Chapter 422

"Hmm... indeed, it really was just an accident."

Looking at his sister who was comforting him with kind words, and the clearly improved complexion on her face, Li Ang felt the heavy burden on his heart lighten slightly, so he smiled and agreed.

That's right, yesterday's incident involving the out-of-control Infected that affected four or five hundred people had already become an "accidental incident" after the "culprit" was shot dead by Li Ang and Auntie Ai Ma submitted the incident report.

According to the red-haired Director, hidden deep underground at the Bureau of Cleanup headquarters is an anomalous object with a shockingly high status.

As long as Bureau of Cleanup employees complete a cleanup mission and submit an incident report, it triggers the rules of that anomalous object, forcibly rewriting the relevant memories of the vast majority of those who experienced it. Like this incident, it was confused into a gas explosion accident.

In the memories of Anna and the others, first the hospital's gas pipes cracked, causing the first round of explosions. This round of explosions coincidentally shattered the storage room containing anesthetics, and a large amount of anesthetic spread rapidly through the ventilation ducts, causing hundreds of patients and medical staff to fall into a collective coma.

The second round of explosions that followed occurred on the sixth floor where the Dean's office was located, and the fourth floor where the intensive care unit was located. The Dean of Red Brick Road Hospital was killed on the spot, and the intensive care unit where Anna was located was also blown into a mess.

Thanks to her smelling the gas leak in advance, she made a prompt decision to take two nurses and hang out the window, which is how she luckily saved her life, but she was also scratched on the leg by broken glass falling from upstairs, and another nurse fell and was seriously injured, suffering trauma to multiple joints all over her body.

And just as the third round of explosions was about to begin, fortunately, Li Ang and his colleagues who came to visit her arrived, closed the gas valve in time, prevented a greater disaster from happening, and saved the lives of these hundreds of people in the hospital.

Yes, that anomalous object, which is said to be extremely awesome, even took care of the mental health of the Bureau of Cleanup employees when "making up stories" to cover up the incident, specifically leaving behind the "merit" of Li Ang and the other person, so that they wouldn't suffer from psychological imbalance after saving people without receiving respect.

Even more bizarrely, in order to facilitate the Bureau of Cleanup in submitting reports to superiors to claim bonuses, it even added memories for the victims that the Bureau of Cleanup had received reports from the public and had sent people to investigate the Red Brick Road Hospital's indiscriminate charging issues, highlighting a sense of thoughtfulness, openness, and humanization, as well as a slight lack of shame.

After hearing about such outrageous operations, Li Ang, who understood the difference between "programs" and "artificial intelligence," questioned this anomalous object almost instinctively. He felt that something so "flexible" clearly had its own intelligence, and he felt that it should be problematic and not an object that simply followed the rules.

However, the answer Li Ang got from the red-haired Director was that this anomalous object originally had a brain, and in fact, it was simply a brain itself.

This high-level anomalous object capable of distorting memories was originally an evil god that hadn't made sufficient preparations and was captured alive after a hasty arrival.

After the Bureau of Cleanup finished it off, they discovered that its ability to tamper with memories was excellent, so they simply dug out its brain, installed it into an anomalous object called 【Illusion Can】, and made it into an anomalous object specifically for wrapping up large-scale incidents.

It's just that because this thing's ability to modify collective memory is too dangerous, if left to be mastered by a single person, it could very likely lead to extremely serious consequences. Therefore, the activation conditions are extremely harsh; it must be approved by more than half of the twelve directors. Usually, it can only be buried deep underground to operate, and can only be used when it is very dangerous.

So, what exactly does this "very dangerous" refer to? Or to put it more bluntly, if someone wants to take action against the Bureau of Cleanup, does that count as very dangerous?

When hearing the red-haired Director talk about this, Li Ang almost instantly thought of the definition of "danger" and solved a huge doubt—why would the countries in this world allow an organization like the Bureau of Cleanup to exist? And even actively cooperate?

I'm afraid they don't want to cooperate, but have to!

After all, just this evil god's brain that modifies collective memory is enough for any kingdom with ulterior motives to suffer, and the Bureau of Cleanup's history is unknown in length; who knows what other strange things they are hiding?

And after learning how powerful the Bureau of Cleanup is through this news, Li Ang is now very certain that he will likely be tied to this mysterious organization for the rest of his life.

Standing on the front line of guarding humanity, being able to know the truth of the world, obtaining abilities far beyond ordinary people... just these things already made it hard for him to refuse, not to mention that the Bureau of Cleanup has high pay, good benefits, and is even a regular establishment of the Kingdom.

Especially the establishment issue; I heard that in the current matchmaking market in the capital, those with regular establishments are very popular regardless of gender... Hiss... Wait a minute, didn't I prepare to be single until I die? Why did I suddenly think of matchmaking? Could it be that I was stimulated by something today? Or as the Black Goat said, have I reached the age of being restless?

"Brother? Brother! What's wrong with you?"

After calling Li Ang several times without getting a response, Anna, who was holding a bowl and drinking the fish soup in small sips, couldn't help but blink in confusion.

Looking at her brother, who was serious and abnormal one moment and then smiling shyly the next, the sickly girl thought for a moment, put the milky white fish soup back on the bedside table, then raised her right hand to cover her lips, which looked pink and delicate from the oil stains, and coughed in a very, very low voice.

"Hmm?"

Hearing the suppressed coughing sound that had made him worry day and night for the past two years, Li Ang broke free from his wild thoughts almost like a conditioned reflex.

He hurriedly looked toward the girl on the hospital bed, and seeing that Anna just coughed lightly and said nothing more, he felt relieved. He then reached out to pick up the soup bowl on the bedside table and said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Brother was just thinking about work, and didn't take care of you for a moment... Why did you cough just now? Did you choke? Should I feed you instead?"

"No... hmm..."

Looking at Li Ang, who looked over immediately after hearing the cough, the sickly girl's heart couldn't help but warm slightly. She shook her head and just wanted to say she didn't choke, but looking at the spoon already fed to her mouth, she thought about it and didn't refuse.

Leaning on Li Ang's arm, she propped herself up and sat back, leaning against the cushion he brought. The sickly girl leaned against the head of the bed and drank the fish soup fed to her mouth in small sips again.

But for some reason, even though she had already drunk half a bowl of soup by herself, she now coughed lightly every now and then, and under Li Ang's concerned inquiry, she smiled and shook her head, then slightly opened her oily lips, waiting for the next spoonful of fish soup with peace of mind...

Mom and Dad, are you still watching me?

If possible, I hope you can let this bowl of soup last a little longer, let my brother stay with me for a little while longer, but don't make it too much longer, just a few more spoonfuls will do...

"Knock, knock-knock."

The sound of knuckles knocking on glass rang out, interrupting the sickly girl's prayer.

The two people in the ward looked toward the sound, and then discovered with surprise that, at some point, a girl with red eyes had come outside the door.

The doll-faced girl didn't look much different in age from them, probably sixteen or seventeen, but she was wearing a mature-style professional suit, and an exquisite name tag was hanging on her chest.

Looking at her, it seemed she had already started working, and might have even been working for several years, but for some reason, there was a strange sense of disharmony all over her, as if she wasn't yet used to this outfit.

"I'm from the gas company. I was the one who signed the acceptance form for the pipes here at the hospital. I... I'm sorry!"

After getting permission from Li Ang and the other person, the girl with eyes swollen into a small circle pushed the door open and walked in cautiously. Without saying a word upon meeting, she aimed at Li Ang and gave a ninety-degree deep bow, saying with teary eyes:

"This incident is all my fault!

If I had been stricter with the acceptance back then, the pipes here might not have exploded, and it wouldn't have caused your wife to jump off the building and get hurt! Please rest assured, I will definitely provide compensation that will satisfy you!"

(End of chapter)