After Bystander A Bound to JJ Literature City – CH46

Chapter 46

“Minister Yu,” Shang Yu nodded toward Fu Suxi. “Should we head straight back to the Bureau, or would you like me to show you around inside the walls first?”

Fu Suxi’s gaze passed her, landing on a hospital building not far away. “Is that the testing hospital?”

Shang Yu answered, “Yes.”

Fu Suxi began walking toward it. “Let’s take a look.”

Shang Yu followed alongside him, sneaking glances at the new minister.

His appointment had been abrupt, leaving no time to dig into his background. All they’d received from B City were repeated warnings: the new minister had a bad temper, so whatever they did, they mustn’t provoke him.

Given his imposing credentials, Shang Yu dared not slack off. As they walked, she explained, “According to headquarters’ instructions, everyone entering the walls, except ability-users from the Bureau, must register and undergo testing. Only after confirming they are free of contamination can they pass through the second wall.”

Ahead, a line of armed soldiers stood guard at the hospital’s main entrance, with heavy weaponry stationed behind them, supervising the movement of all personnel entering and exiting.

Shang Yu led Fu Suxi over and greeted the man responsible for registrations. “This is Minister Yu, newly assigned from B City.”

The registrar stood up immediately, calling out, “Minister Yu.”

Fu Suxi’s gaze flicked to the surveillance monitors behind the registrar before pulling out two photos. “Have you seen these two people in the past couple of days?”

The registrar examined the photos. Both individuals had distinctive appearances—hard to miss if he had encountered them.

Hesitant, he asked, “Minister Yu, do you know their names? While the network is down, part of the identity information system is still accessible offline.”

Fu Suxi gave him a cold, indifferent glance.

His narrow, jet-black eyes glinted with a chilling sharpness. The registrar felt a shiver run down his spine and didn’t dare ask further, instead looking to Shang Yu for help.

Sensing the tension radiating from Fu Suxi, Shang Yu immediately told the registrar, “Go and ask around to see if anyone else has seen them.”

The registrar nodded quickly and hurried off to find others.

Fu Suxi withdrew his gaze and noticed the system panel, which was flooded with bullet comments.

[User “Scarecrow’s Straw” is desperately reminding you that your target is at the Special Special Operations Bureau and urges you to hurry.]
[User “Rich Young Master” claims the person you’re looking for is hiding in the hospital ahead.]
[User “Sunny-Side Up Egg” notifies you that the target is already dead.]
[User “Endless Fortune” informs you that the target isn’t in S City.]
[User “Scarecrow’s Straw” hopes you’ll believe them and has gifted you 50 universal coins.]

The comments scrolled endlessly, with users claiming the target was everywhere—from within S City to overseas.

What irritated Fu Suxi the most was one specific comment:

[User “Patchwork Fix” mocks you for still not knowing the target’s name.]

He lit a cigarette, the smoke curling upward and veiling his sharply defined features. It diffused the cold, bone-chilling killing intent in his eyes.

When that liar’s dead, names wouldn’t matter.

*

Special Special Operations Bureau, S City.

After arriving at the Bureau, Yu Zhi, Lu Liming, and Zuo Feiyang were each taken to separate buildings.

Since the Bureau was Zuo Feiyang’s turf, Yu Zhi wasn’t too concerned about Lu Liming’s safety.

He turned to Lin Xiangyuan. “Where are we headed?”

Lin Xiangyuan led him deeper inside. “To the observation room for treatment.”

“Technically, it’s like the Bureau’s infirmary. Since your injuries are external, you’ll undergo a routine parasitic contamination check, and Dr. Qi will treat you.”

Yu Zhi blinked. During the ride, Zuo Feiyang had mentioned that mental contamination required a purification plan.

Clearly, the Bureau treated mental and parasitic contamination separately and enforced strict preventative measures for the latter.

Curious, Yu Zhi asked, “Is there no cure for parasitic contamination?”

Lin Xiangyuan nodded, then shook his head. “As far as I know, no one has successfully been cured. The contamination spreads too quickly.”

He hesitated before leaning closer to whisper, “Plus, a few years ago in B City, an ability-user infected with parasitic contamination became a second-generation pollution source during treatment, causing secondary contamination and killing many people. Since then, all infected individuals are executed on sight.”

Yu Zhi paused, startled. A few years ago?

Pollutants and pollution sources had been around for that long?

He commented offhandedly, “Is this something I should even know?”

Lin Xiangyuan clapped him on the shoulder, chuckling. “It’s not a secret within the Bureau.”

“If you’re ever on a mission and a teammate gets infected, you’ll need to take action immediately.”

Yu Zhi noted that Lin Xiangyuan already considered him part of the Bureau. Instead of correcting him, Yu Zhi used the opportunity to ask a long-standing question: “By the way, what causes someone to become a pollution source?”

Lin Xiangyuan shook his head. “No clue. Researchers have been studying it for seven or eight years with no results.”

Yu Zhi asked again, “So, someone with mental contamination won’t turn into a pollution source?”

Lin Xiangyuan was stumped but answered hesitantly, “I don’t think so. At least, it’s never happened before. Plenty of cases of mental contamination have been cured—especially among Espers.”

“Espers are naturally more resilient, physically and mentally. Most of them recover after treatment.”

Now Yu Zhi understood why they were so optimistic about mental contamination—the cure rate was high.

But he couldn’t wrap his head around it. Parasitic contamination involved tangible parasites infecting the body, while mental contamination was an intangible force that controlled people.

How could mental contamination, the seemingly scarier of the two, have a higher cure rate?

“We’re here.”

Lin Xiangyuan opened a door and gestured for Yu Zhi to enter.

Inside the observation room were a hospital bed, various treatment devices, and a man in a white coat.

“Dr. Qi, we need treatment here,” Lin Xiangyuan greeted casually.

Yu Zhi, struggling with a splitting headache, didn’t stand on ceremony and lay down directly on the hospital bed, letting Dr. Qi draw blood.

The blood test results came back quickly.

Dr. Qi glanced at the report, then strode over to perform a physical examination on Yu Zhi.

Lin Xiangyuan, watching them, asked anxiously, “This wasn’t a parasitic contamination zone. What’s wrong with him?”

Dr. Qi replied, “Moderate shock.”

Lin Xiangyuan pressed further, “Is it serious?”

Looking at the alarmingly low readings, Dr. Qi smirked. “Not serious.”
“If we’d waited a bit longer, he’d be dead.”

Yu Zhi: “…”

Dr. Qi glanced at Yu Zhi’s pale, ghostly complexion and asked, “You’re new here?”

Yu Zhi nodded. “Just arrived.”

Hearing this, Dr. Qi turned to Lin Xiangyuan and scolded him mercilessly, “He’s new and doesn’t know any better, but you? Do you seriously think Espers are indestructible? You think having abilities makes you immortal? Even with powers, massive blood loss leads to shock! Did you know his organs are likely starting to fail?”

As he ranted, Dr. Qi administered injections, set up oxygen support, and used his healing ability to treat Yu Zhi’s wounds.

The sharp pain in Yu Zhi’s head eased slightly, but a wave of crushing fatigue and drowsiness washed over him. He couldn’t help yawning twice.

Seeing this, Dr. Qi said, “Go ahead and sleep for a while.”

Yu Zhi mumbled a response but kept his reddened eyes wide open. He didn’t dare sleep.

The next 20 hours were the most dangerous.

The Special Special Operations Bureau was only marginally safer than being outside, not absolutely secure.

If those incited by the livestream viewers dared to attack the Bureau’s vehicle in broad daylight, they’d likely have the nerve to sneak into the Bureau itself to commit murder.

If he were working for Yinxing Biotechnology, he’d seize this moment to use someone else to do the dirty work, avoiding exposure while still eliminating his targets.

Those people were troublesome, but not as much as Fu Suxi, who was Yu Zhi’s greatest headache.

His “Null Intent” ability could neutralize Fu Suxi’s killing intent, but only if Yu Zhi remained conscious. Given his current physical condition, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay awake.

With this in mind, Yu Zhi tentatively asked Dr. Qi, “What would happen if I didn’t sleep or rest?”

Dr. Qi snapped, “If you want to die, just say so and stop wasting my abilities!”

Yu Zhi fell silent. He couldn’t afford to die by his own hand, especially not before Fu Suxi could even make his move.

He could handle the others, but Fu Suxi was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

The tranquilizer gun had worked once, but Fu Suxi was unlikely to fall for it again.

Who else could stall him for some time?

Yu Zhi lowered his gaze, and a thought suddenly struck him: He remembered He Hanhai referring to Fu Suxi as “Team Leader Fu.”

Zuo Feiyang was a Captain, Fu Suxi was a Team Leader.

Captain… Leader… Minister…

Yu Zhi turned to Lin Xiangyuan and said bluntly, “I want to meet your Minister.”

Lin Xiangyuan paused, surprised. “Our Minister? You mean the Operations Minister? The Minister passed away two years ago.”

Yu Zhi frowned. “What about the Bureau Chief?”

Lin Xiangyuan replied, “The Operations Minister also served as Bureau Chief. They died together.”

Yu Zhi: “…”

“Minister?” Dr. Qi looked up. “Didn’t Shang Yu and the others just go to meet the new Operations Minister?”

Lin Xiangyuan was baffled. “Meet who? Minister Fang’s ashes?”

Dr. Qi’s lips twitched. “Apparently, headquarters sent a new Minister.”

“No wonder they said they were going to pick someone up earlier. So it was the new Minister,” Lin Xiangyuan muttered, puzzled. “The headquarters hasn’t sent anyone in two years. Why now all of a sudden?”

Dr. Qi shrugged. “I was wondering the same thing. I thought Old Shang would get promoted to Minister.”

Curious, Lin Xiangyuan asked, “Dr. Qi, do you know the new Minister’s name?”

Dr. Qi thought for a moment. “I think the surname is Yu. Yu… Yu…”

Yu Zhi’s eyelid twitched as he pricked up his ears.

“Yu…” Dr. Qi slapped his thigh as he remembered. “It’s Yu Yi!”

Yu Zhi: “???”

He bolted upright, incredulous. “What? Yu what?”

“Yu Yi,” Lin Xiangyuan repeated, noticing Yu Zhi’s exaggerated reaction. “Do you know them?”

Yu Zhi ignored the question and pressed Dr. Qi. “Which Yi?”

Dr. Qi thought for a moment. “Yi as in one, two, three.”

Yu Zhi wasn’t ready to give up. “Headquarters is in B City, right?”

Lin Xiangyuan nodded. “Yes.”

“You really know him? Is he someone you’re familiar with?”

Yu Zhi closed his eyes. He was numb.

Familiar? It was more than that—he used to be called Yu Yi himself!

An Esper from B City, aware of the name Yu Yi, and twisted enough to adopt it for amusement…

It could only be Fu Suxi.

To think he’d chased him down so quickly from B City, even borrowing the name Yu Yi that Yu Zhi once used. Fu Suxi’s determination to kill him was painfully clear.

Yu Zhi felt a wave of despair.

All the other people who wanted him dead were manageable.

But who in the world could possibly stop the bloodthirsty mad-dog protagonist?!