Bian Ying walked out of the convenience store.
Although it was already night, only a few households in the residential complex ahead had their lights on, and the streetlights outside were almost completely broken.
The deep, secluded alleyways opened up like abyssal maws in the dead of night, concealing countless dormant dangers—especially in the obviously abandoned Lower District.
In the pitch-black corners, sticky, rotting slime faintly clung to the weeds or the damp, mottled peeling walls.
The smell permeating the air was far from pleasant, but the people living in the Lower District had no choice but to adapt.
Bian Ying sluggishly tore open the packaging, took a bite, and looked up at the dark, heavy sky.
In the dead of night, amidst the lingering cold fog, two moons hung suspended.
A bright, cold moon and a Blood Moon looming high.
Rumor had it that an ultra-high-risk Deceit dwelled within the Blood Moon.
This Deceit had appeared at the very beginning of the Deceit descent, yet it did not attack humanity; it merely resided silently within the Blood Moon.
Over time, humanity had grown accustomed to the presence of two moons.
Withdrawing her gaze, Bian Ying walked into the residential complex.
As she stepped into the stairwell, the old voice-activated light flickered erratically, emitting faint SIZZLE sounds.
Its glow was so weak it seemed on the verge of going out entirely.
Accustomed to this, Bian Ying calmly took out her keys, unlocked the door, and entered her apartment.
Deceit Investigation Bureau.
Tan Linyan had been busy until midnight when his direct superior ordered him back to the bureau for a physical examination.
The members of the First Squad returned with him.
The Deceit incident at Wuhai University had too massive of an impact; the Deceit Investigation Bureau was brightly lit, with countless people rushing back and forth, working through the night.
Tan Linyan rose from the testing cabin and immediately spotted his direct superior waiting outside—Xu Hailin, the Director of the Operations Department.
“Director.”
“Lin Yan, do you feel unwell anywhere?”
The testing cabin had already transmitted Tan Linyan’s physical data to the terminal.
As Xu Hailin looked at the contamination level displayed—which was well below the danger threshold—a flash of disbelief crossed his eyes.
As a high-ranking official of the Deceit Investigation Bureau in charge of a group of extraordinarily gifted individuals in the Operations Department, he naturally understood the burden Superpower Users carried.
Their Superpower granted them strength, but it also brought a concentration of Deceit.
Once the contamination level approached the critical threshold, Superpower Users faced the risk of Brain domain collapse, or even mutating into a Deceit.
Therefore, after every mission, Superpower Users had to return to the Investigation Bureau for inspection to ensure the Deceit concentration in their bodies remained at a safe level.
Tan Linyan shook his head.
“I am perfectly fine.”
His body felt unprecedentedly relaxed, a sensation he had never experienced after using his Superpower before. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Xu Hailin had already learned from the other members of the First Squad that Tan Linyan had forcefully activated his Superpower multiple times during this mission.
The stronger the Superpower, the more severe the contamination.
Furthermore, Tan Linyan possessed an ultra-high-risk Deceitful Device, something the vast majority of Superpower Users did not have.
Facing a Deceit that had nearly evolved to the ultra-high-risk level, he actually showed no abnormalities other than physical exhaustion?
After pondering for a moment, Xu Hailin spoke, “Write a work report after you go back.
I need to know the details of this mission.”
Tan Linyan’s gaze paused.
For some reason, his intuition told him that all of this was connected to Bian Ying.
She was always able to easily pull him back from the edge of the cliff whenever he was about to fall into madness.
“…
Understood.” Tan Linyan agreed, then asked, “Director, where is the contained Deceit?”
Xu Hailin didn’t expect him to care about the Deceit.
“It’s still locked up in the bureau for now.
Once we finish dealing with the aftermath of Wuhai University, it will be sent to the institute.”
“I want to go take a look.”
“Suit yourself.”
Xu Hailin waved his hand.
He had other matters to attend to, so he left after confirming that Tan Linyan’s condition was normal.
Tan Linyan grabbed his coat and headed down to the third underground level.
All Deceits contained by the Investigation Bureau were temporarily locked up here, but eventually, they would all be transported to the institute.
Its full name was the Life Tree Research Institute.
Not long after the Deceits descended, the institute rose to prominence, gathering top scientific geniuses from all over the world.
Almost all the technology and drugs humanity used against Deceits originated from this institute.
They categorized the threat levels of Deceits as low-risk, medium-risk, high-risk, and ultra-high-risk.
Over the past two decades or so, only thirteen ultra-high-risk Deceits had descended upon the Blue Star, yet every single one of them had inflicted catastrophic losses on the planet.
If the Deceit at Wuhai University had managed to evolve to the ultra-high-risk level, Wuhai City would likely have been reduced to a dead zone, much like that Southern Border Town during the “Black Impermanence Incident.”
The elevator doors opened, and Tan Linyan stepped out.
Because this was a Deceit that had nearly reached the ultra-high-risk level, the personnel at the Investigation Bureau did not dare to let their guard down even though it was contained, providing it with the highest level of supervision.
“Codename…
School Rules?”
Approaching the massive liquid tank filled with green fluid, Tan Linyan couldn’t help but mutter aloud as he read the information on the display screen in front of it.
The liquid tank took up nearly two-thirds of the room ahead.
Eight tentacles drifted idly in the fluid; the Deceit seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber.
The room supervising it was surrounded by highly precise and advanced instruments emitting a faint blue glow, ensuring the Deceit could not escape.
Tan Linyan furrowed his brows slightly. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
He didn’t even know why he was paying attention to this particular Deceit.
If he had to give a reason, it would be the words the Deceit had spoken—”Don’t touch her.” This “her” referred to Bian Ying.
The phrase was laden with a sense of protection and special significance.
He could clearly sense that in that situation, the Deceit was targeting only him.
It seemed furious that he had snatched Bian Ying back.
Just as he was about to leave, the tentacles inside the vessel awakened.
“It’s you.”
The Deceit’s chilling, sinister voice pierced through his eardrums and struck straight into his Brain domain.
Tan Linyan trembled violently, feeling as though a heavy force had penetrated his Brain domain, and his expression changed instantly.
“Ugh…” Tan Linyan let out a muffled groan.
With a pale face, he stared deeply at the thrashing tentacles inside the vessel.
His heart tightened, and he drew in a sharp breath of cold air.
“COUGH!
COUGH!”
“Do…
do you know Bian Ying?”
Tan Linyan’s vision darkened, and he nearly crashed into the glass wall in front of him.
His brain blared alarms as the contamination level within his body rapidly spiked.
“Bian Ying?”
The alarms ceased.
The Deceit quieted down, casting down an imperious gaze from its High-dimensional existence.
“Who?” Its tone was arrogant and cold, as if it were displeased at hearing the name of such an insignificant being.
Eight Evils was indeed very annoyed right now.
It had been locked in this place for so long—why hadn’t Mother come to pick it up yet?
Could it be that this group of people wasn’t with Mother?
At this moment, Eight Evils would never entertain the thought that its mother had never intended to come get it at all.
It simply believed that it had been deceived by the people of the Deceit Investigation Bureau.
Tan Linyan could clearly sense that the Deceit codenamed “School Rules” before him was in a state of rage.
It didn’t know Bian Ying?
Then why…
Tan Linyan remained completely puzzled, especially when he saw the Deceit fall silent, clearly unwilling to engage with him any further.
He pursed his lips, unable to shake the feeling that he had overlooked something.