Chapter 303: Detention

Just one day later.Su Zhan was stopped again on another, even more remote path by two exhausted-looking field agents from the Aberrant Purge Division.

As usual, they demanded identification, and as usual, it was fruitless.

As usual, Su Zhan pretended to be crazy and trembled with fear.

After checking the information on his tablet, one of them frowned and said to his partner, "The database is flagged. All personnel recently found without identification, traveling alone, and moving continuously southward require priority assessment. New orders from above: all such highly suspicious individuals are to be temporarily detained for in-depth screening before being released."

His partner looked at the filthy Su Zhan, his face showing reluctance. "Detained? Him? Look at him. He's clearly a lunatic. Wouldn't taking him back just be a waste of resources? We'd have to feed him, find someone to watch him..."

The first man sighed, his tone helpless. "Who says otherwise? I don't think it's necessary either, but what if he's faking it? Though he doesn't look like it to me... But that's what the newly parachuted-in Chief Commander demanded. Whether he's crazy or not is one thing;whether we follow orders is another. Brother, it's better to avoid trouble. Let's just follow the regulations, or we'll be the ones in trouble."

Hearing this, Su Zhan's heart sank sharply.

Detain them all?

This order was too ruthless!

It was a case of rather arresting a thousand by mistake than letting one slip through the net!

Su Zhan immediately began to struggle more violently.

But he kept this struggle within the level a typical vagrant might possess.

His limbs flailed wildly but with little strength. He let out a shrill, mournful wail, his body writhing on the ground, trying to break free, yet it all seemed so futile.

Seeing his pitiful state, both field agents wore extremely uncomfortable expressions.

They felt like they were bullying a fool.

This made their basic human morality feel uneasy.

One man tried to pin Su Zhan down while whispering a complaint to his partner, "Damn, this job... it's so damn frustrating. Sorry, brother, it's all the higher-ups' orders. We have no choice..."

The other also wore a bitter face, helping while chiming in, "Sigh, try to understand. That Chief Commander they parachuted in is ridiculously strict. The brothers have been working non-stop these past few days, not even getting enough sleep, all for fear of making a mistake and him catching us out. Just detain him. If the screening shows no problem, they'll let him go. He's just unlucky."

The two finally subdued Su Zhan, each taking an arm to lift him up, preparing to take him to a nearby temporary detention point.

One of them muttered, "What terrible luck, getting stuck with this kind of duty. It's all that parachuted-in Commander Qin's fault, being so strict, not even letting a lunatic go..."

The other immediately picked up, as if finding a vent for his frustration, "Exactly! That Qin guy, new official, three fires to light, has really screwed us over! If it weren't for his ironclad order, who'd want to touch this filthy, stinking..."

Talking like this seemed to shift the blame onto this superior, making them feel forced and giving them psychological comfort.

Qin!?

Su Zhan's body stiffened for an instant.

Qin Bai! It must be him!

Su Zhan knew this man all too well.

Back at the Vermilion Bird Academy, it was Qin Bai who had watched him like a venomous snake, suspected him, and ultimately forced him into a corner.

If not for Qin Bai, he wouldn't have been forced to expose his Aberrant identity, wouldn't have fled desperately into the Mist World to survive that desperate year-plus, and certainly wouldn't be skulking around like a rat in the gutter now, suffering all this humiliation!

Qin Bai's style was ruthless, suspicious, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals, believing in killing a thousand by mistake rather than letting one go!

If he were really captured by him, the so-called screening would absolutely not be just a formality!

What awaited him would inevitably be severe torture and mental torment, until every last bit of value was squeezed out, or he was secretly executed after being confirmed worthless!

"Can't go in! Absolutely cannot go in!"

All previous hesitation and weighing of options were instantly thrown to the winds.

With Qin Bai involved, continuing the disguise was equivalent to waiting for death.

"Exposure it is! Better than falling into his hands and wishing for death!"

A surge of ferocity rose from the depths of his heart.

Su Zhan's hatred for Qin Bai was burning.

When he gained enough power... the first one he would kill was Qin Bai!

But now, he wasn't strong enough yet, and he was still in danger.

The immediate priority was to escape this peril.

Su Zhan's arms, which were being held, suddenly shook violently.

A tremendous force erupted abruptly.

He no longer suppressed the physical strength within his body that belonged to a peak High-risk powerhouse.

Although he still maintained a human form, the force that suddenly erupted was far beyond what these two low-level Awakened individuals could match.

"Crack!"

"Ah!"

The two field agents only felt an irresistible, immense force surge from Su Zhan's arms. The wrists of the hands gripping his arms were instantly broken by the shockwave.

Excruciating pain made them instinctively let go. The force sent them staggering backward, falling to the ground.

Su Zhan gave them no chance to react or call for help. His hands clamped onto their throats.

"Guh..."

Their eyes widened in terror. Before they could even see what was happening, they felt a sharp pain in their throat bones. Their vision went dark, and they completely lost consciousness, going limp on the ground, devoid of life.

From the eruption to dealing with the two, the entire process took no more than two seconds.

Not a trace of Mist Energy or Aberrant Form was used, relying purely on physical strength.

Su Zhan didn't even glance at the two on the ground, let alone bother to cover his tracks.

He spun around sharply and, like an arrow shot from a bow, sprinted wildly toward the depths of the densely vegetated mountain forest.

Run!

From the moment he acted, the disguise was completely shattered.

Qin Bai would definitely receive the news immediately.

But he had no other choice.

Falling into Qin Bai's hands would only lead to a worse fate.

His figure darted swiftly between the trees, stirring up a whistling wind.

Su Zhan had to get as far away from the scene as possible before the other side could encircle him, making a final, desperate dash toward the direction of Black City.

...

The encrypted communicators clipped to the belts of the two corpses rang.

The call lasted about twenty seconds.

No one answered.

On the other end of the communicator was the temporary command center set up in a nearby town.

An operator responsible for communications frowned and called into the microphone again, "Team 17, this is Command Center. Respond if you receive. Repeat, Team 17, respond if you receive."

The operator's face changed slightly. He raised his voice, "Team 17, respond immediately if you hear this! Report your status!"

Dead silence.

The operator called three times in a row. Each time, it was like a stone sinking into the sea.

He immediately tapped the keyboard, pulling up the real-time positioning of that team.

He abruptly pressed another communication button, reporting urgently to his superior:

"Command Center reporting! Team 17, designation number 17, has suddenly lost contact in the Old Highway Section of Southern Zone 7. Last signal fixed five minutes ago. Multiple calls unanswered. Request immediate dispatch of a rapid response team to confirm the situation!"