A Heroic Departure

"How are things going?"

Gaden, the deputy director of the NERC site's medical department, asked in a deep voice as he saw Ji Zijun emerge from the temporary psychological assessment room, holding a folder.

—Compared to the outbreak of infectious diseases in the town, the Foundation was actually more concerned about the cultists hidden among the townsfolk.

"Most Class D memory erasures went smoothly, but for a few severe cultists, I recommend Class I long-term memory blocking. The anomaly's psychological impact on them far exceeded our estimations. Even after their memories were erased, seeing items similar to those used by the cult still stirred up some of their implicit memories. If possible, I suggest relocating these individuals away from Commus Town, as far as possible."

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

Class D memory erasure is a form of anterograde retrograde amnesia used to erase early memories. It works by anchoring the oldest memories and then proceeding forward to erase newer ones.

The Cult of Abundance has a significant influence on its believers, and the possibility of spreading unknown memetic agents cannot be ruled out.

Therefore, the Foundation had to use Class D memory erasure to eliminate its influence to the greatest extent possible.

"The diplomatic affairs office has more work to do. Relocating an entire town isn't a simple task. I bet that old Granhan will apply for the Fountain of Youth to fix his shiny bald spot after he gets his hands on this report."

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

"The key now is the God of Abundance. I have a feeling that we won't be able to rest until it's contained," Ji Zijun said, a flicker of worry on her face.

"Don't worry, it's much easier to handle than the spacetime lantern incident. The worst-case scenario is just sealing it up and feeding it regularly," Gaden said casually, his tone relaxed due to his extensive experience.

"Feeding it?" Ji Zijun blinked in surprise.

"Ring ring ring…" Just then, her Bluetooth headset suddenly rang.

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

"What mission?" Ji Zijun asked, stunned.

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

"What's wrong?"

Gaden couldn't help but ask as he saw Ji Zijun's expression change drastically.

"Arthur has appeared."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Gaden felt his scalp tingle, and blood rushed to his head.

Why did he think the God of Abundance was easier to handle than the spacetime lantern?

Ultimately, it was because the God of Abundance was a non-spreading anomaly.

It looked terrifying, but in reality, its destructive power was very limited. One could say that as long as one didn't enter the villa, there was basically no problem.

Of course, according to the investigation results, the God of Abundance might influence the surrounding areas through some unknown means, luring some believers in, but even so, its destructive power remained very limited.

What about the Lord of the Lantern, Arthur?

This fellow was much more troublesome. He had legs and could move. The key was that once the lantern in his hand left his owner, it would expand infinitely, and wherever its light shone, all life would be extinguished.

Who could handle that?

Especially after the first time he was tricked into the containment site, causing the Plague Doctor to lose control and be attacked by him, only for both of them to mysteriously disappear together, the Foundation had basically confirmed one thing.

—He, or the spacetime lantern, possessed the ability to traverse time and space.

They thought this matter was over. From a certain perspective, it was even a good thing, as he had taken the Plague Doctor with him.

But no one expected him to show up again?

How could this not shock Gaden?

In fact, Gaden's thoughts were also the consensus of the Foundation's higher-ups.

Protecting humanity from fear and allowing them to live in the sunlight was the Foundation's core tenet and their standard for defining anomalies.

The mysterious Arthur had not shown any proactive aggression for the time being.

However, this did not negate his ability to cause immense destruction to human society.

But precisely because he had not yet shown proactive aggression, the Foundation had decided to forgo containment upon discovering him and instead dispatch negotiation experts to establish communication.

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

That is, no one knew if killing him would cause the crystal lantern to completely lose control?

Under this series of strategic considerations, Ji Zijun, who had experience successfully containing Arthur, was unexpectedly summoned and dispatched to the front lines.

"Ms. Ji Zijun, would you like to write a will?"

In the business van heading to the destination, after Ji Zijun had finished listening to several directives from the higher-ups, an auxiliary staff member next to her seized the opportunity to ask in a low voice.

As soon as the words fell, the business van fell silent.

Including all channels connected to the business van.

Arthur had been attacked by the Plague Doctor at the NERC site. Although this was not the Foundation's doing, Arthur might not know that?

Therefore, the Foundation's higher-ups were filled with pessimism about this contact.

But they still insisted on sending Ji Zijun.

Ji Zijun did not resist either.

This is the Foundation.

"No need."

Ji Zijun gently shook her head.

At this point, the business vehicle fell completely silent.

Before long, the car stopped steadily by the roadside, and staff immediately rushed over to open the car door for Ji Zijun.

"Walk across this street, and stop at the intersection. You'll be able to meet him there."

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

"I understand."

Ji Zijun nodded, took a deep breath, and walked towards the end of the street.

At this moment, the clerical staff, field agents, and tactical response members by the car, as well as the few task force members hidden in the shadows, all watched the girl, who had only recently started working at the site, with a sense of solemn tragedy.

As the sun set, the evening clouds in the sky cast a long shadow behind her, making her appear exceptionally lonely and desolate.

No one knew what state of mind Ji Zijun would be in as she walked down the not-so-long street.

As soon as she reached the intersection, she saw a candlelight at the end of the road, slowly floating towards her.

The orange candlelight, in the dim twilight, created a small, pale yellow space, sheltering its owner.

In the candlelight, Arthur no longer appeared as helpless and lost as he had the first time he met Ji Zijun, as if he could collapse into madness at any moment.

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

"Hello, Mr. Arthur!"

Ji Zijun raised her right hand and greeted him cautiously.

Ning Xiuyuan glanced at her from the corner of his eye, unmoved, and continued to advance along the street.

That glance made Ji Zijun's scalp tingle. She quickly chased after him and said through gritted teeth:

"Mr. Arthur, I am truly sorry about the accident last time. The person who attacked you was not one of ours, but our contained... guest. We didn't expect him to suddenly go berserk. We are very sorry that this happened, and we hope you are not angry."

Angry?

No, no, no, how could I be angry?

I should thank him for bringing me the Plague Disciple!

A smile flickered across Ning Xiuyuan's lips, but it quickly disappeared. He thought of the Prefect's mental imprint that hindered him from unleashing the Plague Disciple's power.

He figured that the bird-beaked怪人 attacked him because he was influenced by the Prefect's mental imprint.

What a pitiful, unlucky fellow!

Conflicting thoughts flashed through Ning Xiuyuan's mind.

He didn't bother to explain and continued to move forward. Nothing attracted his attention more than the extraordinary characteristic gifted by the God of Abundance.

At this moment, Ji Zijun, representing the Foundation's apology, felt her heart instantly clench after apologizing.

She had even prepared herself for Arthur to be enraged.

The concept of time seemed to stop.

One second... three seconds... five seconds... After several breaths, Ji Zijun's tense heart slowly relaxed. She looked at Arthur, who was still silently on his way, her heart pounding. Cold sweat soaked her clothes, and she felt as if she had narrowly escaped death.

Indeed, if Arthur had been angry, this would have been the moment of her death when they first met.

Since he hadn't acted lethally, it meant he probably didn't care about the Plague Doctor's attack at all.

The Plague Doctor's loss of control incident was a major event in the eyes of their Foundation, but in Arthur's eyes, it was perhaps just a trivial matter.

This was naturally not enough to make him vent his anger on the Foundation!

"Mr. Arthur, how is the Plague Doctor? The guest who attacked you."

Arthur's silence gave Ji Zijun infinite courage, and she subconsciously asked the question that troubled the NERC site, and even the entire Foundation.