Deceased Family, Broken Her

"Huh?"

He Yi and Shen Ming both froze.

"My father... used to work at the Base Construction Bureau..."

Jiang Mian explained softly, "Six years ago, he encountered a rare Mist Tide during a mission..."

He Yi had worked in this Base City for nearly twenty years and knew it very well.

Upon hearing this, he instantly understood which accident it was.

Six years ago, the city first attempted to establish a special passage to Base City No. 143, but an accident occurred, encountering a Mist Creature riot.

The strongest among them... was a Fifth-tier Calamity.

At that time, the highest-ranked Awakened in the escort team was barely Fourth-tier, but they were still top experts from Base City No. 144.

In a sudden frontal encounter, they were no match for that Calamity, which led to that... no survivors.

Seeing their silence, Jiang Mian continued on her own, "My mother... was a nurse at West City Hospital. The year before last, an unprecedented epidemic broke out in the city, and she..."

Jiang Mian didn't finish, but the result was obvious.

Regarding the parents in this world, Jiang Mian's memories told her this was the truth.

In her previous life, the cause of her parents' death was similar. She hadn't expected that even in this world, they couldn't escape misfortune.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but show a hint of genuine emotion.

She didn't cry anymore, just sat there silently, looking very dejected.

He Yi felt a lump in his throat, unsure how to comfort her. He could only silently take out Jiang Mian's file from the folder.

The next of kin section showed blank.

He searched for a while longer before finding the files of Jiang Mian's parents, confirming her story was true.

"I'm sorry."

He Yi hadn't expected such circumstances. It wasn't surprising Jiang Mian seemed so well-behaved, but her persistence in awakening must stem from a deep sense of insecurity.

I'm such an idiot...

He couldn't help but want to slap himself, a heavy sense of guilt weighing on his heart.

At this moment, even without Jiang Mian saying more, the two had already filled in the blanks, perfectly patching up the motivation behind Jiang Mian's actions.

She quickly recovered from her emotions. Although it was regrettable, life had to go on.

"Officer..."

Jiang Mian's voice was a little weak, and she looked very tired.

It was already late when she left home. She had planned to quickly buy the potions and go back, but that Mobile Black Market was taken down by these cops.

Jiang Mian had intended to slip away in the chaos but was completely surrounded and had no choice but to pretend to be an innocent girl and be brought in.

"I want to go home..." she whispered.

"Of course, of course."

Hearing this, He Yi quickly got up. He checked the time; it was already 2:30 AM.

"It's very late. We'll give you a ride home."

"Huh?"

Jiang Mian instinctively refused, seeming embarrassed.

"No need to trouble you, Officer. I... I don't live very far..."

"It's no trouble. It's our duty."

Shen Ming chimed in, "Besides, it's not safe for a girl to go home alone this late at night."

He Yi nodded, looking down at Jiang Mian, his guilt resurfacing.

Parents died in the line of duty, living alone, and just experienced the blow of failed awakening...

This child has had it too hard.

"Let's go."

He Yi opened the interrogation room door and led her out.

"The West District at night is not entirely peaceful. We'll escort you, so we can be more at ease."

Although the Public Security Bureau's deterrence was considerable for the city as a whole, the West District's complex structure meant there were always areas beyond their reach.

"...Thank you, Officers."

Jiang Mian nodded shyly, secretly relieved.

She knew the two now completely trusted her.

But next time, I need to be more careful, otherwise… if I get caught again, I won't be able to explain myself.

Jiang Mian got into the car with the two of them, sitting alone in the back seat and looking at the city scenery flashing by outside.

Because the Public Security Bureau was located on the main road, there were still basic streetlights, but as they entered the area near Jiang Mian's home, the light clearly dimmed.

Due to limited energy, it was all used in the most necessary places. In remote areas like this, there were naturally no lights.

Shen Ming, using the light from a distance, could vaguely make out the silhouette of the dilapidated buildings, which was even worse than he had imagined.

"You… have you always lived here?"

Shen Ming turned his head to look at the young girl in the back seat and couldn't help but ask.

"No."

Jiang Mian shook her head and glanced at the apartment building getting closer. As if sensing Shen Ming's confusion, she replied:

"After they left, the compensation money they gave… only a little of it actually reached me."

"The house… because I still owed money, I had to sell it and move here. It's far, but the rent is cheap."

She seemed a bit embarrassed, but still explained in a low voice:

"I don't have much time for work, and I still have to pay tuition. To save up money to buy an awakening potion, this is the only way."

Jiang Mian's voice was calm, and she wasn't deliberately trying to evoke pity, but even so, it had a tremendous impact on the two of them.

Even with subsidies, the price of an awakening potion was 150,000, and even a degraded version of an inhibitor from the black market cost as much as 20,000, and each dose only lasted half a month.

Moreover… her parents had passed away many years ago, and Jiang Mian had many other expenses. In her desperation, she had no choice but to give up the house.

He Yi drove the car, remaining silent, his gaze sweeping over the residential area.

This was the West District's notorious "old, dilapidated, and small" area, with backward infrastructure and a huge transient population. A beautiful young girl living alone here…

"We're here, it's this place."

Jiang Mian spoke up, interrupting his thoughts.

After the car stopped, she opened the door and got out.

"Thank you."

Just as she was about to leave, He Yi called out to her.

"Wait."

He handed her a business card through the car window, with his personal information on it.

"Take this. In the future… if you encounter any difficulties, or if someone causes you trouble, you can contact me."

Jiang Mian was stunned for a moment, then took the business card.

"Thank you, Captain He."

She thanked him and slipped the card into her pocket.

"Hurry back, and remember to lock your doors and windows."

Jiang Mian nodded, turned, and walked into the apartment building entrance, disappearing into the shadows.

He Yi sighed. Although his intuition told him something felt off, it couldn't possibly be a mutant, could it?

He had seen many mutants. From the moment they awakened, their minds were already unstable, and they were basically unable to control their own violent impulses.

If they took an inhibitor, their emotional expressions would be somewhat suppressed.

Jiang Mian's behavior showed no signs of any of that.

Moreover… her parents had sacrificed their lives for the city's construction. Wearing his Public Security uniform, he was unwilling to speculate the worst about such a child.

Perhaps he was overthinking it.

He could visit her occasionally when he had time.

"Captain He?"

Seeing that He Yi hadn't started the car for a long time, Shen Ming asked in confusion.

"Let's go back. Organize the transcripts from tonight. Those involved still need to be interrogated."

Among the people they had apprehended this time were buyers, sellers, and manufacturers.

Someone like Jiang Mian was like a sheep mixed in with a pack of wolves, particularly conspicuous.

"Understood."