Chapter 8: Red Moon Elementary School

When facing people whom others couldn’t see or hear, yet one could themselves see, hear, converse with, even touch, and even receive protection from them, should these people be considered to exist, or not?

Team Leader Chen Jing had encountered many Mental Aberrants and dealt with numerous cases. She’d seen it all—madness, strangeness—but at this moment, she found it quite bizarre. To her, it was simply that Lu Xin, saying these things, appeared incredibly serious and completely lucid. Simultaneously, within one person, she perceived feelings that were completely opposite: calmness and madness, normalcy and peculiarity.

A voice urged in her earpiece: “Team Leader Chen, armed response is prepared. You need to provide the final assessment immediately!”

Chen Jing remained silent. Lu Xin, sitting across from her, was also silent. Both seemed to be pondering many things.

Chen Jing quickly formed a decision. She’d seen many Mental Aberrants and handled many similar Spiritual Mutations; she had ample experience in this field. After thinking carefully for a moment, she looked seriously at Lu Xin and said, “I have only one question. If all your abilities come from your family, can you guarantee they won’t casually affect you?” She didn’t deny the existence of his “family,” only asking if these “family members” might influence him.

Lu Xin looked up at her and said, “You’re worried they might take over my body, aren’t you?”

Chen Jing didn’t deny it. To her, the most dangerous aspect of the man before her was precisely the unknown of whether he might suddenly become another person entirely.

As for that question, Lu Xin considered it seriously. He actually understood his current state fairly well. When the symptoms first appeared, he had spent a long time in the library. He read every book he could find relating to “mental illness.”

It was from these books he learned how many problems the human mind could have: things like Fregoli Syndrome, Capgras Delusion, Angelman Syndrome, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, Claustrophobia, and so on. He could understand some from the literal meaning, while others were completely obscure, but he meticulously analyzed the symptoms against his own experience.

Based on what he learned, he tried to diagnose himself. Were his family members splits of his own personality? That sounded vaguely plausible, but Lu Xin felt intuitively that his situation wasn’t quite ordinary dissociation. He had always wanted to understand what was really happening to him, and whether his condition could be cured. So, when he first met this woman, heard her talk about things like “Spiritual Mutation,” he had felt rather hopeful. Maybe they had the ability to cure him? Perhaps his state was explicable to them? That he wasn’t insane, but rather in a different state of normalcy? Yet, seeing her reaction…

Lu Xin knew that hope was dashed. If he were considered a norm in her eyes, why would she be so vigilant?

He didn’t like being looked at with that cautious gaze. So, he just weighed his words and answered slowly, “Actually, you don’t need to worry. My family are all very good people. Little Sister is a lovely child, she loves Toys, loves running and playing… Father enjoys cooking, he’s very honest, always stays in the kitchen… Mother is very gentle, never argues with anyone, she only likes to reason with people…”

Chen Jing watched his earnest expression as he answered, feeling extremely conflicted inside. This man… seemed so normal. He was describing several people who clearly did not exist in such a completely serious, utterly normal manner… The clearer the description, the tighter Chen Jing’s nerves drew. She lit a cigarette, masking her emotions. The voice in the earpiece kept urging her to proceed.

She had many choices laid out before her: immediately retract the recruitment decision, elevate his monitored threat level by one tier, or even use her abilities to end this potential threat—eliminate him right here in this sparsely populated little bar. But considering his everyday behavior and the current situation in Highwall City, she hesitated for just a moment.

Finally, she made her decision. She took out an envelope from beside her and slid it across to Lu Xin. Looking directly into his eyes, she said, “The testing on you… it was my arrangement. Objective results come only when the subject is unaware. So, it was kept from you beforehand. But you passed the test. You also helped us eliminate that Level One Spiritual Monster. Therefore, you’ve completed a mission. This is your payment.”

Lu Xin froze for a second. He picked up the envelope and opened the flap. Inside were rolls of paper bills. Each bill had a denomination of fifty yuan. The disappointment that had just been on his face suddenly brightened with a glimmer.

“Ten thousand yuan,” Chen Jing said, saving him the effort of counting it piece by piece.

“Ten thousand?” Lu Xin’s expression visibly shifted.

After the Crimson Moon Incident, the monetary system had been completely restructured. At his current company, his monthly salary was one thousand yuan. And he was the company’s Model Employee!

“This is what you deserve.”

Lu Xin looked at Chen Jing’s slightly surprised face as she smiled and said, “Besides, with these abilities, earning money shouldn’t be hard for you!”

“It still is…”

Lu Xin thought silently in his heart. He took the paper bag, grasping it in his hand, and said, “I just happen to be short of money right now.”

Chen Jing pondered for a moment, thinking, “He likes money—that lowers the risk index a bit more…”

Lu Xin obviously seemed nervous. He hesitated, then softly asked, “Do you always give this much?”

“It’ll be more than this!”

Chen Jing replied, “This Psychic Entity had already been fully investigated and contained. Even if you hadn’t intervened, we could have easily eliminated it. That’s why the reward is only ten thousand yuan this time. Normally, when a member of the Operation Team completes both an investigation and a clearance mission, the reward we typically approve is around thirty thousand yuan…”

“Thirty thousand…”

Lu Xin didn’t register anything else.

He was visibly stunned, his expression flickering with faint excitement.

“Right!”

Seeing his reaction, Chen Jing felt more reassured. She smiled and replied, “From now on, you’ll never be short of money again!”

Lu Xin truly loved hearing those words!

…

When he left the bar, it wasn’t dark yet. The crimson sunset spread across this dilapidated city.

In the southern sky, a moon tinged with a soft red glow already hung on the horizon.

“Ten thousand yuan, just like that…?”

Lu Xin still felt a sense of unreality deep down.

He hadn’t known before that he already possessed the ability to earn such a sum.

But he sincerely liked this money, and he desperately needed it.

Letting out a soft sigh of relief, Lu Xin collected himself. He walked to the bus stop, waiting for the No. 2 bus. After a bumpy hour-long ride, he arrived at the eastern edge of the Satellite City, in front of a cluster of low-rise, worn-down buildings. Walking through several streets and alleyways, passing listless street vendors and a drunkard leaning against a wall clutching a bottle, he finally arrived in front of a house.

Compared to the surrounding decay and dilapidation, this house looked unusually bright.

Perhaps because its walls were covered in cartoon characters spray-painted in shades of blue and yellow.

This was a small orphanage.

A rusted plaque on the iron gate read “Red Moon Elementary School”!

Lu Xin untwisted the Barbed Wire Fence and entered the school grounds. The Old Man in the Security Booth looked up from his newspaper at the noise. Recognizing Lu Xin, he didn’t stop him, just nodded briefly before returning to his paper.

The school had only one functional classroom; the other buildings were ruined heaps filled with clutter.

In reality, it was just a small orphanage that used this name.

As Lu Xin approached the classroom, he saw a girl in a Wheelchair inside, wearing a white sweater, playing a game with about a dozen children. The oldest among them were seven or eight, the youngest maybe two or three years old. Their clothes were simple but clean, and their eyes sparkled brightly.

Playing ‘Eagle Catches Chicks’?

How childish!

Not wanting to disturb them, Lu Xin placed the paper bag in the rusted mailbox by the classroom door. Worried the girl in the wheelchair might miss it, he plucked a few wildflowers from nearby and placed them atop the mailbox as a sign he’d been there.

Then he quietly retreated from the classroom.

Passing the Security Booth, the Security Guard keeping watch looked up briefly and said without moving his gaze from his paper, “Why don’t you just tell her? Every single time you come, you pick a handful of flowers to leave on it. It’s not easy for an old man like me to grow this patch! You’re going to have it picked bare soon…”

Lu Xin felt slightly awkward. He quickly smiled and said, “I’ll come back this weekend and treat you to a drink!”

“No need!”

The Old Man’s eyes never strayed towards him. “When you come next time, I’ll treat you. I’ve still got some peanuts.”

“Alright!”

Lu Xin agreed with a smile and walked out of the school, slowly making his way back towards the bus stop.

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride.”

A Jeep pulled up beside him. Inside, Chen Jing smiled and opened the passenger door for him.

“That works!”

Lu Xin accepted, as otherwise, getting home would take at least half an hour.

Once settled in the car this time, Chen Jing immediately tossed another bag over to him.

Lu Xin opened it eagerly, only to be disappointed; it was filled entirely with documents.

Staring straight ahead, Chen Jing spoke to Lu Xin naturally, “Effective immediately, the Operation Team is provisionally accepting you.”

“Ah, okay…”

Lu Xin was momentarily stunned, his mind slow to process it.

Chen Jing, focused on driving, didn’t offer any further explanation.

The first thing someone who’d received such a “fortune” did was often their deepest craving and revealed their truest nature. If Lu Xin had spent the money on food, drink, and revelry, her assessment of him would have been ordinary. If he’d used it for something more indulgent, her evaluation would have plummeted to the lowest level; she would never have considered recruiting him.

Yet, this man had immediately given his unprecedented “windfall” directly to that little school.

Chen Jing couldn’t imagine someone like that ever experiencing a Loss of Control.