Hearing the grocery store owner's answer, Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao were both invigorated, and the red light in Genava's eye sockets flickered twice.

"Do you know which floor and which room he lives in?" Jiang Baimian asked, pressing further.

Having had her mind implanted, the owner didn't wonder why the 'Old Task Force' was asking for so much detail. She shook her head and said,

"That person doesn't like to talk, and no one pays attention to him. If he didn't come to buy things often, I might not even remember there was such a person.

"I only know that he entered that unit, but I'm not too clear about which floor and which room."

As she spoke, the grocery store owner extended her right hand, pointing to an entrance of the apartment building across the street.

That was exactly the stairwell leading to the Mol family's home!

The sniper and Mol lived in the same unit of the same apartment building!

This was consistent with what Bai Chen had said about it being convenient for nighttime surveillance.

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao exchanged glances, asked nothing more, left the grocery store, and walked to the target unit of the target apartment.

They didn't rush to enter and search; instead, they lingered outside, looking up and examining the lamps that had been lit because of the darkness.

"Sixteen human consciousnesses on the first floor," Shang Jianyao suddenly said.

"Sixteen clusters of bioelectrical signals from humans," Jiang Baimian said without turning her head, still focusing on the front.

This meant there were a total of sixteen people on the first floor, and none of them were hiding their consciousness.

"Seventeen human consciousnesses on the second floor," Shang Jianyao continued.

Jiang Baimian nodded:

"The number of bioelectrical signals matches."

In this way, the two quickly compared the data to confirm the situation.

Before long, Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao were certain that none of the humans in this unit were hiding their own consciousness.

In other words, Shang Jianyao could simultaneously influence these hundred or so people without any omissions.

The next second, Shang Jianyao took out a blue and white megaphone from his tactical backpack and shouted at that unit:

"Attention, residents, we are staff from the Safe Electricity Use Committee. We are here today to inspect the circuits and wiring of this apartment building. Please open the door in a timely manner when you hear a knock to cooperate with our work…"

After saying this, Jiang Baimian believed that no one in the unit would suspect the 'Old Task Force's' investigation, including the sniper and his companion.

She immediately turned her head and said to Genava:

"Old Ge, prepare the tranquilizer bullets."

The 'Old Task Force's' goal this time was to capture them alive!

"Okay." Genava quickly adjusted the configuration of his weapon.

Immediately afterward, Shang Jianyao took the lead and entered the apartment, with Jiang Baimian following closely behind.

They knocked on doors one after another, pretending to inspect the circuits and wiring while observing whether the people in the house looked like the portrait that Jitis had given them.

In this way, the Old Task Force made their way to the top floor.

The first door they knocked on was the one facing the stairwell, which was also next door to the Mol family's apartment.

Bang bang bang!

"Checking the meter, circuits, and wiring!" Shang Jianyao shouted loudly while pounding on the wooden door.

After seven or eight seconds, the door swung open.

The person who opened the door was a man in his late twenties. He had long, light yellow hair, and under his blue eyes were undisguisable dark circles. He was wearing brightly colored clothes and had the air of an artist.

This was clearly unlike the sniper in the sketch.

"Why are you suddenly inspecting the circuits and wiring at night?" the long-haired man asked, slightly puzzled.

"Most people have to work during the day, so we can't get in even if we come," Shang Jianyao said matter-of-factly, stepping past the man and entering the room.

According to his and Jiang Baimian's senses, there were two people living here, and there was still one person in the room that needed to be confirmed.

At a glance, Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian didn't see a single person. They only noticed two rough, knobby tree roots and a stack of yellowish paper towels on the coffee table.

The corresponding human consciousness had disappeared at some point.

Based on the bioelectrical signal readings, Jiang Baimian's gaze swept across the sofa on the side of the coffee table.

That person is there, but we can't see him… As the thought flashed through her mind, she turned her body and subtly gestured to Genava, who had followed her in.

Although Genava had not collected any corresponding visual signals either, he fully trusted Daba and abruptly raised his right arm, firing a tranquilizer bullet at the spot Jiang Baimian had indicated.

With a soft pop, a figure was outlined on the sofa.

This figure was wearing a black knee-length coat, his brown hair was cut short, his yellowish eyes were frozen with obvious surprise, his high, straight nose was slightly deformed, and a rectangular black wooden box was placed next to his right hand.

He was exactly the sniper in the portrait!

At this moment, a tranquilizer bullet was lodged in his chest and abdomen, and his body jolted up reflexively.

His companion, the long-haired man with the artistic air, reacted as well.

Just then, the two of them showed expressions of dejection one after another, and successively gave up resisting.

The long-haired man sighed and said:

"Life is only a few decades, like a dream, an illusion. Now that things have come to this, there's nothing to say."

He plopped down on a chair not far away, striking a pose of surrendering.

Shang Jianyao's "Literary Youth"!

And after missing the best period for resistance, the sniper's eyes gradually scattered, and he quickly entered a state of anesthesia, collapsing on the sofa.

"Old Ge." Jiang Baimian gestured for Genava to guard the door, preventing anyone from approaching.

Shang Jianyao smiled and said to the long-haired man:

"Don't worry, we just want to ask about something; we won't do anything to you.

"As long as you cooperate fully, I can guarantee that we won't harm your lives. We've always been trustworthy in this regard."

The long-haired man's eyes flickered for a moment, and he said:

"Sounds sincere."

Trustworthy.

"You haven't had a suicidal thought implanted in you if you are asked about a certain matter, right?" Shang Jianyao confirmed "cautiously".

The long-haired man shook his head:

"No.

"Besides, in this situation, even if we wanted to commit suicide, we probably couldn't."

"Good to know." Shang Jianyao revealed a smile.

"What's your name?" Jiang Baimian entered the questioning mode.

When it came to matters involving the Eighth Research Institute, she didn't plan to delay, fearing that another accident might occur if she did.

The long-haired man sensed the respect:

"I'm called Murray."

He then pointed to his sleeping companion:

"His name is Benito."

Before Jiang Baimian could ask anything else, Shang Jianyao preemptively said:

"Why do you buy paper towels every now and then?"

He exaggerated the grocery store owner's statement.

Murray's mouth twitched, and he pointed to Benito, saying:

"He uses them."

"How so?" Shang Jianyao asked, looking curious.

Murray was clearly not too keen on answering this question, but he still cooperated:

"His price to pay is that his sexual fetish is different from ordinary people. He just loves rubbing against trees."

A sexual abnormality? The 'Double Sun' domain… No wonder we couldn't see him just now… Jiang Baimian suddenly understood.

Part of the abilities of the 'Double Sun' domain involves the manipulation of vision.

This also explained why Benito was able to leave the Mining Federation building without any "witnesses."

Shang Jianyao said "Oh" and pointed to the two tree roots on the coffee table:

"I thought you were a root carving artist; it turns out he's the one using them!"

Murray shrugged his shoulders:

"My hobby is reading.

"Actually, I can understand why he has such a fetish. On the one hand, it's caused by the price he has to pay, and on the other hand, it's also influenced by certain experiences in his childhood and adolescence. You should know that many boys like to climb trees, and the first time is often given away just like that."

Jiang Baimian felt that the topic was getting increasingly off-track, so she quickly pulled it back:

"Are you people from the Eighth Research Institute?"

"Yes," Murray admitted frankly.

"Is your ability to browse and delete memories?" Shang Jianyao asked, looking curious.

"No," Murray shook his head. "The one who can delete memories on a large scale only comes to Gesterborg when large-scale material transactions are involved. Usually, these small matters won't attract suspicion, and there's no need to hand them over to outsiders afterward, so there's no risk of revealing our identities."

"These small matters are all completed through Mol?" Jiang Baimian asked.

Murray nodded slightly:

"In Gesterborg, there are very few people like him who can do many things without attracting attention."

Jiang Baimian pondered for a few seconds and asked directly:

"Where is the headquarters of your Eighth Research Institute located?"

"I don't know," Murray smiled. "Those who can be sent out don't know the specific location. When we need to return to headquarters, we will communicate the meeting location and time in advance, and then someone will come to pick us up. During the journey, our eyes are blindfolded, and our ears are blocked."

Jiang Baimian wasn't disappointed at all by Murray's answer, because the previous special envoy from the Eighth Research Institute had already told the 'Old Task Force' the details in this regard.

As a result, Jiang Baimian believed that the Eighth Research Institute definitely had strict rules and regulations on similar matters.

She asked calmly:

"So, when will you return to headquarters?"

Murray was silent for a moment, and then whispered:

"Mol is dead, and we should be recalled before long."