Chapter 10

Dozens of buildings collapsed, affecting an area of ​​hundreds of miles. There were countless witnesses at the scene, and the entire city of S was plunged into chaos. Various rumors, such as those about the end of the world, spread widely online.

The media repeatedly told the public not to panic, to stay home as much as possible, and that everything was under the government's control.

But in people's minds, only a fool would believe such words.

People packed up their pots and pans and fled overnight, but before they could leave the city, they were blocked by rows of armored vehicles on the road.

A volley of gunfire rang out, and the chaotic crowd fell silent instantly.

Physical repression is the most effective management method in the world, bar none.

The building was almost empty. Xiao Shengyun received a call from his mother early in the morning, telling him to return to his hometown in X City as soon as possible.

Go back, but it's buy one get one free.

How was he going to explain this to his mother? Was he supposed to introduce this dark, irregularly shaped, voracious unidentified creature?

He originally wanted to send the little creature to a specialized institution, but after feeding it, the little dumpling's aggression has decreased.

More importantly...

He stretched his hand out to the little dumpling, and the little guy quickly thinned and lengthened, wrapping around his arm like a non-Newtonian fluid.

A trace amount of source matter was released, and the monitoring device in front of the door remained as quiet as a chicken.

Just as Xiao Shengyun had guessed, the action team searched high and low but couldn't find the little guy, so its skill must be something like "stealth," which can shield it from detection devices.

This is exactly what he needs right now.

Currently, official regulations stipulate that only pollution levels above 1000 will be included in the investigation scope, which is also the lowest measurable range of the instruments.

This way, when you release your abilities in the future, you won't have to worry about being detected by the Operations Department.

"Squeak—" As if sensing its owner's emotions, Tuanzi clung tightly to its owner's arm.

"Don't worry, I won't abandon you."

Xiao Shengyun smiled, but his massive source energy had already begun to spread outwards, its threatening intent obvious.

Mother—he savored the word, and a warmth gradually spread through his heart. Pollutants have no mothers; he was the only exception.

Xu Qing is an archaeology professor at a university in X city. In Xiao Shengyun's memory, she always seemed to be in a hurry.

He was probably a troublesome child, and because his nervous system was different from that of ordinary people, human knowledge was difficult for him to grasp.

It's like trying to teach atheism to someone who has seen a god; the latter will never be convinced.

So, from childhood to adulthood, Xiao Shengyun's teachers approached his mother countless times, but she always gave vague answers.

A child who was a bit silly and not very bright – that was the assessment of all his teachers.

But being a little silly isn't so bad, is it?

Perhaps it was the harshness of life over the past decade that softened the monster's bones, making him unable to revert back to his original form.

But if he stayed with his family, he would only drag them into the abyss. Xiao Shengyun thought of the deaths of several victims of pollutants, and his hand, which was supposed to be booking train tickets, hung in the air.

Forget it, I'm not going back.

He watched the elevator go up and felt inexplicably sad, but the sadness quickly dissipated when the elevator doors opened and a familiar face appeared inside.

"What a coincidence, are you going downstairs?" Ye Ting glanced at the suitcase next to Xiao Shengyun's feet.

"I wanted to go downstairs to throw out the trash. What brings you here, Captain Ye?" He invited Ye Ting into the house, his already bad mood worsening. He secretly rubbed a couple of handfuls of dough balls hidden in his sleeves to avoid giving himself away.

The house was empty. Xiao Shengyun poured two glasses of cold water and placed them on the table. There wasn't even a tea leaf, let alone any tea dregs.

"You've been involved in several recent pollution incidents, especially in helping to arrest members of a cult. As a reward, a bonus has been allocated and deposited directly into your account. I'm letting you know in advance."

"No need to thank me, it's all my pleasure." Xiao Shengyun breathed a sigh of relief, his face full of smiles. He had thought Ye Ting had some trouble to cause him again, but thinking of the bonus he was about to receive, the corners of his mouth turned up even higher.

"However, we have another task for you. Our investigation has revealed that the contamination on Tao Zhe's body originated from the factory where you work. Given your special physical condition, the department wants you to go undercover and investigate that factory." A sweet treat first, then the harsh realities follow.

Xiao Shengyun's smile froze on his face. His throat bobbed slightly as he said with difficulty, "I'm just an ordinary person. This kind of mission shouldn't be entrusted to people like you..."

"We've decided to make an exception for you. Currently, the factories in S City are basically in a semi-closed state, making it difficult for us to place people inside, which makes the investigation very difficult. After much discussion, we believe you are the most suitable candidate."

There's no need to break this precedent.

"Mr. Xiao, thank you very much for your contributions to the Special Operations Division."

Ye Ting straightened his back and gave a military salute.

Why do I feel like I'm being forced into this situation...?

After seeing the person off, Xiao Shengyun felt his neck was not feeling well, as he had been inexplicably given a lot of compliments.

"Squeak—" Tuanzi poked its head out from the sleeve.

"Stop eating, get back to work."

Boss Yang also wanted to run away. At a time like this, even the most ruthless capitalist wouldn't start work. Which is more important, money or life?

However, the official announcement from S City stated that all enterprises producing essential goods must continue operating normally and must not stop work; violators will be severely punished for disrupting public order.

Boss Yang was furious. He used to be the one exploiting others, but this was the first time he had been bullied and was being treated like a weakling, not daring to utter a single word of cheating.

As for resistance?

Several people who dared to stand out in the business district have already been called in for questioning by the police.

"Boss, should we really issue a notice to have the employees come back?"

The assistant stood by for a long time without saying a word, only asking cautiously after Yang Zhi plopped down in the chair.

"Otherwise what? Didn't you see the ring of guns outside the city? We're like ants on a hot pan right now. Someone even put the lid on the pot. We'll just have to make do."

"There's one more thing. The front desk just called and said that Mr. Zhang has sent someone to wait in the lobby on the first floor."

No matter what kind of demons and monsters exist in the world, or what if a small asteroid collided with Earth tomorrow, life will still go on until then.

Mr. Yang looked unhappy, especially when he thought of his friend Li Shulin, which made him even more distressed.

Li Shulin's Xinyuan Company is not on the official list, and he has a wide network of connections and many ways to get ahead of him. He may have already fled to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean by now.

The two met at a business event. Their companies were not very big at first, and they were just happy, lazy bums who drank tea every day. But these past few days, Li Shulin has somehow caught a wind, and his company has expanded rapidly, even connecting with the city's leading enterprise.

It is painful to fail, but it is even more infuriating to see others succeed. We agreed to be lazy together, so why did you betray the organization first?

But after Li Shulin became wealthy, he didn't forget his fishing buddy. He introduced Shengming Group to Boss Yang. Shengming Group was very generous and helped him solve his urgent problem of a broken capital chain two years ago. But what was the subject of the transaction...

"They didn't explain clearly, but it seems they want to discuss a business deal with you," the assistant stammered.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?"

The assistant secretly admired his boss's Sichuan opera-like face-changing skills and hurriedly jogged to catch up. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that his boss's expression revealed a hint of panic.

...

"There's a business banquet tonight, so please get ready."

Xiao Shengyun felt a headache when he received the text message from his boss. There were very few employees in companies with such a high degree of mechanization, and basically everyone had multiple jobs.

Unfortunately, Xiao Shengyun stood out among his colleagues because of his superior looks. In situations like this, he only needed to wear decent clothes and stand next to the boss to drink.

Male bosses generally prefer fresh-faced young men who are just starting out in the workforce, and are not interested in seasoned veterans like him. On the contrary, female bosses tend to prefer this type.

Fortunately, Boss Yang has a conscience. Although it wasn't a large sum, he wouldn't do something like sending his employees to someone's bed.

boom-

The engine started, and the black car made a beautiful arc, traversing the smooth traffic and heading towards a brightly lit building in the distance.

The car was filled with the smell of cigarettes. Xiao Shengyun opened the door a crack and secretly glanced at his boss, who was half-closing his eyes.

Mr. Yang is a drunkard. In the past, whenever he went to discuss business, he would always be very enthusiastic about selecting wines from the wine cabinet and would drink until he was completely drunk before going home. Now that he is getting older, he can't help but ask others to drink a few glasses for him.

But whether he couldn't drink or the deal fell through, it shouldn't make him look ashen-faced, Xiao Shengyun thought to himself.

Today's drinking party seems unusual.

Lost in thought, he was startled when the driver slammed on the brakes, stopping precisely in the parking space. Xiao Shengyun nearly had a close encounter with the windshield in front of him.

arrive.

He skillfully got up, ran to the trunk to get the things, and then respectfully opened the car door for his boss.

Mr. Yang lifted one leg out, but didn't get it out for a long time.

"Help me up, my legs are numb from sitting."

It didn't seem like leg numbness, because Mr. Yang's expression was more like attending his mother's funeral than attending a banquet.

The two men helped the boss upstairs. Two people, both dressed in black suits, sat in the private room. The one who sat in the host's seat was a young man who seemed somewhat familiar. Xiao Shengyun thought for a while before remembering that this person seemed to be one of the people who came to the factory last time.

Upon seeing the man arrive, the young man looked up and said indifferently, "It seems today is an unlucky day. I'm sorry to have troubled you, Mr. Yang, with the long traffic. You'll have to punish yourself with three drinks later."

His voice carried a hint of laughter, but his eyes held a deeper meaning. The light reflected from the crystal chandelier illuminated his dark pupils, making them appear somewhat eerie.

"That's right, that's right." Boss Yang's legs were even more numb. If it weren't for the two people supporting him, he probably would have collapsed on the spot.

This doesn't look like a business negotiation.

Apart from Xiao Shengyun, Boss Yang only brought one manager. With only five people at the large round table, it inevitably felt a bit deserted.

"This is our company's engineer. Don't let his young appearance fool you, he can hold his liquor quite well. I brought some good wine, so let's all drink until we drop!"

Boss Yang snapped out of his daze and greeted them warmly as usual.

Xiao Shengyun noticed that the pair of black eyes had been fixed on him for a long time, as if they had seen something that interested them.

It seems this was indeed a trap.