Chapter 531: Insomnia’s Price

“Mr. Lone Soldier, please let me explain,” she began.

Han Bing clearly sensed Lu Xin’s confusion. After taking a slow sip of her coffee, she continued in a soft tone:

“Earlier, we received an assessment report on Sun Heizi’s sample, which alerted me to some irregularities.”

“What was surprising is that while Sun Heizi’s condition has deteriorated this badly, his report appears normal. Of course, his prolonged insomnia has skewed many indicators, though they still fall within human parameters.”

“The only exception was that his blood showed an excess of THC.”

“This substance is unique to Black Grass. Considering he was already a drug addict, it doesn’t reveal much.”

“…”

At that moment, she instinctively reached for the cup beside her—only to find it empty of coffee.

Lu Xin stepped in and poured her a glass of water, silently suggesting she ease up on the coffee at night. Han Bing nodded, taking the cup as she added, “Besides that, Red Serpent and I carefully questioned Ye Xue and her brother.”

“This time, our detailed inquiry finally uncovered a small clue.”

Her expression grew thoughtful as she let out a soft sigh and said:

“After their parents vanished, Ye Xue singlehandedly took care of her little brother. They lived together in such a way that it was impossible to tell if one was more contaminated than the other. Yet, upon closer questioning, we did find a minor inconsistency.”

“In the first few days after their parents disappeared, there was still some food at home, and Ye Xue kept cooking and ate with her brother.”

“However, the food quickly ran out. The siblings starved for a couple of days until on the third day, Ye Xue found a box of biscuits that their father had hidden away—but it contained only a few pieces. Her brother, driven by hunger, ate them all.”

“Out of concern for him, Ye Xue didn’t eat any of those biscuits herself.”

“…”

At that, she pushed the box of biscuits on the small table before Lu Xin and said, “This is that very type. It has been verified—after thorough questioning and with help from the Group’s associate—that the food they consumed was of this kind.”

Lu Xin picked up the box. Its rough packaging resembled a reddish-brown dough baked into shape and sprinkled with bits of crushed leaves.

A typical product from the Red Moon era; nothing about it was outwardly remarkable.

He looked up in puzzlement and asked, “So what does this tell us?”

“It indicates that these biscuits contain components of Black Grass.”

Han Bing interjected, “This is simply one link in the Black Grass industry.”

“Hmm?”

Lu Xin’s expression suddenly darkened as he stared intently at the biscuit box.

If even these biscuits contain such elements, then when Ye Xue’s brother ate them, wouldn’t that mean…

“It’s not just the biscuits.”

Han Bing then pushed a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of drink toward Lu Xin and said, “They all contain it.”

“These items are central to a major business in Heichao City. Their strategy is to undercut the market on Black Grass, profiting from sales to other High-wall Cities and Settlements. That’s why they developed various disguised forms of Black Grass to evade inspections…”

“In short, Heichao City has almost turned this into an industrial system…”

“…”

Lu Xin’s face grew increasingly cold.

What kind of mindset would concoct such a chaotic scheme?

Fortunately, before setting out, Han Bing had anticipated her habit of smoking a specific brand from Qinggang and secured a supply. Otherwise, she might have ended up buying local Heichao cigarettes…

“Black Grass itself is Heichao City’s most vital industry. Their development of it has reached perfection.”

Han Bing’s expression turned grim as she continued, “Cigarettes, drinks, specially made biscuits, even the spices used in everyday cooking—all incorporate Black Grass. Some products are produced in experimental batches before being sold to other High-wall Cities and Settlements; others are simply local items repurposed as seasonings…”

“But in any case, almost everyone in this city has come into contact with Black Grass to one degree or another.”

“…”

Lu Xin was at a loss for words.

Listening to Han Bing’s calm explanation, he felt that Heichao City was even more twisted than a Mental Monster.

“Even so…”

After a pause, he asked, “Then what does this have to do with the contamination they suffer?”

“That’s exactly what I’m getting at.”

Han Bing paused before continuing, “It’s him. He made me connect the two.”

Following her gaze, Lu Xin noticed the man lying on the bed.

“Mr. Lone Soldier, you’ve pieced it together—all these people serve as breeding grounds for Mental Monsters.”

“But have you considered this…”

In a measured tone, Han Bing asked, “Where do these incubators get the nourishment to cultivate Mental Monsters?”

“Hmm?”

The question took him aback, and Lu Xin barely had time to respond.

“Let me put it this way…”

Han Bing said, “How many Mental Monsters are in that building?”

Lu Xin was momentarily stunned as he calculated silently, “At least several hundred, maybe even more…”

Han Bing continued, “And how many incubators are there?”

Lu Xin replied, “Only about twenty.”

Han Bing nodded, “Altogether, these twenty incubators have a combined Psychic Power of merely two or three hundred. Yet, from what you observed, that building houses several hundred Mental Monsters—if not more. And each one wields a Psychic Power of at least a hundred. Imagine the terrifying total if you combine them all.”

It was then that Lu Xin finally realized, “So, you mean…”

“Yes.”

Han Bing continued, “These people are nothing more than incubators, yet the nourishment comes from the entire populace of the city.”

“Their sleep becomes the fuel for these Mental Monsters.”

“…”

“How is that even possible?”

Lu Xin was stunned—not because he doubted Han Bing’s words,

but because the conclusion seemed too abrupt. How could the two be linked?

“To explain this, we must return to the earlier question.”

Han Bing explained, “Everyone in Heichao City—and anyone who enters—inevitably comes into contact with Black Grass. Whether they do so willingly or not, even their cooking includes it. This ensures they are all affected. Black Grass doesn’t directly cause Mental Pollution, but it can alter one’s mental state.”

“Therefore, the mental abnormalities among the residents share a common source.”

“Furthermore, a brief mental assessment of the individual revealed that even while lying on the bed—and with you right beside him—there was a subtle increase in his Mental Power…”

“I believe that is enough to draw a conclusion.”

Han Bing looked up at Lu Xin and said, “The Mental Monster growing within him can siphon the mental power of those around him.”

“But it doesn’t just steal any kind of mental power.”

“It only targets the abnormal mental power found in those who have ingested Black Grass.”

“The consequence is the loss of sleep.”

“…”

After a long pause, Han Bing exhaled softly, her face clouded with suppression.

“Only this theory can explain the rampant insomnia in Heichao City.”

“The more one depends on Black Grass, the more likely their sleep is to be stolen.”

“The differing degrees of contamination between Ye Xue and Ye Xiaoyu arise from the fact that Ye Xiaoyu ate those biscuits while Ye Xue did not.”

“And once the food ran out at home, Ye Xue had to sing for money with Ye Xiaoyu by her side.”

“During that period, they also received other meals—like barbecues and home-cooked dishes—from neighbors. Some of those meals used Black Grass as a seasoning, so both siblings became contaminated, though Ye Xue, having always given her better portions to her brother, suffered less severe insomnia.”

“Xu Kun, the captain of Tianhe Security’s B-Team, upon realizing his insomnia might affect his family, chose to hide outside, fearing it would spread.”

“But what he didn’t know was that his family wasn’t directly infected by insomnia; rather, by his own smoking of Black Grass, his wife and children inhaled some as well, leading to their contamination.”

“…”

Amid Lu Xin’s dumbfounded expression, Han Bing calmly and decisively delivered her conclusion:

“We still don’t know the source of this contamination, but we can now confirm its logic chain.”

“Before this mission, Professor Bai gave me an extensive briefing. A Mental Overlord-level monster can create widespread, stable contamination—even an entire field. However, such contamination requires certain conditions, just as a Doll can cause mass contamination only if everyone sees her, or a Mermaid’s contamination only if its song is heard…”

“Every large-scale contamination event has a trigger—the key in its logical chain.”

“For Heichao City’s insomnia epidemic, the key element in the contamination logic chain is Black Grass.”

“The more one consumes Black Grass, the more their mental state becomes twisted, making them more susceptible to contamination. And because Heichao City overuses Black Grass, nearly everyone there is affected, laying the groundwork for contamination!”

“Heichao City has reaped enormous profits by exploiting Black Grass.”

“They are even planning to develop a new industry that will spread Black Grass throughout all the High-wall Cities and Settlements!”

By the end, Han Bing’s expression turned unnervingly cold as she stated, “And now…”

“They are paying the price of insomnia for these profits!”