Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

In the dim abandoned warehouse, the afterglow of the setting sun shines through the broken window frames, casting mottled light and shadows on the dusty and rusty ground.

The air is filled with the smell of rust and decay, as if even time has stopped here.

Occasionally, a gust of cold wind would blow in through the cracks, bringing a bit of a chill, but it could not break the dead silence.

In the center of the warehouse, four figures stood silently. There were no extra words between them, only a silence that was almost tacit.

Their figures seemed particularly lonely in the dim light, as if they were ghosts crawling out from the depths of hell, carrying indelible scars and memories.

Rudolf Oston stood at the front and glanced at the other three people: "Brothers, we have another mission."

Before he finished speaking, a thin man sneered and said in a hoarse voice: "Mission? Austin, do you really think we are the hidden team back then?"

There was a hint of sarcasm and disdain in his eyes, "We are now nothing more than abandoned children of the empire, worse than dogs."

Another man with a scar on his face nodded. "After the mission failed, the military threw us away like garbage. Now you're suddenly looking for us. Do you want us to be cannon fodder again?"

His fingers unconsciously touched the scar on his face. The failed mission still stung his nerves.

Rudolf Austin did not refute, as if he had already anticipated their reaction. He waited until their emotions calmed down a little before he slowly spoke: "I know you have complaints against the military, and so do I. But this mission is not for the military, but for ourselves."

"Ourselves?" The last man who had been silent raised his head with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Rudolf Oston nodded: "This mission is not from the military, but from the sanatorium."

There was obvious distrust in the thin man's tone, "Imperial Sanatorium? Why would he trust us? Why would he give us a chance?"

Rudolf Oston's mouth curled up into a sneer: "He doesn't need to believe in us, he only needs our ability. Moreover, the reward he gives is enough for us to stand up again."

"What's the reward?"

"Awakening potion, fourth and fifth generation."

After Rudolf Oston finished talking about the mission reward, the other three members of the assassination team fell silent.

Awakening potions, especially the fourth and fifth generations, are like a life-saving straw for these awakeners who have been abandoned by the military.

Those who can become members of the assassination team are naturally all awakened, and they naturally know the importance of awakening potions to them.

It can be said that the reason why these people were abandoned by the military was because their level of awakening was too high.

As the Awakened fight or kill Phantoms, their awakening level will gradually increase and their strength will become stronger.

But the increase in awakening degree is definitely not a good thing. When the awakening degree exceeds 65%, it will cause the awakener's emotions to become unstable, and the empire will not continue to employ such awakeners.

When the awakening degree exceeds 70%, the awakened person will enter the transformation period, that is, the transformation from human to demon.

If it exceeds 80%, it is only a matter of time before they turn into demons. If it exceeds 85%, they may turn into demons at any time. As for the awakened ones with an awakening degree of over 90%, they are very rare.

For the military, it is not impossible to save a few people, but the cost is too high.

For the top military brass, the members of these assassination teams were already discarded pawns, and there was no need to spend too much money on them.

So after the mission failed, several people were ruthlessly abandoned by the military.

Rudolf Oston was able to stay in the army only because his old leader was promoted to corps commander, otherwise he would have received the same treatment as the other three.

The scarred man clenched his fists, his knuckles making slight crackling sounds. "The military didn't even want to give us the third generation of medicine back then, but he's willing to give us the fourth and fifth generations?"

"Guess who made the awakening potion?"

The thin man frowned, with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes: "Could it be a nursing home?"

"Yes, the awakening potion was developed by the sanatorium."

The thin man looked a little curious. "If the sanatorium really has this ability, then the strength of the director you mentioned may be even stronger than we imagined. Why did he choose us? We are just a few abandoned pawns abandoned by the military."

Rudolf Oston's tone was almost cruel and straightforward: "It is precisely because we are abandoned that the dean chose us. We have no way out and no one to rely on. As long as we want to survive, we must rely on him completely. Moreover, our abilities are exactly what he needs."

The man who had been silent all this time finally spoke: "Interesting, he wants us to be his swords?"

Rudolf Oston nodded: "But this is also our opportunity. As long as we can prove our worth, we will no longer be abandoned in the future."

The scarred man sneered, with a hint of disdain in his tone: "Knife? Humph, I'm used to it. At least, the reward given by this dean is much more generous than the military. The fourth and fifth generation awakening potions... something that the military dare not even think about, but he is willing to give it out."

The thin man took a deep breath, and the hesitation in his eyes was gradually replaced by determination: "Since we have no other choice, let's give it a try. At least, this time we are doing it for ourselves, not for those high-ranking military officials. If they abandon us, there is no need for us to work for them anymore."

A trace of relief flashed in Rudolf Oston's eyes: "Very good, we used to be the sharpest knife in the empire, and now, we still are. However, this time we fight for ourselves."

"Come on, I'll take you to see the dean."

The three members of the assassination team looked at each other, and then they followed Rudolf Oston out of the warehouse.

After passing through several dim streets, they soon arrived at the back door of the sanatorium.

The sanatorium building looked particularly eerie in the night, with vines covering the towering walls, as if a gigantic monster was lurking in the darkness.

The light in front of the door was dim, casting a few swaying shadows, making it look particularly lonely.

Rudolph Oxton stopped and knocked gently on the door.

A low response came from inside the door, with a hint of vigilance in the voice: "Who?"

"Rudolf Oxton."

There was silence for a moment, and then a slightly dissatisfied murmur came from inside the door: "Why did you come back so late?"

"President Lin asked me to go out and find some talents to help."

Hearing his words, the people inside the door seemed to relax their vigilance.

The door opened slowly, making a slight creaking sound.

An awakened one in a white uniform appeared at the door. He glanced at the four people, especially at the three members of the assassination team, and paused for a moment, as if assessing their threat level.

Then he nodded and said, "Don't talk nonsense after you go in. You should know the rules."

The four followed the Awakened One through the dark corridors of the sanatorium.

There were dim wall lamps hanging on the walls on both sides of the corridor, and the lights cast swaying shadows on the walls, as if countless pairs of eyes were watching them in the dark.

The scarred man sneered in a low voice: "This place really looks like a haunted house. No wonder the sanatorium has such a bad reputation."

The thin man frowned and responded in a low voice: "Stop talking, this is not a place where we can act recklessly. Don't forget, we are here to ask for help, not to cause trouble."

The man who had been silent all the time still didn't speak, but his eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly, as if he was ready to deal with possible danger at any time.

Rudolf Oston walked in front with no expression on his face, having long been accustomed to the surrounding environment.

Soon, they arrived at the door of a spacious office.

The awakened one stopped and said, "The dean is inside. You can go in."

Rudolf Oston nodded, reached out to push open the door, and walked in with the three of them.

The light in the office is much brighter than in the corridor, but it still has a cold feeling.

The decoration of the room is simple yet luxurious. In the corner stands an exquisite antique clock. The pendulum swings slowly, making regular ticking sounds, as if calculating time.

In the office, Lin Yi was sitting behind his desk, holding a book about the mental state of the awakened. He closed the book and placed it on the table only after the four people entered. "Dean, these three are my former teammates. In terms of lurking, there is no one better than them in the entire Fourth Army." Rudolph smiled and slightly moved aside, exposing the three people behind him completely to Lin Yi's sight.

Lin Yi looked at the three people in front of him and felt like he was back to the time when the Freedom Alliance encountered the people from the Killing Squad.

"Introduce yourself."

The scarred man spoke first: "My name is Carl Morris, a former member of the Fourth Army assassination team. I am good at lurking and close combat."

Lin Yi's gaze stayed on Carl for a moment, and information about this man quickly emerged in his mind - Carl Morris, in the "Shadow Operation" three years ago, he sneaked into the enemy headquarters alone and successfully assassinated three senior commanders.

Lin Yi said nothing more and turned his gaze to the thin man.

The thin man continued, "Isaac Ryan, specializes in long-range sniping and intelligence gathering."

Lin Yi did not respond and turned his gaze to the last man.

The man was like an iceberg. It was not until Lin Yi's eyes fell on him that the man answered: "I am Victor Stewart, and I am good at blasting and trap setting. I am the 'Ghost Blaster' of the Fourth Army."

"Victor Stewart? Your name has been on the military's blacklist for a long time. It is said that you once destroyed half of the enemy's base with a bomb during a mission. The military's assessment of you is 'dangerous and uncontrollable'."

"Whether I am dangerous or not depends on who uses me. The military doesn't know how to use my value, so they fail."

Lin Yi chuckled and swept his eyes over the three people. His tone was full of control and calmness: "Very good, I am very satisfied with your resume. Rudolf is right, you are indeed the top talents of the Fourth Army. Here, you are no longer tools of the military, but my collaborators. As long as you prove your worth, the awakening potion will be yours."

"Then, your first mission is to sneak into Senator Bell's villa and find clues about his connection with the Phantom Organization. Remember, this mission must be carried out in absolute secrecy. Once exposed, the sanatorium will not acknowledge your existence."

After finishing the task, Lin Yi opened the drawer in front of him, and three bottles of light blue potions were casually placed on the table.

"Third-generation awakening potion." Lin Yi's tone was still indifferent, as if these three bottles of potion were just cheap goods that were readily available, rather than rare items that could be sold at a sky-high price on the black market.

"The emperor will not send hungry soldiers. I don't want any accidents to happen during the mission."

Victor Stewart, Carl and another team member looked at the three bottles of potions at the same time, with a hint of shock that was hard to conceal in their eyes.

The price of the third-generation awakening potion on the black market is enough to bankrupt an ordinary awakener, but Lin Yi took it out so easily, as if it was just garbage he casually threw away.

Carl didn't hesitate. He reached out and grabbed a bottle of medicine from the table, uncorked it, and drank it all in one gulp.

The moment the medicine entered his throat, a cool feeling slid down his throat into his stomach. Then, he felt that the power that was about to stir in his body was suppressed by an invisible hand and gradually calmed down.

"After you finish drinking, hurry up and do your work. Remember, the requirement for this operation is to be secretive. I will not get involved in any situation."

"clear."

At this moment, the aura of Rudolph and the other three changed.

If those few people just looked like a homeless person, now their eyes were full of murderous intent, as if they were four wild beasts awakening from sleep, ready to tear apart the prey in front of them at any time.

Money makes the world go round. Although Victor and his two companions are awakened members of the assassination team, it does not mean that they do not value their lives.

On the contrary, they know better than anyone that in this cruel world, staying alive is the greatest luxury.

Now that Lin Yi offered such a generous reward, they naturally would not have any reservations.

In this jungle where the strong prey on the weak, interests and loyalty have always been exchanged on an equal basis.

As the four people left, a moment later, the bedroom door was gently pushed open and Issawei Bonnie walked out.

As the vice president of the sanatorium, Lin Yi's office is naturally equipped with a bedroom so that he can rest at any time.

Therefore, she heard every word of Lin Yi's conversation just now.

"Um, I said I didn't hear anything just now, okay?" Isaiah Bonnie smiled helplessly, with a hint of tentativeness in her tone.

"It doesn't matter. I know your character well. Bai Ye told me about your weaknesses, and I believe you are a smart person and will not do anything stupid." Lin Yi picked up the spiritual book from the table and started reading it.

Hearing Lin Yi's words, Isaiah Bonnie remembered the scene when Su Xiao threatened her, and couldn't help but feel a headache.

"Do you people always like to solve problems with threats?"

Lin Yi closed the book and looked up at her: "Threat? No, it's just a reminder. In this world, smart people know how to choose. And you are obviously a smart person."

"By the way, since you are awake, help me figure out what Senator Bell wants to do?" Lin Yi's voice was still flat, as if he was just talking about an insignificant matter.

After saying that, he took out a thick file bag from the drawer and threw it to Isewei Bonnie.

The file bag drew an arc in the air and finally landed steadily in the hands of Isaiah Bonnie.

She looked down at the file bag in her hand, and the bitter smile on her face deepened, as if what she took was not a document but a hot potato.

She sighed softly, with a hint of helplessness in her tone: "Dean Lin, you are pushing me into the fire pit."

Isewei Bonnie shook her head helplessly, knowing that no amount of excuses would help.

She opened the file bag, took out the documents inside, and began to read them carefully.

Her eyes quickly scanned each page, her fingertips sliding lightly across the paper.

As she read deeper, her fingers unconsciously began to tangle with her golden hair, a habitual action when she was lost in thought.

"These data... Congressman Bell's recent actions are indeed very abnormal." Isaiah Bonnie whispered, with a hint of doubt in her tone, "He has been in frequent contact with some marginal forces recently, even including some organizations wanted by the military. Moreover, his capital flow has also become abnormal, and a large amount of funds have gone to unknown destinations."

"It looks like you have to come with me." After hearing Bonnie's answer, Lin Yi stood up and took off his white coat.

At the same time, Rudolph and his four companions had quietly changed their identities and sneaked into the area near Congressman Bell's estate.

As an experienced undercover agent, Rudolf Oston was dressed in ordinary worker's clothes. The fabric was rough and covered with dust and oil, as if he had just come from a construction site.

He had on a tattered hat with the brim pulled down low, covering his eyes.

He stood on a street corner outside the manor, pretending to repair a cart. The tools in his hands made metallic collision sounds from time to time, but his eyes kept sweeping towards the gate of the manor.

Carl Morris disguised himself as a delivery man, carrying a box full of groceries and slowly walking towards the back door of the manor.

He had a simple smile on his face and nodded to the guards passing by, appearing to be non-threatening, but he kept paying attention to the soldiers patrolling nearby in the corner of his eyes, so as to calculate the time for their shift change.

Isaac Lane stood on the roof of a building in the distance, holding a sniper rifle scope disguised as an ordinary telescope.

His mission is to provide long-range support and intelligence gathering to ensure the team's operations are foolproof.

As for Carl Morris, he disguised himself as a gardener, holding a pair of pruning shears in his hand, and walked slowly in the bushes outside the estate.

He calculated in his mind the best locations for explosions and traps, ensuring that he could quickly cut off the enemy's retreat or create chaos when necessary.

Ten minutes later, several people met at the agreed place: "Karl, how is the situation over there?"

"There are twelve guards at the back door. They look like ordinary security guards, but I suspect they might be awakened. I plan to go around from the side and see if I can find another entrance."

Isaac Lane's voice followed: "There is a low wall on the east side of the manor. There are fewer guards and you can sneak in from there. However, I have observed that there are traps there. Be careful not to step on them."

"I have placed several small explosive devices outside the manor to create chaos if necessary."

Rudolf Oston nodded and whispered, "Okay, Carl, you sneak in from the low wall on the east side. Victor, you continue to set traps on the periphery and be ready to respond at any time."

The four of them acted quickly and carried out their tasks according to the plan. (End of this chapter)