Chapter 18

Chapter 18

In that instant, a hand appeared before his eyes. The fingers were long and the skin was coldly pale - An Zhe was all too familiar with this shape. After Boss Xiao finished using it, this hand would be placed on the cabinet by his bedside, allowing him to see it every night before he went to sleep. It belonged to Lu Feng.

The hand picked up one end of the bandage, while the other hand took the other end. It wrapped around An Zhe's arm a few times, applying a slightly tight pressure.

Then, An Zhe watched as those ten fingers skillfully intertwined, tying the bandage into a neat knot.

—Lu Feng had bound his wound, even though he had just mocked him.

He pulled down the sleeve of his shirt and said gloomily, "Thank you."

Lu Feng didn't respond.

A sudden loud explosion echoed from downstairs. It was deep and muffled, as if coming from underground. An Zhe looked down. The City Defense Bureau's architectural layout consisted of four surrounding buildings enclosing a spacious courtyard. The building where he had been locked up tonight was the shortest one. At that moment, chaos reigned within - personnel were rushing out, fully armed soldiers entered in teams, weapons in tow, as explosions continued to sound. The structure creaked, windows shattered, and some rooms had already collapsed. The once sturdy and grand building gradually turned into ruins, covered in dust and smoke from the uranium bomb explosion, like a white fog. The soldiers of the City Defense Bureau were fully equipped, setting up a cordon around the area and raising radiation warning signs.

The uranium bombs used by the military were depleted uranium bombs, which had strong penetrative power but weaker radiation. However, prolonged exposure could still harm the human body, requiring special handling.

Most of the personnel evacuated from the building were dispersed outside the City Defense Bureau, while Boss Xiao, the poet, and the other prisoners were placed in temporary tents set up in the courtyard, under the watch of five armed soldiers. An Zhe could see them.

At that moment, he saw Lu Fen rise and approach the window.

Outside, the sky was veiled with a vast expanse of luminous green aurora, dazzling to behold. Lu Fen's silhouette stood at the window, blurred into a black outline. He turned his head to look towards the other side of the atrium.

Following his gaze, An Zhe observed that on the far end of the atrium was an enormous black device, resembling a massive black disc encircled by layer upon layer of colossal octagonal coils. The disc sloped inward smoothly from its edge, with a thick, black conical structure rising vertically in the center. Radiating from it were extremely thin lines—possibly cables or poles—that connected the black cone to the coils. The entire contraption was larger than two buildings combined; if one stood beneath the disc and looked up, the sky would be obscured in every direction.

An Zhe gazed at it, resting his cheek in his hand. Human creations always made him feel insignificant and alienated.

In the corner of his eye, Lu Fen retrieved his communicator, dialed a number, and a cold, detached voice rang out. His voice was like a snowfall in the depths of winter.

"Lu Fen of the Court of Judgement, requesting a transfer to Lighthouse Central."

Their proximity allowed snippets of the communication to drift out from the device's speaker, reaching An Zhe's ears as well.

The voice on the other end responded, "Transferring now, please hold."

Approximately twenty seconds later, a male voice emerged, "What's going on with the City Defense?"

Lu Fen replied, "Subterranean intrusion, large worm-like creatures suspected to be communal. The City Defense is currently secure."

"Understood." The voice on the other end responded, "Worms might have high social behavior. We'll immediately dispatch a research team to the city defenses. Make sure you protect the dispersal devices."

Lu Fen replied, "Alright."

No sooner had he hung up than his communicator beeped again, this time with an incoming call.

Lu Fen asked, "Howard?"

"Howard here," Howard said. "We can't keep bombing Building 3 underground. Our people have found the worm's tracks down there, engaged in close combat with the creature. There are injuries. The severely wounded have been neutralized, and the lightly injured are being evacuated. You need to keep an eye on things."

Looking down at the building, Lu Fen said, "I can see it."

Then, he added, "Given the high danger level of these worms, anyone who comes into contact with their slime should also be immediately evacuated."

Howard cursed on his end, but Lu Fen remained calm and said, "Keep an eye on the dispersal device."

"At the moment, we haven't seen any tracks leading towards the dispersal device," Howard said, his tone a bit sharp. "The foundation beneath the dispersal device is stronger than the rest of the structure. Colonel Lu, focus on your own duties."

Lu Fen replied coolly, "Thank you for your concern."

The call ended abruptly, hinting that it might not have been a pleasant conversation. However, Lu Fen seemed unperturbed, leaning casually against the window with an idle posture, his gaze fixed on the soldiers passing by in the courtyard. He was keeping watch over their safety.

With nothing else to do, An Zhe continued to study the massive device in the courtyard.

From Lu Fen's previous conversation, he guessed that this was the "Ultrasound Dispersal Device."

He was familiar with the term; it had been mentioned in the base manual. There were ten such dispersal devices in the outer districts of the base, all managed by the Dispersal Center located in Zone 1. Back at Boss Xiao's shop, An Zhe had heard the base broadcast mentioning that it was the breeding season for arthropod and parasitic creatures. To prevent aerial invasions, the base had raised the dispersal device's intensity to Level III.

So, this device protected the entire base from airborne monsters, like arachnids or birds. An Zhe didn't know how it worked, but he found it remarkable.

After examining every detail of the dispersal device, his gaze shifted indoors. The office was small, containing only two desks and chairs, a gun rack, and a few file cabinets. Neatly arranged within the cabinets were numerous documents, unidentifiable piles and folders, several base manuals, some equipment operation guides, and a thick, four-finger-thick "Constitution of the Base" – it turned out that the legal section in the base manual was an abridged version.

As An Zhe's eyes continued to roam, he noticed a layer of glass jars below the files. Most were empty, except for one that held what appeared to be a dozen seeds of some plant. Next to it, there was a bag labeled "Safe," seemingly containing soil samples.

This reminded An Zhe of his spores.

Seeds and spores were alike. Perhaps his spores, excavated by the human military, were also stored in a glass jar or another container. The thought instinctively stirred discomfort within him, as if he were trapped in an airtight jar himself. His spores were a crucial part of him, yet he remained unaware of their whereabouts. All leads led back to the Colonel Judicator standing beside him.

If he wanted to find his spores, An Zhe would have to inquire with Lu Fen.

Yet he was merely a mushroom, aware that he was not human. He also knew that Lu Fen's observational skills were terrifying; there was a high chance he would be suspected the moment he spoke.

Or perhaps, he should try observing Lu Fen for a while.

With this thought, he abruptly shivered, turning his head to meet Lu Fen's eyes—two narrow, dark green eyes under the lamp, expression indifferent, seemingly having watched him for an indeterminate amount of time.

An Zhe suspected that he was being scrutinized again, but he had to play it off.

In the face of the colonel's gaze, he blinked.

The colonel's expression didn't change in the slightest, his tone even: "You can leave."

The grace period was over.

An Zhe asked, "Should I go back down?"

The prisoners all resided in temporary tents within the central courtyard.

Lu Fen replied nonchalantly, "Mm."

An Zhe bit his lower lip, hesitating for a moment. His longing for the spores overpowered his fear of the colonel. He said, "It's cold there."

Lu Fen looked at him and stated, "You're a prisoner."

An Zhe replied, "But I didn't commit any indecency."

Lu Fen gazed at him for two seconds before he chuckled.

"Alright," Lu Fen said, "the crime of illegally obtaining a Judge's information, sentence doubled."

"I didn't steal it," An Zhe tried to clarify. "I just created something using your information."

"Oh," Lu Fen responded. "The crime of profiting illegally from a Judge's information, sentence tripled."

An Zhe's voice softened. "I didn't profit from it either."

Lu Fen folded his arms and looked at him critically. "If not for profit, were you using it for yourself?"

An Zhe: "..."

He couldn't argue with him.

Lu Fen looked at him, raising an eyebrow slightly. "How much profit did you make?"

"I don't know," An Zhe replied.

"How much is your wage?"

"60."

Lu Fen chuckled again.

"Poor thing," he said. "Your boss is cheating you. Remember to ask for a raise when you're out of here."

An Zhe felt ridiculed once more. This was the third time tonight that this person had riled him up. He was convinced that Lu Fen was the most adept human at bullying in this base.

Before he could think of what to say next, Lu Fen glanced down at his wristwatch.

"It's past midnight," he said, his voice adopting that familiar commanding tone of his. "Go to bed."

Just then, a chilly night breeze slipped through the window, blowing directly onto An Zhe's face. The temperature difference between day and night in the base was enormous.

He sneezed softly, and noticed Lu Fen frown across from him, seemingly disapproving.

With a frown, the aloof Lu Fen said, "Sultry."

An Zhe realized he had been scorned. But the wind was too cold; he couldn't help but sneeze again.

An Zhe: "…"

He was genuinely afraid of the cold, and earnestly sought clues by Lu Fen's side. However, observing the colonel's expression, he realized that if he didn't leave soon, he might be tossed out the window.

He could only lower his head and silently pull up his collar, standing up to turn away.

As he reached the door, he heard Lu Fen's voice from behind, "Stop."

An Zhe halted and turned back.

Lu Fen still stood with his arms crossed by the window. His gaze shifted slightly to the right side of the room as he casually suggested, "You can go over there."

An Zhe followed his gaze and noticed a door on the right wall. He walked over and opened it.

Inside was a small resting room with a simple bed and table. By the entrance stood a freestanding clothes rack, draped with a black uniform coat.

An Zhe realized whose room this was.

He said, "You..."

"I can't sleep tonight," Lu Fen replied. "You can choose to rest here or outside."

After weighing his options, An Zhe promptly responded, "Thank you."

Silent, Lu Fen turned back to the window, continuing to observe the chaos below. The noise from outside never ceased.

An Zhe stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He surveyed the space, which exuded an air of emptiness and showed little sign of human habitation, except for the creases on the neatly folded blanket at the foot of the bed.

On the wooden tabletop were several magazines, beside which lay a dull silver short military knife. However, these were not what caught An Zhe's attention; in the center of the desk was an open notebook with black ink scribbles.

6.16, Normal.

June 15th, standard operating procedure.

June 14th, unremarkable.

An Zhe recognized what it was - a logbook of the Judge's work. Back during that protest against the Court, one of the slogans had been "Make the Judges' records public."

But judging from the simplicity of Lu Fen's manual, there wouldn't be much to see even if it were made public.

He turned the pages forward to May.

A sequence of "normals" with an exception inserted:

5.17, Parasitic Invasion, Resolved, Report Pending Submission.

5.18, Normal, 5.17 Report Submitted.

Moving upwards,

5.15, Anomaly, Suspect ID3261170514 (Extremely Low Risk), Genetic screening passed, Entry to city authorized.

An Zhe: "..."

Apparently, that day at the city gate, Lu Fen not only noticed his abnormality but also perceived his vulnerability.

But he didn't stop there. A nagging intuition urged him to keep reading.

Mr. Xiao had mentioned that even the Tribunal members, from the military, ventured into the wild for missions.

And in the location where he had discarded the spore, there were spent shells from the Tribunal.

An Zhe's heart thumped loudly as he hastily flipped through several pages. Suddenly, an unusual entry caught his attention.

2.20, returned to the city, sample transferred to the Lighthouse.

His gaze lingered on this entry. Flipping back, he found that the entries on this page had become significantly more frequent.

2.12, wilderness, Abyss, added four new map records, collected seven plant samples, four animal samples, seven secretion samples, and recorded three instances of polymorphic monster behavior.

2.13, wilderness, Abyss, collected thirteen plant samples, three animal samples, fourteen secretion samples, and recorded six instances of polymorphic monster behavior.

- He ventured into the Abyss.

An Zhe's eyes widened abruptly. His gaze lingered on the last entry of the page.

2.14, wilderness, return trip, collected abnormal fungal sample 1 (spores).

For an instant, An Zhe's mind went blank. The hand holding the paper trembled slightly.