Risk of Loss of Control

"This meeting today isn't for you to discuss academic research!"

Seeing that the entire office had fallen into deep thought over a single estimated figure, the man sitting at the leftmost end of the desk, who looked to be around fifty years old, tapped on the conference table. With a stern expression, he reminded them, "What we need to discuss now is whether recruiting and using a mutant with such a high risk of losing control is in accordance with regulations!"

"What's not in accordance with regulations?"

Chen Jing frowned and asked the man, "His performance today was very good!"

"But everyone saw that his mental state wasn't normal…"

The man retorted coldly, "His previous handling of the No. 041 source of pollution already showed his madness, and in his recent conversation with you, it was even more evident that he suffers from severe schizophrenia. If such a person, with an extremely high mental level, were to lose control, have you considered how much harm it would bring to Satellite City No. 2, or even the main city?"

Chen Jing seemed to have heard such arguments many times. She directly asked, "Then what do you want?"

The man was silent for a moment, then said, "When the research project on mental anomalies was initially approved, there were clear regulations. If the risk of losing control reached 80%, recruitment and guidance were strictly forbidden. If the risk of losing control reached 90%, preparations for immediate cleanup were to be made…"

"While he may not yet be ready for cleanup, he clearly has an extremely high risk coefficient for losing control!"

"For someone like him, I hope he can always remain in a state where he can be monitored and controlled."

"In other words, I'd rather spend money keeping him under surveillance than have him interact too much with mental pollution incidents!"

"…"

"Objection!"

Chen Jing stated, "We can only confirm his high mental level for now; we cannot definitively say his risk of losing control is high based on that!"

The man's voice carried a hint of anger, "He is a patient with dissociative identity disorder!"

Hearing this, Chen Jing suddenly felt a strange sensation.

She inexplicably recalled Lu Xin's words from earlier and instinctively said, "Perhaps the problem isn't that he can see his family…"

"But rather that we can't?"

"…"

Her words instantly silenced the conference room.

The man frowned tightly and exclaimed, "Are you crazy too?"

Another staff member wearing glasses whispered, "It's similar to the mental monsters. The weather was clear that day, and the Crimson Moon's light was also abundant. Many people saw the faint shape of the mental monster, but they didn't see his so-called… family. This also suggests that the sister he mentioned is indeed a fantasy, not something… we can't see!"

Chen Jing shook her head and said no more. Her words from earlier were indeed a bit absurd in the eyes of others.

So, she smiled, cheered herself up, and looked at the middle-aged man, saying, "If you believe his threat when he loses control is too great and want to refuse to guide him, or even monitor him completely or expel him, have you considered what happens if he loses control because he lacks guidance, or if actions like monitoring or expulsion provoke him? Who will bear the risk then?"

The middle-aged man fell silent.

In his opinion, Chen Jing was being deliberately difficult, although her point was indeed hard to refute.

"Heh heh, let's not argue; discussing this is pointless!"

Seeing the tense atmosphere at the start of the meeting, an elder with a round, smiling face, resembling an official, who sat in the middle position, tried to smooth things over. "We are all working for Qinggang City, for the reconstruction of civilization and order. Colonel Chen is considering how to resolve the increasing number of mental pollution incidents in the city, while Minister Shen is considering how to avoid the troubles caused by the risk of losing control. Since our goals are the same, there will surely be good solutions!"

Chen Jing slowly exhaled and said, "I still maintain my stance. I never believe that potential threats and actual risks of losing control can be conflated. So many cases have already proven that mutants are far more precise in dealing with pollution incidents, with the fewest casualties. As for the dangers you worry about from mutants losing control themselves…"

"That's precisely what Professor Bai previously proposed: to guide and cultivate these mutants to prevent them from losing control…"

"Guidance and cultivation are done when the risk of losing control is below a certain threshold!"

Minister Shen, unable to refute, sneered, "And you want to guide a patient in an extremely unstable condition?"

Chen Jing retorted, "The patient you speak of just helped Qinggang avoid a disaster!"

"And without any investigation personnel casualties!"

"…"

The middle-aged man's expression turned somewhat indignant. "There's no need for these pointless words. I still maintain my opinion. Based on the initial standards of the Qinggang City Mental Anomaly Research Project, this person's risk of losing control has clearly reached 80%, or even higher. I believe such a person should not be recruited, let alone guided. If Colonel Chen insists on recruiting him, then afterwards you can sign a document, and if this person truly loses control, you will bear all the risks!"

Chen Jing, angered, slammed the table.

Just as a dispute was about to continue, Corporal Han Bing, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

"Wait, we're getting a signal from Professor Bai!"

Upon hearing the name "Professor Bai," everyone's expression sharpened, and they instinctively sat up straighter.

Soon, the projection equipment on the four walls began to work. Beside the conference table, light and shadow intertwined, outlining an old man with silver hair, wearing a white suit and leaning on a cane. Once his entire figure was projected, he nodded to the people around the conference table. "I know what you are discussing, and I have also reviewed the young man's file!"

Chen Jing quickly stood up and said, "Professor Bai!"

The old man in the white suit nodded to her and said, "Minister Shen's concerns are valid. This young man's risk of losing control is not low!"

"Similarly, his mental level may also be higher than you imagine."

"…"

"What?"

Chen Jing's expression immediately became complicated.

"In my opinion, an 80% risk of losing control might even be an underestimate!"

Professor Bai sighed softly, then turned to someone beside him and said, "Scan that document and send it to them!"

The projection equipment began to work, and soon, an image of a paper document was scanned in front of everyone, including Chen Jing. Although it was just a phantom image, the content on the document could be clearly seen.

"The Crimson Moon Orphanage explosion incident?"

Looking at the heading on the document, everyone's expression grew solemn.

"This report is from when this young man was at the Crimson Moon Orphanage!"

Professor Bai tapped his cane. "Ten years ago, there was a suspected explosion incident in Satellite City No. 2. The entire orphanage was destroyed, and only two people survived. One was him, and the other is the current principal of Crimson Moon Elementary School, Zeng Xiaolu. Of course, their orphanage was not compliant... and there are many suspicious points about that explosion now..."

"Our department hadn't been officially established back then, and we were short-handed, lacking the ability to analyze and observe. We could only close the case hastily, with the City No. 2 Police Department handling it as an explosion. But now, looking back at the old files, we've found many suspicious points."

"There were no traces of gunpowder or other explosives at the scene, yet all the buildings were completely destroyed..."

"..."

Chen Jing listened to these words, her expression gradually becoming solemn. "Are you saying..."

Professor Bai nodded. "Based on my analysis, this is very likely a terrifying psionic power loss of control incident..."

"Psionic power loss of control..."

Chen Jing was slightly startled. "A psionic power loss of control incident that instantly destroyed a three-story building..."

In the entire office, all the projections seemed quiet at this moment, or rather, astonished.

If having three hundred units of mental level without guidance from the start was merely surprising, then if he could cause a psionic power loss of control incident that destroyed a three-story building ten years ago...

Just how high would this mental level be?

This was a figure no one dared to contemplate, akin to the difference between a bullet and a bomb!