Chapter 572: The Chief Investigator

The contamination was dodging him, dodging his palm, and Zhang Jie took a while to grab hold of that jumping contamination.

The jet‑black, silk‑like 'contamination' wrapped around his palm, a tingling, prickling sensation shot through, and Zhang Jie pulled his arm back as if shocked by electricity.

A strange feeling welled up, as if something was being born deep inside his body, and that feeling left Zhang Jie extremely ill at ease.

'What is this...'

'It's so weird, so uncomfortable....'

The contamination seeped into his body, penetrated to the marrow, delivering the first shock to this pure form that had never known contamination.

What Zhang Jie didn't know was that Brother Stomach had already been killed by someone; his corpse now lay on the main road, surrounded and under investigation.

After dinner, the investigator knocked open the door of Zhang Jie's home.

'Please cooperate with the investigation; we suspect your child has come into direct contact with contamination.'

In an instant, everyone's gaze turned to the boy not far away who was hugging a watermelon and eating it.

'Me?'

'We need to run a contamination check on him, ma'am; please step aside.'

'Wait!'

Zhang Jie's mother, wearing an apron, pointlessly blocked their way, while Zhang Jie saw his older brother sneakily leaning against him here, the window beside them, as if planning to take him and flee.

'I am a Lamp Keeper, my husband is an investigator, we have the ability to test for contamination, and....'

'I haven't sensed any trace of contamination on my child.'

'Ma'am, please calm down; as a Lamp Keeper you should know better than anyone how cunning and ever‑changing the methods of anomalies are.'

'I am a Grade B Investigator; I won't do anything beyond what you expect; please believe me.'

Zhang Jie's mother pressed her lips, after a moment finally stepped aside.

The investigator also politely bowed slightly, walked toward Zhang Jie, and under everyone's gaze produced the contamination‑checking device.

'Come on, little one, put your hand here.'

His attitude made Zhang Jie feel a bit more reassured, and then he placed his small hand, smeared with watermelon juice, onto the device.

Zhang Jie could clearly see the look of disdain flit across the other's face, then the device's screen lit up, and a big green light appeared before everyone's eyes.

Zhang Jie's mother heaved a huge sigh of relief, but then something seemed to occur to her and her expression suddenly turned fearful.

You see, Zhang Jie's contamination level is 0%!

'Huh? 0.1% contamination—looks... fine.'

'You've raised this kid well.'

'We'll keep investigating, ma'am; you'd better stay at home for now.'

'Ah? Oh!'

That feeling of soaring from the valley floor to the clouds was genuinely delightful; the fact that his contamination was 0% was known only to Zhang Jie's parents, nobody else.

But now... Zhang Jie's contamination level has risen to 0.1%....

Zhang Jie's mother confirmed that this time Zhang Jie must have come into contact with contamination; otherwise, given his condition, it would be impossible for him to be contaminated.

'Then we'll be going, ma'am; wishing you eternal clarity.'

Zhang Jie saw the investigator somewhat disdainfully wipe his device with a tissue—that was the watermelon juice Zhang Jie had left behind.

'After the investigator left, your mother rushed over, examined you from head to toe, and sternly asked whether you had really come into contact with contamination'

'You nodded, then shook your head, and in the end gave no definite answer; this reaction made your mother worry even more.'

'Although nothing abnormal turned up in the check, she still learned what happened to you today, and so your Mowan older sister was scolded harshly by Mamasang.'

'"Got it! I'll protect my little brother from now on!"'

'Fortunately, what this butterfly's wings brought about was not the sister holding a grudge after criticism, a lifelong melodrama, but rather more careful care and affection.'

'I have to say, your start this time is simply perfect; you grew up in an extremely warm, harmonious, and normal family—perhaps it is precisely this upbringing that forged a resolute investigator.'

'No one can know, and no one will know.'

'Compared to your sunshine and positive life here, a certain anomaly containment facility looks rather.... discordant.'

The Final Overseer, a steadfast guardian who controls the highest‑risk containment unit, possessing the authority for final seal and final destruction.

Put plainly, every containment unit the Final Overseer faces is capable of destroying everything, and whether it is permanently exiled or permanently destroyed is entirely up to him.

And right now, this Final Overseer is confronted with a dilemma—a strange containment object.

It is something brought back by a Chief Investigator at the cost of his life from the contamination source of intensity level five.

Its appearance... manifests as a completely incomprehensible lump of flesh, non‑aggressive, yet the contamination emanating from it is the most intense he has ever seen.

'It seems to possess a mind‑bewitching ability, or perhaps.... contact with it drives one mad instantly.'

'Otherwise, how could one explain why this investigator risked his life to bring it back?'

'Who could know this? He says this thing can change our fate, but.... have you noticed anything?'

A Chief Investigator is an extremely rare and powerful existence; they usually tread the highest‑intensity zones and are also humanity's first line in exploring contaminated areas.

Such an investigator certainly isn't lacking in trinkets; at the very least, becoming mentally deranged from contamination is exceedingly rare.

'... Wait! It's changed!'

All that could be seen through the thick cover was the containment object writhing and changing, but this change was not heading in a good direction.

It.... manifested each person's deepest fear.

'Mind‑bewitching—what exactly is this thing?'

Fortunately, those who have weathered great storms did not react on the spot.

'So, for something like this, is it really wise to deploy the No. 7 Positive Containment Object?'

The No. 7 Containment Object can read out one piece of information about any item, as well as the best way to handle it.

But such a useful thing comes at a great cost, and most importantly, it has a usage limit.

Vote, I'll first mention something from a Chief Investigator; I'm willing to believe it.

The other four Terminal Supervisors each cast two opposing votes and two approval votes.

The proposal is passed.

We will officially activate Containment Object 7, contact the executor, and carry out the operation covertly.