033 disappeared until now, there had been no trace of his presence.

Nor were there traces of his ability.

The style was so novel.

It was hard to pin him as the suspect.

Moreover, Sequence 013’s whereabouts were unknown, and the Countermeasures Bureau couldn’t find him.

Let alone bring him in for questioning.

Now that Sequence 033 was lost, there was no way to recover her.

They could only consider other issues.

“Could someone have leaked Sequence 033’s information?”

“Is there a mole among us?”

In the meeting room, everyone looked at each other, suspecting everyone.

“Don’t rush to suspect each other. Sequence 033’s situation is special. It’s possible that it was figured out through external experiments.”

At these words, the atmosphere in the meeting room eased considerably.

This made sense.

Sequence 033 would occasionally transmit her thoughts to those with low mental power.

There were warning signs outside the restricted zone.

If someone made an attempt and confirmed Sequence 033’s situation through her thoughts.

A clever person could quickly deduce the essence of Sequence 033’s ability.

Soon, they found a lead.

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“Has there been any suspicious activity near the restricted zone recently? Or has anyone used their abilities nearby?”

At this, a guard from the restricted zone stood up.

“Yes! Today, I noticed two girls loitering near the restricted zone, and there were mental power fluctuations. They must have used an ability. One of the girls had mental power just below Sequence 033’s, so she should’ve been able to hear the voices coming from the restricted zone.”

The people in the meeting room perked up.

Never mind whether these two girls were moles.

They had a lead and a direction now.

With such a serious incident, they needed to bring them in for questioning.

“Bring them in. Let’s see if they’re suspects.”

“Yes.”

The guard quickly contacted Ye Yao and Luo Jianhua’s supervisor, Ms. Yang.

The call was soon connected.

“Hello, Ms. Yang. Sequence 033 has suddenly gone missing, and we suspect that someone leaked her information. The two Esper girls under your supervision approached the restricted zone and used an ability today. Please contact them to come in for questioning. We need to rule them out as suspects.”

There was a long silence on the other end.

Ms. Yang stared at the phone in her hand, momentarily doubting whether she was awake.

What did you say?

Are you saying that Sequence 001 is the mole?

And you want her to come in for questioning?

How will you rule out her suspicion?

Intimidation, pressure, interrogation, or just glaring at her?

Have you gone insane, or have I?

“Set aside the matter of Sequence 033 for now. Don’t involve them in any incidents.

You can investigate whoever you want, but you absolutely can’t investigate those two.

This matter involves top-secret information, and your clearance level doesn’t allow you to inquire about it.

Even if they did approach the restricted zone, act as if you didn’t see them. Lastly, do not disclose anything I’ve just said.”

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The call ended.

The guard was stunned for a few seconds before a notification sounded on his phone.

He looked down.

It was a top-level directive from headquarters.

[Delete all records related to Ye Yao and Luo Jianhua.]

The guard slowly sat down, cold sweat dripping down his back.

“Top secret.”

These two words made everyone in the meeting room exchange glances.

They instantly understood.

And now the lead was gone.

“Ahem… let’s get back to the previous topic. I suspect that it’s done by the inherently shady Sequence 013. Who agrees, who disagrees?”

“I agree.”

“Me too.”

“Suspect first, suspect later.”

“It could also be the inherently evil Sanctuary’s doing.”

The meeting concluded.

The result of their discussion was that Sequence 013 might have developed a new method of abducting people.

It also couldn’t be ruled out that it was the work of the inherently evil Sanctuary.

What mole?

What suspect?

There’s no such thing.

Author Note

Daily request for gifts~

Text: As long as I act stupid

No one will know that I’m actually an idiot

Translator Note

Author is recycling memes now… Will we have a meme drought? Memepocalypse?