Chapter 168 : Leaving the City Means War
Chapter 168: Leaving the City Means War
As the CEO of Magic Box Corporation, he naturally had his own car. But considering they were heading out of the city this time, those business sedans were inconvenient. Thus, the big CEO didn’t put on any airs and directly climbed into the armored vehicle that Han Su and the others had driven over.
This vehicle was obtained through a request from the Disaster Management Bureau, with a thick iron shell—uncomfortable to sit in, but quite spacious.
Hei Hu was driving, while Doctor sat in the passenger seat.
On the other side, the Aries Investigator and his assistant had also come downstairs. Since they weren’t on the same team and didn’t get along, naturally, they drove separately. Following Han Su’s signal, Hei Hu slammed on the gas, leaving them far behind.
“Xiao Han, last time you said you would save Manman…”
Once in the car, Li Yiting hesitated several times but couldn’t hold back from asking.
God knew how desperately he had longed for hope ever since meeting Han Su and hearing him say he’d been working hard to save his daughter.
Han Su wasn’t surprised he brought it up and said directly, “I’ve always been trying. Manman is trying too.”
He paused, then added in a low voice, “Mr. Li, I’m grateful that you chose to believe in me.”
“What I can tell you is—you made the right choice in trusting me.”
Li Yiting heard the deeper meaning behind his words, asked no more, and simply gave Han Su’s shoulder a gentle pat. “Thank you for everything, Xiao Han.”
Hei Hu drove in his own distinctive style—steady yet fast, wild yet controlled.
He absolutely wouldn’t run a red light and was always courteous to pedestrians.
But whenever there was open road, he’d floor the accelerator. The closer they got to the edge of the city, the faster they sped like a whirlwind.
Behind them, the Aries Investigator clearly tried to keep up but was left so far back he couldn’t even taste the exhaust.
Very soon, the four of them reached the city’s edge. As Han Su looked into the red glow spreading across the sky ahead, and the vehicle passed through the toll booth onto Highway 11, stretching into the wilderness, it felt as if the world dimmed before his eyes.
There was a sensation that something was silently peeling away from around him. Even the air felt denser at that moment.
Hei Hu clearly sensed something too. The speed dropped slightly, and he glanced around.
But saw nothing—so he kept driving.
Han Su, seated in the back, slowly closed his eyes, seemingly to rest.
Whether it was illusion or not, he thought he heard faint mocking laughter when the car exited the city.
…
…
Following Highway 11 west for about sixty kilometers, they reached a highway service station that had been temporarily sealed off.
The station had suspended all operations. From afar, there was a row of warning signs and iron fences set up in layers. The scene inside was obscured, while heavily armed personnel guarded the perimeter.
Han Su saw these were Executioners from the Disaster Management Bureau and got out to show his ID.
There was also another assistant of the Aries Investigator stationed here. It seemed he had already been informed—he didn’t even question Han Su’s arrival, simply waved for them to be let in.
There was even a subtle, unreadable smile on his face.
Han Su ignored the gaze cast at his back, and with Doctor and Hei Hu, passed through two layers of fencing and barriers made of Low-Sensitivity Fiber materials. Once inside the temporary containment center, his heart sank.
Oppression. Silence. Cold.
Inside the center, there were already around forty to fifty people—workers, security, doctors in lab coats, and servers no older than twenty.
They came from different backgrounds, but all shared the same expressions and postures.
Rows upon rows of silent kneeling, with a dazed look of worship on their faces, all staring at a specific point.
Their eyes were so bloodshot it looked like blood might seep out. It was chilling to behold.
[Red-Eye Disease Incident: A mysterious plague spreading among excavation workers. Over 100 infected. Those infected develop red eyes, and their will and thoughts become distorted, kneeling toward an empty location in reverence.]
“They’ve been kneeling like this the whole time?”
Li Yiting asked in a low voice, “Ever since the red-eye symptoms appeared, they insist on kneeling in one direction. If locked in a sealed room where they can’t see that spot, they’ll scream and cry, even self-harm.”
“There was no choice but to pick this location. To prevent injuries from kneeling, we bought mats for them to use.”
“……”
“What exactly is in that direction?”
Han Su stood from their angle and looked up—only to see blue sky and white clouds. Nothing else.
After a moment of silence, Han Su placed a hand on one of the worker’s shoulders and spoke quietly:
[All Things Obey My Will!]
Spiritual Power immediately permeated, invading the person’s body. This was a method to calm the target’s Mental Activity, similar to exorcism, used to suppress or dispel abnormal activity in someone’s spirit.
But there was a risk: if one’s own mental activity was insufficient, the anomaly might take advantage and invade instead.
After attempting it, Han Su realized he couldn’t dispel it.
The man’s Spiritual Power clearly displayed abnormal activity—a textbook sign of contamination. Han Su could suppress it but not remove it. The anomaly was deeply intertwined with the man’s mind.
Luckily, Han Su’s Mental Activity was very strong. The anomaly couldn’t reverse-contaminate him through the spiritual connection.
He simply withdrew his hand, lost in thought.
This scene was noticed by the newly arrived Aries Investigator, whose gaze turned cold:
‘To dare invade an infected’s mind directly… His Mental Activity must be ridiculously high…’
‘But I wonder if it’s as high as my 61%.’
‘……’
“You detained these people and just kept waiting?”
After trying, Han Su frowned slightly and turned to the Aries Investigator. “I believe your handling of this is flawed. Where are the Ancient Ruins Items now? Take me to them immediately—I need to make an assessment!”
“That won’t be necessary.”
The Aries Investigator had been assessing Han Su’s strength, but his eyes turned cold at the comment.
Now that they were outside the city, even his attitude turned sharper:
“Newbies will be newbies. Don’t you know there’s a standard procedure for such incidents?”
“Whether infected individuals, items from ruins, or related personnel—once contamination is suspected, they must be isolated until seen by a Ruins Archaeology Expert.”
“I’ve followed the Disaster Management Bureau’s protocols and sealed and quarantined those items.”
“Even if you’re here on Miss Ai’s orders, I’m still the lead on this mission. I have decision-making authority!”
“……”
Han Su frowned tightly. He understood that Ruins Experts were better suited for assessing and protecting relics, even if investigators were better at handling anomalies.
But this explanation was nonsense.
Even Li Yiting could tell how important this information was, let alone the Drunkard.
So all this secrecy—was it to delay public exposure of the material?
Thinking lazily, Han Su suddenly turned to Doctor: “Explain the rules to him.”
Doctor adjusted his glasses with his middle finger, full of disdain, but instantly grasped Han Su’s meaning.
He spoke coldly to the Aries Investigator: “According to Section 3, Clause 4 of the Disaster Management Bureau Operational Code: If an investigation stalls unreasonably, support staff may question the lead investigator’s capability and re-inspect relevant items.”
“……”
The Aries Investigator was stunned: “What are you trying to do?”
But his assistant immediately countered, “Yet per Section 7’s Safety Clause: if signs of dangerous leakage from the ruins items have already emerged, operations should be delayed, pending review by ruins experts.”
Doctor replied, “Then by the supplementary clause in Section 4: In cases of dangerous leakage or contamination, the ruins items must be delivered immediately to the nearest containment center, where Miss Ai or certified Disaster Bureau experts will conduct the safety assessment.”
With a few calm statements, the assistant was speechless, and even the Aries Investigator furrowed his brows.
Han Su coldly chuckled from the side, giving Doctor a look of approval.
Who was his assistant? The guy who had memorized the entire Operational Code of the Disaster Management Bureau.
Worried about arguing?
Just then, a barely audible voice reached him via Spiritual Penetration:
“The latter parts, I improvised. They can’t tell now, but if they double-check, it’ll be trouble.”
“If you’re applying pressure, do it fast!”
“……”
Han Su’s heart skipped a beat. But his grin only grew more arrogant. He strode forward and sneered:
“Now, do you still have a reason to stop me from seeing it?”
“I didn’t expect a newbie to know the regulations this well!”
The Aries Investigator raised his head coldly and said to Han Su, “Everything you said is true—but there’s one issue:”
“This batch of Ancient Ruins Items, per the classification principles of the Esotericism School, belongs to the Rong family of Haidi City. They’ve already lodged a protest with the Qinggang Disaster Bureau.”
“Their Ruins Archaeologist is already en route to this containment site.”
“He’s the youngest PhD in ruins studies from Haidi City, and a scion of the Rong family. He has promised to help us resolve this crisis. Once that’s done, he’ll take the items back—returning them to their rightful owner!”
“……”
“What?!”
Upon hearing this, Li Yiting’s expression shifted drastically, even turning furious.
Han Su’s face, however, only twitched slightly as he asked, “What’s the name of this ruins archaeologist from Haidi City you mentioned?”