Chapter 461: Tainted Confrontation

Lu Xin let out a long sigh as he subtly adjusted his sitting posture.

Gao Yan’s eyes softened noticeably.

Although Lu Xin’s previous observations of his behavior only labeled him as a bad man, the sight of writhing insects in his eyes confirmed that he was indeed tainted. The contamination ran deep—much like the case Lu Xin encountered with Xu Xiao Xiao when issues were hidden beneath the surface.

This is just who he is.

A living man, yet his eyes were crawling with insects, dense and wriggling like maggots…

…truly seriously ill!

…

“Little Lu… bro…”

Vice President Xiao’s voice trembled as he spoke; his courage was clearly waning.

Gao Yan, tall and slightly better off in business and looks, had been a familiar friend. Now, his sudden transformation into a stranger evoked more fear than encountering a typical ruthless foe.

The worst part was that Lu Xin knew all too well he couldn’t beat Gao Yan.

Last time the three of them went together, Gao Yan single-handedly took them down; he was far beyond their match.

Especially now, with Gao Yan advancing on them wielding a weapon…

In terms of intimidation, that wine bottle was nearly as effective as a knife…

Lu Xin exhaled and looked up at Gao Yan, saying, “Don’t make a move. Let’s sit and talk, okay?”

He deliberately slowed his speech, careful not to startle him, showing the gentle concern of a professional for those tainted.

“Your situation is serious. I need to give you a proper examination.”

“…”

“Swish!”

Gao Yan abruptly turned his head, his gaze cold as he glared at Lu Xin.

Already fired up, he advanced slowly, each step intensifying his sickly and violent aura. His pace even quickened slightly, casting a shadow over both Lu Xin and Vice President Xiao.

Lu Xin’s words seemed to ignite a volcano.

Gao Yan lowered his head and snarled, “Who do you think you are?”

As he spoke, his right leg bent slightly, his posture straightening as he gripped the wine bottle tightly, eyes fixed on Vice President Xiao.

He assumed a stance ready to lunge and stab Vice President Xiao.

Lu Xin took a deep breath and reached into his black bag with his palm.

At that moment, Gao Yan straightened his body rapidly and lunged forward with a surge of power. His imposing figure brought an overwhelming pressure. The insects in his eyes swelled as if propelled by his anger and hatred, creating a terror that made it seem like a devil, not a man, was charging at them.

“Oh dear…”

Vice President Xiao let out a terrified scream and tumbled backward.

His hand even clutched Lu Xin’s chair back, instinctively trying to pull Lu Xin away.

But Lu Xin remained steady, simply shifting the front two legs of his chair just enough to barely lift it, leaning back slightly.

This adjustment subtly altered the angle of the light on Lu Xin’s face.

A mysterious smile spread across his face.

…

“Bang!”

Then a gunshot rang out, overpowering all other sounds.

The chair leg that had just left the ground hit it again as Lu Xin’s body swayed slightly, yet he sat unflinchingly.

In his hand, he held a revolver, its muzzle still faintly smoking.

Gao Yan let out a muffled grunt as he collapsed to the ground, his left thigh torn open, blood gushing uncontrollably.

“Hmph…”

A surge of excruciating pain filled his mind, blanking out his thoughts.

Yet, despite the agony and anger intermingled within him, all Gao Yan could do was emit a low grunt.

The insects in his eyes began writhing even more densely.

Seemingly controlled by a twisted, frenzied force, he pushed himself up with his hand on the floor, trying to rise again.

But Lu Xin simply watched him calmly, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Then he fired another shot.

“Bang!”

This shot hit the leg that was about to support his weight, and Gao Yan fell again.

“Ah, ah, ah…”

Gao Yan released a guttural, inhuman roar, his limbs twitching as he desperately grasped for the red wine bottle.

Lu Xin stepped forward and pressed his foot onto the hand clutching the bottle, preventing him from raising the weapon.

Then the revolver was pressed down, its barrel aimed directly at Gao Yan’s forehead.

“Calm down,” Lu Xin said.

He fixed his gaze on Gao Yan’s face—or rather, on the insects in his eyes—with a gentle smile:

“Let’s resolve this peacefully, shall we?”

In an instant, Gao Yan’s eyes went blank, the insects inside them erupting into chaos.

…

“Ah, what’s this…”

Two shots rang out, startling Vice President Xiao, who had already been paralyzed with fear by Gao Yan. As he recovered, he saw Gao Yan sprawled on the ground, both legs bleeding profusely, his wrist pinned by Lu Xin’s foot, with the revolver still pressed against his forehead and Lu Xin’s finger clearly on the trigger…

“What’s going on?”

His mind went blank, leaving him barely able to think.

“Crash…”

At the same time, doors around the area burst open as panicked waiters and chefs spilled out, staring in shock.

The cafeteria door was kicked open as well, and several suited bodyguards stormed in.

They were clearly the bodyguards Gao Yan had brought—they had been waiting outside the cafeteria until now.

Seeing chaos looming inside, Lu Xin frowned, not wanting the situation to spiral out of control. He quickly raised his gun and fired two shots at the cafeteria door, shattering glass into a cascade of fragments.

In an instant, the chefs and waiters who had rushed out, along with Gao Yan’s bodyguards, scrambled back inside.

Amidst the frenzy of shoving and frightened shouts:

“Damn, he really has a gun…”

“Quick, call the police…”

“Stay low! Watch out for stray bullets…”

“…”

Regardless of their intentions, at least the cafeteria had quieted down.

It wasn’t until then that Vice President Xiao finally reacted, staring at Lu Xin in disbelief: “You… you injured him?”

“Not necessarily injured,” Lu Xin replied with a smile.

He explained, “If he keeps bleeding like this, he’s more likely to die.”

“Legally speaking, I’d be responsible if he died from my shot.”

“…”

Vice President Xiao was momentarily speechless, realizing that Lu Xin’s words were irrefutable.

Lu Xin then crouched down, inspecting Gao Yan carefully.

After the initial surge of anger subsided, Gao Yan had slipped into a near-unconscious state. As he propped his eyelids open, Lu Xin noticed his eyes were completely white; the insects had vanished. Gao Yan released the pressure on his wrist, crouched further, discarded the red wine bottle, and inspected his wounds in detail.

The wounds were deep and bleeding badly.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Xin looked up and scanned the surroundings.

Soon, he spotted his Sister’s head poking out from above the cafeteria’s steel dome, curiously watching.

“Come over and help stop the bleeding,” he ordered her.

Lu Xin added, “We can’t let him bleed out before we get answers.”

His Sister slid down the cafeteria pillar, pouting, “I’m not a doctor.”

“But you can be a nurse once you grow up…”

Lu Xin explained, “Look, you’re wearing a white dress and you’re so beautiful…”

Her eyes lit up, as if a whole new world had opened up before her.

With her help, Lu Xin pressed his hand against Gao Yan’s torn thigh wound. Miraculously, the torn flesh from the bullet was pushed together, staunching the bleeding.

It was an application of the Spider-type Second Stage—distorting his own body to mend another’s.

“You’re incredible…”

Lu Xin praised his Sister before looking up at Vice President Xiao and saying, “Congratulations.”

Vice President Xiao was dumbfounded.

What had just transpired?

Gao Yan—once his most terrifying friend since childhood—had turned into a complete madman, bereft of reason and seemingly intent on killing him. Yet here, the terrifying Gao Yan had been taken down by his own gentle and friendly employee’s two shots, even causing the bodyguards and waiters to flee in panic.

Perhaps most shockingly, after injuring him, Lu Xin began talking to thin air.

The strangest part was that after speaking, a mere press of his hands magically stopped the bleeding on Gao Yan’s legs.

What exactly had he encountered?

…

Overwhelmed with questions, his mind went blank.

Finally, he stuttered, “C-congratulations on what exactly?”

“You got lucky,” Lu Xin replied as he stood, having temporarily controlled Gao Yan’s bleeding. He smiled at Vice President Xiao, “It’s rare for an ordinary person to survive even one mental contamination incident, let alone two in such a short span.”

Vice President Xiao’s eyes went wide, his body stiffening.

“Is this really about luck? Is it something to be congratulated?”

“…”

Seeing Vice President Xiao’s terrified expression, Lu Xin smiled and said, “Most people would either die or suffer immensely from one such encounter. You’ve gone through two and come out unscathed—doesn’t that deserve congratulations?”

“Huh?”

Vice President Xiao, who had thought Lu Xin’s words absurd, was suddenly struck by their logic.

After a few nervous gulps, he managed to stammer, “So, what do we do now?”

“Let’s check his home first,” Lu Xin said softly as he glanced at the unconscious Gao Yan.

Since Gao Yan was confirmed to be tainted, Lu Xin knew he couldn’t hide. He had to investigate thoroughly—especially with the Special Cleaning Department stretched thin, busy with troubles outside the city.

He couldn’t allow incidents within the city to erupt.

Summoning all his strength, he hoisted Gao Yan up and slowly carried him out of the cafeteria. Vice President Xiao immediately moved to help, but Lu Xin urgently ordered him to back off, forbidding any contact with Gao Yan.

With the method of contamination still unidentified, it was too dangerous for ordinary people to handle Gao Yan.

…

“Woo-oo, woo-oo…”

As Lu Xin carried Gao Yan out, the bodyguards hiding outside the cafeteria scattered in panic. At that moment, a police car not far away, alerted by the siren, rushed over. It screeched to a halt, and two police officers jumped out. Using the car door as a makeshift shield, they quickly drew their guns and aimed forward.

Vice President Xiao’s face turned as white as a sheet as he raised both hands.

The bodyguards in the distance cowered behind a trash can, shouting, “It’s him, officer! It’s him…”

“He hurt our boss! And he’s armed…”

“…”

The flashing lights from the police car made Lu Xin squint. Frowning, he held up his ID—the one he had grabbed as soon as he heard the siren.

“Swish!”

The two officers stepping out of the police car were clearly taken aback.

In the next moment, they suddenly raised their guns toward the bodyguards hiding behind the trash can, shouting, “Hands up!”

The bodyguards froze instantly.

Vice President Xiao, still with his hands raised, looked both stunned and embarrassed as he blinked at Lu Xin.

“What are you waiting for? Open the car door!” Lu Xin retorted, his tone laced with impatience.