Chapter 88: Level 1 Alert
by xennovel“Lu Xin, did you hear what I just said?”
Chen Jing cried out anxiously, almost reaching out to grab Lu Xin.
But Lu Xin just stood there silently, radiating an indescribable, dangerous aura.
Even Chen Jing, seasoned by countless dangerous incidents, felt a deep sense of apprehension.
A subconscious intuition, a sense of danger, kept her from daring to touch Lu Xin in this state.
She didn’t know if it was because Lu Xin had just expended too much mental power, pushing his emotions to the brink, or something else entirely. But she could feel that Lu Xin was definitely in a terrible state right now.
…
…
“Wooo…”
Just then, a heavy, blaring siren suddenly echoed from the distance, growing layer by layer.
The sound carried a heavy power and a terrifying quality, like a tidal wave surging from every corner of the Second Satellite City. It swept through all the buildings and streets with terrifying force, shaking every resident to their core, as if their very souls trembled.
This was the very alarm she had just ordered.
Whenever this alarm sounded, it meant the Second Satellite City had entered Level 1 alert status.
Everyone was to immediately find the nearest cover; failure to do so meant risking their lives at any moment.
Previously, such alarms only sounded during large-scale madmen outbreaks attempting to breach the High-wall City.
Within the city’s collective memory, this alarm hadn’t sounded for nearly ten years.
…
…
Even Lu Xin looked up slightly as the alarm abruptly blared.
“The entire Second Satellite City is under threat from the pollution…”
“The whole city is in chaos! Mr. Lone Soldier, are you still capable of carrying out the mission?”
Right then, Chen Jing was speaking anxiously.
She didn’t actually know if her words would reach Lu Xin in this state. She just sensed something was wrong and kept talking to him—one of the lessons learned from handling numerous mental pollution incidents.
“The whole city is in chaos?”
Lu Xin suddenly frowned and turned to look at Chen Jing.
His eyes focused, and a semblance of human worry appeared on his face.
Chen Jing felt a moment of relief and nodded quickly. “At least four major, sudden mental pollution incidents have erupted, and they’ve all spread. Everyone in the Second Satellite City is threatened. The Level 1 emergency defense system has been activated, but…”
“Tell me on the phone!”
Lu Xin jolted, suddenly becoming anxious.
The phrase “Everyone in the Second Satellite City is threatened” seemed to snap him out of it.
The dazed look vanished from his face. He shot a quick word at Chen Jing and dashed forward.
In one stride, he was on the road. Chaos reigned—car crashes and countless people hit by the earlier gunfire. Many others ran wildly into the distance like madmen. Lu Xin’s gaze swept the scene and landed on a motorcycle lying on its side. The owner, injured in an earlier crash, was painfully pinned beneath it.
Lu Xin strode over and lifted the motorcycle.
The owner shouted, “Thank you, thank you…”
Before he could finish, Lu Xin swung onto the motorcycle and twisted the throttle hard.
The bike shot forward at an odd angle, threatening to slide out and throw him off.
Just then, Lu Xin whipped his head around, looking towards his Sister.
His Sister, who had been watching him warily, broke into a smile at the sight.
“Brother…”
She called out happily, scrambling across the ground to catch up. Then she leaped high, wrapping her arms around him from behind.
The motorcycle, just about to crash, impossibly righted itself. Black smoke spewed from the tailpipe as it shot forward like a rocket, weaving past several cars towards the city center.
Leaving only the stunned owner behind.
…
…
“He is…”
Watching Lu Xin’s actions, Chen Jing was momentarily stunned, then seemed to realize something and relaxed slightly.
She wiped her lips firmly and strode back. Four Armed Soldiers, guns ready, approached her. Out of the sixteen armed personnel assigned to guard the four vehicles, twelve had died in the chaos and the Gatling gun’s mad spray. Only these four remained to report.
“The pollution source on Jiujiang Road is spreading…”
Chen Jing clutched the phone tightly, forcing herself to recall every detail she’d just witnessed as she spoke rapidly:
“The pollution incident is suspected to be linked to a girl who was proposing. Those affected seem to develop an unnatural obsession with their lovers or partners, accompanied by extreme possessiveness… the kind where they want to devour them!”
“Issue two orders to all Investigation Teams immediately!”
“One: Detain and question anyone exhibiting strange behavior or signs of mental abnormality. If they are desperately seeking a partner—any kind of partner—and cannot be reasoned with, destroy their mode of transport immediately… Lethal force is authorized!”
“Two: Immediately broadcast via radio, television, and all media: tell everyone to lock their doors and windows and take cover…”
“Stay put and hide!”
“Don’t go looking for relatives, and especially not your goddamn lovers!”
“…Same-sex partners count too!”
…
She kept walking forward while issuing these commands.
The wound in her abdomen throbbed with sharp pain as she moved, but she didn’t even frown.
*Bang! Bang!*
Without looking, she raised her gun and shot dead two polluted individuals in a nearby car who were savagely attacking people of the opposite sex. Then she pushed through the surrounding chaos to reach its epicenter—the girl who had been proposing to her boyfriend.
The girl in the wedding dress was now kneeling amidst the wreckage.
Her abdomen protruded grotesquely, and her wedding dress was now almost entirely stained red.
She knelt there blankly, head tilted back, eyes staring emptily at the sky.
Her mouth gaped open, filled with a bloody substance.
She looked like a statue, showing almost no signs of life.
Chen Jing took an electronic device from one of the Armed Soldiers beside her, took a photo, and transmitted it.
Then she quietly ordered the four soldiers to guard her perimeter.
She slowly knelt before the girl and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
At that moment, her pupils turned crimson.
Her voice sounded low. “You should tell me everything that happened… your experiences with him…”
The girl remained motionless, her eyes dull, pupils seemingly fading.
“Actually, you’re not dead yet…”
The red in Chen Jing’s eyes deepened. “You can still feel me, hear my words, can’t you?”
“The dead can’t hear me speak. So you’re still alive…”
“You’re still alive because you hold a secret…”
“So, before you die, you want to tell me this secret… tell me everything, without reservation…”
…
Under the influence of her penetrating voice, the girl’s rigid body actually trembled almost imperceptibly.
Her dilated pupils showed faint signs of contracting.
The surrounding Armed Soldiers guarding her flanks couldn’t help but tremble.
They were, of course, aware of the legends surrounding Headquarters:
It recruited people with various strange abilities. Some flirted with every passable-looking female colleague during meetings in the Main City; some possessed beauty that could make anyone fall in love; some could never let anyone within three meters. But the one who left the deepest impression was a woman rumored to have the power to awaken the dead and interrogate them.
…This city has always been protected by madmen!
…
…
Nearby, Mom, who had been watching quietly, suddenly showed a faint smile.
Then, seemingly reassured, she turned and walked into the chaotic crowd.