chsdbacks Chapter 16 Cleanup
Chapter 16 Cleanup
At 10 p.m., when Cheng Song pushed open the door of Rongqizhai again, the wind chimes rang, and Rong Shou, who was holding a thick book behind the counter, had already raised his head.
Rong Shou put down her book, her small nose twitching slightly, like a cat that had caught a strange scent. Her eyes, which seemed to see right through people, scanned Cheng Song, and she raised an eyebrow: "That lump of non-combustible trash on you..." she drawled, her tone inquisitive, "...seems a little too well-behaved? Before, I could smell that restless, explosive aura at the door, but now... well, it's like it's been stuffed into a particularly sturdy iron box, with eighteen locks."
Cheng Song walked to the counter, but did not answer immediately. Instead, he first observed the store and saw several strange items on the shelves that he did not recognize.
"I had a big meal, I'm stuffed, and I'm sleeping now." Cheng Song said succinctly, not intending to reveal the existence of the genetic anchor. The fewer people who know about this trump card, the better.
"Sleep?" Rong Shou chuckled, jumped down from the tall armchair, walked up to Cheng Song, looked up at him for a few seconds, and seemed to have a glint in his golden eyes.
"No..." She stroked her chin, "It's not just sleeping. Its state of being is anchored by something higher. Restlessness, erosion, and the tendency to go out of control... are all suppressed below an extremely stable threshold. What good stuff did you manage to get from the hatchery?"
Cheng Song felt a slight chill; Boss Rong's eye for detail was too sharp. He remained expressionless: "Luckily, I picked up a souvenir that can help me calm down."
"Souvenirs?" Rong Shou pursed his lips, not pressing the matter further. He turned and jumped back onto his chair, swinging his legs. "Alright, client privacy. But now that thing is stable, you might not need some of the good stuff I have here."
She reached under the counter with her small hand and took out several familiar black jade boxes—the very same Soul Cleansing Incense series that she had previously sold to Cheng Song.
"Here, purification incense, soul-cleansing incense, soul-soothing incense, clearance sale, buy one get one free, want some?" Rong Shou winked, his tone full of temptation. "Although your condition is stable now, it never hurts to have some on hand, just in case the iron box leaks one day?"
Cheng Song glanced at the boxes, quickly weighing his options. He really didn't need these suppressive drugs anymore; the effects of the gene anchor were far more stable and lasting than these external aids. And…
"I'm poor, I can't afford it." Cheng Song said frankly, and began to skillfully complain about being poor. "I made some money in the last dungeon, but you know how much it costs to clear a B+ difficulty dungeon with an S rating. My equipment hasn't been repaired, my hidden injuries haven't been treated, and I haven't been able to keep up with my nutrition. I'm completely broke right now."
Rong Shou: "..." She stared at Cheng Song for three seconds, confirming that this person was seriously talking nonsense.
"If I'm not blind," she said slowly, "the watch on your wrist, and the star-studded logo you just got, don't seem like the kind of accessories someone who's penniless should have."
Cheng Song remained unfazed: "The watch is a cheap bargain, I got it for five yuan. What's the Starshine Mark? It's probably dust from the dungeon that I didn't scrub off properly when I took a bath."
"..." Rong Shou took a deep breath, deciding not to argue with this guy who was blatantly lying. "Alright, let's talk business."
"The corrupt cult's fledglings in our Yi'an City are getting a bit restless. Have you gathered enough intelligence?" Cheng Song cut to the chase.
After listening, Rong Shou's small face showed a knowing look: "The newbies recruited by the outermost cannon fodder training camps of the Corruption Cult under the Reaper are only used for dirty and tiring work, such as testing new formulas, spreading bait, and stalking. It's not surprising that they noticed you as a street hero in the area. Besides, you caused such a commotion at the incubation site, so the Corruption Cult must have a file on you."
"Where will they be holding their next event?" Cheng Song asked.
"Information fee, 8000 spirit crystals." Rong Shou tapped the table with two fingers.
"4000." He started haggling. "I just ran errands for you at the incubator and sabotaged the competitor's technology, you should give me a discount for that information. Besides, I'm a long-term client, I get VIP treatment, right?"
"Half price, huh?!" Rong Shou almost laughed out of anger. "VIP is 'Very Important Payer'! Are you willing to pay that much? 7000, that's the lowest I can go. I didn't force you to buy this!"
"Damn it, why didn't you say you had a physical defect earlier!" Cheng Song said with annoyance. Seeing that Boss Rong was about to lose his temper, he quickly changed the subject. "5000, I promise to show you the best stuff first in the future." Cheng Song pointed to the Thousand-Shaped Wristband on his wrist.
Rong Shou's gaze lingered on Qianxing for a moment, a genuine interest flashing in his eyes, but he remained firm: "6000. Bonus information: Outer teams usually consist of 3-5 people, with basic communication and counter-surveillance measures, and their combat capabilities are decent."
"Six thousand for the deal, plus two small bottles of dust purifier." Cheng Song quoted his bottom line. "You know, we need it to clean up the site. And I guarantee, if I get anything interesting from these scoundrels or their superiors, I'll sell it to you first."
Rong Shou stared at Cheng Song for a few seconds, seemingly calculating the long-term value of the deal. Finally, she pursed her lips: "I'll only give you a small bottle of the purifying powder, enough for three uses. This stuff is troublesome to make and expensive."
"One small bottle it is." Cheng Song readily agreed and transferred 6000 spirit crystals.
After Rong Shou received the payment, he groped around under the counter for a while, then took out a small bottle of purifying powder wrapped in black talisman paper and a simple hand-drawn map with several areas circled in red.
"The areas marked in red on the map are the areas they've been frequently active in over the past six months. Based on their pattern, they're most likely to be conducting their tests tonight in the university town's bar street or the 24-hour convenience store area." Rong Shou pushed the things over. "Be careful. Although these punks are weak fighters, they might have mentors watching them. If you touch their test subjects, it could get you into trouble."
"One comes, one is wiped out." Cheng Song put away the map and dust, making a bold statement.
After leaving Rongqizhai, he did not go to the university town immediately, but instead strolled around Ling Street again and purchased some supplies.
A simple first-aid kit—Cheng Song had never paid attention to this when the virus was rampant before. Its rapid regeneration saved him a lot of money on medical expenses. "Come back, Blacklight Virus, my proudest belief," Cheng Song hummed softly as tears streamed down his face.
A tough guy used technology from a goblin technology plane to make a bomb. Since he can't transform at the moment, he has to rely on external forces for his attack capabilities. "The heavy hammer is still vivid in my mind, and tears are inexplicably flowing." Cheng Song continued to hum.
There was also a pair of special alloy glasses from the magical world. He carefully replaced the right lens with a special extraction lens because the monocle was too pretentious. Not wearing it might cause him to miss some information, but wearing it would make him vulnerable to being beaten up.
Ready.
11 p.m., the bar street in the university town.
Neon lights flashed, music blared, and young students and office workers released stress amidst alcohol and hormones. Cheng Song changed into a dark gray hoodie and black jeans, slung a sports bag over his shoulder, and, like many other students returning home late, blended into the surging crowd.
He adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, and a tiny stream of data quietly appeared on the inside of the right lens. This was the low-power reconnaissance mode of the special extraction lens, which only displayed the target's basic energy characteristics and threat level to avoid information overload.
[3 meters to the left, male, mood: excited, energy: normal, threat: none]
[5 meters ahead, female, emotional state: agitated, energy level: normal, threat level: none]
[Right alleyway, energy reaction: weak corruption fluctuations...]
Cheng Song naturally turned into the alley on the right. This was a back alley of a bar, piled with trash cans and empty bottles, dimly lit, and filled with the pungent smell of swill and urine.
The directions were becoming clearer. He walked deeper into the alley and, behind a large green plastic trash can, found his target—
A palm-sized, twisted talisman drawn with a dark red, viscous liquid was affixed to the box, emitting a faint smell of rust and a sweet, rotten odor. The runes were similar to those in the café during the day, but more complex, with a slowly pulsating dark green dot at the center.
Cheng Song didn't touch it rashly. He first took a few steps back and used his glasses to scan deeply:
[Item: Low-Tier Contamination Guide (Activated)]
[Materials used in the drawing: a mixture of blood (mainly human blood), putrefied secretions, and powdered crystals of negative emotions]
[Mechanism of Action: Releases a specific frequency of corrupting energy, attracting targets within a 50-meter radius who meet the following conditions: 1. Individuals already mildly corrupted; 2. Ordinary people with weak mental defenses, extremely low or confused emotions; 3. Individuals with a special constitution who have a natural affinity for corrupting energy.]
[Current attraction status: 2 potential targets have been identified and are approaching]
[Remaining duration: 28 minutes and 17 seconds]
[Handling Recommendation: Safely destroy using "dust purification" or high-energy impact. Physical tearing may result in contamination leakage.]
"As expected..." Cheng Song's eyes were icy. He retreated to the fire escape staircase of an old residential building across the alley. The view was open, and he could use the shadows to hide himself.
wait.
Ten minutes later, the first target appeared.
A young man in a rumpled Brazilian suit and a crooked tie staggered into the alley. His eyes were vacant, his face haggard, and he carried a half-empty wine bottle. As if drawn by an invisible thread, he walked straight toward the talisman behind the trash can, muttering incoherently, "...job...lost...she's gone...everything's gone..."
Cheng Song clenched his fists. These beasts specifically target people at their lowest point in life!
Just as the drunken man was less than three meters away from the talisman, a figure wearing a black hoodie and with his head down silently appeared in the shadows at the alley entrance.
The man held a palm-sized black device, pointing it directly at the drunk man and the talisman. The faint light from the screen illuminated the lower half of his face—a smile of excitement and cruelty playing on his lips.
He's a corrupt cult scum! He's documenting the "test" process!
Cheng Song's eyes turned completely cold. Then, like a weightless shadow, he silently slid down the fire escape stairs, landing without a sound. His footsteps were barely audible, and combined with the shadows in the alley and the noisy background music, his approach went almost unnoticed.
The man in black was intently focused on the camera screen, seemingly satisfied with the speed at which the "subject" was approaching. He was completely unaware that a dark shadow had already crept up on him from the side and behind.
Three meters, two meters, one meter—
Seemingly sensing something, he suddenly turned around!
But it was too late.
The moment he turned around, Cheng Song sprang into action! He took a single step across the final distance, his left hand gripping the other man's wrist holding the filming equipment like an iron clamp, and twisting it sharply in the opposite direction!
"Crack!" A slight sound of joints dislocating.
The filming equipment slipped from his grasp and fell. Before the man in black could even cry out in pain, Cheng Song's right hand followed, covering the man's mouth before he could scream. At the same time, he raised his right knee and slammed it into the man's soft abdomen!
"Ugh!" The man in black curled up like a shrimp, the excruciating pain causing him to lose his voice instantly.
Cheng Song continued his movements, his right hand, which was covering the other person's mouth, slid down to grab the other person's chin, while his left hand released his wrist and changed to a throat lock. He twisted his body in the same way, executing a standard back control and tripping throw.
"Thump!"
The man in black was slammed to the ground. Cheng Song pressed down on his lower back with one knee, tightening his grip on his throat slightly.
"Don't move, don't scream." Cheng Song's voice rang in the other person's ear, cold and calm. "Move even once, and I'll snap your neck."
The man in black stiffened, no longer daring to struggle, only letting out fearful gasps of "ho...ho..." from his throat.
Cheng Song quickly searched him. He found an old-fashioned keypad phone, three identical blank talismans, a small bottle of dark green viscous liquid, and a metal plate on a keychain—the twisted scythe engraved on it was the symbol of the corrupt cult.
Without more weapons, it seems this is a greenhorn in a technical role.
Cheng Song first walked to the drunken man who was already delirious and about to touch the talisman. He sighed, controlled his strength, and delivered a precise chop to the man's neck.
The drunk man's body went limp, and Cheng Song supported him, gently laying him down in the corner away from the talisman.
Then, he returned to the talisman paper, took out the bottle of purifying powder, unscrewed the cap, and carefully sprinkled a small amount of fine, silvery-white powder evenly onto the talisman paper.
"laugh…"
The dark red patterns on the talisman faded and dimmed rapidly, like snow exposed to the scorching sun. The pulsating green light in the center flickered a few times before going out with a "poof." The entire talisman then curled up, turned black, and finally turned into a small clump of inconspicuous gray ash, along with the unsettling corrosive aura that vanished completely.
The sweet, fishy smell in the air had faded considerably.
Cheng Song returned to the subdued fledgling and bound its hands and feet behind its back with high-strength fiber rope. Then he dragged it into the shadows behind the trash can and woke it up.
"Cough...cough cough..." The man in black woke up and saw Cheng Song's cold eyes, which made him tremble with fear.
"How many of you are there? What other plans do you have tonight? Where is the leader?" Cheng Song pressed a dagger with a thousand transformations against the other man's throat.
"I...I don't know..." His eyes flickered.
Cheng Song didn't speak, but pressed the tip of the dagger slightly, causing the skin on his neck to dent.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" the man in black broke down. "We... our group of five! We're in charge of testing the new carrier in the university town area! Tonight is... it's a comparative test! We're testing the 'high-spirited zone' here in the bar street, and Lao Zhang is at the 24-hour convenience store two streets away, testing... testing the 'daily numbness zone'!"
"Who will receive the test data? Where will the next test be conducted?" Cheng Song pressed.
"Data... data uploaded to the encrypted cloud for the instructor to see! Next time... the next 'key testing area' is the night emergency department of the city's children's hospital! The instructor said that there... the emotional energy of pain and despair is the most concentrated there, and the host quality is the highest... so it's set for 1 a.m. tomorrow..." The man in black was incoherent, clearly terrified.
Children's Hospital Night Emergency Department.
Cheng Song's eyes instantly turned icy. These bastards, they don't even spare children.
"How do you contact them? What are their instructors like?"
"We usually receive commands one-way via encrypted phones! The Instructor... we've never seen him in person! He only contacts us through whispered dreams and encrypted messages! His voice... his voice is strange, like several people talking at once! He's been pushing us hard today, saying we need to speed things up, to select high-quality hosts to complete something... 'Backup Descent Channel'..."
"A backup landing portal?" Cheng Song thought to himself, "They reacted very quickly."
"Where are the other three people in your group? Where are they now?" Cheng Song continued to press.
"They...they're at their temporary base! On the third floor of that unfinished building behind here! They're in charge of data relay! I'm just an external recorder! Please, have mercy! Have mercy!"
Cheng Song stared at the other man's tear-streaked face for a few seconds in silence. Then, he raised the hilt of his knife and, to the man's horrified surprise, struck him precisely on the back of the neck.
Cheng Song quickly dealt with the scene: he stuffed the unconscious chick behind a trash can, covered it with some miscellaneous items, borrowed a phone from a roadside shop to call the police, and vaguely stated that there were suspicious people carrying dangerous chemicals in the alley, and that his poor colleagues on duty would handle it.
Then, without any hesitation, he slung his bag over his shoulder and ran towards the 24-hour convenience store two blocks away.
He must be stopped before he succeeds on the other side! The intelligence from the children's hospital ignited his anger, but the immediate crisis had to be resolved first.
The convenience store was located on a relatively quiet side street. When Cheng Song arrived, he could see from afar at the entrance to the employee passage on the side of the store. A middle-aged female clerk in a convenience store uniform, looking exhausted, was walking aimlessly into the depths of the passage. There, another talisman emitting a faint glow could be vaguely seen pasted on the wall. In the corner, a man in black was pointing a device at the woman; it was "Old Zhang," as revealed by his accomplice.
Cheng Song launched a surprise attack from the rooftop, knocking Lao Zhang to the ground with a powerful punch. Just before the female shop assistant's fingers were about to touch the talisman, he arrived and delivered a karate chop, rendering her temporarily unconscious, and then helped her to the side.
Then, he quickly took out the purification powder and disposed of the second talisman.
I anonymously reported the incident to the police again.
After finishing all this, Cheng Song leaned against the wall, slightly out of breath. Running, subduing, and handling the situation continuously had taken a toll on his physical strength. He glanced at the time: 12:07 AM.
There are also three scoundrels from a corrupt cult in the abandoned building, and the children's hospital is threatening him that he must act immediately.
On the edge of the university town, the seventh unfinished building.
Cheng Song silently climbed to the third floor, like a gecko in the night. He climbed into an empty room without windows, and as soon as his feet touched the dusty cement floor, he immediately lowered his body and went into a state of alert.
It's too quiet.
According to the previous infancy's testimony, there should be three people here responsible for data transfer. But now, the entire floor is deathly silent.
Cheng Song drew the short sword that could transform into "Thousand Forms," pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose, and the heat source information and residual energy of the surrounding environment began to appear on the lenses.
There was no signal from a living heat source, but in the northeast corner of the room, the outlines of three rapidly cooling heat sources with obviously abnormal structures were captured.
Cheng Song felt a chill run down his spine. He tiptoed silently through the empty corridor like a cat and arrived at the door of the target room, which was ajar.
He turned to the side, gently pushed open a crack, and simultaneously scanned inside with his eyes and the scrutiny of his glasses.
The sight inside the room caused his pupils to contract slightly.
Three men in black overalls lay motionless on the ground in three different, extremely unnatural positions.
The first person sat with his back against the wall, his head tilted to one side at an odd angle, his neck clearly and cleanly broken. His expression was frozen in a moment of shock and disbelief, his eyes wide open but lifeless.
The second man was slumped over the simple folding table in the center of the room, his upper body crushing a laptop. He had a tiny, almost invisible penetrating wound in his back; the surrounding fabric showed signs of being charred by a sudden high temperature, yet little blood seeped out. The wound's edges were smooth; it was a fatal blow.
The third person lay in the corner of the room, still clutching a dagger coated with green light. His death was the most "mild," with only a slight red dot on his temple, as if a very fine needle had precisely pierced his brain. His face showed little pain, only a blank, stiff expression.
All three chicks died. Moreover, they died very recently; their bodies were not even fully stiff yet.
But in the room, apart from the three corpses, the smashed computer, the overturned chair, and some tools and materials for drawing runes, there was no trace of a fourth person.
Only the air still retained sharp, unique energy fluctuations and a refreshing sandalwood scent.
Cheng Song slowly walked into the room, squatted down, and carefully examined the room.
There were almost no signs of a struggle. This indicates that the opponent launched a sneak attack or completely overwhelmed them, leaving the three no time to react.
The other party had cleaned up the scene—not to destroy evidence, but to remove contamination. Cheng Song could see that the potentially active putrefactive energy that might have been present on the three corpses was now being neutralized and purified by a balanced and peaceful energy, slowly dissipating. This prevented the corpses from becoming a new source of contamination.
The other party took something. Next to the broken laptop, there was a clearly visible square blank area, the dust wiped away; some kind of device should have been there. The paper documents and runic materials on the table had also been moved, and some were missing.
On the floor in the center of the room, it appears that someone used the tip of a sword to leave two lines of clear, small characters:
The cleanup is complete and the pollution has been contained.
As for hospital matters, good luck to you.
The handwriting is neat, even with a touch of calligraphic rhythm, but the content is indifferent, with the tone of a condescending observer.
Cheng Song stared at the two lines of text, remaining silent for a few seconds. This mysterious person had not only cleared the target before him, but also dealt with the contamination, taken some items, and left a warning.
The other party knew about the "hospital matter" but chose to stand by and do nothing, or rather, left the problem to Cheng Song.
Cheng Song couldn't tell whether they were friend or foe. The other side was purging corrupt members of the sect and curbing pollution, which seemed to make them "lawful" or at least "opposing" in terms of their actions. However, their methods were ruthless, their killings were decisive, and their attitude was cold and distant, making them definitely not someone easy to get along with.
More importantly, there was the strength the opponent displayed. To so cleanly and efficiently eliminate three clearly enhanced individuals, and to possess such exquisite control over energy that it could simultaneously kill them remotely and purify the pollution—this strength was definitely above Cheng Song's current level, and even with his cheat abilities still active, he might not have been able to contend with him.
"A fellow professional... or a bounty hunter?" Cheng Song muttered to himself.
Time was of the essence, so he didn't waste any more time. He quickly checked the room to make sure there were no other valuable clues or dangers overlooked, then turned and left.
Less than a minute after he left, the air rippled slightly in the shadows of the corner of the room.
A figure wearing a white hooded cloak and a plain white mask slowly appeared, as if emerging from a traditional Chinese ink painting.
He glanced down at the words he had left on the ground, then looked up in the direction Cheng Song had left. A slight smile seemed to curve his lips beneath the mask. Then his figure faded again, as if disappearing into the night.
Only the three corpses, and the lingering, complex scent of sandalwood and blood in the air, testify to what happened in this unfinished building that night.
Cheng Song walked back to the city, his feelings complicated.
With the threat of the unfinished building unexpectedly eliminated, he saved his energy and time, allowing him to focus more on the hospital. However, the appearance of this mysterious "colleague" put him under immense pressure.
Beneath the surface of Yi'an City's waters, there were indeed more than just him among the big fish. Was the other party benevolent or malicious? He didn't know.
All he knew was that he had to become stronger faster, hide more carefully, and act more cautiously.
The virus is still undergoing deep digestion, showing no signs of recovery. The Thousand Forms and the Lens are his greatest assets at present, but against an opponent of that caliber, they are probably not enough.
Whether the mysterious figure was warning or reminder, he had to take charge of the children's hospital.