novelraw Chapter 154: Restricted Area Ahead
Chapter 154: Restricted Area Ahead
As for that black-winged man from earlier.
Su Zhan estimated his strength was above the Tide Realm.
Dealing with those Aberrants was like cutting through melons and vegetables for him.
Right now, Blondie had been captured.
He had become a hostage that made both the Aberrant Purge Division and the black-winged man hesitate to act, and he had also become Su Zhan's... concern.
After all, he accepted the mission to enter the mist incident and kill mist creatures to enhance his strength.
As for that so-called Yun City Eastern Suburbs Disappearance Case or whatever.
He just had to go through the motions.
Since this case was also being handled by the Aberrant Purge Division.
He didn't feel any guilt about it.Overall, he didn't want Blondie Young Master's life to be harmed because of him either.
He just wanted to grow stronger discreetly.
Not make enemies.
If he could avoid offending people, he should try his best to do so.
Conversely.
Su Zhan wouldn't deliberately try to please someone like Blondie either.
That would be too embarrassing, too face-losing.
His thinking was.
When his strength became formidable, plenty of powerful and influential people would naturally come to curry favor with him.
Rather than pondering these things, it was better to focus on getting stronger.
Thinking this way.
Su Zhan took another taxi back to the hotel.
Now that a mist incident had occurred in one area of the eastern suburbs, the Aberrant Purge Division would definitely investigate today.
So he'd give them today.
Su Zhan decided to go tomorrow.
Go later, since he still had a mission to complete, at the very least he had to put on a show.
The next day.
Su Zhan managed to hail a taxi.
Old Li looked at Su Zhan through the rearview mirror: "Young man, heading to the eastern suburbs again? I remember you, you've ridden in my cab before, right? Seems like you're from out of town."
Su Zhan nodded: "Good memory."
But inwardly, he felt a bit more wary.
A bit coincidental, getting the same driver twice.
Need to keep an eye out, it's not a bad thing to be cautious.
"In our line of work, recognizing people is our specialty."
Old Li patted the steering wheel proudly: "But not many drivers dare to take fares to the eastern suburbs nowadays, only someone as bold as me, Old Li, would."
"Why are you willing to take it?"
Su Zhan followed up: "Last time you said drivers all avoid the eastern suburbs?"
Old Li chuckled: "Well, the situation's different now! You have no idea, something big happened in the eastern suburbs yesterday!"
"What big thing?"
Su Zhan played along.
He was curious to hear the story from the perspective of ordinary folks.
"Oh man!"
Old Li slapped his thigh: "Yesterday, wasn't there fog in the eastern suburbs? Turns out the Aberrant Purge Division folks all got wiped out in there! It's blowing up online!"
Su Zhan pretended to be curious: "What exactly happened?"
"Heard a lot of people died!"
Old Li lowered his voice: "Heard... everyone inside that mist incident died, and heard the son of some big official was captured.
When the mist cleared, many people saw the Aberrant Purge Division Commander facing off against Aberrants, all because the hostage's parents are big shots, otherwise they would've charged in long ago, who cares about these people?"
Su Zhan continued asking: "Is the information reliable?"
"Absolutely reliable!"
Old Li said confidently: "So many people were there at the time, can't be fake, but the most explosive part came later... heard some tough guy with wings descended from the sky, zipping around, and slaughtered all those Aberrants!"
"With wings?"
Su Zhan asked, playing along.
"Yeah!"
Old Li gestured: "But this person is with the authorities, so the news isn't spreading much, since it involves their privacy. The authorities will step in, but just know there's such a person."
Several fully armed Purifiers were inspecting vehicles.
Old Li skillfully pulled out a pass: "See how strict the checks are now? Before, who'd dare go to the eastern suburbs?
Ever since yesterday's mist incident.
The pressure from public opinion is too great.
Yun City's Aberrant Purge Division has to take some action, otherwise they'll lose their official posts."
Su Zhan looked at the increased patrols outside the window: "So it's safe now?"
"Safe?"
Old Li sneered: "That's the official line! This is just hearsay, but those Aberrants aren't completely wiped out, they're just hiding."
The car suddenly braked hard.
A roadblock was set up ahead, Purifiers wearing gas masks were checking each car's trunk.
Old Li grumbled while queuing: "Dammit, checking again..."
"What are people saying online about this now?"
Su Zhan continued asking.
"Hey! All sorts of things!"
Old Li waved his hand dismissively: "Some even say it's an alien invasion."
Su Zhan chuckled lightly: "What do you think?"
"If you ask me..."
Old Li mysteriously lowered his voice: "This is definitely some trouble stirred up by those rich people! Haven't you noticed? Every time something happens, it's always in the poor areas first! I think they should investigate the wealthy, the powerful, I bet they'd catch a bunch of traitors."
Hearing this, Su Zhan smiled but didn't speak.
Back when he attended the tribunal, sitting in the public gallery.
At that time, Zhou Yueshan had said.
The reason Aberrants often summon the mist in underdeveloped areas.
Is because developed areas have more Awakened.
Places like suburbs, rural areas, the less developed they are, the fewer Awakened there are.
Making them more suitable for hunting.
So why has this problem persisted for so many years?
Is it unsolvable, or do they not want to solve it?
Su Zhan couldn't fathom the higher-ups' intentions either.
As for Old Li's speculation.
He had no idea either.
Not being in that position, he couldn't understand how people in that position think.
Right or wrong, true or false, he wouldn't judge.
The car slowly passed through the checkpoint.
The Purifiers carefully inspected the trunk before letting them go.
Old Li continued chattering nonstop: "But the authorities are under pressure too, heard the captured young master's father has personally stepped in, if you ask me, these big shots are just..."
"We're here."
Su Zhan interrupted him, pointing at the cordon ahead: "Just stop here."
Old Li, somewhat reluctantly, hit the brakes: "Young man, listen to your uncle's advice, finish your business and leave quickly."
Su Zhan nodded, scanned to pay, and got out of the car.
This Old Li was quite interesting.
And his way of talking too.
How to put it? He had... his own understanding of this world.
An interesting taxi driver.
Su Zhan arrived at the area in the eastern suburbs where the mist had occurred yesterday.
Looking around, it was a scene of ruins.
Charred building remnants jutted out with broken steel reinforcement bars.
The road was littered with deformed shell casings and congealed bloodstains.
Several armored vehicles, burned down to hollow shells, lay sideways in the middle of the road.
The air carried a mix of bloody and burnt smells.
"Halt! Restricted area ahead!"
Two Purifiers emerged from behind cover, their gun barrels aimed at Su Zhan.
Su Zhan showed his Zhuque badge: "Investigation mission."
After scanning it with a device, the Purifiers cautiously made way: "Do not disturb the scene traces, report any abnormalities immediately."
Su Zhan nodded and started walking.
The further in he went, the more horrifying the battle scars became.
A wall bore claw marks two meters in diameter.
There was a corrosive pit five meters wide on the asphalt road.
A few technicians in white lab coats were collecting samples, their bodies visibly tensing up when they saw Su Zhan.
Su Zhan wandered around for a bit.
To test his hypothesis, he went to the hardware store owned by that boss surnamed Zhou.
This area hadn't been set on fire by him yet.
So it was relatively intact, just heavily damaged.
Like this hardware store, only the door was a bit broken.
Su Zhan grew more cautious, reached out, and slowly pushed open the hardware store's battered door...