Chapter 91: The Simplest Method

The entrance to the mall was Chaotic, and it appeared the Chaos had persisted for quite some time.

A crowd of people was pouring out of the main doors; some looked panicked, while others wore expressions of fervor.

All were desperately trying to rush out of the mall, but jammed together at one spot, they couldn’t get through.

Some, breaking the glass windows on the second floor, were tugging at ropes or curtains, scrambling to climb out.

Facing such turbulent disorder and the massive tide of people, anyone would feel a deep sense of helplessness.

…

“Recommend first clearing the Source of Contamination, specifically the infected by the Rose…”

Han Bing’s voice in the communication channel was crisp and clear.

Lu Xin felt they must have trained on how to quickly analyze information and report situations under tension.

“Alright!”

Lu Xin understood where the priorities lay. After landing, he moved like an agile spider—he grabbed the vertical stainless-steel flagpole in front of the mall, swung around it, curled his legs, pushed off against the pole, and vaulted through the air. Crossing about three to four meters, he landed at an open window on the mall’s second floor, then bent his body and squeezed inside. The window opening was barely bigger than a basketball hoop.

His movements were eerie yet fluid.

Inside the mall, he ran swiftly, fast as a Shadow.

Typically, running at such speed would stir a strong wind, yet he moved almost silently.

In less than ten seconds, he passed through three doors and turned at two junctions, reaching the center of the mall. He swept his gaze down and instantly fixed it on a middle-aged man kneeling in the circular depression on the first floor, cradling a corpse.

The man appeared about forty years old, covered in blood. He had broken bones, with jagged shards piercing through his flesh.

Evidently, he had fallen from the third floor and landed on the mall’s hard marble floor. The impact inflicted severe injuries, yet he still clung to a woman of similar age; judging by their posture, he had struggled to hold her in his arms after crashing down. However, both he and the woman had been dead for some time, their bodies emanating the eerie stiffness and chill of corpses turning cold.

He was kneeling on the floor, head tilted back, mouth wide open, face contorted, eyes bulging.

This scene looked like a profoundly emotional abstract painting, radiating nearly overflowing remorse.

…

The mall was mostly deserted now, but isolated pockets of Chaos still flared. Lu Xin saw people locked in frantic embraces, kissing furiously. He saw a young girl ferociously battering the barred shutter of a closed shop, while inside, a burly man and two or three shop assistants hugged each other, trembling and weeping loudly.

Lu Xin dropped soundlessly from the second floor.

Amid this disorder, his eyes calmly fixed on the dead man, studying him intently.

From the corpse, forever frozen in its silent scream, he saw an aberrant Rose.

The flower sprouting from the gaping mouth stood over a meter tall, its blood-soaked head measuring about twenty centimeters wide. The petals stretched out forcefully, violently crimson as if soaked in fresh blood. The vivid hue seemed fierce enough to scorch the eyes, radiating a sinister magic that stained the air around the man a haunting, bloody red.

…

“This man should be the Source of Contamination in the mall!”

“Recommended methods to clear the Source: First, use specialized containment bags; second, incinerate the body immediately using any available means…”

“…”

Han Bing in the channel was softly relaying suggestions through Lu Xin’s chest camera, observing the environment.

“No need…”

Lu Xin shook his head lightly and approached the corpse.

He murmured, “I can see it.”

“See it?”

Han Bing’s voice held surprise. “What does it look like?”

“It’s a Rose!”

Lu Xin replied, “A Rose growing straight out of a human body, as red as fresh blood!”

As he spoke, he walked toward the corpse. Staring at the Rose seemed to awaken powerful feelings within him—upon seeing it, one sensed they were gazing at someone dear. He couldn’t tell if this Emotion appeared suddenly or lay dormant in the heart, small and insignificant before but now expanding.

The Emotion kept intensifying, swelling almost to overpower rationality.

Uncontrollably, images of various girls flickered through Lu Xin’s mind…

… an obsessive urge, a near-compulsive need to find them and possess them.

“How bizarre… I don’t even care about that many women…”

Lu Xin remained unmoved by this surge of Emotion. Calmly observing its flow within him as if he were an outsider, he didn’t break stride. He stepped directly up to the Rose and grabbed it.

Upon wrenching the Rose free, he felt it seemingly let out a shriek—a brief struggle followed.

But that struggle was too feeble. It pulled free easily.

The little sister immediately grew excited and lunged for it, but Lu Xin shook his head and didn’t hand it over.

“This rose is too obscene. Don’t eat it, okay?”

He pinched the microphone of his earpiece as he spoke to his little sister.

She gave him a weird look but still snatched the rose, tearing it into pieces with quick, decisive movements.

Lu Xin offered her an apologetic glance before surveying the surroundings.

He saw that after the rose was plucked, the middle-aged man collapsed limply, slumping onto the ground beside the woman in his embrace. Even the twisted, grotesque expression on his face softened significantly, though a deep anguish remained—perhaps because what had happened was beyond redemption.

…

“Is it resolved?” Han Bing’s tense voice came through the earpiece.

“Resolved.”

Lu Xin nodded, scanning the area around him.

The eerie and distorted atmosphere vanished completely the moment the rose was destroyed.

“Contamination sources like this are easy to eliminate,” he murmured.

“You did wonderfully, Mr. Lone Soldier.”

Han Bing’s voice sounded slightly more relaxed through the earpiece, yet urgent: “The top priority now is to prevent further spread.”

Lu Xin’s gaze swept across the surrounding chaos of the mall. “That’s where things get tricky.”

For him, clearing the contamination source had been simple—just remove the rose. But the area was now in utter chaos; over a hundred figures thronged his field of vision alone, and countless others had already scattered before his arrival. How could he and Little Sister possibly contain the spread?

“The City Patrol Army and Guard Bureau have set up Blockade Lines at key intersections, sealing off the contaminated zone,” Han Bing reported through the earpiece. “Our immediate goal is to prevent contact between The Contaminated and the blockade units…”

She paused, then added gravely, “Mr. Lone Soldier, you understand their primary mission is stopping the spread. If the blockade units face overwhelming pressure… they’ll have to take extreme measures.”

“I know.”

Lu Xin took a deep breath. When containment seemed impossible, they would open fire.

His expression tightened as he rushed forward, asking rapidly, “Any better ways to stop them?”

“…”

“Secondary Contamination victims react intensely but aren’t deeply infected,” Han Bing answered crisply. “Two approaches work:

“First: Apply greater influence to alter their behavior forcibly.

“Second: Block their movements by any means necessary—physical barriers, distractions, anything.

“Once the red rose’s influence wanes and the situation stabilizes, the Support Team can enter for mass treatment…”

“Understood…”

As she finished speaking, Lu Xin scaled a mall pillar to the second floor. He snatched a colorful flag advertising dog food and bound its fabric tightly around the pole, crafting a makeshift staff.

With it in hand, he charged toward a girl violently battering a shop’s metal security gate.

Snap!

The staff whipped hard against her ankle. The girl’s joint dislocated instantly, sending her crashing to the floor.

Inside the shop, the trembling cashier and a thick-set boy jerked their heads up in alarm.

“Don’t approach her until the alert clears…” Lu Xin warned the shop softly before sprinting toward another commotion.

…

Han Bing heard a muffled thud through his earpiece, followed by a sharp cry. “What method did you use?”

“I don’t have the power to impose will on them. So I chose the simpler option…” Lu Xin was already raising the staff again as he charged into another frenzied crowd.

His expression was grave. “I’ll break their legs first…”