Chapter 59: Sudden Outbreak
When Xingyu arrived at the Raindrop Agency, it was already slightly past the usual time.
To her surprise, not a single person was sitting on the benches in the reception area today, and even Fran was not in his usual seat behind the counter.
Xingyu walked into the office area.
Everyone was present this morning—
Jingcheng, Bianyin, and Tianwu were all gathered around the mission whiteboard, conversing in low voices.
Fran stood by the door, arms crossed, his face expressing deep disapproval.
Hill was leaning against the sofa, pressing her hand to her forehead, seemingly troubled by a headache.
Xingyu’s gaze swept over the pile of wine bottles scattered beneath the sofa; it was not hard to guess what had happened last night.
[Luminosity Intensity: 51/68]
[Path: Path of Benevolence]
[Stage: Awakening]
“...”
A value far exceeding expectation.
However... is there no information following the stage?
Seeing her push the door open, Fran spoke first: “Junior Agent Xingyu, you are arriving later and later. I must express my serious criticism of this behavior.”
“Alright, alright, I apologize.” Xingyu waved her hand dismissively.
“Sigh...” Hill sighed again, collapsing onto the sofa with a complete lack of decorum.
Xingyu had almost never seen her display such overt annoyance, and instinctively asked, “What happened?”
“The director is waiting for you to arrive,” Fran added once more, seemingly intent on reiterating his criticism regarding her tardiness.
“Oh, Xingyu, you're here.” It was as if Hill had only just noticed Xingyu's presence, and she cut in to interrupt Fran's words. “I originally planned to take you for your promotion assessment today, but that's out of the question now.”
Promotion assessment... she had almost forgotten about that.
After a moment of silence, she pressed on, “Why?”
“An accident has occurred,” Bianyin chimed in first.
“Yes, exactly.” Hill stood up, her expression devoid of its usual ease.
Her gaze swept over everyone in the room before finally resting on Xingyu. “The Council has issued an official notice.”
Hill paused, as if organizing her thoughts or giving everyone a moment to mentally prepare.
“'Polluted Entities' have appeared in our district.”
The office area of the Raindrop Agency fell silent. Jingcheng frowned, Bianyin pressed her lips together, and her expression betrayed a hint of tension.
Only Xingyu and Tianwu completely failed to grasp the significance of the term.
Fran strode forward, clutching a few brand-new documents in his hand, which he handed to Jingcheng to be passed around.
Xingyu spoke first: “What is a Polluted Entity?”
A look of helplessness crossed Hill’s eyes, but she patiently explained nonetheless.
“To be honest, I haven't heard much about this myself.”
“I heard about this kind of thing a few years ago; there was a bit of a commotion back then. Word has it they died off quickly and didn't cause any real stir. If the Council hadn't specifically sent a courier with documents today, I would have completely forgotten about it.”
“I'm not quite sure what they are. Sort of like a large... animal? They didn't cause any harm to people at the time, so I didn't pay much attention.”
Jingcheng helpfully inserted a supplementary remark for Xingyu: “That's standard for senior agents like Sister Hill. For ordinary people like us, we still need to mind our safety.”
Hill picked up the thread: “When the Council deems something a negligible threat to 'people,' it means there are no clear cases of them attacking Transcendents. Even if Polluted Entities have attacked civilians, those people couldn't care less.”
The report passed into Bianyin’s hands, and she began to read it earnestly.
After scanning the few thin pages of documents, she looked up, her brow furrowed slightly: “Are we supposed to exterminate these creatures?”
“Uh... hard to say. There are no explicit orders yet; they've only released this information.”
Tianwu could no longer wait, curiously tilting her head to look at the document in Bianyin's hand.
Bianyin considerately lowered the report without averting her gaze, continuing her analysis: “They pose a significant risk to residents, but they're manageable for us agents. I believe these things can be exterminated.”
“They surely aren't considering the safety of civilians, are they?” Jingcheng nodded, crossing his arms behind his head with a relaxed posture. “That's hardly the Council's style.”
“Sigh...” Hill sighed again, a rare occurrence. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, wearing an expression that suggested she had more to say.
Xingyu urged silently with her eyes for them to read faster.
Noticing Xingyu's intent, Bianyin handed her the report. Tianwu immediately leaned in close.
------------------------------------------------------
Sighting Report 1
Location of Sighting: Alley at the corner of an unknown street in District 15, Ring E
Time of Sighting: 05:23
...
Characteristics of Sighted Subject:
Height approximately 190-210cm
Build close to 100-130kg
Surface covered in light green fuzz, malformed limbs, estimated wingspan of 220-240cm
Emitting low-pitched squeaking sounds
Moved slowly, disappeared around the alley corner at 05:23
Remarks: Failed to acquire visual imagery.
Witness Statement: Just the other night, after finishing my night patrol, I was walking home. I often walk through that alley when suddenly I saw a bunch of green fuzzy stuff swaying ahead! It was several times sturdier than me, with terrifyingly long limbs and feet. We just stared at each other like that for several good seconds! My first reaction was to sprint, and later I heard it roaring behind me, but I didn't dare look back at all...
Verification Result: This report has been verified by a designated institution; no major elements of falsehood or concealment were detected.
------------------------------------------------------
Sighting Report 2
Location of Sighting: Inside a ruin on the street in District 7, Ring F
...
Characteristics of Sighted Subject:
Build smaller than an average person, weighing approximately 45-60kg
Skin emitting a cyan-white glow, tearing at the severed limbs of a rotting human corpse with sharp teeth
Fled the scene rapidly upon discovering the witness, moving at an extremely high speed
Remarks: Subject fled the scene within 8 seconds; characteristics not fully locked down.
Witness Statement: In the dead of night that day, I went over to the ruins to look for some usable parts. Everything was normal at first, when suddenly a monster jumped out from behind a wall! Without a word, it lunged onto a rotting corpse, making this crunching, grinding noise! I was scared out of my wits, and it seemed to notice me too, because it vanished in a flash. I only caught a glimpse, but that image I'll never forget!
Verification Result: Upon testing, there are no major suspicious points or traces in this testimony. The authenticity of the testimony has been confirmed.
------------------------------------------------------
...What on earth are these?
Xingyu examined the report closely, unmistakable confusion in her eyes.
“This matter is not as simple as it seems,” Hill said, as if making up her mind.
“The Council hasn't made a public announcement yet, but this situation is much more serious than anticipated. I'm afraid these aren't just little creatures that love jumping out to scare people or gnaw on corpses.”
“Last night, a senior agent from Nine-Ray died. Kun... the Council contacted me privately to inform me that this has been confirmed as an attack by a Polluted Entity.”
“A senior agent?!” Jingcheng couldn't hold back, crying out in disbelief, his face written with utter shock. “By something like this?! Could a Polluted Entity have done this?!”
“Is the news accurate? ...No, I don't mean to question it.” Bianyin’s brow also revealed tension.
“An agent from Nine-Ray?” Xingyu lowered her head, pretending to focus on inspecting the documents. She lowered her voice and tentatively asked, “The Nine-Ray Agency?”
Tianwu looked up at her in confusion before her attention drifted back to the report.
“That's right.” Hill glanced around the room, observing the expressions on everyone's faces.
“Last night, overnight... the Nine-Ray Agency, all five of them, dead.”