One member of the Purification Department stayed behind to clean up the scene and recover the bodies, while Li Wen and Li Xianghong boarded the aircraft with Rachel and the "pink brain" contained in a vessel.
After watching the all-black aircraft disappear from sight, the city guards on the scene all breathed sighs of relief, glad that the unidentified drifter had finally left. Although they were grateful for the help, the scene of the electric prod skewering the brain was enough to give many of them nightmares for days.
This wasn't Rachel's first time flying, but she was very interested in the new model from who knows how many years later. Clearly technology had advanced further, with even phones replaced by some kind of communicator.
The two Purification Department members watched Rachel's every move, somewhat puzzled. Weren't people who associated with aliens supposed to have seen more advanced machines? Yet this young girl's curiosity and interest didn't seem fake.
As if suddenly realizing something, Li Wen's expression darkened, while her gaze towards Rachel grew softer and more sympathetic.
After disembarking, the three stepped onto the helipad at headquarters in downtown Suhai City. Before them stood a towering modern building, both imposing and opulent.
"Ms. Lin, please follow me. The Purification Department is on the 117th floor," Li Wen led the way, with Li Xianghong following behind Rachel.
Like a guard, but also a minder. Rachel didn't mind these little details.
She followed Li Wen into the elevator, about to marvel at how "elevators are eternal through the ages," when she saw that after Li Wen pressed the 117 button, it took only a second for the elevator to chime its arrival at the 117th floor.
Rocketing from the 1st to 117th floor instantly, with transportation speed rivaling a portal.
Rachel pondered again - just how long had she been asleep? This wasn't just a country bumpkin coming to the city, it was like a caveman who just thawed out.
The Purification Department was very large. Rachel was led to a small room inside, comfortably seated under the air conditioning. On the table in front of her was a carefully arranged meal set with meat, eggs, vegetables and milk, even a small plate of fresh cut fruit.
Li Wen said to her, "Rest here for a bit. If you're hungry, please eat first. Our department head will be here shortly."
Rachel didn't hesitate. She currently needed a filling meal, and if it was delicious, even better.
Li Wen politely left the room, closing the door behind her.
Rachel was quite accustomed to this kind of politeness that was both friendly yet maintained a certain distance.
Though there were surveillance cameras installed throughout - she had noticed as soon as she entered, after all they weren't trying to hide them, the positions were very obvious - but being monitored through a screen felt different from being stared at while eating.
Rachel ate very obediently, looking refined and docile.
In the surveillance room, a man with a crew cut looked at the file he had just received, then at the display screen. He turned and asked Li Wen and Li Xianghong, "This is the dangerous person you said could cause great casualties if not treated well?"
Standing behind him, Li Xianghong's expression was solemn: "Chief, have you noticed the dangerous aura about her?"
The crew cut man replied, "All I see is a scruffy little kitten eating earnestly."
Li Xianghong's mouth twitched, and he said, "Chief, please look more carefully. Have you ever seen a kitten that could take down an aberration?"
The crew cut man sighed and said, "The pink brain-like corpse has already been sent to the forensics department. Now we need to consider two things. First, how to quickly contain the fallout of this incident, comfort the victims' families, and stabilize public sentiment in the city."
Li Xianghong immediately said, "Regarding this point, colleagues have already been left at the scene to handle it, and more manpower will be sent later."
The crew cut man nodded and continued, "Second, how to extract from this girl her true background, abilities, and intentions."
Li Wen pursed her lips, with some sympathy said, "Chief, based on her behavior along the way, I suspect she is an alien's personal pet, usually kept in a cage. This time she happened to escape and ended up in the wilderness, which is why she's curious about many ordinary things, like the aircraft, the elevator, and the disinfection device at the entrance."
Li Xianghong agreed, "I also support this theory. She was hungry the whole way - if I hadn't heard that faint rumbling sound I wouldn't have believed it. If she were truly a capable alien follower, she wouldn't have let herself be in such a state."
"...If it involves those aliens, this could be quite troublesome." The crew cut man's gaze gradually sharpened.Chapter 10
Follower of the Other Race · Abused Human Pet · Hungry Kitten
Rachel finished the last bite of food. After putting down her utensils, she neatly wiped her lips and hands with a wet napkin. Then she saw someone come in to clear away the dishes and refill her cup with fragrant hot tea.
Rachel casually took a few sips and rested in the soft chair for a while. The door opened again.
This time, in addition to LiWen, a man in his thirties with a crew cut entered. He wore a jet-black uniform and had distinct features and a sharp gaze.
"Hello, I'm Wang Mu, head of the Purification Department and a Level 2 Scavenger," the crew-cut man extended his hand, taking the initiative to introduce himself in a friendly manner.
Rachel wondered if being the head of the Purification Department made him the highest-ranking Awakened in the city. Level 2 Scavenger must be the latest classification system.
Rachel couldn't help but marvel at how polite he was. Such a high-ranking official being so amiable and approachable.
Including Li Wen and Li Xianghong, they had been so caring towards her, a naive wanderer, even treating her to a meal. It was clear this department treated people kindly and would be very suitable for working people.
Rachel quickly sketched out the strongest interview script in her mind. She smiled and shook hands with Wang Mu: "Hello, I'm Rachel, currently a wanderer."
The atmosphere was pleasant, off to a harmonious start. Wang Mu smiled back, though his face remained serious even when smiling.
Li Wen handed Rachel the first-hand information just obtained from the Purification Department, and said gently: "Miss Lin, don't be nervous. We didn't bring you here for interrogation. We just have some things we don't quite understand and wanted to consult you about."
Rachel wasn't nervous at all. Having eaten her fill, she proactively asked: "Is it about capturing the Anomalous Brain?"
Was that capturing?
It was clearly crushing!
LiWen forced herself to remain calm and said: "Yes. Although we've eliminated Anomalous Brains and purified contamination before, being able to identify the existence of an Anomalous Brain in such a short time without any aids, pinpoint its location, and kill it in one strike is truly unheard of."
Even if Followers of the Other Race had abilities on par with ordinary Anomalous Brains, being able to fight them and instantly killing them were two completely different concepts.
Perhaps when she was locked in the cage, this girl was purely kept as a pet by the Other Race. Feeding her blood may have just been to improve her constitution a bit, to make her more durable.
The girl must not have publicly demonstrated her ability to purify contamination, otherwise that member of the Other Race would never have given her the chance to escape.
LiWen had already conjured up Rachel's past in her mind, while Rachel was pondering whether Li Wen's words were deliberately flattering her.
It was just killing an Anomalous Brain. Couldn't you detect these things if you paid a little attention?
Unless the distance was too far to sense the aura of the Anomalous Brain, then there was nothing to be done.
Therefore, most Anomalous Brains would consciously control their contamination to avoid Awakened, rarely appearing so blatantly and challenging them on the spot.
She looked at Li Wen, then at the very serious Wang Mu, feeling a bit confused, but still politely replied: "It's nothing, you're too kind."
So, so modest?!
Li Wen thought Rachel didn't understand the importance of the matter, her mindset limited by the narrow perspective of a human pet. So she explained kindly: "Being able to purify an Anomalous Brain single-handedly is a great achievement, enough to apply for a C-level reward from headquarters. I've already submitted an application for you. It should be approved in a few days. After becoming an official resident, there's an additional 1 million in prize money and items of equivalent value to choose from."
"Really? Thank you so much... Wait, 1 million?!"
Faced with this unexpected windfall and sudden promotion, Rachel was grateful but also surprised. 1 million for eliminating a low-level Anomalous Brain?
She used to be on a fixed salary before, only able to apply for certain rewards when eliminating mid-level or even high-level Anomalous Brains. Had inflation really gotten so bad now?
She carefully asked: "How much does an apartment in the city cost now?"
"You want to buy a house and settle down?" Li Wen was taken aback, then answered: "About 3 million for one in the city center, over 1 million for those around the outskirts."
Although Su Hai City wasn't the G District headquarters, it was still a well-known large city safe zone nearby, which is why housing prices existed. In those less safe small towns, even free houses would have no takers.
Rachel was stunned for several seconds, not expecting that her first job had almost earned her enough for an ordinary apartment.
Wang Mu unconsciously tapped his finger on the table and said in a deep voice: "I apologize, this is the department's standard reward policy. It is indeed a bit meager, but we can't change the amount... If you have any other needs, we'll try our best to fulfill them. You can just ask directly, don't be shy."
The first step in building a relationship is mutual benefit. We can't let people work and take risks for nothing, otherwise who would step up to help in the future?
Rachel had no other requests. She had started with nothing, but now she could already go house hunting.
Rachel hurriedly said: "I don't have any other needs. Thank you again for your help."
Wang Mu looked directly at the girl and said in an icy yet earnest tone: "No, we should be thanking you. The Anomalous Brain's method of spreading contamination is hidden and rapid. If discovered too late, the consequences would be unimaginable. So I really want to know how exactly you discovered it?"
"...Huh?" Rachel didn't understand why the topic had circled back. She replied frankly: "I just felt the situation developing strangely. I was also very close by, so I sensed it and discovered it."
"So... you mean the distance between you and the Anomalous Brain was very close?"
Rachel nodded and said: "Yes."
"How close exactly?"
"I can't say for sure. Different Anomalous Brains emit different concentrations of anomalous energy in different situations. The weaker ones are easier to expose. There's no uniform standard."
"Moreover, my own sensing ability isn't constant. It's affected by many factors."
Wang Mu precisely grasped the key point from this statement. He asked with an extremely solemn expression: "So as long as you can get close, or say, close enough, you can try to sense the aura of general Anomalous Brains without needing any other auxiliary items?"Here's the improved translation:
There are certain tools that can help detect traces of anomalies, but such valuable auxiliary items are scarce even in Su Hai City.
This is a basic ability for awakened individuals, so there's nothing to hide. Rachel answered honestly, "Yes, it's not difficult."
She didn't expect to be asked such a common-sense question in such a formal and solemn tone. She couldn't help smiling, "It's actually quite simple."
The room suddenly grew quiet, with Wang Mu and Li Wen's breathing becoming noticeably heavier.
Can you believe it?
She says it's not hard!
She even thinks it's *quite* simple!!