Chapter 55

Shen Yao has disappeared.

Xiao Shengyun rested for two hours in the middle of the night, and when he opened his eyes, he was the only one left in the room.

He underestimated Shen Yao's strength.

The surveillance footage shows that Shen Yao's body vanished into thin air without leaving any trace.

The laws of nature discovered by humankind are useless in the face of pollutants; their power can completely trample on these laws.

Everyone was on high alert. If a pollutant escaped into the crowd, the consequences could be unimaginable. But Shen Yao left no trace, and the surveillance was useless.

The blockade set up by the operations department was practically paper to her.

Xiao Shengyun pondered the previous clues. If Zhen Zhihui had taken Shen Yao away, why would he have left her in the abandoned laboratory building without any protection? It seemed more like a pre-prepared trap. If it was a trap, was knowing the location of the laboratory also something the other party did intentionally?

Why did the True Knowledge Society attack the Operations Department again after finding Shen Yao? And why did they bring Shen Yao to the corpses of the Shen couple on their second visit?

Then the identity of Shen Yao's pollutants was revealed...

Thinking of this, Xiao Shengyun suddenly woke up with a start; the deaths of the Shen couple were the catalyst!

They initially took Shen Yao away because of her contaminant status, but Shen Yao maintained a human form, making further action impossible. To force Shen Yao to reveal her contaminant state, they chose her parents as an external factor to stimulate her, and sent Shen Yao back to let her see her parents' corpses.

This step was successful; Shen Yao was genuinely affected by their deaths.

If that's the case, then the most likely place Shen Yao would go is her home.

At this moment, she is not a pollutant, but just a child who has left her parents and home, and she will return home after she escapes.

“Captain, she has most likely returned to the Shen family,” Xiao Shengyun said.

Ye Ting pulled up the surveillance cameras placed at the entrance and inside the Shen family's house, and sure enough, he saw the girl's figure.

Unable to get into her house, she squatted on the stairs by the door, curled up into a small ball, looking like an abandoned kitten.

Xiao Shengyun and Yang Xiao rushed over, but the girl was already asleep.

Yang Xiao draped the clothes over Shen Yao, woke her up, and then entered the Shen family home.

The wind chimes by the door tinkled as I entered, the curtains by the window swayed slightly, and there were piles of dolls on the sofa with slightly messy covers underneath. Nail clippers, a mirror, and face cream were placed together on the coffee table—everything was the same as before.

But no one was waiting for her anymore.

A blank expression appeared on Shen Yao's face. Then, she subconsciously changed into slippers at the door and ran into her parents' bedroom.

"dad!"

"Mother!"

The crisp sound echoed in the room.

Immediately, the room fell silent.

Growing up in this way always involves enduring some heart-wrenching pain.

Xiao Shengyun and Yang Xiao stood at the door, unsure how to comfort Shen Yao. Looking at that figure, Yang Xiao felt a sense of disconnect. She had used her talent to witness countless crime scenes, where pollutants killed humans in extremely cruel ways—monsters devoid of feeling.

The figure inside the room, however, resembled a real human being. Can pollutants transform into humans?

"Go sit down for a while." Yang Xiao rubbed his forehead and walked to the window to sit down.

A gentle breeze caused the curtains to flutter and dance, occasionally letting in a ray of sunlight.

Huang Yu sat down on the other side of the sofa. There were a lot of odds and ends on the coffee table in front of him. He picked up the mirror at random.

Crack—

Caught off guard, the sofa beneath him suddenly collapsed. Luckily, there were sofa cushions covering him, otherwise he would have fallen straight into the pit.

What's going on?

"This sofa doesn't seem to be of very good quality," Yang Xiao joked to ease the awkwardness.

But when Xiao Shengyun lifted the cushion, neither of them could laugh anymore.

The sofa was riddled with knife marks, and its wooden frame was in disarray. One piece of wood had a deep crack in the center, which was the reason for its sudden collapse.

"Do you remember that the neighbor across the street said they heard the two arguing and fighting? Could this be the result of their fight?" Xiao Shengyun recalled.

"No, this is not domestic violence!"

“At least ordinary people don’t use bullets in fights.” Yang Xiao pointed to a bullet hole in a corner.

It's obvious that Shen Xiuping and He Yun are not ordinary people either.

At least ordinary people wouldn't fight with guns and knives at home.

Yang Xiao placed his hand on the sofa.

Backtracking.

Based on the approximate time of the neighborhood meeting, past scenes quickly emerge.

The story begins with Shen Xiuping walking into his home in a suit. He straightens the suit and places it in the cabinet by the door, then sits on the sofa and turns on the TV.

About half an hour later, He Yun walked in.

Where is Shen Yao?

The room was quiet. Xiao Shengyun saw the window next to the sofa. This window faced west, and in the afternoon it would have an orange-red light.

But outside, the sky is blue and the clouds are white. It's probably morning, and Shen Yao has gone to school.

Shen Xiuping should be at work, not at home, right now.

When He Yun returned home, she was wearing a long brown trench coat and burgundy glasses. Seeing her, one could understand why the neighbors said she had a special temperament, was very intellectual and elegant, and showed no signs of being a full-time housewife.

"The records and data have been submitted—"

He Yun took out a gun and pressed it against Shen Xiuping's temple.

"Honey, what do you mean by this?"

Shen Xiuping slightly raised his head and looked at his wife.

This title is a bit too sweet. Shen Xiuping is in his thirties, a typical middle-aged man, hardworking, honest but boring. This is the evaluation given by others in the information.

At this age, it's inevitable to have some fine lines on your face, but you could say he's handsome, and with his glasses, he could be described as well-dressed.

"You want to take Yao Yao back with you?" He Yun's eyes were cold.

"According to the original plan, we have already gathered enough information, and there is no need for us to stay here any longer. Or is it that you have developed feelings for Shen Yao?"

In Shen Xiuping's words, Shen Yao didn't sound like a daughter, but rather like a stranger.

He Yun didn't speak to him, but fired directly.

The bullet pierced through Shen Xiuping's body.

No, it should be called an afterimage.

He is an awakened one. If Chen Buyan were here, he would recognize that this figure's gait is similar to that of the shadowy figure from that night.

Then bullets flew out one after another, the gun equipped with a silencer.

However, Shen Xiuping's movements were faster than the bullets. The moment the bullets flew out, Shen Xiuping's figure had already disappeared from the spot.

Perhaps realizing that the bullets were useless, He Yun quickly put the pistol aside.

A long, red sword appeared in her hand, its blade slender and elongated.

This is a one-sided battle.

He Yun's attacks were dodged time and time again. Several hours later, she finally ran out of energy and was caught off guard. Shen Xiuping suddenly appeared in front of her and kicked the long sword away.

He then pinned He Yun to the floor with his backhand.

"We can talk now."

"He Yun, you've developed feelings for a test subject." Shen Xiuping's tone was very light, yet it carried a thin layer of ice.

“That’s right, I can no longer see Yao Yao as an experimental subject. She’s too much like a human being. Do you understand? Last time I was injured and bedridden, every day when I opened my eyes I would see her sitting by my bedside. She would bring me breakfast and medicine, and then call me Mom. I’ve been her mother for so many years, why can’t I be her real mother?” Tears streamed down He Yun’s face.

“How could a butcher who has killed countless people become a kind mother? You think that way only because of the hormones in your body. Maybe only after your uterus and ovaries are removed can your feverish brain calm down!” Shen Xiuping said coldly.

He chuckled and stroked He Yun's hair like a husband: "After raising her for so many years, this project is finally coming to an end. Don't you want to move on to the next stage?"

He Yun lay on the floor, her expression hidden. Shen Xiuping's shadow fell on her, trapping her like a cage.

The scene abruptly ended, and everyone came to their senses, silently processing the truth.

Shen Xiuping and He Yun are also Awakened, but they may not be truly aware of it. They have always known Shen Yao's identity, and in their eyes, Shen Yao is just an experiment.

How many organizations surround Shen Yao? What were the causes of death for Shen Xiuping and He Yun?

What was initially thought to be a simple case has become increasingly mysterious.

Xiao Shengyun looked around. The house had a large living area, but with the addition of those cameras, it was just an incubator for Shen Yao.

She was kept in a box, and He Yun and Shen Xiuping watched her from the outside.

She opened her arms to her parents, who embraced her through a thick pane of glass.

He entered Shen Yao's room, which had a warm color scheme. Shen Yao was sitting on the bed, just like before.

"It's getting dark, why aren't they going home?"

Shen Yao gazed out the window.

That's your home, the home you think you have.

Xiao Shengyun didn't know how to explain all this to Shen Yao. Shen Xiuping didn't know how to slow down Shen Yao's understanding of the world. She was already a teenager, but her mind was still like a child's.

The only anchors in a child's brain are their parents, and Shen Xiuping despicably borrowed this identity.

“This is not their home, Shen Yao. You should come out of here.” He sighed softly.