Chapter 44
The SUV that had been cruising smoothly suddenly swerved sharply to the right, scraping against the roadside curb.
After a long silence, Zuo Feiyang spoke with a hoarse voice, “Nie Yue is still alive.”
Yu Zhi hummed in acknowledgment and truthfully recounted the events that occurred after joining Class 1-5.
He gave a brief summary of his conversation with Nie Yue, carefully omitting the hidden task he had received and the matter of collecting Chen Tingting’s corpse.
“Nie Yue has accomplices who haven’t shown themselves yet. I ran away immediately,” Yu Zhi explained. “There might be other moles within your bureau—or there might not.”
The veins on the back of Zuo Feiyang’s hand bulged as his eyes turned red.
There was a mole in the bureau.
And that mole was one of his teammates.
Worse, he had delivered his other teammates right into the mole’s hands.
He closed his eyes and said bitterly, “I’ve known Nie Yue for a year. I never thought she’d be a mole. And I handed Lin Tianpeng and Zhao Xing over to her. If only I’d realized earlier…”
Seeing that Zuo Feiyang was descending into self-blame, Yu Zhi reassured him, “If you’d figured it out earlier, she would’ve had one more life in her hands.”
Zuo Feiyang fell silent.
Thinking it over, Yu Zhi seemed to have a point. If Zuo had noticed anything earlier, given that the enemy operated in the shadows while he was in the open, Nie Yue’s first move would’ve been to eliminate him.
Oddly enough, Zuo Feiyang felt comforted by this thought.
He exhaled slowly, saying, “Right. I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not my fault. It’s Nie Yue’s fault—it’s this world’s fault!”
As the SUV turned a corner, the sharp sound of gunfire suddenly rang out from ahead.
Yu Zhi lifted his gaze and saw several black vehicles parked by the roadside. Four or five people were firing at nearby pollutants, two of them dressed in familiar black uniforms. Both groups belonged to the Special Operations Bureau.
Zuo Feiyang immediately hit the brakes and took a closer look. “They’re not from the nearby town. Must be reinforcements sent by the bureau.”
The SUV didn’t approach right away. Yu Zhi understood Zuo Feiyang’s hesitation; there was a chance that the Special Operations Bureau still had other moles.
Although it was possible Nie Yue was the only mole, caution was always warranted.
“Do you know all those people?” Yu Zhi asked.
Zuo Feiyang answered truthfully, “I know a few of them. The rest are rookies from the bureau—I’ve only met them a couple of times.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a burly man in a black uniform turned to look their way. His shiny bald head gleamed under the car’s lights.
The man recognized Zuo Feiyang in the driver’s seat instantly and waved, shouting, “Zuo Feiyang!”
Having been spotted, Zuo Feiyang had no choice but to drive closer.
“Brother Lin.”
The bald man, addressed as Brother Lin, walked up and grinned. “Zuo, you’re something else! We had just arrived at the source of the pollution when—”
But upon seeing Zuo Feiyang’s somewhat blurry face, Brother Lin abruptly stopped talking, his expression changing.
“You’re contaminated.”
Turning to his team, he quickly ordered, “Xiao Feng, come with me to escort them back. Vice-captain, take the others and follow Captain Zhang’s orders. You two, switch to my vehicle.”
The replacement vehicle was an armored car modified by the bureau, spacious enough to fit seven or eight people. Inside, it was well-equipped and much roomier than the SUV.
Team member Xiao Feng took the wheel while Brother Lin boarded first.
Once Yu Zhi was inside, Brother Lin approached him with a medical kit and pressed him into the nearest seat. “Your injuries are the worst, judging by the smell of blood.”
Yu Zhi nodded and removed his jacket, letting Brother Lin examine his wounds. “It’s mostly my hand. The rest are minor cuts.”
Yu Zhi’s body was riddled with wounds of varying severity, the most serious being on his right hand. After rudimentary treatment from Lu Liming, the bone was no longer visible, but clear bite marks remained.
Brother Lin frowned deeply as he examined the wound. “You were bitten by a pollutant?”
Yu Zhi gave a noncommittal hum.
Brother Lin’s eyes scanned Yu Zhi’s pale face, which was speckled with blood but still revealed his sharp and handsome features. He noted that although Yu Zhi had severe external injuries, there were no signs of contamination.
“You’re an ability user?” Brother Lin asked.
Yu Zhi nodded again.
“Lucky this wasn’t a parasitic pollutant,” Brother Lin remarked. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare bring you back.”
Zuo Feiyang was the last to board. He introduced the others, “These are ability users I encountered in Taijiang Town: Yu You and Lu Liming. This is Brother Lin, Lin Xiangyuan.”
Lin Xiangyuan’s attention shifted to the other man with a blurred face, Lu Liming. “Just the three of you?”
Zuo Feiyang confirmed with a nod.
He didn’t mention what had occurred during the pollutant-clearing operation, and Lin Xiangyuan didn’t pry. As a veteran of the bureau, Lin could guess that something significant had happened.
The car was quiet except for the faint sounds of wounds being bandaged.
After finishing the bandaging, Lin Xiangyuan spoke, “It’ll be at least an hour and a half before we reach the bureau. You should rest if you can—I’ll keep watch.”
Yu Zhi muttered a word of thanks, his face pale. Yet he refrained from resting, wary of losing control in his weakened state.
Though the source of pollution was gone, danger still loomed.
Danger One: A group conducting experiments on pollution sources.
Danger Two: Fu Suxi, who could appear at any moment.
Danger Three…
Yu Zhi glanced at the livestream comments:
[User “World’s Cutest Girl” laments her betting mishap.]
[User “Lord of the Flame” marvels at your unmatched escape speed.]
[User “Hainan Coconut” prays for your death within 45 minutes.]
[User “Scarecrow’s Plow” vows to reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to them.]
[User “Clear Mind” urges you to hurry up and die.]
Over two hours had passed. The comments alternated between regrets over betting losses and demands for Yu Zhi’s untimely demise.
These viewers who had placed bets might resort to who-knows-what measures.
For now, the Special Operations Bureau seemed to be the only place relatively capable of ensuring his safety.
The armored vehicle soon left Taijiang Town, heading toward S City.
The road to S City wasn’t in good condition, with occasional bumps along the way.
Each bump made Yu Zhi’s complexion pale further. His arm hurt. His head throbbed.
It felt like needles were stabbing into his brain—sharp, continuous pain.
Painful, exhausting, and unbearably drowsy.
Yu Zhi blinked hard and rummaged through his bag, pulling out a few candies to keep himself awake.
He took out Chen Wan’s phone, attempting to enter the password, diverting his focus from his discomfort.
[Incorrect password]
[Incorrect password]
[Incorrect password]
He tried multiple times, all of them wrong. The phone ended up locked for five minutes.
His headache worsened. No luck with randomly guessing the password.
Looking around the vehicle, Yu Zhi handed the phone to Lu Liming. “Take a wild guess at the password.”
Lu Liming pressed a few numbers on the screen without hesitation.
The next second, the phone unlocked successfully.
Yu Zhi immediately accessed the settings to disable the lock feature before glancing at Lu Liming’s vague, expressionless face. “Did you use a tool or just press randomly?”
Lu Liming replied, “Just pressed randomly.”
Yu Zhi couldn’t help but marvel, “You’ve got some incredible luck.”
Lu Liming agreed, “I think so too.”
A man untainted by psychic corruption praising someone corrupted for their good luck—it was enough to make Lin Xiangyuan glance their way curiously. “Where are you two from?”
“J City,” Yu Zhi replied.
“What’s the situation in J City?” Lin Xiangyuan asked.
Yu Zhi answered honestly, “We didn’t see any pollutants on the way.”
Lin Xiangyuan continued, “Are you two relatives? Friends or classmates?”
Yu Zhi thought for a moment. “We have an employer-employee relationship.”
Lin Xiangyuan grew more intrigued. Both looked young and lacked any trace of military training. How could their relationship be purely professional?
He instinctively glanced at Zuo Feiyang, only to meet a pair of slightly narrowed eyes, which seemed to be scrutinizing him—not the two youths, but him specifically.
Lin Xiangyuan froze. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” Zuo Feiyang immediately schooled his expression, though he had been pondering whether his long-time colleague could be the mole within the bureau. “I’m just tired.”
Lin Xiangyuan didn’t doubt the explanation, but the interruption stopped him from asking further questions.
“You should rest. I’ll really keep quiet now.”
Zuo Feiyang closed his eyes, pretending to nap. Lu Liming began snoring within minutes.
Yu Zhi shifted his focus back to Chen Wan’s phone and opened the WeChat app.
Right at the top was a pinned contact: Chen Tingting.
Although there was no network connection, Yu Zhi could still read their previous conversation, complete with timestamps.
[February 10, 9:12 PM]
Chen Wan: Still no response?
Chen Wan: How long are you going to sulk during New Year’s?
Chen Wan: You only ranked fifth in class for the finals, not even the top three. Shouldn’t I tell your uncle and aunt about this?
Chen Wan: You should listen to them. They only want what’s best for you.
[February 11, 11:30 AM]
Chen Wan: Remember to drink the porridge. I’m heading to your aunt’s house to pay respects for the New Year.
Chen Tingting: I don’t want to eat. Leave me alone.
Chen Wan: Still acting stubborn.
[February 12, 9:14 AM]
Chen Wan: Your uncle’s neighbor’s son got first place in his school.
Chen Wan: He was studying even on the first day of the new year. That’s what hard work looks like. You’re just enjoying life.
[February 13, 9:40 PM]
Chen Wan: If something’s bothering you, speak up.
Chen Tingting: I want to die.
Chen Wan: Who told you to say such things?
[February 14, 1:34 PM]
Chen Tingting: I want to see a psychiatrist.
Chen Wan: Call failed.
Chen Wan: Call failed
Chen Wan: Why would you, a perfectly fine person, need to see a psychiatrist?
Chen Wan: Psychiatrists treat lunatics. Are you a lunatic?
Chen Wan: I think you’re just bored.
[February 15, 2:30 PM]
Chen Wan: I talked to Auntie Wang about it. Stop overthinking and take a break.
Chen Wan: The day after tomorrow, you’ll go on a two-day social practice trip with Teacher Li and the others. It’ll be a good distraction.
Chen Tingting: I don’t want to go.
Chen Wan: Stop saying no to everything. Going to social practice is better than having people think you’re crazy.
[February 17, 7:40 AM]
Chen Wan: Get up already! The school bus is almost here.
Chen Tingting: I’m not going.
Chen Wan: You’re telling me this now, at the last minute?
Chen Wan: The school’s already arranged everything. Are you going to make the whole bus wait for you?
Chen Wan: Biology is the only subject where you’re better than others. The social practice trip is at a biotech company.
Chen Wan: Meteor Biotechnology Corporation.
After that, there were no more messages.
*
Yu Zhi’s eyes fell on the name of the company hosting the social practice trip.
Meteor Biotechnology…
A very familiar company.
The Meteor Apartments, where Yu Zhi used to live in H City, had been sponsored and built by this very company.
Nie Yue had once mentioned that her initial target had been Wang Lili. Wang Lili was an orphan.
The residents of Meteor Apartments were all orphans.
This didn’t seem like a coincidence.
Yu Zhi’s heart sank to rock bottom.
Orphans had no family, no one to demand justice if something happened to them. In some cases, no one would even notice their disappearance.
A truly “perfect” pool of experimental subjects.
He was an orphan, too.
Could he also have been one of Meteor’s targets?
