Chapter 576: Race Against Chaos

An hour ago, the ‘Hell’s Messenger’ had just passed through Red Mud Town, 200 kilometers away. By calculating its trajectory, we determined that after turning south its speed suddenly spiked. Based on its pace, it’s expected to breach the cordon and enter the Chaos Zone in about twelve hours. That means our window for capture…

We must complete this within ten hours!

……

Ten hours?

Xia Chong frowned slightly at that.

She leaned in to study the data on the electronic map, her brow knitting further.

Even Lu Xin hadn’t expected their capture mission to be this urgent. From previous intel, they not only need to calculate the Mental Monster’s route and intercept it, but also set up an ambush for its retreat—a massive workload with almost zero margin for error. Can all this really be done in ten hours?

Frowning slightly, he caught the key point and curiously asked, “What is the cordon line?”

Xia Chong straightened up a bit and replied, “The Chaos Zone in the South—the area controlled by the Fireseed Mining Group.”

Lu Xin thought for a moment and said, “The Fireseed Mining Group?”

Xia Chong frowned, “You don’t even know the Fireseed Mining Group?”

Lu Xin suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, “Well, I’m more of a homebody…”

Xia Chong, Scalpels, and Beast Tamer all fixed their gazes on Lu Xin.

It made one wonder if this mysterious Mr. Lone Soldier from Qinggang truly matched his reputed strength.

Yet she patiently explained to Lu Xin, “The reason we’re in such a rush is that, based on the Mental Monster’s trajectory, it’s expected to soon enter the southern Alliance—a region of utter chaos and lawlessness.”

“The southern part of the Alliance falls under the Fireseed Mining Group’s jurisdiction.”

“Although this mining group collaborates with the Alliance, it isn’t an official member.”

“Moreover, its territory is a tangled mix of organizations like True Hometown, White Day Society, Fox Spirit Temple, and many others. Once the monster enters, our capture operation could be thrown into disarray by countless unknown factors.”

……

Listening intently to Xia Chong, Lu Xin gradually began to understand.

After the Red Moon appeared in the sky, order collapsed and the entire Wasteland descended into chaos.

Various factions battled, slaughtered, annexed, and carved out their own territories.

In the North, thanks to the Research Institute, stability quickly returned. They established a dozen High-wall Cities and numerous settlements, forging alliances and unified decrees around Central City and the Moon Eclipse Research Institute to form the Northern Alliance.

In contrast, the South is ruled by the Technology Church, while the Central region remains the chaotic zone.

Other factions also exist—from the Sea Country, the misty isles of the Eastern Sea, and the wandering highland cities in the West, to remote small states in far North and extreme West—numbering in the hundreds.

These intertwined forces create a state of chaos that is, oddly, relatively stable under the Red Moon.

In this mix, the nominal leader of the southern Chaos Zone is the Fireseed Mining Company.

It is said that the Fireseed Mining Company was a large multinational enterprise even before the Red Moon. When order collapsed, it remarkably endured, gradually expanding its influence until it evolved into a massive organization with a corporate structure and vast resources.

However, the Central region—with its many marshes, mountains, and far more Forbidden Zones than the North—has been splintered into smaller areas. Moreover, the Fireseed Mining Group’s survival model doesn’t depend on gathering populations for collective growth; they neglect local settlements, even deliberately fueling internal conflict over scarce resources.

This has led to a prevailing backdrop of chaos in that vast region, where conflicts never cease.

Such disorder has attracted numerous mysterious organizations and Knight Orders.

Even investigation teams from the Research Institute, like Xia Chong’s, find these areas extremely problematic.

They avoid entering these regions for captures unless absolutely necessary.

In such chaos, any plan faces exponentially greater challenges.

……

……

“Regarding the soul trade, we’ve long suspected that followers of True Hometown are involved, though we’ve yet to secure concrete evidence. Meanwhile, multiple leads from the Research Institute point to the headquarters of True Hometown’s Mysterious Organization being in the Chaos Zone. Therefore, our mission is to capture the monster before it enters that area.”

After detailing the Fireseed Mining Group, Xia Chong shifted her focus back to the mission and addressed Lu Xin.

“We originally thought the monster would cross the line in two days, but time is far shorter now. To avoid unnecessary complications, we must intercept it before it breaches the cordon line.”

……

Lu Xin nodded, humbly listening.

“The mission is theirs; I’m just here to give a nudge,” he thought.

So he held back his opinions and planned to follow their instructions without question.

He was determined not to give them any excuse to deduct two million from him.

As for the mention of the Chaos Zone and the Mining Company, Lu Xin didn’t feel particularly pressured.

After all, he wasn’t very familiar with those areas…

“In that case, let’s see if there’s a suitable capture spot along the remaining route.”

After briefing, Xia Chong turned her attention to the Negative Zero Unit.

The two members of the Negative Zero Unit showed no emotion as they reviewed the data and said:

“Based on the remaining route, the only viable spot for our trap is Red Mud Town.”

As she spoke, she pointed to the end of the indicated route:

“This is where the monster is currently passing—isolated from other settlements.”

……

Xia Chong asked, “How many people live in this town?”

A Negative Zero Unit member adjusted his controls and said, “About 30,000.”

Nodding, Xia Chong stared at the red dot, lost in thought.

Lu Xin also fixed his gaze on the red dot, feigning deep concentration as if he were busy at work.

Yet he couldn’t figure out what Xia Chong was pondering.

Meanwhile, Scalpels seemed to have picked up on something but kept quiet. Lowering his voice, he cautiously explained to Lu Xin, “That Mental Monster is transformed through a sacrificial ritual by members of a mysterious organization. Unlike ordinary ones, its baseline psychic power is around 100,000 but gradually weakens over time.”

“So it must intermittently infect others to maintain its psychic equilibrium.”

“This trait means its route invariably passes through populated areas.”

“To capture it, we have to operate in such hubs. Red Mud Town has enough residents for the monster to infect, and with no other nearby settlements, if its path is blocked, it will definitely loop back here.”

“However, while setting our trap, we must consider both the local situation and the residents’ willingness to cooperate. With around 30,000 people, Red Mud Town has a tough, unruly nature and might not cooperate with our operations.”

“Forcing the monster back here could put all 30,000 residents at risk if it goes out of control.”

“That number exceeds what we can safely handle.”

……

Only then did Lu Xin exclaim, “So what do we do?”

Scalpels replied, “What choice do we have? We have to set up the cordon here—there’s simply no alternative.”

Lu Xin hesitated, glancing cautiously at Xia Chong, and asked, “Then what is she considering?”

Scalpels laughed, “Not just Captain Xia Chong; many people in this world are the same.”

Lu Xin gave Scalpels a strange look.

Scalpels shrugged and said, “It’s not only Captain Xia Chong. A lot of people share this same flaw.”

Though Lu Xin found his words hard to understand, he eventually nodded, “You have a point.”

“Alright then…”

After a minute or two of deep thought, Xia Chong decisively nodded, “We’ll do it here.”

Scalpels shot Lu Xin a glance as if to say, “Told you so, right?”

Xia Chong added, “But if we set up the cordon here, we must ensure the capture is executed with precision and efficiency. If the monster gets a chance to spread its infection, all of Red Mud Town’s residents will be at risk…”

“Besides, Red Mud Town is already adjacent to the Chaos Zone, so they probably won’t easily cooperate with us.”

“That issue needs to be resolved.”

……

Lu Xin couldn’t help but admire Scalpels at that moment.

“Leave persuading Red Mud Town to me,” he said.

At that moment, Beast Tamer, having listened to Xia Chong, nodded cheerfully and said, “I’m quite skilled at persuasion.”

Lu Xin glanced at her, feeling that her idea of ‘persuasion’ might not be what he had in mind.

“I’ll handle setting up the cordon,” he declared.

Scalpels laughed and raised his hand, “We can have it arranged within three hours.”

“Excellent.”

Xia Chong nodded with authoritative resolve despite her small stature and turned to Lu Xin, saying:

“In that case, I’ll be responsible for escorting Mr. Lone Soldier to…”

Her eyes swept the electronic map and she quickly pinpointed a location. Pointing, she said, “Here.”

“Remember, forcing the monster to turn back is the most crucial part of our plan.”

“Our entire strategy hinges on the monster reversing course as soon as it sees you.”

“Otherwise, if it heads off in any other direction, our cordon loses its purpose.”

……

Meeting her serious nod, Lu Xin earnestly replied, “Alright.”

Xia Chong fell silent again, as if deep in thought.

Lu Xin shot a glance at Scalpels.

In a hushed tone only for them, Scalpels said, “She’s wondering if we’ve overlooked something…”

Lu Xin lowered his voice and whispered, “Have we?”

Scalpels replied, “Strictly speaking, we’ve overlooked plenty—but with her average mind, she wouldn’t even think of it…”

“But that’s alright. I’ll cover for her…”

……

While still discussing, Xia Chong looked up again and declared, “Alright, nothing’s been missed. Everyone, prepare to set off!”

Everyone in the room immediately responded in unison.

Lu Xin also glanced at Xia Chong and quickly grabbed her hand.

Xia Chong gave him a sidelong look as she walked to the door, gently opened it by turning the knob, and stepped out.

Then she left the building, descended the stairs, passed through the lobby, and reached the Jeep waiting in the courtyard.

“Huh?”

Lu Xin, having waited until Xia Chong opened the car door, finally asked in surprise, “Aren’t we supposed to pass through the Abyss?”

Xia Chong looked at him and said, “From here to where you need to block the Mental Monster is over 300 miles. My current abilities aren’t sufficient to traverse that distance on foot with someone, so we’ll drive…”

“Well…”

Only then did Lu Xin realize that Xia Chong isn’t able to wander freely in the Abyss.

Xia Chong looked up at him and suddenly said, “Are my hands too soft?”

Lu Xin instinctively squeezed them and replied, “Not bad.”

Xia Chong nodded, “Good then. Now you can let go—I can’t drive if you hold my hand.”

“Huh?”

Lu Xin finally reacted, quickly letting go, his face turning red.

What a misunderstanding…