Chapter 18: D-Class Special Contamination Source—041

"You can call me Captain from now on."

Chen Jing seemed to always be right next to her phone. She answered quickly and concisely as usual. "What did you find?"

"It's definitely strange. Here's what happened..."

Lu Xin hurriedly recounted everything he had learned from Qin Ran, making sure to be as thorough as possible.

This was his first mission. He was extremely careful, afraid he might miss something and get his pay docked.

"You actually found something this quickly?"

Chen Jing sounded slightly surprised but quickly regained her calm. "You did well. This is definitely a case of psychic contamination. I'll immediately organize a contamination investigation team... By the way, where are you right now?"

"At Sifang Logistics... in the backyard..."

Lu Xin reported his location, then cautiously asked, "What should I do now?"

"Wait there."

Chen Jing continued, "A three-person team will be arriving shortly to meet up with you. You'll assist them in the investigation. They are all experienced members, but remember—you're the psychic mutant. Sometimes, their experience won't be as useful as your intuition.

"Moving forward, you will take the lead in investigations, and they will follow your direction.

"For now, since you lack experience, I'll be leading this investigation.

"Through radio communication."

Chen Jing decisively hung up the phone, leaving Lu Xin muttering to himself, "...What about my payment...?"

His little sister, bored, had climbed onto the nearby garage, crouching there to stare at the moon.

Qin Ran, still shaken but also unable to suppress his curiosity, took a few hesitant steps toward Lu Xin. He didn't dare get too close, instinctively wary of Lu Xin, yet unwilling to show fear. Keeping a safe distance, he forced a calm tone. "So... what now?"

Lu Xin, not wanting to look like a newbie, replied in a composed manner, "For now, we wait."

And so, the two of them just stood there awkwardly for ten minutes.

The silence became so unbearable that neither knew how to break it. Then suddenly—

A loud screech of brakes pierced the night.

A black Jeep roared into the company compound, its heavy-duty body exuding an air of cold efficiency. It sped across the lot, skidding into a tight half-circle before coming to an abrupt stop. The doors flung open, and three heavily armed personnel leaped out.

The usually fearless workers of the company didn't dare to make a sound.

One of the armed personnel strode toward Lu Xin, gripping his rifle tightly as he stood at attention.

"Mr. Lu Xin, Special Contamination Investigation Team of Satellite City No. 2, reporting under the orders of Major Chen!"

Lu Xin reflexively straightened his posture, his mind racing. They actually called me 'Mr. Lu Xin'...

"So formal..."

Forcing a smile, he quickly said, "Just call me Xiao Lu..."

The soldier, expressionless, replied, "Understood, Mr. Lu Xin!"

The investigation team, just as efficient as their appearance suggested, wasted no time. After their brief introduction, two of them returned to the vehicle and swiftly mounted an array of sophisticated, intricate instruments onto the roof—devices bristling with tentacle-like appendages and an aura of authority.

Meanwhile, the team leader, a man named Cheng Hui, handed Lu Xin a black box.

Lu Xin kept his composure, trying to maintain an air of professionalism. He opened the box and found a headset with an ear clip nestled inside a foam cutout. Looking up, he noticed that the armed personnel were all wearing similar devices.

Without waiting for instructions, he took the headset and put it on.

Then he waited.

After a moment, unsure of what to do next, he hesitated.

One of the armed personnel stepped forward, pressed a button on Lu Xin's headset, then silently stepped back.

A female electronic voice sounded in his ear:

"Investigation team channel connected..."

"Information analysis team channel connected..."

"Command personnel channel connected..."

Lu Xin gave the soldier a grateful glance.

"Freelance member Lu Xin, repeat your previous investigation report!"

Chen Jing's crisp, cold voice came through the headset after the last connection stabilized.

Realizing this was an important moment, Lu Xin didn't dare slack off. He repeated everything he had just reported to her.

Chen Jing didn't interrupt, listening to his account in full before responding in a composed tone, "Information Analysis Team."

A new voice came through the headset, sweet yet slightly timid but clear and methodical.

"Hello, Mr. Lu Xin. I am Sergeant Han Bing from the Information Analysis Team. My team and I will be providing intelligence support for this operation."

"First, here is the case report:

Temporary Case Number: D-Class Special Contamination Source—041

Threat Level: Pending Classification

Infection Risk: Suspected Low-Level

Potential Danger Level: Suspected Low-Level

Involved Personnel: Qin Ran, Sifang Logistics, Satellite City No. 2 of Qinggang"

"Based on Mr. Lu Xin's report, this appears to be a previously unrecorded type of psychic contamination event. The recommended response strategies are as follows:

1. Initiate an immediate investigation to locate and neutralize the contamination source.

2. Detain Qin Ran and wait for any contaminated individuals to approach, monitoring for further developments and collecting clues.

3. If necessary, deliver Qin Ran to the contaminated entities for execution to disrupt their logical chain."

"...What?"

Lu Xin was momentarily stunned.

This was his first experience dealing with something like this. He was a little slow to process it.

For instance, it had never occurred to him that surrendering someone to be killed by vengeful spirits was even an option.

"This is your first formal investigation," Chen Jing's voice came through again. "Consider it a learning opportunity.

"From now on, every field mission will have a dedicated information analysis team providing intelligence, research, and tactical recommendations. You need to adapt to this system quickly."

Lu Xin immediately understood—this was Chen Jing guiding him. He quickly responded, "Understood!"

Only then did Chen Jing elaborate, "Sometimes, fulfilling a contamination source's specific demands can weaken its psychic field, allowing us to gather clues or even neutralize the threat. There have been cases where contamination sources disappeared entirely after their conditions were met.

"However, due to the lack of information on Contamination Source 041, we will not adopt that approach at this time."

"My recommendation: proceed with the investigation immediately, locate the contamination source, and neutralize it."

Sergeant Han Bing promptly added,

"In that case, I recommend starting the investigation at the site of Qin Ran's first murder and the location where the corpse was disposed of."