Chapter 337: The Dispatched Investigator (Combined)

"Could it be that Hu Mo is a special human with high spiritual sensitivity to the Abnormal race known as the Child of Cruelty? Did the Child of Cruelty pass by the elevator Zhao Zheng was riding in, and did Hu Mo just happen to see the other party, causing the Child of Cruelty to undergo a forced Metamorphosis?" Wang Han speculated.

Chen Feng nodded: "That is a possibility, but it would need to be verified; it's just that verifying it has become very difficult now."

After all, Hu Mo is already dead, so it is hard to find direct evidence or confirm it directly with the other party.

Li Hao stepped forward and said: "Although Zhao Zheng's death is particularly suspicious, shouldn't the top priority be to save Wang Han's life?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng retorted directly: "Do you have a method to completely imprison a human's mind without killing them? Even some Alien Gods might not be able to do this."

Li Hao fell silent instantly, and he finally understood why Chen Feng and the other Investigators had shown such sympathetic and regretful expressions after learning the identity of the Abnormal creature currently invading Wang Han.

Equally speechless was Wang Han himself; his entire face had turned incomparably pale, his expression dejected. No young man full of vigor and longing for the future could remain carefree and optimistic after being suddenly sentenced to "death."

"Has anyone ever survived the Child of Cruelty?" Wang Han asked Chen Feng one last question, clinging to a glimmer of hope.

Chen Feng's expression was complex; he wanted to speak but did not answer immediately, hesitating. His shift in attitude made Wang Han realize that there seemed to be a turning point.

Chen Feng sighed and said: "There was, and she was also a Mysterious Investigator."

"Please help me contact her!" Wang Han bowed sincerely to plead; when it came to his own life, he could not afford to pretend he had any pride.

Compared to the bright sunshine one could only see while alive, that ridiculous, fragile pride was not even worth a wisp of smoke; it was nothing more than self-righteousness.

However, Chen Feng poured another bucket of cold water on him: "I'm sorry, it's truly a pity, I cannot contact her, and no one can, because she lost her life in a mission."

She was also a special human with superb spiritual sensitivity; she could easily sense the shadows hidden beneath the surface world of humanity, feeling the Abnormal creatures active in places people ignored every second of every day. Her spiritual sensitivity was so powerful that she could even achieve a certain degree of precognition.

With the help of that person, our Xuanmi Group did indeed crack Abnormal incidents occurring within the Divine Land for several years and solved certain cold cases.

But in the life-and-death profession of a Mysterious Investigator, which is like walking a tightrope, how could there ever be smooth sailing? A Mysterious Investigator who can live out their life in peace is the ultimate stroke of luck. She was the same; she finally encountered a malignant Abnormal incident she could not avoid by luck and died an untimely death. I think if she were still here, she would definitely have been able to help you, but unfortunately..."

Hearing that his chance of survival was gone, Wang Han closed his eyes in pain, feeling his body swaying.

"Team Leader... I want to go back... I want to be alone for a while." Wang Han walked away, lost and soul-broken. He dared not return home even though he had one; he had no face to face his family, and even less dared to face them. Having been infected by the plague of "Abnormal," contacting his family would be the greatest luxury in his life.

Watching Wang Han's back, Chen Feng felt a bit of pity; his expression showed struggle, as if there were still things he hadn't said.

Li Hao keenly noticed this and immediately grabbed Chen Feng's shoulder: "Department Head Chen, is there really no way to save him?"

Seeing Li Hao grab their Department Head, two Mysterious Investigators were about to step forward to stop him, but Chen Feng reached out to stop their actions first.

"... There is."

Wang Han had sharp ears; hearing this, he turned around in disbelief.

Chen Feng looked at the two Enforcers, one old and one young, and decided to reveal this secret that should not have been told: "In this world, there is a Forest Cabin, a shop that sells and rents things beyond human common sense. The owner of that Forest Cabin seems to know everything; perhaps you can find a way to survive from him..."

Li Hao could not stop Wang Han, but in the entire Baizhou City Enforcer Headquarters, apart from him and a few other Enforcers, no one was sincerely trying to keep Wang Han.

Wang Han insisted on finding that untraceable shop. Li Hao felt this was a waste of time and incredibly dangerous.

Think about it—that was a place even the Mysterious Investigators feared and treated with caution, described as a shop hiding countless dangerous Abnormal items. How could anyone be at ease?

However, Li Hao also knew he had no reason to dissuade Wang Han. He could not stop Wang Han's "suicidal" behavior, but he could not sit by and watch him wait for death.

Therefore, when Wang Han expressed his determination to set out to find the Forest Cabin, Li Hao knew his persuasion was destined to fail; he could only watch Wang Han leave.

"I hope this won't be the last time I see you, kid." Li Hao looked at Wang Han's back and sighed.

This broken world... how are humans supposed to survive? Li Hao felt helpless in his heart.

Wang Han was gone, but although the accident at Baizhou Tower had been classified as an Abnormal incident, the mysteries surrounding the first victim, Zhao Zheng, still needed to be unraveled by the Enforcers. After all, whether Zhao Zheng was the first target hunted by the Child of Cruelty remained in doubt, while the Mysterious Investigators were responsible for investigating Hu Mo, who had been confirmed as a victim.

Don't ask why the Mysterious Investigators don't investigate both ends at once... the answer is that the Xuanmi Group is short-handed.

In recent years, Abnormal incidents have occurred frequently all over the world, and the supply of new blood for the Xuanmi Group has been severely insufficient.

Although Zhao Zheng was deemed by the Xuanmi Group to have a very low possibility of having been tainted by Abnormal factors beforehand, the suspicion could not be completely ruled out after all. Perhaps there were some details that hadn't been properly considered, so almost no one in the entire Baizhou City Enforcer Headquarters was willing to take on this case. Thus, according to the system, the responsibility naturally fell back on Li Hao.

Li Hao had no complaints. As a seasoned Enforcer, he was long accustomed to this work system and had a premonition that he might not be able to escape it, so he accepted the case very readily.

He wasn't too worried, as the Xuanmi Group had indicated that an Investigator dispatched by the World Investigator Alliance would come to assist.

Compared to the harsh entry requirements for Mysterious Investigators, the Alliance's Investigators were much easier to enter the profession.

Although the capabilities of the Investigator sent from there could not be fully affirmed or trusted, they should at least be more useful than ordinary people who have no contact with or understanding of Abnormal matters.

Not long after seeing Wang Han off, Li Hao drove to the Baizhou City airport to pick someone up.

Li Hao stood at the entrance of the arrival hall waiting. He checked the time, feeling it was about the agreed-upon hour. He looked down at his phone, hoping in his heart that the partner for this collaboration wouldn't be some arrogant, incompetent, and rude guy.

But soon, Li Hao saw a pair of shoes come into view, followed by a sweet voice: "Are you Enforcer Li Hao? Nice to meet you!"

Li Hao looked up from the black leather shoes along the straight, fair, long legs, his astonishment growing until his gaze finally locked onto that young, tender, and delicate face.

"You are... but you, you're a minor!?" Li Hao was shocked and almost jumped on the spot.

"I'm an adult, just turned eighteen this year." The girl smiled, took the initiative to reach out in a friendly manner, and introduced herself: "My name is Li Yuning, I'm a student."

Li Hao covered his face with both hands. To him, this was no different from being a minor. As long as they were a student, any man or woman under twenty-four who hadn't been beaten down by society was just a "yellow-skinned kid" or "yellow-haired girl" in his eyes!

But facing the girl with her face full of enthusiasm, Li Hao couldn't say anything harsh for a moment. He could only helplessly shake hands with her, then tell her he wanted to go to the restroom and have her wait in his car first. He turned and ran to a corner of the airport to call his superiors and the Xuanmi Group to complain.

"Did you guys make a mistake!? Why is the person sent to be my partner this time a student who just turned eighteen, probably still a high schooler? Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?" Li Hao spoke with his superior, who said this needed to be verified with the Xuanmi Group, as the person was sent by them. So he called Chen Feng's side; as soon as the call connected, Li Hao couldn't hold back his anger and let it all out.

Chen Feng seemed to have expected this, his tone very calm as he said: "Team Leader Li, one cannot judge everything by appearances; judging people by their looks is not advisable."

"So you admit it really was someone you sent, and there was no mistake?" Li Hao felt it was absurd.

Chen Feng explained patiently: "Yes, although she is a student, our Xuanmi Group has been keeping an eye on this girl. Her ability is very excellent, so excellent that it makes even our Xuanmi Group doubt our own abilities."

"How excellent?" Li Hao was a bit angry and amused, but he steadied his temper and listened to Chen Feng continue to explain.

"You should know that the disaster levels of Abnormal incidents can usually be divided into Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow levels, right?"

"I know."

"Well, Li Yuning once experienced an Earth-level Abnormal incident unscathed, and that Abnormal incident was properly handled."

"Earth-level!? Unscathed?"

"Yes, and this 'unscathed' is unscathed in the true sense. After that Earth-level Abnormal incident, her psychology and spirit were tested by precision instruments, and the result was so clean that not even a trace of Mental Pollution remained. Incredible, isn't it..." Chen Feng was quite moved.

Li Hao was also stunned. He didn't understand many of the ins and outs of Abnormal affairs, but he did have some very basic common sense. In situations like Mental Pollution, ordinary people usually have some residual pollution after experiencing an Abnormal incident. The severity of the pollution is related on one hand to the individual's resistance and mental endurance, and on the other hand, it is inevitably linked to the Abnormal creature serving as the source of pollution.

Even Li Hao, who had undergone Enforcer professional training and had many years of experience in handling cases, wouldn't dare say he could absolutely resist the encroachment of Mental Pollution, let alone after surviving an Earth-level Abnormal incident.

Yet that little girl, who looked harmless to humans and animals alike, had done the impossible!

When a person can do things that far exceed human common sense, people no longer feel surprise or admiration, but rather a vague sense of fear.

"Is this really something she could do?" Li Hao asked, feeling that this investigation mission would not be as simple as just looking into the background of Zhao Zheng.

And his feeling was correct; Chen Feng said pointedly, "Yes, it is too incredible. Therefore, I hope you can help us observe her properly."

After speaking, Chen Feng decisively hung up the phone.

Hearing the busy signal, Li Hao cursed on the spot; that old thief Chen Feng was truly a scoundrel!

Whether it was his own superior or that old dog Chen Feng, they were both working hard to use him as a tool!

Li Hao smoothed out his mood, put on a smiling face, and returned to the car, saying with a chuckle, "Sorry to keep you waiting. I don't know how your living arrangements have been handled; has anyone told you yet?"

Li Yuning smiled and said, "It's all arranged. I'm staying at the Baizhou Ping'an Hotel. Food and drink are covered by the 100,000 in funds they gave me; if it's not enough, they'll add more, and if there's any left, it's mine."

Li Hao muttered to himself, "... This treatment is better than mine."

"Then I'll take you to the hotel first. We'll investigate the case tomorrow, and I'll come pick you up. Um... I'll give you my number. If you need anything while in Baizhou City that I can help with, don't hesitate to call," Li Hao said, immediately calling the other party and then hanging up, leaving his phone number in her call history.

While operating her phone to save Li Hao's number into her contacts, Li Yuning smiled brightly and said, "No need for such trouble. Why wait until tomorrow? Let's go investigate Zhao Zheng right now. I looked over the case files on the way here, and since my brain still has a deep impression of many things, there's no time like the present."

Hearing this, Li Hao had no choice but to nod in agreement and first turn the car around to head toward the scene of the accident.

He also wanted to take the opportunity to see for himself what kind of skills this girl, who had only just reached adulthood, possessed, and what unknown secrets she was hiding.

Arriving at Baizhou Tower again, the entrance to the tower was currently blocked off. The entire massive television tower had ceased its entertainment and sightseeing operations, maintaining only basic broadcast signal transmission and control functions.

Looking at the ruins of the elevator shaft, Li Yuning shook her head with a sigh: "This is truly tragic."

"You aren't afraid?" Li Hao felt that this girl was very bold, and perhaps even quite crazy.

Li Yuning admitted, "There's nothing to be afraid of. I have even more terrifying things than this."

"What things?" Li Hao's heart stirred, and he asked curiously.

Li Yuning leaned in mysteriously and whispered as if telling a secret: "I have a brain tumor, the kind that will kill me."

Li Hao was stunned. Meeting those eyes filled with sincerity, a strange feeling welled up in his heart—shock, followed by sympathy and guilt. But seeing Li Yuning's grinning face a moment later, he felt he had been played.

"Uncle Li doesn't need to worry about me too much. Everyone has to die eventually, and besides, I take my medicine properly; as long as I take my medicine, it won't flare up." Li Yuning crouched by the edge of the elevator entrance, using a flashlight to illuminate the bottom of the shaft, observing something unknown.

Hearing this, Li Hao's mood was extremely complicated. The other party hadn't been playing with him, but that nonchalance toward death left him at a loss for how to react.

Yesterday plus today