Threat

"That wasn't the answer I was hoping to hear," Lu Hongming said flatly.

"Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

"Have you ever considered the people of this city? Once Tianfu City's order falls into chaos, countless people will..."

Before Lu Hongming could finish, Sun Hang interrupted him once again. "Moral blackmail doesn't work on me. If you people had truly considered this city, you never should have planned an event like that... or rather, there never should have been so many 'gears' participating in it."

Sun Hang paused briefly, then said in an almost mocking tone, "Is it really worth taking such a huge risk just to add an insignificant line to your résumé?"

"No one expected something like that to happen, and no one wanted it to happen." Lu Hongming frowned slightly. "But it already happened... As an Anomaly Hunter, as a guardian on the front line of human civilization, you should..."

"As an Anomaly Hunter, as a guardian on the front line of human civilization, I should strictly obey orders—remain on standby," Sun Hang said, emphasizing every word.

"This is dereliction of duty!" Lu Hongming's tone instantly turned stern. "Yang Qi will soon be removed from her post. We'll assign you a more competent direct supervisor."

"But before Yang Qi is removed from her post, I'll only follow her orders." Sun Hang raised an eyebrow. "Besides, can I take this as a threat?"

"This isn't a threat. I'm merely stating the facts," Lu Hongming said.

"Then have you ever considered that standing this close to an Anomaly Hunter is actually a very dangerous thing?" Sun Hang said casually.

With a swish, the soldier seated beside Sun Hang immediately tightened his grip on his weapon. Lu Hongming also straightened slightly in his seat. He slowly exhaled and asked in a low voice, "Are you threatening me?"

"This isn't a threat. I'm merely stating the facts." Sun Hang returned his own words to him.

The soldier instinctively wanted to raise his weapon at Sun Hang, but at some point, fine white fungal threads had already spread throughout the entire vehicle. They crept up from beneath the seats, crawled over the soldier's knees, then followed his wrist to his fingertips, tightly binding his index finger to the trigger guard.

It wasn't just the soldier. Even the lower bodies of the driver and Lu Hongming had been covered by white fungal threads.

"Don't move," Sun Hang reminded him softly. "If you try to resist with brute force, the threads might cut through your skin... I can't guarantee whether you'll be infected by the Anomalization Virus."

The soldier's face went pale, and a flicker of struggle flashed through his eyes.

"Sun Hang! Do you know what you're doing? You're attacking a member of the Tianfu City Management Committee! Do you know the consequences of doing this? No one can protect you! Your hunter credentials will be revoked, and you'll be treated as an ano..."

The fungal threads on Lu Hongming's body crept several inches higher, causing the word "anomaly" to lodge in his throat, impossible to say.

"I'll be treated as an anomaly, is that it?"

"Sun Hang, I can give you one last chance. Stop now and proceed to South City Public Cemetery to participate in the search-and-rescue mission. I can choose not to pursue this matter any further..."

"Commissioner Lu, you know the properties of the Blood Moon, don't you?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Actually, Night Fiend isn't the only hunter affected by the Blood Moon. I was affected too, just not as obviously as she was... Ever since I left that anomalous zone, I've been extremely irritable, easily angered, full of aggression... As everyone knows, Anomaly Hunters and anomalies are fundamentally not that different. Both are dangerous things," Sun Hang said slowly.

"You..."

"Commissioner Lu, truly, you should be grateful for Miss Yang Qi's decision. If she hadn't ordered me to withdraw from the mission area in time... Suppose I had stayed beneath the Blood Moon for another half hour. Where do you think this fungal thread, currently three centimeters from your heart, would be now?"

Sun Hang paused, then continued, "If attacking a Management Committee member would get me hunted as an anomaly, then having me carry out a mission while exposed to the Blood Moon for an extended period... wouldn't be as simple as being 'treated as' one. Maybe I really would become an anomaly."

After Sun Hang said this, the white fungal threads suddenly receded like the tide. Yet the other three people in the vehicle remained frozen in their previous positions, not daring to move in the slightest, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

"Don't be nervous. Thanks to Miss Yang Qi's wise decision, I'm still rational. I was merely demonstrating to Commissioner Lu the terrible consequences that could result if an Anomaly Hunter lost control... Commissioner Lu, you weren't frightened, were you? If I accidentally startled you, then I'm truly sorry for the trouble..." Sun Hang said with an apologetic expression.

"I... I wasn't frightened." Lu Hongming raised a hand and let out a long breath.

"Then how do you think this matter should be handled now?"

"Perhaps Yang Qi's view was correct... I only said perhaps." Lu Hongming spoke somewhat unwillingly. "The Committee will discuss the specific solution further. Also, I hope that once the Blood Moon disappears, you'll head to the anomalous area immediately... I must stress again that every one of those missing people is important to Tianfu City."

"Alright." Sun Hang nodded, but at the same time, he entered Lu Hongming's name into the search bar in his hand. "Commissioner Lu, I heard your wife works at an educational institution, and that you have a son and a daughter..."

"W-what do you mean?!" For the first time since meeting Sun Hang, Lu Hongming's face showed a loss of composure. "I already agreed to let you remain on standby. Why are you bringing this up?!"

"Please don't misunderstand. I merely wanted to remind you that during last night's search-and-rescue operation, more than twenty investigators and Peacekeepers died. Most of them had wives and children too... I hope you'll take proper care of the families of the fallen and ensure their livelihoods. That is far more important than a flower-laying ceremony."

Sun Hang pushed open the car door. Before getting out, he left behind one final remark. "You told me that Anomaly Hunters are guardians on the front line of human civilization... But weren't they also standing on that front line, fighting anomalies with their own flesh and blood?"