Chapter 183: The Mysterious Organization
Chapter 183: The Mysterious Organization
In the darkness, Lu Xin smelled the alcohol on Drunkard, finally understanding why she had insisted he stay in her room.
Why she had broken the rules to invite him to her home for dinner, even revealing her true identity—it all made sense now.
He wasn’t sure whether to feel disappointment or relief. Steadying himself, he asked quietly,
“What do you mean by the monsters…”
“…”
“…Odd ones.”
Drunkard’s voice was low, “At least two Level Two Psychic Entities or higher, coming here every night.”
“Level Two?”
Lu Xin couldn’t hide his surprise. His training in this area meant he understood Psychic Entity classifications intimately.
Psychic Entities were Sources of Contamination, but ones with life—capable of attacking or evolving.
Generally, Psychic Entities below one thousand Psychic Magnitude were classified as Level One.
Those exceeding one thousand belonged to Level Two.
A Level Two Psychic Entity could already cause significant disruption to its surroundings.
This confused Lu Xin. Creatures at this level should be instantly detected by the Highwall City’s defensive systems upon emergence. How could they appear so casually near Drunkard, doing so for several nights?
……
“This must be tied to what I’ve been investigating.”
Drunkard sat on the edge of the bed in the dark, picking up her Thermos Cup. She slowly drank, smacked her lips, shook her head, looking quite content before explaining softly, “You must have reviewed the basics before coming? Ever since those inexplicable cases surfaced, I suspected Ability Users were behind them and started investigating.”
“At first I thought it was just some rookie who’d just discovered their abilities, thinking they’re the toughest in the world and running amok… but after digging, I uncovered links to a mysterious organization known as the ‘Townsfolk Society’…”
“…”
“The Townsfolk Society?”
“A mysterious organization?”
Lu Xin found the terms distinctly jarring when paired.
He understood each word individually, but together, they just felt… off.
Drunkard merely nodded as if it was self-evident, “After the Abnormal Shift, all manner of deviant forces have crawled out…”
“When chaos rules, people huddle together, especially within small cliques. Don’t be fooled by Qinggang’s surface-level order. Underneath, it’s intricate and murky—idle street kids form gangs, transporters in The Wilderness form crews, even neighborhood grandmas group up by streets. Forget genuine criminal outfits lurking in loopholes, scraping dark profits…”
“…”
Lu Xin agreed deeply; rumors at work painted him with shades of such a background.
Some even whispered he was a mafia boss’s illegitimate offspring, someone who’d kill without batting an eye, breaking legs over disagreements.
…Infuriating slander.
…Though Little Sister seemed gleefully amused when she told him.
Drunkard chuckled derisively, “Most of these groups playing house? Harmless to us. That’s the Guard Bureau’s domain. Trouble starts when they recruit wild Ability Users to serve them. Then it’s our business.”
“The line dividing an ordinary clique from a true mysterious organization? It’s whether they’ve got an Ability User among them.”
“…”
Lu Xin nodded.
The chasm between Ability Users and ordinary people was staggering.
Take the “Ghost” he’d captured earlier. The ability itself wasn’t overwhelming, but its manifestation was terrifying.
Let loose Ability Users could spark societal collapses.
The street gangs forming cliques within the city walls? Far beneath the Special Clean-up Department’s notice.
Just as Chen Jing had explained during his first assignment—mundane serial killers weren’t their concern. The Special Clean-up Department only stepped in for incidents tied to Special Contamination or Ability Users.
Drunkard lowered her voice further, “Your old man here’s almost finished mapping this Townsfolk Society. Outwardly, they just dabble in covert gatherings, but they’re really proselytizers—preaching blind faith in some ‘True Homeland’. Problem is… I haven’t pinned down their resident Ability User yet. Didn’t want to alert them prematurely. Had to find ’em first.”
“But… seems they caught wind of my snooping… They’ve made the first move…”
At this, she gave a rough laugh, “Three nights ago, Psychic Entities appeared in our neighborhood. I figure they’re hunting me—since I know they’re here, they want me silenced…”
“That bold?”
Lu Xin frowned.
Though new to the Special Clean-up Department, he knew just how potent his colleagues were.
Each possessed their own abilities, and through the Department, they could mobilize vast Highwall City defenses.
Members of the Special Operations Team? People usually prayed the team didn’t come after them.
Someone dared attack them directly?
“Hehe, young man, I’ve been in this business longer than you. Know what’s the scariest thing about facing situations like this?”
“It’s these crazy guys!”
Wearing an expression that seemed to see right through the young man’s thoughts, Drunkard gave a soft laugh and said, “In this world, with that huge Red Moon hanging in the sky, it’s messing people up. Not every Ability User who gains power is willing to get recruited by the Special Clean-up Department. Some prefer using their abilities to live the good life they want, others start thinking they’re some kind of real-deal supernatural being…”
“But then, none of that is really scary.”
“As long as they don’t break the law, the Special Clean-up Department won’t go out of its way to trouble them. Break the law? We haul them in like anyone else!”
“Only these people…”
Drunkard tapped her own head, a smirk twisting her lips, “… their minds are messed up. Willing to do anything!”
Lu Xin nodded; he understood such matters.
Affairs concerning Ability Users, like Sources of Contamination, were always handled internally by the Special Clean-up Department.
Once discovered, ordinary wild Ability Users were tracked and monitored by the Special Clean-up Department. After stability was confirmed, recruitment attempts were made.
If they refused recruitment, they weren’t forced. However, warnings and monitoring were maintained.
If they were found to be using their abilities to gain certain conveniences in life, within limits, the Special Clean-up Department might turn a blind eye. But if they crossed the red line, they’d be directly expelled, forced to leave the Highwall City.
… As for those who made big mistakes, that meant execution cleanup.
… Or worse, forcibly recruited as D-class personnel!
Those three words, “Special Clean-up Department,” didn’t necessarily have to only mean Special Pollution Cleanup Department.
They could also be understood as the Department Especially Specialized in Cleaning Up Certain People…
But with Drunkard’s explanation, he understood why the other party dared to target Drunkard.
What was odd, though, was since the opponent had come knocking, why was Drunkard still quietly staying put at home?
With her rank, she could at least request a military unit for protection, couldn’t she?
…
“Before understanding the opponent’s ability, bringing over those young men in the military is useless…”
Drunkard shook her head and said, “Besides, since I’ve already been found by them, even tracked to my home, hiding isn’t really an option anymore. While I could simply leave, what about Xiao Wu and Xiao Wang, the young couple living with me? Having an Old Man like me crashing their lives isn’t easy on them. Can’t have them bear that risk again. And not just them, there are so many neighbors around…”
“Of course, the most important point is…”
Drunkard’s voice turned a shade gloomier. Though she spoke with the voice of a young girl, an undertone of a wily old fox emerged.
“They want to find Old Uncle Me…”
“But Old Uncle Me here, maybe I want to take this chance to find them too?”
“…”
Lu Xin was somewhat surprised and turned to look.
Drunkard was sitting on the edge of the bed in the darkness, one leg drawn up, her head turned towards the window.
The dense towers blocked much of the sparse light spilling into the residential complex, leaving only a faint, murky illumination.
Her delicate face held a kind of hazy, youthful melancholy…
Yet, as soon as she spoke, it was brimming with world-weariness: “Your Old Uncle Me, I’ve been stationed in this Satellite City No. 4 for years now. Relatives, friends—they’re all here. This place, it’s my den. Whoever it might be, if they dare come here and make trouble, hehe…”
“I’ll make sure they understand—that Old Uncle, he’s still the Old Uncle!”
“…”
Dong… Dong… Dong…
Just then, the antique grandfather clock in Drunkard’s living room slowly began chiming.
Its sound was deep and unhurried, striking exactly twelve times.
“Almost time…”
Drunkard walked to the window, leaning forward to peer out.
Curious, Lu Xin moved closer beside her, both gazing down at the compound below.
Drunkard lived in what could be considered a relatively upscale complex in Satellite City No. 4. Ornate lampposts stood spaced about a dozen meters apart, casting the whole area in a dim, dusky quiet. In the other buildings throughout the compound, most rooms were already dark, with only a few lights still glowing here and there.
The lingering chime from the grandfather clock in the living room faded, plunging the entire room into a heavy silence.
Holding their breath instinctively, they waited. Moments later, Lu Xin suddenly noticed the lampposts down in the compound were beginning to flicker.
It was as if the voltage grew unstable—the lights trembled a few times, then silently went out altogether.
This darkness spread from a distance, creeping bit by bit, from both sides towards Drunkard’s building.
Each lamp extinguished dragged a new area into shadow. It looked like two invisible beasts were approaching, bringing thick night with them, step by step engulfing the lamplight, until finally the entire complex was swallowed by darkness.
A fresh, raw scent of blood wafted up faintly from below.