Chapter 227: Pressure Relieving and Unloading Curriculum
Chapter 227: Pressure Relieving and Unloading Curriculum
The classroom for the pressure unloading and relieving course that Yu Chen had once attended was located on the seventeenth floor of a tower in the West District of the main city. After roughly half an hour, the vehicle stopped in front of the tower. It happened to be the time for a driver change; one handed off to another.
“Wait here for me, okay? I’ll just take a quick look upstairs and come right back.”
Lu Xin picked up his bag and prepared to get out of the vehicle, informing Doll inside the cabin as well.
Doll’s face remained expressionless. She stood up naturally, as if intending to disembark too.
“Hmm?”
Lu Xin was visibly surprised, looking at the girl who hung her head in silence.
Over the channel, Chen Jing had to explain: “Doll pretends not to hear when she catches words she doesn’t like.”
“Hmm…”
Lu Xin had no choice but to reappraise the girl: “You say she’s slow, but she isn’t really… ”
“… Knows how to play dumb too.”
“…”
Chen Jing paused briefly before replying, “Doll was never slow. She’s just not good at interacting with people.”
“Fine…”
Lu Xin began serious consideration: “If I take her along, will it affect my duties?”
“It won’t.”
Chen Jing chuckled softly: “Don’t forget, Doll herself is an Ability User with an excellent mission completion record.”
“This…”
Skepticism rose in Lu Xin’s mind: “She can investigate Special Contamination Incidents too?”
“Of course not.”
Chen Jing offered a light laugh: “But Doll remains quiet. She won’t interfere with or obstruct your investigation.”
“Most of the time, you might understand Doll as the most reliable enforcer when dealing with Special Contamination Incidents…”
“…”
It took Lu Xin several seconds to process the concept: “Doll” = “enforcer”.
No choice. He’d have to take her along.
“If Doll accompanies you on the investigation, remember this:”
Chen Jing, after some consideration herself, patiently advised this less-than-experienced caretaker: “Theoretically, abnormalities only occur when someone views Doll’s face within a certain range, unobstructed. But evidence suggests prolonged proximity—about an hour or so—may also trigger her influence at a low probability.
“So, ensure Doll uses her umbrella to shield her face when encountering people. She already knows this herself.
“Additionally, if anyone’s drawn to Doll, actively approaches, or follows her, halt it immediately.
“Third, avoid raising your voice at her…”
Lu Xin grew slightly tense hearing this: “What happens if I scold her?”
Chen Jing paused: “Her feelings get hurt.”
“… Alright then!”
Lu Xin reluctantly agreed, muttering: “Is using someone this dangerous really acceptable for handling Contamination Incidents?”
“Actually, Doll’s Risk of Loss of Control is very minimal as long as you follow these interaction principles…”
Chen Jing patiently explained. Truthfully, she almost added, “Your own Risk of Loss of Control assessment ranks higher than Doll’s,” but she caught herself.
………
Lu Xin pushed open the bulletproof-glass-embedded side door of the vehicle and stepped out lightly.
Sunlight warmed his head… comfortingly.
Behind him came a soft landing sound, followed by a faint coolness spreading from his back.
Doll had followed him down, feet properly on the ground—no floating this time.
“Let’s go.”
Lu Xin offered Doll a faint smile and headed for the tower entrance.
The advance team had likely coordinated access. Lu Xin effortlessly reached entirely unoccupied elevators. Pressing the up button, he entered with Doll. The elevator ascended directly to the seventeenth floor.
At the seventh floor pause, someone stood waiting to board.
Lu Xin offered them an apologetic smile: “We’re on business. Could you catch the next one?”
The passenger, a boy dressed hip-hop style, objected instantly: “Why should I?”
Lu Xin drew his gun slightly from his bag, giving the boy a glance.
He trembled: “Got time to wait.”
………
“Thanks.”
Lu Xin thanked him and pressed the elevator door close button.
The elevator continued ascending. Doll glanced at Lu Xin curiously.
“It’s alright, don’t worry.”
Lu Xin smiled kindly at her and spoke softly to reassure her.
Doll nodded, then lowered her head, leaning quietly against the elevator wall.
…
…
“Good afternoon, sir! I’ve been waiting for you… Ah!”
On the seventeenth floor, a middle-aged man in a suit was already waiting. His face beamed with an oily, ingratiating smile, originally radiating warm hospitality—but it froze the moment he saw Lu Xin.
Lu Xin glanced at him, equally surprised. “You’re still running tutoring classes?”
The fat man’s jowls visibly trembled. “This… this is a new business venture…”
Then he turned to Lu Xin. “Mr. Lone Soldier, what brings you to the Main City? That 100,000 yuan payment—I already wired it to you.”
Lu Xin said, “I know. Thank you.”
This middle-aged fatty was actually an acquaintance Lu Xin had dealt with before.
Back in Satellite City No. 2, Lu Xin’s first freelance job had come from him.
He wasn’t a bad sort—they even shared camaraderie over a Zippo lighter.
“It seems you remember him,” Chen Jing’s voice chuckled over the comms.
“He introduced you to the Xu Family Father and Daughter job, which later triggered a chain of Psychic Contamination Incidents. The City Defense Department launched a strict investigation. Many of his connections and associates got locked up over… unresolved matters.”
“Only he emerged clean—questioned a few times and released.”
“Minister Shen initially wanted to shut down their entire operation… even wipe their memories.”
“But on Professor Bai’s advice, he allowed them to continue.”
“After all, psychic contamination events are endless, draining massive resources.”
“With just the Special Clean-up Department and its dispatched Investigation Teams… covering every incident thoroughly is nearly impossible.”
“So their existence… complements our work.”
…
Lu Xin nodded, then said to the fatty, “Let’s go inside.”
“Right, right…”
The man—Fatty Liu—usually exuded confident charm, yet around Lu Xin, he seemed flustered.
He mopped his forehead with a handkerchief while leading the way.
After a few steps, he deliberately slowed, offering Lu Xin a cigarette before walking shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
“Thanks.”
Lu Xin accepted it and casually pulled out his Zippo lighter.
Fatty Liu winced as if pained.
“Mr. Lone Soldier, everything we do now is legit,” he explained nervously as they walked.
“Well, it was legal before too… just minor hiccups in the reporting process… Sigh. Because of that, several of my superiors got sent to Land Reclamation…”
“Now we’ve restructured. On one hand, we follow City Defense Department orders—offering free counseling and basic spiritual contamination prevention. Serving the community!”
“On the other, we embed ourselves among civilians. Spot any trouble, report it immediately…”
“Like last time—the Guard Bureau came, we cooperated fully, passed all checks…”
Listening, Lu Xin frowned slightly. He turned frankly to Fatty Liu.
“Do you have a guilty conscience about something?”
“Huh?” Fatty Liu started, waving his hands frantically. “No, no! Why would I?”
Lu Xin looked puzzled. “Then why do I sense you’re nervous?”
Cold sweat beaded on Fatty Liu’s forehead. Nervous? I’m terrified!
…
…
Fortunately, Lu Xin only questioned his odd behavior reasonably. Without evidence, he dropped it.
Still, he kept an eye on Doll beside him, ensuring she didn’t accidentally reveal her face as they proceeded.
Soon, at the corridor’s end, behind automatic glass doors, he saw the counseling classroom.
It was packed—mostly well-dressed middle-aged women.
Among them sat lethargic young men and stiffly postured girls.
Up front, behind a giant whiteboard, a man in a shirt and gold-rimmed glasses lectured:
“About mental illness—remember this: don’t use ‘crazy’ as an insult. Don’t treat it as shameful. It’s no different than a cold, fever… or athlete’s foot.”
“It’s an illness. It needs care, treatment… and most importantly, acceptance.”
…
The audience fidgeted—doubtful they absorbed a word.
Fatty Liu wiped his sweat. “Hear that? Solid advice, right?”
Lu Xin gave a single nod. He peered through the doorway… then silently stepped back.
“Leaving already?” Fatty Liu sighed visibly, mustering a farewell grin.
“Not yet.”
Lu Xin met his gaze impassively, adjusting the earpiece on his left ear.
“Team Leader Chen,” he said evenly. “Problem here. Two mentally aberrant individuals spotted.”
“Requesting instruction: eliminate them directly… or detain for extraction?”
…
“What?!” Fatty Liu gaped, his expression twisting oddly.
“…Confirming?” Chen Jing’s reply sounded delayed, thrown by his calm tone.
Lu Xin scanned the room again. “Confirmed.”
“Control the situation. Avoid alerting the target.” Chen Jing’s voice sharpened urgently.
Immediate commands followed in the background: “Special Dispatch Team, move up now!”
“Notify City Defense Department—lock down the entire building!”
A sharp bark cut through: “Why standing idle?! EMERGENCY!”