Hunter of Mysterious Creature

Chapter 725 26: Bottom Line (Part 2)

This guy should have a lot in common with that group of "kindred spirits" in the Dubhe Tower.

"To ensure I won't be exposed before my research is made public, I must eliminate all traces." Lin Lun said in a matter-of-fact tone, "The story isn't over yet. Do you want to continue listening?"

"Go on."

"Just as I was planning to proceed with the transplant, I discovered another issue. I noticed the place where the sapling rooted wasn't like ordinary soil, but rather a soft reddish-brown substance, akin to rotten cotton wool."

"I immediately dug open the ground and found that beneath the sapling's roots were hundreds of buried human remains, and those reddish-brown cotton-like substances seeped from these bones."

Upon hearing Lin Lun say this, Sun Hang looked down at the pool of blood-red "soil" — he seemed to understand where these things came from.

"I call these things 'culture medium,' but I don't know how to obtain them. Perhaps existing corpses buried in the ground could yield similar culture mediums, but I don't have the time to delay any further."

"After a simple analysis of the culture medium's properties, I found it closely resembled biological flesh and blood. So, I cut open the abdomen of the maddened woman and poured all the remaining 'culture medium' into her stomach, using her body as a seedbed to transplant the sapling."

"Why not use those three existing corpses?" Sun Hang frowned slightly.

While Sun Hang wasn't particularly concerned about the lives and deaths of strangers, Lin Lun's calm demeanor and tone were somewhat unsettling to him.

"Would she have survived if I had used those three corpses?" Lin Lun asked rhetorically, "Moreover, during the return journey, I needed someone to continuously provide negative emotions as nourishment for the sapling. Despite her madness, her brain still generated abundant negative emotions amid chaos, making her a nearly perfect seedbed in my view."

"Her abdomen is cut open... can she still live?"

"I've self-taught some surgical knowledge. As long as I quickly stop the bleeding and administer ample hormones and antibiotics, I can prolong her life—for at least several days before her organs fail due to infection. There's another advantage to this approach: I'll inject her with drugs that keep her awake for extended periods, providing more negative emotions due to the pain."

"...Even King Yama would have you inked on his back." Sun Hang couldn't help but sharply comment.

"I'm not a sadist; I have no interest in torturing fellow humans." Lin Lun shook his head, "All my actions are merely to maximize the success rate of the transplant."

"Then you brought this thing back to Chunming City?" Sun Hang queried, puzzled, "But... how did you openly bring a supernatural entity into the city? Chunming City should have the highest density of supernatural monitoring devices among all cities in the Xiazhou Federation, right?"

Before Lin Lun could answer, Sun Hang suddenly realized: "Wait a minute... the Pollution Control Company... could it be the sewer pipes?! But to prevent supernatural entities from invading through the sewers, Chunming City's sewer pipes are equipped with memetic detection devices! Although those detection devices aren't as precise as those in a lab, this entity doesn't have the ability to conceal its aura!"

Standing tens of meters from the "tree," Sun Hang was almost intoxicated by the intense supernatural aura—the entity's aura was so evident that even if weakened to a small sapling's level, it would still be apparent—as soon as it passed these detection devices, alarms would instantly reverberate throughout the corresponding division of the Public Security Bureau and Anomaly Investigation Bureau.

"It's simple. I planned to set out when one of the sewer pipes was scheduled for renovation. By the time I returned, the power to this sewer pipe had been shut off, rendering those detection devices useless." Lin Lun said, "By then, I had already gained actual control of the Revival Pollution Control Company, which allowed me to ensure the workers in the pipes ignored what I brought inside."

"Mainframe." Sun Hang didn't continue questioning Lin Lun but gently tapped the screen of his wristband, "Do you think this person should be retained?"

"If the story Lin Lun tells is true, then from any perspective, his capabilities are outstanding—belonging to the kind of talent the Dubhe Tower and the Federation should recruit vigorously. Plus, being an adept, he possesses irreplaceable special abilities. If sentenced to death under federal law, it would be a great loss to both the Federation and human civilization. However, considering the absence of any moral concepts and his unscrupulous actions, he needs to be monitored tightly around the clock to prevent breaching acceptable limits..."

"Limits... what are limits?" Sun Hang asked.

"There's no standard answer to this question; limits vary with circumstances." The mainframe answered, "Given the current situation, although Lin Lun violated over ninety federal laws, all charges combined could warrant execution of more than thirty death sentences... But considering his motives and research results, he's yet to breach the limits."

"You mean this person shouldn't die?" Sun Hang asked again.

"In the long term, his actions are beneficial to human civilization... In fact, even if he hadn't acted alone but reported this to the Dubhe Tower, the Field Operations Department of the Tower would have taken tough measures on this matter."

"Do you mean if that nomadic tribe insisted on not handing over the 'sacred item,' the Field Operations Department would wipe them out entirely?"

"Tough measures are not limited to slaughter, but if the opposing party initiates aggressive actions, field agents have the right to use lethal force."

"Are you... communicating with your superior?" Lin Lun turned his head towards Sun Hang, who was wearing headphones, only hearing Sun Hang's questions to the mainframe but unable to hear the mainframe's answers to Sun Hang, "From your words, it seems your superior doesn't plan to judge me according to Federation law?"

Lin Lun's mouth held a faintly discernible smile, although he had been smiling most of the time since he appeared, Sun Hang felt there was a sense of smugness in his smile now.

"Not exactly a superior." Sun Hang shook his head, "But it does indeed have the authority to decide your life and death."

"At least... it seems I can live past today?" Lin Lun's eyebrows slightly raised.

"Perhaps." Sun Hang nodded, "By the way, is your story finished?"

"The story is over. What's left is what's happening now." Lin Lun stretched out his arm, "As you can see, not only did I successfully transplant this 'sapling,' I've cultivated it to this extent... I'm only a few steps away from my ultimate goal."

"What's your goal? Absorb all of humanity's negative emotions?" Sun Hang turned his gaze to Xue Yue, "So... she's your research outcome?"

"One of the research outcomes." Lin Lun replied, "She's still a semi-finished product. Besides her, I have a relatively mature 'problem-solving solution.'

"Those... human containers?"

"I call them 'Faceless Ones.'