Facing people that others can't see or hear, yet being able to see, hear, speak with, and even touch them—more than that, even receiving their protection—then, should these people be considered real or not?
Chen Jing had seen many cases of psychic mutation and had handled plenty of them.
She was no stranger to madness or the bizarre, but at this moment, she felt something was off.
It was because Lu Xin, when saying those words, seemed extremely serious and clear-headed.
Calmness and madness, normality and strangeness—two completely different states coexisting in one person.
The voice in her earpiece urged, "Captain Chen, the armed unit is on standby. You need to finalize your evaluation of him immediately!"
Chen Jing remained silent, and so did Lu Xin, who sat across from her.
Both seemed to be thinking about many things.
Chen Jing quickly made up her mind. She had seen too many psychic mutants and had handled numerous cases of mental instability. She was experienced in this field. After contemplating for a moment, she looked at Lu Xin seriously and asked, "I only have one question. If all your abilities come from your 'family,' can you guarantee that they won't influence you at will?"
She did not deny the existence of Lu Xin's "family." She only asked whether they could affect him.
Lu Xin looked up at her and said, "You're worried they might take control of my body, aren't you?"
Chen Jing did not deny it.
To her, the greatest danger of the person in front of her was that no one could tell if he might suddenly become someone else.
Lu Xin gave the question serious thought.
He understood his condition very well. When he first developed these symptoms, he had spent a long time at the library.
He read every book he could find on mental disorders.
From these books, he learned that the human mind could have countless problems—body integrity identity disorder, Capgras delusion, happy puppet syndrome, Alice in Wonderland syndrome, claustrophobia, and many more. Some he could understand from their names, while others were completely incomprehensible. Yet, he carefully analyzed each disorder's symptoms.
Based on what he learned, he attempted to diagnose himself.
Schizophrenia?
It sounded somewhat similar, but he vaguely felt that he wasn't a typical case of schizophrenia.
He had always wanted to figure out exactly what was wrong with him and whether he could be cured.
So when he first met this woman and heard her talk about "psychic mutation", he had actually been somewhat hopeful.
Perhaps they could cure him.
Or perhaps, in their eyes, his condition was completely explainable—not insanity, but simply a different kind of normal.
But when he saw her reaction…
Lu Xin knew that this hope was gone.
If she saw him as normal, why would she be so wary?
He didn't like being looked at with that kind of caution.
So after some thought, he slowly responded, "You don't need to worry. My family members are all good people."
"My little sister is an adorable child who loves toys and running around."
"My father enjoys cooking. He's an honest man who always stays in the kitchen."
"My mother is very gentle. She never argues with anyone—she only likes reasoning with them."
"…"
Seeing how seriously he answered, Chen Jing felt incredibly conflicted inside.
This person is too normal…
He was describing several people—people who clearly did not exist—in an utterly serious and normal manner.
The more vividly he described them, the more tense Chen Jing felt inside.
She lit a cigarette to hide her emotions. The voice in her earpiece was still urging her.
She had many choices: she could immediately revoke his recruitment, raise his monitoring level, or even use her abilities to eliminate him as a potential threat right here in this nearly empty bar.
But considering his usual behavior and the current situation in Highwall City, she hesitated.
Finally, she made a decision, took an envelope from her side, and pushed it in front of Lu Xin. Looking him in the eye, she said, "The assessment was arranged by me. To ensure objectivity, we kept it a secret from you. But you passed. You even helped us eliminate a Level 1 psychic anomaly."
"So, you've actually completed a mission. This is your reward."
Lu Xin was momentarily stunned. He took the envelope, opened it, and saw stacks of banknotes inside.
Each bill was fifty yuan.
His initially disappointed expression suddenly lit up.
"This is ten thousand yuan!"
Chen Jing spared him the trouble of counting and stated the amount directly.
"Ten thousand?"
Lu Xin's expression changed slightly.
After the Red Moon Event, the monetary system had been restructured. His monthly salary at his company was only one thousand yuan.
And he was a model employee!
"You earned it," Chen Jing said with a smile as she watched his surprised face. "And with your abilities, making money shouldn't be difficult."
"It's still pretty hard…"
Lu Xin thought silently as he gripped the envelope and said, "I really needed the money."
Chen Jing was thoughtful, noting, "He likes money… Danger level slightly lowered."
Lu Xin looked a bit nervous. After hesitating, he asked softly, "Do you always pay this much?"
"You'll earn even more in the future."
Chen Jing explained, "This time, the psychic anomaly was already identified, contained, and secured. Even if you hadn't intervened, we could have eliminated it easily. That's why the reward was only ten thousand yuan. But in normal cases, when an operative completes an investigation and eradication mission, the standard reward is around thirty thousand yuan."
"Thirty thousand…"
Lu Xin didn't process anything else.
He was clearly shocked, his face showing slight excitement.
"Exactly!"
Seeing his reaction, Chen Jing felt even more reassured and smiled. "You won't have to worry about money anymore!"
Lu Xin loved that sentence.
---
Leaving the bar, the sky was not yet dark. The red sunset bathed the ruined cityscape.
In the southern sky, the faint red glow of the moon was already visible at the horizon.
"Ten thousand yuan… Just like that?"
Lu Xin still found it somewhat unbelievable.
He never knew he had the ability to earn so much money.
But he liked it. And he needed it.
Relaxing slightly, he perked up and made his way to the bus stop. He took the No. 2 bus, swaying along for an hour until he arrived on the east side of Satellite City, in front of a cluster of old, low-rise buildings.
Walking through a few alleys, past weary street vendors and drunken men slumped against walls, he arrived at a house.
Compared to the surrounding decay, this house was bright and lively.
Perhaps because its walls were painted with cartoon characters in blue and yellow.
It was a small orphanage.
A rusted iron sign hung on the gate, reading: "Red Moon Elementary."
Lu Xin unwrapped the barbed wire and entered the school. The old security guard inside glanced up from his newspaper but didn't stop him—he just nodded and went back to reading.
Inside the lone classroom, a wheelchair-bound girl in a white sweater was playing games with a group of children, aged two to eight.
They were playing Eagle Catches Chicks.
So childish.
Lu Xin didn't disturb them.
He simply placed the envelope inside the rusty mailbox by the door. Worried the girl might not notice, he plucked a wildflower and placed it on top.
Then, he quietly left.
---
"Need a ride?"
A jeep pulled up beside him. Inside, Chen Jing smiled and opened the door for him.
"Sure."
Lu Xin accepted. Otherwise, it'd take half an hour to get home.
This time, once inside, Chen Jing tossed him another envelope.
Excited, Lu Xin opened it—only to be disappointed.
It was full of documents.
Chen Jing kept her eyes on the road and casually said, "From now on, you're tentatively accepted into the operations team."
"Uh… okay…"
Lu Xin was momentarily stunned.
Chen Jing didn't explain further.
But she was now certain—she couldn't imagine this man losing control.