Chapter 59: Thank You for the Compliments [Revision]
“Hello.”
After a moment of waiting, seeing that Jiang Li had not spoken for a long time, Xing Yuan slightly adjusted her tone and cautiously probed, “Is this the Pelican Lady?”
Xing Yuan was responsible for overseeing numerous Siye Association Operatives who conducted various undercover missions; there were at least eighty of them. She knew all too well that if the Gray Owl Badge were to inadvertently fall into the hands of an illegal Spirit Energy Organization, recklessly calling out their names would have dire consequences. Every year, too many Siye Association operatives lost their lives for revealing important information at the wrong time to the wrong people.
Hearing Xing Yuan’s voice, Jiang Li felt as though she had suddenly woken up from a dream; the image of Shen Baiwei in her mind dispersed abruptly.
She was dazed for two seconds and then regained her composure, sensing Xing Yuan’s concern. She hurriedly explained, “Sorry, I just zoned out for a moment… It’s safe here.”
“Ah!” Upon receiving Jiang Li’s response, Xing Yuan sighed in relief, saying, “Jiang Li, please don’t zone out during times that can easily cause misunderstandings, alright? I’m getting old; my heart can’t take it.”
“What made you think to contact me suddenly? Didn’t we just speak a little while ago?”
“The case has new developments,” Jiang Li said. “I just accessed Shen Baiwei’s memories from about a week ago, and I found important clues in them.”
After a pause, she added, “The method to obtain Shen Baiwei’s memory is the memory crystal that Crimson Pelican creates using special alchemical instruments, which I mentioned to you before.”
“Ah, I remember that thing,” Xing Yuan replied. “Please continue.”
At the mention, Jiang Li recalled the horrific scenes she had witnessed on Bai Rou Ming Island, took a deep breath, and quietly shared her discomfort. “A large number of the lost deities and Spiritual Ability Users mentioned in the materials you gave me have already died; their corpses are currently on Bai Rou Ming Island.” Following that, according to Shen Baiwei’s hypothesis, she added, “It seems they were used by Tethys Laboratory as sacrifices for some kind of ritual and perished during the offering process.”
“Sacrifices?” Xing Yuan couldn’t help but curse, “d*mn! When will those bastards from the Solar Eclipse Society learn to behave?!”
However… Jiang Li thought for a moment and shared her speculation with Xing Yuan, “I suspect that Tethys Laboratory’s ritual did not succeed. In Shen Baiwei’s memories, I saw the ruins of Tethys Laboratory.”
“It seems Tethys Laboratory was subjected to some sort of devastating attack… Based on the scene filled with corpses, even if there are survivors, they won’t be many.”
“Is that so?” Xing Yuan pondered for two seconds, then smirked, “Hmph, those who do evil deeds eventually come to a bad end… Those guys should have anticipated this day.”
The experiments conducted by the Solar Eclipse Society, including Tethys Laboratory and several major research institutions, always aimed to obtain catastrophe-grade powers through some unconventional means and then control them via special methods for their own use.
But, is it really so easy to obtain and control catastrophe-level powers?
It’s simply like a reckless child driving a fuel truck downtown; they might speed wildly for a while, but disaster is inevitable.
The most critical issue is that innocent bystanders on the entire street might also suffer.
After sarcastic laughter, Xing Yuan collected her emotions and continued, “It’s a shame that those lost deities appearing on Bai Rou Ming Island are already dead; the trail ends here, and we can’t obtain any more useful information.”
“Mm.” Jiang Li lightly responded. She agreed with Xing Yuan’s viewpoint.
The appearance of a large number of lost deities’ corpses on Bai Rou Ming Island only proves that Tethys Laboratory, or the Solar Eclipse Society, acquired those lost deities through some means; it does not prove that the Solar Eclipse Society is the true culprit behind a series of kidnapping cases.
Though Jiang Li despised the Solar Eclipse Society, she had not lost her rationality to blame them for everything in the absence of evidence.
Doing so could very well let the real culprit escape.
By the way… Xing Yuan suddenly recalled something and asked, “You just mentioned that Tethys Laboratory suffered a devastating attack… Are there any suspects worth investigating?”
Tethys Laboratory is one of the most critical laboratories under the Solar Eclipse Society, holding the highest specifications.
Whoever could annihilate Tethys Laboratory must be an extremely dangerous entity.
Even if they aren’t on the Siye Association’s red wanted list, they should be on the wanted lists of other Spirit Energy Organizations of equal rank.
If they’re on the wanted list, relevant intelligence is naturally indispensable; just a little detail related to their powers can provide a rough estimate of their identity.
At some point in the future, in the old apartment where Jiang Li was renting.
The sky was gloomy, and through the window, a dim gray hue covered the room.
Shen Baiwei sat at the desk, her gaze fixed on a new notebook in her hands, her expression anxious. “d*mn! Please don’t tell that inspector everything; this could get me killed, you know?”
Not all members of the Siye Association could be trusted.
At least not in her case.
The only Siye Association operative she could trust was Jiang Li. This was a forced decision made even before understanding the situation, when the notebook unexpectedly established a subtle connection with Jiang Li’s consciousness.
And Lu Yibei… was no longer considered a Siye Association operative. His thunderous shout outside the Five Gates had already led to his removal from the Siye Association.
Under the premise of distrust towards the Siye Association, Shen Baiwei did not want Jiang Li to disclose that she had been using her powers to jump through time to escape Ying Huo’s pursuit and was eventually trapped in the future.
Heaven knows what actions the Siye Association would take upon discovering that someone like her, a Spiritual Ability User who could potentially create “conventional calamity-level events,” existed in the world.
It was just like in some stories where those with superpowers suddenly get noticed by relevant departments.
Being protected or being captured and dissected were all possibilities!
[Don’t respond, don’t respond!]
The image of Shen Baiwei and the words she had written in the notebook rushed back into Jiang Li’s mind like a thief breaking in.
Jiang Li’s eyes twitched slightly as she organized her thoughts before resuming communication with Xing Yuan.
“Ying Huo, when Shen Baiwei arrived at the ruins of Tethys Laboratory, she was locked onto by a catastrophe-level Spirit Energy fluctuation and then pursued by that energy. She suspected that the source of that energy was a member of the Elders’ Council codenamed Ying Huo.”
She guessed that Xing Yuan wanted to identify the true culprit behind the destruction of Tethys Laboratory, report to the guardians, and prepare a record in advance. She also figured out that Shen Baiwei did not trust Xing Yuan and didn’t want to reveal more details.
Most importantly, her powers judged that helping Shen Baiwei was the right thing to do.
So, when she discussed with Xing Yuan, she intentionally omitted some details.
When did it start? Why do I always have to help these “criminals”? Jiang Li pondered, rubbing her slightly swollen temples.
Then, she suddenly remembered.
She had experienced many similar situations with Lu Yibei, and she had long become an accomplice of his “crimes.”
“Hiss!” After hearing Jiang Li’s words, Xing Yuan inhaled air through her teeth.
“Ying Huo? You’re saying that Shen Baiwei was pursued by Ying Huo, and yet she managed to survive?!
This sounds as unbelievable as surviving a nuclear explosion.
Even if Shen Baiwei suffered severe injuries and is still in a coma, escaping from the hands of the most brutal and feared members of the Solar Eclipse Society still seems unbelievable.
However…” After calming down a bit, Xing Yuan murmured her doubts, “Isn’t the Elders’ Council supposed to be…”
After a pause, she switched tracks to explain, “Sorry, I haven’t been able to inform you yet due to a lack of concrete evidence… There was information returned by an operative infiltrating the Solar Eclipse Society that after an attack by what was referred to as the New Elders’ Council, the Elders’ Council has been out of contact for days.”
“This incident startled the guardians; after repeated divinations by Lord Black Emperor, it was inferred that the Elders’ Council suffered heavy losses, but it now seems that things are somewhat different from the guardians’ deductions.”
“I think I need to immediately report this situation to the guardians… Jiang Li, do you have anything else to tell me? If not, I fear I must take my leave first.”
Jiang Li fell silent for a moment.
She recalled the passage Shen Baiwei had written to prove her claim of being “trapped in the future.”
“Mm, there is one more thing I’m slightly concerned about.”
She tried to adopt a casual tone and asked nonchalantly, “Have you heard of any signs of Spirit Energy attack incidents in Hong Kong City recently? When I was at the Iris Hotel, I heard some strange rumors from certain homeless individuals and lone Spiritual Ability Users. I suspect that a large-scale Spirit Energy attack might occur in Hong Kong City soon.”
If she directly told Xing Yuan that she had obtained intel from future Shen Baiwei, she guessed that Xing Yuan wouldn’t believe it.
As of now, the existence of “future Shen Baiwei” was still uncertain and could only be considered speculation.
“Oh?” Xing Yuan thought for a moment and said, “No, as far as I remember, there haven’t been any reports like that up until before you contacted me.”
“Could it be that those guys are just jumping to conclusions? You know how those lone Spiritual Ability Users are; they believed absurd rumors about mummies on the Titanic for over a hundred years, almost getting the Night Alliance into big trouble…”
Jiang Li…
She felt that Xing Yuan had a point.
After all, reporting a “false alarm” could lead to trouble—it’s a crime!
However, Xing Yuan shifted gears, “I’ll contact the Southern Region’s inspectorate and have them remind the Siye Association in Hong Kong City to keep an eye out, just in case!”
“Is that so?” Jiang Li nodded thoughtfully, acknowledging Xing Yuan’s proposal, “Then I have no objections on my end.”
“Great! Let’s leave it at that for now.” Xing Yuan responded and quickly cut off the connection of the Gray Owl Badge.
“Ahh!”
Putting away the Gray Owl Badge into its hidden compartment in the desk, Jiang Li leaned back in her chair, supporting her forehead with one hand, and let out a long sigh, as if she had just accomplished something significant.
At that moment, the image of Shen Baiwei flashed through her mind again.
[Thank you, thank you for helping me keep this secret; you really are a good person!]
“It’s nothing, I promised to protect you first, and discussing with Inspector Xing Yuan comes later; I’m just keeping my promise.”
Jiang Li’s calm voice echoed across the desk, which was illuminated softly in the pre-dawn light.
It felt a bit like a split personality talking to herself.
Back when she was trapped in the dungeon of Wases, her neighbor had a similar issue and was almost constantly conversing with themselves.
But she didn’t find her current behavior particularly similar to that neighbor’s.
She was merely trying—trying to communicate with Shen Baiwei. It wasn’t fair to let Shen Baiwei run wild in her mind without her saying a word!
After waiting for a moment and not seeing Shen Baiwei’s image appear again, Jiang Li’s expression grew solemn. What exactly is wrong?
She turned her head, glancing toward the floor mirror not far away. In the light, she could see the faint reflection of a girl showing symptoms of Spirit Pattern deviation.
Could it be… that there is actually no Shen Baiwei trapped in the future?
Shen Baiwei’s sudden “disappearance” made Jiang Li doubt the authenticity of what she had just witnessed.
Hallucinations that affect the mind are indeed common symptoms of Spirit Pattern deviation.
And the slight deviation in her Spirit Patterns was primarily caused by Shen Baiwei’s memories. So, it made sense that Jiang Li, in a state of Spirit Pattern deviation, could dream of future Shen Baiwei, right?
If that’s the case, was it too hasty to help Shen Baiwei keep secrets earlier? Jiang Li thought she might need to report the situation back to Inspector Xing Yuan.
Perhaps she should ignore the hallucinations in her mind.
First, stabilize the condition of the Spirit Patterns?
Hey, hey, hey! Don’t have such strange doubts, okay? I absolutely exist!
The figure of Shen Baiwei vigorously writing appeared in Jiang Li’s mind once more.
My neighbor’s second personality also said something like that to me… Jiang Li inwardly retorted and replied with a blank expression, “I’m sorry, though I decided to protect you as best as I could even before you made that request, I still can’t completely trust you right now.”
[Z Country people don’t deceive Z Country people! Surely that’s enough?]
“It’s useless; the data shows you have one-eighth Russian ancestry.”
Jiang Li crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrows slightly raised, and said faintly, “We’ll talk about it once the situation in Hong Kong City has been confirmed.”
[You win! You and Calamity are definitely birds of a feather… why is your paranoia so severe?]
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Shen Baiwei’s image froze for a moment before slowly drawing six dots on the notebook…
