Chapter 57: Source of infection

The picture on the screen showed a man smiling at the camera. The room was silent, and the atmosphere grew tense.

"Are you sure this is real?" Dr. Hines asked. "Video images can be faked."

"If it were a fake video, we would know," Professor Miyazaki replied. "I assure you, the images you see are genuine."

Detective Luo appeared on the surveillance screen. He had been to the police department's fourth precinct earlier tonight and left this provocative scene that raised many questions.

"Later today, an infected person showed up at the Fourth Branch," Miyazaki continued.

"It's hard to call that a coincidence," Dr. Hines frowned.

"Agent Luo is currently suspended, right?" asked a man with a fierce face. He wore a suit and leather shoes, but also a black mask with steel nails, which made him look intimidating. This was the Minister of Operations, Hercules.

"Yes," Chen Meiyue answered. "He acted without authorization and attacked a casino run by a mafia gang, targeting gang members who were not infected."

"This isn't the first time, is it?" Minister Hercules asked, his eyes fierce behind the mask.

Chen Meiyue nodded. "Luo Yajun has ignored discipline and disobeyed orders multiple times. He's been punished before for aggressive actions during missions."

"He hates evil and sometimes uses extreme methods," she explained.

"You mean he's disorganized and undisciplined," Hercules said. "But today, we're focusing on his mental state."

"That's what I wanted to discuss," Professor Miyazaki said. "Agent Luo is unique among our agents. As Chen said, he hates evil, which ties into his past. This is good for a Secret Service agent, but there's a limit. Beyond that, it becomes dangerous."

He paused and then continued, "Our agents need to have a high degree of infection and strong mobility, but they also need to be stable. Agent Luo doesn't meet the latter. He doesn't care about rules, punishment, or consequences. He gets satisfaction from punishing criminals."

Professor Miyazaki switched the screen to show a summary of infection incidents in Jiangdu tonight.

"These incidents have something in common," he said. "First, at the pier, two detectives inspected the scene and reconstructed the event. It seemed like a group of human traffickers were unloading goods when one suddenly became infected, attacked the others, and finally exploded because the infection exceeded the body's limit."

"The fourth branch is where Detective Luo used to work. We know that some officers there have shady dealings," Professor Miyazaki began.

The people in the conference room seemed to be following his line of thinking.

"There was also that barbecue restaurant incident. An infected person started laughing and attacked gang members, causing multiple casualties. The restaurant owner and two diners were seriously injured, and another person was slightly injured. If Batman hadn't shown up, it could've been much worse."

"Are you suggesting that most targets of the infected are criminals?" Dr. Hines asked.

Professor Miyazaki nodded. "There are many other incidents, but these examples make my point clear. Although the infected might hurt innocent people when they go berserk, their initial targets are usually criminals. One or two incidents might be exceptions, but most infection cases fit this pattern. So, I think you can guess my hypothesis."

"You mean that Agent Luo Yajun from our Secret Service Nine might have become infected and is using his'sense of justice' to infect others?" Minister Hercules said hoarsely, pausing to find the right words.

"Yes, exactly," Professor Miyazaki replied. "Agent Luo Yajun is unusual and not very stable. His psychological evaluations have always said'relatively safe but needs observation.' The behavior of the infected in these incidents and their targets match Luo's actions. So to sum it up..."

"The probability of him being the source of infection is not low," Minister Hercules said, tapping the table with his knuckles.

Even those who are usually immune to infection have a limit. If they exceed their mental endurance, they also risk becoming infected. That's why the Nine Specialists undergo regular psychological evaluations.

"No," Professor Miyazaki interrupted, looking seriously at everyone. He pressed the remote control, turning off the files on the screen. The screen returned to a surveillance camera image showing Luo Yajun grinning at the camera, as if mocking everyone watching.

"What I want to say is that he might be more than just 'a source of infection.' Maybe he is the'source of infection' we've been looking for."

Professor Miyazaki spoke solemnly. "Maybe he's the source of that maniacal laugh."