Chapter 3

Three minutes after leaving the prevention and control center, Xiao Shengyun returned to this familiar place, the familiar interrogation room.

Xiao Shengyun sat in the chair he had just sat in, while Zhou Zhi sat opposite him, separated by a transparent, glass-like barrier.

"Chief Zhou, I just saw him off, why did you bring him back again?"

The Special Operations Division is under the jurisdiction of the Superpower Bureau. Due to certain historical issues, the Superpower Bureau and the Research Institute have always had constant friction, and this practice of exchanging sarcastic remarks upon meeting has almost become a kind of culture.

Ye Ting sat casually on the sofa and lit a cigarette.

Those familiar with this operations team leader know that he is not addicted to cigarettes, and only lights one when he is particularly anxious.

The perpetrator of this pollution incident has been found, the victims have been found, but the most critical pollutant is still missing. We can only infer from the traces left at the scene that the pollutant has reached level A.

He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, while Zhou Zhi calmly and leisurely wasted time.

“I released him in accordance with all the procedures. Look, this is the kid’s test report. All the indicators are normal.”

"Shut up." A tiny ripple spread through the air, and the next second, Ye Ting extinguished his cigarette.

"Tsk, your temper is still as bad as ever. Be careful no one will want to work at your research institute in the future." Rank matters, especially since Zhou Zhi's rank is several levels higher than his. However, their teachers had a good relationship, so Ye Ting could say they were related by blood, and he didn't bother to hide it.

Zhou Zhi flipped through the list. So far, this person seemed normal, but for some reason, his mind tensed up the moment he saw Xiao Shengyun.

His inherent talent is mind control. In Zhou Zhi's mind, there are countless threads on any person or pollutant, and he can control the other person's mind and body by controlling these threads.

Even though I've faced numerous Class A and even Class S pollutants before, I've never felt anything like this before.

A fear born from the soul rose from within the body, as if being watched by some terrifying being. The last time I felt this way was when I first faced an S-class contaminant.

The person in front of me looked dejected, with his hair standing on end, propping his head up as if he were dozing off, looking like the most harmless foxtail grass by the roadside.

But he didn't know that this harmless foxtail grass was trying its best to suppress its appetite.

The pale light of the interrogation room shone on Zhou Zhi's face, making it appear as if coated with a layer of jade-like luster. His skin was very delicate and looked quite appetizing.

Xiao Shengyun thought to himself, "My teeth are a little itchy."

His teeth were a little uneven, with a protruding canine tooth next to his front teeth, which added a touch of cuteness to his handsome appearance when he smiled.

Now, he was eager to plunge his teeth into the neck of the person in front of him.

Hold it in. Xiao Shengyun bit his tongue hard, using the pain to drive away the jumbled thoughts in his mind.

"Sir, is there a problem with this report?" he asked somewhat nervously.

"No, there's no problem, it's even perfect."

The report stated that all of Xiao Shengyun's physiological indicators were within the normal range, and even the pollution value was zero, so there was no possibility of any abnormality.

His fingertip stopped at the "0" position.

Since the emergence of pollution, various mutations have occurred in humans, which is nothing to be alarmed about. What concerns him is something else entirely—

"Would you like to be my research assistant? The salary is generous, with five social insurances and one housing fund, weekends off, and a strict eight-hour workday."

For Zhou Zhi, a man of few words, this sentence was already quite long. It was his first time personally recruiting, and he racked his brains to list out the benefits one by one.

He couldn't afford to delay, because if he waited a few more days, the research institute's staff would be almost all gone.

The First Life Research Institute has two main tasks: first, to analyze the physical structure and characteristics of pollutants to identify their weaknesses and provide theoretical guidance for operations; and second, to develop antagonists that can inhibit the rise of pollutant levels in the human body, with the current antagonists now in their third generation.

Due to the demands of their work, researchers must be in daily contact with pollutants. However, even with daily medication, their bodies cannot withstand the corrosive effects of the pollution. Researchers typically persist for two to three months, or even six months, before resigning due to health issues. Therefore, despite ample funding, the research institute currently only has a few dozen employees. If they don't recruit more soon, Director Zhou will be left with no staff.

"ah?"

Xiao Shengyun blinked, not expecting to encounter Boss Zhipin here in addition to interrogation.

"No, Lao Zhou, I asked you to come and take a look at that machine, not to fight me for people."

Ye Ting jumped up from the sofa.

Current research has found that the pollutants are caused by a substance called source matter, which is also the source of power for the vast majority of pollutants.

The ability to resist contamination may seem useless, but it means that most of the pollutants' attack methods are ineffective against him.

He originally intended to observe for a period of time and confirm that everything was correct before inviting Xiao Shengyun to join the team.

Unexpectedly, before the duck was even cooked, a guest arrived at the house, and this person even wanted to take the whole pot away with it.

"Kid, interested in joining the operations team? The pay is double, even triple what he offers."

Ye Ting also hurriedly extended an olive branch, saying that such a talented person must be kept, as having one more person would mean one less hour of overtime.

"But I have a job. And these jobs are terrible."

Xiao Shengyun only wanted to be an ordinary person. From the time he could remember, he had existed in this world as a human being, attending school and working normally.

He had never seen anyone like him before; last night was the first time.

His current life is like a greenhouse, and he is unwilling to go out.

The young man kept fidgeting with his fingers and spoke slowly and deliberately, seemingly showing no interest whatsoever.

This is understandable; not everyone is willing to risk their life for money.

"Really not interested?" Ye Ting asked again, unwilling to give up.

"No"

“Alright.” Zhou Zhi didn’t insist, and took out a business card from his pocket. “If you change your mind, you can call anytime.”

...

"Are you sure the instrument is working correctly?" Ye Ting asked, as this situation was too rare to be true, so he wanted to confirm it.

If even the expert in front of me admits it, then it might really just be a coincidence.

"The instrument is definitely working properly. Perhaps it's just that his immune system is strong. Everyone's constitution is different. Ten years ago, there were people who faced S-level pollutants without any harm. The chances are small, but not zero. If you're worried, you can test yourself."

"Maybe so. At least the background check results for him show no problems." Ye Ting recalled the investigation results. Xiao Shengyun was born in X City. Both his parents were highly educated. His father had worked at a local research institute but suddenly disappeared ten years ago. His mother was a university professor. He himself did not receive higher education. After completing his basic studies, he left his hometown and came to S City, where he worked as an engineer in a company, responsible for simple machine repairs.

Apart from his father's disappearance, it was an extremely ordinary resume.

Xiao Shengyun returned home, took off his blood-stained clothes, and turned on the shower in the bathtub.

Underwater, objects appear distorted due to the refraction of light.

But if someone were nearby, they would definitely scream at the sight of what's beneath the surface of the bathtub.

What appeared underwater were not human legs, but a long tail covered in hard, grayish-white scales with patterns of red and gold.

The pattern resembled some kind of eerie symbol, its spiritual pollution even stronger than that of Class S pollutants.

When did things become different?

It seems that when he was six years old, he showed the scales on his arm to a friend while playing with him, and the friend fainted as soon as he saw them.

Xiao Shengyun was subsequently beaten severely by his mother. Fortunately, his friend was unharmed, but afterwards, the child always avoided him from a distance.

"You are different from humans," the mother always emphasized, her eyes filled with the same fear as the child's, but also a hint of worry.

As he grew older, he finally learned to pretend to be a normal person.

Unfortunately, he always encountered unexpected events. Every time he used his power, the pollution level would spike in a short period of time, but thankfully it was brought under control in time today.

For Xiao Shengyun, the source matter is like food for humans. The source matter he obtained from yesterday's contact with pollutants has been completely digested and therefore cannot be detected.

He came out of the bathroom and picked up his dirty clothes.

A white piece of paper fell out of the pocket.

It was the business card Zhou Zhi had given me. It wasn't decorated much; it only had my name and a phone number.

The next second, the piece of paper went into the trash can.

Rosary Church

The leader was wearing a red robe, and at first glance, he looked like he was cosplaying a cardinal from the old church. I heard that the robe was dyed with blood, but I don't know if that's true or not.

The cult leader was of medium build, not very tall, and from behind he looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, the kind of person who wouldn't get a second glance on the street.

But here, he stands at the highest point, wielding supreme power and attracting everyone's attention.

"Master, according to information obtained by my subordinates, Yue Yang and his companion have been arrested by the Special Operations Department."

"What about the divine child? How is the divine child?"

The cult leader was very excited, but it was not visible on his face.

It wasn't because he looked calm, but because he had lost all face.

The original facial features have been completely distorted, becoming a tangled vine. The hands are bowed, usually out of fear, and partly because even a glance would add layers of psychological trauma.

“When our people arrived at the scene, they could no longer detect the energy fluctuations of the Divine Child. Moreover, the area is currently under the control of the Operations Department, and if we were to approach rashly, they might notice us.”

"The images transmitted by Yue Yang show that besides him and Lin Zhou, there were two other people at the scene. The disappearance of the Divine Child may be related to these two people. One of them was sent to the local pollution control center due to mental pollution, while the other did not seem to have any signs of being polluted."

"No?"

"Yes, he left the prevention and control center today."

Everyone present was horrified. After the Divine Child left the Mother's body, it was basically a Class B contaminant. How could anyone see this level of contaminant without any abnormality?

"Bring him here." A dark glint flashed across the cult leader's face. "I want to see what he is."