Chapter 4
"Have you heard? People died on the fifteenth and fourteenth floors, and we don't know how they died. The police have been coming to our door every day for the past two days."
"Could he be a serial killer? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that the two died on the same day?"
"I heard it's been contaminated by something unclean..."
"This is terrifying. I need to talk to my husband and sell this house as soon as possible. I'm scared just thinking about the dead people in the building these past few days."
In the days following the pollution incident, a group of people were going in and out of the fifteenth floor. Some neighbors were about to start cursing, but stopped themselves when they saw the police insignia on these people's clothes.
The news of someone's death in the building was not kept secret for long; rumors quickly spread, and the residents' mood changed from initial curiosity to unease.
For the operations department, the most important thing was not to arrest people, but to find the missing pollutants and ensure the safety of the area. However, the pollutants disappeared without a trace, just like water entering the sea.
Because the contamination could spread through different mediums, all of Wang Qing's belongings were sealed at home, and her body was sent to the research institute.
Wang Qing's mother, an elderly woman in her sixties, rushed over from hundreds of miles away after hearing about her daughter's murder. However, she was prevented from going upstairs by the personnel from the action department and burned paper money at the entrance of the building for three days.
The old man wept in front of the fire during the day and huddled in the nearby shed at night.
Many elderly people were pitiful, so they took out food and clothing from their homes, and within just one day, these things piled up into a small mountain.
Three days later, Wang Qing's younger brother rushed over, thanked everyone he met, and then took his mother away.
According to regulations, after a pollution incident, the residents of this building should have been moved to a temporary housing area. However, there was no pollution residue in Wang Qing's home. The officers from the operations unit judged that the pollutants may have been transferred to other areas, expanding the search area from this community to this region.
But as time went by, nothing was gained.
None of this concerned Xiao Shengyun, as he was busy working overtime. During this time, Ye Ting called several times, partly to check on his health and partly to poach him.
Xiao Shengyun did not agree.
"Do you know that you're different from us? If those people find out, they'll lock you in a cage and then use a knife to skin and flesh you..."
"Wow-"
"Don't cry, I was just kidding you. Hey, you little rascal..."
When he was little, Ms. Xu always used these things to scare him. Later, Xiao Shengyun realized that she was right and that he was indeed a monster.
Monsters are monsters, but even monsters can drink sugary drinks.
After so many years of doubt and struggle, Xiao Shengyun has completely come to terms with it. As long as he doesn't reveal his true form, who would know he's not human?
He took the clothes out of the washing machine and hung them on the balcony, then cleaned the living room, and finally went downstairs to stock up on some food.
Human food is of little use to him, but it tastes good.
When he went outside, he saw that the door across the street was completely covered by metal mesh, with cameras and pollution detection devices on it.
Thinking of Wang Qing, even though the two were not familiar with each other, Xiao Shengyun couldn't help but feel a little sad.
When I came out of the supermarket, the street was deserted, with only the evening breeze swirling up withered leaves.
Xiao Shengyun carried his things onto the subway and randomly picked a seat from among the empty seats.
A man dressed in black sat to the right front. He was wearing a mask, and his bangs covered his eyes, so his face was not visible.
The feeling of hunger returned, and Xiao Shengyun clutched his stomach, taking out a bag of biscuits from his shopping bag.
He finished the bag of cookies quickly, but the hunger didn't seem to be coming from his stomach. He had heard before that neurological problems or psychological factors could also cause bulimia, and he wondered if that was the reason.
Speaking of food, he thought of the man he had seen at the operations department. The aroma he smelled the moment they met was so wonderful it felt like an illusion.
What's the use of something so delicious if you can't eat it? That person's gaze can freeze you half to death.
I can only say I'm not fortunate enough to enjoy it.
The subway stopped and started again, but no one got on or off.
Xiao Shengyun finally realized something was wrong. The low temperature underground made him feel cold all over. Looking around, he saw that none of the passengers were making any extra movements. They were all sitting quietly in their seats, staring blankly ahead.
It looks like... an exquisite puppet.
Xiao Shengyun belatedly realized that the man in black might be the second living person here.
The subway doors opened again, letting in a howling wind; outside was a hollow darkness.
To the right front, a hint of amusement appeared in the man's eyes. The prey was already in the cage; of course, he would play with it slowly before catching it.
He had been observing the person in front of him for several days. He was an ordinary person, a typical office worker and a shut-in.
I take the subway to work in the morning and back home in the evening. If I don't work overtime, I finish around 6 PM; if I do work overtime, it's between 8 PM and 10 PM, depending on the situation.
If I leave work early, I'll buy groceries at the supermarket on my way home and cook. If I work late, I'll eat instant noodles or skip meals.
The only unusual thing is that one day he didn't eat anything from breakfast until noon the next day, nearly 30 hours without food. Wouldn't he starve to death?
That's not important; all he needs to do is take this person back.
Just as the door was about to close, Xiao Shengyun rushed over, but it seemed as if an invisible hand was pulling him back from behind.
He was caught off guard and came into close contact with the man. The hand around his neck tightened, and air was constantly being expelled from his lungs.
He kicked hard, but his foot went straight through the man's leg.
"Stop struggling. This is not reality. We are not even in the same dimension. What you see is just my illusion."
The man's voice exuded confidence; he was happy to talk to his prey a few more times, looking down on others with a sense of superiority.
He released his grip, and the injured man fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
Like a tiny ant.
Xiao Shengyun lay on the ground, sensing his surroundings. In his eyes, the ground, walls, and even the car roof above him were violently churning, as if a makeshift film studio had been set up.
If both people are mentally in a dreamlike state, then it's impossible for him not to kick the other.
So it is indeed two dimensions: the other side is a mental illusion, while you are a physical illusion.
The surroundings were composed of primordial matter. In a corner unseen by the man, Xiao Shengyun silently extended tentacles, and then—
It bit into the wall.
It didn't taste good, but it was enough to fill my stomach.
In the man's eyes, seeing the other person unable to get up for so long, a dagger flashed into his mind, and he grabbed it with his fingers—
Grasp-
I grabbed a handful of air.
Xiao Shengyun had almost completely devoured the source matter in the illusion, so it naturally could not condense into a physical form.
The person who had been hammered to death suddenly stopped struggling.
The talents awakened by those who have been contaminated are incredibly diverse. Although Xiao Shengyun is quite strong, he is unaware of the effects and weaknesses of these talents. Moreover, once the authorities notice him, he will immediately find himself in a disadvantageous situation.
The Superpower Bureau has been established for over two hundred years. In addition to its visible combat forces such as the Action Department and the Inspection Department, it also harbors some top-tier awakened individuals.
Compared to these small fry, Xiao Shengyun did not want to offend a powerful, established force.
But if this is an anomalous space, then there will be no way to prove anything.
"Yes, it is indeed a good place to kill someone," he thought happily.
It was probably just an accident.
The man casually tossed Xiao Shengyun's body aside and reported over the phone, "We've got him, but he's just an ordinary person with zero combat power. Should we take him back?"
"Take it back? Okay, I'll send you my location and have someone drive over."
The man felt something touch his foot, and he instinctively kicked it, but the thing only tightened its grip on his foot.
It was a long, thin tentacle.
Xiao Shengyun stood up. He looked no different from before; he was still that pale, thin, and somewhat dejected young man.
But when the man saw those mindless eyes, it was as if he were being stared at by some demon.
He suddenly recalled the scene when he, as a high-ranking member of the church, went to the underground laboratory with the leader and saw the juvenile Mother Tree for the first time.
That was the first time he had witnessed the awe-inspiring power of a deity.
But in front of this young man, he once again felt that oppressive force that could squeeze his internal organs together.
"A monster!"
The man's eyes widened, but the tentacle was tightly wrapped around him, and the hunter and prey had switched places in an instant.
*Pfft*
A feather pierced the man's chest, and blood dripped down, pooling into a small puddle.
When Ye Ting arrived, he only saw two people, one lying down and the other jumping.
"Jiang Huaihai, a member of the Rose Church, possesses a unique spiritual talent that can induce illusions in others. Currently, his pollution level is 1832, indicating severe spiritual pollution and mild physical deformity."
The team members calmly took notes from the sidelines.
The man was lively and energetic, occasionally bursting into laughter.
The ultimate consequence of this mental pollution was mental derangement.
Ye Ting glanced at Xiao Shengyun with a complicated expression. The other man was still fast asleep, completely unaware of the chaos outside.
Two pollution incidents occurred within two days, and the same person was involved. Even if Ye Ting was naive, he would understand that this person was suspicious.
Is this guy Conan, here specifically to boost their performance?
In the evening, Xiao Shengyun finally achieved his goal of entering the palace for the third time.
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