Chapter 228: Monsters Among Us
by xennovel“They look so nervous…”
Lu Xin stood beside the classroom, watching as alarms suddenly blared throughout the building.
Immediately, the elevator ascended rapidly, and two fully armed teams rushed out, securing the front and rear entrances.
Then, the elevator was locked down. Heavy, rapid footsteps echoed from the stairwell as teams of armed personnel charged up. Even outside, the roar of helicopter rotors quickly filled the air, gun muzzles aimed directly at the classroom.
Liu had turned pale with fright. Before the charging armed soldiers could even speak, he dropped to the ground, covering his head.
He was so panicked, his cigarettes scattered across the floor.
Even Doll seemed affected by the scene, glancing at Lu Xin.
Lu Xin smiled at her. “Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s not time for you to start hitting people yet.”
Doll obediently nodded and leaned against the wall, waiting quietly.
…
“Mr. Lone Soldier, who is the problem?”
From the armed team, a man whose rank insignia on his shoulder was clearly higher than the others stepped forward, asking urgently.
“Can’t you see?”
Lu Xin stood at the classroom doorway, peering inside.
He could clearly see, amidst the crowd startled and panicked by the appearance of the armed soldiers, two individuals who obviously stood out.
One was a woman in a cashmere sweater with permed hair. A soft, fleshy monster, looking like something skinned alive, clung to her shoulder. A slit opened on the monster’s body.
From within that slit, an eye stared out coldly at the surroundings.
The other was a boy in a casual tracksuit, looking about eighteen or nineteen. His zipper was pulled up to his chin, giving him an unapproachable air. A crack had opened on the top of his head, from which a brightly colored, serpent-like tentacle emerged. The tentacle flicked continuously, like a soft tongue, licking at the two women beside him.
But the people being licked seemed completely unaware.
It was a striking and obvious image, which was why Lu Xin spotted them instantly.
“The woman in the cashmere sweater, fourth row, sixth from the left.”
“The boy in the tracksuit in the second row, the one who looks half-asleep.”
…
Lu Xin calmly identified them. The armed personnel beside him immediately moved inside, guns raised.
Lu Xin also readied himself, casually handing the bag he carried to Doll.
Doll glanced at it, took it, and held it in her hand.
Meanwhile, Lu Xin prepared to dash along the adjacent wall at any moment to grab the two individuals.
People with such abnormalities weren’t likely to surrender quietly.
…
…
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Don’t point those guns at me! What right do you have to arrest me?”
Surprisingly, however, the armed soldiers captured the two with unexpected ease.
The woman, initially panicked but seemingly ready to watch the commotion unfold for others, completely lost her composure when a gun barrel was shoved in her face. Her body went limp as she collapsed to the floor, repeatedly shouting, “Mistake! Mistake!”
She didn’t resist, even as they fitted her with an Ability Inhibitor and a protective mask.
The fleshy monster on her shoulder also retracted into her body as the soldiers closed in.
The other one, the defiant-looking young man, panicked initially, then started shouting at the top of his lungs: “What the hell? My dad’s the logistics director at the Administration Hall! I’m telling you, don’t touch me, or you’ll regret it…”
Before the word “it” even left his mouth, one of the armed soldiers kicked him in the leg, taking him down and slapping an Ability Inhibitor on him.
…
…
“That easy?”
Even Lu Xin couldn’t help but frown.
The capture mission, completed in under three seconds, left him feeling slightly awkward after having just warmed up.
Meanwhile, the captain of the armed soldiers, escorting the two individuals out, was already reporting: “Anomalies secured.”
“No abnormal psychic levels detected.”
“Preparing transport to the City Defense Department for urgent interrogation and further assessment!”
…
“Mr. Lone Soldier, how did you identify their abnormality?”
Just then, Chen Jing’s voice came over the channel, her tone somewhat grave as she asked.
“I didn’t investigate…”
Lu Xin paused for a moment before answering honestly, “I saw it directly.”
…
Chen Jing sounded taken aback for a second. “Tell me exactly,” she pressed. “What kind of ‘seeing’?”
“I just… saw things on them…”
Lu Xin had to explain slowly, “It was like when I directly saw Lu Weiwei, you know, the CEO’s wife from our company. They also had those obvious abnormalities on them. The shapes were different, but they felt… similar in style…”
He deliberately explained it in detail, worried Chen Jing wouldn’t understand.
“First it was one, now suddenly two…”
Chen Jing fell silent for a moment, a hint of worry in her voice. “Has it already spread?”
“The urgent interrogation of these individuals will continue.”
Just as Lu Xin was wondering about the next step, Chen Jing spoke again, her tone serious. “But I have a bad feeling about this. Mr. Lone Soldier, head immediately to the other stress relief and counseling centers. Check as many people as you can…”
“If something has truly happened, it’s unlikely to be confined to just one location. Other places are likely at high risk too.”
“I’ll send you the interrogation results.”
…
“Alright.”
Hearing Chen Jing’s words, Lu Xin immediately grew alert and agreed gravely.
“You’re coming with me.”
Following Chen Jing’s instructions, he directly addressed the captain of the Special Task Force team guarding the doorway.
At the same time, he glanced at the Fat man still crouched with his head covered. “Bring him along.”
“I really don’t know anything…”
Hearing this, the Fat man quickly looked up, his face tearful.
“It’s fine…”
Seeing how nervous he was, Lu Xin tried to reassure him, “You’re just… being requisitioned for now.”
…
…
With Chen Jing acting as both intel analyst and dispatch coordinator, Lu Xin quickly witnessed the Main City’s reaction capabilities.
By the time he got downstairs, his and Doll’s vehicle was ready. Three black off-road vehicles were parked nearby. In the distance, two teams from the Security Hall were approaching. They would work with the Support Team to seal off the entire building.
Although the anomalies had been captured and taken away, the remaining people still had to undergo rigorous assessment.
…
Sirens blaring like a fire engine, the car sped unimpeded straight to the second classroom location.
Lu Xin went upstairs and, with just a single glance, pointed out three people in this classroom carrying mental monsters.
Without a word, the armed soldiers moved forward and apprehended them.
Just like with the first building, they immediately sealed the entire premises and headed to the next location.
At the third classroom, Lu Xin identified four individuals carrying mental monsters.
“How can there be so many problematic people?”
After capturing several people in quick succession, both Chen Jing and Lu Xin felt something was wrong.
Lu Xin watched the interrogation footage of Liu playing on the car’s media screen, transmitted from the vehicle behind.
Chen Jing was questioning him with a grave expression: “Is there a problem with this type of psychological counseling?”
“How could there be?”
Sweat streamed down the Fat man’s face. “Really, there isn’t! Everything we do is legal…”
Chen Jing said sternly, “This isn’t the time for complaints. Tell me, what kind of sessions do you usually arrange?”
“They’re all… all approved by the Special Cleaning Department and the City Defense Department…”
The Fat man answered tremblingly, “Just some educational stuff about mental illnesses, some tips for stress relief… Plus, we encourage friendly communication and sharing among different participants… Oh, right, sometimes they also…”
“Also what?”
“They also get together sometimes… drink alcohol, curse people out, stuff like that…”
Hearing this, Chen Jing’s brow furrowed instantly. “You encourage participants to curse people out?”
The Fat man looked like he was about to cry. “Honestly, is there anything more stress-relieving than badmouthing people behind their backs?”
…
…
Chen Jing didn’t press the Fat man further, her expression growing heavy.
In reality, everyone’s nerves were frayed, wondering how many they would find at the next location…
And just then, Lu Xin suddenly shouted, “Wait.”
The driver in front, palms sweating, quickly stopped the car.
*Screech* *Screech* *Screech*
The line of cars behind them halted. Countless tense gazes peered forward from inside the vehicles.
Lu Xin opened the car door and stepped out. He found himself on a busy thoroughfare teeming with traffic.
Turning his head, he looked across the wide road. Outside a large mall, a girl sat on a bench, sipping a drink and talking to a boy opposite her. Above her head, an incredibly gaudy man-eating flower had sprouted.
Nearby, a sanitation worker holding a broom had large chunks of fat hanging from his body, dragging slowly on the ground.
In a car driving past, a man whose face had sprouted a second mouth stared greedily at the woman beside him.
In the security booth, a guard whose body was split in two was smiling as he opened a barrier gate.
…
…
The sight of monster after monster made Lu Xin feel slightly dizzy, the sunlight suddenly seeming harsh.
He didn’t even know if he had entered the Main City or stumbled into a ghost domain.
“What’s wrong?”
Noticing something was off with Lu Xin, a captain from the Special Task Force got out of a car behind him, watching him nervously.
The captain’s voice pulled Lu Xin back to reality. After a moment of silence, he pointed gently into the distance. “The girl in the light blue skirt outside the coffee shop across the street… the sanitation worker sweeping thirty meters behind her… the male driver of the SUV with license plate Qing·874XX that just passed… and the guard smoking in the security booth of that high-end residential area up ahead…”
He paused before adding, “They’re all compromised.”
“This…”
Hearing this, the Special Task Force captain was stunned.
Even Chen Jing on the channel went silent for a moment. Then, she gritted her teeth slightly. “Apprehend them all!”