Chapter 24 Containment Night

Chapter 24: Containment Night.

Night.

A pale, gaunt man walked along the road.

The asphalt road was empty, a path rarely traveled.

Streetlights formed a symmetrical row on either side, their halos unable to fully illuminate the road, casting large, shifting pools of light on the ground.

The man wandered between these flickering patches of brightness.

His long limbs dangled limp and heavy, like water-filled balloons.

The man’s lips parted, and he was still wearing the same dirty shirt and pants from days ago.

He was covered in mud. His eyes were hollow and vacant, as if they were mere ornaments rather than functional organs.

He seemed to be in a constant state of somnambulism, forever dazed and confused, with no sense of origin or destination.

He walked on and on like this. From time to time, he let out vague, meaningless noises from his throat.

"Ah, ah..."

Hoarse, raspy whispers echoed through the empty street.

Not far away, Shi Shaoning, lying in ambush within the shadows of the trees, raised his hand impassively: "Go!"

In the darkness, the rustle of gear and boots responded to him.

In an instant, several tactical-geared team members rushed out from all directions, weapons in hand, quickly closing in on the center of the road.

The well-trained team immediately surrounded the pale man.

The man seemed unaware of his surroundings, continuing to walk forward in a daze.

His gaze drifted aimlessly toward the ground, as if nothing could capture his attention.

Splash—

A massive stream of water shot out!

It turned out the weapons in the team members’ hands weren’t loaded with bullets but with a special solution.

The air instantly filled with a strong scent!

...The smell of floral water.

Shi Shaoning had long wanted to complain. Why did the sobering agent have to be disguised as floral water?! It made every Delirium containment operation seem utterly ridiculous!

This was an S-class target! A serious containment operation against an S-class, and they were spraying him with tons of floral water? What was that supposed to accomplish?!

Suppressing his frustration, Shi Shaoning kept a stern expression, his eyes fixed intently on the center of the operation.

Fortunately, the team members were well-trained; even as their submachine guns sprayed water like crazy, they managed to maintain their composure.

The pale man at the center of the operation, drenched from head to toe after being sprayed with tons of floral water, was completely soaked.

His thin shirt and pants clung tightly to his body, revealing his gaunt, fragile build. His wet hair stuck to his forehead, and beneath it, his eyes—once utterly vacant—now held a flicker of something else.

Confusion.

He seemed unable to comprehend what was happening, just staring blankly at the people surrounding him, at his suddenly soaked clothes.

...Damn, not again.

It was always like this! That blank, bewildered look!

It made Shi Shaoning feel like they were bullying an intellectually disabled person!

But after the painful experience of being made a fool of by that "disabled" person and humiliated on a reality show, Shi Shaoning would show no mercy this time!

"Fall back!" Shi Shaoning barked, and all the team members holding water guns stepped back in unison.

At the same time, he sprang into action.

Alongside him, a black leopard and an arctic eagle bolted forward like lightning!

The leopard’s agile form flashed through the night, while the arctic eagle shrieked, attacking from the side!

The pale man looked up dazedly, his confused eyes reflecting the images of the beasts.

He staggered back two steps, instinctively trying to retreat.

But his feet suddenly became mired.

Looking down, he saw that a mud pit had appeared on the ground without warning.

The mud pit seemed sentient, its sticky, churning sludge clinging to his legs, dragging him down relentlessly.

His legs had already gone numb; any struggle would only sink him deeper into the mud.

...Not that he even knew how to struggle.

He had no weapons in his hands; his shirt and pants were the only things that could be considered "armor" on his body.

Beyond that, he had nothing.

He had nothing except himself.

And to make matters worse, he was weak. He had no combat ability at all.

Thud!

He lacked even basic coordination—after his feet got stuck in the mud, he completely lost his footing and sprawled into the sludge.

The wet mud quickly soaked through his pants, and spatters of mud stained his pale, bloodless face.

Yet he still seemed unable to comprehend what was happening, just staring with those dark, empty eyes—somewhat dull and sluggish—at the fierce predators charging toward him.

"..." Shi Shaoning scowled, but his movements didn’t pause. He spread his fingers abruptly!

In the darkness, fine, barely visible threads shot out from his fingertips.

At the same time, the leopard had already closed in behind the target, its sinewy, powerful frame twisting as it turned its head and sank its teeth into something.

The arctic eagle shrieked, swooping down from above!

"..." The pale man, trapped in the mud, was jolted by the cry and gazed up vacantly. He saw the arctic eagle flapping its wings, skimming overhead. Its powerful feathers were like a curtain being swept aside, buffeting him with a gust of wind!

The pale man's eyes widened, his gaze still hollow and vacant.

For a moment, it felt as if something weightless had brushed against his face—or perhaps nothing at all.

The next second—Bam!

As if struck by a massive boulder, the pale man was slammed to the ground!

An invisible weight pressed down on him, immobilizing him completely, forcing his bloodless face into the mud.

The sludge dirtied his eyelashes and even seeped into his pupils.

Yet he seemed utterly unaware, his expression remaining unchanged all the while.

The mud gradually swallowed him whole, an imperceptible spiderweb sealing him tightly, with immense pressure crushing every joint in his body.

The panther leaped through the night, while the eagle circled high above the city.

Shi Shaoning frowned deeply, slowly moving closer. His left hand clenched tightly, his right pressing down gradually.

The man trapped in the mud sank deeper and deeper.

Drenched, the man’s shirt and trousers clung wetly to his body. His face was covered in mud.

His only resistance to the engulfing mud was a faint, feeble struggle.

The effort was so slight, so gentle—like a puppy huddling under the eaves on a rainy day.

"..." A muscle twitched faintly at the corner of Shi Shaoning’s eye.

The next moment, he clenched his fist fiercely!

The mud surged upward, engulfing the man completely!

The pale figure vanished into the muck in an instant!

"Success?!"

"We finally got him!"

The surrounding subordinates rushed over excitedly.

Shi Shaoning also let out a long, deep breath.

He turned his head, about to say something to his team, when suddenly, an odd smell drifted into his nostrils.

Muddy, damp.

The pale man, drenched from head to toe and covered in mud, stumbled past him—

Brushed—right—past—his—shoulder—

"High-pressure water guns!" Shi Shaoning roared. "Everyone, back up!"

The soaked shirt clung to his body, his slender limbs swaying weakly and heavily like waterlogged balloons.

All subordinates quickly retreated, raising high-pressure water guns and opening fire.

Under the tremendous water pressure, the pale man staggered, almost toppling over.

Shi Shaoning gritted his teeth, seized the brief opportunity, and lunged forward once again!

Whoosh—

The roaring water surged relentlessly, followed by a volley of various weapons.

Strange, brilliant lights illuminated the night sky.

From a distance beyond the cordon, it might have looked like a fireworks display.

However.

Delirium, who was incapable of attacking, who shouldn’t even possess intelligence, escaped from the containment unit again and again, time after time.

Again and again, over and over...

The high-pressure water guns, filled with lucidium elixir, continuously blasted with powerful force, maintaining everyone’s sanity while forcing Delirium back countless times.

Yet no matter how many times he was repelled, Delirium would struggle to his feet, swaying unsteadily as he lumbered toward a fixed direction.

No one cared where he was going—everyone had only one thought in mind: catch him!

Catch him! Contain him!

He must not be allowed near the residential zones! Otherwise, everyone would suffer mental corruption and fall into compulsory delirium!

Thus, every time Delirium swayed forward a step, the high-pressure water guns forced him back two.

Yet neither could gain ground.

The situation reached a stalemate.

...

Rumble, rumble.

Lin Jianyuan entered the subway train, glanced around, and casually took a seat.

Outside the window, the nightscape passed by; reflected in the glass was his tired reflection.

Lin Jianyuan stared blankly out the window, watching the cityscape recede, faster and faster.

Buzz. His cell phone vibrated.

Lin Jianyuan looked down and saw a 59-second voice note from his landlord.

Too lazy to listen, he tapped the transcribe feature. Characters quickly filled the screen:

"The AC unit’s fixed for you. Quit calling me for every little thing—it’s not like I wasn’t going to fix it. Young people these days have no patience, you people—"

Tap.

Lin Jianyuan turned off the screen directly and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

...

Delirium halted mid-stride.

The high-pressure water guns kept blasting. Everyone was breathing heavily, their nerves frayed, not daring to relax for even a second.

Delirium, who had been forced back countless times by the water blasts yet persisted in moving forward, now seemed suddenly bewildered.

His perpetually vacant and lifeless eyes blinked slowly a few times, and then he slipped, once again face-planted by the high-pressure water gun.

Thud!

The Class S heretic plunged headfirst into a puddle, flailing about in a sorry state.

Shi Shaoning: "..."

The whole team: "..."

So, why, why did the Sobering Potion have to be formulated to smell like toilet water?!

Using high-pressure water guns to corner an idiot was already a pain in the ass! And now it's a water gun that smells like toilet water!

"Fuck!" Shi Shaoning finally couldn't take it anymore, raising his hand and gesturing sharply toward the sky.

In an instant, the leopard swiftly darted back to his side, and the eagle, a summoned creature, circled around, swooping back.

Even the muddy puddle on the ground seemed to have a consciousness of its own, oozing toward them like slime.

"Captain Shi?" The subordinates exclaimed in surprise.

Shi Shaoning: "Stand down."

"What? Stand down now? But Delirium—"

Shi Shaoning snapped, "Delirium my ass! We've been blocking him for half an hour—do you see us catching him?!"

Everyone knew Captain Shi had a foul temper and naturally didn't dare defy him. Thinking about it, they had indeed been in a standoff with Delirium for over half an hour. Thankfully, this Class S heretic was a non-threatening idiot, or they would have been wiped out a hundred times over.

"So what do we do next? We can't just let Delirium go..." someone asked.

Shi Shaoning: "I don't know!"

The subordinates: "..."

Shi Shaoning fumed, "Why are you all staring at me? Ask the higher-ups!"

Grumbling, he pulled out his phone and dialed his superior with a pissed-off expression.

Not far away, Delirium finally struggled to his feet from the puddle, drenched, his pockets filled with mud.

After this fall, he seemed to remember his mission once again.

His face returned to its dazed, absent expression as he continued trudging forward in a daze.

But this time—

"His direction changed?" Shi Shaoning frowned.

Everyone holding the high-pressure water guns stared in astonishment.

Yes, Delirium's direction had changed.

He was no longer stubbornly heading south but had switched directions—he was now moving north.

"Captain Shi..." the subordinates hesitated.

Shi Shaoning pondered briefly, then raised his hand: "Blast him!"

Ten minutes later.

The superior rushed over, shocked to see Delirium being repeatedly blasted by a high-pressure water gun, stumbling and falling, getting up only to fall again.

Superior: "Is this what you call mission accomplished???"

Shi Shaoning: "Just tell me, did we contain him or not?"

Superior: "..."

Thank goodness Delirium is an idiot, or you wouldn't have been able to contain him like this.

But you guys mob bullying an idiot is just too much!!!

Shi Shaoning: "We're done!"

Although the containment process was a bit of a pain, today's side gig was finally over.

Shi Shaoning took off his tactical gear and headed wearily to the set.

Filming during the day was exhausting enough, and just when he finally had a bit of rest time, he got dragged out to contain a heretic at night.

This is fucking unbearable!

I never should have gotten into this line of work.

Shi Shaoning thought back to that idiot superior who'd spouted that bullshit about humanity, saving the world, and protecting our homeland, and his fists clenched involuntarily.

Damn it! Thinking about it now, it was basically a total scam!

Under the night sky, Shi Shaoning walked alone under the moonlight.

The hotel the film crew had booked was a resort. The night was beautiful, the summer heat had faded, and the tree-lined path felt cool and peaceful.

The streetlights gently illuminated the road, gradually soothing the irritation brought on by the side gig overtime work.

Shi Shaoning let out a long sigh, but suddenly, he got goosebumps!

"Hey."

A gentle, smiling voice.

"You're from the Bureau, right? Field Operations?"

Shi Shaoning turned around in alarm, only to see shadows danced under the trees, the moonlight swaying, and under the warm yellow streetlight stood... a freestanding digestive tract.

Pink intestines swayed like tentacles, dangling two heretics like ragdolls.

Shi Shaoning was stunned, but before he could react, two graceful arcs cut through the air—the intestines casually flung the two heretics toward him.

With two thuds, the two heretics were thrown to the ground like sacks of potatoes, quivering helplessly.

Shi Shaoning: "?"

Digestive System: "The Bureau offers rewards for containing heretics, right? How much for an A-class? Give me a cut."

Shi Shaoning: "???"

Digestive System: "I want 80% cut. Cash this time, WeChat transfer next time."

Shi Shaoning: "What the hell????"

Did I wake up wrong?

Did I just witness a high-level heretic engaging in a shake-down and openly demanding a cut?!