Chapter 610: Shadows Over the Contaminated City

News of the mission’s completion quickly reached Chen Jing’s ears. Moments later, a support team arrived to surround the location where Lu Xin had captured that young man in black clutching an hourglass, as well as the grocery store where he had been hiding.

Residents, already under Doll’s influence, obediently stayed indoors at the sound of megaphones crackling through the streets.

Normally, once affected to this extent, ordinary people would lose any control. But now, the Mental Overlord Doll seemed to have significantly improved her command over mental power – or rather, her own negative influence.

She could now slightly adjust how much she affected those around her.

In doing so, she reduced the overwhelming protective fervor others felt toward her, allowing them to regain a measure of reason and hear the support team’s calls to seek safety indoors. Of course, the deep impression in their minds remained unaltered.

Even if Doll wished, she couldn’t completely erase her shadow from their consciousness.

Lu Xin, the city’s notorious rival, now found escape nearly impossible.

……

“Single Soldier, was the capture successful?”

A Jeep rumbled from the street corner in the distance, and Chen Jing stepped out of the driver’s seat.

“Yes, it’s done…”

While casually chatting on a small stool outside the grocery store with Doll, Lu Xin hurriedly stood up and pointed at the shop, reporting in detail, “The one selling those memory-altering ‘Affection Sticky Notes’ is him. But we can be sure that the true source of the contamination was a mental entity parasitizing within him – he’s merely a shell for its hiding place.”

“Mm.”

Having received the initial report, Chen Jing asked without surprise, “And what about that mental entity?”

“Uh…”

Lu Xin paused, looking a bit guilty as he replied, “It just… vanished during the battle.”

“Vanished…”

Chen Jing also froze for a moment, then gave Lu Xin a piercing look.

Strange as it sounded, when you think about it, there weren’t many live captures made by Single Soldier…

After a pause, she asked, “Can we be sure that the contamination has been fully cleaned up?”

Lu Xin relaxed instantly, replying, “That’s for sure.”

“Good.”

With that word, Chen Jing essentially defined the nature of this B-rank mission. Glancing around, she ordered the support team,

“Since the special contamination isn’t catastrophic, bring everyone from that grocery store in for further investigation. All goods inside must be taken back for inspection. Also, before Second City’s streets are reopened, run a quick test along those three streets.”

“Yes.”

The support team responded loudly, their heavy boots thudding as they scattered.

Lu Xin, trailing behind, cautioned, “Be careful when lifting that old man. He doesn’t seem to be able to take much more.”

Only after outlining the task details did Chen Jing allow herself a slight sigh of relief.

She turned and looked at the gently twisting mass of air by Lu Xin’s side, faintly forming the shape of a girl. Seated obediently on a small stool beside him, Doll was invisible to her eyes due to her influence, yet through the interwoven mental power, Chen Jing could sense Doll’s presence and even the joy radiating from her.

With the mission completed, Lu Xin turned his head and murmured softly to that cluster of mental power.

He could feel Doll’s mental power rapidly retracting from the area, flowing towards the Main City.

The figure on the small stool – Doll – stood up and waved gently at Lu Xin.

Lu Xin warmly waved toward the direction of Doll’s dissipating mental power and reminded, “Don’t forget…”

There was an odd sense that the two of them shared a little secret…

Even Chen Jing couldn’t help but be curious. “Didn’t my instrument show that Doll hugged you just now?”

Lu Xin paused, “Huh?”

Chen Jing continued, “And what did you whisper to Doll just now?”

Blushing slightly, Lu Xin shook his head and replied, “Honestly, it wasn’t anything significant…”

“…”

“…”

Chen Jing shot Lu Xin a look and decided not to press further.

She figured Doll’s nanny team would verify things later – after all, Doll never lies…

“The mission’s done, I need to get back.”

After a moment of thought, Chen Jing said, “No matter how you look at it, for a mental entity so well hidden to still be active in Qinggang – sporadically spreading contamination even as the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan advances – this doesn’t seem like a random occurrence. There’s likely a vast organization and a meticulous plan behind it, and I need to investigate it soon.”

Lu Xin quickly nodded, asking, “Shall I go to Headquarters with you to report?”

Chen Jing shook her head, replying, “It’s up to you. I already had the Second City’s Security Hall submit an investigation report on those two kids. If you have any additional information, just submit it quickly – there’s no need to come all the way to the Main City to follow the procedure.”

Lu Xin understood and said, “Right, it’s just a B-rank incident anyway.”

“?”

Chen Jing suddenly felt something was off. Isn’t Single Soldier taking the B-rank incident a bit too lightly?

But after a moment’s reflection, she realized nothing was out of place.

After all, Single Soldier really can treat a B-rank incident as trivial.

……

……

Since Chen Jing had said there was no need to go through formalities at Headquarters, Lu Xin was pleased to save a trip.

It was a welcome break.

After all, this incident netted a B-rank mission reward from Headquarters, plus a single order from Little Meng.

Worries about the Special Cleaning Department’s task reward were unfounded – whether he showed up or not, it was his for the taking.

Little Meng’s order wasn’t under contract yet, so it needed to be confirmed.

As for whether he’d taken money from the Special Cleaning Department, well, that order was better off declined…

…Lu Xin hadn’t even considered that.

……

At the same time, when the ‘Crisis Resolution’ order came through, everyone at Second Satellite City’s Security Hall let out a long sigh before diving into their hectic work.

While the Security Hall personnel restored order, the Support Team hurried off with Chen Wei – who had her protective helmet on and an Ability Inhibitor clipped to her neck – clearing the bodies from the floor.

Cao Ye was already nothing more than a corpse.

Both of his eyes had burst, leaving only deep, hollow cavities.

They were the remnants left when his spirit mutated and was forcefully ripped from his body.

That surge of abnormal mental power was so intense that it shattered his glass hood into fragments which scattered like bullets in every direction.

Fragments of glass embedded in the wall glittered like diamonds, some still stained with his blood.

According to the Support Team’s protocols, every shard had to be recovered to prevent residual contamination.

“Captain, over here! Hurry…”

A member of the Support Team gasped in shock and shouted.

Others rushed over to see a man lying on the ground, blood gushing out from his wounds.

It was Zhang Weiyu.

They quickly checked him and soon exclaimed, “He’s been seriously wounded by glass shards. Hurry, load him up and rush him to emergency care… It’s odd though – he seemed to have run over deliberately, almost as if he was expecting it…”

“It was that girl…”

Someone murmured, “When the mental entity exploded, he rushed forward to shield that girl from the flying glass…”

“Hmm?”

Many eyes turned toward Chen Wei.

She had been very close to Cao Ye moments before, yet she showed no signs of injury.

In the midst of the onlookers’ bewildered stares, Chen Wei herself felt a swirl of confusion in her mind.

She had clearly seen Cao Ye – the man who had once been tender and willing to sacrifice everything for her – reveal an indescribable coldness, greed, and ferocity that filled her with instinctive disgust…

But old memories held sway, especially when she recalled the sight of Cao Ye’s tragic end…

She couldn’t even pinpoint her emotions precisely.

Was it sorrow? Pain? Regret?

Or was it a hard-to-define sense of confusion?

So entangled were her thoughts that before she could fully process the grief of Cao Ye’s death, she heard shouts nearby and saw several support team members lifting Zhang Weiyu’s already unconscious face.

The shouts snapped her back – hadn’t that man shielded her from the shards?

Why didn’t it seem strange to her at all?

A tumult of conflicting thoughts surged in her mind as her gaze involuntarily followed the moving, unconscious face.

That pale face strangely overlapped with certain images in her memory.

She instinctively shook her head, emitting a cry filled with confusion.

Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes, though she wasn’t sure for whom they fell…

……

……

“Sigh, they just left…”

Watching Chen Wei and Zhang Weiyu being taken away by professionals in white protective gear, Little Meng, Vice President Xiao, and the others let out wistful sighs, though more than one exchanged glances filled with barely concealed excitement.

It was truly an eye-opening spectacle…

After continuous investigations, the mystery behind the special contamination was finally unveiled!

How many praises will they heap on this when they get back?

“What are you all staring at?”

Just as they were pondering this question, a curious voice rang out suddenly.

At the sound of it, everyone instinctively spun around, their nerves rattled – the timid even taking a couple of steps back.

Lu Xin, carrying a bag on his back, had climbed in through the window, watching them with keen interest.

“Little Lu… Brother Lu…”

Vice President Xiao called out shakily, seemingly still recalling the image of Lu Xin clambering up the wall to greet him.

“Huh? Why does everyone look so strange?”

Feeling that something was amiss, Lu Xin looked up down the corridor, where the police officers’ faces too appeared odd as they glanced his way.

Yet, as they met his gaze, these officers quickly pretended nothing was wrong and dispersed. None held his stare until after he had turned away — only then did they, with a tinge of remorse, furtively watch him from various corners…

Why did it seem like they were all a bit displeased with him?

……

“Brother Lu, Little Lu…”

“Who was that girl with you earlier?”

Vice President Xiao and the others suddenly gathered around Lu Xin, their eyes filled with worry.

Whenever the girl was mentioned, even the mystery surrounding the special contamination took a backseat.

They hurriedly asked, “Was it the one who was hugging you?”

“…”

“The girl?”

Lu Xin paused, realizing they might have seen Doll.

Shaking his head, he said, “That’s not important. What matters is…”

After a brief hesitation and recalling his position, he awkwardly pushed for Little Meng’s two hundred thousand, shooting a long, meaningful look at Vice President Xiao, who seemed equally distracted – failing to speak the crucial words on his behalf…

So he fell silent for a moment and then asked Little Meng, “Well, what do you think?”

“This special contamination incident – the one you proposed and I handled – do you think I managed it well?”