127: Chapter 127 Zero Presence

Jiang Feng stood in the corner, clutching the phone he had just hung up.

The few sentences he heard over the phone kept spinning in his mind.

The cure for his terminal illness.

These four words were like blood-stained hooks, biting firmly into his cranial nerves.

Terminal brain cancer was like a guillotine hanging over his neck; relying on piecemeal extensions of his life was by no means a long-term solution.

If that madman really used big data to uncover the root cure for this strange illness...

He had to take on this job himself.

Jiang Feng looked at the command post ahead, which was in complete chaos.

Zhao Yi was shouting at the top of his lungs over there, assigning tasks to several field team leaders.

Field vehicles were being dispatched to the North City and the Eastern District; the efficiency was far too low.

By the time they finished searching the power-outage area, it would be far too late.

Old Chen stood by the doorframe of the main hall.

He kept his back straight, his right hand pressed against his lower back, and his eyes scanned the crowd.

His posture made it clear: even if the sky fell, he would still be there to protect Jiang Feng closely.

Lu Cheng sat on a chair not far away, using a pen to draw probability models on paper that no one else could understand.

The Prophet had made it clear on the phone: he was to go to the Abandoned TV station in North City alone.

If he brought the police with him, even just Old Chen, that rat hiding in the sewer would surely turn hostile.

He had to take on this job himself.

Jiang Feng pocketed his phone and strode toward Old Chen.

"Old Chen," Jiang Feng called out.

Hearing him, Old Chen turned around and lowered his hand from his lower back.

"Boss, what are our arrangements?"

Jiang Feng pointed toward the corridor and told a casual lie.

"I'm going to the restroom; I drank too much coffee and can't hold it anymore."

Old Chen nodded and took a step, preparing to accompany his boss.

Jiang Feng raised a hand to stop him.

"You stay here," Jiang Feng said, gesturing with his chin toward Lu Cheng. "Keep an eye on Lu Cheng. The logic in that woman's brain just rebooted, and there's no telling what kind of trouble she might cause next. It's crowded and chaotic here; don't let her run off."

Old Chen looked at Lu Cheng, then at the corridor.

He figured that going to the restroom down the police station corridor shouldn't cause any major trouble.

"Alright, Boss, be quick. I'll keep watch at the door," Old Chen replied.

Jiang Feng turned around, back to Old Chen, and headed toward the side door's fire escape.

After taking two steps, Jiang Feng muttered a phrase to himself.

Skill: Aura Assimilation, activate!

As the skill took effect, Jiang Feng experienced a strange change that defied logical explanation.

He looked down at his hands; they were still there. He hadn't turned transparent, nor had he become invisible.

He could clearly perceive that his personal traits, which defined him, had all been subtly adjusted by an invisible force.

These traits had completely merged with the background.

Jiang Feng intended to test the results.

He didn't stick to the walls but instead strolled openly through the middle of the cluttered office desks.

A young Police Officer came running straight toward him.

The Police Officer was clutching a pile of unorganized paper files, sweating profusely, eyes fixed only on the path ahead.

Jiang Feng didn't dodge.

The two were about to collide.

In normal times, no matter how rushed the Police Officer was, his instinct would surely have made him turn sideways or step aside at the last moment.

That was not the case.

The Police Officer squeezed right past Jiang Feng, with a gap of less than twenty centimeters.

The Police Officer's elbow brushed heavily against Jiang Feng's shoulder, yet the young man didn't even turn his head.

Mumbling report numbers, he trotted toward Zhao Yi.

He hadn't even realized he had just bumped into a living person.

Jiang Feng stood in place, grinning.

This skill was truly amazing.

He turned his head and looked toward the main entrance.

Old Chen's gaze happened to sweep across this area.

Old Chen was a top-tier scout with excellent eyesight.

But at this moment, Old Chen's gaze passed right over Jiang Feng's position and landed on the corner further away.

Even an expert like Old Chen, who had undergone professional training, had physiologically overlooked him.

Jiang Feng didn't think twice.

With his hands in his pockets, he pushed open the iron door of the side fire escape right under the eyes of dozens of Police Officers.

He went down the dim fire escape stairs, pushed open the first-floor back door, and plunged into the dark, rainy day.

Outside, the rain had mostly let up, but the wind remained strong.

Jiang Feng walked an entire block along the outer wall of the police station.

The streetlights on this street were all out, and the ground was illuminated only by the headlights of passing cars.

He waited at the intersection for several minutes until a taxi approached from a distance.

"Driver, take me to the Abandoned TV station in North City," Jiang Feng stated the destination.

The driver looked at him through the rearview mirror, appearing reluctant.

"In the middle of the night, why go to that ghost place?" the driver said, full of reluctance. "The water and power were cut off there years ago, and it's been abandoned. It's not just raining hard today; the whole street is pitch black. I wouldn't go even if you paid me more."

Jiang Feng couldn't be bothered with small talk and directly added a 500-yuan tip on the ride-hailing app.

"I'm doing an exploration livestream; the netizen tips are generous, I'll split them with you," Jiang Feng lied casually.

Seeing the tip arrive, the driver immediately changed his attitude.

"Alright! Boss, please sit tight!"

He wouldn't do it for a little more money, but a lot more money was a different story.

Only a fool wouldn't take the money. The man stepped on the gas, and the taxi splashed through the puddles as it headed toward North City.

The car was silent, save for the sound of rubber wipers rubbing back and forth.

Jiang Feng took out his phone, opened the chat with Old Chen, and tapped his fingers quickly on the screen.

"Stay put, keep an eye on Lu Cheng, I'll be back later."

After typing these words, Old Chen should understand that Jiang Feng was going out alone, and Old Chen would certainly not be foolish enough to make a scene or bring people along.

Only by keeping Old Chen tied to the police station could Jiang Feng have no worries.

That woman Lu Cheng had a fast brain; if no one was watching her, she could deduce his whereabouts from the slightest clue and go off to do some nonsense about sacrificing herself for the greater good.

Message sent successfully.

Jiang Feng tossed the phone onto the seat beside him, leaned back against the seat, and scanned the blurry night scene rushing backward outside the car window.

Completely excise the tumor of his terminal illness.

These words were like blood-stained hooks, piercing Jiang Feng's cranial nerves.

Terminal brain cancer was a guillotine hanging over his neck.

Yes, he currently held a foundation of over 400 days of lifespan, plus 150 days of source lifespan as a backup.

For any ordinary person, having nearly two years of life left would be enough to just lie back and enjoy life.

But Jiang Feng knew clearly that what was this little bit of life worth?

The further he went, the bigger the trouble he encountered. Which of those high-level system skills that could overturn physical laws wasn't a bottomless pit draining his life?

If he encountered a dead end and activated a Law of Causality, hundreds of days of lifespan could burn away in the blink of an eye.

Relying solely on waiting for the system to assign part-time tasks to extend his life was like cutting flesh with a dull knife; he would forever be a laborer passively taking a beating.

He was sick of this way of living, staring at his balance and calculating his days every single day.

If that madman hiding behind the screen really used big data to uncover the root cure for this strange illness...

He was determined to wade through these muddy waters.