Suspect
Except for the rare occasions when he encountered a strong opponent or made a breakthrough in his abilities, Ying Yungui rarely had this kind of instantaneous feeling of blood rushing to his veins. But this time, after hearing what Mai Er said, his reaction was even more intense than most of the previous times.
It was the first time that I truly experienced "blackness before my eyes".
If he hadn't been sitting on a seat at the moment, he would probably have lost his balance and fallen to the ground.
"Who went into the health consultation office?"
"...Shi Youchen." Mai Er explained somewhat helplessly, "Originally, this pressure was placed on Lin Zhouze, Yan Zhiyuan's deputy, but for some reason, Lin Zhouze's condition isn't optimistic."
"However, the association's investigation couldn't be halted just for him. Then, Shi Youchen took the initiative to request to enter the health consultation center, on the condition that the association not use forced interrogation methods against Lin Zhouze until he came out."
Due to past relationships, both Mai Er and Shen Buhui had attempted to guarantee Lin Zhouze. Under normal circumstances, having someone of such status as a guarantor would have been enough to avoid a lot of trouble. However, the person putting pressure on the association this time was...
"Who?" Ying Yungui's voice was so deep that it made Mai Er feel like she was sinking into an ice cellar. "Who brought it up?"
Mai Er's fingertips unconsciously clenched, leaving several crescent-shaped white marks on Shen Buhui's hand.
“…”
"Lu Ming."
The view outside the plane window had changed. The thin clouds, seemingly drawn by something, gathered into a massive mass. From Ying Yungui's perspective, they looked almost solid. And even further away, beyond the cloud mass, darkness had already descended.
After the call was disconnected, Mai'er had no time to care about anything else. Her long hair was still half wet, and she stood up helplessly and paced around the room anxiously.
"To be honest, shouldn't I tell him this? Based on his personality, do you think he will..." Mai Er had witnessed with her own eyes how much Ying Yungui cared about that person. They had known each other for so many years, and that was the first time she had seen it.
Shen Buhui's face was also a little gloomy, but she was obviously calmer than Mai Er: "He shouldn't be the kind of person who would be so impulsive as to go against the association. Besides, Shi Youchen has already entered the health consultation center. No matter how dissatisfied he is, he can't change what has already happened."
But when Mai Er heard this, he shook his head and said, "You don't understand him, nor do you understand the health consultation center."
...
A week ago, the association recruited Shi Youchen and Lin Zhouze for the third time.
In a separate, enclosed space, five interrogators sat around the two men. To avoid suspicion, Mai Er, the head of the interrogation team, was not among them. A magic circle formed beneath the seven men, with five interrogators stationed at the edge, while Shi Youchen and Lin Zhouze sat at its very center.
"Are you sure you haven't changed the content of your previous confession?" asked one of the interrogators wearing a black blindfold. His voice seemed unusually floating in this space.
Shi Youchen remained calm: "Yes, and no." The two were not tied up or imprisoned, but were given special care for some reasons. Even the way they were questioned was different from others.
The man asked, "What about you?" He turned to look at the other person next to Shi Youchen who was lowering his head.
Lin Zhouze's hair looked freshly trimmed, though the cut seemed a bit sloppy, as if the technique wasn't very good. His usual round-framed glasses weren't visible on his nose. With his head bowed, his expression couldn't be discerned.
"Deputy Minister Lin, what about you?" The interrogator spoke again, but Lin Zhouze remained unmoved.
The atmosphere became obviously tense. Just before the team leader lost his patience, Lin Zhouze's hoarse voice floated out: "No."
Shi Youchen on the side lowered his eyes and said, "Sorry, it's time to take medicine soon. He is not in a good mood." As he said that, he carefully touched the back of Lin Zhouze's hand.
The captain facing the two men frowned. "Mr. Shi, this isn't the first time Vice Minister Lin has encountered this kind of situation during his interrogation. According to the association's regulations, Vice Minister Lin's testimony can be deemed invalid, and there's sufficient reason to require him to enter the health consultation office for adjustment."
Shi Youchen's expression sternly said, "You're being too kind. He's just an ordinary person without any special abilities."
"Yes, but he is also the person in the association closest to the missing Yan Zhiyuan and the most direct contact person in the incident."
Shi Youchen frowned: "The person who was in charge of the task at the training base had not yet been identified."
"This does not affect the investigation into Vice Minister Lin."
Seeing the situation becoming increasingly tense, Shi Youchen closed his eyes and sighed softly, "I understand. So, hereby, number 8463, Shi Youchen, submits a request to the association. As one of the coordinators for the pre-task regarding the attack on the A City Joint Training Base, and as one of the close associates of missing member Yan Zhiyuan, I voluntarily enter the Health Consultation Office."
The five people around him looked at each other, not daring to say anything for a moment. They were all psychics, so they naturally knew what entering the health consultation center meant. It meant that Shi Youchen would most likely not be able to exit normally, and it meant that he would most likely end his psychic career.
"you..."
"Lin Zhouze and I share the same role in this incident. If he can enter, then so can I. Furthermore, as a person with special abilities, my value in entering the Health Consultation Office is far greater than his. Therefore, I also request that the Association suspend its investigation into Lin Zhouze until I am released."
"Since he lost his sight in the incident."
——
When Ying Yungui arrived at Lu's residence, Lu Ming was teaching Li Ming practical training.
In the teahouse, Lu Zhiqi received Ying Yungui with a guilty conscience. This was not only because Ying Yungui had been promoted to the youngest Level 7 psychic, leaving him far behind, but also because he had been ordered by his father to secretly follow and investigate Shi Youchen, and to extend an olive branch on his behalf to win him over to his team.
Moreover, after this incident, the furious father put pressure on the District 8 Association branch, demanding a thorough investigation of all relevant personnel, and Shi Youchen and Lin Zhouze were the key personnel among them.
"I heard you advanced, congratulations." Lu Zhiqi greeted stiffly. In front of Ying Yungui, he had long lost his initial arrogance, and even the envy he once had, he no longer dared to envy.
Ying Yungui didn't drink his tea. His face didn't show any trace of his previous extreme emotions. He just asked calmly, "Is Uncle Lu close to Li Ming recently? He's actually willing to teach him personally."
Lu Zhiqi's mouth stiffened: "Haha, that's right, Li Ming is really lucky."
"Good luck...?" Ying Yungui smiled and changed the subject, "Why, you seem to be free lately and not going on missions?"
Lu Zhiqi cursed this guy inwardly for bringing up such a topic, but replied, "My dad asked me to stay home to follow up on the reconstruction of the training base. I don't have any spare time to grind for mission points."
Ying Yungui: "Oh? I heard about this. Why, is the reconstruction mission difficult? Wasn't it quite fast and smooth last time?"
Lu Zhiqi took a sip of tea and said, "...This time it's different. The underlying data has been destroyed, and rebuilding it won't be that easy."
At this point, the tea room door suddenly opened, and Lu Ming stood outside, still wearing his loose training clothes. "Yun Gui, long time no see. Congratulations on entering the realm of high-level psychics." Lu Ming walked in and gave Lu Zhiqi a look, and the latter quietly retreated.
Lu Ming smiled and sat down opposite Ying Yungui: "Why, you come to my place right after you got back? Are you greedy for my tea?" After saying that, he glanced over and noticed that the teacup in front of Ying Yungui was not moved at all.
"Uncle Lu, before we have tea, I have something to ask you." Ying Yungui looked seriously at the elder he once respected the most, "Why are you putting pressure on the association?"
Lu Ming continued shaking the lamp: "As you know, the training base was attacked. This is the second time."
Ying Yungui raised his hand and washed the cup for Lu Ming: "Does this have anything to do with my friends?"
Lu Ming raised his eyes. "Both times I was attacked while on missions, and this time I can't just sit back and watch. Do you know what was lost this time?" He poured out the old tea in his cup. "Top-secret experimental data, enough to make District 8 the world's largest district within the next ten years."
Ying Yungui paused: "So?"
Lu Ming: "So the Association must step in and find the traitor who collaborated with the Maintenance Bureau in this incident."
"Do you think that the identities and positions of the missing Minister Yan, the seriously injured Deputy Minister Lin, and Shi Youchen, who has just awakened for less than a year, are questionable?" Ying Yungui filled the pot with water.
"You sound resentful." Lu Ming chuckled. "You know that Yan Zhiyuan's identity is in doubt. Lin Zhouze said this himself when Shi Youchen brought him back to the association base that night. However, during the subsequent investigation, he retracted his statement, claiming he knew nothing."
Lu Ming looked into Ying Yungui's eyes. "Shi Youchen has always claimed that he escaped the training base with Lin Zhouze that night and never saw any enemy."
Ying Yungui said, "I've read the report from a few months ago. Lin Zhouze did have a severe hydrogen sulfide reaction in his body, so his blindness is reasonable. This doesn't mean they met someone, nor does it mean they met Yan Zhiyuan. It certainly doesn't mean they and Yan Zhiyuan betrayed the association."
Lu Ming smiled again. "I never said they all betrayed the Association. Yun Gui, asking the Association to thoroughly investigate the relevant personnel is the common wish of several major supernatural families in District 8. I am simply conveying this to the Association as a representative. This naturally includes the wishes of your father, Ying Xiangze, the decision-making head of the headquarters."
"As for how the association will review it and what methods they use, that's not something I can influence." Lu Ming poured the tea himself and pushed it to Ying Yungui. "I didn't expect Shi Youchen to do something like that under pressure from the association."
Ying Yungui looked at the cup of tea in front of him, which was too light, and looked up at Lu Ming, who was looking apologetically. "Uncle Lu, if he doesn't come out of this in one piece, I will never turn a blind eye to some things again."
After saying that, he stood up and said goodbye and left without drinking a sip of Lu's tea from beginning to end.
After Ying Yungui left, Lu Ming was silent for a moment, wondering, "Could he have remembered something?" He then immediately dismissed this sudden thought. "Impossible! He's only just entered the Level 7 realm. There's no way he could have broken through my seal, or even remembered... the Mo family."
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