dark place

By the window, Yan Zhiyuan was standing there looking up at the clouds. The clouds were thick, like marshmallows torn apart layer by layer.

"Lin Zhouze seems to really like sweets like marshmallows," he thought.

Perhaps because of Li Luo's words or because he heard the door open, he turned around after deciding to buy some candy on the way back.

"Chen Bushen?" he asked Li Luo.

"Not long after he walked there with us...he sent a message to someone...those three...came looking for us...and went straight for him." Li Luo had to pause to adjust his breathing after saying a few words, and his sentence was broken into pieces. After he finished speaking, he looked up at Shi Youchen, and there was actually some hope in his eyes.

Shi Youchen thought of Li Luo's salute, Chen Bushen's earnest words in the car, and the layers of blood and thick black smoke on the ground of the emergency center. He felt as if his chest had been hit hard by a punch, and a muffled sound was echoing inside.

"Chen Bushen had a private conversation with the three people after getting off the car, but they soon separated. The time was very short, probably only enough to say a few words to each person." He responded to Li Luo's gaze.

"In that case, things are clear now." Yan Zhiyuan opened his bracelet, tapped the screen a few times, and pulled up a document.

Results of the on-site investigation of the second explosion at the Z City Emergency Center:

...

......

Energy detection confirmed that the explosion at coordinates (XXX,XXX) originated from the same source as the Z City Port incident. Simultaneously, three other explosions of the same source (now dismantled) were detected near the entrances and exits of the emergency center's three main gates. Therefore, the two incidents were combined for tracking.

According to the items temporarily stored in the lockers of the intensive care unit of Du Ziqi (No. 8279), Du Ruoyu (No. 8280), and Tong Shicheng (No. 8416), Chen Bushen had sent the three people information related to outdoor gatherings.

......

"Chen Bushen has no way to escape. He deliberately lured you there. And no matter which entrance you enter the emergency center from, you can't escape the secondary explosion. This was an ambush long ago." Yan Zhiyuan concluded coldly.

Shi Youchen's fists were clenched so tightly that they were trembling, and the protruding veins were a little purple. He remembered the punishment for betrayers mentioned in the rules, and his breathing was unusually unstable. "What will the association do to his family?"

Yan Zhiyuan waved his hand, put away the electronic screen, and replied to him: "Chen Bushen's parents and brothers died in an accident more than ten years ago. He has no relatives, so the punishment will not involve others."

Hearing the word "accidental death", Shi Youchen pursed his lips and said with some envy: "They can be reunited." Li Luo and Yan Zhiyuan did not expect him to say that, and both of them looked a little strange.

"Then I'll leave first. Team Leader Li, take good care of yourself." Shi Youchen said goodbye to the two of them.

"Is this... okay?" Yan Zhiyuan asked to himself as he watched the man leave.

Li Luo looked out the window. It was getting dark and it was going to rain. "That's good," he replied.

Shi Youchen walked out of the gate, glanced at the gloomy sky, and then walked towards the association cafeteria not far away.

......

Glancing around with his plate in hand, Shi Youchen walked to a deserted corner and sat down facing the window, where he could see the phalaenopsis orchids planted outside. Suddenly, a female voice rang out from his left: "Do you mind if I sit here?" He remembered the voice; it was Li Nuo.

"Please sit down." He didn't refuse.

Li Nuo put down his plate and sat down across the aisle to his left.

"My brother woke up. I asked him about Chen Bushen, but he wouldn't tell me, saying I didn't need to know." Li Nuo held the chopsticks but hesitated to move. "Li Luo is my only relative. He is not only my brother, but also my guide. I must know the whole story."

"Please, tell me." She didn't use any honorifics to address Shi Youchen, but her attitude was firm.

Shi Youchen stopped picking up the food and asked, "Why do you think I know the whole thing?"

Li Nuo said, "I know you went together. You weren't on the casualty list released a few days ago."

"I can only bet you know."

She uttered the last few words with gritted teeth, as if she was trying hard to suppress her emotions from leaking out.

Shi Youchen put down his chopsticks, collected his thoughts, and said to her, "Chen Bushen is a traitor. He deliberately led people to the explosion site."

Li Nuo suddenly broke down, her body shaking violently for a long time. When Shi Youchen was hesitating whether to speak to comfort her, Li Nuo raised her head and took a deep breath, trying her best to suppress the distortion of her voice.

"Is that why he came to me and asked about my brother's mission time? Just to get confirmation from me?"

Shi Youchen paused and confirmed, "Chen Bushen once asked you about Li Luo's mission time?"

Before anyone could answer, he suddenly stood up, not even bothering to put the tableware in the cleanup area, and said to Li Nuo, "Follow me." Then he quickly left the cafeteria.

After Li Nuo left in a daze, a man sat down on the bench against the wall across from the table.

His unkempt black hair reached his shoulder blades, with purple highlights on the inside. He wore a silver stud on his left earlobe. He rubbed his head with his hand. A ring of the same style adorned his pinky finger. He yawned silently and opened his eyes. His pupils, surprisingly the same color as the highlights, gleamed with a sly glint. "I heard something interesting."

...

In the dormitory on the 16th floor of Building 7, Li Nuo and Shi Youchen sat face to face.

Ten minutes ago, Shi Youchen had practically trotted back to the dormitory with her. When verifying the information at the door, she said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I can't think of a more convenient place to talk. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Li Nuo didn't expect that as a person with superpowers, he would feel that this action was unfair to himself, and he suddenly felt some respect for him.

Shi Youchen took a pen and paper. He was used to writing things by hand, which made it easier to organize and remember.

"How does Chen Bushen treat you on a daily basis?" he asked.

Li Nuo thought for a moment and replied, "He's usually very welcoming to me and always invites me to dinner, but I always decline. He also always asks about my relationship with my brother."

"How did you answer?"

"I'm telling the truth. My brother and I depend on each other for survival. Once, when they were on a mission, my brother's communication device was damaged and I couldn't contact him. It was Chen Bushen who sent me a message. I didn't think they had any grudges against each other, but I didn't expect that this time..."

"You said he asked Li Luo about the time of his mission this time?"

"Yes, I know my brother received an urgent mission. I wanted to ask him if he had received the same one. He said no at first, but then he asked me about the mission time."

"Anything else to say? Especially before departure."

"Nothing else, except that he told me later..."

——

"Your brother and I are going to City Z together. Don't worry, I will message you if anything happens!" Chen Bushen was lying on the chair in the lounge, editing the message with a smile. The note on the dialog box was "Li Xiaonuo".

——

"What's the approximate time?" Shi Youchen had a vague guess.

"What happened around 12:30 on the day you set out?" Li Nuo was puzzled.

Shi Youchen wrote down some information based on Li Nuo's description. He read it twice in its entirety but decided not to tell Li Nuo his guess. "Chen Bushen is dead, completely destroyed. Your brother just woke up and still needs your care," he said soothingly.

"Thank you for telling me this. I won't let him worry." Li Nuo understood his good intentions. After thanking him, he was about to stand up and say goodbye. Suddenly, he turned around and said, "My brother survived this disaster. In addition to thanking Team Du for protecting him, the impact-resistant equipment must have played a role. If you need it, you can go to the equipment department to pick it up. It's free for people with special abilities."

Shi Youchen stopped writing, lowered his head in thought, and replied calmly, "Okay, thank you."

Half a while after Li Nuo left, the paper was filled with densely written words. Although there were many words, it did not look messy at all.

Shi Youchen put down his pen. He knew where the previous subtle feeling and the sense of suspension given to him by the investigation report came from.

First, if Chen Bushen was a traitor, why did he join the team just before departure and ask Li Nuo about the mission time? Shouldn't he have been prepared long ago?

Second, the investigation results and Li Luo both said that Chen Bushen had sent a message to the three people to gather outdoors, but the two groups had clearly just separated not long ago. Even if the preparation time before treatment was included, it was only fifteen minutes.

If Chen Bushen's goal was simply to blow up their entire group, then after getting off the car, he could have found an excuse to take a detour or cause some trouble to lead everyone to the explosion point. Wouldn't that have exceeded his goal? Why bother with such unnecessary effort? Furthermore, what did he talk about with the three men after getting off the car?

Third, why was Li Luo the only one who survived among the six people at the center of the explosion?

Regardless of whether Du Li protected him, the biggest reason he survived was probably the impact-resistant gear. There were many medical personnel and healing people on the scene at the time. As long as he was still alive, he could have been saved there.

But why was he the only one who prepared impact-resistant equipment? Was it really just out of caution?

Fourth, Chen Bushen was only a deputy team leader, so how did he have the contact information of three psychics? Furthermore, with team leaders Du Li and Li Luo present, why did the three psychics immediately gather upon receiving the information?

The association's rules clearly stipulate that "people with special abilities must always prioritize completing tasks assigned by the association." Could it be that a deputy team leader's temporary information is more important than the clear task instructions already issued by the association?

Some of these questions are actually easy to explain, and Shi Youchen understood them after a little thought.

Because Chen Bushen liked Li Nuo, he always invited her to dinner.

Because Li Nuo always rejected his invitation, he changed his approach and began to care about the relationship between the brother and sister.

Because he knew that the brother and sister were very close, he also started to pay attention to Li Luo's movements, just to reassure Li Nuo.

Because he wanted to make a good impression in front of Li Nuo, he rushed to join the mission team in City Z.

In this way, all of Chen Bushen’s actions in the first half can be explained.

But why did he have the contact information of the people with special abilities, why did he get off the car and talk to them and then send messages to the three people, and why did he ask people to separate and then reunite.

Why did Li Luo wear the equipment? Why did he accuse Chen Bushen of sending messages afterwards instead of asking him on the spot? These questions revealed a weird atmosphere one after another, as if there were deeper clues and truths behind them.

Shi Youchen stopped to think, he was now basically certain of one thing -

Chen Bushen was framed, but the real traitor was someone else.

"Chen Bushen, if you could do it again, would you still get on that car for Li Nuo?" Shi Youchen murmured.

"Ding--" the new message alert sounded and he turned on the screen.

"Hello, Mr. Shi Youchen. Please attend the training for new psychics at the training base tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. The training will include both theoretical and practical courses. Please conserve your energy and allocate your time wisely. Thank you for your cooperation. —Association Information Center"

It’s the same training notice as last time.

He took the paper covered with words to the kitchen and lit it. He watched it burn to ashes before turning around to wash up.