Chapter 19: Investigation of Psychic Contamination

Under Chen Jing's orders, the entire investigation team immediately sprang into action.

At this moment, Qin Ran was truly stunned. He kept a wary eye on the three armed personnel, deep apprehension reflected in his gaze. With his experience and cunning, he could tell that these three heavily armed warriors were different from the outlaws he had encountered outside the city. They were also unlike the guards and patrol teams he usually dealt with in the satellite city.

He subtly signaled to his subordinates with his eyes, instructing them to stay put and wait obediently.

When Lu Xin asked him about killing Cui Wang and the location where he disposed of the body, Qin Ran answered immediately.

"Proceed to the investigation site immediately. Bring Qin Ran along in case he is concealing the truth."

Han Bing's voice came through the earpiece.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xin turned to the armed personnel and said, "Get in the car."

Then he nodded at Qin Ran. "You're coming too."

The armed personnel moved swiftly—one started the vehicle while the other two positioned themselves behind Qin Ran.

Qin Ran glanced at the cold, metallic submachine guns in their arms and then turned to look at Lu Xin. Gritting his teeth, he said nothing. Whatever he was thinking as a man born in the wilderness, he kept it to himself and silently followed them into the jeep.

As they reached the front courtyard, the so-called manager rushed forward and called out, "Big brother…"

"Wait here!"

Qin Ran shouted through the window.

The armed personnel in the vehicle ignored both Qin Ran and the Sifang Transport Company, acting as if they were beneath their notice.

Lu Xin also refrained from making any comments, as he received no prompts through his earpiece.

He could sense that the atmosphere had changed the moment the three investigation team members reported to him.

Despite their small numbers—just three against Qin Ran's dozens of subordinates—the stark difference in training and weaponry made it clear that, if conflict arose, Qin Ran's men would be nothing more than cannon fodder. The gap between them was simply too vast.

Qin Ran must have realized this too, which was why he had become so compliant.

Still, Lu Xin faintly felt that the three investigation team members were somewhat wary of him.

For example, the youngest-looking soldier kept sneaking glances at him when he thought Lu Xin wasn't paying attention.

But the moment their eyes met…

Lu Xin suddenly turned his head toward the left window, and the young soldier instantly snapped his head away with a sharp "swish."

Sitting upright, gripping his gun tightly!

The jeep drove toward the southern part of the city, where abandoned factories and tangled, overgrown paths stretched in every direction. Waist-high weeds and piles of concrete and rubble littered the area. In the distance, half-constructed buildings stood alongside rusted steel frameworks, remnants of projects long abandoned. The entire region was desolate, devoid of any human presence.

The road was rough, but their modified jeep handled the uneven terrain with ease.

"It's just up ahead," Qin Ran said from the car, pointing more specifically. He seemed nervous, his speech growing a bit excessive. "The deal happened just behind that dirt mound. That's where I put a bullet in Old Cui. At the time, he just looked drunk—nothing seemed off… The body was dumped behind that patch of grass. Packs of wild dogs roam there frequently."

"I recommend conducting an immediate psychic energy scan within a 300-meter radius of these two locations."

Han Bing's voice came through the earpiece.

"Agreed," Chen Jing followed up. "The emergence of a psychic contamination source differs from standard contamination events, but patterns exist. The key to handling psychic contamination cases is pinpointing the source, which typically originates from a surge of psychic energy. When a person dies, their psychic fluctuations peak. Most postmortem mutation cases begin at this moment."

"Of course, some rare cases show that mutations can also occur when a corpse is later disturbed."

"…"

The three armed personnel in the jeep also wore earpieces and had already received the analysis team's recommendations.

Once they exited the vehicle, they only gave Lu Xin a questioning glance. Seeing no objection from him, they proceeded with their tasks.

Lu Xin recognized this as a learning opportunity and carefully observed their actions.

They skillfully retrieved a black case from the vehicle and, after inputting a password, unlocked a complex mechanism. Inside the case lay a silver, rectangular device resembling an old-fashioned satellite phone. Four metal rods supported a circular frame with an alarm system attached, resembling the metal detectors seen in old movies.

One soldier stayed behind, while the other two put on specialized helmets—round, thick, with transparent visors. Lu Xin was particularly intrigued by the material; most of the helmet seemed to be made of a special kind of glass.

"The device they're using is a simplified psychic energy detector, a recent development," Chen Jing explained over the channel. "Psychic energy is usually invisible—ordinary people's psychic power rarely influences instruments enough to be detected. However, certain mutated contamination sources and psychic mutants exceed a specific threshold. Combined with new materials from the Lunar Eclipse Research Institute, detection has become possible."

"That said, these instruments are still in the research and testing phase. They can register psychic abnormalities, but their precision is limited."

"The helmets they're wearing are protective gear against psychic contamination. As mentioned in the documents I gave you, glass is currently the best material we've found for blocking psychic plagues."

"…"

Lu Xin gave a quiet "mm" in response.

He didn't dare admit that, when reading those documents, he had mainly focused on the sections about salary and benefits.

The team quickly completed the scan of the murder and disposal sites, even uncovering some suspected remains of Cui Wang. However, no abnormal psychic energy was detected.

"Are you sure these are the locations?"

Lu Xin turned to Qin Ran to confirm.

Qin Ran's expression was grim, his voice laced with fear. "This concerns my life—do you think I'd lie?"

Lu Xin didn't think Qin Ran was hiding anything, nor did he doubt the investigation team's results. After all, when he looked at these locations, he didn't sense anything unusual. Unlike in the café or his first encounter with Qin Ran, there were no visible signs of psychic mutations—no strange, fleshy growths or unnatural creatures.

This was where the analysis team proved invaluable.

Lu Xin asked directly, "What now?"

"If neither the murder site nor the disposal site shows contamination, we must consider other factors," Han Bing calmly analyzed. "First, how exactly did those people get affected?"

"Every contamination source has a specific range. Only those who enter that range will be contaminated."

"Based on our current data, these victims had no known connections to each other. Yet, they all became 'Avengers.' This suggests that, at some point before their deaths, they must have crossed paths in the same location."

"The location where they intersected is likely the true source of this contamination incident."

"I recommend mobilizing personnel to investigate the victims' identities and trace their movements before death!"