"Their intersecting location?"
Lu Xin listened to their conversation and paused for a moment before speaking, "How long will it take?"
Sergeant Han Bing in the channel hesitated for a moment and replied, "It's still uncertain!"
Lu Xin understood the issue she was referring to.
In the current High Wall City, especially in the satellite city serving as a buffer for the main city, the people are quite complicated. There are many who have just entered the High Wall City and haven't obtained permanent residency, or even those who have snuck in. Not everyone's identity can be quickly clarified, and there is a lack of widespread public surveillance, such as cameras.
This isn't the main city, and apart from important areas like the administrative offices and the material department, even cameras aren't installed, or they are broken.
Lu Xin had no doubts about the special operations team's execution and capabilities.
But in this situation, trying to figure out the routes of these individuals before they died and finding the intersection points in a short time was already very troublesome.
After a brief hesitation, he asked, "Are there any faster methods?"
After a slight pause, he explained, "After all, tomorrow is the eighth day, and there's a high chance that more people will get infected!"
There was a moment of silence in the channel after his words.
The three members of the investigation team also gave Lu Xin complex looks.
They understood his concern.
If following the pattern of revenge from those seeking to avenge Qin Ran, one person came after him on the first day, two on the second, four on the fourth day, then tomorrow, eight people would likely come for revenge. In fact, they might not even need to wait until tomorrow—theoretically, after midnight tonight, eight new "revenge seekers" might appear.
In other words, eight more innocent victims.
This kind of concern was completely normal, but hearing it from Lu Xin's mouth was unexpected.
"I agree with Lu Xin's view!"
After a while, Chen Jing's voice came through the channel: "It's not about saving people or not. The work we do has always been about saving people. As long as we can eliminate the source of contamination, we indirectly save many others. This cannot become the focus of our work!"
"The focus of our work, and our highest priority, will always be to eliminate the source of contamination!"
"I agree with his opinion because efficiency is crucial when dealing with the Psychic Contamination Sources!"
"If we thoroughly investigate the routes the contaminated individuals took before their deaths and compare them, it will take too much time!"
"During this time, the Contamination Source could undergo unexpected mutations…"
"…"
After a slight pause, she continued: "From the current data, since all the contaminated 'revenge seekers' claim they are seeking vengeance on Qin Ran, and Cui Wang was the first 'revenge seeker,' it indicates that Cui Wang must have some connection to the Contamination Source. Even if there are no obvious signs at the location where he was killed or where his body was dumped, we cannot rule out the possibility that the real Contamination Source is nearby, and the possibility is quite high!"
"Let's assume the Contamination Source is in that area and proceed with the analysis!"
"That abandoned industrial zone has no residents, and the flow of people is very sparse, so we don't need to focus on where the intersection point might be…"
"We should focus on the areas near that region where an intersection point is more likely to form!"
"…"
Upon hearing this, Lu Xin's eyes brightened slightly.
Chen Jing's analysis was somewhat unexpected, but he liked her decision.
"Yes!"
After a brief pause, Han Bing's voice disappeared for a while, followed by the sound of blueprints being flipped, as if she was observing a map and data. After a while, her voice reappeared: "Near the abandoned industrial zone in the south of the city, there are four possible places where an intersection point could form!"
"The first is the fertilizer factory in the southwest direction, where around two hundred workers are employed. Workers usually commute by bus, but it's possible some employees walk home alone and pass by the area near the abandoned industrial zone. Also, about three thousand meters west of the abandoned industrial zone, there is a large garbage dump where homeless children and beggars often gather to scavenge…"
"Additionally, according to the data, some criminals also choose to make transactions in that area!"
"..."
Lu Xin instinctively glanced at Qin Ran.
Qin Ran, unable to hear the conversation on the channel, was squatting to the side, smoking a cigarette. He looked puzzled when he noticed Lu Xin's gaze.
At that moment, Chen Jing had already made a decision: "Send these locations to the investigation team!"
"Beep beep…"
Soon, the black screens on the arms of the three armed investigation team members lit up with a faint glow.
Lu Xin leaned in to take a look and saw a display filled with complex maps and markings.
After carefully examining it, he recognized it as a map of the entire southern part of Satellite City No. 2, with several red dots marked on it.
"This got sent over so quickly?"
"Technology really is something else…"
He clicked his tongue in amazement. "But according to the Headmaster, before the Red Moon event, this kind of technology was pretty common?"
"You can start investigating these locations one by one now!"
Chen Jing's voice came through the channel, as if explaining to Lu Xin, "Psychic Contamination may seem chaotic and disorderly, but as long as it exists, it follows certain patterns and characteristics. If we can identify those patterns, we can eliminate it at minimal cost. A professor once said that in the face of madness, reason is humanity's only advantage!"
Lu Xin was impressed. "Who was that professor?"
Chen Jing paused for a moment before replying, "You're focusing on the wrong thing."
Lu Xin's face reddened, and he muttered, "Oh…"
—
"Go straight, then turn left!"
A jeep slowly navigated through the desolate industrial district in the southern part of the city. Night had long since fallen, casting a heavy darkness over the surroundings. A single red moon hung in the sky, bathing the dead, chaotic city in a crimson glow.
As the jeep's headlights cut through the dim red night, illuminating overgrown weeds and broken roads, Lu Xin and his team neared the city's southern edge, close to the high walls. Like all high-walled cities, the closer one got to the walls, the more desolate it became. The area was nearly devoid of people, save for the patrol soldiers stationed in watchtowers every three kilometers.
This was the last location on their list to investigate.
Contrary to Lu Xin's expectations, the contamination investigation wasn't as thrilling as he had imagined. Instead, it was rather tedious—each location required them to stop, meticulously scan for anomalies with their instruments, and only after confirming there were no issues would they move on to the next site.
During inspections, everyone's nerves were taut. Only when they got back in the vehicle could they relax a little.
Soon, the jeep reached the fourth marked location on the map—a half-constructed building site. The skeletal foundations of unfinished structures were now overgrown with wild grass.
A quiet voice came through the channel—Han Bing's explanation:
"After the situation within the high walls stabilized, there was a population boom for a time. The administrative hall once planned to refurbish this area into a mixed residential and industrial zone. However, after an unfortunate visit from the Tech Church, the population of Satellite City No. 4 was heavily depleted. The excess population migrated there, leaving this place abandoned."
"In fact, most of the southern part of Satellite City No. 2 consists of undeveloped reserve land."
"Supposedly, the administrative hall's biggest dream is to have more people to fill these places."
—
As the jeep's headlights pierced through the darkness ahead, they soon reflected off a shimmering surface.
Lu Xin and the others got out of the vehicle and were surprised to find a body of water—a pond.
Originally just a large pit, it had collected enough rainwater over time to form a sizable wild lake. Tall weeds surrounded its edges, and a barely visible footpath ran along the shore, extending toward the city.
The moment Lu Xin stepped out of the jeep, he sensed something was off.
His little sister, who had been absent while he was in the car, was now crouching by the lakeside.
She was hiding in the tall grass, her eyes glowing as she intently stared into the water.
Hearing Lu Xin step out, she suddenly turned her head and excitedly called out, "Big brother, there's something fun here!"
"Something fun?"
Lu Xin tensed slightly and hurried over.
He knew his sister's sense of "fun" was quite different from that of normal people. Whatever she found interesting…