Palpitation

Jiang Mian secretly memorized this string of numbers, her mind racing with guesses. Perhaps it was some kind of secret contact method?

After all, where there are people, there is society. Even if Mutants are not well-regarded in this world, they still form a considerable group.

She had flipped through some public Case files before. Among the Mutants, some hid themselves away in isolation, some cautiously blended into crowds, and some... found solace in numbers in the darkness.

Otherwise... how would those inferior Inhibitors be manufactured and circulated?

Demand gives birth to markets. Since even she could easily find these Inhibitors, it proved one thing:

Even if the number of Mutants is far less than that of Awakened, over the years, they have accumulated to a considerable scale.

'It would be great if I could get cheaper Inhibitors from those Mutants who band together...'

For Jiang Mian, finding the location of the Mobile Black Market was not easy, and it was also easy to attract the attention of the Public Security Bureau. Having a stable channel was very important.

While lost in thought, Jiang Mian finished attaching the labels in her hands. Old Zhang put away his record book and told her to change out of her anti-freeze suit, preparing to head to the processing room.

The massive incinerator emitted a low rumble, the air was scorching hot, and filled with a burnt smell.

"Watch carefully. Operate according to the procedure I taught you, and don't get too close."

Old Zhang cautioned her before going to inspect the equipment.

Jiang Mian pushed the trolley, looking at the "people" lying there quietly. They were her "Same Kind," destined to turn to ashes in this merciless furnace...

She still decided to try.

After all... her purpose for coming here was to find "Kindling."

When the first corpse was sent into the furnace opening, although Jiang Mian's Mood was still a bit complicated, she still released a wisp of her power.

In a blind spot of the surveillance, a barely perceptible orange-Golden light merged into the corpse. Ordinary people like Old Zhang couldn't detect it at all.

The corpses were sent into the furnace opening one by one, and then the temperature inside the furnace gradually increased.

"Strange..."

Old Zhang scratched his head in confusion, staring at the control panel with a puzzled expression.

"Why is the efficiency so fast today? The power hasn't been adjusted either..."

Jiang Mian lowered her head, pretending to be busy, and continued to send the "clients" in line to the waiting area by the furnace.

Her flames were mixed in with the furnace fire, so of course, it burned quickly.

This was even after she had intentionally controlled it. If she used maximum power, it would be finished in seconds.

Jiang Mian quietly felt the feedback from her ability. It seemed that because the "Kindling" had been dead for some time, it didn't make her flames much stronger.

'About forty mutant remains... that's roughly the amount from two First Order Calamities?'

After processing this batch, she estimated. It wasn't much, but at least there was some progress.

She had to admit, secretly adding ingredients to the furnace was indeed a good method.

In just one day, Jiang Mian was only five First Order Calamities short.

She had arrived at just the right time, as the previous group was leaving and the bodies hadn't been processed yet.

If she had arrived a few days later, there probably wouldn't have been this many.

Regular mutants, even if mentally unstable, weren't stupid and didn't die that easily. Opportunities for concentrated processing like this weren't common.

The next afternoon.

Because Jiang Mian had secretly tampered with things, the incineration efficiency had increased significantly.

What was supposed to take three days was finished in less than two.

As Jiang Mian finished the last batch, the supervisor, the tired-looking middle-aged man from the interview, arrived at Second District.

"Jiang Mian."

The supervisor's voice was still weak, giving no hint of emotion.

"Supervisor Chen."

"East City will be sending a batch of Calamity remains soon, and we'll need someone to help with the handover and inventory. Get ready, and come with me to First District."

First District? Calamity remains?

Jiang Mian's heart skipped a beat, and she replied obediently:

"Okay, Supervisor Chen."

Couldn't find the book by its title? Try searching for the author, maybe the title has changed!

She picked up her personal belongings from her locker and followed the supervisor through the corridor.

The closer they got to First District, the stronger the aura of Calamity became.

To humans, it might have been a somewhat fishy, strange smell, but to Jiang Mian's current senses, it was similar to Stinky Tofu or Luosifen – a peculiar attraction.

At this moment, the gate to First District was wide open. Shortly after Jiang Mian arrived, a black transport vehicle drove into the factory area and stopped beside the loading platform.

Two people got out of the vehicle. One was lean and composed, while the other looked very young, even somewhat green, likely around Jiang Mian's age.

It was Cheng Qiao and Ye Chenyang.

Supervisor Chen stepped forward and shook hands with Cheng Qiao.

"Captain Cheng, thank you for making the trip."

"It's nothing, it doesn't take much time to drive."

Cheng Qiao waved his hand.

Originally, as the captain of the South District Public Security Bureau's action team, he shouldn't have been doing this kind of work.

Early this morning, there was a situation in the East District, with a large number of low-level Calamities and Mist Creatures gathering outside the city.

After a morning of fighting, they had basically all been killed, and now, transport and cleanup crews were being dispatched there.

Their South District personnel, after a morning of combat, had just returned from East City and took a detour to deliver this batch of remains.

"This batch was cleared out urgently this morning. Please process it as soon as possible. There will be several more batches later."

Supervisor Chen nodded in understanding and turned to hand Jiang Mian a list, adding:

"Xiao Jiang, follow this list and collect the useful materials."

"Okay, Supervisor Chen."

Jiang Mian took the list and glanced at it.

In this world, although Calamities were a threat, their cores or body parts could also be used as special materials. After processing, they could be made into special weapons, armor, or equipment.

This job suited her perfectly. When directly touching them, even with gloves on, she could very discreetly plant a 'Fire Seed' inside, which she could activate later when they were to be destroyed.

Following Supervisor Chen's words, Cheng Qiao's gaze shifted to Jiang Mian.

The young girl's face still held a hint of childishness, making her seem out of place in this environment.

"New recruit?"

"Yes, she just arrived the day before yesterday."

Supervisor Chen sighed and replied:

"Not many people in the old city are willing to do this kind of work for us. We really can't find enough people.

The younger ones usually quit after two or three days. We had to lower our standards, it's unavoidable..."

"Is that so..."

Young girls like Jiang Mian, who were good-looking but willing to work diligently, were indeed rare nowadays.

However... why did Jiang Mian's appearance feel a bit familiar?

Cheng Qiao carefully recalled.

A few days ago, regarding the self-immolation case, the reporting woman had mentioned that a food delivery person had come before the incident occurred.

The platform did not display her information, so they could only investigate bit by bit, eventually pinpointing a general address.

Since there were no backlog cases at the moment, Cheng Qiao had brought his team to investigate yesterday, but they found nothing.

"Young lady, how old are you this year?"

Cheng Qiao asked habitually.

"...Eighteen."

Jiang Mian had already started sorting through materials. Seeing Cheng Qiao standing guard beside her, she felt a little strange.

Had she been exposed?

Impossible...

Just as Cheng Qiao was about to ask more, Ye Chenyang had already finished unloading the goods for the employees.

He walked over, his gaze involuntarily drawn to Jiang Mian.

There seemed to be something about her that caused the power within him to stir for a moment?

Can't find the book by title, you can try searching for the author, maybe they just changed their name!