56: Chapter 56 "Does Executive Officer Jiang need to cleanse this nauseating stench?"
Su Yun hung up the phone and once again observed a three-minute silence for his father, who was completely unaware that he had become the second-in-command of the Salvation Society.
He walked out along the alleys of the old town, and around the corner was the commercial street.
On a giant curved screen, a female anchor was reporting in a slightly hurried tone: "...An unidentified high-intensity energy fluctuation has occurred in the direction of the Northern Reservoir; the specific cause is still under investigation. The authorities have initiated a Level 3 emergency response and are calling on citizens to remain calm, avoid going out unless necessary, and stay away from the Northern Reservoir area..."
There were fewer pedestrians on the street than usual, but it hadn't reached the point of being deserted.
Su Yun slowed his pace, the scene on the street reflected in his eyes.
Panic, fear, excitement, and curiosity... various emotions were intertwined.
He subconsciously licked his lips.
Halfway through the action, Su Yun stopped abruptly, forcibly pulling his tongue back, and cursed inwardly: Damn it, it's a professional habit.
He immediately straightened his face, resuming his cold expression, and scanned the crowd.
A young couple was huddled in front of a mobile phone; the girl's face was etched with fear, while the boy was beaming, pointing at the screen and talking about how "exciting" it was, or "should we go to the perimeter and take a look?"
Not far away, a few middle-aged people were gathered together, whispering with grave expressions, a sense of anxiety washing over the area.
There was also an internet celebrity streamer holding a selfie stick, shouting exaggeratedly at the camera: "Guys! Big news! Your streamer is going to take you to the front lines to explore!"
Su Yun looked at the streamer, feeling no ripples in his heart, even wanting to laugh a little.
Go to the front lines to explore?
Sure, the most "fresh" attraction at the Northern Reservoir right now is probably that giant purple-black flesh net he wove with his own hands, which is blocking the spatial rift.
He wondered if the streamer's camera would be able to capture the suckers and eyeballs on the net that occasionally still squirmed.
Su Yun swiped his screen and called his mother back.
The call was answered almost immediately.
"Mom, I was just reviewing at the Library and didn't see my phone."
His tone was relaxed and natural, as if today were just an ordinary weekend. "I'm fine, I'm doing great. What delicious things are you making for dinner? Braised pork?"
Lin Wanqing's consistently gentle and smiling voice came through the receiver, though there was a faint sound of empty wind in the background: "Little Yun, Mom might not be able to make dinner tonight. Please notify your dad, sister, and younger sister; everyone will have to fend for themselves today."
Su Yun's steps faltered slightly, and he looked up at the sun that had just climbed to the zenith.
It was just past noon, which meant two more meals needed to be arranged for today.
He licked his lips; evolution required devouring Strange Tales, but as a human, he still had physiological needs, so he still had to eat.
And most importantly, his mom often secretly used some kind of thread ability to cook, and the food she made was much better than what a restaurant chef could prepare.
Su Yun sighed.
His tone remained relaxed, even carrying a hint of teasing: "Alright Mom, are you having another 'old classmate reunion'?"
He deliberately emphasized those words.
What kind of reunion could be more urgent than the Spiritual Vein of the Sanctuary being dismantled and an S-Class Executive possibly dying in battle?
As the Former Saintess, with Saintess Lin Xinglan bringing troops to cause such a huge commotion in Linhai City, how could she not go and "check on the situation"?
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, and then Lin Wanqing's voice was gentle as always, but unquestionable.
"Yes, things are quite urgent. You all can order takeout or boil some noodles; there are vegetables in the fridge. Don't fight."
"Understood." Su Yun smiled and replied, "Then you go ahead and get busy, stay safe."
Hanging up the phone, Su Yun curled his lips.
It seems like his mom couldn't sit still either.
He casually sent a message in the family group: "Mom has gone out for something, fend for yourselves for dinner. @All Members"
...
The atmosphere at the bottom of the reservoir was heavy.
The damaged pump room looked like the carcass of a giant beast that had been gutted, with exposed rebar twisted and pointing toward the dim dome.
The air was permeated with the scent of rust, scorched earth, and a faint, nauseating, sweet, fishy smell.
The most glaring sight was the giant purple-black flesh net covering the entire spatial fault, slowly pulsating. It had replaced the Sanctuary's glorious Formation, like an ugly and fatal scar, sealing off the passage between the two worlds.
Executive Jiang Xu stood alone in front of the giant net.
He had changed into a clean black combat uniform, but under the skin of his exposed neck and left hand, dark golden patterns occasionally shimmered like living creatures.
The mutated [Spear of the Firmament] was thrust into the ground beside him, the tip embedded in the concrete, radiating a gloom that seemed to devour light.
He closed his eyes, seemingly feeling the vortex of newborn power within him.
Spiritual energy and Abyss rules had reached a fragile balance within his body.
With every breath, tiny dark golden sparks spilled from his nostrils.
Heavy footsteps came from outside the passage, breaking the dead silence.
Chen Jianguo Chen Jianguo of the Jiangcheng Investigation Bureau arrived with a team of elite agents. The moment they stepped into the pump room, everyone was shocked by the scene before them and gasped.
Chen Jianguo Chen swept his gaze over the flesh net, finally landing on Executive Jiang Xu's back, especially on that clearly non-human left arm, his pupils constricting sharply.
"Executive Jiang Xu? What is this..."
Executive Jiang Xu slowly opened his eyes, a flash of dark gold passing through the depths of his left pupil.
"Chen Jianguo Chen." His voice was hoarser and deeper than usual. "The scene is under control. The Abyss passage has been... physically sealed. A detailed report will be submitted later."
He omitted the most critical part: what had happened to him.
Because the Jiangcheng Investigation Bureau did not have the clearance to know that.
Almost simultaneously, the crisp sound of high heels clicking came from the other side of the passage.
The Watchers organization's Jiangcheng person-in-charge, Ye Qingqiu, walked in, followed by Dark Blade Su Qing, who was dressed in pitch-black tight-fitting gear and wearing an owl mask.
Ye Qingqiu's gaze was sharp as a knife, immediately locking onto the giant flesh net and the drastically changed Executive Jiang Xu, her brows furrowing.
Su Qing tilted her head slightly, her eyes behind the mask curiously and warily surveying the surroundings, especially the net that made her instinctively feel a trace of familiarity yet extreme repulsion.
"It seems we missed the most exciting part." Ye Qingqiu's voice was cold and clear as she turned her gaze to Chen Jianguo Chen. "How does the Investigation Bureau plan to explain this... 'redecoration'?"
She was referring to the flesh net.
Chen Jianguo Chen's face was grim, and he had yet to answer.
Light and shadow flickered at the entrance, and several figures shrouded in soft golden light appeared silently.
The golden light receded, and the figures stepped into the pump room.
The leading woman was dressed in a plain white robe, her face veiled in a soft halo of light, yet it could not hide the weariness in her eyes. It was Lin Wanqing, who had changed her appearance.
The extremely fine, flesh-like interlaced golden threads on her face were almost imperceptible in the dim light of the pump room, yet they exuded a non-human, precise beauty.
Beside her, Saintess Lin Xinglan wore a gold-trimmed white robe, her expression cold and stern, her gaze sweeping across the scene like lightning, finally fixing on Executive Jiang Xu and the dark golden spear beside him that emitted an ominous aura.
Behind them, several Elders of the Sanctuary with heavy auras filed in, vaguely blocking the entrance.
Lin Wanqing's gaze fell on Executive Jiang Xu's mutated left arm, and a glimmer of golden thread seemed to flash in the depths of her pupils. She sighed softly, her voice still gentle, but carried undisguised mockery.
"The official people are actually borrowing the power of Strange Tales; how ridiculous."
She took half a step forward, her gaze sweeping past Executive Jiang Xu to look at the pulsating giant flesh net behind him, her brows furrowing even tighter. "This nauseating Abyss aura... Executive Jiang Xu, what happened to you? Do you need me to 'purify' you?"
Saintess Lin Xinglan snorted coldly, tapping her staff lightly on the ground, causing golden ripples to spread out, dispersing the lingering chill in the pump room. "It seems there was a reason for the Firmament Squad being completely wiped out. The blade of the Great Xia has been contaminated itself."
Executive Jiang Xu slowly turned around, his dark golden left arm hanging naturally at his side, a wisp of ghost fire occasionally flickering at his fingertips. He met the gazes of the two high-ranking Sanctuary members with no expression on his face, only a complex emotion flashing in the depths of his eyes.
It was humiliation, anger, and a trace of confusion about his new power that even he himself had not realized.
"My business is no concern of the Sanctuary." Executive Jiang Xu spoke, his voice hoarse but unusually steady. "Rather than worrying about my condition, wouldn't it be better for the two of you to explain why the Sanctuary's spirit vein anchor was so easily pierced?"