Chapter 62

"The boss didn't leave home voluntarily; his parents kicked him out." After being beaten, Yuan Xiaoxiao became much more honest and stopped lying. She would speak up on her own without Yun Xin asking, emphasizing sincerity.

"Although he lived separately from his parents while staying at home, more than a dozen of his bodyguards suffered heavy casualties. Even the cook who helped with cooking at home, the cleaning lady, and the driver who delivered supplies every now and then were all more or less affected."

"Having faced death for so long, the boss has developed some mental issues and is quite unstable. His parents decided to let him get away for a while. The town is remote and far from people, making it a good place to relax."

"Don't think that Xiao Wei let it slip, which is why the boss contacted you. The boss already knew he was living with someone before Xiao Wei mentioned his partner. Even if Xiao Wei hadn't said anything, the boss would have still come to you."

"In the end, it's all the boss's fault. Ever since he narrowly escaped death several times, his personality has changed drastically, and he's started to do things by any means necessary. Xiao Wei has been away for a long time and doesn't know the inside story, so he still thinks the boss is the same as before."

Yuan Xiaoxiao not only exonerated herself and shifted all the blame to the boss, but also helped Xiao Wei explain herself.

Yun Xin glanced at him and said, "The boss is so bad, why are you still following him?"

Yuan Xiaoxiao said, "I'm in debt, I can't leave. If he goes bankrupt, I'll go bankrupt too, so..."

At this point, Yun Xin basically understood what was going on. She said casually, "Behave yourself. If you deliberately try to run away and I catch you again, I don't know what I'll do."

"I understand!" Yuan Xiaoxiao nodded frantically. "Xiao Wei has an ability: as long as he knows a person's name, appearance, and identity information, he can use his ability to locate that person. He has three chances a day! I know all of this, and I definitely won't do anything rash like running away!"

It can pinpoint location in real time, and refresh the same person's location up to three times a day. What does this mean? It means there's no way they can escape!

Yuan Xiaoxiao wouldn't be so foolish as to invite trouble upon herself.

Yun Xin looked slightly surprised.

Xiao Wei has the ability to locate? This is the first time I've heard of that.

"Tell me, what else do you know about Xiao Wei?"

"He has the ability to 'warn' others, and can sense the safety status of specific individuals, limiting the number of people to three." Yuan Xiaoxiao spoke frankly and without reservation.

"He has a terrible temper and is very vindictive. But he won't bully others unless provoked."

Yun Xin remained calm.

Seeing this, Yuan Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth and betrayed Xiao Wei as well, "I heard a rumor. Xiao Wei once said that he would be whatever his sweetheart liked."

Yun Xin remained calm on the surface, but inwardly she was puzzled. What kind of darling was Yuan Xiaoxiao? How did she know everything?

“I’m telling the truth!” Yuan Xiaoxiao said hurriedly. “Later, someone teased Xiao Wei, asking him what kind of person his sweetheart liked. Xiao Wei said he liked obedient ones… For a while, everyone thought Xiao Wei liked men.”

Yun Xin, "..."

She's a billionaire, she has some hobbies, so what? So what?!

You have to be good.

She's superficial, she admits.

I'll dare to do it again next time.

"Stay in your room."

Chatting with Yuan Xiaoxiao was too exciting, and Yun Xin worried that she would become too engrossed and waste her time. So she got up and decided to take care of her business first.

Xiao Wei's object of affection = Xiao Wei's sweetheart.

In other words, this woman in front of me likes obedient men.

"I'll be super good! I'll definitely stay inside and not go anywhere!" Yuan Xiaoxiao loudly declared her loyalty.

In a daze, Yun Xin almost thought she had picked up a stray dog ​​to compete for her affections.

Yunxin had encountered a situation where an entire region's residents were shrouded in black mist before. It happened when her grandmother passed away and she went out for a walk to clear her mind. Due to water quality issues, all the residents living nearby contracted Minamata disease.

Heavy metal poisoning is a long-term process.

When she discovered it, the residents were already severely poisoned and could only see black fog, which led her to initially misjudge the cause of the accident.

Practice makes perfect.

Based on past experience, Yunxin started by checking the water quality.

The first step is to ask the guesthouse owner about the situation.

Is the water quality in this town not very good?

The homeowner was clearly taken aback when Yunxin asked this question.

She initially wanted to cover it up, but then she thought that the whole town was about to be acquired and turned into a resort, so it didn't really matter to tell the truth.

"I won't lie to you," the homeowner sighed, "the river near the town is fed by a chemical plant that keeps dumping wastewater into it."

“Sometimes when residents turn on the tap, the tap water has a distinct odor! At first, everyone was terrified and dared not use that water. But since nothing bad happened, they got used to it after using it for a while…”

Yunxin then asked, "Doesn't the government care?"

"How could that be! So many residents complained, and they sent investigation teams to the factory and water treatment plant several times, but they couldn't find any problems no matter how hard they tried." The homeowner was speechless. "After the investigation results came out, some residents protested, saying that the results must be fake. So the government replaced the entire team and sent someone else."

"No matter how we investigate, the results show that the wastewater discharge meets the standards and the factory is fine."

"Later, the matter was dropped."

"Everyone says that the factory must have been secretly discharging substandard wastewater. Many people tried to find fault with the factory, but they couldn't find anything, so they had to give up in the end."

"The town will be converted into a resort, and the factories upstream will be acquired. That's good, everyone can be freed from this situation."

"Because of this, many residents refuse to use the water from the water purification plant. Some people go to dig wells, and some go to draw groundwater. It is said that no matter what they do, the water still has an odor."

Yunxin asked, "Could you tell me where the factory is?"

“Sure,” the landlord readily agreed, “I’ll give you the address.”

The factory is quite far from the town, and it's inconvenient to walk there.

Yun Xin simply released Yuan Xiaoxiao and asked her to get him a car.

Yuan Xiaoxiao not only brought the car, but also volunteered to be Yun Xin's driver.

"Why?" Yun Xin wondered to herself, could she have developed Stockholm syndrome?

Yuan Xiaoxiao forced a smile, "I don't have any bad intentions. I just don't want to be hunted down for miles after everything is resolved..."

It seems he is scared.

Yun Xin hadn't considered the idea of ​​a long-distance pursuit. In fact, she hadn't yet figured out how to deal with Yuan Xiaoxiao and her nominal boss.

"Okay, you drive."

If things don't go well, both new and old scores will be settled together.

Yuan Xiaoxiao was overjoyed to be given a chance to atone for her sins! She worked diligently and conscientiously, determined to make Yun Xin feel her sincerity!

After driving for only half an hour, Yunxin suddenly said, "No need to go anymore, let's go back."

"Huh?" Yuan Xiaoxiao was stunned.

She observed Yun Xin's expression and asked cautiously, "Did I do something wrong?"

Yun Xin shook her head, "It has nothing to do with you, I just don't want to go."

The closer I got to the factory, the further I got from the town, the less awkward I felt.

It is clear that the source is not in the factory.

So there's no need to drive any further.

"I'll turn around right away." Hearing that it had nothing to do with her, Yuan Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief and obediently drove back.

Back in the small town, Yunxin changed her strategy. She began going door-to-door, asking if anyone had encountered anything strange in their lives.

"Does my child's rare illness count? My child was perfectly fine before, but suddenly developed a rash and also developed epilepsy. However, there has never been a history of this disease in our family, and my child hasn't done anything unusual."

“My child has headaches every day and occasionally muscle spasms.”

“I have had eight miscarriages and could not keep my babies, so it has been very difficult for me to get pregnant again. I had a child before, who died at the age of 7 from a rare kidney disease.”

As more and more residents began to reveal their misfortunes, people started to realize that something was wrong.

The emergence of these cases is not a coincidence; the town may have serious environmental problems that have led to the various diseases suffered by long-term residents.

One resident admitted, "The kitchen sink in my home often emits a chemical smell."

"There's also a strange smell coming from the backyard!"

"It's difficult to keep plants alive at home, and pets are dying mysteriously."

"The children in my family often get skin diseases."

Some residents panicked.

They may not be aware of the dangers around them while living there long-term. But once the truth is revealed, they become afraid and desperately want to do something.

Another group of residents said, "Anyway, the whole town is about to be acquired by the An Group, and everyone will move away in a while. Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter."

The remaining residents were persuaded.

The matter seems to have come to an end here.

It rained in the town that night.

Yunxin stayed indoors, looking out the window at the drizzle, feeling uneasy; her own crisis warning level was "D".

After using her superpowers many times, she gradually realized that her own crisis warning rating was a judgment based on her own strength.

If she is a "D" level danger, then other people who come into contact with her might be a "C" level danger, or even a "B" level danger.

“The whole town will be demolished and rebuilt soon. It doesn’t matter if they can’t find out,” Yuan Xiaoxiao tried to persuade her.

Yun Xin remained silent. She knew in her heart that if the matter wasn't thoroughly investigated, the resulting resort would most likely be uninhabitable.

Looking at the drizzling rain, she suddenly had an idea.

After the rain.

Instead of the fresh scent of grass and trees, the air was filled with an indescribable pungent odor.

Yunxin secretly collected samples of tap water, groundwater, well water, rainwater, and river water, and then secretly sent them to the laboratory for analysis.

As it turned out, toxic chemical residues were indeed found inside!

Because the rain gave her a bad feeling, she even hired someone to investigate the rainwater pipe system.

Unexpectedly, investigators discovered a large amount of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the rainwater pipe system!

This stuff is a recognized pollutant that is very harmful to the skin and liver. It not only affects brain development but can also cause cancer.

Upon hearing the investigation results, the homeowner was shocked, with only one question in his mind: "Where did the chemical substances come from?!"

Yunxin couldn't answer.

Sample collection, investigation, analysis and judgment require a lot of time, and the real reason is still unknown.

Four days passed in a flash. In the blink of an eye, the day Xiao Wei was about to leave arrived.

"Don't drag unrelated people into this again." Xiao Wei's words contained a veiled warning.

To everyone's surprise, Anze reneged on his promise, saying, "I don't agree, you can't leave."

In an instant, Xiao Wei felt a surge of murderous intent.

He was tired of the endless arguments, and sometimes he even wondered if the world was abnormal, or if he was abnormal? Why did he always run into trash?

Ever since he learned from Liu Yi that Yun Xin had been hired by An Ze as his assistant, he had tried several times to break An Ze's neck.

The reason he didn't take action was because he was still rational and was holding back.

Now, my patience is almost at its limit.

But Anze, oblivious to the situation, added fuel to the fire, saying, "Don't forget, your sweetheart is in my hands. Yuan Xiaoxiao is with her; if she's not taken care of properly, I'd really feel bad."

He chuckled softly as he spoke.

They didn't seem to feel sorry at all; on the contrary, they found it quite amusing.

The string of reason suddenly snapped.

Xiao Wei said nothing, but secretly crossed An Ze's name out of the list of designated targets for the warning—from then on, even if An Ze encountered danger, he would not be able to sense it.

Anze can go back on his word, and of course he can also use the title of bodyguard to slack off the whole time.

He'll be free once his boss "dies unexpectedly."

"I'm going to the restroom."

Before Anze could respond, Xiao Wei left first.

Anze watched Xiao Wei's retreating figure, feeling resentful. "He hasn't done much, but his temper is getting worse and worse."

Liu Yi was indignant. "Xiao Wei thinks he's so capable that he doesn't know his place and even dares to give you attitude. If you ask me, we should fire him as soon as his month is up!"

To everyone's surprise, An Ze's face turned pale and then red, and after a long pause, he finally managed to say, "The world has changed. Keeping Xiao Wei is of great use, so I can't resign."

Liu Yi, "..."

He shut his mouth in frustration, feeling utterly disheartened.

A boss who has to put up with his employees' moods and doesn't dare to fire them is utterly useless.

Anze felt inexplicably stifled, as if a raging fire was burning in his chest. He picked up a mineral water bottle and gulped down a large mouthful without even looking at it.

As soon as the liquid entered his stomach, Anze immediately felt unwell. A look of pain appeared on his face, and he curled up into a ball.

"Boss, what's wrong?" Liu Yi shouted in a panic, "Someone come quick!!"

The hotel owner rushed over and was shocked. "Why did you drink the groundwater sample I had?"

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Anze's forehead.

He forced himself to look at the table, where he saw two bottles of mineral water, both opened and colorless.

The liquid in this bottle is slightly viscous, and upon closer inspection, it has a faint, pungent odor.

I don't know what he was thinking, but he didn't notice anything was wrong and took a big gulp.

"Never mind that! Get him to the hospital first!" Liu Yi shouted.

So the hotel owner quickly called an ambulance.

After a commotion, the person was finally carried away.

The hotel owner was uneasy, muttering to himself, "You took things without permission, so don't blame me."

Xiao Wei then appeared.

After learning what had happened, he suddenly remembered the superpowered person's prediction: "A sign of impending death; either death or injury."

Xiao Wei sighed, "As expected of someone with abilities, he has a really good eye for people."

“I have a friend who says she’s reached a certain age and wants to find a partner to start a family. Her ideal partner is around the same age, preferably doesn’t smoke or drink, shares housework, raises children together, and doesn’t need a high salary, just average. But even with these requirements, it’s very difficult to find a partner.”

“I told her that it’s not difficult, just lower the bar.”

“She was very happy and asked me what the threshold was. I said the gender threshold. With such requirements, it’s especially easy to find a female partner.”

"She laughed like crazy after hearing that, hahaha."

Yuan Xiaoxiao racked her brains and tried her best to get along with Yun Xin.

However, after she finished telling the joke, only her laughter echoed in the air.

As she laughed, Yuan Xiaoxiao's laughter faded, replaced by a deep sense of awkwardness.

Just then, news came that someone had mistakenly drunk the sample and was sent to the hospital.

Upon hearing this, Yunxin rushed to the hotel.

When I first came to the hotel with the owner, I didn't have any particular feelings.

This time, she almost felt guided by fate, heading straight for the backyard.

The hotel owner followed behind, explaining, "The sample was groundwater pumped up by a water pump. I didn't poison it! You have to help me explain this clearly."

"Don't worry, if you didn't do it, you didn't do it. No one can frame you," the guesthouse owner reassured him.

“I finally know where the chemicals come from,” Yun Xin said.

The guesthouse owner jumped in surprise and hurriedly asked, "Where are you from?"

Yunxin pointed to the water pump, "Underground."

"Huh?" The hotel owner was completely dumbfounded.

Yunxin discussed with him, "Can I dig up this piece of land?"

"This...this..." The hotel owner was at a loss for words.

"Don't worry, you'll be compensated. And I guarantee the investigation won't affect your relocation. No matter the final outcome, you can move out," Yun Xin promised.

She was even willing to send money to the hotel owner as a deposit.

The hotel owner felt much relieved after receiving the money. "Alright, go ahead and dig."

The townspeople were also curious about what was going on.

Yunxin called in a construction team to start digging in the hotel's backyard. To speed things up, the team even brought in an excavator.

Soon after, the construction team unearthed several metal barrels in the hotel's backyard. Upon opening them, a pungent, irritating odor filled the air.

After sampling and testing, it was found that the contents were all chemical waste.

Besides those that were pulled up, there are countless metal barrels buried underground.

At that moment, everyone present fell silent.

Meanwhile, Anze, who was sent to the hospital, was in very bad condition.

Not only did he experience dizziness, abdominal distension and pain, but he also felt weak in his limbs and developed a severe skin condition.

After initial examination, the doctor said the patient had ingested polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which would affect liver, kidney, and heart function. The extent of the impact will require further testing.

On his hospital bed, Anze, unable to bear the torment any longer, fainted.

Beside him, Liu Yi looked uneasy, with a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

He suddenly remembered that about two weeks ago, his boss had drunk rotten coconut juice. Although he had induced vomiting in time and saved the man, his body had still suffered damage.

It's only been half a month, and now the boss has accidentally drunk polychlorinated biphenyls again. Will he be able to pull through this time?

Recalling the superpowered person's words, Liu Yi became increasingly unconfident. After much deliberation, he left the hospital room and made a phone call to his boss, the general manager of the An Group.

After an unknown amount of time in a deep sleep, Anze slowly woke up.

Liu Yi was nowhere to be seen in the ward, but Yuan Xiaoxiao was.

"What are you doing here?" Anze asked hoarsely, his voice strained. "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Xiao Weixin's sweetheart? Now that you're here, she's gone."

"Boss, you've been unconscious for three days," Yuan Xiaoxiao reported with a blank face.

"Yun Xin discovered a large number of metal barrels in the basement of the hotel's backyard. According to the investigation, decades ago, before the town was built, someone wanted to dig a canal here. The project was only half completed when the economic crisis hit and it was shelved."

"Later, a factory took a liking to this land, packed more than 20,000 tons of chemical waste into metal drums, transported them to a pit, buried them, and covered them with soil. After that, the land ownership changed hands, and someone built houses and hotels on this land, turning it into a small town."

"It is said that over time, chemicals have gradually seeped into residents' basements and backyards. In addition, the migration of toxic substances mainly relies on rainwater and household sewer systems. Even if it is demolished, buried, or covered, new migration may occur, spreading the pollution to a wider area."

"After the incident came to light, the conglomerate terminated the resort project, and everyone else withdrew. Liu Yi got involved with the young master and left with the staff."

Anze was both shocked and furious. He struggled to his feet, shouting, "That Liu Yi, that opportunist! Does he think I'm dead?!"

But no matter how hard he struggled, he was too weak to sit up.

"Save your energy, don't make things difficult for yourself," Yuan Xiaoxiao advised. "The doctor said your liver function is damaged, and it will affect you for the rest of your life. Moreover, accidentally drinking polychlorinated biphenyls greatly increases your chances of developing cancer in the future."

"Why!" Anze was filled with despair and indignation. "I just accidentally drank a sip of a beverage, why should it affect the rest of my life?"

"The town's residents have lived here for over a decade! What about them? Will they get cancer?!"

Yuan Xiaoxiao stared at the ceiling. "In fact, many adult residents suffer from terminal illnesses. More than half of the children born in the town have a chance of having birth defects, including having three ears, double rows of teeth, intellectual disabilities, and so on."

The residents' plight offered no solace to Anze.

He was still unconvinced and wanted to fight against fate.

"Where's Xiao Wei?" Anze suddenly remembered. "What was Xiao Wei doing? Why didn't he stop me from drinking my beverage?!"

For the first time, Yuan Xiaoxiao felt that her employer was really not thinking straight. "You've already threatened him with his sweetheart. Do you think Xiao Wei will still help you? This is not the attitude you should use when asking someone for help."

Anze was speechless.

Just then, Xiao Wei pushed open the door and entered.

Despite Anze's constant nagging when no one was around, once he saw the person in person, he shrank back into bed while bluffing, "What are you doing here!"

“Someone wants to see you.” Xiao Wei stepped aside, revealing Yun Xin behind him.

Yun Xin stared at An Ze on the hospital bed for a while, then suddenly tilted her head and smiled, "Serves him right."

Anze was furious.

"I simply admire Xiao Wei's work ability and want to keep him. Why are you all getting in my way?!"

"Are you openly coveting someone else's property right in front of the owner?" Yun Xin sneered.

Anze was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.

He immediately went to Xiao Wei to complain, "She said you belong to her."

Anze believed that Xiao Wei would be angry. If the two had a disagreement, he could take the opportunity to win Xiao Wei over, and then everything could still be salvaged.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Wei nodded seriously, "Yes, that's me."

Anze, "..."

This completely stumped him.

"Threatening and exploiting, breaking promises. With so many bad things you've done, isn't it normal for people to come looking for revenge? What are you so surprised about?" Yun Xin treated An Ze with none of the respect one would show to a boss.

Anze, unable to express his grievances, questioned Yuan Xiaoxiao, "You're just going to watch?!"

Yuan Xiaoxiao was silent for a moment, then turned to Yun Xin and asked, "Do you need any help?"

Before Yun Xin could reply, An Ze nearly fainted from anger.

What does it mean to be abandoned by everyone and even one's own family?

That's it.

(End of this chapter)