ALL NOVEL Chapter 10 - A Summer Night with Cicadas Chirping.
Standing so conspicuously on the roadside was quite eye-catching.
Although Lin Lin was wearing a uniform from the control bureau, technically a revised suit, he didn’t seem too out of place if you ignored the various badges on his jacket. So, while walking, he discreetly removed the accessories from his outfit.
While doing so, he kept glancing around to ensure no one noticed his small actions.
Ye Jishu: “…”
Was it his imagination?
The sense of secrecy was strong.
He tried to act as if he hadn’t seen.
Since he didn’t yet know what the person wanted to ask, it was better to say as little as possible to avoid making mistakes.
Eventually, they settled in the reading area of the 24-hour library.
The leisure area was extremely empty, with only the two of them present. Even the attendant at the counter was dozing off.
The air was filled with a damp, heavy atmosphere.
Just sitting there, the T-shirt under the leisure suit slowly became soaked with sweat.
The confined space was very uncomfortable.
Lin Lin ordered a refreshing fizzy drink, but Ye Jishu didn’t order anything.
“I’ll pay,” Lin Lin said.
Ye Jishu remained seated, his hands resting on his knees.
“Thanks, but I don’t drink those.”
Lin Lin, puzzled, said, “Oh, really?”
But he didn’t insist, taking a large sip of his lime-flavored drink.
The sound of the soda bubbling in the straw echoed between them.
Lin Lin drank deeply, feeling able to endure the unusual summer night after soaking his chest and fingers in the drink.
“This is my ID,”
he said, pulling out an ID card from his uniform pocket and extending it towards Ye Jishu.
Ye Jishu did not take it.
He looked up.
In the photo, Lin Lin looked younger, with a bright, cheerful smile and no sign of gloom.
Age: 24.
The position listed was “Special Police Department.”
Although Ye Jishu had never heard of this position, the gold-embossed ID card gave him an intuitive sense that it was genuine.
“I understand,” he said.
Lin Lin carefully put away his ID and said, “You should know why I’m here.”
“It’s because of Chen Heming, right?”
That rich second-generation kid.
“Yes.”
“I saw the forum posts,” Ye Jishu paused before continuing, “We had a conflict by the lake, but he was fine at that time. I actually don’t know what happened afterward—did something happen to him?”
“I’m not sure what information is circulating around the school, but don’t worry, he’s not dead. He’s currently isolated in the hospital. I’m here to ask you a few questions, so try not to be too nervous.”
Lin Lin’s fingers rested on the cool surface of his drink.
Images of [Chen Heming] and the [Source of Infection 3301] flashed in his mind.
Although he had only recently started working, he had already achieved the Level 2 Enforcement Officer rank.
Though he still needed to improve, it was a good start.
Lin Lin had just taken the promotion exam, so he was quite familiar with these [Source of Infections.]
Whenever he encountered one, relevant information would immediately swirl in his mind. His knowledge was both instinctive and formidable.
In this world, there are three fundamental rules about these entities:
Once humans become the [Source of Infection],” they are fundamentally different from ordinary people and cannot be reversed.
No matter what happens, they cannot easily die. Whether their internal organs burst, they are disemboweled, or even decapitated, they will not die but rather have their infection become more severe, creating more troublesome situations. Unless specific weapons are used, their existence cannot be eradicated.
These special weapons are extremely rare and have a high usage threshold. They can only affect the [Source of Infection] if the wielder’s “rationality” reaches a certain level.
Therefore, the best approach is to promptly contain the [Source of Infection], confining them in specialized facilities.
First, there is research.
Then, they are disposed of in an incinerator.
This is why the focus is on managing the time before the situation escalates.
If things get worse, the control bureau will have to dispatch special Level 1 agents who can use the specific weapons for that area.
Lin Lin would prefer not to work with the agents responsible for this area.
He had heard that they looked down on agents below Level 1.
Work was already tough.
It would be even worse if interpersonal relations were added to the mix.
The thought of this future made him feel a bit overwhelmed.
“What do you want to ask me?” Ye Jishu’s voice brought Lin Lin back to the present.
Lin Lin looked at him. Dressed in a casual jacket and a loose white T-shirt, with slender wrists visible from his sleeves, Ye Jishu’s face looked extremely cold, though strikingly beautiful, possibly due to his expressionlessness.
“Do you mind if I record this?”
“No, I don’t mind.”
Ye Jishu shook his head.
Having received permission, Lin Lin took out a pen.
He twisted it gently, and a red light flashed from the pen cap to the body.
Confirming that it was functioning properly, he placed the pen lightly on the table.
“What was the conflict about?”
As Lin Lin listened to Ye Jishu calmly describe the events, his gaze stayed on the red numbers on the pen’s side.
Since the pen was taken out, it has continuously shown a value of [0].
Though it looked like a normal object, it was actually a detection device from the Control Bureau for infection levels.
The values range from 0 to 10.
Each number represents a different level of infection.
The grading is straightforward.
The higher the number, the deeper the infection and the greater the risk of mutation.
This procedure wasn’t meant to doubt whether Ye Jishu had done something to Chen Heming.
Ordinary people could not possibly have such abilities or value, and at most, extreme emotions might contribute to the emergence of the [Source of Infection], serving as a stepping stone, as other employees would say.
As for the reasons and details of the conflict between Ye Jishu and Chen Heming, Lin Lin had already investigated that earlier in the day.
He was here to confirm the current state of Ye Jishu’s body since individuals who had come into contact with the [Source of Infection] had a high risk of being transformed into monsters with lost rationality.
A few minutes passed.
Lin Lin glanced at the pen.
The test result showed a reading of—
0.
0–3 is the normal range.
Even if an ordinary person hasn’t been in contact with the [Source of Infection], their levels might rise due to emotional stress or other pressures.
3–5 indicates some danger.
For values above 5, it is necessary to contain the individual and keep them away from the [Source of Infection] for seven days.
Lin Lin breathed a sigh of relief.
Alright, no problems.
He put the pen back into his pocket and stood up.
“Thank you,” he said with a smile. “You should head back to your dorm and get some rest. Sorry for the trouble.”
Ye Jishu looked up at him from the couch.
“Is it over?”
Lin Lin was in a good mood. The process had gone smoothly, and the interaction had been pleasant.
He joked, “Not yet. I still need to work overtime and check on your boyfriend. It’s clear you really like him, considering you’ve taken all the blame for the conflict.”
Lin Lin was perceptive and considered himself quite emotionally intelligent.
The person in front of him wasn’t very talkative, but had carefully explained the conflict for the sake of [Yan Mei].
Tonight, Ye Jishu had probably spoken more than he had all day.
He probably didn’t want Lin Lin to misunderstand and cause trouble for that person.
Even if it meant being suspected himself, he had done so.
“Really envious,” Lin Lin said spontaneously. “Now I’m a bit curious about what kind of person he is.”
“……”
It felt like such words hinted at digging up his turf.
Soon, Lin Lin would go to see Yan Mei.
Ye Jishu’s role was likely to be a mere bridge.
Ye Jishu said, “… Ah. In that case, I wish you good luck.”
It wasn’t insincere.
After all, he had to get used to such things from now on.
Ye Jishu had already decided to let things develop and occasionally participate in the scenario until this disruption in his peaceful life ended and Yan Mei found a more suitable partner.
After all, he had been warned about the confession day, so he shouldn’t be self-indulgent.
From now on, he would just be a passerby character.
What concerned him now was—
Ye Jishu couldn’t recall specific details of the novel’s plot.
He only remembered that he was a passerby character and Yan Mei was the heartthrob protagonist, but he didn’t know who would appear or what would happen in the future.
Perhaps because he was a minor character, even the awakening of his awareness was just a footnote.
But that was fine.
This was just a melodramatic romance novel, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.
……
It wasn’t until Ye Jishu completely left the library and was out of sight of the lights that Lin Lin took his phone out of his jacket.
He quickly opened his phone.
Then he accessed the application on the home screen.
What appeared before him was the most basic memo interface.
However, all the content edited on this interface was immediately uploaded to the cloud and stored by the terminal computer.
As an employee of the Control Bureau in an extremely dangerous work environment, it was crucial to always record situations. This not only allowed for timely updates to headquarters about the event but also ensured that the final records might not become one’s last words.
Memos don’t require a standard format, as long as they are understandable.
Employees’ rationality is very important.
Therefore, they can even record their mood, and the terminal will immediately conduct online diagnostics to monitor mental health.
[00 has logged in.]
[The Source of Infection “Chen Heming” has been sent to the nearest temporary containment facility.]
[22:10]
[Visited “Ye Jishu,” behavior normal. Infection level after contact is 0.]
……
Lin Lin finished editing and sighed.
Ok, the formal work is done.
Now, it’s time for today’s most important task: reflection.
[Ye Jishu is quite easy to get along with. He seems like he would be very cute if he smiled, but unfortunately, he doesn’t smile at all.]
[At the end, when I mentioned going to see Yan Mei, his expression was a bit strange, probably thinking I was suspicious and untrustworthy? Indeed, I should avoid wearing uniforms on field tasks next time. But will that make my credibility lower instead?]
The memo interface was spinning.
This meant it was currently being uploaded.
Satisfied, Lin Lin stopped typing.
Phew—
Talking to himself like this had eased the day’s stress.
Next—
He reviewed the text he had written.
It was all ordinary remarks.
But suddenly, a sense of unease surged in his heart, spreading an unusually unsettling feeling throughout his limbs.
He couldn’t help but place his hand on his chest.
His heart was pounding furiously.
What’s happening?
His legs felt rooted to the spot, unable to move.
The cicada’s buzzing overhead grew louder, gradually drowning out the thunderous pounding of his heart in his chest. His ears were filled with the sound of insects.
But before Lin Lin could figure out what was happening, his phone suddenly chimed, abruptly shattering the stifling silence.
The sound made his eardrums vibrate.
This was—
An alert from the terminal indicating an anomaly.
Such alerts were only used in emergencies.
His eardrums felt like they were throbbing with the noise.
Finally, the tearing sensation allowed him to move.
Lin Lin slowly lowered his head to look at his phone.
Almost immediately, the memo with the bold, red text jumped out at him.
[Infection Level: 0]
The glaring text was as striking as blood.
It was so glaring that his mind was instantly overwhelmed, the text filling his vision completely.
Confusion nearly exploded from his tightly gripping phone, making it creak in his hand.
But it was supposed to be 0, right? Was there a problem? He had checked the monitoring pen; there was no issue. It was definitely functioning normally—
Suddenly, a buzzing sound.
It felt as if his brain had been struck heavily.
Lin Lin suddenly realized something.
In the seven hours of close contact with Chen Heming, who was on the verge of becoming the [Source of Infection], the contamination level should have been between [2~4]—0 was absolutely impossible. Absolutely impossible… absolutely impossible!
[Is it a black hole?]
[How could it absorb the infection level?]
The “contamination” completely vanished upon contact with Ye Jishu.
What, exactly, is going on?