Page 5

A-Rank Polluted were as rare as A-Rank ability users. Only one had ever appeared in City A, giving it the lowest incidence rate of any major city. It could be called a blessed land, so its permanent population was far larger than those of other major cities. In contrast, the branch bureau had fewer ability users assigned to it: just two operations teams in total. Team One was led by the sixth-ranked A-Rank ability user, while Team Two was led by the thirty-fifth-ranked A-Rank ability user. The members of both teams were mostly occupied with minor pollution incidents.

After many years, an A-Rank Polluted had appeared in City A again. As soon as the news spread, the entire city was terrified. It abruptly grew several notches quieter, with hardly anyone wandering the streets apart from patrolling members of the Ability Control Bureau.

The whole city fell silent. Only the Zhou Family estate in the suburbs was noisily staging a ridiculous farce.

Inside the Zhou Family estate, the excessively obese family head ordered the household servants to block the gates to keep the Ability Control Bureau members from leaving. They had come to investigate and take the injured Zhao Yi back with them. He also ordered another group of servants to cling to the ability users, resorting to shameless tricks. Zhao Yi watched from the side, dumbfounded.

The Zhou family head shouted, "Leave? What do you mean, leave? You're not going anywhere! You said yourselves that an A-Rank Polluted has appeared, and it nearly came through my gates! If you leave, who's going to protect us?!"

"We give you so much money and so many supplies every year. What do you think we do it for? To feed you for nothing?"

"Hmph. Without my Zhou Family, how long could you lot last? So what if you're ability users? Sooner or later, you'd be begging on the streets!"

The vast estate was packed with people. The Zhou Family had numerous servants, including quite a few ability users hired at high salaries to guard the grounds. Even so, the family head still felt deeply insecure and refused to let the Ability Control Bureau members leave. This was because the bureau's ability users generally had better abilities than independent ones. Basically, anyone capable had been recruited by the authorities.

As the ones footing the bill, the Zhou Family had always ordered the Ability Control Bureau around. Now that the situation was so critical, they were even more overbearing. No matter what anyone said, the answer was no. They weren't letting them leave!

Of course, the Ability Control Bureau members were no pushovers either. They didn't get physical, but their mouths weren't idle. Those with bad tempers cursed everyone's fathers and mothers, their mouths full of "sweet nothings."

While the Zhou Family shamelessly played the rogue, no one noticed a black sedan arrive at the estate. The car stopped, and a man in a sharp suit and polished shoes stepped out. With his exceptional looks and cool demeanor, he was every inch an elite.

Standing outside the estate's tightly shut iron gates, the man asked coolly, "What's all this fuss?"

It was a mild question, not spoken loudly. Yet the Ability Control Bureau's ability users, who had been arguing with the Zhou Family, suddenly all shut their mouths. For a moment, their disparate personalities became uniform-they were all very well-behaved.

The man's gaze swept over the bureau members inside. "You received orders to patrol. Instead of acting immediately, you plan to stay here and take an advanced course in public speaking?"

Every member of the Ability Control Bureau cowered like a quail.

Only then did the Zhou Family notice someone had arrived, and they all looked outside the gates. The family head raised his eyes to the newcomer, looking him over from head to toe. Judging by his clothes and demeanor: an administrator, a high-ranking official, someone with a say.

Good, someone in charge had arrived. These operations team ability users were all empty-headed brutes who couldn't understand plain speech and had no sense whatsoever!

The Zhou family head snorted. "These little lackeys of yours are staying here to guard my estate."

He looked over the ability users present, frowned critically, and told the man, "Transfer a few more capable ones here for me, too. I want Grade B ability users."

The Ability Control Bureau's "little lackeys" practically spat fire from their eyes.

The suited man: "..."

Beside them, Zhao Yi felt a chill wash over him, almost overpowering the pain in his chest. He shuddered and immediately looked toward its source, stammering, "C-Captain, B-Brother Chuan, don't get angry. Someone like this isn't worth getting angry over. Hold it in, hold it in, don't... ah."

Before he could finish soothing him, dark clouds gathered overhead. Lightning tore across the sky, like a flood

dragon

coiling and roaring at those below.

"What's happening? What's happening?"

"What's that?"

"The Polluted's here?!"

Panic swept through the estate. The Zhou family head immediately hid in the crowd, the fat on his body quivering with terror.

The Ability Control Bureau's ability users were silent as chickens.

Qin Daichuan, captain of Operations Team One, possessed a rare A-Rank ability. Although he ranked only sixth, that was his ranking when his ability was stable. And his ability... was very unstable.

Unstable emotions, unstable ability. When his anger surged, his ability skyrocketed.

In his berserk state, his ability was even wilder than that of the top-ranked A-Rank user at headquarters.

Judging by the lightning overhead, this was level-one berserk!

An administrative elite?

No, this was a thug in a suit!

The operations team's ability users rushed forward and surrounded Qin Daichuan, some grabbing his arms, others hugging his legs. The Zhou family head finally understood. No Polluted had come—this was the suited man's ability!

The Zhou family head flew into a rage. Still failing to grasp the situation, he was about to explode when a gentle voice came from beyond the crowd. "Dad, that's enough."

At the sound of that voice, Zhao Yi's mouth twitched-it was the Zhou Family's young master, who had summoned him in the middle of the night to sing a lullaby.

The Zhou Family's young master surveyed the farce in the courtyard. His gaze finally settled on Qin Daichuan, lingering briefly before he gave a polite smile. "My apologies, everyone. We've delayed you in your duties. You may leave. Our family was in the wrong today. How about this: if any losses result from this Polluted incident, our Zhou Family will cover ten percent. I hope you'll forgive us."

Overhead, the lightning subsided a little.

Qin Daichuan looked at the Zhou Family's young master, who smiled apologetically at him.

Qin Daichuan watched him for a long time. Finally, he withdrew his ability and told his subordinates mildly, "Let's go."

The ability users said, "Huh?"

So suddenly?

It was indeed sudden. The Zhou family head almost failed to react, his face twitching. "What do you mean, go?!"

The Zhou Family's young master gave his father a long, penetrating look. Under his son's gaze, whatever passed between their eyes, the family head ultimately compromised. Qin Daichuan watched the father and son, paying particular attention to the young master. Time was short, so he didn't linger and led his people away.

The car drove away from the villa.

Inside the car, Zhao Yi lay half-dead in the back seat. His superior sat in the front passenger seat, looking every inch an elite and showing not the slightest consideration for his subordinate's injuries as he questioned him about the A-Rank Polluted, detail by detail. Zhao Yi was listless. For a moment, he felt that his superior and the Zhou Family shared the same essential nature—that of skinflints!

Qin Daichuan was holding a laptop, staring at something. Zhao Yi glanced at it and asked, "Still no reports of major incidents?"

Qin Daichuan frowned. "No."

Zhao Yi fell silent, then murmured, "...It really is strange."

An A-Rank Polluted had appeared in densely populated City A, and no one knew when it had arrived. This should have been a case of a mouse getting into a rice jar, yet this enormous rat hadn't touched any of the rice?

Strange. Very strange.

Was this really an A-Rank Polluted?

Zhao Yi shifted, pulling at his injuries and baring his teeth in pain-fine, judging by his battered state, it was definitely A-Rank.

Thinking of how the Polluted had nearly entered the Zhou Family estate, Zhao Yi's thoughts took a detour to the young master, and his expression turned subtle. "The Zhou Family's young master seems to have recovered?"

Qin Daichuan said nothing. The Ability Control Bureau had deep ties with the Zhou Family, but he wasn't included in that. He wasn't in the mood to deal with those people.

Zhao Yi went on talking to himself. "The last time I saw him, he looked like he was dying. And now he's better..."

His illness had cleared up, and his personality had changed a little too. He was much gentler. Or rather...

More fake.

Something occurred to him. Glancing at the Blood Moon mark on the web of his hand, he said, "He's an ability user, isn't he?"

His tone was certain.

It was a mental ability, most likely hypnosis.

That young master seemed to have used his ability on his father just now. When their eyes met, his father had visibly gone dazed.

Qin Daichuan glanced at the Blood Moon mark on the inside of his little finger without speaking. The Zhou Family's young master had used his ability on him too, but his level was lower, so it hadn't had much effect.

City A was under lockdown, and the situation was extremely serious. But however serious it was, Zhao Yi couldn't keep giving his all. His injuries were too severe, and he needed to go to the hospital. His skinflint superior acted human for once and drove him there in his own car. That warmth extended only as far as the entrance, however. Zhao Yi was carried inside on a hospital stretcher, underwent surgery, and was assigned to the inpatient ward afterward.

As soon as he entered the inpatient building, Zhao Yi's expression stilled. He looked up and stared fixedly at the third floor. After watching for a while, he asked the nurse beside him, "The third floor... what's there?"

"Patient rooms too, of course," the nurse said. "Some seriously ill patients are staying there."

"...Oh."

A peculiar sensation appeared and abruptly vanished. It lasted only an instant, like an illusion.

Even if it was an illusion, his vigilance as a field operative prompted him to ask, "Could you wheel me up to the third floor for a look?"

Before she could answer, he changed his mind. "Never mind. Get me a wheelchair. I'll go up myself."

Zhao Yi took a wheelchair to the third floor. He was an ability user, with recovery far superior to an ordinary person's. Otherwise, how could he possibly sit in a wheelchair?

Everything on the third floor was normal.

He seemed to have come out of the anesthesia badly. Even his brain was having problems.

He touched the corner of his mouth and maneuvered his wheelchair, preparing to leave.

Ahead, a ward door suddenly opened, and a patient in hospital clothes stepped out. The patient was slight and pale, giving off a distinctive air, somewhat gloomy.

Out of habit, Zhao Yi scanned the patient's hands-

No mark. An ordinary person.

The patient held a stack of books, with a poetry collection on top.

Oh, an intellectual.

Zhao Yi's thoughts wandered aimlessly. As he passed the patient, some inexplicable impulse made him ask, "Nothing's happened on this floor, has it?"