Translator: ThatLazyPotato
Translation Checker: 7qqy
Editor: yuki_shuichi
Ever since the Warwick Pharmaceutical Factory suffered devastating damage, Red Fox has been in a semi-lockdown. Han Xingqian had to show his IOA work badge to the police officer at the expressway exit before he was allowed to pass.
Bai Chunian sat in the passenger seat, resting his elbow on the edge of the opened window and letting the cold wind blow on his face, and it made a mess of his hair.
“I haven’t been out in a long time, it was so suffocating.”
“Close the window, I have the air-con turned on.”
“Let me breathe in some fresh air for a bit before we talk.” Bai Chunian took a few strong breaths. “Your car smells of fried melon seed and it’s making me hungry.”
Han Xingqian lightly coughed.
Bai Chunian curiously looked at him. “Sunflower pheromones?”
Han Xingqian chuckled.
“Oh…” Bai Chunian leaned back on his chair with his hands behind his head and licked his canine with understanding.
They first went to the student Jin Xi’s home according to the address the Technology Department gave them. Before being transformed into Eternal Undead, this was his name.
The address sent by the Technology Department was in a relatively expensive area in Red Fox City. The neighborhood’s greenery was also exquisite. Jin Xi’s family condition was pretty good; his mother was the chief doctor of the city hospital, while his father was a deputy dean.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get to see them, there was no one home.
Han Xingqian lowered his head to look at his watch. “They should still be at work at this time.”
Bai Chunian turned around and rang the doorbell of the neighbor across the street. Recently, Red Fox City’s public security was worrying, so the person didn’t open the door until they showed their work badge.
The person who opened the door was a housekeeper with a headscarf and holding a mop. She looked suspiciously at the two unfamiliar alphas, who were a head and a half taller than her, through the crack of the door.
Bai Chunian asked her about Jin Xi’s family situation.
The housekeeper glanced at them, then chatted endlessly, “It’s been a year since their child went missing. His parents called the police the night he went missing, but the officer said that a case couldn’t be filed until the time was up. After filing the case, they saw from the surveillance that he was taken away by a truck, but he couldn’t be found. The officer just told them to go back home and wait for the result. The couple searched everywhere for him at first and only went back home late at night. The mother cried the whole night, and she didn’t even go to work. But she had no other choice but to go back to work after searching for half a year with no results, she still had to make a living after all. However, she would still cry in the middle of the night from time to time. This also caused her health to deteriorate.”
“Do you know the child?”
“I saw him a few times. A very polite and honest child, he was also good at his studies. It’s a pity.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Bai Chunian rubbed his chin. “Auntie, do you know why they fought?”
“It seemed like the child got a tattoo, so the parents scolded him.”
“Oh, alright. Thank you, Auntie. You can continue with your work.”
Bai Chunian ran upstairs and downstairs to ask others and got similar answers.
“Let’s go to the hospital.” Bai Chunian wrapped an arm around Han Xingqian’s neck and looked at his watch. “Call first? You doctors seem to be busy when working.”
Sure enough, the nurse at the hospital front desk said that both doctors were in the middle of an operation.
“Then let’s go to school first.”
Han Xingqian started the car and drove in the direction of the school according to the location given by the Technology Department.
The car halted at Red Fox City’s No.1 Middle School entrance. They showed their IOA badge to the security guard, explained their intentions, and entered the school.
Right now it was three o’clock in the afternoon, and the students were all playing around in the playground. The school entrance and teaching building were deserted, with only a few cleaning staff wiping the stair handrails.
When they went upstairs, Bai Chunian glimpsed at the commendation list posted on the school wall, they were all top scorers in different subjects over the years. Next to their graduation photos were encouragement messages they wrote for their juniors.
Bai Chunian glanced at the entire wall of messages and suddenly saw Jin Xi’s name next to the photo of a student called Chen Nan.
The graduate’s message was, “Thanks to classmate Jin Xi’s help, I am able to get to where I am today. I will also pass on this kindness in the future.”
Jin Xi was only a sophomore when he went missing, was he that great at studying? And to be able to help a graduating student with his studies? Bai Chunian thought about it in his mind but felt that something didn’t add up.
Han Xingqian pointed at another graduate’s message. “He’s also thanking Jin Xi.”
They went upstairs and found the teacher’s office for the sophomores.
Class 1 and Class 2’s head teacher were preparing lessons in the office while holding a thermos mug. Two plain clothed alpha officers walked in holding their work badges, their posture a little frightening. The head teacher hurriedly put down the thermos mug and stood up, looking at them blankly.
When he heard that they were here to inquire about Jin Xi’s situation, the head teacher had a look of understanding, obviously having answered a lot about Jin Xi’s matter.
“Jin Xi was usually inactive and very honest. He didn’t like answering questions in class, and he also didn’t like going out to play after classes. However, none of his classmates hated him and were all nice to him. Our class is very upright, and school violence doesn’t exist here,” the head teacher said confidently.
“Did he have any negative manifestations? Like violent tendencies?”
“How could that be? Although he was very introverted, he was still willing to help others. Not only did he volunteer at the school infirmary, but he even made homes for stray cats around the school. The principal even personally praised him at the grade level assembly last time.”
Han Xingqian asked, “What exactly was he responsible for at the school infirmary?”
“Generally, when the school holds large-scale sports events, there will be students that get hurt sometimes. He would help carry and take care of the injured classmates. He really liked doing this type of thing and was pretty happy every time.”
“I saw a few graduates leaving a message on the message wall outside who were thanking Jin Xi. What’s the deal with that?”
“Oh, those two students were his parents’ patients. One had acute leukemia and the other had kidney failure. Jin Xi’s parents are highly respected, everyone who knows them respects them.”
Han Xingqian raised his eyebrows slightly. “These are not diseases that can be cured in a short time.”
“Before he disappeared, did anything unusual happen at school?”
The head teacher’s complexion suddenly didn’t look very good, and he coughed.
Bai Chunian was the best at observing people’s words and expressions—he latched onto his words and interrogated him.
“The IOA Search Division has the same powers as the Alliance Police Department. If you fabricate or cover up facts, we have the right to arrest you and lock down the school.”
The head teacher hesitated for a moment, then said quietly, “A year ago, a student fought with another student on the rooftop and fell to their death. Both the students’ parents had a good background. I only heard that the other student withdrew from school. I’m not clear on the rest.”
“What was Jin Xi doing at the time?”
The head teacher recalled for a long time, then took a look at last year’s roll call. “Oh, he asked for leave and returned to school two days later. I gave his class performance a low score. It felt like he wasn’t in a good mood, but I don’t know what had happened. Oh right, many top medical universities gave him invitation letters. Some offered to admit him even with a lower score, while there were some who offered direct recommendations and promised to give him a full-ride scholarship. Jin Xu’s parents strongly supported him to study medicine, but this child was uncomfortable, he didn’t accept any of them. His parents even asked us to give him more guidance. Actually, I asked him why he didn’t accept such a generous condition, he just said he wasn’t interested in this profession. I understand his reason, my child also doesn’t want to be a teacher.”
Bai Chunian turned around and told Han Xingqian, “Notify the Police Station to have someone investigate this matter.”
Han Xingqian nodded and sent this info to the Technology Department.
They circled the school and found some students to question. The students’ descriptions were even more exaggerated and couldn’t completely be used as a reference. And those few who were injured during the sports events had already graduated and couldn’t be contacted for the time being. They could only leave it to the Tech Department to investigate.
Back in the car, Bai Chunian was still very perplexed. Everyone’s opinion of Jin Xi was “honest” and “gentle,” but what part of Eternal Undead was honest? The Jin Xi described by the teacher, classmates, and housekeeper bore no resemblance to Eternal Undead and was even the complete opposite.
“I’ve submitted the application, the Police Station should send someone to investigate soon.” Han Xingqian put the car in reverse. “Let’s go to the hospital first to see what Jin Xi’s parents say.”
“Please, I know the efficiency of the Alliance Police Station best.” Bai Chunian picked up the mic on his collar and said loudly, “Inform the investigation team to send people directly to the Police Station. Those fuckers can’t worm their way out of this. Let me see who has such a big background and can silence the Police Station. Pull them all out.”
Bai Chunian was a bit agitated. He turned off the mic, took a few breaths, and took out a sedative from the medical kit. He bit a rubber band and tied it to his arm, then injected the sedative into his vein. Mood swings could worsen the deterioration, so he must always be careful.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, I know what to do.” Bai Chunian slowly breathed. “They can even dismiss a matter like a student’s death, isn’t that against what they should be doing?”
“Don’t be mad.” Han Xingqian looked ahead, slowly steering the wheel. “You have only lived among us for four years, so you are not used to it. Humans are made up of a dense web of interconnected relationships, it is not uncommon to harbor corruption.”
“I remember what the housekeeper said before.” Han Xingqian said thoughtfully, “It’s not unusual for family members of patients to come bringing gifts. Some family members are relatively well-connected and can obtain the doctor’s contact information and address. But there are generally two reasons for visiting in person—one is that after the patient has been treated, the family members come to express their gratitude; the other reason is that the patient is in critical condition and the family members come to beg for help.”
Bai Chunian injected the sedative, then undid the rubber band and tossed it back into the medical kit. He looked through Jin Xi’s file with his other hand.
Jin Xi had a tardigrade-type gland. Before his disappearance, his differentiation grade was J1, his differentiation potential was A3, and his J1 ability was Angel Above the Clouds. This type of gland, which was a mutation after the union of the parents, was extremely rare. It was as rare as Han Xingqian’s Pegasus gland. Tardigrades were the type of creatures with extremely strong vitality. They even have self-healing abilities that surpass those of experimental subjects.
“I can pretty much guess what’s going on.” Bai Chunian held his chin and looked out the window at the rapidly retreating trees. “It’s just that this school’s uniform is black and white, so I didn’t think much about it.”
“Eternal Undead, like the souls he summons, has only three colors—black, white, and gray.” Bai Chunian pulled up the photos that were taken at the time and examined them carefully. “The only one with color was that praying angel in the mirror under his feet.”
They arrived near the hospital and waited for Jin Xi’s parents’ surgeries to finish. They waited until 7 p.m. when the Internal Affairs’ investigation team replied first.
“We have arrested the officers involved. According to them, in the incident of the student who fell off the building of Red Fox No.1 Middle School, the student responsible for it had already transferred school, and the student who supposedly fell to his death had already recovered. He is now studying at No.13 Middle School in Jiutan City. The truck that took Jin Xi away as captured on city surveillance was owned by an employee of the parent of the student who caused the accident, so the Police Station gave up pursuing it.”
“And after verification, although they took Jin Xi away, he was quickly sent back intact and they gave him a million yuan thank you fee. After Jin Xi’s disappearance, he ran away from home in the middle of the night and was taken by gland hunters on the outskirts of Red Fox City. It has nothing to do with the parents of the two students.”
After reading it, Bai Chunian was sure that his guess was right.
He called the hospital to inquire, and the front desk transferred the call to Jin Xi’s mother, Ms. Sun.
Ms. Sun had just finished an operation. When she heard that the IOA investigators had taken over the case of her child’s disappearance, she got so emotional that her voice choked up and she ran downstairs to cooperate with the investigation. Mr. Jin didn’t even bother to take off his sterile clothes, rushing over while stumbling. As soon as he saw Bai Chunian, he grabbed his shoulders, holding him tightly with his broad hands, and tears welled up in his old eyes.
Bai Chunian removed his hands from his shoulders with some indifference and brought them to a deserted area. He turned around and said seriously, “First, don’t get emotional. We have already determined Jin Xi’s location. But you guys should know that once the IOA takes over this case, it means that the repercussions of this matter have gotten to the point of being out of control. I don’t care what you’ll say to the Police Station, I hope that with me, you can tell me the truth of the matter without hiding anything.”
Ms. Sun opened her mouth to speak but then stopped, and her complexion turned a bit pale. “We really love him. I truly regret it, if we communicated with him more, then we wouldn’t have fought…”
Bai Chunian interrupted her crying. “Madam, calm yourself. This kidnapping and disappearance case has already been accepted. The Alliance Police Station will give you the final results. Right now I don’t care about your emotional state; Jin Xi’s actions have created a serious and adverse effect on the city. My task is to find a way to control him, so I need to know what’s the reason for his outbreak, understand?”
After hearing this, she collapsed beside Mr. Jin, and her lips quivered nonstop. Mr. Jin beat his chest in anguish, coming clean while choking on his sobs.
Jin Xi’s J1 differentiation ability was Angel Above the Clouds, a healing-type ability. He wouldn’t die nor would he get sick, and all injuries would heal on their own. Since he was little, people around him said he was simply lucky enough to develop an ability that no one could get with money.
A mutated gland would be more powerful compared to a regular gland of the same grade. His ability would affect more than just him. When the extent of his injuries became the same as those within his range, it would trigger empathic healing, leading to the injured being healed together with him.
Chen Nan, a senior from the same school as him, suffered from kidney failure. After finding a kidney donor, he underwent emergency surgery, and Jin Xi’s father personally performed the surgery. The surgery went smoothly, but a rejection occurred later. The student became critically ill, and his parents wept the entire day, begging in front of Mr. Jin on their knees.
Doctors were benevolent, moreover, Mr. Jin was on the eve of the most important assessment, so he went home to discuss with his son if he could help save the child. Jin Xi agreed to give up one of his kidneys and grow a new one along with Chen Nan. To him, this was just a matter of him lying in bed for a few days, so it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t going to hurt due to the anesthesia anyway, and he would recover quickly.
Chen Nan recovered, and different patients came to seek Mr. Jin for help. Jin Xi agreed to all the endless requests, and Mr. Jin also inevitably rose through the ranks.
Mr. Jin always thought his son was his pride, and he would take over his mantle in the future, which was why he couldn’t accept that his son went to a tattoo shop and got a skull chain tattoo on his neck, got his ears pierced, and went home yelling at him that he didn’t want to be a doctor.
Thus, a huge fight occurred. Jin Xi grabbed his white scarf, grabbed his schoolbag, and rushed out of the house. The family never saw each other again.
Alphas with strong healing abilities were bound to be the target of major gland hunters. Although the gland hunters had almost disappeared under the IOA’s severe crackdown and the remaining gland hunters kept a low profile and didn’t take action easily, a youth with enough differentiation potential to reach A3 was worth taking the risk.
“To be fair, you guys deserved mmph…” Bai Chunian blurted out, but his mouth was covered by Han Xingqian, and he was dragged back to the car. Han Xingqian whispered in warning, “Be mindful of the IOA employee’s image.”
Thank You for the new chapter (๑ơ ₃ ơ)♥
🤧🤧