That day, Lu Xin truly broadened his horizons.
He stood where he was and watched. In less than half an hour, the rumble of vehicles sounded, and one heavy truck after another drove into the desolate factory complex. Some set up temporary lighting equipment, some carried pump after pump, and others hauled bundles of plastic piping. Then teams of members in protective suits climbed down from the trucks and quickly assembled the pumps, extending the pipes into the lake.
At the same time, on the other side, seven or eight teams were already digging pits with shovels and opening channels to divert the water.
They had clearly already carried out their calculations. They intended to divert the lake water into another low-lying area nearby.
Further away, military vehicles arrived as well. One after another, they were parked sideways in a line. Fully armed soldiers used the vehicles as cover and sealed off the entire area. What had originally been a desolate abandoned factory complex soon became bustling with activity.
"Thump, thump, thump."
Dozens of pumps began working at once, and the water level in the small lake quickly dropped.
Watching this grand operation, Lu Xin and Qin Ran could not help swallowing. "Amazing!"
"Handling Mental Pollution incidents is an extremely dangerous job to begin with. If anything goes wrong, it not only puts us in danger but may also trigger an immeasurable disaster. That is why our work has always followed two principles."
Chen Jing spoke calmly to Lu Xin over the channel. "First, if physical means can solve the problem, use physical means."
"Second, if it can be dealt with by covering the area with firepower, then cover it with firepower!"
"..."
Hearing this, Lu Xin took a long while before sighing. "The power of the collective..."
"It's almost done. Support teams, withdraw. Investigation teams, begin work. Be ready to cover the area with firepower at any time!"
Once the water level had fallen by more than half, Chen Jing issued another order.
All the support personnel immediately retreated into the distance. They did not even drive the vehicles away, and some did not bother taking their shovels.
The entire area was once again left with only Lu Xin and Qin Ran, the three members of the investigation team, and Sister and the others.
The only difference was that rows of armed blockades had appeared in the distance, along with curious yet wary eyes.
"After the lake has been drained, the people responsible for investigating it will still be you."
Chen Jing spoke through the earpiece. "We still can't determine whether this Pollution Source is highly contagious or weakly contagious."
"Although the data we have obtained so far suggests that weak contagion is more likely, such bizarre incidents often come with sudden changes that defy understanding. We can't afford to be careless. If it's weakly contagious, that's fine, but if we encounter a highly contagious Pollution Source, sending too many people close to it may instead provide it with more hosts for its Pollution, causing an even greater disaster."
Listening to her, Lu Xin suddenly understood.
The rows of armed personnel outside were not only guarding against the Mental Monster that might exist beneath the lake.
They were also watching him and the members of the investigation team.
If he or any of the investigation team members became contaminated, they would shoot them without mercy.
"I understand now why the pay is so high..."
He muttered under his breath.
Hearing this through the channel, Chen Jing suddenly laughed. "Your attitude toward work is pretty good. I'll help you apply for an additional reward."
Lu Xin's mood immediately improved considerably.
Before long, nearly all the water in the lake had been pumped out. Under the ghastly white lights, the mud at the bottom of the lake could be seen, along with scattered little puddles. Quite a few fish and shrimp were desperately opening and closing their gills, leaping frantically through the mud beneath the lights.
"That's enough!"
The members of the investigation team put on their helmets, then turned questioning looks toward Lu Xin.
"I don't need one."
Lu Xin waved his hand.
Chen Jing had previously told him that one advantage of a Mental Mutant was that they were not as easily contaminated. Besides that, he seemed able to see the bodies of those Mental Monsters. If he put on a helmet, his vision might be obstructed, making it harder to see the monsters clearly and dodge their attacks.
Of course, he had his own considerations, but in the eyes of the investigation team, this behavior only made him seem more mysterious.
"Is this what a Mutant is?"
They secretly wondered.
As members of the investigation team, they knew that several Ability Users existed in Qinggang City, but this was their first time working with one.
A long time ago, especially before Mental Mutants had been discovered and recruited, investigations into Mental Pollution incidents had mostly relied on filling the gaps with their own lives...
After setting up the monitoring device and picking up their firearms, Lu Xin and the investigation team members slowly entered the muddy lakebed.
The silver monitoring device shone steadily beneath the lights, emitting a reassuring green glow.
They probed forward little by little. It looked as though they were advancing step by step, but in Lu Xin's eyes, Sister was running across the mud. She was still very fast, running here to take a look and then there to take a look. Under the moonlight, her tiny body cast a faint, blurred shadow, yet wherever she passed, she left no trace, no matter how soft the mud was.
At last, she seemed to have confirmed something and suddenly stopped. Raising her little hand, she pointed toward a spot near the center of the lake.
Lu Xin pretended not to see Sister, but deliberately guided the members of the investigation team toward the center of the lake.
From a distance, they could already see a small puddle in the center of the lakebed.
Sister was now seven or eight meters away from the puddle, pointing at it.
Lu Xin and the investigation team members slowly approached. Suddenly, the light on the monitoring device turned red.
At the same time, an extremely faint voice sounded. "Qin Ran, you caused my death..."
"What was that?"
Lu Xin and the three members of the investigation team abruptly halted.
In an instant, they felt the hairs on their bodies stand on end.
That faint voice continued to drift over, almost inaudible. "Qin Ran, you caused my death. I want you to pay with your life..."
"It... it... it's that..."
As the voice rang out, one of the investigation team members suddenly cried out in a trembling voice and pointed toward a certain spot.
Everyone followed his gaze. On the mud at the bottom of the lake lay a crucian carp the size of a palm. It was pressed against the wet mud, gasping desperately because it could not breathe, and that faint voice came from its mouth.
"Qin Ran, you caused my death..."
The light from the floodlights by the lake shone onto the fish, making it look ghastly and unnatural.
Its pitch-black eyes were fixed on the direction of Qin Ran on the shore, and it was shouting with all its strength.
Whether it was an illusion or reality, the Crimson Moon in the sky seemed especially bright at that moment.
Dark red light spilled over everyone's heads.
Suddenly, another voice joined in, shouting together with it. "Qin Ran killed me! Make him pay with his life..."
Lu Xin and the others quickly looked around and followed the sound to another fish struggling in the mud.
"Qin Ran, you killed me..."
"I had no grudge against you. Why did you kill me...?"
Before long, a third voice rang out, overlapping with the others.
Then came a fourth, followed by a fifth, then a sixth...
More and more fish began opening their mouths. Their voices overlapped, growing louder and louder. In the end, they became deafening, and gradually fell into perfect unison. Lu Xin and the others felt as though they were witnessing an extraordinarily insane scene:
Beneath the Crimson Moon, every fish was screaming with all its might, emitting shrill cries that made their heads feel as though they were splitting apart:
"Qin Ran harmed me! Murderers must pay with their lives..."
"Qin Ran harmed me! Murderers must pay with their lives..."
"Qin Ran harmed me! Murderers must pay with their lives..."
Before you continue