novelraw Chapter 157: Sentiment
Chapter 157: Sentiment
Afterward.
Lei Chen followed the general direction Su Zhan had provided to conduct the investigation.
A full day of searching yielded no results.
The abandoned factory contained only dried bloodstains.
Faint rustling sounds came from deep within the underground pipe network, but when the Purifiers rushed in, they found only a few gnawed-on rat carcasses.
The iron door of the suburban warehouse stood wide open, the interior completely empty.
The mountain cave was cold and damp, and further in, only dead silence remained.
Su Zhan didn't feel discouraged, however.
After all, this was just something he had casually mentioned off the top of his head.
If he could actually find the other party's hiding spot just by casually mentioning an idea,that would be truly unbelievable.
Still, the other party was quite clever.
Finding their hiding place... would require considerable effort.
But they didn't have much time.
That blond young master was still in their hands.
The more Su Zhan thought about it, the more annoyed he became.
Forget it, forget it.
Within the remaining 13 days of the mission deadline, he would just do his best.
As for the outcome...
They would have to leave it to fate.
"Boss!"
A young man stepped forward and said, "We still haven't checked that Sunshine Orphanage up in the mountains, what do you think..."
"Check my ass!"
Lei Chen threw his cigarette butt to the ground and crushed it fiercely under his boot heel: "That damn place had half its wall collapse in the earthquake two years ago; the old director dug into her own savings to repair it. The kids there have it rough too, raised through all kinds of hardship by the old director... it's too sad to even talk about...
If we go over there and make a scene, we might scare the children. Sigh... that orphanage director has been in the news countless times, her virtue... in ancient times she'd be rated a saint. Someone like her, a place like that, how could it possibly be hiding Aberrants?"
Su Zhan frowned slightly upon hearing this.
"But, but procedurally..."
The young man tried to continue.
"Procedures my ass!"
Lei Chen roared angrily: "That old lady sold her own dowry to buy medicine for the kids, and you want to go in there now with guns to search? I can't stomach that disgrace!"
Su Zhan asked at this point, "What's the name of that orphanage?"
The young man was stunned for a moment, then said, "Golden Sun Orphanage."
Su Zhan nodded, opened his phone, and silently searched for related information.
He thought to himself.
Is this commander really this emotional?
Just decides not to investigate and that's it.
Can procedures really be ignored just like that?
Going to check it out wouldn't hurt; at worst, they'd get criticized online by some trolls.
But then again,
who don't online trolls criticize?
They could just track down a few through their IP addresses later to shut them up.
After searching,
it was indeed pretty much as Lei Chen had said.
The director of Golden Sun Orphanage truly had a reputation as a virtuous, highly respected person who burned herself out to illuminate the lives of those orphans.
"We must investigate."
Su Zhan stated.
Lei Chen narrowed his eyes: "Student Su Zhan, did you not hear what I just said?"
Su Zhan replied calmly, "I heard, but procedures are procedures."
He continued to assess the other party internally.
This commander is far too sentimental.
Is this something you can just skip if you don't want to go?
How can someone so emotional command a team, even hundreds or thousands of people?
"Don't give me that rules crap."
Lei Chen said with a frown: "The youngest kid in that damn place is only two years old, he'd piss his pants at the sight of a gun! And you're talking to me about procedures?"
"Precisely because it's an orphanage, we need to investigate even more."
Su Zhan said slowly: "The more it's this kind of place, the easier it is to hide people."
Lei Chen laughed angrily: "Hide people? How? It's full of orphans, all pitiful people. Do you think the director would hide people? Or that those poor orphans would hide people?"
"We still need to go through the motions."
Su Zhan looked up at him: "Otherwise, how do we write the report? 'Abandoned search of suspicious area due to excessive sympathy'?"
A vein bulged on Lei Chen's forehead: "Stop with the bureaucratic nonsense! Those children have suffered enough!"
"Commander Lei, if you insist this strongly, that's fine too."
Su Zhan instead curled the corner of his mouth slightly: "I will faithfully record in the mission report that a certain Deputy Commander obstructed the investigation due to personal emotions. Do you think the Vermilion Bird Academy will forward this report to the Aberrant Purge Division headquarters?!"
Lei Chen's hand froze mid-air, his face instantly turning ashen.
The surrounding Purifiers unconsciously took half a step back.
"Of course..."
Su Zhan continued: "If you change your mind now, all of this can be considered a misunderstanding."
Dead silence fell over the scene.
Finally.
Lei Chen gritted his teeth: "Everyone assemble! Target: Golden Sun Orphanage!"
...
The armored vehicle convoy bumped along the rugged mountain road for nearly an hour before finally turning onto a gravel path almost completely overgrown with weeds.
"This damn place..."
The driving Purifier wiped his sweat and checked the navigation again: "There's no signal further ahead."
Su Zhan looked out the window.
In the distance, a deep valley was nestled between two green mountains, with a few wisps of cooking smoke rising from the valley floor.
Lush green mountains, clear waters, waterfalls, and streams.
Compared to the steel cities built by humans, it truly had a unique charm.
"We're here."
Lei Chen announced.
The convoy stopped in front of a gentle slope.
Ahead stood a weathered wooden sign.
Golden Sun Orphanage.
Su Zhan jumped out of the vehicle.
The unique scent of the forest filled the air.
The sound of babbling stream water came from afar.
If not for the purpose of their visit, this place would seem like a good retreat from the world.
"Why build it in a place like this?"
Su Zhan brushed off some grass seeds stuck to his sleeve.
Lei Chen snorted coldly, pulling equipment from the trunk: "The price per square meter in the city is enough to build an entire playground here. Director Chen went to every department back in the day and finally got approval for this mountainous land.
Yun City's policy is that undeveloped forested mountains like these need people to live there and develop the land. Of course, things like industrial zones can't be built here, as they pollute the environment the most.
So as long as you live here long-term, you can apply for the land for free.
That's what Director Chen did. But this place might look beautiful with mountains and water, but it's actually inconvenient in every way.
No running water, no electricity, no internet. They had to beg and plead just to get electricity connected."
Su Zhan nodded to show he understood.
From this information, the orphanage director indeed seemed to be a highly respected, selflessly dedicated person.
No wonder she was held in such esteem.
The iron gate was pushed open.
An elderly woman with graying hair, leaning on a wooden cane, quickly came out to meet them.
She wore clothes that had been washed until faded.
"Oh my! Isn't this Captain Lei!"
Director Chen's smile made the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes bunch together: "The milk powder you sent last month, the children absolutely loved it!"
The sternness on Lei Chen's face instantly melted away. He rushed forward in quick steps to support the old woman: "Director Chen, take it easy. This mountain path isn't easy to walk, why did you come out yourself?"
"I couldn't sit still when I heard the vehicles!"
Director Chen patted the back of Lei Chen's hand, her gaze curiously scanning the fully armed Purifiers behind him: "This is...?"
"Routine inspection."
Lei Chen said softly: "The eastern suburbs have been unstable recently. The higher-ups require all institutions to go through the procedure."
Instead of being afraid, the old woman's eyes lit up: "How fortuitous! The children are having a safety lesson right now. It's perfect for the soldiers to talk about disaster prevention knowledge!"
Then.
She noticed Su Zhan standing further back: "This young man looks unfamiliar..."
Just as Su Zhan was about to speak.
Lei Chen cut in: "This is Su Zhan from the Vermilion Bird Academy, here to assist with our work."