Chapter 167-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World

Chapter 167 The Mole

The entire Sanitation Center erupted. Every employee received the same message—the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team had decided to launch an investigation across the entire Center.

Everyone on the Sanitation Center's internal forum was eating popcorn.

"What happened? Are they hunting for a mole?"

"No idea. There was an explosion in the Logistics Department yesterday. I heard six people died."

"Six? It was two. Stop spreading panic."

"That's so scary. I've never dealt with the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team before. I heard Team Leader Huo is terrifying—what if I look into her eyes and wet myself?"

"If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear. Got something to hide?"

"Yeah, do you have a problem or something?"

Below, someone replied "fight fight fight," and then someone suddenly asked: "Do you think any of our higher-ups have problems?"

"The more you think about it, the scarier it gets."

The replies below were a solid wall of "The more you think about it, the scarier it gets."

Xie Jiazu, Xuan Qing, and Lu Qiqin sat in a conference room. They too had received the message but hadn't gotten specific instructions yet.

Huo Wenxi's Ability had conditions for activation. Even if she examined people one by one, going through every employee at the Sanitation Center would take more than a day.

Xuan Qing sipped his tea. "Huo Wenxi is getting more and more out of line. Making this big a scene—if she can't produce a convincing report after all this, she'll probably be forced to step down."

They were all part of the same organization—everyone knew how deep the waters ran. Huo Wenxi had no way back now. If she failed to find a single mole or lead, the youngest Investigation Team Leader in history could pack her bags overnight.

Lu Qiqin was displeased. "What's she playing at, treating us like suspects? Even senior leadership has to submit to investigation—who does she think she is?"

Xuan Qing: "I'm rather curious to see what she digs up."

Lu Qiqin rapped the table with one hand. "Come to think of it, everything traces back to Zhu Ning. Ever since she arrived, our entire Center's gone downhill."

Lu Qiqin: "Her very first day on the job, her very first mission, and she runs into a major blunder by our Technology Department. The Mechanical Oceanarium ended up doing the Demon Hunters' job—the Combat Department didn't know where to hide their face."

Lu Qiqin looked at Xuan Qing as he said this. "Didn't you suspect her at the time?"

In the end, Xuan Qing had stopped giving Zhu Ning a hard time on the surface, though he was likely still monitoring her movements in private.

Xuan Qing: "I suspected at the time that she was the person Eternal Pharma was looking for."

Lu Qiqin: "Look at the pattern—first the Technology Department, then the Combat Department, and now Zhu Ning officially belongs to the Cleanup Department but has actually wormed her way into the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team."

Lu Qiqin shook his head as he spoke. "Tsk, tsk, tsk—this woman is no ordinary person. If you ask me, she's the biggest mole of all. Arrest her and interrogate her again—that'll probably put an end to all this."

Xuan Qing didn't take the bait, instead turning to Xie Jiazu: "What does Director Xie think of her?"

Xie Jiazu had always been elusive, but that didn't mean he couldn't read the room. All this veiled probing, barbs disguised as banter—what was going on? Was one of the three of them a mole?

Xie Jiazu yawned. "How would I know? Haven't even met her in person—I only know what you've told me."

Lu Qiqin: "You should pay more attention. You're always running off to the floors above 200—who knows what for."

Xie Jiazu's eyes narrowed. He clearly detected the hostility but smiled. "My department's got nothing to do—no incidents to speak of. I'd love to climb higher."

On the surface he was mocking himself; underneath, he was pointing at the Technology Department's blunders.

Zhu Ning's first mission had been mis-rated, and the Technology Department was the prime suspect—things had been off ever since.

For a moment, all three fell silent—the blundering Technology Department, Xuan Qing with his excessive interest in Zhu Ning, and the perpetually enigmatic Xie Jiazu.

Three pairs of eyes sized each other up, each suspecting one of the others was the mole.

...

The ground-floor lobby of the Sanitation Center was commandeered for temporary use, transformed into a massive screening arena.

Given the sheer number of employees, they were notified in batches for inspection.

This was the first time Zhu Ning had seen the Sanitation Center like this. Huo Wenxi sat in a chair with a simple desk before her. Everyone had to line up and submit to her scrutiny.

Sometimes Huo Wenxi would ask questions; others she'd clear with a single glance. There was no discernible logic to how she used her Ability.

Those who'd been screened were sorted into three groups—Red, Yellow, and Blue.

The employees were puzzled, but since they'd be paid for undergoing the investigation, it became just another part of the job—easier to accept that way.

Employees filed up to Huo Wenxi in orderly fashion, finally laying eyes on the legendary Little Oracle. The Little Oracle would look up, and those eyes held no warmth whatsoever—like a machine.

"Blue."

The bewildered employee walked to the Blue camp, having no idea what Blue meant. They'd have to wait for Huo Wenxi to sort them further.

Honestly, if Zhu Ning hadn't actually witnessed Huo Wenxi use her Ability before, she'd have thought this was a shamanic ritual.

No wonder everyone called Huo Wenxi the Little Oracle—this was mystical to the extreme.

The first person had just been screened and sent to the Blue camp when Zhu Ning whispered to Zhuang Lin, "What do the colors mean?"

She and Zhuang Lin were hidden in the shadows, unseen by anyone. They were the safety net for this whole operation.

Colloquially: Huo Wenxi's muscle.

Zhuang Lin was positioned in a different direction. They communicated through earpieces. "Harmless, pending, harmful."

Zhu Ning asked: "Red, Yellow, Blue—in that order?"

Zhuang Lin shook his head. "No. Only the Team Leader knows."

Zhu Ning suddenly grasped the true purpose behind this seemingly mystical screening. Everyone was in the dark—they had no idea whether they were safe.

Once sorted into a group, people would instinctively study those around them. The truly innocent would remain confused, but those with something to hide would be afraid.

And the more people were screened, the more pronounced that fear would become.

If everyone was in Blue and you alone were in Red, the others would look at you strangely—and you'd feel as though you'd already been exposed.

In short, this was psychological warfare.

Thinking it over, the method actually made a lot of sense. It was designed to erode willpower, letting the pressure of the crowd bear down until the target finally cracked.

Half an hour passed. Blue had the most people at ten; Red had only three; Yellow remained empty.

Three groups, three colors. Everyone seemed to have guessed what the colors meant. In the Blue camp, people were already whispering: "Are we the safe ones?"

"I'm definitely safe—can't speak for you, though."

"Do you think Yellow means you're guilty?"

"I'd guess so."

In an instant, everyone in line caught on. They'd figured out the rules of the game, and those being screened began showing emotion.

At first, everyone had been confused—they had no idea which color they'd be sent to.

Now they had a sense of it. A Cleaner submitted to inspection. Huo Wenxi pronounced: "Blue."

"Yes!" The person couldn't help shouting, turning to brag to their companion. "Told you I was safe."

There it was—someone had openly announced the rules of the game. The group pressure would only intensify.

Every person awaiting inspection felt their heart race, terrified of being sent to Yellow in front of everyone.

"Red." Huo Wenxi pronounced.

The screened individual was visibly unhappy. "Team Leader, could you take another look? There's definitely nothing wrong with me!"

Huo Wenxi shook her head. "Red."

"Team Leader!" they pleaded. "Look at me one more time—I'm really fine!"

A team member maintaining order stepped in. "Sir, please take a seat."

"Damn!" The person cursed, reluctantly walking toward the Red camp. But there were already people there, whistling as if welcoming a new cellmate. "Another unlucky sap? Welcome aboard."

"I'm really fine," the person insisted.

"Save it—don't tell me, tell Team Leader Huo."

A bald, burly man in the Red camp leaned on his knees. "I really want to see who ends up in Yellow."

The Yellow camp remained empty. Humans were social creatures—the pressure they faced was greater than anyone imagined.

The screening proceeded in orderly fashion. Everyone cooperated to prove their innocence. Those sorted into Blue breathed a sigh of relief; those sent to Red weren't happy. But everyone was waiting for something to happen.

Many had initially come just to watch the show, but gradually it felt like they'd become part of it—pooling their collective will to catch the mole.

At first, many hadn't believed there was a mole. Now they were convinced one was among them.

Three hours passed, and still not a single person had been sent to Yellow.

Everyone was growing uncertain—what if there was no mole and this was all a waste of time?

Zhuang Lin had been silent the entire time, then suddenly sighed. Zhu Ning knew the relationship between Zhuang Lin and Huo Wenxi—knew that compared to the mission, he cared more about Huo Wenxi herself.

Zhu Ning asked: "What's wrong?"

Zhuang Lin shook his head. "Nothing."

Zhu Ning thought that didn't look like nothing. "Will Huo Wenxi hold up?"

Most Ability Users had a limit. Where was Huo Wenxi's?

Zhu Ning began paying closer attention to Huo Wenxi's subtle movements. Why did she need a desk?

She suddenly noticed Huo Wenxi discreetly press her left forearm without a change in expression. On the surface she was still working, but privately something seemed wrong.

Beneath her loose blazer, her arm must have been injected with some kind of stimulant to sustain her at peak performance.

Zhu Ning watched Huo Wenxi's arm. "Did the Team Leader inject something?"

Zhuang Lin sounded somewhat helpless. "It enhances her Ability for twelve hours. The side effects are severe."

It was equivalent to running in overdrive. But the human body maintained balance—borrow ahead, and the backlash would double.

Zhu Ning said nothing more. Huo Wenxi was truly remarkable.

Why was the investigation team so efficient? Because Huo Wenxi was racing against time with her very life.

"Blue." Huo Wenxi was visibly fatigued now.

Zhuang Lin glanced at his watch. They'd been at it for six hours. He didn't need to worry—she would call a stop before reaching her absolute limit.

In her position, showing weakness in front of the staff would mean her career was truly over.

Everyone was growing impatient. The whispers had died down. Only Huo Wenxi's calm pronouncements echoed through the hall.

"Yellow." Huo Wenxi said coolly.

Her voice was so cold. Everyone had been worn down to the point that many thought they'd misheard.

Standing before her was a two-meter-tall man. His entire body, save for his head, had been mechanized. His presence was overwhelmingly imposing.

Huo Wenxi repeated: "Yellow."

Huo Wenxi didn't even blink. The man suddenly raised his mechanical arm—his left arm turned red, as if a bomb was encased within.

A bomb needed only an instant to detonate. This man intended to kill Huo Wenxi.

Huo Wenxi had given herself no protection whatsoever—not even a sheet of bulletproof glass. Zhu Ning recalled that Huo Wenxi's body was fragile. People with powerful analytical Abilities typically had little capacity for self-defense—let alone against an eighty-percent-mechanized brute.

The fact that Huo Wenxi dared do this could only mean one thing—she was using herself as bait, luring the enemy into making a move.

Any mole would have entertained the thought of killing Huo Wenxi. She appeared completely undefended, with the nearest guard three meters away.

Anyone would be tempted to try—killing Huo Wenxi would mean eliminating a formidable adversary.

For Huo Wenxi, this was the real meaning of startling the snake—dangerous, but effective.

Zhu Ning cursed inwardly—what breed of lunatic was Huo Wenxi?

The man was close to Huo Wenxi. Within one second, he could easily kill her.

Zhuang Lin and Zhu Ning moved simultaneously. Zhuang Lin fired with one hand while raising a defensive shield in front of Huo Wenxi with the other.

The mechanical man had barely raised his arm when he saw a bullet heading his way. At the same time, a strange force bore down on every inch of his body—unspeakable, unquestionable.

Every component in the mechanical man's body began rotating counterclockwise simultaneously. A metal-type Ability User—the domain of absolute control, precise enough to manipulate a single tiny screw. Sparks flew as they spun.

BANG!

In one second, the mechanical man was hurled backward by the invisible force—so abruptly that it scattered the line behind him. Bystanders scrambled out of the way.

His arm slammed into a massive stone pillar. A thunderous explosion followed—his mechanical arm had detonated completely, blasting a charred crater into the pillar.

Clatter—

Zhu Ning's Metal Manipulation had an absolute range of twenty meters. Fortunately, the man was mechanized—otherwise she couldn't possibly have reacted in time.

Zhu Ning remained hidden while Zhuang Lin had already rushed to Huo Wenxi's side. Zhu Ning's heart pounded—her instincts told her this was far from over.

Her gaze followed the mechanical man's remains. His torso—entirely mechanical metal—had long since been blasted to fragments.

Eerily, the man's head had fallen off and rolled away with a clatter, emitting a faint thud as it hit the wall.

More than half of those present were Demon Hunters—a severed head wouldn't scare them. But for a moment, it was hard to accept: the mole had been real all along.

Then something even more unexpected happened. The head's eyes were wide open, seemingly defiant even in death. The skull was pulsing—as if something was crawling beneath the skin, like parasitic worms.

Squelch—

Everyone stared at the head, then involuntarily took half a step back. Dozens of arms burst from the pitted surface of the skull—protruding from the eyeballs, mouth, and tongue—each with five tiny fingers that could flex and move.

The arms extended and the head swelled with them—in the blink of an eye, it had ballooned to ten meters tall.

A head covered in arms had sprung up abruptly in the dead center of the Sanitation Center's lobby—like some grotesque art installation, or a magnified virus model. All anyone could do was crane their necks and stare.

"Contaminant!" A Demon Hunter recognized it instantly, already shifting into combat mode. "Everyone, fall back!"

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