Chapter 3

“What good would it do if Duan Chi were to fall into his hands?”

　　The atmosphere in the police station became so tense that no one dared to utter a single word.

　　It was as though whatever bits of sound in the vicinity were filtered out and had taken a back seat. Only the ear-piercing ringing remained, striking fear into everyone’s heart.

　　At the fourth ring, several police officers regained their senses suddenly and pulled a gun on Duan Chi in succession. Yet, no one pulled the trigger.

　　Out of all the races in the Astral Realm, only humans were classified in accordance with their genetic levels. As for the rest, no stringent standards were implemented since they had no need for any equipment. By their innate instincts alone, they were able to distinguish one’s strength.

　　As a result, the strength of notable individuals from various races was basically an open secret.

　　Silver Fort Financial Group CEO Duan Chi, a Lunpinus Mutant with an alpha-like presence in the Celestial Lupin Clan.

　　Yet, no one had the faintest inkling of how strong he truly was. In the face of them opening fire recklessly, what if they missed the mark and got on his nerves instead? They would not even come close to a mere fraction of his strength even if they were to attack as a group.

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　　Mbl nyrvykd sq vbl piwye vbyv oyp ekpryvnble vbkp vkxl qyhsale bkx okvb y byae pvyal. Jlqsal zsdt, bl tyhl y vlapl oyadkdt vywvzu. “Ya. Pwyd, rzlypl pvlr cynj.”

　　Pkpaltyaekdt vblpl vbkdtp yaswde bkx, Pwyd Ubk’p tygl polrv shla vos rszknl sqqknlap pvydekdt clqsal bkx.

　　Tsolhla, vbl rszknl hktkzydnl oyp ps vktbv vbyv bl nswze sdzu nyvnb y tzkxrpl sq y byde bszekdt y tzypp vbaswtb vbl tyrp. Tkp tygl qszzsole vbl svbla xyd’p byde yp kv aspl dlkvbla iwknjzu dsa pzsozu clqsal clkdt zsolale ytykd. Idsokdt y nlavykd psxlsdl nswze pvkzz pkr sd bkp oyvla ps nyzxzu kd vbkp psav sq pkvwyvksd, yd lhkeldv tzlyx sq kdvlalpv nyxl kdvs bkp lulp kd yd kdpvydv.

　　Mkdtzkdt okvb qlya, vbl Uyrvykd alrlyvle, “Vzlypl pvlr cynj.”

　　Jl vbyv yp kv xyu, Pwyd Ubk alxykdle xsvksdzlpp. Xdzu y pswde sq ynjdsozletxldv kxcwle okvb y qykdv yxwplxldv lpnyrle qasx bkp vbasyv.

　　Ohld yqvla poyzzsokdt y xswvbqwz sq oyvla, Kkdt Dk eke dsv xshl yp olzz. Ebkzl oyvnbkdt qasx vbl pkelzkdlp, bl ypjle kd bkp xkde, “Tl byp pvasdt plzq-nsdvasz?”

　　“……”

　　Kkdt Dk nsdvkdwle, “Tl osd’v cl kdqzwldnle?”

　　“……”

　　Jing Xi praised, “My, my. He truly is outstanding.”

　　At this juncture, System no longer had the urge to shed tears. Instead, it checked the time.

　　34 minutes.

　　It had merely been 34 minutes since it accompanied Jing Xi to this world for the mission.

　　Yet, it was already on the verge of a breakdown, wanting nothing more than for its operating system to stop functioning. 

　　Jing Xi taunted, “Stop playing dumb and make a sound.”

　　If its autonomous learning mechanics included profanity, System was afraid it might be unable to hold itself back from hurling curses at him.

　　Only then did it start to contemplate whether its serial number 44 was so inauspicious that it had to put itself through something like this. Dejectedly, it questioned, “What now?”

　　Jing Xi informed, “I’ll be evaluating the male lead’s uncle.”

　　In the end, System still burst into tears. “Before you say another word, please give me a minute.”

　　Silver Fort Financial Group had established its business all over the Astral Realm. So if something were to happen to the CEO, it would bring about an adverse impact on the male lead in the storyline, as well as the forces from all sides. If this were to fall into ruins, who could ever predict what the butterfly effects might bring about?

　　However, it was certainly no easy feat if one wished to prevent this from falling into ruins.

　　With Jing Xi’s personality, what good would it do if Duan Chi were to fall into his hands?  

　　With that in mind, it could not help but deem how bleak the future was. In its desperate attempt, it exclaimed, “Duan Chi is the male lead’s goldfinger, so nothing must happen to him! Anyway, you’re here to fix bugs, not have fun…” The more it spoke, the more it felt like crying. “Promise me, you will give it your all to fix all the bugs!”

　　Without a smidgen of sympathy, Jing Xi initially wanted to reply with a “That might not be so” response.

　　On that note, that group of systems forced to resign due to his antics suddenly came to mind. Not wanting to change partners so quickly, he stated, “I’ll try my best.”

　　System then asked, “What do we do now?”

　　Taking another sip of water, Jing Xi answered, “Well, it depends on his reaction and attitude.”

　　Yet, Duan Chi remained motionless and was still staring at that hand.

　　On seeing this, the muscles in the Captain’s cheeks tensed. Just as he was about to reiterate his words for the third time, a familiar chipper voice suddenly rang out from the entrance. 

　　It turned out to be the Commissioner of the local police department.

　　“Has Mr. Duan arrived…”

　　As he said so, his gaze fell upon this confrontation scene. In a split second, all the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat.

　　He was supposed to have dinner with Duan Chi today.

　　Since his nephew and two other juniors would be attending the university in the city, Duan Chi had to stay here for quite some time. Due to the Lupinus Mutants’ instability, it was inevitable that they had to trouble the police station should something occur. That was also the reason why Duan Chi invited him to dinner.

　　Whilst on the phone with Duan Chi, he received news of two Lupinus Mutants triggering the alarm. Coincidentally, Duan Chi just happened to be in the neighborhood, so he thought of stopping by to see who they were. It was just that no one expected things to have panned out this way.

　　Cautiously, he turned to look at Duan Chi. “CEO Duan…”

　　Upon hearing that, Duan Chi cast a glance at him before taking half a step back cooperatively. Without any further conveyance, he turned around and made his way outside unhurriedly.

　　The Commissioner followed after him, only to witness the bracelet had stopped ringing as soon as Duan Chi took a step out of the room. At that very moment, the Commissioner could not help but gape at him, for he could not detect any signs of losing control from Duan Chi’s calm countenance.

　　However, they still had to observe the formalities.

　　The Commissioner then led Duan Chi to another room to accompany those two wolves.

　　At this point, several police officers heaved a sigh of relief as their eyes followed Duan Chi’s receding figure from behind.

　　Immediately right after, they looked at each other and surrounded the victim as though they were protecting a precious species.  

　　To date, this was the fourth case of two Lupinus Mutants losing control due to the same person at the same time.

　　All the preceding cases spanned a period of decades and even centuries. Yet, not a single one of them had lived to tell the tale. Until this day, someone miraculously managed to survive for the first time.

　　‘What’s more, even Duan Chi was drawn to him!’ 

　　‘Who knows, his blood might also work on other Lupinus Mutants!’

　　‘Oh, right! He could even take on two wolves at one time!’

　　‘Could it be that… he would be the key to the Lupinus Mutants’ recovery, which also happened to be one of the greatest mysteries in the Astral Realm?’

　　As those meandering thoughts drifted through their heads, they instantly regarded Jing Xi’s entire being as a treasure. Noticing that his glass was empty, they hurriedly refilled it for him. Only then did they inquire gently as to what exactly happened today.

　　With that, Jing Xi recounted briefly, “As I was strolling down the street, I bumped into two wolves and got into a fight.”

　　After waiting for a moment, one of the police officers asked, “That’s it?”

　　In response, Jing Xi nodded his head obediently.

　　The police officer interrogated, “How did you manage to win the fight?”

　　Jing Xi was quite at a loss to account for his actions. “I’m not too sure either. At that time… I merely wanted to survive, so I fought them blindly. Who would have thought I could actually win the fight? Perhaps, it was due to my will to live?”

　　… That must have been a helluva will to live.

　　You actually call your actions of provoking and taking on two persons simultaneously “seeking survival”?

　　Thinking over his words, everyone could not refrain from staring at him; some even had difficulty wrapping their heads around this. Amongst the humans who were present in the vicinity, one of them asked hopefully, “Can I check your genetic level?”

　　Human genes ranking began from Class F. As you headed up the ranks, you would find that those in Class A were few in number. Being a ranking above Class A, the numbers in Class S were, all the more, few and far between.

　　Since Jing Xi was able to fight two persons at the same time, he suspected that this young man might have undergone a rare genetic mutation that enhanced his genetic level to Class S. In a split second, his face beamed with excitement at the thought of the human race acquiring yet another Class-S genius. With that in mind, he added, “Don’t you worry. Your secret’s safe with us.”

　　Upon hearing such an utterance, Jing Xi’s eyes widened innocently. Just when the human was about to redouble his efforts, Jing Xi interrupted, “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

　　The moment the words left his mouth, everyone in the vicinity was rendered speechless.

　　Jing Xi asked, “Is there anything else?”

　　Swallowing the mouthful of blood, the police officers stated, “No, there isn’t. We just have to wait for someone from the research institute to arrive.”

　　With that, things seemed to have progressed to the point where it had entered Jing Xi’s knowledge blind spot¹ 知识盲区: It refers to missing information, data, or resources one needs to complete a task. .

　　As such, he called upon his Artificial Stupidity. “How should I go about dealing with this sort of situation?”

　　System answered, “In general, Lupinus Mutants that have lost control will be sent to the research institute, where their hormonal changes and psychological condition are monitored on a daily basis. Only when they are medically ready will they be discharged.”

　　Jing Xi queried, “Do the victims usually agree to that?”

　　System explained, “This requires an agreement from all involved parties — the research institute, the victim, and the Lupinus Mutant. If you do not wish to be bothered by the Lupinus Mutant, the research institute will be responsible for containing the wolf and safeguarding your privacy. Correspondingly, you will have to periodically provide the research institute with some of your blood. In these situations, the longer the Lupinus Mutant lives, the more depressed they will become. Seeing how that leads to an early death, most victims usually will not choose to separate themselves from the Lupinus Mutants entirely. Some are softhearted, while others only agreed for the sake of money since the Celestial Lupin Clan is very wealthy.”

　　Jing Xi thought inwardly, ‘It was no wonder the death rate is as high as 90%.’

　　Even though a mere drop of blood could satiate them, all beings had emotional needs² 感情需求: It refers to psychological conditions that allow us to experience happiness and contentment when satisfied and unhappiness and frustration when unsatisfied. .

　　After all, true love has always been difficult to find in this world. Those with lower IQs might find it easier to lead a happier life, yet these people here were entirely different, by which I mean they possessed high intelligence. With just one glance, they could tell whether an individual was sincere or not. As time went by, they would gradually become depressed when their feelings were not reciprocated.

　　He asked, “Would this also happen to those two whose hunger outweighed their feelings and even wanted a lick?”

　　System responded, “That was a special situation, so they would most likely be able to rely on medication to get over this, should they not see you again in the future.”

　　Having said that, it began to feel distressed. “The main concern here is Duan Chi. We will have a major problem if he dies.”

　　Recalling the state Duan Chi was in when he left, Jing Xi felt that someone like him would not perish so easily.

　　However, now that he had heard this system of his cry numerous times today, he had no desire to listen to its bawls again. Hence, he gave System a perfunctory response before resuming his wait for the research institute to pick them up. 

　　As soon as those in the research institute caught wind of Jing Xi’s situation, they were simply itching to put him in a safe.

　　Before long, a group of elites with gleaming eyes surrounded him, guiding him to the venue for a checkup.

　　Curiously, Jing Xi inquired, “What happens if I don’t wish to cooperate?”

　　“……” His question struck a chill into the elites. Fearing that he truly meant it, they answered hurriedly, “We could never force you to do anything if you don’t wish to. However, we’d still recommend going for a checkup, in the event that this may occur again if you encounter other Lupinus Mutants in the future. On top of that, the confidentiality level regarding your information has been adjusted to the highest, so you don’t have to worry about that either.”

　　Since this was merely a rhetorical question, Jing Xi nodded his head upon hearing the answer. Only after running some tests and drawing an entire bag of blood did they finally touch on the containment topic.

　　Seeing that the problem posed by the two Lupinus Mutants was not that severe, the research institute would be responsible for keeping them contained. As for Duan Chi… he had already left the vicinity during Jing Xi’s checkup.

　　A researcher noted, “His hormones are at a normal level, and there are no signs of psychological distress. He is currently ready for discharge.”

　　In actual fact, if it were not for the record in Duan Chi’s bracelet, they would have dismissed this matter as fictitious. As such, all they could utter was, ‘As expected of CEO Duan!’ With that in mind, he notified, “CEO Duan is currently held up by an important meeting, so we can only deal with the containment issue in a few days. In any case, we will contact you when the time comes. Now, we have also sent some colleagues to follow him, so you have nothing to worry about. We won’t allow CEO Duan to meet you in private before we have come to an agreement.”

　　In Jing Xi’s heart, he could not help but be in awe of CEO Duan.

　　After his encounter with the wolves’ loss of control, he was currently in the stage of disliking Lupinus Mutants.

　　Yet, the actions of a certain individual could not only give Jing Xi a chance to breathe and let his guard down, but also allow himself to remain calm. It was the best of both worlds, innit?

　　Seeing how things had panned out, System finally saw a ray of hope. “Does this mean that he is not influenced so easily and will not be bothering you in the future?”

　　As Duan Chi’s actions in the police station flashed across his mind, Jing Xi reckoned it was improbable that Duan Chi would give up so easily.

　　Not wanting to burst System’s bubbles, he left the research institute and found a restaurant near his home with no Lupinus Mutants around. After making his order, he had System keep an eye for any activity online, only to find out that the police had already deleted the footage. After he was notified that it planned to execute a more thorough cleanup, he let out a satisfied sound of acknowledgment.

　　Sure, they might have encountered some hiccups in the beginning, but the current issue was still not too severe.

　　Without any hesitation, he got straight to the business at hand. “Tell me all that you know about this body.”