Chapter 227: Unexpected Reunion

The classroom for the stress relief and guidance course Yu Chen had attended was on the seventeenth floor of a building in the western Main City. After about half an hour, the car stopped in front of the building, just as one driver was swapping out for another.

“Just wait here for me. I’m going upstairs for a quick look and I’ll be right back.”

Lu Xin grabbed his bag, ready to get out, and spoke to Doll inside the car.

Doll’s face remained blank as she stood up naturally, seemingly ready to exit the car as well.

“Hm?”

Lu Xin looked surprised at the girl who had lowered her head and remained silent.

Over the channel, Chen Jing had no choice but to explain, “Doll pretends not to hear things she doesn’t like.”

“Hmm…”

Lu Xin reassessed the girl. “You made her sound so simple, but she’s actually not that dense…”

“…She even knows how to play dumb.”

…

Chen Jing paused before replying, “Doll isn’t dumb, she just struggles with social interaction.”

“Alright…”

Lu Xin started thinking seriously. “Will bringing her along affect my work?”

“It won’t.”

Chen Jing chuckled softly. “Don’t forget, Doll herself is an Ability User with a very high mission completion rate.”

“This…”

A seed of doubt grew in Lu Xin’s mind. “She can investigate special pollution incidents too?”

“Of course not.”

Chen Jing smiled. “But Doll will be very quiet. She won’t interfere with or obstruct your investigation.”

“Most of the time, you can think of her as the most reliable muscle when dealing with special pollution incidents…”

…

It took Lu Xin a few seconds to accept the equation ‘Doll = muscle’.

He had no choice but to take her along.

“If Doll is going to accompany you on this investigation, you need to remember:”

Chen Jing thought for a moment, patiently reminding Lu Xin, who clearly wasn’t experienced in babysitting: “Theoretically, only seeing Doll’s face directly within a certain distance causes the unusual emotional response. However, evidence suggests that prolonged contact within her vicinity—around an hour—also carries a risk of being affected.”

“So, try to remind her to use her umbrella to cover her face when around people. She knows this herself.”

“Also, if anyone seems drawn to Doll and tries to approach or follow her, stop them immediately.”

“Third, try not to scold Doll…”

Lu Xin listened, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. “What happens if I scold her?”

Chen Jing paused. “She’ll be sad.”

“…Alright!”

Lu Xin reluctantly agreed, muttering, “Are you guys really okay letting someone this dangerous handle pollution incidents?”

“Actually, as long as you stick to the rules for interacting with her, Doll’s loss-of-control risk is very low…”

Chen Jing explained patiently, holding back the urge to point out that Lu Xin’s own loss-of-control risk assessment was actually higher than Doll’s.

…

…

Lu Xin pushed open the car’s side door, reinforced with bulletproof glass, and hopped out lightly.

The sunlight felt warm and comfortable on his skin.

Behind him, a soft thud indicated Doll’s landing, followed by a faint coolness brushing against his back.

Doll had followed him out, no longer floating but standing firmly on the ground.

“Let’s go!”

Lu Xin smiled at Doll and headed into the building first.

The advance service personnel must have already cleared the way. Lu Xin reached the empty elevators without issue, pressed the up button, and stepped inside with Doll, heading straight for the seventeenth floor.

The elevator paused briefly on the seventh floor where someone was waiting.

Lu Xin offered the person a polite smile. “We’re in a bit of a hurry, could you please wait for the next one?”

The other person, a boy dressed in hip-hop style, immediately bristled. “Why should I?”

Lu Xin pulled the gun from his bag and gave the boy a quick look.

The boy trembled slightly. “I’m not in a hurry.”

“Thanks.”

Lu Xin thanked him and pressed the close button.

As the elevator continued upward, Doll glanced curiously at Lu Xin.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry.”

Lu Xin gave her a friendly smile, his voice soft and reassuring.

Doll nodded, lowered her head again, and leaned quietly against the elevator wall.

…

…

“Hello, sir, I’ve been waiting for you… Ah!”

On the seventeenth floor, a middle-aged man in a suit was already waiting. His face, beaming with a slightly greasy smile, usually radiated a welcoming politeness. But upon seeing Lu Xin, he froze instantly.

Lu Xin looked at the man, also surprised. “You’re still running tutoring classes?”

The flesh on the middle-aged fat man’s face visibly twitched. “This is a new venture we started recently…”

He then looked at Lu Xin. “Mr. Lone Soldier, what brings you to the Main City? I already wired you that hundred thousand payment.”

Lu Xin replied, “I know. Thank you.”

This middle-aged fat man was actually someone Lu Xin had dealt with before.

Back in the Second Satellite City, Lu Xin had taken his first side job from this man.

He wasn’t a bad sort; they had bonded over a ZIPPO lighter.

“Looks like you remember him.”

Chen Jing added with a smile over the channel:

“He introduced you to the Xu father and daughter case back then, which triggered a chain of pollution incidents. The City Defense Department launched a rigorous investigation. Many of his superiors and colleagues were locked up over things they couldn’t explain clearly.”

“Only he came out clean, released after just a few rounds of questioning.”

“Originally, Minister Shen planned to shut down all such organizations entirely, even considering memory wipes.”

“But following Professor Bai’s advice, Minister Shen accepted their existence.”

“After all, mental pollution incidents keep cropping up, consuming vast amounts of manpower and resources.”

“It’s hard for the Special Cleaning Department and its dispatched investigation teams alone to handle every single case thoroughly.”

“So, their existence serves as a supplement to our work.”

…

Lu Xin nodded, then said to the middle-aged fat man, “Let’s go take a look inside.”

“Okay, okay…”

The middle-aged fat man, usually smooth and at ease when dealing with people, seemed quite flustered in front of Lu Xin.

He took out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead while leading the way.

After a few steps, however, he deliberately slowed down, turned to offer Lu Xin a cigarette, and then fell into step beside him.

“Thanks.”

Lu Xin accepted the cigarette and casually pulled out the ZIPPO lighter.

The sight made the fat man wince.

“Mr. Lone Soldier, we’re running a completely legitimate business now…”

He explained somewhat sheepishly as they walked, “Of course, it was legal before too, just… a tiny oversight in the reporting process… Sigh, because of that oversight, several of my superiors have already been sent off to reclaim wasteland…”

“We’ve readjusted our operating model now.”

“On one hand, we follow the City Defense Department’s directives, offering free mental counseling and basic mental pollution prevention to the public—a service to society, you could say. On the other hand, we embed ourselves within the community, reporting any troubling signs immediately to the higher-ups…”

“Like last time, when the Security Hall personnel came, we all fully cooperated with the investigation and proved everything was above board…”

…

Listening to the fat man, Lu Xin frowned slightly and asked bluntly, “Did you do something wrong?”

“Huh?”

The fat man was startled, waving his hands frantically. “No, no, absolutely not!”

Lu Xin looked surprised. “Then why do you seem so guilty?”

Cold sweat dripped down the fat man’s forehead. *Guilty? I’m scared stiff!*

…

…

Luckily, Lu Xin merely voiced a reasonable suspicion about his odd behavior. Lacking evidence, he didn’t press further. Instead, he kept an eye on Doll beside him, making sure she didn’t accidentally reveal her face, and continued walking.

Soon, at the end of the corridor, he spotted the counseling classroom behind an automatic glass door.

The classroom was crowded, mostly with middle-aged women wearing elaborate makeup.

Among them were also some listless young men and a few girls sitting rigidly upright.

At the front, a man in a shirt and gold-rimmed glasses lectured beside a large whiteboard:

“When it comes to mental health issues, everyone needs to avoid a common misconception. Don’t treat ‘mental illness’ like a curse word or something shameful. It’s really no different from having a cold, a fever, or athlete’s foot.”

“It’s simply an illness that requires rest, treatment, and most importantly, acknowledging it directly.”

…

The audience below seemed preoccupied; it was hard to tell if anyone was actually listening.

Liu wiped his sweat again and said to Lu Xin, “Listen, he explains it well, doesn’t he?”

Lu Xin nodded slightly, glanced into the classroom from the doorway, then silently stepped back.

“Leaving already?”

Liu visibly relaxed, pulling out a pack of cigarettes to offer Lu Xin, his face already fixed in a smile meant for seeing off guests.

“We need to wait a bit longer.”

Lu Xin calmly accepted the cigarette but didn’t light it. Instead, he adjusted the headset in his left ear.

“Section Chief Chen, there’s a problem here. I’ve spotted two individuals with mental irregularities.”

“Should I clean them up directly, or bring them back first?”

…

“What?”

Liu froze, his expression utterly bizarre.

“…Are you sure?”

Perhaps because Lu Xin’s tone was so matter-of-fact, it took Chen Jing a moment to react before hastily asking.

Lu Xin glanced into the classroom again. “Confirmed.”

“Control the situation. Don’t spook the targets yet.”

Chen Jing’s voice turned urgent. She could be heard issuing immediate orders: “Special Task Force, move up now.”

“Notify the City Defense Department to lock down the entire building immediately.”

“What are you standing around for? We have a situation!”