Chapter 28: Aftermath at the Wild Lake

Soon, the Support Team stationed at the perimeter sent personnel in.

Clad in thick protective suits and glass masks, they arrived at the Wild Lake.

They carried over two long cases reinforced with triple-layered glass. Qin Ran and Cui Wang’s bodies were placed inside separately, then covered with black cloths, resembling crystal coffins.

Throughout this process, almost nobody spoke.

No one could explain the bizarre situation unfolding before them.

After securing the two corpses, they sent more personnel equipped with the same detection instruments the Investigation Team had used earlier. They meticulously scanned the lakebed, searching inch by inch for any residual psychic energy.

Meanwhile, Cheng Hui and the two members of his Investigation Team donned glass hoods. Following a preliminary discussion and assessment by several white-coated individuals from the Support Team, they were instructed to rest in place for the time being, avoiding contact with others.

It was said they would undergo a series of tests and psychological evaluations to ensure they hadn’t suffered actual contamination.

Throughout all this, Lu Xin sat quietly by the shore wrapped in a thick blanket like a victim, watching everything unfold.

…

…

The thrumming of helicopter rotors filled the air as two beams of light cut down from above.

Chen Jing emerged from the cabin dressed in a military uniform. Wearing dark sunglasses and high military boots, she trudged through the mud to stand before Lu Xin. ‘Regardless,’ she stated, ‘the cleanup operation is now complete!’

She paused slightly, then added deliberately, ‘I’ll apply for a special bonus for you!’

A warmth spread through Lu Xin’s chest.

Still, a lingering doubt troubled him. ‘So, this incident…’

‘Specialists will handle the analysis and investigation!’

Chen Jing glanced towards the crystal coffins, which personnel were now loading into a vehicle. ‘In our line of work dealing with mental pollution incidents,’ she explained, ‘we often encounter situations that seem almost inexplicable. However, by meticulously investigating and researching even the smallest clues, we can usually uncover the underlying logic… I believe this time will be no different!’

Hearing her words, Lu Xin felt inexplicably reassured, much of the gloom hanging over him dissipating.

‘Actually, we’re not entirely without leads even now!’

Chen Jing suddenly added, ‘I just received the Investigation Team’s report on the whole incident. You heard fish talking?’

Lu Xin froze slightly, recalling the frantic scene where all the fish seemed to be screaming, ‘Qin Ran harmed me! A life for a life!’

His throat tightened slightly as he nodded.

‘Fish don’t talk.’

Chen Jing continued, ‘I didn’t hear anything like that over the comms channel, so it must have been a hallucination caused by the pollution source’s influence. Still, it’s a good starting point. For instance, the fish crying out for Qin Ran to pay with his life…’

‘So, which Qin Ran needs to pay with his life?’

‘…’

‘This…’

Chen Jing’s words sent a tingling sensation across Lu Xin’s scalp.

He felt like he understood something, yet couldn’t quite grasp it.

‘Let’s go!’

Chen Jing stepped aside. ‘There’s still some work to be done!’

‘Okay!’

Lu Xin obediently stood up and walked forward beside her.

…

…

Chen Jing didn’t lead Lu Xin towards the helicopter, which disappointed him slightly. He’d rather hoped for a chance to ride in one.

Reaching the perimeter cordon, Chen Jing had a car brought over. The two of them then drove straight towards the city center. Soon, they pulled up in front of an old but sturdy building. Lu Xin looked up and saw people in teal uniforms entering and exiting, realizing they had arrived at the Satellite City Security Hall building.

Chen Jing walked in familiarly, took the elevator to the seventh floor, and led Lu Xin to an empty meeting room. ‘Rest here for a bit,’ she told him. ‘I need to handle a few minor things, then I’ll come back to talk.’

Lu Xin obediently sat down, watching Chen Jing walk out, her boots clicking on the floor.

The meeting room seemed to have been prepared in advance. It was remarkably quiet both inside and out, with no one even passing by. On the table sat a cup of coffee, a few bars of chocolate, and a dish filled with colorful candies.

Seeing no one around, Lu Xin sneakily picked up the coffee and took a sip. It was bitter, not as good as the instant coffee he usually drank at the office. He dropped a few sugar cubes from beside the cup into it, squeezed in the packets of creamer as well, and took another sip. The taste was much better now, almost comparable to his usual office brew.

He remembered the Director at his office once mentioning that coffee, tea, and sugar were luxuries nowadays, things outsiders couldn’t even dream of.

He wasn’t interested in the chocolate and candy himself, but his sister curiously tried a piece.

‘I really like these…’

Delighted, she gathered all the chocolates and candies, hugging them to her chest.

‘Then you can have them all!’

Lu Xin smiled at his sister, incredibly grateful for how she had behaved today.

‘Okay, I’ll eat them all!’ His sister never stood on ceremony with him.

…

…

While Lu Xin waited in the meeting room, Chen Jing was already arranging other tasks.

This included dispatching a vehicle carrying the two tempered glass coffins to the Special Research Institute, escorted by a fully armed team and a Mentally Altered Person; deploying another fully armed squad to detain everyone at the Four Square Company for separate, immediate interrogations; and concentrating as many personnel as possible to gather all information and track the movements of Qin Ran and Cui Wang.

The first result to come back was a report.

It detailed the analysis of residual tissue samples collected by the Investigation Team from the location where Cui Wang’s body was dumped.

The analysis result contained only a single line: Tissue confirmed to match Qin Ran (Pollution Source 041 at the lakebed).

…

…

When Chen Jing entered the meeting room carrying a file, the candy dish was empty. Lu Xin was tidying up the wrappers and crumbs on the table. Seeing her come in, he stood there awkwardly, clutching a handful of candy wrappers, unsure where to put them.

Chen Jing took the wrappers from his hand and tossed them into the trash bin outside.

She mentally noted: ‘Craves sweets… or craves sweets after using abilities?’

‘We’ve completed a thorough investigation!’

After sitting down, Chen Jing took out a newly printed file. ‘No residual psychic energy was detected in the lake,’ she informed Lu Xin. ‘This means the mental pollution incident, code-named 041, can officially be declared successfully cleared!’

‘Although some questions remain, at least no one else will be harmed for now!’

‘…’

Lu Xin nodded quickly. ‘That’s great!’

Chen Jing could see Lu Xin was genuinely happy, which gave her an odd feeling.

Especially when she superimposed this calm Lu Xin with the one who had dealt with that hyper-level mental monster.

She almost felt like she was the one splitting apart…

…

…

‘Research and further investigation into Pollution Source 041 will be handled by others!’

She thought to herself, resting her chin on her interlaced hands. Her eyes, deeper-set and narrower than average, focused intently on Lu Xin. ‘What we need to do now is discuss and review this cleanup operation. Normally, dealing with a pollution source involves finding its logical chain and core key. Only by identifying these can we eliminate the source with minimal cost. But this time… we didn’t actually find either of those things…’

She paused briefly. ‘And yet, we still resolved it!’

‘So…’

‘Do you have some kind of hidden ability?’

‘Otherwise, how could you possibly eliminate a pollution source with a psychic power level close to two hundred units all by yourself?’