Suspicion

In the open space of the residential complex, Luo Di had already met up with the class monitor.

Their clothes and skin were likewise completely covered by warning red light. However, unlike the class monitor's shock, Luo Di showed little change in expression.

Perhaps the Zombie Transformation of his lower face had left him expressionless, or perhaps Luo Di had seen such a sight before.

Together, they looked up at the sky, toward the source of the red light.

A highly modern military helicopter hovered there. A capital letter I was printed on its fuselage, encircled by a coating that emphasized the letter's importance.

They had both learned this symbol from public textbooks.

It represented an important national institution—the Investigation Bureau.

It selected, trained, and assigned investigators across the country; handled sudden Anomaly Events in different regions; conducted regional control; and was responsible for suppressing and eliminating Pseudo-Humans.

The Investigation Bureau was the foundation maintaining national security and stability. Every person selected as an investigator was an elite among elites.

The higher education path Luo Di and the others were about to face included a route into the Investigation Bureau. Those whose grades met the standards could go to the City Investigation Bureau for entry assessments, and upon passing, become trainee investigators.

The helicopter descended.

An investigator dressed in black stepped down and injected a prepared drug into the back of the woman's head.

The injection took effect immediately.

She instantly fell unconscious and released the "Phobia-concretization," returning to the appearance of a normal human.

Then they removed the pitch-black pillar from the woman's body and wrapped her in a special film. That completed the "Imposter packing."

The entire capture operation was remarkably efficient.

The man in black did not leave. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the two young people several dozen meters away.

Having gone through such a dangerous event and come into direct contact with a Pseudo-Human, they needed to undergo relevant examinations and give a detailed account of what had happened that night.

Luo Di did not object. This way, he could receive the highest level of treatment for free.

After all, aside from his pierced palms, Zombie Transformation came with a certain cost.

To wake the class monitor tonight, he had used Zombie Transformation on his face for the first time. Such mutation near the head was extremely dangerous. If it affected his pituitary gland, it could very likely form a Mind Corner.

That was also why,

when the two approached the helicopter, the investigator immediately held Luo Di by the shoulder and performed an on-site nasal swab test. Only after confirming there was no problem did he bring him aboard.

It was worth mentioning that this investigator was the very one who had handled the residential complex lockdown yesterday and had met the two of them.

The helicopter flew to the Jupiter City Investigation Branch. The branch occupied an enormous area, much of which was used for helicopter parking.

The entire building formed a ring around the landing field.

Before the helicopter even touched down, employees from the City Research Bureau were already waiting below. They would transfer away the captured Pseudo-Human, after which related work would be carried out by the Experimental Department of the Research Bureau.

As for the two young people who had directly experienced the incident, they first needed psychological examinations and physical treatment.

The sun rose.

Three and a half hours had already passed.

Luo Di's Zombie Transformation had safely been lifted under the effects of medication and had not caused much harm to his body. His two pierced palms had also received medical treatment, with bandages wrapped around them.

As for the class monitor, who had been possessed, she only needed to continuously take a special medicine over the next few days to expel the residual impurities from her body. It would not affect her normal life.

Of course, for the next month, the class monitor would need to undergo frequent psychological examinations.

The two were allowed to go to the investigators' cafeteria and enjoy a delicious breakfast for free.

After an entire night of life-and-death danger and tedious physical examinations, both were exhausted. As they ate, they began struggling against their drooping eyelids.

But the Investigation Bureau seemed deliberately unwilling to give them time to rest. As soon as breakfast ended, they were sent to an interview room.

The investigator responsible for questioning and recording them was still that same man. It seemed that once an investigator had been assigned to an incident, they had to see it through to the end.

However,

he had already removed the Black Clothes he wore during missions. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and had his hair slicked back. His pitch-black pupils resembled the black pillar that had pierced through Spider Woman's body yesterday.

A work badge was pinned to his chest—Ge Wenzhu.

Luo Di was the first to give a detailed account of what had happened last night.

When Ge Wenzhu heard the details, including how Luo Di had used zombie teeth to help remove the possession, he rapidly adjusted his glasses to conceal the flash of surprise that crossed his face.

After Ge Wenzhu had recorded the entire course of events, he looked at the two again.

"Since you contributed to the capture of the Pseudo-Human, Wu Huazhen, the Investigation Bureau will provide you with appropriate rewards afterward.

"However, before that, based on the account you just gave and the results of your physical examinations, I have some questions.

"Take note.

"The following questions and answers will affect, to a certain extent, my assessment of your personal conditions—whether you possess any latent mutation tendencies."

The topic of rewards had instantly shifted into suspicion toward the two of them, and the atmosphere became strange.

Ge Wenzhu's hands, which had been supporting his chin, suddenly loosened. His right hand moved forward, filling their vision as much as possible, while he slowly raised his index finger.

"First,

"Ms. Wu Huazhen was a Latent Imposter and had already reached maturity.

"We had previously investigated the murders she committed. No clues were left at the scenes. Her methods of concealment were highly effective.

"Of course, it was highly likely that she had received whispered guidance from a Mind Corner, helping her perfect her disguise.

"In any case, the target was skilled at hiding.

"During yesterday's lockdown of the residential complex, she sensed danger in advance and escaped. Yet she took the risk of returning late at night specifically for you two. That is very strange.

"What exactly made her willing to take such an enormous risk to come back for you? Was it really because Student Wu Wen's appearance happened to suit her personal tastes so well?

"Moreover, I remember clearly... Student Wu Wen happened to come over during yesterday's building lockdown, and she also happened to meet Wu Huazhen. Isn't all of this a little too coincidental?"

As he asked this question, the gold-rimmed glasses faced Wu Wen directly, clearly wanting her to answer for herself.

"Perhaps because I knocked on her door and had close contact with her? Or perhaps my appearance matched standards once mentioned by her husband or fiancé?"

The investigator rejected that outright. "No... both previous victims had come into contact with Ms. Wu Huazhen. As for a husband or fiancé, neither existed. Ms. Wu Huazhen had always been single."

Hearing this, Luo Di felt somewhat uncomfortable. Breaking from his usual character, he took the initiative to interrupt.

"Wu Wen spent most of her winter break attending supplementary classes, with only three days off in the middle. Yesterday happened to be the first day of her break. You can verify that directly with her family. There is no need to speculate here.

"As for why the Pseudo-Human was willing to take the risk of returning to hunt us down, I believe it was because she had sufficient confidence.

"A perfect infiltration and surprise attack while we slept, with Corner Space as a backup measure. From anyone's perspective, two underage students could not possibly have survived such circumstances.

"That woman thought the same."

Luo Di's explanation greatly satisfied the investigator.

In truth, Ge Wenzhu had already believed that Wu Wen was normal. After all, she had been possessed during this incident, which was enough to rule out most concerns. Her subsequent psychological assessment by the Investigation Bureau had also been entirely normal.

The person Ge Wenzhu truly wanted to question was Luo Di.

Taking advantage of Luo Di's interruption, the gold-rimmed glasses slowly turned toward him. At the same time, Ge Wenzhu handed over a photograph—a solo photo of Luo Di taken when the helicopter landed.

His face had been enlarged.

His half-zombified face looked rather horrifying.

However, there was another extremely conspicuous feature. His entire eye was bloodshot, and a thick vein ran directly across the pupil.

"Red Vein Through Eye... In our past investigations, only extremely deranged killers displayed such a gaze while hunting.

"Did you want to kill someone at that time?

"Was it only because we arrived that you were forced to restrain your urge to kill?"

Ge Wenzhu's sudden change of topic and pointed questioning stunned even the class monitor. Yet Luo Di, the subject of the question, immediately answered.

"That's right. I wanted to kill that Pseudo-Human completely, until she could no longer exhale even a single breath."

"Oh? Very good!"

Ge Wenzhu nodded, revealing a satisfied smile. The overall atmosphere relaxed as well.

"Before even graduating, you earned the Research Bureau's recognition and were experimentally granted a Corner-transforming item. You used it skillfully against a true Pseudo-Human, even applying it innovatively, helping remove a possession and ultimately surviving.

"There was not a trace of fear or hesitation in your eyes—only the determination to kill.

"If regulations did not restrict me, I would recruit you right now."