turmoil
Seeing the familiar face again, Shi Youchen was stunned for a moment, and finally came to his senses after Ah Huai reminded him. "Captain, what's wrong with you? Captain?!" Yan Zhiyuan's hand had been raised in the air for a while. He was a little embarrassed, but he still said politely, "Captain An, are you feeling unwell?"
Shi Youchen reacted and shook his hand back: "Nothing, you and an old friend of mine... look a bit like each other, sorry."
Yan Zhiyuan smiled gently: "It seems that I have a deep connection with Team Eucalyptus. Please take care of me in the future."
After accepting the mission, the group went to the underground parking lot. After arriving at the mission vehicle floor, the elevator door opened to one side with a "ding". The moment Shi Youchen stepped out of the door, several teammates around him, including Yan Zhiyuan, disappeared instantly.
He returned to the corridor again, and at the end was still a dark door. This time he did not open the door immediately, but stood in front of the door, holding the handle, hesitating with his head down.
If the next scene is still the same as An She's illusion, how should he face Yan Zhiyuan? Should he pretend or question, be friendly or distant?
"No, that's not right. That's obviously the younger Yan Zhiyuan, and I'm his captain. I'm involved in the case."
...
"I am Shi Youchen, not An She."
...
"Am I involved in the case, or am I just a dusty person?"
"Who should I be?"
Finally, the third dark door opened, revealing Shi Youchen sitting in a laboratory surrounded by several simulation machines. Just then, the door to a separate compartment opened, and a figure in full body armor emerged.
"Captain, there's no difference between the energy bodies and energy forms of these two samples." It was Yan Zhiyuan's voice. He handed Shi Youchen a copy of the analysis results, then took off his heavy protective goggles and said, "How did they manage to simultaneously decline and grow? Is there some undetectable interfering factor?"
Shi Youchen couldn't understand the content above, so he pretended to be serious and said he was not sure after a moment of silence.
Yan Zhiyuan flexed his elbows and said, "The situation in the border area has been very tense recently. Rumors of armed groups have been circulating in Districts 9 and 10. Why don't you just stabilize the situation for a while?"
"Me?" Shi Youchen's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Yan Zhiyuan changed his hand: "Yes, recently after the mission is completed, you always let us come back first, and you always arrive a day later. I guess you must have some plans, but after thinking about it, it is probably related to your strange energy fluctuations." He put his hands on his waist and leaned back, hanging his head in the air, observing Shi Youchen's expression with his inverted vision.
"Anyway, it's been up and down for the past six months, but it's still rising overall. Since it hasn't affected the team, and our experiments haven't yielded any results, why not just suppress it for now and wait until this sensitive period is over?" Yan Zhiyuan's face flushed lightly as the blood flowed back. He stood up straight and breathed more deeply.
Shi Youchen instantly thought of something, and thinking about the examination results after the two previous contacts with Hassan, it was not difficult to guess one thing based on Yan Zhiyuan's words - Ansu had been investigating the cause of the abnormal energy fluctuations in his body, and Yan Zhiyuan was also somewhat involved.
Come to think of it, he always comes back to the association a day late recently, probably because he went to Hassan's place.
"Got it. I'll pay attention to it. Thank you."
The two parted outside the building, and Shi Youchen returned to his residence with a worried look on his face. He was worried about Hassan's safety because, judging by the timing, the situation at the intersection of the districts was tense. He had heard about this during the mission in District 9, and if he remembered correctly, the incident with He Xian's parents must have happened around this time.
However, it turns out that the more you worry about something, the more likely it is to happen.
Before Shi Youchen returned to his residence, he was invited to the Supervisory Department halfway. The people there did not do anything to him. They just asked him to stay in the lounge and wait for the mission call. Apart from that, they never spoke to him again.
This was obviously not a normal situation. He sat on the sofa in the lounge, waiting in agony.
It wasn't until dawn broke that the supervisor came over and motioned him to follow. Shi Youchen observed his surroundings and realized he had never been to this part of the association before. "Conference Room No. 1" was inscribed outside the door. Inside, the layout was staircase-like, with nine tiers and 108 seats, each higher than the last.
Shi Youchen was taken to the first floor and sat down. When he looked up, he saw dozens of pairs of eyes staring at him.
It was a silent interrogation. Shi Youchen was watched for as long as the lights were on. When the lights finally went out, the person in charge finally spoke: "Investigator, your unusual behavior over the past six months has attracted the attention of the supervisory department. Based on the statements of five members of your team and the results of the association's special investigation team."
"You are finally found guilty of colluding with foreign parties. You will be detained in the interrogation dungeon from today and executed at a later date." Like a bomb falling to the ground, it raised a thick cloud of smoke. Shi Youchen wanted to open his mouth to refute, but found that he could not make any sound.
He was restrained from moving by the psychics present, which meant that he could only accept the judgment given by the association.
Before his vision was completely plunged into darkness, Shi Youchen was frantically imagining what Anshe had done, what Anshe might have done, and what exactly Anshe had concealed.
...
It was a pitch-black space, lightless yet empty. Even though he couldn't see anything, Youchen could clearly hear the rustling of fabric, the sound of heels hitting the ground, and the sound of breathing. He wasn't restricted in his movements, but he also had no way to escape because he couldn't feel the energy in his body.
After a long silence, the sound of footsteps above his head echoed in this space and throughout his mind.
"Captain?" Yan Zhiyuan called softly. Shi Youchen raised his head, but still could not see a trace of light. He responded.
"Listen to me, the association's supervisory department questioned Ah Huai and the others, and then sent a special operations team to the mountainous area east of District 8. It seems to be an abandoned experimental base."
"They captured a fugitive from there. He's a Devourer named Hassan." Yan Zhiyuan paused. "Do you...know him?"
"If this is a misunderstanding or you're being exploited, you can appeal before the jury arrives. Your life won't be in danger." His tone became noticeably more impatient. "I'm willing to vouch for you. I believe you."
He'd been mentally prepared, but Shi Youchen's brain still faltered for a moment. When he heard the name "Hassan," his body instinctively reacted. His breathing quickened, and his wrists trembled uncontrollably, foreshadowing a furious rage.
"..." Shi Youchen's silence undoubtedly added fuel to Yan Zhiyuan's anger, which was almost a tacit agreement.
Yan Zhiyuan took a deep breath, and the anger in his tone could not be concealed: "Since you really know him, then you have the right to know."
"He has been executed by the Association."
Yan Zhiyuan did not leave immediately after he finished speaking. He was waiting. He wanted to know whether the captain would react to the fate that a fugitive deserved.
Shi Youchen knew that Anshe knew very well in his heart that Hassan was just an innocent man. He just wanted to live quietly from the beginning to the end. It was his appearance that led to such an ending.
"Yan Zhiyuan..." Shi Youchen started to speak. There was a slight movement above his head. It was obvious that the person had not left. "Do you believe that the existing theory of supernatural powers has many loopholes?" The person above did not answer him, so -
"I want to appeal, please."
Color appeared in his vision again, but Shi Youchen saw that Yan Zhiyuan's expression no longer had any worry. The moment their eyes met, he could clearly sense that there was only disappointment in his expression.
As a result of the appeal, the supervisory department proposed that the suspect be placed under investigation at the health consultation office. If he could emerge alive and pass the test, his trial would have a chance of success. Shi Youchen accepted, but he was unaware that the supervisory team had no intention of letting him go. After all, no one dared to make the final decision, and this was just a means of stalling for time until the judge arrived.
Shi Youchen thought that he would enter the health consultation center again in the illusion, but he found that what was waiting for him after entering was a familiar corridor with a dark door at the end. He once again returned to the real health consultation center.
What does that mean? Was it because the previous illusion had cracked, and so they sent him back?
Because the news of Hassan's execution was a big shock to both the case and Shi Youchen, Shi Youchen was unable to sort out the various details rationally under the shock.
From another perspective, his mental state and that of the person involved have reached a certain degree of unity, which is why he was affected in this way.
But this is very bad news for Shi Youchen who is about to enter the next illusion. Even if he can always stick to himself and recognize that he is not An She, he still cannot offset the influence of An She's consciousness on him.
After standing in front of the door for a long time and preparing himself mentally, Shi Youchen pushed open the fourth dark door.
However, this time, An She appeared in front of him.
"...What's wrong? Did you hear what I said? Remember it?" Anshe's brown hair was cut much shorter, revealing large areas of blue scalp on both sides. His face was very close, so Shi Youchen could clearly see the cracks on his skin and the deep red on his cheeks, exactly the same as Hassan.
"I...didn't hear clearly." After Shi Youchen finished speaking, he saw An She frowning and taking two steps back. He sighed helplessly and said, "Then I'll tell you again, you listen carefully, after a cow gives birth..." Shi Youchen didn't pay attention to what An She said afterwards.
Because he was staring at the other person's clothes and the environment behind him.
That's how nomads dress and live. And in District 8, there's only one place that fits these characteristics and is related to the case: Hassan's hometown.
Did Anshe not only leave the health consultation center, but also escape the association's supervision and run to Hassan's hometown alone? Shi Youchen glanced and found that his wrist was empty, without any trace of the supernatural bracelet.
Something hit Youchen's head with a "bang." He came to his senses and found An She staring at him angrily. "I can't stay here forever to treat you and the animals. You'll have to learn sooner or later. If you keep getting distracted like this, I'll tell your father I can't teach you anymore."
Shi Youchen was stunned for a moment. While he was still digesting this information, he suddenly saw An She's face change. He ran to lift the curtain and looked outside, then turned back hurriedly and said, "Stay here and don't run around." After that, he left the tent.
Shi Youchen reacted quickly and followed quietly, then saw two figures gradually moving away on the endless grassland.
That was An She and Yan Zhiyuan.
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