Chapter 483

Xie Jingnian lowered his head, pulled a document from the folder, and indicated that the others could do the same.

It was Yang Yixie's file; before the meeting began, he placed the file in front of each person.

Han Huan took the file, skimmed it quickly, and his gaze lingered on a certain page.

The contents were unremarkable, even including a few school records.

An ordinary teenage boy named Yang Yixie, with upturned outer eye corners, but the heavy Black-framed Glasses somehow gave him a hint of neatness; both his life trajectory and background were entirely ordinary.

A world apart from his present.

...... Fang Zhiyan truly never knows how to handle children.

Han Huan's eyes moved from the photo to Fang Zhiyan's face, "Isn't this your new student?"

Han Huan's voice carried a faint smile, and his fingertip lightly tapped the edge of the photo.

"Yang Yixie, so that's his name."

But quickly, Han Huan's gaze locked onto a line in Yang Yixie's personal file, and he squinted.

It was a name he was not unfamiliar with; it seemed the only unusual thing about this ordinary Dome teenager was his father's place of employment?

Indeed, the student surpassed his father in popularity, with two ministers now at odds over him.

Xie Jingnian continued to target Fang Zhiyan; in fact, Fang Zhiyan had carried out many covert operations over the years, but because Xie Jingnian kept a tight guard on him, Fang Zhiyan's test subjects were almost all sourced from the Field Operations Department.

"The newly appointed deputy head of the Mutation Department, Ying Duo, was originally named Yang Yixie."

Xie Jingnian stared at Fang Zhiyan, his voice deep and carrying a silent pressure.

"He is the child of an employee under my command who died unexpectedly; due to a job transfer he was sent to Tianmian City, and his file went straight from the Intelligence Department to the Mutation Department."

Xie Jingnian looked straight into Fang Zhiyan's eyes, "Minister Fang, can you give me an explanation for this?"

"What are you trying to verify?" Fang Zhiyan replied with a smile, unaffected by Xie Jingnian's pressure.

"Is that child's human personality intact? Regardless, I have the right to confirm his safety, which also serves as an answer to his deceased parents."

"Rest assured, his personality is whole and his consciousness clear; if you remain uneasy, perhaps after the meeting I can have him go over immediately so you can see for yourself?"

Fang Zhiyan wore an utterly unruffled demeanor; his calm attitude actually gave Xie Jingnian a hint of unease.

What he feared most was that the child's memories as a person were incomplete, or that he was unaware of the Mutation Department's horrific truth, having been brainwashed by Fang Zhiyan.

Han Huan's mouth twitched, his body leaned forward, and his hands rested on the table.

"Minister Xie, regarding Ying Duo… and Yang Yixie's matter, perhaps we should wait until Minister Fang sends the person over, and you can ask him yourself?"

He looked straight into Xie Jingnian's eyes and smiled.

"After all, Minister Fang said he never touched that child, so he must not have; the Mutation Department may have few rules, but whatever Minister Fang says is always taken as fact."

He says on the surface that it's to give the parents an answer, but in reality is it to verify safety or to gather intelligence?

Only Xie Jingnian knows what his true intention is.

"Then let's set this aside for now and return to the main agenda of the meeting."

Seeing neither refused, Han Huan brought the topic back to the issue they were originally supposed to discuss.

Fang Zhiyan said nothing, shifting his gaze away from Xie Jingnian, "I will take the bodies of Mei Weisi, the painted‑breasted bird, and Bai Mu Yun; there is no room for negotiation on this matter."

"Of course, after all two of them are members of the Mutation Department, and the painted‑breasted bird needs no further explanation; this was an agreement we reached long ago."

Han Huan did not deny this outcome; rather, the bodies of the three only hold value once they are in Fang Zhiyan's hands.

However......

If the matter were truly that simple, they wouldn't be sitting here convening a special meeting.

"Then let's first discuss why my department members would die on the return vehicle, shall we?"

Fang Zhiyan let out a light laugh; as soon as he entered, Xie Jingnian gave him a harsh welcome—he hadn't forgotten that this time the Mutation Department would bear the biggest loss.

He came up not to be scolded, but to collect a debt.

"I recall it was the Field Operations Department that handled the escort?"

Han Huan could only sigh inwardly that he had just helped Fang Zhiyan out of a bind, only for the spear to turn toward him the next instant.

"Indeed, the squad dispatched this time was from the Field Operations Department, but due to the urgent and severely deteriorated situation, under everyone's eyes Bai Mu Yun was likely captured back as an Aberrant Species, and the final whereabouts are naturally decided by us."

As long as Bai Mu Yun returns to the Dome Headquarters, it's essentially a return to a happy home; how they ultimately handle him is decided by a single word from them, and no one expected an accident to occur precisely during this transition.

"Clearly, the Field Operations Department has a rat infiltrated."

Han Huan shook his head regretfully; many of the Field Operations Department's field squads consist of well‑trained ordinary people, and although he usually appears close to them, his true trust lies with the troops he personally trained.

Ordinary people cannot access classified intelligence, yet they can easily find an opportunity to kill an Aberrant Species already despised by those around them.

After all, they only worry about Bai Mu Yun escaping, never about anyone assassinating an Aberrant Species.

"But unfortunately, when others arrived at the scene, the one who fired that shot had already chosen to end his own life."

"Regarding this, Xie's daughter was also there, arguably the first person to discover the incident."

Han Huan didn't know what Xie's daughter Xie Jingyan's abilities were, only that she was a Special Ability Practitioner; Xie Jingnian had hidden her well.

Just from previous intel, Han Huan would have thought she was a frail young lady, yet she managed to chase after Bai Mu Yun with an axe, and after the two who had once been on a mission with her returned, they also praised her strength.

Although he couldn't make her disappear from this world, he at least uncovered some of her background.

"No other clues?" Fang Zhiyan kept asking, while beside him lay the image of Bai Mu Yun's limp body after being shot in the cage.

What a mess......

A gunshot had ripped a hole in his forehead; his once‑soft white hair was now stained with blood and clung to his face.

Perhaps because he had been tangled with Xie Jingyan for so long, his clothes were also torn in several places; this chaotic, blood‑soaked scene made him briefly relive the moment he first found Bai Mu Yun.