Chapter 51
[User “Clear-Heart Minimalist” urges you to use the items your subordinates brought and tips you 50 Universal coins.]
[User “One Love for Life” marvels at your devious schemes and tips you 50 Universal coins.]
[User “Scarecrow’s Plow” screams for you to kill the other party immediately.]
[User “Lord of Flames” declares their support for whatever you do.]
[User “Pure Love Warrior” reminds you that opportunity knocks but once and urges you to strip the other party quickly.]
The barrage of comments on the translucent interface came in a frenzy.
Fu Suxi stared blankly at the panel, his fingers twitching slightly before the half-broken phone in his palm was crushed into powder.
Slowly rising to his feet, he glanced down at Yu Zhi’s disheveled and tattered appearance. The sight made his brow twitch in annoyance.
He had only torn Yu Zhi’s clothes a little earlier, but now, with bruises and marks all over Yu Zhi’s body—injuries that had nothing to do with him—onlookers would surely assume he was responsible for all of it.
[User “World’s Cutest Girl” hopes you continue to photograph the other party’s compromising appearance and tips you 50 Universal coins.]
Ignoring the comments, Fu Suxi threw a blanket over Yu Zhi and strode out of the lounge.
As he stepped into the hallway, his voice turned icy. “Stop right there.”
Ahead of him, three people who had been sneaking around froze in place. They exchanged guilty glances before slowly turning around, looking as if they were ready to face the gallows.
The expressions on their faces varied, but the awkward, evasive glances were exactly the same.
Fu Suxi hadn’t even spoken yet when Shang Yu blurted out in a panic, “Don’t worry, we didn’t see anything!”
Lin Xiangyuan and Dr. Qi nodded fervently in agreement. “Yes, yes, we didn’t see anything at all!”
“…”
Fu Suxi chose not to dwell on the topic. Instead, he turned to Shang Yu and said, “Bring me the reports related to the Taijiang High School pollution source. Also, gather a few trustworthy people.”
He then addressed Lin Xiangyuan, “Take me to Zuo Feiyang.”
Dr. Qi waited for a moment, but when he didn’t receive any instructions, he couldn’t help but ask, “Minister Yu, what about me?”
Fu Suxi glanced at him, recalling that this was the man who had been in the bathroom with Yu Zhi earlier.
“Dr. Qi specializes in healing abilities,” Shang Yu suggested cautiously, “Should he stay and keep an eye on your… brother?”
Fu Suxi’s voice was flat and unyielding. “He’s not my brother.”
Shang Yu’s eyelid twitched as she recalled Fu Suxi’s earlier statement about not considering Yu Zhi a brother. Was she supposed to address him as ‘Minister’s spouse’? That felt awkward.
After some thought, she rephrased, “Mr. Yu Zhi was the one who cleared the Taijiang High School pollution source. He’s badly injured…”
Fu Suxi clearly had no interest in hearing Yu Zhi’s name anymore. His tone turned even colder. “Leave him alone.”
Hearing this, Shang Yu and the others were momentarily stunned, turning their gazes toward Fu Suxi in unison.
Shang Yu opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again, thinking to herself, If he really dies, won’t we be the ones in trouble?
She had no choice but to glance at Dr. Qi meaningfully.
Having worked together for years, Dr. Qi immediately understood her intentions. He would have to secretly redress Yu Zhi’s wounds behind the new Minister’s back.
Nodding to Fu Suxi, Dr. Qi calmly said, “Minister Yu, I’ll go deliver the medical records to the Research Department first.”
With that, he turned and walked off in another direction.
Lin Xiangyuan led Fu Suxi toward the fifth basement level, explaining as they went. “The fifth level is dedicated to treating ability-users contaminated by mental pollution. Lately, we’ve had quite a few cases.”
Fu Suxi asked, “There are a lot of pollution sources in S City?”
Lin Xiangyuan nodded, then shook his head. “Compared to before, yes. We used to encounter one every few months at most. But in the past three days, there have been two pollution sources inside the walls and one outside—Taijiang High School.”
Fu Suxi: “What about other regions?”
Lin Xiangyuan hesitated for a moment before replying, “Not sure. Deputy Minister Shang said the headquarters instructed us to focus on rebuilding S City.”
The fifth basement level was structured similarly to the third, with spacious corridors lined with silver-white laboratories.
After passing through a series of research rooms, they reached the mental pollution research area. Different pollution sources caused varying types of mental contamination, and each contaminated ability-user had a dedicated researcher to create a tailored purification plan.
One of the research rooms had a one-way glass wall, allowing researchers to observe the patient. Inside, a man with his face completely wrapped in bandages lay on a hospital bed.
Fu Suxi glanced at the figure, noting that his build didn’t match Yu Zhi’s “boyfriend.” He turned to Lin Xiangyuan and asked, “What about the people who came in with him?”
Lin Xiangyuan replied, “In the next room.”
Fu Suxi entered the adjacent room and saw another “mummy-like” figure.
It was the man he had seen in H City.
“What’s his name?”
Lin Xiangyuan answered truthfully, “Lu Liming.”
Fu Suxi narrowed his eyes. Same as what Yu Zhi said.
Just then, Shang Yu arrived with a team of people.
“Minister Yu, these are the reports on the Taijiang High School pollution source. They haven’t been consolidated yet.”
She placed a stack of printed reports on the table and added softly, “Electronic equipment has been prone to malfunctions lately, so only partial backups were made.”
After that, she introduced the people behind her. “These are members of my team.”
Fu Suxi took the reports and began flipping through them one by one.
There were numerous reports on the Taijiang High School pollution source, as each team was required to submit their own.
He quickly found Zuo Feiyang’s team’s report. Although it didn’t detail the process of clearing the pollution source, it was the most comprehensive from start to finish compared to the others.
Fu Suxi skimmed through the report at lightning speed. The content aligned perfectly with what Yu Zhi had recounted earlier.
Tapping lightly on the paper in thought, Fu Suxi considered the details. Only one person had entered the Grade 10, Class 5 room—Yu Zhi. Zuo Feiyang and Lu Liming had been trapped outside.
Nie Yue had fed the other ability-users in her squad to the pollution source. There was no way she’d have spared Zuo Feiyang—only if her entire squad was wiped out could she remain hidden within the Bureau.
The decision to have Yu Zhi handle the pollution source alone was made by someone else—Nie Yue’s superior.
This meant that Nie Yue’s superior had a specific interest in Yu Zhi.
They’re interested in Yu Zhi…
Fu Suxi’s eyes narrowed slightly as he raised his head and asked Shang Yu, “What were the casualties?”
Shang Yu replied, “Only Zuo Feiyang’s squad was affected—four members dead. Zuo Feiyang suffered mental contamination. None of the other pollution-clearing teams faced any major issues.”
Fu Suxi asked, “What was done with the bodies?”
Shang Yu hesitated before answering honestly, “The bodies of the pollution source and the victims from Taijiang High School haven’t been found yet. We plan to revisit the school tomorrow when dealing with the remains of the pollution source.”
“Zuo Feiyang mentioned that they lost contact with the others after entering the school, so the bodies should still be there.”
Fu Suxi acknowledged with a hum. “Send people to retrieve all the bodies. Bring back as many as possible.”
“Understood,” Shang Yu replied. She glanced at him curiously, thinking this new minister seemed surprisingly considerate—sending people to recover bodies even during such chaotic times.
After a moment, she hesitated and asked, “Two of the deceased were locals from S City. Should we return their bodies to their families?”
Fu Suxi’s response was curt: “No, send them all to the headquarters.”
Shang Yu froze, startled. “Why?”
Noting the confusion in her gaze, Fu Suxi casually offered an explanation, “For ability-user research.”
Shang Yu fell silent. So much for being compassionate—it’s all about resource utilization, huh?
“Understood.”
Fu Suxi leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the assembled group. He said to Shang Yu, “Take these three to the research lab next door.”
“You three stay here,” he said, addressing Lin Xiangyuan and the others.
Lin Xiangyuan scratched his head, puzzled. “Do we need to do anything?”
Fu Suxi gave a single word: “Wait.”
*
3:00 a.m.
The torrential rain outside began to taper off.
Lin Xiangyuan had been sitting idly in the research lab for over eight hours, following orders to a T but feeling incredibly restless. He finally couldn’t take it anymore and stepped out for a smoke.
Returning to the lab, he saw a man in a white lab coat walking toward the observation room where Zuo Feiyang was being held.
Lin Xiangyuan approached, greeting him, “Wang, is there something wrong with Zuo’s condition? What are you doing here at this hour?”
As he moved closer, he realized this wasn’t Wang.
“Who are you?”
The man smiled faintly and explained, “Wang just remembered something. He sent me to confirm a detail.”
“What detail?” Lin Xiangyuan asked, his suspicion growing.
The man replied calmly, “His level of contamination—”
“Bang!”
An explosion suddenly erupted from a nearby research lab.
Lin Xiangyuan instinctively turned to rush toward the source of the blast, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the man opening the door to Zuo Feiyang’s observation room.
He grabbed the man and yanked him back. “Who the hell are you?!”
Realizing he’d been exposed, the man didn’t flee. Instead, he suddenly turned and grappled Lin Xiangyuan in a tight hold.
“Let go of me, you bastard!” Lin Xiangyuan roared, punching the man’s temple. But no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t break free.
Then he heard a faint ticking sound from the man’s body.
His face changed dramatically. A bomb?!
The man glared at him, laughing maniacally. “For the future of humanity, you—”
Before he could finish, a flash of cold steel flickered before Lin Xiangyuan’s eyes, and the weight against him suddenly lifted.
Fu Suxi had kicked the man away.
The man’s body hit the ground, and a moment later, it exploded with a deafening “boom!” His body was torn apart, blood and flesh scattering everywhere, leaving a gaping hole in the hallway.
Lin Xiangyuan, stunned, wiped the blood off his face with trembling hands. He stammered, “Thank you, Minister.”
Shang Yu approached, her expression serious. “Why would they target Zuo Feiyang and Lu Liming specifically?”
Lin Xiangyuan snapped out of his daze, his face paling further. “Damn it—they might have gone after Yu Zhi too!”
He immediately sprinted toward the stairs.
By the time he reached the fourth basement level, the sound of explosions echoed from the far end of the hallway—one after another.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
Kicking open the door to Yu Zhi’s lounge, Lin Xiangyuan was met with a scene of devastation. Smoke billowed everywhere. The bed and nightstand were obliterated, the room littered with splintered wood and torn fabric.
Through the haze, he saw two figures trying to carry Yu Zhi, a large, empty suitcase nearby—clearly meant to stuff him inside.
Shang Yu’s eyes widened. She fired at their legs, hitting each of them once, and shouted, “Lin Xiangyuan!”
Lin Xiangyuan rushed forward, grabbing Yu Zhi and hauling him to a nearby sofa. Without hesitation, he pulled a blanket over Yu Zhi’s battered body.
Lin Xiangyuan turned around just in time to see another man hiding in the corner bolting toward the window, seemingly trying to escape.
With a swift stride, Lin Xiangyuan closed the distance and delivered a fierce kick to the man’s midsection, sending him sprawling onto the floor.
“Ahhh—” The man hit the ground, clutching his stomach in pain.
Shang Yu approached, her gun aimed directly at his head. “Who sent you?”
The man quickly began to plead, his voice trembling, “It was the livestream viewers! They offered a bounty—kill him and you get tens of thousands of Universal coins!”
Lin Xiangyuan squatted down to get a better look and immediately recognized the man’s scarred face. “It’s you!”
He turned to Shang Yu. “Old Shang, this bastard is the same one who brought that crew to ambush our car earlier today!”
Shang Yu’s expression darkened. She recalled the incident when they returned to base and had already connected the dots to Yu Zhi’s life-and-death betting pool. She frowned and said, “If your only goal was to kill Yu Zhi, there’d be no reason to target Zuo Feiyang and Lu Liming.”
Her gaze turned icy as she looked down at the scarred man. “Who are you people, really?”
The scarred man looked as if he was about to cry. “Miss, I swear, we’re only in it for the money! That’s all!”
“We didn’t touch anyone else. What happened earlier was just collateral damage while we were trying to get him!”
Shang Yu’s eyes narrowed, clearly not buying his excuse. She glanced over her shoulder. “Yu—Where’s the Minister?”
Lin Xiangyuan blinked in confusion. “He was just here with us, wasn’t he?”
As he spoke, a tall figure appeared in the doorway.
Fu Suxi’s face betrayed no worry or urgency as he walked in at an unhurried pace, his posture as composed as ever.
Seeing this, Lin Xiangyuan couldn’t help but lean toward Shang Yu and whisper, “Old Shang, does the Minister look like he’s even a little concerned?”
Shang Yu considered it for a moment before murmuring, “He knows Yu Zhi won’t be in any real danger.”
Lin Xiangyuan suddenly recalled Fu Suxi’s earlier command for them to wait in the research lab and had an epiphany. “He knew ahead of time there’d be an attack! He must’ve already made preparations!”
Fu Suxi ignored their hushed conversation and walked straight to the sofa. Pulling back the blanket covering Yu Zhi, he began inspecting his injuries.
Yu Zhi’s pale, lean upper body was almost entirely exposed, save for a few tattered remnants of his clothes. His pants were similarly shredded, barely covering the essentials. Despite his initial injuries, no new wounds appeared to have been inflicted.
Lin Xiangyuan noticed Fu Suxi staring at Yu Zhi’s battered body and offered, “Should I get Dr. Qi to come re-bandage him?”
“No need,” Fu Suxi said coldly, his gaze snapping toward Lin Xiangyuan. “Let him die.”
Lin Xiangyuan froze in place, dumbfounded. He glanced helplessly at Shang Yu.
Shang Yu gave him a subtle shake of her head, thinking to herself, You don’t understand. The more injured someone is, the less likely they are to escape.
This is textbook yandere behavior—an oppressive love mixed with a cruel need to control.
Meanwhile, the scarred man pinned to the ground looked simultaneously terrified, angry, and regretful. No wonder you brought him back to the Operation Bureau!
You want to kill him too and claim the bounty for yourselves!
Thanx