Chapter 580: Clinical Observation

Federation headquarters, conference hall.

The door is closed.

No one speaks.

The holographic screen at the center of the long table still showed the image of New Order Square; the meme pollution in the video had been removed.

Three thousand and two Infected were left in the quarantine zone.

They sat, stood, and held hands with each other.

There was no crying or struggling.

Everyone on the screen wore the same smile.

That smile made people's stomachs clench.

The battle report had been tallied.

Direct deaths: twenty-eight.

Serious injuries: one hundred seventy-six.

Minor injuries and those with Spiritual Pollution were still increasing.

According to the usual standards for Weird disasters, this battle report could even be considered good.

Twenty-eight died, saving two thousand uninfected civilians, and the global livestream was cut off.

In the past, the Investigation Bureau could have earned praise.

But at the conference table, no one raised their head.

Because everyone understood.

Those three thousand people were still alive.

Precisely for that reason, this battle report was even harder to look at.

Alive, yet they had been taken from themselves.

They ate, slept, and spoke.

But they were no longer themselves.

Liang Wen sat in the seat near the door, his black windcoat torn, his gloves unchanged.

He stared at the screen for a long time, then raised his hand to rub his brow.

"The death toll is under thirty."

"If this data were released, even Lu Dou could win an award for bravery."

No one responded.

Liang Wen himself no longer felt like joking.

He had taken part in too many missions.

He had seen corpses.

He had seen the Weird Domain devour people.

But today, those three thousand smiling faces in the Square reminded him of a troublesome matter.

If a person dies, at least they can still avenge.

When a person is changed like this, it's unclear who to hate.

Jiang Yuan sat at the other end, dried bloodstains still on his combat uniform.

His card bag lay on the table.

One black card was missing from inside.

That card had been exchanged for thirteen lives.

Jiang Yuan lowered his head to look at the wound on the back of his hand, leaving it untreated.

The cleaner's words kept replaying in his mind.

"Don't save us anymore."

She said it softly.

So softly that one couldn't refute it.

Su Ming leaned against the chair back, his wrist wrapped in medical bandages.

The Time Marrow Worm had been suppressed back inside him, but his body still suffered waves of backlash.

He looked toward Jiang Yuan.

"Don't put all the blame on yourself."

Jiang Yuan did not lift his head.

"I played the card."

"Lu Dou used people as shields."

Su Ming said.

"If you don't play the card, he will find other ways to spread the infection."

"It's not your fault."

Jiang Yuan remained silent.

After a while, he finally spoke.

"But they are dead."

Su Ming did not urge further.

These words cannot be persuaded.

Qin Zhixia stood by the window, her mechanical prosthetic arm having had its outer casing removed, while maintenance personnel were busy in the back.

She held a cup of cold water in her left hand.

In the Square's safe house, a little girl tugged at her sleeve, asking when her mother would return.

She did not answer.

It wasn't that she didn't want to answer.

She couldn't answer.

L sat in the corner, lines of data popping up on the laptop screen.

She lifted her head.

"Supplementary report."

"The cognitive structure of the Infected remains."

"The memory retention rate is ninety-seven point four percent."

"Personhood autonomy is below one percent."

Liang Wen looked up.

"Translate that."

L paused for two seconds.

"They remember who they are."

"But they cannot make decisions for themselves."

Liang Wen's hand halted midair.

"This is worse than death."

L nodded.

"From a sociological perspective, yes."

"From a medical perspective, it cannot be defined."

"From Lu Dou's theoretical perspective, he would call this a success."

Lord Wei had not spoken.

He sat at the head, the battle report laid before him.

His hair was flecked with white, the collar of his administrative jacket neat.

Only the cup of tea on the table had gone completely cold.

No one dared to urge him on.

Nor did anyone dare to leave.

In the battle at the Square, what was lost was not just an operation.

Lord Wei lifted his gaze toward the screen.

"Have the comments about this sudden livestream shutdown been handled?"

L replied.

"Already handled."

Jiang Yuan looked up.

Lord Wei looked at him.

"What Lu Dou wants most is not those three thousand samples."

"He wants more people to start doubting whether freedom is worth it."

"We can only produce an answer."

Qin Zhixia turned around.

"But before the answer comes out, he will keep acting."

"Yes."

Lord Wei answered succinctly.

"So we cannot give him a second chance."

He rose.

He placed both hands on the long table.

Everyone at the table sat up straight.

Lord Wei's gaze swept over Jiang Yuan, Su Ming, Qin Zhixia, and Liang Wen in turn.

"Lu Dou, codename Martyr."

"Originally rated, an S Ji hazardous source."

"Effective immediately, the rating is rescinded."

L's fingers hovered over the keyboard.

Lord Wei continued.

"Against Lu Dou, issue the Federation's only ever special-grade extermination order."

Someone in the conference hall caught their breath for a half beat.

"Special-grade extermination order."

"These five words, the Investigation Bureau's files have a contingency for, but it has never actually been activated."

"It means one thing."

"No containment."

"No negotiation."

"No consideration of sample value."

Do not consider the cost of public opinion.

Once the target is confirmed, eliminate it immediately.

Even if the target hides deep within the Weird Domain.

Even if civilians are beside the target.

Also, first drag him out of the Rules.

Jiang Yuan presses his palm against the Card Bag.

"How do we handle his damage sharing?"

Wei Gong looks at him.

"Research."

"Crack."

"If we can't do it, we'll test it with our lives."

This remark is blunt.

Qin Zhixia does not rebut.

She understands Wei Gong's meaning.

Lu Dou has already bound three thousand living people to the war chariot.

If the Investigation Bureau still confines the Rules to its own hands, every move will be led by him.

This is not caution.

It is waiting to die.

Wei Gong turns toward L.

"Activate the Highest Authorization."

"All restrictions on Rule items are lifted."

"Prioritize supply of Suppress Spook Bullets to the Hunting Team."

"All global branches share Lu Dou's file; any abnormal smile contamination is directly raised to red alert."

L presses the confirm key.

"The command has been recorded."

"The kill order takes effect."

On the screen, Lu Dou's file is overwritten.

A line of red text appears at the top.

Upon discovery, exterminate.

Liang Wen looks at that line and whispers.

"This time we really won't leave any survivors."

Wei Gong does not turn back.

"He gave those three thousand no chance to live."

Liang Wen opens his mouth, then says nothing more.

Jiang Yuan stands up.

"I apply to join the Hunting Team."

Su Ming also rises.

"I'll join too."

Qin Zhixia lifts her mechanical prosthetic arm.

Maintenance staff are still adjusting the interface.

She directly fastens the external armor.

"Count me in."

Wei Gong looks at the three.

"First, go get treatment."

"In your current state, going after Lu Dou is just delivering heads."

Liang Wen raises his hand.

"I'll go too."

Wei Gong looks at him.

Liang Wen coughs twice.

"I, the king, am not afraid of him."

"The main reason is that last time I let him escape, and word got out, affecting my personal brand."

L adds a sentence.

"Your personal brand rating is minus three point seven."

Liang Wen looks over.

"L, you're really suited to be the CFO of the villains."

"Received."

Finally, someone in the meeting hall twitches the corner of their mouth.

Soon they pull it back.

Wei Gong raises his hand.

"Meeting adjourned."

Starting today, the Federation enters a first‑level hunting state.

Lu Dou wants to build a world without pain.

Then let him first understand: people live, not to serve as his material.

Qiu Ce Yuan.

The infirmary is very quiet.

Chu Che sat at the table, the white porcelain cup holding only a last drop of tea.

On the screen, an internal meeting of the Federation headquarters was being played.

This encrypted channel is hard for others to access.

For him, it's just a matter of clicking twice more.

Chu Che raised his hand and pushed his gold‑rimmed glasses.

On the screen, Wei Gong signed the extermination order.

A red permission mark covered Lu Dou's file.

Chu Che lifted the cup and drank the last sip of tea.

"Handled well."

Sai Men sat on the windowsill, the gray mask fastened to his face, the eyeball staff lying across his knees.

"Are you praising Wei Gong, or Lu Dou?"

"Both count."

Chu Che put the teacup back on the table.

"Wei Gong finally agrees to tear off that last layer of hesitation."

"Lu Dou, using three thousand people, gave the Investigation Bureau a very thorough lesson."

Sai Men tilted his head.

"Complete?"

"They lost face, lost prestige, and also lost three thousand walking collective puppets."

"That lesson doesn't come cheap."

Chu Che lifted his eyes to look at him.

"Humans always have to pay a price before they learn to wield the power in their hands."

Sai Men laughed.

"You're taking up the role of teacher again."

Chu Che paid no attention.

His fingers tapped twice on the tabletop.

Lu Dou's file was pulled out separately.

Dongdao Quarantine Zone.

Black Market Manor.

New Order Square.

Every operation was clean.

No excess killing.

No uncontrolled spread.

He even deliberately retained the victims' memories, letting those people carry their original lives and voluntarily become propagation sources.

Such restraint is rare.

Chu Che watched the white umbrella on the screen.

"If he gets hold of the editor......"

"He could produce a script a hundred times more splendid than Zhang Yuanqing's."

Sai Men gazed at Chu Che with the eyeball at the tip of his staff.

"You rarely praise people like this."

"Because he deserves it."

Chu Che's tone remained gentle.

"He understands the rules, and he understands people."

"More importantly, he is not greedy."

"He needs neither power, nor worship, nor to go on living."

"Such people are the hardest to control."

Sai Men propped his chin.

"So what do you plan to do?"

Chu Che fell silent for a moment.

He had originally wanted to watch a bit longer.

Let Lu Dou pressure the Federation to perfect order, and pressure Wei Gong to shrink those wavering interest groups.

Lu Dou is a very suitable pressure source.

But what Lu Dou wants to take is exactly what he cannot tolerate.

What Chu Che wants is a shepherd.

The flock can be fearful, can be obedient, can live within the rules.

But the flock must retain their differing desires.

Someone wants money.

Someone wants love.

Someone wants to live with dignity.

Someone wants revenge.

With desire, the world will be pushed forward.

When all become the same thought, order no longer needs shepherds.

That is Lu Dou's end.

That is also an end Chu Che cannot accept.

"Ideological clash."

Chu Che said.

"In the end, we'll have to fight."

Sai Men jumped down from the windowsill, leaning on his cane, and walked to the table.

"What a pity."

"I thought you would take him in."

Chu Che raised his hand and pushed his glasses.

"I really have thought about it."

"He is very suitable to be a blade."

"Unfortunately, this blade wants to get rid of its wielder as well."

Sai Men laughed, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"Then deal with him."

"Don't rush."

Chu Che opened the drawer and took out a blank medical record.

"First, let Lord Wei go after him."

"Let Jiang Yuan and them try."

"The more successful Lu Dou is, the more the Federation will understand that order needs a higher boundary."

Sai Men stared at that medical record.

"You want to use them as test subjects?"

Chu Che twirled his pen, curling his lips.

"It's clinical observation."

Sai Men laughed out loud.