Chapter 464: Unexpected Turns in the Villa

Under the confident and enthusiastic gaze of the big-bearded Captain, Lu Xin was defeated.

Although the sudden turn of events caught him off guard, with everyone already inside, he had no choice but to go along with it.

Glancing around, he noticed that the courtyard had fallen into an eerie silence.

Every armed bodyguard had been taken down—some dead, others injured.

When the armed police burst in, the timid ones who had immediately dropped their guns got off lightly, merely trampled by a swift kick, while those brave and loyal enough to return fire were completely eliminated.

In an instant, more than a dozen private armed men were disposed of, yet not a single member of the armed police was even slightly injured.

It had to be admitted: this was an exceptionally well-executed operation.

Considering their backgrounds, the big-bearded Captain and his men were truly elite.

But why was such special pollution so in need of their support?

Lu Xin could only sigh in resignation.

It seemed that Qinggang was truly reaching its breaking point with these recent crises.

……

The private armed force in the courtyard had been subdued, while several Special Police agents squatted on the ground, aiming at the living room and the upstairs windows.

It looked like they were itching for a fight, debating whether to storm in.

However, Lu Xin couldn’t allow them to take that risk any further; there might be other surprises hidden within the villa.

For them, barging in recklessly could lead to unnecessary dangers.

……

“Stay here in the courtyard and keep watch. Guard these people closely.”

“If you notice any change, open fire immediately.”

Lu Xin turned to the big-bearded Captain and said seriously, “Remember, by ‘change’ I mean alterations in any aspect.”

“Whether it’s someone suddenly exhibiting abnormal emotions—excessive crying or laughing—or any unusual physical transformation, you must neutralize them immediately. Otherwise, you might never get another chance to act.”

He spoke with absolute seriousness:

“Even if you’re facing someone severely injured and seemingly incapable of resistance, the same rules apply.”

“Furthermore, whatever people or things appear around you, do not engage with them in any way.”

“Even if you overhear something, don’t panic.”

“At the first sign of anything odd, notify me immediately via the channel.”

“……”

As Lu Xin’s instructions echoed in the air, the armed police present—including the big-bearded Captain—wore expressions of unease.

Initially, they hadn’t been too worried. After all, though it was a temporary mission, the situation was under control.

Yet Lu Xin’s words stirred a strange sense of dread among them.

Even the big-bearded Captain’s previously confident and enthusiastic expression went stiff.

They knew of Lu Xin’s special status, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what made him so unusual.

Listening to his detailed instructions, they couldn’t help but feel a bit…

…mystically ominous?

“What you’re facing now is an event beyond normal explanation—be extra cautious.”

Seeing the palpable, repressed fear in their eyes, Lu Xin patiently explained, “With these things, you never know when you’ll get hurt, and usually their harm doesn’t target the body.”

“Many times, you might be hurt without even realizing it.”

“In worse cases, we might be dead without knowing it…”

“……”

The big-bearded Captain’s throat tightened as he managed to say, “Mr. Lu, we’ve got it memorized.”

His tone made it clear that no further explanation was needed.

The more they listened, the more frightened they became.

He feared that further words might shatter their resolve before danger even struck.

“Then that’s good,”

Lu Xin smiled and added, “But you must be careful.”

“Because when dealing with these kinds of things, caution is often our only defense.”

“……”

Next to the big-bearded Captain, a row of uniformly disciplined armed soldiers in black nodded in unison.

Their synchronized movements exuded a cool, obedient air.

Only then did Lu Xin relax, glancing over to see Vice President Xiao crouched beside him, head in hands.

He wanted to offer some advice, but seeing how cautious Xiao was—so cautious that he wouldn’t even dare to stand up—made him think that Xiao was probably safe.

Nodding to them, Lu Xin turned and headed towards the villa.

While chaos reigned in the courtyard, inside the villa, there was not a sound.

The villa was enormous, and no one knew if any enemies were lurking within. This was exactly why Captain Wu Xiu had been contemplating whether to lead his men inside for a sweep. Now, watching Lu Xin stroll in alone at a leisurely pace, even he started feeling uneasy.

No pre-clearance, no tactical maneuvers—just a casual walk-in?

This was not only unprofessional but also, oddly…

…impressively formidable?

……

Inside the villa, it was eerily deserted, with not a sound to be heard.

Bright lights bathed the area in stark white, while the Romanesque décor gave the villa an almost surreal feel.

Although he wasn’t ambushed the moment he entered, Lu Xin paused to consider his next move.

The villa spanned three floors with at least a dozen rooms. Searching alone would be a hassle.

So he stood his ground, scanning his surroundings carefully.

High up on the ceiling, his Sister clung upside-down, moving with the agility of a small spider while her hair fell messily.

Truly, his Sister was the one element that brought him comfort in this place.

“We’ll search together. You check from the third floor downward, and I’ll start from the first floor upward. If you find anything, alert me immediately.”

Lu Xin smiled at his Sister and added, “But if you discover something ahead of time, you must tell me right away. No funny business.”

“Mucking things up would be a real pain.”

“……”

“Huh?”

After hearing Lu Xin’s words, his Sister paused in confusion and replied, “Brother, if you hadn’t said that, I wouldn’t have thought I could start early…”

“Hey…”

Alarmed, Lu Xin quickly looked up to see his Sister already racing up to the third floor.

He could only shake his head in resignation and stop calling after her.

Deep down, he knew his Sister was an obedient and adorable child.

Although she joked like that, she wouldn’t truly jeopardize her mission by acting recklessly…

…or so he hoped.

……

Instinctively, he quickened his pace.

Room by room, he searched through the villa but found no sign of anyone else.

He did notice, however, that the villa was luxuriously decorated; even a plain table or ornament exuded an air of sophistication.

Maybe he should learn a thing or two from the owner’s decorating style now that he’d purchased the place.

Lost in thought, Lu Xin reached the second floor.

Not a single trace of something out of the ordinary was found—no abnormal mental radiation, no shady snipers lurking about. The villa was as pristine as an empty building.

This scenario practically ruled out the presence of a pollution source.

After all, pollution sources typically spread contamination unconsciously, so some mental radiation would usually be present.

Only ability users can effectively contain their mental radiation, keeping it undetectable.

So is Gao Yan experiencing a mental mutation, or is he also a victim?

Lu Xin frowned slightly and quickened his steps.

He searched the entire second floor and made his way toward the staircase leading to the third floor, yet he didn’t run into his Sister.

Could the third floor have that many rooms?

Or had his Sister already found something, quietly… messing around?

Anxious, Lu Xin prepared to race up the third floor when suddenly his Sister appeared from a wall-adjacent window on the second floor. Her body was spread out in a large ‘H’ shape as she clambered along the window, her face alight with excitement. Her small face, with sharp teeth and eyes filled with darkness, left him startled.

“Why did you run outside?”

Lu Xin hurriedly opened the window and scooped his Sister up.

“Down there—there’s even a basement…”

His Sister exclaimed, tugging at his hand excitedly.

It turned out that not only had she scoured the third floor, but she had also ventured below and discovered the basement.

Nodding, Lu Xin felt instantly agile once he linked hands with his Sister.

They clambered out the window, scaling the wall quickly.

Reaching the left corner of the first floor in record time, they slipped through an open window and pushed aside a concealed, floor-length mirror door set up as a secret entrance to the basement staircase.

Outside, the light only reached halfway down the stairs, leaving the rest in shadow.

With his Sister by his side, there was nothing to fear—even if someone tried to ambush him in the dark, he’d be able to dodge.

Thus, he didn’t search for a light source and proceeded down the stairs directly.

“Creak… creak…”

The wooden steps moaned under the strain as they descended—a strangely clear sound in the quiet villa.

The staircase was long; after descending what felt like over ten meters, he finally reached an empty basement.

Here, a dim red light allowed only a vague outline of the surroundings.

Looking up, he noted that the roughly forty-square-meter, perfectly square basement was lined around the edges with neatly arranged plastic sculptures—upon closer inspection, they turned out to be various Buddha statues.

Some of the Buddha statues even had two red electronic lamps in front of them, which provided the sole source of light in the basement.

Gentle Bodhisattva, the laughing Maitreya, the solemn Tathagata.

Though they were common Buddha statues, under this light their expressions took on an eerie, sinister quality.

Lu Xin recalled how Vice President Xiao mentioned that Gao Yan used to be a devout Buddhist and had plenty of Buddha statues at home. It seemed that after his transformation, he grew fearful of these things and sought refuge here—perhaps thinking that hiding away would help.

Apart from the Buddha statues, other items cluttered the corners.

There were oil paintings of the Virgin Mary, assorted crosses, fragments of ancient European armor, and more.

Lu Xin even spotted Daoist dusters and a peach wood sword…

“A three-way meeting, is it?”

Lu Xin couldn’t help but feel this was absurd. Has the religious world become this cutthroat?

After scanning the area, he entered the center of the basement and found a black chair.

It looked like an electric chair, surrounded by a tangle of electrical wires and various straps and hoods.

Its surface was smeared with dark, sticky residue of unknown origin.

Beside the chair lay a tray filled with an assortment of bizarre trinkets.

At a glance, he saw items such as a whip, a half-burned chunky candle, clamps, and a calling bell.

Each item seemed ordinary on its own, but together they wove a chilling and macabre scene.

“Vice President Xiao mentioned that after Gao Yan’s personality drastically changed, he used to brutally mistreat that girl.”

“Are these the tools he used to abuse her regularly?”

“……”

A frown crept across Lu Xin’s face as a mix of disgust and other unidentifiable emotions swelled within him.

“Beep… beep…”

Just as Lu Xin approached the electric chair for a closer inspection, a warning flashed from his left lens—small numbers were fluctuating.

“There’s mental radiation here, but the levels are minimal and diminishing…”

“This indicates a pollution source was once here, but it has since departed.”

Instinctively, his guard rose as he realized a disturbing fact: this basement was once meant for that girl.

Then where had she gone?

……

Alert, he swiftly searched the area and soon discovered behind a tall Buddha statue a ventilation duct slightly larger than a basketball rim. The barbed wire had been removed and tossed aside.

“Hmm?”

Lu Xin frowned, grabbed his Sister tightly, and quickened his pace as he rushed out of the villa.