Chapter 215: The Watchdog
by xennovel“Watchdog?”
This peculiar title piqued Lu Xin’s curiosity.
He instinctively looked up. Immediately, he felt a searing gaze from the depths of the station lobby, the direction he’d just come from. Lu Xin reflexively turned his head and saw an imposing figure emerging slowly from the crowd in the passageway he had just passed through. A vague sense of pressure emanated from the figure, who was tall and clad in black leather.
*Thump, thump, thump, thump.*
The man’s heavy footsteps seemed to pound directly on one’s chest, causing their heart to beat in sync.
Lu Xin couldn’t help but look up at the man emerging from the passageway. He possessed an incredibly intimidating presence. Standing likely over two and a half meters tall, he wore a broad, high-collared black leather trench coat and heavy, pure black riding boots.
On his head sat a black cowboy hat, while his face was obscured by a black mask and matching sunglasses.
He moved through the crowd, towering half a body taller than everyone else, like a mobile fortress.
Countless people milled about, yet many instinctively felt the pressure and subtly moved away.
The line of people waiting to exit noticeably curved, as if pushed back by his sheer presence.
Strangely though, despite clearly feeling the pressure, none of them instinctively turned to look.
It was as if they sensed the pressure but remained oblivious to its source.
Even Lu Xin found it odd; he hadn’t noticed this man when passing through the tunnel earlier.
Logically, someone this conspicuous should have been impossible to miss, no matter where he was.
…
…
“What is it?”
The fortress-like man stopped before Lu Xin and Chen Jing, his deep voice resonating with a strong echo as he spoke.
While Lu Xin curiously sized him up, Chen Jing had already taken out a tablet computer. After scrolling through it a few times, she looked up at the man and said, “You seem to have missed someone. A woman exhibiting anomalies entered the Main City a week ago. You didn’t detect her until today, when one of our Special Cleaning Department’s Single Soldiers noticed something unusual about her.”
The black mask and sunglasses completely hid the man’s face, making his expression unreadable.
He showed no reaction to Chen Jing’s words, simply stating flatly, “Impossible.”
“It’s true.”
Lu Xin turned, glancing towards Xiao Yuan. “It’s that woman, the one in the grey trench coat.”
“I saw you focusing on her when I arrived.”
The man didn’t even glance in that direction, stating coldly, “She’s not an Ability User.”
“But she definitely did something that affected others.”
Lu Xin looked up at him, patiently explaining, “So you must have overlooked her.”
The man didn’t speak, merely lowered his head to look at Lu Xin.
Given his height, approaching three meters, he indeed had to look down at Lu Xin.
The man was entirely encased in cold, hard, black clothing, completely obscuring his true appearance. He exuded a powerful sense of oppression, especially when observed up close, like being enveloped in shadow.
It was as if he carried his own shadow, capable of blocking out all light and inducing panic.
For a fleeting moment, Lu Xin felt his heart clench.
But it lasted only an instant before Lu Xin realized: *This man is also my colleague. Why should I be afraid of him?*
Thus, a polite smile appeared on his face as he looked back at the man.
He even gave a friendly nod before extending his hand. “Hello, I’m Mr. Lone Soldier.”
…
The man in the black trench coat fell silent, staring at Lu Xin’s outstretched hand.
After a long moment, he also extended his hand and shook Lu Xin’s briefly.
…
…
Watching the ‘Watchdog’ and Lu Xin sizing each other up, one looking down and the other up, Chen Jing let a small smile grace her lips.
She seemed to have witnessed similar encounters before, perhaps even more dramatic ones, so she wasn’t flustered at all.
Moreover, she noticed that Lu Xin seemed completely unaffected by the Watchdog’s aura, the kind that could frighten a person’s heart into stopping.
This struck her as even more amusing.
Seeing Mr. Lone Soldier shake hands with the man in the black trench coat, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Alright, no need to argue.”
“It’s rather foolish for Ability Users to bicker over something like this.”
Still smiling, she glanced towards the woman. “Instead of debating who’s right, why don’t we just go ask her?”
Lu Xin nodded. “Okay.”
The leader had spoken, and she made sense. How could he possibly refuse?
The Watchdog remained silent for a moment before turning abruptly and walking forward.
Lu Xin noticed him slightly raise his hand as he moved forward.
The instant his hand dropped, numerous heavily armed personnel in black uniforms materialized around the crowded station plaza. Converging from all directions like a closing net, they rapidly surrounded Xiao Yuan’s family.
“The Main City has always been very diligent about its defenses.”
Chen Jing explained as she and Lu Xin followed, “Both the east and west exits have robust security measures, including Ability Users directly under the City Defense Department stationed here. Last time, that Ghost-type was detected by the Watchdog while attempting to infiltrate the Main City. Before they could apprehend him, he got scared off and immediately retreated instead of trying again.”
“Let’s go, we should check it out too.”
With that, she and Lu Xin moved forward together.
By now, Xiao Yuan’s family, having regrouped, was planning to leave together. However, at the exit, they found themselves surrounded by armed personnel in black uniforms approaching from all sides. Faced with rows upon rows of black muzzles, the family’s faces turned pale with fright.
“Ah… W-what’s happening?”
Xiao Yuan’s family was both shocked and terrified. Xiao Yuan himself raised his hands high, shouting, “There’s nothing in my case…”
“At most… just a few comic books…”
…
The Watchdog remained silent, watching quietly from a few meters away.
Among the armed personnel, a man who looked like their captain stepped forward. He aimed his gun squarely at Xiao Yuan’s stepmother and said in a low voice, “Don’t be nervous. We just need your cooperation regarding a certain matter…”
Xiao Yuan and his father’s faces filled with alarm as they simultaneously turned to look at her.
The woman, who had delicate features but looked worn and haggard, swayed slightly.
Lu Xin already had his bag in hand. Sensing trouble, he prepared to rush towards the woman.
Her appearance was terrifying; dealing with her wouldn’t be easy.
However, even Lu Xin hadn’t expected this: faced with the dark muzzles, the woman’s face suddenly turned deathly pale. Even the bright red spine and vicious head behind her vanished, as if what Lu Xin had seen was merely a hallucination.
Her body went slightly limp, and she swayed again, murmuring, “They really came… I knew it…”
“I knew I couldn’t hide… after something like that…”
…
As she spoke, she raised both hands, clasped them behind her head, and began to sob quietly.
“Ah, this…”
Nearby, watching the woman being handcuffed, fitted with an Ability Inhibitor and a protective mask, then led away…
Lu Xin was somewhat stunned.
*What happened?*
*It’s over before I even did anything?*
…
…
“Let’s go.”
Seeing Lu Xin still looking eager for action, Chen Jing turned around directly and smiled. “Whether she’s an Ability User or not, she can’t escape now. The City Defense Department’s interrogations are much stricter than ours. We just need to wait for the results.”
Lu Xin could only nod.
But watching the woman being taken away, he still felt unsatisfied. After a moment’s thought, he suddenly walked forward. Ignoring Xiao Yuan’s puzzled yet expectant gaze, Lu Xin went straight past him to stand before Xiao Yuan’s father.
The old man looked utterly bewildered. “Wh-what… what on earth happened?”
Lu Xin studied the old man carefully, a hint of disappointment showing. He took his hand and shook it.
“Hello, CEO Xiao.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Goodbye, CEO Xiao.”
…
Only then did he turn and walk out of the station with Chen Jing.
Old CEO Xiao was completely stunned by now. He dazedly watched his wife being led away, then watched an unfamiliar young man approach him, shake his hand friendly, and leave. He could only subconsciously ask, “Who… who was that?”
Xiao Yuan was equally bewildered. The rapid succession of events had left his mind reeling.
After a long pause, he stammered, “If I told you he’s just a junior employee at our company…”
“Would you believe me?”