It was late at night.
The activity room of the seventh division.
Lu Ning, Colin, and Lin Xiao were playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game).
Today, Lu Ning and Colin were supposed to be on duty, but Lin Xiao stayed here to play since she had nothing to do at home.
"Should we rob the landlord?"
"Rob!"
"I won't take it! I don't want to be on Lu Ning's side."
Lu Ning said expressionlessly, "Maybe I'll win this time?"
"Hehe..." Colin and Lin Xiao laughed at the same time, their laughter carrying a deeper meaning.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Yu Ran, who was also on night shift, appeared at the door.
She was panting, and there was sweat on her forehead; she had obviously run up there.
"Captain, something's happened!"
Lin Xiao and the other two looked over at the same time.
Lin Xiao asked, "Xiao Ran, what's wrong?"
"The Public Security Bureau called and said that a woman went to the Public Security Bureau to report that many people had gone crazy in Villa No. 13 in Jinlan Garden. According to her description, it seemed to involve a disease outbreak, so the Public Security Bureau notified us."
Lin Xiao and the other two exchanged glances. Colin adjusted his glasses and asked, "Gone mad? How did you go mad?"
Yu Ran still looked puzzled: "According to that woman, they started by attending a birthday party, and then more and more people went too far with their games. Gradually, some people started attacking others, and some even stabbed someone to death in a fight over food. The woman had been near the door from the beginning and hadn't joined the group activities. Later, when she saw the situation getting more and more serious, she ran out on her own."
As they listened to Yu Ran's words, the expressions on the three people's faces changed continuously.
Lin Xiao suddenly stood up and said, "It's Fallen Incense!"
Yu Ran was taken aback and looked at Lin Xiao with some confusion: "Captain, what is Fallen Incense?"
Lin Xiao snapped out of his daze and looked at Yu Ran sternly, saying, "Xiao Ran, this is a secret of the action team. You can't pry into it."
Yu Ran frowned, then sneered, "So what if I'm not an Awakened? My marksmanship is excellent, why won't you let me join the action team?"
"Xiao Ran! You're violating the Fog Bureau's regulations!" Colin's usual gentle smile turned cold as he shouted.
Yu Ran glared at the two of them defiantly, then turned and left.
The atmosphere was somewhat somber. Colin adjusted his glasses and gave Lu Ning a helpless smile: "Xiao Ran's parents were our former teammates. Her mother sacrificed herself during the last mission."
Lin Xiao sighed: "Does she really think that awakening is a good thing? After awakening, the increased mental activity means that mental pollution will become more serious, and the possibility of disease will become higher and higher!"
"Even without getting sick, joining the action team is extremely dangerous."
Lu Ning nodded slightly, without saying anything more.
Colin said with a serious expression, "Judging from Xiao Ran's description just now, that should be the effect of the Corruption Incense. Someone probably lit the incense at the birthday party, but we don't know if they lit it on purpose or if they were unaware of the incense's abnormality."
"Regardless, let's go to the police station to find out what's going on, and then go to the scene to deal with this illness. We need to speed things up. According to the investigation department's research, the corrupting incense will cause violent fluctuations in a person's mental energy, greatly aggravate mental pollution, and ultimately lead to illness!"
Colin adjusted his glasses and said, "Given the effects of the Corruption Incense, even if the ordinary people present didn't fall ill, I'm afraid very few of them would survive."
Lin Xiao nodded, then took out his phone and said, "Call Wei Xuan and the others, and tell them to come over too."
Colin glanced at his watch and said, "Let Wei Xuan and Xiao Lin come to the branch. The branch still needs someone on duty. Let Wang Qiwen go directly to the Public Security Bureau. That way, the time will be more efficient."
Lin Xiao nodded: "Okay."
The two started making phone calls, and Lin Xiao said to Lu Ning, "You should inform Xiao Lin."
Lu Ning nodded and dialed Qiu Yuelin's number as well—Lu Ning had already added the phone numbers of all members of the Seventh Division, not just the action team, but also Yu Ran, Qin Feng, and others.
The phone rang twice before being answered, and Qiu Yuelin's sleepy voice came through: "Hello? Who is this?"
"It's me, Lu Ning. There's been a case, and we need to handle it. The branch office needs someone to be on duty. Please come to the branch office quickly."
Qiu Yuelin's voice immediately cleared: "Now? Okay, I'm coming right away!"
"Okay." Lu Ning hung up the phone.
He looked at Lin Xiao and Colin, and saw that they had both hung up the phone.
"Let's go." Lin Xiao took down the black trench coat hanging on the wall and put it on.
Colin followed closely behind.
Lu Ning asked, "If the three of us leave, won't the branch be empty?"
Lin Xiao said, "It's alright. I'll have Xiao Ran notify Old Ye, who's on duty, and ask him to come and take care of things first."
Old Ye's real name is Ye Nan. Like Qin Feng, he is a retired member of the action team.
Lu Ning nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
He then picked up the black trench coat hanging on the wall, put it on, and followed Lin Xiao and Colin.
After they arrived on the first floor, Lin Xiao said to Colin and Lu Ning, "Wait here for me."
Colin nodded. "Okay."
Lin Xiao turned around and continued walking downstairs.
Lu Ning asked with some confusion, "Wasn't Yu Ran supposed to notify Elder Ye?"
"The captain isn't going to basement level one, he's going to basement level two."
"Basement level two?" Lu Ning was a little puzzled. "A place where soul artifacts and dangerous items are stored?"
Colin nodded: "Yes, when dealing with disease incidents, the captain has the right to apply for the use of Horcruxes, but only low-risk Horcruxes can be applied for directly, while medium-risk Horcruxes can only be used depending on the situation."
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