On the other side, watching Lyu Huan and Zhao Huaisha's figures walk away, Yue Shi's eyes flickered. He waved over a field team member who was recording the scene.
"When did those two arrive?" Yue Shi asked in a low voice, pointing at Lyu Huan's back.
The field team member thought for a moment. "Right after you and Mr. Bai came out of the restaurant. A moment later, they seemed to... suddenly appear behind you. I didn't notice them at all before that."
Yue Shi nodded. "Thanks. Get back to work."
Mr. Wang had just died, and the people from headquarters appeared so "perfectly." The timing was suspiciously convenient.
Meanwhile, Bai Wanyang, who had been immersed in grief, rubbed his eyes and tried to pull himself together. "Brother, I... I have to go to Chen Biao's house. His parents don't know yet. I have to tell them... and handle Chen Biao's funeral..."
His voice was choked, but his gaze was firm.
Yue Shi glanced at him. "I'll go with you. Chen Biao turned into a supernatural creature; we need to screen for the source of contamination and confirm if there are any residual risks."
Bai Wanyang didn't say much.
Yue Shi called a team and drove to Chen Biao's house.
Chen Biao lived in an old residential area. Bai Wanyang walked in front and knocked on the door.
Chen Biao's mother opened the door. Seeing Bai Wanyang, a warm yet weary smile immediately appeared on her face. "Oh, it's Little Bai. Come in, come in. Chen Biao isn't home. It's so late and he's still not back, and he's not answering his phone. That boy..."
Hearing the voice, Chen Biao's father also came out of the room. While welcoming Bai Wanyang into the living room, he asked with a smile:
"Little Bai, did Chen Biao go find you? A few nights ago, something big happened around here. Two supernatural creatures fought, and many people died. But there were no casualties in our neighborhood. Chen Biao said he seemed to have awakened some kind of transcendent power and protected the neighbors. Is that true?"
The elderly couple's eyes were full of expectation and a trace of subtle fear. They completely ignored the others, desperately wanting an affirmative answer from Bai Wanyang.
As parents, they had long noticed something was wrong with Chen Biao. If he had really just awakened a transcendent power, why would he be so unhappy all the time?
Looking at the elderly couple's eager faces, Bai Wanyang felt as if his throat were blocked. His eyes reddened again, and he opened his mouth, his voice dry and trembling. "Uncle, Auntie, Chen Biao... he... he..."
Just then, Yue Shi walked into the room expressionlessly, his gaze sweeping across the slightly crowded living room. Behind him, the Investigation Bureau members in protective suits had already begun their silent detection.
Unfortunately, the indicator light on the supernatural detector slowly flashed red.
The red light's frequency wasn't high. Yue Shi spoke, interrupting Bai Wanyang's difficult confession and shattering the last of the Chen parents' hope.
"It's not just this family. This building—perhaps everyone in the entire neighborhood—needs immediate contamination screening."
...
At exactly 6:00 PM, Lyu Huan stood alone outside the director's office.
The heavy solid wood door was tightly closed. Beside it, a metal nameplate was simply engraved with "Director." The light in the hallway was dim and exceptionally quiet; he could only hear his own breathing.
He straightened his tie and knocked on the door.
"Come in," a calm and pleasant voice called out.
Lyu Huan pushed the door open. The office was spacious and tidy. Outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows was the sunset skyline of Amber City. The air was filled with a faint fruity fragrance.
Tang Zhuhe sat behind a wide desk, wearing a well-tailored dark formal suit skirt. She looked intellectual and elegant.
"Captain Lyu is very punctual. Please, have a seat," she said with a slight smile, gesturing to the chair opposite her.
Lyu Huan sat down as instructed, his body instinctively stiffening. He spoke carefully. "Director Tang, I apologize for the intrusion. I've come on behalf of headquarters, hoping for your assistance."
"Oh?" Tang Zhuhe folded her hands on the desk in a listening posture, her gaze calm and rippleless.
"Regarding the armored transport vehicle that crashed on the outskirts of Amber City earlier... there was an extremely important item on board. I implore Director Tang to assist us in recovering the lost item. This item is very important to headquarters."
Lyu Huan's words were sincere. They were currently certain that there was a very high probability the item was in the Qingshan Sanatorium. If they could get Director Tang to help, they could not only recover the item but also resolve the supernatural domain of the sanatorium and capture the director alive.
The sanatorium director's ability was very special, and headquarters really wanted to study it.
Tang Zhuhe's tone was gentle, but her words were blunt. "Something very important to headquarters... what does that have to do with me?"
Lyu Huan choked, hurriedly emphasizing, "Director Tang, that item is no small matter. It might even be related to the evolution of the future world order..."
"You're right." Tang Zhuhe nodded, then repeated, "But what does that have to do with me?"
Lyu Huan felt a slight blockage in his chest. He hurriedly suppressed his rising anger and tried his best to be patient and reasonable. "Director Tang, with your strength, a slight effort would surely make it easy to find the lost item. This would undoubtedly be a huge favor to headquarters, and they will certainly remember—"
Tang Zhuhe interrupted him, saying with a chuckle, "The old tree demon in the Mysterious Garden has been getting more and more irritable lately. My time is precious, and I don't want to listen to your nonsense. I'll give you five more minutes. You'd better say something that is directly relevant to my interests; otherwise, please see yourself out."
Her gaze swept toward the door, her intent to dismiss him obvious.
Lyu Huan was stunned. He had expected her to make excuses or negotiate terms, but he hadn't expected her to be so cold and unreasonable.
He tried to continue using righteousness to persuade Tang Zhuhe, talking about the pressure headquarters faced, the threat of the supernatural to humanity, and the hope the lost item might bring. In his desperation, he even blurted out, "The thing lost from the transport vehicle might save all of humanity!"
"Oh?" Tang Zhuhe seemed to suddenly take some interest. She asked slowly:
"Since when has headquarters' perspective become so grand? You've actually started thinking about saving all of humanity?!"
Lyu Huan nodded firmly. "It's absolutely true! That thing can't eliminate all supernatural creatures, but it might save humanity from fire and water."
Tang Zhuhe's smile grew even gentler, but her words were sharp and icy. "Then let me ask you, does the 'humanity' headquarters wants to save include me?"
"Director Tang, you must be joking. Someone of your stature, how could you need someone else to save you?" Lyu Huan answered subconsciously.
"So, in the end, this matter still has nothing to do with me, right?" Tang Zhuhe's smile remained unchanged, but her tone was bone-chilling.
Seeing her completely unyielding attitude, Lyu Huan was incredibly anxious.
In the past, when he went on business trips to other city branches, a single word was enough to mobilize all sorts of local resources. But that didn't work in Amber City. Tang Zhuhe wouldn't listen to him.
He hadn't prioritized "interest exchange," habitually using institutional thinking and grand narratives to frame the issue, but it was completely useless against this woman. She was not bound by righteousness, didn't care about headquarters at all, and might not even care about Amber City itself.
Seeing Lyu Huan like this, Tang Zhuhe lost her patience and said directly, "I don't know what exactly was being transported on that vehicle. But the key to the problem is that I—don't—know!"
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