Chapter 416: Unraveling the Treasure Plot

Oh man, this is really…

Following the direction pointed out by Bear Child, everyone indeed spotted two hostages hidden in the grass.

Both were bound up like dumplings, with clumps of grass forced into their mouths, and had already passed out.

Each boasted a bump on the forehead—a clear sign of a brutal beating.

One appeared to be in his thirties, the other around sixty. One wore a down jacket while the other sported a makeshift women’s fur vest, sewn together from two vests that barely managed to cover his belly.

Judging by his build, he was clearly the leader of the settlement.

In a flash, everyone—including Lu Xin—glanced at Bear Child in astonishment.

Lu Xin felt a surge of relief; though Bear Child looked unreliable, together with Godly Woman he had uncovered so much in such a short time—even kidnapping two leaders of the armed forces. Impressive, isn’t it?

Thank goodness he hadn’t immediately assumed a leader’s role.

……

“Wake them up.”

Chen Jing immediately set to work, casually issuing the order.

Nearby were five people: Lu Xin, Gecko, Drunkard, Bear Child, and Doll, who obediently waited on the sidelines.

Bear Child didn’t even look up from his game, and Doll merely played a background role, leaving Lu Xin, Gecko, and Drunkard as the only ones willing to act.

With that in mind, both Lu Xin and Drunkard’s eyes turned to Gecko.

Unable to bear it, Gecko muttered, “Am I always the one who has to do this?”

At that moment, Chen Jing raised her head, shot Gecko an annoyed look, and snapped, “What are you waiting for?”

Reluctantly, Gecko stepped forward, muttering, “I’m not exactly a pushover in this team.”

“What about the vice-captain…”

……

Chattering away didn’t stop him from getting to work; he bent down and pinched the noses of the two bound men, only to get no reaction.

Furious, Gecko nearly stood to unbuckle his belt.

Under Chen Jing’s lethal glare, he dropped his hand and said to Drunkard, “Old man, lend me some booze…”

Drunkard grinned and passed it over, “Save some—don’t waste it.”

Agreeing, Gecko unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and with a comical “pfft,” spat it onto the two men’s faces.

Seeing they still hadn’t reacted, Gecko wickedly pulled out a lighter.

“Wah, what’s wrong?”

Fortunately, the man on the left wearing the women’s fur vest finally woke up, blinking groggily.

Surveying his surroundings like one accustomed to carving out a position in the Wasteland, he immediately reacted, cursing, “Where’s that bastard? The bastard who kicked me in the back while I was in the restroom?”

Not far away, Bear Child, deeply engrossed in his game, fiddled with his ears and shrugged.

“Tell me…”

Chen Jing didn’t mince words; she crouched down, met his eyes, and demanded, “Why did you come here?”

Since they were just ordinary people and the influence was targeted at individuals, Chen Jing felt no need for elaborate phrasing.

She asked directly.

Gazing into the red irises in Chen Jing’s eyes, the normally fierce man was suddenly flummoxed, muttering

“Is there any other reason? Of course, it’s to come and snatch the treasure…”

……

Chen Jing furrowed her brows and, softening her tone, asked, “What treasure?”

He didn’t answer—his expression remained utterly confused as he stared blankly at her, until a smile slowly spread across his face:

“You look so beautiful. Once I snag that treasure, I could…”

“…give you a glimpse.”

……

“This pollution runs deep…”

Watching from the side, Gecko muttered quietly, “In their fantasies, even if they find the treasure, they’d only dare to show it briefly to the team leader.”

Chen Jing frowned, clearly sensing the problem.

Her voice softened as she whispered, “First, tell me—who told you there was treasure here?”

The man’s face, initially puzzled, seemed to wrestle with his thoughts after her words, but the struggle was brief. Suddenly his expression twisted into a snarl, his throat churning as he bellowed,

“What’s the point of asking? You want to steal my treasure, don’t you?”

“I’ll bite you to death…”

……

While shouting, he abruptly straightened up, lunging as if to bite Chen Jing’s face.

With a resounding smack, Chen Jing clenched her fist and struck his face, knocking him out once more.

Then she rose with a frown and stated, “A defensive psychological barrier has been set up.”

“To him, this ‘treasure’ is the most precious thing in the world.”

“No one, by any means, can inquire about its secrets without inciting his fierce hostility.”

“Although I can forcibly break through this mental barrier with my abilities, he’s just an ordinary man. His will is too fragile—forcing him past this point might trigger an early mental breakdown, leaving us with nothing.”

……

“At the very least, this confirms he has been influenced by Ability Users. Bear Child’s guess is right—when he got worked up, I could definitely sense his mental power fluctuations intensify, almost radiating outward.”

“This indicates that someone has implanted a potent mental force within him.”

“This mental force is now using his body to affect others…”

“If we weren’t all Ability Users, we might have fallen under his influence, joining the treasure hunt.”

……

“Tsk tsk…”

Unable to hold back, Gecko interjected, “Even the staff investigating the treasure incident have joined the chase—it’s quite thrilling…”

“Hehe.”

Drunkard smiled warmly and asked Chen Jing, “Can you tell what influence he’s under?”

Chen Jing shook her head, “I can’t tell.”

She then glanced over at Lu Xin.

Understanding her meaning, Lu Xin also shook his head and said, “He shows no signs of a Mental Monster.”

……

After studying the seven-step theory, Lu Xin now understood some of the questions that had puzzled him before.

One can truly discern if someone has been tainted by mental pollution in many ways.

Perception, emotion, desire, cognition, instinct, memory, and self.

All influences from Ability Users or Pollution Sources eventually act through these seven channels.

The more superficial the taint, the easier it is to spot.

Some people’s abnormal emotions and behaviors are immediately noticeable when tainted.

But deeper influences can only be judged—they leave no obvious trace.

My ability to sense a Mental Monster works in a similar way.

If he were possessed by a Mental Monster, it would be immediately apparent.

But if the Mental Monster is hidden within his memories, or if his condition is merely a distortion of deep-seated desire or emotion, then it remains undetectable—after all, it’s his own thought.

……

“The problem now isn’t complex, but it is troublesome.”

Chen Jing glanced down the mountain; in the distance, dark silhouettes gathered around Happy Town, shrouded in a light mist like a swarm of busy ants. She murmured, “No matter what the Technology Church is planning, the sheer number of people around Happy Town will undoubtedly impact our mission.”

“Conflicts and battles among Ability Users become extremely troublesome once ordinary people are involved.”

……

Lu Xin understood what Chen Jing meant.

When he was first recruited by the Special Cleaning Department, the code included these words:

“When cleaning up special pollution, avoid crowds as much as possible.”

“One, because it easily harms innocents; and two, because crowds can introduce extreme uncertainties into the cleanup.”

Now, facing the Technology Church, it’s even more so.

Not to mention, remember the mental bomb that Qin Ran and his team detonated at Qinggang Satellite City No. 2? It relied on absorbing the mental power of bystanders—so in an empty space, its effect would be negligible.

But in a crowd, it would unleash devastating damage instantly.

Watching Chen Jing furrow her brows in thought, Lu Xin considered whether he should offer assistance.

He actually wanted to tell Chen Jing that he was quite adept at interrogations.

But doing so in front of his colleagues wasn’t a good idea.

……

“Who cares who they are? Why not just charge in?”

Gecko interjected, “Of the three plans, isn’t the one in there the most important?”

“Besides, with our abilities, they shouldn’t be able to stop us.”

……

“It’s not that simple.”

Chen Jing rubbed her temples and said, “Handling mental pollution requires caution. The Technology Church has been planning for a long time—they’ve spread out such a vast field and drawn nearly every armed force from nearby settlements here. They must have their reasons.”

“If we ignore these people and go straight into Happy Town, it may seem like a shortcut…”

“But in the end, we might fall into an enemy trap and end up facing even more trouble.”

……

Gecko shot Lu Xin a furtive glance and said, “Are we afraid of a little trouble?”

“But we can’t gamble with the lives of people in these settlements…”

Chen Jing turned toward the mountain and said gravely, “Given the Technology Church’s methods, the people around the S-level Forbidden Zone are definitely in dangerous territory.”

“Even if we have two S-level Ability Users on standby to handle the danger, the people in those settlements could still be seriously polluted—or even perish. They might not be the best lot, but they’re human, and they’ve been tainted.”

“It’s the Special Cleaning Department’s duty to clean up pollution and save lives as much as possible. That must never be forgotten.”

……

As she spoke, she deliberately turned to look at Gecko.

Gecko initially shrank back, but then quickly realized that Chen Jing’s reprimand was hinting at something more. A sudden realization left him momentarily stunned.

It was all because of Lu Xin and Doll.

The stronger an Ability User, the more unstable and prone to losing control they become.

Ever since recruiting Lu Xin, the Special Cleaning Department had been very mindful of that.

During the early cleanup missions, they were so worried about adversely affecting Lu Xin that they even refrained from letting him directly eliminate a Secondary Pollution Source disguised as a little girl.

Now that he’d proven himself over time, Lu Xin had become more trusted, but they’d somehow overlooked this issue.

The armed forces down there are all living, breathing people!

If we really had to confront them head-on—even if we won—how many deaths would we be responsible for? We’d be sending them to their end.

Killing has always deeply impacted one’s emotions.

Not everyone can kill without consequences; even battle-hardened veterans sometimes suffer mental breakdowns.

For Ability Users, a mental collapse means losing control.

……

After a moment of reflection, Chen Jing conferred with Drunkard, “Right now, we have no choice but to take the risk—to find the chief Pollution Source affecting these armed forces in the settlements and disperse them. That’s paramount.”

“There are too many people down there, and their firepower is formidable—it might be dangerous, but we…”

……

Lu Xin, however, didn’t consider Chen Jing’s concerns; as he listened to their discussion, he began to have his own differing opinions.

After all, this mission seemed to be under his command, and he couldn’t keep slacking off.

After some thought, he looked up at Chen Jing with a smile and said, “This method of investigation isn’t really working.”

“I’ve got a better idea…”

……

Chen Jing was taken aback, then quickly turned to Lu Xin and asked, “What?”

The others also looked over at Lu Xin, clearly surprised.

Lu Xin’s expression was earnest as he stated, “Regardless of what they’ve been influenced by, they were all lured here by the Technology Church. We don’t need to know what the Church has planned for them—just that they’re gathered here under a sort of fanatic influence. Perhaps they’re even waiting for us to investigate.”

“If that’s the case, why should we even go investigate?”

“I mean, we need to use the right approach for the job.”

“Our team leader once said the best way to counter widespread pollution was to cover it with another form of pollution, right?”

……

Listening to him, Chen Jing suddenly grew worried and quickly asked, “What do you propose to do?”

“Not me…”

Lu Xin stepped aside, revealing Doll, who had been waiting obediently by his side.

Then, with a slow smile, he added, “How long has it been since you’ve seen her fully unleash her influence?”