Chapter 7
A residential building in District S. Upon discovery of a Variant nest, the residents were immediately evacuated. Now, only personnel from the Anomaly Management Bureau and the Esper Monitoring Department remained.
The scorching sun beat down on the building, but shadows still lingered, and an invisible stench permeated the air. People in hazmat suits moved through the building, battling low-level pollutants.
Pollutants showed no signs during the first week of parasitization. Unless they acted strangely or transformed into Variants, the Anomaly Management Bureau couldn’t detect them immediately.
This particular pollutant had infiltrated the building half a month ago, nesting within a corpse. After two weeks, it finally mutated…
Apartment 1402 on the 14th floor had only one occupant. After his parents’ divorce, he had lived alone in the apartment they left him for two years.
His mother, in a rare moment of maternal concern, visited him at 9 am, only to find her son transformed into a Variant. Her two bodyguards were consumed protecting her, buying her enough time to contact the Anomaly Management Bureau and the Esper Monitoring Department.
The day the occupant of 1402 died, the pollutant took over his body, feeding on it to grow. Some pollutants could self-replicate. By the time his mother opened the door, the apartment was overflowing with them.
With the door open, the newly hatched pollutants frantically sought hosts, rapidly infesting the entire building.
Fortunately, Qi Yu was having breakfast nearby. He rushed to the scene immediately after receiving the notification, evacuating the residents and preventing significant casualties.
Shi Xu arrived within half an hour of being notified.
Under the blazing sun, cracks spread across the white walls in a short time, a foul odor seeping out, enveloping the building.
Shi Xu donned a hazmat suit provided by his assistant and entered the deathly still building.
Before his arrival, the Anomaly Management Bureau and the Esper Monitoring Department had worked together to eliminate the low-level pollutants, but they continued to patrol, searching every corner.
Shi Xu went directly to 1402, the source of the infestation.
Unlike other apartments, after the pollutants were cleared, this one was even more gruesome. Dismembered corpses of the pollutants littered the room, the white walls stained black.
Several espers in hazmat suits stood in the living room. They greeted Shi Xu, pointing in a direction. “Captain Shi, the victim’s mother is in the master bedroom. She’s still alive…”
The bodyguards had only bought the woman enough time to call for help. Mid-call, they were killed, and she was dragged into the master bedroom.
The sight that greeted them when they opened the bedroom door was horrifying.
The walls were smeared with black liquid. Sunlight filtering through the red curtains cast an unsettling crimson glow over the room.
The bed was against the wall, facing the door. The woman was suspended from the ceiling, spread-eagled. Her chest was brutally ripped open, ribs broken and splayed outward like a grotesque flower, the clean white wall behind her a stark contrast, creating a scene both bizarre and violently bloody.
Exposed, her heart beat rhythmically.
Closer inspection revealed countless black threads covering her heart. The Variant was keeping her suspended between life and death.
Her head was tilted back, her face the only undamaged part of her body.
Despite her pierced heart and lungs, the Variant was keeping her alive.
She gasped for breath, her exhalations forming black mist. Tears streamed down her face, unable to utter a word.
Even seasoned espers, accustomed to gruesome scenes, were shocked into silence. A few newcomers vomited.
The senior espers knew that even if they killed the Variant, the woman would die with it. Her life was sustained by the creature.
More accurately, their lives were intertwined.
They were at an impasse, unsure how to handle this delicate situation.
The bedroom door was ajar. Shi Xu pushed it open, taking in the horrific scene. His expression remained unchanged.
“Captain Shi, long time no see.” A nonchalant voice came from the left. Shi Xu turned towards the speaker.
The man wore the same white hazmat suit, his face visible through the transparent visor. A handsome, clean-cut face, but with a careless demeanor.
Lin Zhi, vice-captain of the Esper Monitoring Department, and Lin Quan’s younger brother.
Shi Xu had a natural animosity with the Lin family. The brothers had disliked him from their first encounter.
Lin Zhi worked in a different department, but they were often assigned to the same missions, their paths crossing inevitably.
Lin Zhi was more reserved than his brother, his antagonism subtle but no less irritating.
Shi Xu put on his usual polite smile. “Since Vice-Captain Lin is here, I suppose there’s nothing left for me to do.”
Both Lin brothers were powerful espers. Coincidentally, both held the position of vice-captain.
If a vice-captain couldn’t handle this, perhaps they should consider stepping down.
Lin Zhi chuckled, easily deflecting the responsibility. “I just arrived. Since Captain Shi is here, I won’t steal your credit. I admire you greatly, Captain. I’d love to witness your heroic prowess.”
Even watching monkeys perform required payment. This guy wanted a free show?
And he was trying to dump this troublesome task on him.
The corners of Shi Xu’s lips curled upwards, a coldness in his eyes, obscured by the visor.
As the name suggested, the Anomaly Management Bureau was responsible for eliminating Variants, while the Esper Monitoring Department oversaw espers.
Officially, the Anomaly Management Bureau was under the Esper Monitoring Department, but Shi Xu wasn’t affected.
Not only was Lin Zhi merely a vice-captain, with no authority over Shi Xu, a captain, but Shi Xu, not being an esper, wasn’t subject to their oversight.
Therefore, except for the director of the Esper Monitoring Department and the director of the Anomaly Management Bureau, no one could give Shi Xu orders.
“Even if you just arrived, you were here before me. Explain the situation.”
The commanding tone irked Lin Zhi, but he had no choice but to obey, reporting the information he knew.
Despite the existence of pollutants and espers, the world still operated under the rule of law. No one could arbitrarily take a life.
When a Variant’s life was linked to a victim’s, they had to investigate thoroughly to avoid misjudgment.
Lin Zhi possessed telepathy. He hadn’t lied to Shi Xu. He had arrived ten minutes earlier. Before Shi Xu entered, he had used his ability to glean the general situation.
Interrogating criminals sometimes required lengthy psychological battles, but espers could bypass this, effortlessly accessing secrets.
This was only possible if the target’s mental defenses were weak. Upon arrival, the woman was already on the verge of a mental breakdown. Lin Zhi easily accessed her memories.
[The woman was 58 years old. Her marriage was arranged. They had little affection for each other. She gave birth to their only son at the late age of 39.
With a strained relationship with her husband, she poured all her emotions and focus into her son, treating him like a puppet, demanding absolute obedience.
When her son was 6, she discovered his artistic talent and became even more demanding.
Suffocated by her expectations, her son broke down at 16, resorting to self-harm, unable to hold a paintbrush, suffering from severe depression.
After numerous failed attempts to help him, the woman and her husband decided to give up.
They had many reasons. Their marriage was already broken. They planned to divorce, both having found new partners. They could start new families, find happiness again.
Their son was merely a byproduct of their failed marriage, easily discarded with an apartment and a monthly allowance.
After leaving her cold husband and “useless” son, the woman regained her composure. With a new partner and child, she finally learned tenderness. But towards her other son, she remained cruel.
Today, she visited him out of a rare sense of obligation, only to encounter this horrific situation.]
After Lin Zhi’s dramatic narration, Shi Xu felt nothing. Lin Zhi had injected emotion into his storytelling, but like Shi Xu, he was indifferent.
Everyone present knew this was just procedure.
Investigate, record, handle, eliminate the Variant, and report the results.
But they disagreed on who should handle it.
They knew what had to be done. They had to kill the Variant.
The woman had less than a 1% chance of survival, but they didn’t want to be the one to make the decision, to bear the label of “murderer.”
Even though their decision would be justified.
Even though it was the pollutant’s fault, and explanations would clear any misunderstandings.
They still hesitated.
Why should they, the grunts, make this decision? Shouldn’t it be the captain’s responsibility?
The captain received the rewards for a successful mission, so shouldn’t they also bear the burden of responsibility?
So, they waited for Shi Xu.
Even Lin Zhi deliberately waited, wanting to pass the buck.
“Waaah—”
An esper suddenly screamed. Shi Xu and Lin Zhi turned towards him. Despite the hazmat suit, his trembling was visible, his shaking hand pointing towards the bed.
The woman remained suspended. The Variant, hidden until now, revealed itself, a half-human-sized black mass crouching at the woman’s feet, resembling a giant black silkworm.
“Anything less than perfect is unworthy of being my son.”
“You can do better, can’t you? Why can’t you?”
“Complacent with such mediocre results? You’re destined to fail.”
“Your father and I are divorcing. He doesn’t want custody. Honestly, you disappoint me. I don’t want you either, but I have no choice. The court granted me custody. This apartment is yours, and I’ll deposit your monthly allowance. Let’s minimize contact from now on.”
“I’m pregnant…”
Because, I have a new family.
So, you’ve become a burden.
The Variant’s upper body wriggled, like a devout pilgrim bowing to its deity.
A faint voice emerged from its slightly opened mouthparts—
[Mother, look, I’ve created a perfect piece of art. Can you praise me like you used to?]
[I’ve picked up the paintbrush again. I’ve remade this home. Are you pleased?]
[I’ve named this masterpiece, Eternal Mother.]
[Do you like it? Will you come back? Back to our home, just the two of us.]
[Mother, Mother, Mother…]
The Variant’s emotions affected the woman. Her consciousness, controlled by the creature, tried to slip into unconsciousness but was forcibly awakened.
Even her eyes were controlled, forced to look at the disgusting silkworm at her feet.
[Mother, you’re finally looking at me…]
“Ahhhhh-”
Why did she give birth to such a disgusting thing?!
The woman screamed in agony, blood gushing from her open chest, broken ribs piercing her lungs, yet she couldn’t die.
She wanted to die, please let her die…
A cold blade cleanly sliced the silkworm in half. Despite being bisected, its mouthparts continued to cry out, calling for the person it cherished most.
The blade also severed the black threads holding the woman.
She collapsed onto the bed, closing her eyes, peacefully awaiting death.
However, her heart continued to beat strongly. She opened her eyes in disbelief.
The silkworm’s upper half wriggled towards her.
“No, stay away—” The woman shrieked, watching helplessly as the silkworm crawled into her open chest, into her stomach.
[Mother, you can’t abandon me again.]
Finally reunited with its “mother,” the silkworm died contentedly. The woman finally breathed her last.
While everyone was stunned by Shi Xu’s decisive action, Lin Zhi recovered first. His gaze shifted from the bloodstained dagger to Shi Xu’s impassive face.
“How cold. I recall Captain Shi also has a strict father…”
Lin Zhi paused, lowering his voice deliberately. “Thank you for the lesson, Captain Shi. If… I’ll be sure to give you a proper send-off.”
