"What happened?"
Chen Jing's urgent voice came through the channel.
The sound quality in the earphones had originally been exceptionally clear, but at this moment, it seemed difficult to make out.
Under the Crimson Moon, it seemed as if all the fish were screaming at the tops of their voices. It was a scene of madness beyond description. They thrashed about, their mouths opening and closing, their tail fins pounding hard against the ground. The sounds pouring from their mouths seemed to converge into a terrifying force, wave after wave, like sharp needles stabbing into the brain as they bombarded the ears of Lu Xin and the others.
Under these circumstances, the three members of the investigation team also hurriedly clutched their guns and looked around in panic, even forgetting to answer.
"It's the Pollution Source..."
In his urgency, Lu Xin could only manage to shout those few words.
"Quick..."
Chen Jing's voice rang out immediately afterward, as if she were rushing to issue an order.
"Splash..."
But at that very moment, a red tide suddenly surged rapidly toward Lu Xin and the three members of the investigation team.
The red tide was like the crimson moonlight cascading down from the sky, possessing a consciousness of its own. It swept up many fish that were struggling and screaming on the lakebed in its midst. It came abnormally fast, reaching Lu Xin and the others almost in the blink of an eye. At the same time, explosive cracks rang out. Under this force, all the fish burst apart, spraying blood and scraps of flesh in every direction.
Lu Xin and the three members of the investigation team had almost no time to react before they were struck by the force and sent tumbling four or five meters backward into the mud. Their bodies were covered with who knew how many fish scales and clumps of mud, leaving them all looking extremely bedraggled.
But it was not over yet. Beneath the Crimson Moon, several faint shadows seemed to flash past.
Almost in an instant, the three members of the investigation team were violently lifted into the air and began struggling desperately.
The instruments and other items in their hands fell to the ground one after another.
From the earphones lying in the mud came Chen Jing's shout: "Retreat immediately, hurry..."
Three fully armed soldiers suddenly flew into the air. The sight was both eerie and terrifying.
The soldiers responsible for sealing off the area in the distance widened their eyes when they saw this.
Lu Xin, however, had not been lifted into the air. Just as he climbed to his feet, he saw a figure rush in front of him.
The figure was dark red and had opened its arms, as if it wanted to embrace him.
At that speed, Lu Xin could hardly dodge, but in his urgency, a small, icy hand suddenly grasped his palm. At that instant, Lu Xin's movements suddenly became strange. He planted one hand on the ground, twisted his waist, and flipped to the left, then retreated two or three meters, narrowly avoiding the figure's "embrace."
It was Sister. She had arrived at his side in time and pulled him away.
By this point, when Lu Xin looked ahead again, his pupils could not help but contract slightly.
The three members of the investigation team were already floating in midair. Their postures were stiff and twisted, still frozen in struggling positions, but they had clearly lost all control of themselves. Looking closely, one would find a blurry and bizarre red shadow clinging tightly to each of their backs, gripping their arms and winding around their legs.
Behind those shadows, faint vines could be seen extending toward the puddle at the center of the lake.
"It's a mental shock..."
Before long, the voice of Han Bing, the information analyst, rang out over the channel. Her usually timid voice had almost gone out of tune from anxiety. "According to the data transmitted by the instruments just now, mental energy reaching nearly two hundred levels has erupted. It's confirmed that a Super Level 1 Mental Monster has appeared. It's confirmed that the Mental Plague is breaking out!"
"Raise the Pollution Source infection level to medium and temporarily raise the danger level to high..."
"..."
Listening to this, Chen Jing subconsciously took a deep breath and shouted, "Lu Xin, retreat!"
At the same time, Han Bing's voice followed closely behind: "Watch out for your investigation team comrades..."
As their voices rang out one after another, everyone standing guard nearby saw the three armed members of the investigation team struggling painfully in the air, their faces already turning blue from holding their breath. Their hands and feet, however, seemed to be driven by an invisible force as they slowly turned around, then raised their guns in twisted and grotesque movements.
They seemed to be resisting with all their might, but could not overcome the force controlling them. Suddenly, the gun muzzles opened fire.
As the bullets poured down like rain, one could faintly hear the bearded team leader force out a difficult shout: "Get out of the way!"
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"
The bullets rained down, splashing up sheets of mud.
The instant the bullets fell, Lu Xin had already rushed behind a raised mound of mud and crouched down.
Han Bing shouted, "The target is suspected to be a Super Level 1 Mental Monster. The three armed members of the investigation team have been infected. I recommend immediately withdrawing the surviving investigators and dispatching the City Patrol Army to eliminate the Mental Monster through overwhelming firepower!"
"Agreed!"
Chen Jing's voice rang out coldly. "Also, prepare a helicopter immediately. I'm going to the scene!"
At the same time, she immediately said to Lu Xin, "Lu Xin, withdraw at once. Order everyone to retreat five hundred meters..."
"I can't leave!"
At that moment, Lu Xin suddenly spoke in a low voice, interrupting her.
Chen Jing was startled. "What?"
Lu Xin said, "The three investigation team soldiers haven't been infected yet. They're only being controlled. Besides..."
He abruptly turned his head and glanced over. The City Patrol Army, standing guard a thousand meters away, were merely staring blankly at the three people in the air. Three living men had flown into the sky and suddenly begun firing at their comrades. The sight had stunned them.
Lu Xin said in a low voice, "They won't be able to escape!"
Chen Jing suddenly thought of something and shouted, "You..."
"I'll deal with it!"
By then, Lu Xin had already stated his decision.
"It's dangerous..."
As Chen Jing shouted those two words, Lu Xin had already turned to look toward his left.
Sister was crouching beside him. She gave him a smile that was obviously ugly and eerie, yet somehow seemed radiant.
Then he nodded at Sister and suddenly charged out.
At that moment, the three members of the investigation team in the air could not shoot Lu Xin from their original positions because he was hiding behind the mud slope. Driven by an invisible force, they were slowly drifting over. They tried to find a suitable shooting angle, never expecting Lu Xin to suddenly leap out on his own and charge straight toward them in an almost absurdly reckless manner.
Under the control of some force, they immediately raised their guns and aimed at Lu Xin.
The three of them could not bear to watch and even closed their eyes, but they still pulled the triggers against their will.
The bullets poured wildly toward Lu Xin.
But after rushing out from behind the mud slope, Lu Xin extended a hand to the side as he ran.
Sister ran beside him and extended her hand as well.
The large and small palms clasped together, and Lu Xin's figure instantly blurred.
It was as if he had transformed from a human into a ghost.
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