Chapter 22: The Red-Crowned Crane Squadron

"Register the squad again, and get everyone's identification sorted out while we're at it."

Previously, Shen Xin had asked Uncle Mo why other squads had armbands and names, but theirs didn't. He hadn't expected that Sister Dan was finally planning to register their squad anew.

"So, what will our squad be called?"

"Come, let's have lunch together and discuss it as a group."

Shen Xin followed Sister Dan to the first floor hall, where Tang Ziran was already setting out the food and chopsticks.

Sister Dan ate quietly at first, only speaking once the meal was finished. "I'm thinking about giving our squad a new name. Do you have any suggestions?"

Chen Jiawang was the first to raise his hand. "It's about time we had a name! I suggest we call ourselves the 'Awesome Squad'—sounds bold and cool!"

Uncle Mo nearly choked on his food, coughed a few times, and said, "Jiawang, that's a bit much. I think 'Iron Blood and True Heart Squad' sounds better."

Sister Dan turned her gaze to Shen Xin and asked, "Shen Xin, you're a college student—what do you think?"

"Uh, well... maybe 'Bull’s Horn Squad'? After all, we're in Bull City."

Danqing shook her head and glanced at Tang Ziran, who was focused on eating, choosing to ignore her. "I don't think any of your suggestions are good enough. Let's call ourselves the 'Red-crowned Crane Squad.'"

"Tch! Sister Dan, you already had the name in mind. Why bother asking us?"

Chen Jiawang continued gnawing on his chicken drumstick.

Shen Xin and Uncle Mo both nodded; they thought 'Red-crowned Crane Squad' was a decent name.

Sister Dan smiled, satisfied. "Since no one objects, Uncle Mo, would you mind going out this afternoon to get the squad name registered? Take the others along so they can register their identities as well."

"No problem," Uncle Mo agreed readily.

Around two in the afternoon, Uncle Mo took Shen Xin and the others to register the squad name. To Shen Xin’s surprise, Uncle Mo brought them to the police station. On the second floor, in a small office, Uncle Mo explained their request, and the clerk had them fill out some forms. Before long, the squad name was registered.

However, registering as bounty hunters proved a bit more troublesome. Not only did they have to fill out forms, but they also had to demonstrate their superpowers. Once the clerk verified their abilities, they had to have their faces and fingerprints recorded.

After quite a bit of fuss, their bounty hunter identities were finally processed.

Lastly, the clerk told them to download an app called 'Bounty Order,' explained a few precautions, and sent them on their way.

Back at the compound, Shen Xin curiously opened the Bounty Order app, glanced through it briefly, and closed it. He noticed there were quite a few bounty missions listed, but he had no intention of accepting any. First, high-value missions were rare—most offered around two or three hundred thousand. Second, Shen Xin felt his abilities were still too weak; he preferred to develop quietly for another two or three years before taking on solo missions.

Shen Xin was a contented soul, not overly ambitious. His personal savings had already surpassed two million, and he was quite satisfied.

As for Tang Ziran, she was just along for the ride. Her interests lay elsewhere—playing with exotic beasts, fetching meals, and occasionally joining in physical training. She was even more laid-back than Shen Xin.

Calling her 'laid-back' might not be quite right; Tang Ziran was simply young, innocent, and didn’t think much about things. So long as she had food, clothes, a place to stay, and fun to be had, she was content.

Chen Jiawang was different. He was constantly browsing the Bounty Order app out of curiosity.

He looked left and right, then found a mission he liked. Raising his phone, he called out excitedly, "Hey, take a look at this mission! Two million reward, low difficulty—should we take it?"

Shen Xin leaned over to glance at the mission, then turned to Uncle Mo. He had no objection; as long as the reward was reasonable, he was fine with it. If Uncle Mo said yes, he’d go. As for Tang Ziran, she always followed Shen Xin’s lead—if he agreed, so did she.

Chen Jiawang knew Uncle Mo was the real decision-maker, so he asked, "Uncle Mo, what do you think?"

Uncle Mo examined the mission carefully several times before saying, "It’s not difficult—a straightforward rescue mission."

Everyone looked to Uncle Mo, because the mission description was clear: a wealthy young lady had been kidnapped and needed rescuing—a classic hostage rescue.

"But," Uncle Mo continued, "think about it—what are the two main challenges of a rescue mission?"

Shen Xin thought for a moment and replied, "Ensuring the hostage’s safety."

Uncle Mo nodded in agreement. "Correct, that’s the first difficulty. If the hostage dies, killing all the kidnappers means nothing. The other challenge is finding the kidnappers’ hideout."

Chen Jiawang was confused. "Isn’t the hideout listed in the mission? We just need to storm in and rescue the hostage—how hard can it be?"

Uncle Mo lit a cigarette and countered, "If it was that simple, would it be up to us? Are the police just twiddling their thumbs?"

Chen Jiawang protested, "Uncle Mo, just say yes or no."

Uncle Mo checked the time on his phone. "It’s three in the afternoon. I have to pick up my daughter from tutoring at five-thirty. If we can’t finish the mission by five, I’ll have to leave early."

Chen Jiawang glanced at the hideout and breathed a sigh of relief—it was at an abandoned elementary school on the outskirts of town, not far away. Driving there would take half an hour, so they’d have plenty of time.

With a grand gesture, Chen Jiawang said, "No problem. No matter how things turn out, Uncle Mo, you can leave at five to pick up Mo Ying."

Mo Ying was Uncle Mo’s daughter, eleven years old and already one meter sixty, quite sturdy.

Shen Xin rarely described a girl, especially a young one, as 'sturdy,' but Uncle Mo’s daughter truly was. At one meter sixty, she easily weighed over one hundred twenty pounds. Yet Mo Ying wasn’t fat—she was all muscle. Her biceps and thigh muscles were packed with explosive strength.

Still, Uncle Mo didn’t want his daughter to follow his path. Even during summer vacation, he enrolled her in tutoring classes.

He hoped Mo Ying would pursue a cultured profession—scientist, teacher, doctor, or even a company clerk would be fine.

Hearing Chen Jiawang’s assurance, Uncle Mo didn’t say more. "Since everyone agrees, I’ll go with you. To avoid attracting attention, let’s keep a low profile—no combat uniforms, and we’ll drive that old van."

"Perfect! Let’s go make some money—wait, no, let’s rescue the hostage!"

Chen Jiawang was the most excited, his first time actively taking a mission. Full of energy, he grabbed the car keys and was the first to jump into the van.

Shen Xin, Tang Ziran, and Uncle Mo got in at a leisurely pace.

Following the GPS, the four of them spent about half an hour driving to the vicinity of the kidnappers’ hideout.