Chapter 58

Chapter 58

The Clay Bodhisattva writhed in extreme agony, its rationality completely shattered. The crimson liquid oozing from its hollow eyes deepened, gradually turning pitch-black.

The pollution levels in the entire area remained alarmingly high. The superpower holders were bewildered by Lin Juan's sudden assault. No one dared to question him, but their bodies tensed, ready for battle at any moment.

After all, it was a Class A Anomaly. The fact that no one had been sacrificed thus far was a tremendous stroke of luck.

In the past, even confronting a Class C Anomaly without casualties was only possible if a top-tier expert from the Paranormal Special Affairs Office intervened. However, such experts were few, and they couldn't handle every situation. For lower-level anomalies, superpower holders commensurate with the anomaly's threat level were typically dispatched.

This time, they faced a Class A Anomaly—one that had even unleashed its domain. Had Lin Juan not joined them, rescuing over thirty students so effortlessly would have been impossible.

Lin Juan continued his actions without pause, his expression cold and ruthless, like an emotionless executioner.

In reality, Lin Juan was preoccupied.

Not precisely distracted, but he was deliberately moderating his strength, refraining from instantly crushing the Clay Bodhisattva. His aim was to verify a suspicion.

Nine out of ten of the Clay Bodhisattva's statements were lies, but one held a kernel of truth.

It had declared, "I am not it."

Who did these two "its" refer to?

One was clearly the Clay Bodhisattva itself, but what about the other?

Why did the Clay Bodhisattva manifest in Gong Siyuan's human form?

There had to be a connection between Gong Siyuan and the Clay Bodhisattva.

Before hearing the second voice within the Clay Bodhisattva's body, Lin Juan had been uncertain about Gong Siyuan's fate. Now, he was almost convinced that Gong Siyuan was still present.

Gong Siyuan, retaining a degree of human consciousness, was trapped within this anomalous entity.

Lin Juan was unaware of how Gong Siyuan and the Clay Bodhisattva coexisted. He harbored numerous questions, and he believed direct communication with Gong Siyuan could provide the answers.

Director Liu was oblivious to Lin Juan's true objective. Regarding the Class A Anomaly, the Clay Bodhisattva, the Paranormal Special Affairs Office advocated for its immediate eradication. After all, the unpredictability of a Class A Anomaly was immense. Its apparent subservience before Lin Juan merely underscored its cunning.

Like humans, it possessed the capacity for thought and strategy, making it far more formidable than lower-tier anomalies. Should they lower their guard and allow it to exploit a weakness, the repercussions would be catastrophic.

Director Liu had long been prepared. Even if Lin Juan were to release the Clay Bodhisattva, they would maintain full vigilance, anticipating its potential resurgence.

Fortunately, Lin Juan had no intention of letting it escape.

Director Liu slowly exhaled a breath of relief.

The Clay Bodhisattva's screams grew increasingly piercing. It refused to perish so easily. It had only recently gained consciousness and had just begun to appreciate the wonders of the world. Were it not for Lin Juan, its power would have allowed it to revel in this world without restraint.

Lin Juan!

Hatred surged. The Clay Bodhisattva's eyes turned green, its human form dissolving into a shapeless mass of mud mixed with black, viscous fluid.

It flowed like water, leaving desolation in its wake.

A long, muddy tendril extended, only to be firmly seized by Lin Juan.

Without Lin Juan uttering a word, the superpower holders activated their abilities, launching an assault on the out-of-control Clay Bodhisattva.

Under the scorching flames, the viscous fluid evaporated, and the cracked mud crumbled into dust.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!"

"I'm going to kill you all!!!"

"I'll turn every single one of you into my puppets!!!!!"

Alas for the Clay Bodhisattva, its vital point was held firmly in Lin Juan's grasp. Any attempt to retaliate was met with increased pressure from Lin Juan, forcing the Clay Bodhisattva to retract its offensive power in self-preservation.

Lin Juan remained effortlessly in control. Seeing the Clay Bodhisattva unable to fight back, the superpower holders attacked with renewed vigor.

Under their relentless barrage, the Clay Bodhisattva's cries grew fainter, and its mass steadily diminished, until only a fist-sized clump of mud remained.

"That's enough," Lin Juan declared.

The superpower holders reluctantly ceased their attacks.

It had been exhilarating. They had never fought such a satisfying battle.

Lin Juan released his grip. The wet mud in his hand had shriveled, like a lifeless husk.

Lin Juan tossed the dried mud clump aside. "Captain Sheng, a favor, burn this."

Sheng Tianzong unleashed his power, and brilliant flames engulfed the shriveled mud clump.

In the roaring inferno, they seemed to perceive the Clay Bodhisattva's colossal form twisting and struggling, and a piercing shriek seemed to echo in their ears. In reality, there was nothing within the flames, and no sound was emitted.

Everything transpired in silence.

As the flames subsided, the Clay Bodhisattva's core disintegrated into dust, scattered by the wind.

The pollution levels began to recede.

"Is it really over just like that?" one superpower holder rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Before arriving, the superpower holders, aware they might face a Class A Anomaly, had mentally prepared for not returning alive. Such mental preparation was common for many of their missions.

When they chose to join the Paranormal Special Affairs Office, becoming humanity's first line of defense against anomalies, they had already committed to sacrificing themselves at any moment in this seemingly endless conflict.

They had envisioned numerous scenarios, anticipated many extreme situations, and even considered what actions to take if their mission failed and no one survived.

The one thing they hadn't foreseen was how effortlessly the Class A Anomaly, the Clay Bodhisattva, would be neutralized.

They knew the greatest credit belonged to Lin Juan, but that didn't diminish their excitement.

It was a Class A Anomaly, after all!

And they had participated in the assault!

A Class A Anomaly had truly been eradicated by them!

An ineffable emotion surged within them. Had they not still been on the battlefield, many superpower holders might have embraced each other, expressing their elation.

Shi Haochen was equally thrilled, his eyes shining as he gazed at Lin Juan.

As expected of his Brother Lin—truly formidable.

With only a small mud clump remaining of the Clay Bodhisattva, the superpower holders, suppressing their excitement, turned their attention to it.

Should the last remnant of the Clay Bodhisattva also be destroyed?

With this thought in mind, someone asked out of curiosity.

Naturally, the question was directed at Lin Juan.

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Faced with the inquiry, Lin Juan did not answer directly. Instead, he looked at the mud clump in the center and said, "Observe."

Dozens of eyes instantly darted towards it. Under the gaze of the superpower holders, the mud clump stirred faintly.

"It's still alive?!"

"Act now!"

The superpower holders activated their powers, but Lin Juan quickly interjected, "Hold on. I have some questions for it."

Without complaint, the superpower holders withdrew their powers.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lin Juan walked to the mud clump and called out, "Gong Siyuan?"

The mud clump froze.

"I know it's you."

The mud clump remained rigidly still.

"Those students have been safe all this time because you hid them, haven't they?"

The mud clump shifted, and a weak, translucent figure appeared above it.

It was identical to the young boy the "Clay Bodhisattva" had manifested as earlier.

The boy's eyes were hollow, his body so ethereal it seemed a breeze might dissipate him.

"I hid them. I didn't want to harm anyone," Gong Siyuan said weakly. He and the Clay Bodhisattva were originally one. With the Clay Bodhisattva dead, he wouldn't be able to stand here and converse with Lin Juan and the others if his consciousness hadn't been suppressed deep within the Clay Bodhisattva's body.

"I know you have many questions. I will tell you everything I know."

The genesis of it all traced back to a forged medical record from ten years prior.

Gong Siyuan was young then, never imagining the depths of human malice. His illiterate grandmother, terrified by her grandson's sudden severe illness, was thrown into a panic.

They were each other's sole family in the city, without relatives or anyone to consult.

Gong Siyuan's grandmother was solely focused on raising funds for his treatment.

They were unaware that the illness was, from its inception, an elaborate fabrication woven by malicious individuals.

Their true objective was Gong Siyuan's vibrant, beating heart.

Hospitalization, receiving "treatment"—these past events Lin Juan and the others had witnessed within the domain. Hearing about it for the first time, the superpower holders clenched their fists, wishing they could travel back in time and slaughter those avaricious beasts.

After Gong Siyuan's death, to conceal their crime, the group dismembered him. His usable organs were trafficked, and the unusable parts were buried in various locations.

Five years elapsed in the blink of an eye.

Fugitives, having caught wind of something, disguised themselves as relatives of a deceased patient, staged a medical dispute, and murdered all the doctors privy to the incident's hidden truth.

Such a major incident naturally forced the closure of the Cherish Clinic. The entire building fell into disuse. Later, the government attracted investment, and the land was acquired by a wealthy foreign businessman.

Coincidentally, the wealthy businessman who purchased the land died in an accident shortly thereafter, never truly undertaking the building's renovation.

"About two months ago, I regained consciousness. I was buried in the earth, surrounded by absolute darkness, unable to see anything. Something incredibly heavy was pressing down on me, so heavy I couldn't move. It wasn't until the Clay Bodhisattva appeared that I was able to leave that spot."

"You're saying you gained consciousness before the Clay Bodhisattva?" Lin Juan pinpointed the crucial detail.

"Yes. I don't know what form I was in then. I merely recalled my past, knowing my name in life was 'Gong Siyuan.' I yearned to find my grandmother; she was so old and alone, and I was deeply worried about her, but I couldn't leave."

"How did you manage to leave later?" Director Liu instinctively felt this turning point was critical.

"One day, I heard footsteps and the sound of enormous wings flapping. I knew distinctly it wasn't the sound of birds flying—birds don't make such a loud sound. Someone landed above me. I strained to see and vaguely discerned two figures. One of them had a pair of massive wings on their back."

"Were they superpower holders?" Director Liu mentally reviewed the registered superpower holders but couldn't match Gong Siyuan's description to anyone.

"I'm not sure. I only faintly heard the words 'test subject' in their conversation. Then they left something behind and departed. Shortly after they left, another consciousness emerged within me—it was the Clay Bodhisattva. This consciousness was incredibly powerful, and I was forced into the deepest recesses of my own mind."

Gong Siyuan had an intuition then that he absolutely must not be discovered. If he were, that consciousness would never permit his continued existence.

"I kept hiding, ensuring it wouldn't find me. Until that day, it found my eyes. Through my eyes, I saw it attempting to devour thirty-five high-achieving students."

Having hidden for so long, Gong Siyuan knew where to conceal himself without being detected. Seeing the thirty-five students diligently preparing for exams, Gong Siyuan felt as if he were looking at his past self.

He made the boldest decision he had ever made.

He would hide these students.

"Why not just let them go directly?" Shi Haochen couldn't help but ask.

"They would have been discovered. That consciousness knew of my existence, but by then, it was already powerful enough. Perhaps it deemed me weak and inconsequential. And since I always hid, it had little interest in me. But those students were different. Even if I released them this time, without protection, they would soon return here, as they had already been marked."

Marked prey, no matter where they hid, would ultimately return to the domain—unless the domain's master willingly released them, or the master ceased to exist.

"How cunning!" Shi Haochen exclaimed indignantly. If Gong Siyuan hadn't revealed it, they wouldn't have known the students had been marked.

"No wonder it let them go so easily. Being intimidated by Brother Lin was one factor, but it probably also planned to recapture them after they escaped."

Indeed, the words of an anomalous entity cannot be easily trusted.

Shi Haochen took this lesson to heart.

Suddenly, Shi Haochen stiffened. If the Clay Bodhisattva's words couldn't be fully trusted, what about Gong Siyuan's?

How much of what he said was credible?

Shi Haochen instinctively glanced at Lin Juan.

Lin Juan's expression offered no clue as to whether he believed Gong Siyuan.

Perhaps sensing Shi Haochen's shift in attitude, Gong Siyuan offered a bitter smile. "With the Clay Bodhisattva dead, I too will soon vanish. There's no need for me to deceive you."

Shi Haochen pursed his lips, remaining silent.

"What you said isn't entirely false, but you deliberately obscured some key points," Lin Juan stated, crossing his arms. "For instance, if, as you claim, you could only hide from the Clay Bodhisattva, how did you manage to hide over thirty students?"

The pitiable expression on Gong Siyuan's face gradually faded.

"Initially, you indeed lacked the power to resist the Clay Bodhisattva and could only hide. But that doesn't mean you were always at a disadvantage. I suspect even the Clay Bodhisattva itself didn't realize that, from beginning to end, it was merely a pawn in your plan, right?"

Shi Haochen was bewildered, his head spinning. "Brother Lin, what's truly happening?"

Lin Juan: "Gong Siyuan gained consciousness before the [Clay Bodhisattva]. The [Clay Bodhisattva] is an outsider. What does that suggest to you?"

"It's parasitism," Sheng Tianzong said gravely.

Lin Juan: "Precisely. I once encountered an anomalous entity called a [Parasite]. They can parasitize other anomalies, drawing energy from them. Their evolved forms vary depending on the host. Coincidentally, I've killed one of these things, and my weapon is quite familiar with it. We detected a similar aura from the [Clay Bodhisattva]."

Especially the "Forest Cabin"—it was nearly drained dry by a "Parasite" and harbors a deep-seated hatred for such entities. However different the [Clay Bodhisattva]'s appearance might be from a "Parasite," its fundamental nature remained the same. The moment the "Forest Cabin" detected something amiss, it immediately alerted Lin Juan.

Not to mention, the [Clay Bodhisattva] died by Lin Juan's hand, so he understood better than anyone.

"The [Clay Bodhisattva] I killed, while far stronger than an average Class B Anomaly, still possessed a noticeable power gap compared to a true Class A Anomaly. Yet, you—you remained alive even after I killed the [Clay Bodhisattva]. Don't you realize that's the biggest flaw in your story?"

If Gong Siyuan truly had no power to fight the "Clay Bodhisattva," as it claimed, it wouldn't have survived the latter's demise.

"From the very beginning, you were the true [Clay Bodhisattva], the master of the Class A Anomaly's domain. Am I correct?"

Lin Juan favored direct approaches, but that didn't mean he lacked strategic thinking.

"Let me guess further. One reason you did all this was to leverage our power to eliminate the [Parasite] within you. You couldn't kill it yourself because it had already assimilated with you. You needed external force, a desperate measure to survive."

Gong Siyuan's face darkened, and it remained silent.

All traces of its pitiable demeanor vanished. Though it was the same face, its aura had profoundly shifted, becoming profound, eerie, and, frankly, inhuman.

"You're right," Gong Siyuan closed its eyes briefly, and when they reopened, the emptiness was replaced by green irises. "But what wrong have I committed? Did I choose to become this way? If not for those heartless criminals who brutally murdered me, I should be like you now—graduating from university, finding a stable job, and living a good life."

Lin Juan: "That's no justification for harming innocent students!"

"I merely sought revenge. They took my organs, so naturally, I had to reclaim them," Gong Siyuan sneered. "Where were you when I was being dismembered alive on the operating table?"

Director Liu's expression subtly changed. He pulled out his communicator, about to make a call, when he heard Lin Juan's sarcastic voice.

"Do you truly believe that, having deduced everything, I would allow your scheme to succeed right under my nose? If so, I must commend your extraordinary naivety."

The arrogant expression on Gong Siyuan's face froze. Maintaining its fixed expression, its translucent body fragmented, and the mud clump beneath it suddenly exploded.

As the dust settled, the surrounding pollution levels plummeted, quickly returning to normal.

Lin Juan exhaled, his emotions a complex mix.

With the Class A Anomaly resolved, the remaining tasks didn't require Lin Juan's involvement. The Paranormal Special Affairs Office would dispatch personnel to handle the aftermath.

On the journey back, Lin Juan leaned against the car seat, closing his eyes in weariness.

He remained silent, and no one dared to disturb him.

Shi Haochen's mouth opened and closed, but ultimately, he uttered no words.

It wasn't just him; many superpower holders were experiencing a complex array of emotions.

Since joining the Paranormal Special Affairs Office, they had confronted numerous anomalies, including many pollutants that were once humans, corrupted and mutated.

Yet, these pollutants lacked any semblance of humanity; it was easy to discern that they were utterly monstrous.

Gong Siyuan was different.

Its humanity was too potent. Had it not been for Lin Juan, many of them might have been swayed, offering excuses for its actions.

Upon learning the full sequence of events, Zhuang Yufeng broke out in a cold sweat.

At this point in time, truly formidable anomalies had not yet emerged, and the distinction between anomalies and humans was still clear. He had almost forgotten the powerful deceptive abilities of high-level anomalies.

Some of them disdained disguise, stemming from an absolute arrogance in their own power. Others reveled in deception, solely to incite discord among humans, relishing the spectacle of people turning against each other.

In his previous life, China, where Zhuang Yufeng belonged, had paid a heavy price due to inexperience when dealing with such anomalies.

Zhuang Yufeng dared not delay. He stayed up all night compiling a document and submitted it.

Everyone must take this characteristic of anomalies seriously!

The Paranormal Special Affairs Office convened several meetings over the next few days to revise their operational strategies against anomalies. They also dispatched personnel to investigate the individuals with large wings mentioned by Gong Siyuan.

Lin Juan returned to Lu Manor and took a bath, washing away his fatigue.

Hearing of his return, Lu Yanzhou left work early and hurried back to Lu Manor.

Lin Juan had just emerged from the bathroom when he encountered Lu Yanzhou.

His mind preoccupied, and too familiar with Lu Yanzhou's presence, he was caught off guard and collided directly into the man's embrace.

"Mmph…"

Lin Juan instinctively recoiled, but a hand pressed against the small of his back.

Lu Yanzhou held his waist with one hand and used the other to tuck the hair falling by his cheek behind Lin Juan's ear. "Resolved?"

Unable to retreat, Lin Juan simply leaned into the man's embrace. "Yeah."

Perhaps because this experience was so different from previous ones—having lived through two HE timelines—Lin Juan felt somewhat subdued and couldn't help but confide in someone.

He spoke without any particular order, jumping from one topic to another as thoughts came to mind. Lu Yanzhou listened quietly, eventually guiding them to sit together on the sofa.

They squeezed onto a single-seater sofa. Lost in his thoughts, Lin Juan didn't notice how close they were, far exceeding normal social boundaries.

"Before dissipating, Gong Siyuan mouthed 'thank you' to me. It didn't speak aloud, but I could read its lips."

Lin Juan hadn't shared this with anyone else. For the members of the Paranormal Special Affairs Office, maintaining a high degree of vigilance against anomalies was essential.

They could not afford to show any mercy towards anomalies, because behind them stood over a billion ordinary people. A single moment of soft-heartedness could lead to countless sacrifices.

Lin Juan understood this well.

That's why he chose to expose Gong Siyuan directly in front of everyone, dispelling any lingering sympathy they might have felt for the Class A Anomaly.

"You did nothing wrong," Lu Yanzhou stroked Lin Juan's hair, his voice soothing. "The evil Gong Siyuan committed stemmed from the wrongs others inflicted upon it. It became an anomaly and gained the power for revenge. If it truly sought vengeance, it should have targeted the real culprits, not innocent students."

"Those students owed it nothing."

"You're right," Lin Juan was briefly subdued but quickly rebounded. "I'm starving, Lu Yanzhou. I want the steak you cook."

Lu Yanzhou was usually busy, and though Lin Juan had heard from the Lu family that he was a good cook, he had never actually tasted it.

"At your service."

As they rose, Lin Juan realized how intimately close he and Lu Yanzhou had been—he had practically been nestled in the man's arms.

Having never been this close to anyone before, Lin Juan's ears grew faintly warm.

Pushing off Lu Yanzhou's shoulders to stand up: "Hurry up, hurry up!"

There was an obvious fluster in his tone.

Seeing his slightly reddened earlobes, Lu Yanzhou's eyes darkened slightly: "Juanjuan, help me up."

"Why do I need to pull you up?" Lin Juan complained, but still extended his hand.

Just as he was about to grasp the man's arm, his hand was taken.

His fingertips were enveloped by a warm palm, the heat spreading upward along his fingers.

Though the temperature wasn't scalding, Lin Juan seemed unable to bear it, instinctively trying to withdraw his hand.

Instead, it was held even tighter.

When it came to Lu Yanzhou, Lin Juan never dared use his full strength, afraid he might accidentally injure him.

Even when attempting to retract his hand, he didn't exert much force. With just a slight effort from the man, he could be held in place.

Lu Yanzhou was seated on the sofa, while Lin Juan was standing. Due to the height difference, Lin Juan had to tilt his head back to meet his eyes.

"Juanjuan?" The man's voice was deep, as if he didn't understand why Lin Juan suddenly wanted to pull his hand away.

Looking up from below inexplicably conveyed a sense of submission.

Lin Juan's ears grew even hotter. He wanted to cover them but thought it would seem odd, so he maintained his posture, looking down at Lu Yanzhou.

"Didn't Juanjuan want to pull me up?" A hint of amusement entered Lu Yanzhou's voice.

Lin Juan's fingers curled slightly but ultimately didn't break free, pulling the man up with reddened ears.

In reality, he didn't need to exert much strength.

Lu Yanzhou didn't need his help at all.

His hand still hadn't been released. Lu Yanzhou naturally led him forward, holding his hand.

Lin Juan didn't move.

Lu Yanzhou turned back: "Juanjuan, aren't you coming?"

Lin Juan lowered his gaze to their joined hands.

Was Lu Yanzhou truly not doing this on purpose?