Chapter 50: Sent You a Dialogue Request (Revised)

"Alright, the act's had enough time; I know you've been awake since the life‑support cabin was shattered, and the explosions outside haven't ceased."

Undercurrent cannot have injected Ye Lin with an overdose of anesthetic; that would affect her "value."

Ye Lin's body became imperceptibly stiff for a moment, yet she still didn't open her eyes, as if resolved to continue playing dead.

Qi Junyi wasn't angry; he merely chuckled, stood up, walked to the still‑struggling, low‑growling Lin Hao, and a metal device appeared in his hand.

It was something he had just obtained from Yue Chengzhang; the contraption was finely crafted, engraved with a suppressing Rune, specifically made for those who haven't fully become Aberrant Species—a custom‑made bite‑preventer.

This device is among the very few Rune‑based tools capable of halting a high‑level Mutation from further devouring its host.

Yue Chengzhang had specifically asked her to commission it, hoping to give those about to leave the human ranks a chance to regret.

That person always shows extra patience when dealing with Yue Chengzhang, and actually found time to produce a device meeting his specifications.

Well, now it's put to use, right?

Qi Junyi crudely grasped Lin Hao's jaw, ignored his angry snarl, and forced the bite‑preventer onto his mouth.

A pale‑blue Rune lit up, and Lin Hao's roar instantly turned into a muffled, painful whimper.

Daring to touch the taboo, this pain is light even as a punishment.

Though it hurts, it's the only way to suppress the Mutation; if you want to live, endure it, kid.

"Tsk tsk tsk, look at him like that."

Qi Junyi's face was expressionless, but his tone was teasing as if admiring a work of art.

"The Mutation Value exceeds seventy, skin keratinized, bones deformed… it's no longer really human, is it? His self‑awareness will eventually dissipate, replaced by pure Aberrant Species instinct."

He treated him like roadside trash, lightly flicking Lin Hao's curled, pain‑ridden body with his toe; Lin Hao let out a muffled groan of pain.

"Things like this, even if taken back to the Judgment Court, won't yield any valuable intel, and they might go berserk again and hurt people."

Qi Junyi's voice was low, yet it reached every ear in the room clearly; the others were occupied with their own tasks, nobody watching his performance.

"To avoid unnecessary trouble and risk, why not give him a quick end now? Consider it a release for him."

Qi Junyi's tone was casual, as if deciding whether to crush a bug.

Massive energy gathered in his fist, exuding a heart‑stopping aura of destruction, and he slowly pressed it toward Lin Hao's skull.

"Don't—!!!"

At the instant the scorching white light was about to touch Lin Hao, a terrified scream cried out from beside them.

The perpetually "comatose" Ye Lin suddenly opened her eyes, her face pallid, tears streaming out.

"Don't......"

She could no longer mask it; fear and helplessness engulfed her, and the composure she had forced all along completely shattered.

The only companion she had in this world chose to become a non‑human monster to save herself; how could she let him die like a weed?

Qi Junyi's fist halted mid‑air at the right moment, and he slowly turned his head to look at the tear‑streaked, trembling girl.

A smile finally spread across his face—one that signaled his plan's success but was especially cruel in the girl's eyes.

"Oh? Finally willing to wake up?"

He dispersed the energy from his hand, crossed his arms, and watched her at leisure.

"Then now, can we move somewhere else and have a proper chat?"

His gaze swept between Ye Lin and Lin Hao, his tone carrying the composure of someone who had everything under control:

"Of course, together with you and that… kid who's about to turn into a monster."

————————————————

This guy, the taste for drama flared up again?

Yue Chengzhang was farther away, couldn't hear what Qi Junyi said, but he saw the entire process of him intimidating the child crystal clear.

His look at Qi Junyi carried a hint of disdain: they're adults now, why still enjoy scaring kids like before?

Just as Qi Junyi ordered the Heresy Tribunal to take Lin Hao and Ye Lin away, a Supervision Bureau officer hurried to Yue Chengzhang's side and whispered urgently.

"Captain, structural scans show the entire underground space is severely damaged, multiple load‑bearing structures are broken, the remaining ones have reached a critical point; it can hold at most fifteen more minutes, we must evacuate immediately!"

Yue Chengzhang's golden eyes narrowed, leaving no room to think about his earlier urge to tease Qi Junyi, and he quickly mapped the area above in his mind.

Fortunately, directly above lay an industrial complex abandoned for years, confirmed uninhabited—a silver lining in this misfortune.

But the time left for them was indeed short.

His gaze swept the wreckage and finally settled on the nearby white‑haired figure, the Undercurrent's Regiment Leader—Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao stood quietly on a relatively intact platform, his ice‑blue eyes coldly observing everything, as if detached, the chaos and impending collapse irrelevant to him.

Yue Chengzhang paused briefly, then stepped forward.

His boots struck broken stone and metal shards, producing a crisp sound that rang especially clear in the near‑apocalyptic space.

"Regiment Leader Lin Xiao, you really are leisurely."

Yue Chengzhang stopped a few steps away, his tone even, revealing no joy or anger.

Lin Xiao tilted his head slightly, his ice‑blue eyes landing on Yue Chengzhang, a faintly mocking smile curving his lips, seeming in good spirits.

Clearly the Undercurrent's auction house is about to collapse, yet he still manages to laugh.

"Captain Yue, your illustrious presence truly makes our little place 'flourish', so—are you here on behalf of the Church to compensate the losses of my ruined auction house?"

His gaze purposefully swept toward Qi Junyi, apparently noticing him; Qi Junyi, still at leisure, smiled and waved.

"After all, it was members of your Church who turned this place into such a mess, especially Chi Jin An—his destructive power is astonishing."

Yue Chengzhang's expression remained unchanged as he spoke in an official tone.

"Regiment Leader Lin Xiao, you jest. The Supervision Bureau and the Heresy Tribunal, though both under the Church's banner, have independent functions and separate budgets."

"If you wish to claim compensation for your losses, you may prepare the documents and submit a formal appeal directly to the Judgment Court."

He shifted his tone, his golden eyes fixed on Lin Xiao, trying to catch the opponent off guard.

"However, before that, I'd like to first ask Regiment Leader Lin Xiao another question—"

In the underground of the tenth district, without filing a report, privately constructing permanent buildings of such enormous scale, and using them for business...... does this comply with Tianmian City's 'Business Operation Permit Law'?

He extended his hand, making a standard "please" gesture.

"Trouble, Regiment Leader Lin Xiao, please produce the full set of legal approval procedures you have constructed here for inspection, after all, upholding regulations is also the duty of the Supervision Bureau."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao did not get angry; instead, he gave a soft, mocking laugh.

He simply tidied his clean cuffs slowly, his ice-blue eyes full of amusement.

"Team Leader Yue is indeed consistently dutiful; as for the procedures, our 'Undercurrent' naturally has them all—legal operation, tax compliance—this is our creed."

He raised his hand and pointed at the ceiling constantly dropping dust and debris, his tone laced with mockery, appearing quite confident.

"However, Team Leader Yue has also noticed that this place seems unsafe; the archives may have suffered significant damage. Why don't I send people to dig out the relevant documents from the ruins now? You can stay here and examine them at your leisure."

Yue Chengzhang watched Lin Xiao's overconfident demeanor, his heart sinking.

He knew that with the "Undercurrent"'s methods, and their behind-the-scenes tangled network of connections, obtaining a set of seemingly flawless "legal procedures" was not difficult.

And within Tianmian City, there have long been some people in high positions who, abusing their authority, have given the green light to their activities in the gray zone.

Otherwise, the Supervision Bureau wouldn't have been unable to catch a whiff of the "Undercurrent" all this time.

If we choose to insist on inspection now, it would not only be time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also unrealistic in this imminently collapsing environment, and might even alert the enemy.

He quickly weighed the pros and cons, giving up on further investigation of this matter.