Card Storage Device

Card Storage Device

"She said her name was Feng Ling. She also said a Xenomorph had exploded into a spray of blood, making it impossible to identify any human tissue. She asked whether that would affect her bonus claim." The Dispatcher sounded deeply uneasy. "Captain Su, is that possible? Could this be a prank?"

Su Yuqing could no longer sit still in his office.

He strode out and rapidly instructed his assistant, "Arrange a vehicle. I'm going to the scene with the Special Forces. Then notify Zhou Diao that he doesn't need to come over! Tell him to get plenty of rest—we have a meeting tomorrow morning!"

The boundless night blanketed the city.

Several vehicles drove out one after another from the underground Parking Lot of the Supervision Building, heading for the West Villa District.

By the time Su Yuqing arrived, the city fire department was already there.

The conspicuous fire trucks had their headlights on, glaring brightly against the pitch-black night.

The firefighters had already extinguished the blaze. The villa where the incident had occurred had been burned black, with puddles of water and muddy slush on the ground, along with some unidentifiable Slime.

Su Yuqing scanned the area and quickly spotted Feng Ling among the crowd.

With her hands tucked into her pockets, she was chatting with the fire chief. She looked somewhat better than she had in the surveillance footage.

As soon as Su Yuqing approached, he heard her say, "Of course I know arson endangers public safety, but there was no one in that house when I set it on fire—only Xenomorphs. Can't I get a discount for eliminating threats for the people? You want me to pay full price for a villa? It's not like I'm some sucker."

"The Supervision Bureau will cover the villa's losses in full." Su Yuqing walked over and looked sternly at Feng Ling. "Feng Ling, I'm obligated to remind you that any citizen who encounters a Xenomorph should call the police first, not take risks alone!"

Feng Ling paused. "Then I'll call the police next time."

Su Yuqing: "..."

What a casual answer!

He turned away and silently reminded himself to stay calm and composed. Examining the scene was the priority now!

With mixed emotions, Su Yuqing stepped into the villa—

The first thing that came into view was a charred, humanoid pool of blood. Blood spatter covered the surrounding area, and the stench was pungent.

Farther in lay an exceptionally obese and enormous corpse. Its skull had been shattered into pieces, its brains scattered everywhere. There was no telling how many times it had been stabbed.

Su Yuqing gave Feng Ling a meaningful glance.

Feng Ling followed behind him, seriously examining the scene as well.

She asked, "Why didn't the Xenomorph at the entrance leave behind a Card after it died?"

"It probably logged out. When a Xenomorph logs out, it means abandoning that body, so it won't leave a Card behind." Su Yuqing took out his phone and photographed the scene.

Feng Ling thought back. "That woman covered in worms did shout 'log out' several times. So it really was meant literally."

She asked again, "I didn't take the fat guy's Card. Will that increase the bonus?"

"Cards do not affect the bonus amount," Su Yuqing replied.

"Oh." Feng Ling was slightly disappointed.

Su Yuqing glanced at her. "Supervision Bureaus everywhere are currently facing a staffing shortage. To alleviate the situation, the higher-ups have designed a Contribution Value points system. It should officially go into effect next week. By then, whether you kill Xenomorphs or turn in Cards, it will be recorded as contribution points in the citizen credit system. I'll register this Card for you first and convert it into contribution points later."

Feng Ling was slightly taken aback. "Will there still be bonuses in the future?"

Su Yuqing silently tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Contribution points can be exchanged for currency. One point of Contribution Value equals one million."

"That's good, then." Feng Ling nodded.

Su Yuqing found his feelings impossible to put into words.

He called over a member of the Special Forces to collect the Card.

The member carried a cylindrical alloy device and placed it beside the corpse, then gently opened it to reveal an astonishingly intricate internal structure.

Next, the device emitted a special low-frequency sound.

Feng Ling could barely hear it, but the Card floating above the corpse visibly began to ripple before slowly flowing into a glass tube inside the device.

"What is that thing?" Feng Ling quietly asked Su Yuqing.

"It's a newly developed Card Storage Device. There's only one in all of Qingjiang City." Su Yuqing watched as the device completely stored the Card, then turned to Feng Ling. "Where are the other Xenomorphs?"

"There's another one over there—" Feng Ling pointed at the villa diagonally across from them. "But I already collected its Card, so you don't need to carry the device over there. It looks heavy."

At that, Su Yuqing pressed his lips together. After a moment of silence, he said, "More Cards are not necessarily better. The combination matters more than the quantity."

Feng Ling had just learned that herself.

But from Su Yuqing's tone, he seemed to know about the dangers of Corruption Value too?

Why wouldn't he say so directly? How baffling. No one on the Exo-Star Forum had discussed Corruption Value either. Could someone above be deliberately suppressing information about it? But what would be the purpose?

Too much had happened today. Feng Ling could not be bothered to waste any more brainpower thinking about it. She only wanted to go home and sleep.

She stretched both arms, yawned, and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Su Yuqing immediately asked.

Feng Ling stopped and turned her head. "To find somewhere to sleep."

Su Yuqing's heart leaped into his throat again. Don't run around! That logged-out Xenomorph could come back for revenge at any time!

Then he remembered Feng Ling being attacked at the Supervision Bureau today.

The Supervision Bureau was no longer safe.

Although Feng Ling had refused to join the Supervision Bureau, humans naturally belonged to the same camp. Su Yuqing believed he had an obligation to ensure her safety.

After thinking for several seconds, he took out a ring of keys, removed one key from it, and handed it to Feng Ling.

"I have an Apartment on Xiuyuan Road that has been sitting empty. You can stay there. This is the key to the building entrance." Su Yuqing cautioned Feng Ling, "Try not to go out for the time being, and don't go home either. We found four Xenomorph suspects in this area. You killed three of them. If you didn't encounter the remaining one, it is probably hiding somewhere. Also, the Xenomorph that logged out attacked you at the Supervision Bureau before, which means it likely knows your identity. It may come after you again after logging back in. It may even lie in wait near your home and look for a chance to retaliate. You must be careful."

Feng Ling accepted the key and asked Su Yuqing, "What if it doesn't come looking for me?"

She even sounded rather expectant.

Su Yuqing was speechless, and his head began to ache a little.

"...You should worry about your injuries first. Do you need me to call a Doctor for you?" he asked.

Feng Ling lowered her head and looked herself over.

Although the puncture wounds caused by the tentacles had been severe, the wounds themselves had been small and had mostly healed. The worst injury was actually the area on her arm corroded by acid, which was still a gruesome mess of blood and flesh.

She guessed the disinfectant had not fully washed the wound clean, and the residual acid was interfering with her body's ability to heal.

"Does your Apartment have a shower?" Feng Ling asked.

Su Yuqing nodded. "The Apartment has hot water twenty-four hours a day."

"Alright." Feng Ling tossed the key high into the air, caught it, and smiled at Su Yuqing. "Thanks."