43. Snap

Chapter 43: Crunch Crunch

One sentence left Su Yuqing and Zhou Diao stunned.

"Maze?" Zhou Diao looked blankly at Su Yuqing. "The maze she's talking about... is it the same maze that's the source of Xenomorph contamination, the one that's always tested in the Supervisor training exams?"

Su Yuqing frowned deeply, staring at Feng Ling. "Why do you want to enter the maze? That's a special game zone belonging to the Xenomorphs, not a place for humans."

Feng Ling picked up a bag of cheese-flavored potato chips from the coffee table and tore it open to eat.

"My Corruption Value is 29%," she said.

Su Yuqing and Zhou Diao's expressions both shifted.

The three Special Forces members reacted even more dramatically; their guns snapped up, all aimed at Feng Ling without exception!

Crunch crunch...

Crunch crunch...

The chips were very crispy.

Feng Ling looked at them calmly, eating as she spoke. "Put them down. You can't beat me."

She paused, then looked at Su Yuqing again. "Besides, I think there's still hope for me."

Su Yuqing pressed his lips tightly together and said nothing.

The three Special Forces members exchanged glances. Seeing that Su Yuqing hadn't given an order, they hesitantly lowered their weapons.

Zhou Diao, meanwhile, let out a huge gasp and shouted, "Feng Ling! You're too insane! With a Corruption Value like that, if you were in the Supervision Bureau, you'd already be in the gas chamber!"

"Gas chamber?" Feng Ling looked at Su Yuqing in shock.

"Don't listen to his nonsense," Su Yuqing frowned, explaining. "That's called the Special Observation Room. Any Supervisor exceeding 22% needs to go in for observation for a period. Once they're confirmed to have no aggression and stable emotions, they're released to continue their duties. But even after release, they're considered high-risk personnel, with some restrictions on daily activities. This is for the safety of the citizens."

Zhou Diao added from the side, "If their emotions are unstable, raging and losing reason, the observation room releases poison gas inside and sends you straight to the afterlife!"

Su Yuqing shot him a glare. "That's a potent anesthetic spray, not poison gas!"

"What's the difference?" Zhou Diao shrugged. "Either way, you're dead after the spray. Just no pain, humane extermination."

Feng Ling clicked her tongue. "You're pretty ruthless toward your own kind."

"It's a necessary evil." Su Yuqing lifted his gaze to her. "Did you think every contaminated body the Supervision Bureau cleans up was turned by a Xenomorph? Dying in the observation room is better than genetic collapse, becoming neither human nor ghost, turning into contamination itself."

Feng Ling bit into a chip, crunching it twice, and suddenly felt a bit nauseated.

Zhou Diao whistled, his tone chilly. "This is getting interesting. If the Bureau finds out your Corruption Value is already 29%, they'll probably turn this on-site recruitment into an on-site arrest~"

Feng Ling crunched her chips louder, clearly annoyed.

She glanced at Su Yuqing and asked, "Isn't there still the maze? Why doesn't the Supervision Bureau send people into the maze to find the Idol? You have no less intel than I do. You should know the Idol can help card holders eliminate some Corruption Value."

"There have indeed been such cases, but..." Su Yuqing lowered his head, rubbing his brow in irritation. "Information on the maze is extremely scarce. It's hard to find an entrance, and the maze is fraught with danger. Using the maze to clear Corruption Value is somewhat impractical. At least for now, prevention is more important than removal."

Zhou Diao also said to Feng Ling, "Think about it. To fight Xenomorphs, we have to enhance our Card Abilities. To enhance abilities, we inevitably get contaminated to some degree. That's our daily reality. But the maze—few in number, high in danger—isn't a constant presence. We might not even find the maze before the Corruption Value starts affecting our minds. There's no time to wait."

Feng Ling thought for a moment. "I do have a lead on a maze. It should be in time."

"Report it," Su Yuqing said.

He felt the situation was too complicated now; he had to consult higher-ups, hold ten or eight meetings before reaching a conclusion.

"Report it to the Supervisor General Bureau. Let them send people to assist you in finding the maze, while also supervising from the sidelines to prevent you from losing control. That's the safest approach." Su Yuqing said, looking exhausted.

Zhou Diao disagreed, muttering quietly, "...I don't think it's that safe. Maybe the Bureau people will come and just drag Feng Ling straight into the gas chamber. Qingjiang City finally got someone who can fight. You willing to lose that?"

"I told you, it's not a gas chamber!" Su Yuqing's head ached. "It's the Special Observation Room!"

Zhou Diao snorted in defiance and turned his face away.

Feng Ling asked Zhou Diao, "What's your Corruption Value now?"

Zhou Diao raised an eyebrow with slight pride. "2%. Hellhound main card, digested one Prairie Wolf."

Su Yuqing said in a low voice, "Every card we confiscate is sent to the Bureau's Research Institute. The Institute then distributes cards based on each region's Supervisor card characteristics, keeping the Corruption Value as low as possible. There are occasional mistakes... but most of the time, the cards from the Institute are safe and reliable."

He sighed, looking at Feng Ling again. "It's not that I want to restrict you, but this path of yours isn't sustainable. Feng Ling, report to the Supervisor General Bureau. Whether it's the Hidden Boss or the Corruption Value, you need more mature advice."

Feng Ling thought to herself: Reporting to the Bureau would just complicate things, wouldn't it?

She considered it seriously for a moment. "Hmm... it's not impossible. If you can agree to one condition."

"Name it." Su Yuqing nodded steadily. "I'll do everything I can to meet your condition."

Feng Ling glanced at Su Yuqing. Though a bit embarrassed... since he'd said that, she should be straightforward too.

"Transfer this apartment to me," she said.

Su Yuqing: "..."

The living room fell silent for two seconds.

Su Yuqing abruptly stood up, didn't look at Feng Ling again, walked out the door with a dark face, and slammed it shut!

"Pfft..." Zhou Diao couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Feng Ling looked confused. She glanced at the three Special Forces members, whose expressions were equally awkward.

"If he doesn't want to see me off, fine—why'd he react so strongly?" Feng Ling asked Zhou Diao.

"Landmine territory! That's Lao Su's landmine! Hahahahaha!!!" Zhou Diao still couldn't stop his wild laughter.

Feng Ling didn't understand. She walked to the door, opened it, and deliberately peered outside, only to find that Su Yuqing had really left.

She found it unbelievable. "He just left like that? Stormed off without a word?"

Qin Liang stifled a laugh and explained, "Sister Ling, this apartment was our Captain Su's own wedding apartment."

Feng Ling's eyes went wide with shock.

Wedding apartment?!

Good grief—was it really appropriate for her to be staying here?

"The marriage fell through, and he's still calling it a wedding apartment! Hahahaha!" Zhou Diao laughed loudly. "Who told him to fall for Sister Ye? I don't think he's ever getting married!"

Feng Ling stepped closer to Qin Liang and asked, "Give me the details?"

She wanted in on the gossip too.

Qin Liang looked helplessly at Zhou Diao. Could he talk about this? Discussing a superior's private affairs behind their back—wasn't that a bit rude?

"Tell her!" Zhou Diao laughed, slapping his thigh. "Hurry up and tell her! Now!"