A Tragic March

"What's the situation?"

Seeing Madam Ji Zijun emerge from the temporary psychological assessment room with a folder in her arms, Gaden, deputy director of the medical department at the NERC Site, asked in a deep voice.

--Compared to the infectious disease that had broken out in the town, the Foundation was actually more concerned about the cultists hiding among the townspeople.

"Most of the Class D memory erasures went smoothly. However, there are a few severely affected cultists. I recommend Class I long-term memory blocking for them. The containment object's psychological influence on them far exceeded our estimates. Even after their memories were erased, seeing similar cult objects still triggered fragments of their implicit memories. If possible, I suggest relocating these people out of Commus Town, as far away as possible."

As Ji Zijun spoke, she handed over the documents in her hand.

Class D memory erasure was a form of anterograde retrograde amnesia, used to eliminate early memories. It worked by anchoring the oldest memories and then proceeding toward newer memories to erase them.

The Cult of Abundance had an enormous influence over its believers, and the possibility that it could spread unknown memes could not be ruled out.

Therefore, the Foundation had no choice but to use Class D memory erasure to eliminate its influence as thoroughly as possible.

"The Foreign Affairs Office has another job now. Relocating an entire town won't be easy. I bet that old fellow Granhan will apply for the Fountain of Youth after reading this report, just to repair that gleaming bald spot of his."

Gaden flipped through the documents, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

"The key issue now is the God of Abundance. I have a feeling that until we contain it, we won't be able to rest easy." A trace of worry appeared on Ji Zijun's face.

"Don't worry. Compared to the Spacetime Lantern Incident, it's much easier to deal with. The worst we can do is lock it up and feed it regularly." Gaden was well-traveled and knowledgeable, and his tone was relaxed.

"Feed it?" Ji Zijun froze.

"Ding, ding, ding..." Just then, her Bluetooth earpiece suddenly rang.

"Ji Zijun, report to the entrance of the temporary camp immediately. Emergency mission!" The voice in the earpiece was filled with urgency.

"What mission?" Ji Zijun asked in astonishment.

"Lord of the Lantern Arthur has appeared. We need you to act as a communication medium and attempt contact again."

"What happened?"

Seeing Ji Zijun's expression suddenly change, Gaden couldn't help asking.

"Arthur has appeared."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Gaden felt his scalp go numb, and his blood rush upward.

Why had he thought that the God of Abundance would be easier to deal with than the Spacetime Lantern?

Ultimately, it was because this was a non-proliferating containment object.

It looked terrifying, but the destructive power it caused was actually quite limited. In other words, as long as no one entered that villa, there would basically be no problem.

Of course, according to the investigation results, the God of Abundance might be able to influence the surrounding area through some unknown means and lure certain believers inside. Even so, its destructive power remained quite limited.

But what about Lord of the Lantern Arthur?

That man was a real nuisance. He had long legs and could run. More importantly, once the lantern in his hand left its master's side, it would expand without limit. Everything touched by its light would have its vitality extinguished.

Who could withstand that?

Especially after the first time they had tricked him into entering a containment site, triggering the Plague Doctor's rampage and causing it to attack him, only for him and the Plague Doctor to mysteriously disappear together, the Foundation had essentially confirmed one thing.

--He, or the Spacetime Lantern, possessed the ability to travel through time and space.

They had thought the matter was over. From a certain perspective, that was even a good thing, since he had taken the Plague Doctor away.

But no one had expected him to show up again.

How could Gaden not be shocked?

In truth, Gaden's thoughts were also the consensus among the Foundation's higher-ups.

Protecting humanity from fear and allowing people to live beneath the sunlight was the Foundation's core mission. It was also the standard by which they defined containment objects.

The mysterious and unfathomable Arthur had not displayed any obvious hostility for the time being.

But that did not change the fact that he possessed the ability to cause immense destruction to human society.

However, it was precisely because he had not displayed any obvious hostility that, upon discovering him, the Foundation had abandoned immediate containment and instead decided to send negotiation experts to try to establish communication.

Of course, the Foundation's higher-ups had another, deeper consideration.

No one knew whether killing him would cause the Crystal Lantern to run completely out of control.

It was under these layers of strategic consideration that Ji Zijun, who had successfully contained Arthur before, was urgently summoned and dispatched to the front line.

"Madam Ji Zijun, would you like to make a will?"

Inside the commercial vehicle heading to the destination, Ji Zijun had just finished hearing several orders from the higher-ups when an assistant beside her seized the opportunity to ask in a low voice.

As soon as the words fell, the commercial vehicle fell silent.

That included every channel connected to the vehicle.

Arthur had been attacked by the Plague Doctor at the NERC Site. Although the incident had not been caused by the Foundation, Arthur might not know that.

Thus, the Foundation's higher-ups were deeply pessimistic about this contact.

Yet they still insisted on sending Ji Zijun.

Ji Zijun did not resist either.

That was the Foundation.

"No need."

Ji Zijun gently shook her head.

The commercial vehicle fell completely silent.

Before long, the vehicle came to a steady stop by the roadside, and a staff member immediately rushed over to open the door for Ji Zijun.

"Walk down this street and stop at the intersection. You'll be able to wait for him there."

The staff member pointed at an empty street in the town and reminded her.

"I understand."

Ji Zijun nodded, drew a deep breath, and began walking toward the end of the street.

At that moment, the clerical staff beside the vehicle, the field agents, the Tactical Response Members, and even the few Task Force members hidden in the darkness all watched in silence as this girl, who had only recently begun working at the site, walked away. A tragic resolve rose in their hearts.

The sun was setting in the west. The evening clouds stretched a long shadow behind her, making her seem exceptionally lonely and desolate.

No one knew what kind of state of mind Ji Zijun would have as she crossed the not-so-long street.

She had just reached the intersection when she saw a candle flame at the end of the road, slowly drifting toward her.

The orange-yellow flame opened up an independent space of pale yellow beneath the dim twilight, sheltering its master.

In the candlelight, Arthur was no longer as helpless and bewildered as when he had first appeared before Ji Zijun, as if he might collapse and go mad at any moment.

Now, his face was cold and resolute, and a hint of madness still flickered in his eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Arthur!"

Ji Zijun raised her right hand and greeted him cautiously.

Ning Xiuyuan cast her a sidelong glance, unmoved, and continued forward along the street.

That single glance made Ji Zijun's scalp tingle. She hurried after him and gritted her teeth.

"Mr. Arthur, I'm truly sorry about what happened last time. The person who attacked you wasn't one of our people, but our con... guest. We never expected him to suddenly go berserk. We're very sorry that this happened, and we hope you won't be angry."

Angry?

No, no, no. How could I be angry?

I should thank him for delivering the Plague Disciple to me!

A trace of a smile appeared at the corner of Ning Xiuyuan's lips, but it quickly faded. He thought of the spiritual imprint of the Du Sect that had hindered him from using the Plague Disciple's power.

That Bird-beaked Monster must have attacked him because it had been influenced by the Du Sect's spiritual imprint, right?

What a poor, unlucky bastard!

A jumble of thoughts flashed through Ning Xiuyuan's mind.

He couldn't be bothered to explain. He continued forward, and nothing attracted his attention more than the supernatural trait bestowed by the God of Abundance.

At that moment, after apologizing on behalf of the Foundation, Ji Zijun's heart instantly tightened.

She had even prepared herself for Arthur to become enraged.

The very concept of time seemed to freeze along with it.

One second... three seconds... five seconds... After several breaths, Ji Zijun's tense heart slowly sank. Watching Arthur continue silently on his way, she felt her heart pound as cold sweat dampened her clothes, giving her the sensation of having narrowly escaped death.

Indeed, if Arthur had been angry and furious, their first meeting would probably have been the moment of her death.

Since he had not struck her down, perhaps he did not care about the Plague Doctor's attack at all.

The Plague Doctor's rampage was a major incident in the eyes of the Foundation, but in Arthur's eyes, it might have been nothing more than an insignificant trifle.

Naturally, it was not enough to make him vent his anger on the Foundation.

"Mr. Arthur, may I ask how the Plague Doctor is doing? I mean, the guest who attacked you."

Ning Xiuyuan's silence gave Ji Zijun immense courage, and she instinctively asked the question that had troubled the NERC Site and even the entire Foundation.