Chapter 179 - 178: Light as a Feather

Chapter 179: Chapter 178: Light as a Feather

Feng Ling glanced at the incoming call. It was Su Yuqing.

She looked up and asked Ye Zheng, "Do you really not remember Su Yuqing?"

Ye Zheng was lying in a corner of the train car and replied coldly, "I don’t."

"You’d better be sure. It’s easy to forget now, but it won’t be so easy if you want to remember later..." Feng Ling muttered as she answered the call.

On the other end of the line, Su Yuqing’s tone was urgent. "Feng Ling, Wen Xiuyan and the others said you encountered a very powerful Pollution Body, one that can release a large area of white flames. Is that true?"

"Yes," Feng Ling replied.

Su Yuqing said, "Feng Ling, the Pollution Body you encountered is very likely Ye Zheng! Ye Zheng has a Card called Blazing Angel that can also release a wide area of White Flame! What state was she in when you met her? Had she completely turned into a Pollution Body? Did you kill her? Or did she run away? Where did you run into her? Did any other Hunters see?"

Su Yuqing’s questions came out like a machine gun.

Feng Ling looked troubled as she listened, then hesitated for a moment before answering, "It’s hard to say."

Ye Zheng: "..."

’What an unexpected conversational tactic.’

Su Yuqing was also left speechless. After a two-second silence, he asked the question he most wanted to know: "Is she still alive?"

Feng Ling thought for a moment, then asked Su Yuqing, "Is this call being recorded?"

Su Yuqing looked up at the other members of his team.

Everyone was staring at him curiously, waiting for the outcome of the call.

Su Yuqing gave them an apologetic look. He turned and walked a short distance away from his teammates, then said to Feng Ling in a low voice, "It’s not being recorded, and no one else can hear our conversation."

Feng Ling said, "Her Pollution Value is very high. I used the Divine Statue to delete one of her Cards, and her Pollution Value is still at 48%. Her mental state is unstable, and she’s highly aggressive."

After a slight pause, Feng Ling continued, "She’s the only Inspector who survived the Squirrel attack. She’s very important to me. I’m planning to take her back to Qingjiang."

Su Yuqing asked urgently, "Where are you now? Are you at the camp?"

"We’re on a train," Feng Ling said, walking to the car window and glancing at the trees slowly receding outside. "The train just departed."

"Which station are you planning to get off at?" Su Yuqing asked, struggling to control his emotions. "I need to take her to the Bureau’s research institute for a full examination..."

"No." Feng Ling cut him off immediately. "Captain Su, you don’t understand the situation. If she were Ye Zheng, then yes, she should go to the research institute for a full examination. But right now, she’s a Pollution Body. I caught her, so she’s my prey. I have the right to decide what happens to her. If you want to take her, you’ll have to sign a contract with me first."

"A contract?" Su Yuqing paused, asking suspiciously, "...What kind of contract?"

"A rental contract," Feng Ling said. "It’s a daily fee of one million, with a maximum rental period of seven days. She must be returned in perfect condition. You’ll also have to sign a risk acknowledgement form. If Ye Zheng has a mental breakdown and goes on an indiscriminate rampage, you will be solely responsible for all resulting damages. It will have nothing to do with me."

Su Yuqing fell silent again.

He understood what Feng Ling meant.

Feng Ling wasn’t actually trying to make a deal. She was telling him that handing over Ye Zheng would most likely lead to one of two outcomes:

One, the research institute would be unable to cure Ye Zheng, and she would die there as an experimental subject.

Two, Ye Zheng might lose control. Given her current power, the number of Inspectors or Hunters in the entire country who could subdue her could be counted on one hand, so casualties would be inevitable.

"Any other questions? If not, I’m hanging up," Feng Ling said.

"W-Wait!" Su Yuqing inhaled sharply. "Can... can I talk to her?"

"No." Feng Ling hung up without another word.

Su Yuqing heard the dial tone from his phone, his mind reeling.

He lowered his phone and stood there for a moment, recalling Feng Ling’s words—Pollution Value still at 48%; unstable mental state; Squirrel attack; now she’s a Pollution Body.

A chill crept through Su Yuqing’s body as if he’d fallen into an ice cave. He was chilled to the bone, even though he was in the snow-free Zone D...

He walked back to his team, one step at a time.

Xu Yiming couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked Su Yuqing, "How did it go? Did you get a clear answer? Was that Pollution Body really Ye Zheng?"

Su Yuqing’s mind was a mess, and he looked completely lost.

Seeing his expression, Xu Yiming couldn’t help but assume the worst. "It really was Ye Zheng? Ye Zheng... How could Ye Zheng become a Pollution Body...?"

A heavy mood fell over the group.

Wen Xiuyan couldn’t help but add sorrowfully, "Even though Ms. Ye became a Pollution Body, it’s a good thing Ms. Ling stopped her in time... Ms. Ye is still the Ms. Ye we know in our hearts. She didn’t hurt any of us. We’ll always remember her sacrifice."

Wen Xiuyan’s words sent a sudden, chilling dread through Su Yuqing.

—She didn’t hurt any of us.

’What if she had?’

’If Ye Zheng had lost her mind and killed Hunters or innocent backpackers in the Maze, would anyone forgive her if the public found out?’

’No...’

’No one would forgive her!’

’Ye Zheng’s reputation would be destroyed overnight! Everything she had ever sacrificed and contributed would become as meaningless as a feather!’

Su Yuqing’s face was deathly pale.

No one knew better than him: the Supervision Bureau had propped Ye Zheng up as a banner to inspire the public and give the people hope. But the moment that banner was stained, it would be discarded without a second thought.

Public opinion would condemn Ye Zheng for falling into the Alien Species’ ambush. They would blame her for not taking the blue pill after her Pollution Value exceeded the safe threshold. They would criticize and reject her from every possible angle!

Before, Su Yuqing had only been worried about Ye Zheng’s safety. Only now did he realize with a shock that, whether she was alive or dead, her situation was like standing on the edge of a cliff—

One wrong move, and she would be shattered to pieces!

No wonder Feng Ling had taken Ye Zheng away directly, without even meeting him.

Feng Ling didn’t want anyone to know Ye Zheng was still alive.

’Feng Ling only told me. Why?... Was it because of my special relationship with Ye Zheng, so Feng Ling thought I had a right to know?’

Now he faced a choice: should he reveal Ye Zheng’s current situation?

"...She’s dead." Su Yuqing pressed his lips together tightly. He looked up at his teammates and said, "Ye Zheng was ambushed by an Alien Species using a Squirrel Card. It ultimately led to genetic collapse. She sacrificed herself."

...

...

On the train, Ye Zheng drifted between bouts of unconsciousness and fits of violent agitation.

She was like a patient with severe schizophrenia—suffering from hallucinations, both visual and auditory, prone to anger and agitation, her thoughts a tangled mess.

Although she had occasional moments of normalcy, Feng Ling didn’t dare to interact with her casually, as there was no telling what word might set Ye Zheng off and trigger a violent episode.

While keeping an eye on Ye Zheng’s condition, Feng Ling dialed Pei Xianjue’s number—

"Little Yu, I need to talk to you about something..."