Chapter 209 - 208: Secret

Chapter 209: Chapter 208: Secret

"You could say we caught it, or you could say we didn’t," Han Xu replied over the phone. "It’s a bit complicated. You should come take a look."

Feng Ling found it strange. Han Xu was always straightforward, not the type to be deliberately cryptic.

She had Han Xu send her his location and found that it was at least two kilometers away from the street where she’d been tracking the target.

’Two kilometers in such a short time,’ Feng Ling mused. ’This Alien Species can really run.’

She put her phone away and told the driver to head toward Han Xu.

Inside the truck’s cargo bay, Ye Zheng demanded in a harsh tone, "Did you catch the Alien Species? Did it get away? You shouldn’t have let it go! All Alien Species deserve to die! To die! We have to wipe them out, root and stem! They all deserve to die!!!"

Huangfu Miaomiao and Li Qing, also in the truck, remained silent.

Ye Zheng’s emotions were still in turmoil. "...What if it got away? What if it attacks civilians to vent its rage? What if it takes hostages? What do we do then? What do we do?!"

Feng Ling: "..."

’It was scrambling to save its own skin. How would it have time to attack civilians for revenge?’ Feng Ling thought. ’Even if it wanted revenge, it would have to escape first and then plot it later.’

’Then again, she really is a rigorously trained Inspector,’ Feng Ling considered. ’To have such a high sense of duty, even after becoming a Pollution Body.’

"Do you need me to give you a sedative?" Feng Ling asked.

"I am perfectly calm!" Ye Zheng’s face twitched, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Feng Ling. "You. Should. Not. Have. Let. That. Alien. Species. Escape!"

Feng Ling fell silent.

After a moment, she looked at Ye Zheng and said, "Has it occurred to you... that maybe I didn’t let it escape on purpose?"

Ye Zheng faltered.

Feng Ling explained, "I was surrounded by those animated corpses, and the Gu Insect Master was too far away. Even using Spiritual Suppression would have been difficult. And as you know, I’m not fast enough. I knew I couldn’t outrun it, so I marked it beforehand. That was my way of compensating."

Ye Zheng didn’t reply, her eyes filled with suspicion as she looked at Feng Ling.

Feng Ling then said to Ye Zheng in a placating tone, "Look, we stirred up over forty Alien Species. The chances of wiping them all out in one go were slim to begin with. Only one got away. Overall, the operation was a success. We should focus on what we accomplished, not just on our one mistake."

Ye Zheng looked thoughtful.

Feng Ling continued, "The behavior of an Alien Species is unpredictable. Letting it escape is certainly a huge risk. It might kill out of rage, or it might take hostages. But... if we hadn’t found this nest today, would that Alien Species not have killed anyone anyway? Is it my fault when an Alien Species kills? Even though I’ve killed most of them, am I still responsible for the crimes of the one that got away? Do I, and you, really need to carry such a heavy burden?"

Ye Zheng slowly took half a step back and replied in a low voice, "That’s not what I meant..."

Feng Ling let out a breath and smiled at her. "I know. You were just emotional."

The truck stopped, and the driver up front shouted back to the cargo bay, "We’re here!"

Feng Ling looked at Li Qing and Xu Yiming in the cargo bay. "You two stay here. Little Skeleton and I will get out and see what’s going on."

Then she turned to Ye Zheng. "Protect the Daoist. The more the Alien Species want him dead, the more important it is that we keep him alive."

Ye Zheng replied coldly, "Don’t worry."

Feng Ling beckoned to Huangfu Miaomiao, and the two of them jumped out of the truck, one after the other.

Half the road ahead was blocked by blue construction barriers. Several patrol cars with flashing red lights were parked on the roadside, making the already narrow street even more congested. The truck couldn’t get through at all.

Feng Ling walked past the patrol cars and saw a group of people a short distance away. The man leading them had to be Han Xu.

Huangfu Miaomiao kept close to her side, whispering as they walked, "So you really did let it get away by accident? I thought you did it on purpose."

Feng Ling glanced back at the truck and lowered her voice. "If I hadn’t said that, she would have never let it go."

"Huh...?" Huangfu Miaomiao was taken aback. She looked up at Feng Ling. "Then... aren’t you scared? If that player really causes trouble like Ye Zheng said, the public will crucify you."

A troubled expression crossed Feng Ling’s face. "I was just focused on finding the Eye of Horus at the time. My mind didn’t think that far ahead."

’Actually, it had less to do with my brain and more to do with my struggle to adapt to this new role.’

’The old Feng Ling was used to being a loner, responsible only for herself. Other people’s problems were not her concern, and she never had to answer for their safety.’

’So she just did whatever she wanted, never considering that she might have to take responsibility for the butterfly effect of her actions.’

’She could clearly feel herself growing stronger, but it was only now, with dawning awareness, that she felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders.’

Feng Ling couldn’t help but recall an old saying: ’With great ability comes great responsibility.’

A sense of constraint followed her like a shadow.

She felt a bit helpless. It turned out responsibility wasn’t something you chose to bear; it was thrust upon you, no questions asked.

Because she was stronger now, any one of her actions could have immeasurable consequences.

’Before, a street fight was just a street fight. Now, when she fights, it’s bound to end in a river of blood. That’s the difference.’

Feng Ling sighed softly, looked at Huangfu Miaomiao beside her, and whispered, "Don’t let Ye Zheng know about this."

Huangfu Miaomiao nodded vigorously, a strange sense of happiness washing over her. "Okay! It’ll be our secret!"

Feng Ling chuckled and reached out to ruffle her hair.

Huangfu Miaomiao added with a grin, "I never would’ve guessed. So you’re afraid of Ye Zheng."

"Me? Afraid of her?" Feng Ling rolled her eyes. "I just don’t want to argue with someone who has a 48% Pollution Value. If she really lost it, suppressing her would be a huge pain."

Huangfu Miaomiao nodded in complete agreement. Ye Zheng was truly terrifying when she lost control.

"But what are we going to do..." Huangfu Miaomiao worried on Feng Ling’s behalf. "You’re always going against the Star Association. They’ll get revenge on you sooner or later. If they cause some large-scale terrorist attack in your name, you’ll still be the one who gets blamed."

Feng Ling frowned. "We’ll worry about that later. For now, tonight, we have to catch that escaped Alien Species, no matter what."

As they spoke, they quickly reached Han Xu’s side.

Han Xu was standing at the entrance of a subway station that was under construction. He motioned for Feng Ling to look down into it.

"I ordered my team to keep a safe distance and only use ranged attacks. A sniper hit it, and then it fled in here. The heavy rain from a couple of days ago flooded the subway tunnels, and the water is full of insects. So, I’ve had my men secure the entrances and exits. We’re planning to go in after the water recedes."

After listening, Feng Ling asked, "When will the water recede?"

"A day or two, probably." Han Xu stared into the subway entrance with frustration. "This station is still under construction, so the drainage system isn’t fully functional."

Feng Ling thought for a moment, then started walking toward the entrance. "I’ll go in and take a look."

"Hey!" Han Xu quickly moved to stop her, his expression serious. "Didn’t you hear what I just said? That thing released a ton of insects into the water!"