Chapter 188: An Invitation Home

“……”

Lu Xin wasn’t sure if the Drunkard had a point, but it didn’t really matter.

Confirming that these things were under the Drunkard’s control put his mind somewhat at ease. “Your earlier guess was wrong,” he said. “There’s no mental controller behind this. I just searched the entire community, I can confirm it!”

“No one?”

The Drunkard smacked his lips. “That shouldn’t be right… These two mental monsters were clearly lured here. They even changed their strategy…”

An old man’s worry and deep thought gradually surfaced on his face as he puffed away at his pipe.

He crossed one leg over the other, the smooth calf clad in a heavy military boot twitching unconsciously.

…

…

“So, how exactly did they target you?”

Lu Xin tried his best not to stare at the Drunkard’s legs, which were actually quite nice.

Seeing legs like that on him was definitely a bit jarring.

He simply pulled over a chair, sat down, lit a cigarette, and began to think.

“Honestly, I have no idea how they locked onto me…”

The Drunkard sighed, tapped his pipe bowl, and said, “According to my previous investigation, I’ve already tracked down this mysterious organization believing in the True Homeland. I could move against them anytime, but not being able to find their Ability User is a problem.”

Lu Xin understood this feeling deeply.

Acting rashly without knowing the opponent’s Ability User could easily cause widespread chaos.

If an Ability User wanted to, they could stir up major trouble effortlessly.

No matter how well defended Qinggang City was or how strictly order was maintained, being on the defensive always risked taking a heavy blow.

Frankly, in many situations, the only thing Qinggang City could do was retaliate afterward.

But not all Ability Users feared that.

…

…

“Initially, I planned to analyze the opponent’s ability by investigating those mysterious deaths, trying to pinpoint him. But progress wasn’t smooth. It was only after seeing these two mental monsters that I understood. The cause of death for those people was actually simple. They weren’t killed by a person, but by these two mental monsters…”

“But this makes it even harder to deduce the Ability User’s power…”

“Can he transform into mental monsters, or can he distort mental power to create Pollution Sources?”

As the Drunkard spoke, a self-deprecating look appeared on his face. “Right now, I’m more confused than ever…”

“……”

Lu Xin dropped his cigarette butt to the ground and slowly ground it out, his expression thoughtful.

The so-called locked-room headless murders and the Red Vest Brotherhood thugs dying twisted into the shape of potted plants were unimaginable horrors for ordinary people. The Administration Hall even had to suppress some information to prevent mass panic.

However, from an Ability User’s perspective, there were many ways to explain such bizarre events.

Lu Xin judged that the locked-room headless murder case was most likely related to the mental monster wearing the Human Head Necklace that appeared in the Drunkard’s community. As for the thugs twisted like potted plants, that was the work of the ivy-like mental monster.

The method of death was easy to infer; the only tricky part was how the enemy achieved it.

How did they control these two mental monsters and bring them downstairs to the Drunkard’s home?

And how did they make these two mental monsters vanish so suddenly without a trace?

Could it be like the South Wall incident, another man-made mental monster?

But Lu Xin analyzed it carefully and felt it was different. Although the man-made mental monster at the South Wall was active, its intelligence was extremely low. It was created solely for self-destruction; its name itself revealed it was a bomb.

These two mental monsters however actively sought people out and even changed strategies to adapt to different situations.

This indicated they possessed a certain level of intelligence.

“Have you exchanged opinions with the higher-ups?”

After a moment Lu Xin asked softly.

“I’ve discussed it with my intel analyst.”

The Drunkard shook his head. “That little girl said there are no cases in the Special Cleaning Department’s current database that can explain this phenomenon. She suggested dispatching more Ability Users or the City Patrol Army to capture or eliminate these two mental monsters directly. But I haven’t agreed yet. For one, these monsters are very strange, likely with significant origins…”

“Besides, you saw it yourself. Their disappearance process is unstoppable. More people wouldn’t help.”

“Originally, I planned to hold out one more night and have you help see if we could find the controller behind the scenes. But if he really can’t be found, or if he wouldn’t appear nearby anyway, then we’d have no choice but to follow their suggestion…”

“……”

“He’s definitely not nearby.”

Lu Xin answered the Drunkard’s question with rare certainty.

The Drunkard nodded. “Then I’m afraid things are going to get messy again.”

Even without finding the enemy’s Ability User, they couldn’t just sit back and watch such an organization cause trouble in Satellite City No. 4. They had to act. But acting without understanding the extent of the enemy Ability User’s capabilities or knowing his location could alert him. If the enemy decided to retaliate, things could escalate unpredictably.

“Not necessarily…”

Lu Xin looked up at the Drunkard and slowly said, “If there isn’t an Ability User hiding nearby controlling these two mental monsters, then it’s highly likely the enemy has already left a mark on you. As soon as he releases these two mental monsters, they’ll come find you. This means you must have fallen prey to the enemy Ability User’s power before, you just haven’t realized it…”

“Monsters started coming for you three days ago, and they’ve come for three consecutive days.”

“Doesn’t this suggest you were affected by his ability three days ago?”

“Where did you go three days ago?”

“……”

Looking into Lu Xin’s earnest eyes, the Drunkard couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “Young man, you make a good point. I also figured I must have been targeted three days ago. I remember the location too. The feeling was distinct, like someone was watching me in secret…”

“But there’s nothing I can do. I’ve tried many methods, but none could help me find him.”

“……”

The Information Analysis Team had already analyzed why she was targeted by mental monsters and where the problem might lie.

They even proposed several alternative plans, using screening or surprise attacks to find the enemy.

But the Drunkard rejected all these suggestions.

None of these methods offered certainty; they were last resorts.

“I’m not trying to find him.”

Listening to the Drunkard, Lu Xin slowly shook his head. He seemed to have thought it through carefully before looking up at her. “I just need to know exactly where you were targeted, and why they came after you directly…”

The Drunkard looked slightly puzzled. “Young man, what’s the use in asking that?”

Lu Xin smiled and said very naturally, “I plan to invite them over to my place.”

…

…

“What?”

Hearing this the Drunkard got flustered, quickly saying, “Young man, don’t get worked up! You can’t force yourself in this matter…”

“Look at the state I’m in, you know being targeted by them is too dangerous…”

“These guys are more ruthless than those madmen outside the city. Targeting me before was already crossing the line. This time, they didn’t even hesitate to affect my neighbors. That’s practically creating a Pollution Incident, a major crime punishable by direct cleanup. With my ability, I can still maneuver around them a bit. But if it were you…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, showing high emotional intelligence.

But it was clear she believed a Spider-type couldn’t handle such monsters.

“……”

“It’s fine.”

Lu Xin replied softly, “Maybe I’m not the one who’ll be in danger.”

“Judging from today’s events, it seems the enemy doesn’t even need to come here to have these mental monsters constantly attack you. The crucial point is, these mental monsters can’t even be cleaned up; they just leave chaos behind and then disappear. Today they dared to target your neighbors, tomorrow they might do something even worse. Just standing guard here isn’t a solution.”

“Right now we don’t know how they do it, so naturally we can’t counter them. Why not try influencing them instead? Maybe if I draw their attention, it’ll disrupt their logic, and they won’t come back here anymore…”

“……”

“Are you… actually serious?”

Listening to Lu Xin the Drunkard was somewhat stunned, her mouth slightly open.

“Yes. Although I don’t have your ability, I have another advantage…”

Lu Xin smiled and said, “I don’t have neighbors.”

…

…

After saying this Lu Xin turned his head while the Drunkard stared blankly.

He saw his Sister hanging from a corner of the ceiling. Hearing what he just said, she looked slightly surprised, her small mouth open. After the surprise, clear delight appeared, and she gently clapped her little hands. “Okay, okay!”

The more he thought about it, the more interesting it seemed. A smile appeared on his face. “I’m sure my family will welcome them warmly.”

…

…

After returning from this trip, Mom seemed to have other plans.

She gave him that secret, telling him to open it only when he reached the Second Stage.

Then, she secretly told Sister to try not to help him usually, letting him rely on imitating their abilities to deal with these mental monsters. Lu Xin didn’t know why Mom was doing this, but it didn’t stop him from luring these two mental monsters to his home… Taking this opportunity to ease the distance between him and his family and communicate a bit would be good too.

After all, his family gave him that secret as a gift.

He couldn’t possibly not give a gift in return…