Evil As Humans, page 220
“Lu Xiaohe.” There was a hint of warning in Li Nian’s tone.
“Well, they went out and are not here. It’s after work hours now. If there’s something, contact me tomorrow.”
After saying that, she abruptly ended the call.
“…It seems I have to go with you.”
Li Nian tightened his grip on the thermos slowly.
“The situation there seems off. Let’s set up protection in the area and ensure safety before making contact.”
Xiang Jiang raised an eyebrow in response.
“Do you need a specially deployed task force? If not, I’ll arrange it myself.”
Midway through writing the application, Xiang Jiang suddenly asked.
“No, you arrange it.”
……
Early the next morning.
Beeping electronic notifications sounded. Lu Xiaohe had stayed up all night making her eyes sore and dry. She poured the remaining energy drink into her throat.
The devices of Huang Jin and Ge Tingting once again showed a location signal; this time at the water pavilion near the back mountain. Lu Xiaohe wiped her face and looked at the two strange talismans attached to the monitor.
Two peculiar talismans silently adhered to a powered-off monitor. Their vermilion marks were bright, like blood.
Lu Xiaohe weakly smiled, reaching for the communication button. Her movements were shaky, and she accidentally knocked over the stack of beverage cans, which scattered and rolled around with a clattering noise.
“What’s wrong?” Yin Ren’s voice came through, accompanied by chewing sounds.
“The devices of Huang Jin and Ge Tingting suddenly lost their response, and they didn’t come back last night. Their location just appeared near the back mountain. There might be something going on.”
Lu Xiaohe glanced at the label “Shian Public Channel” and cleared her throat as she spoke in an icy tone.
“They didn’t come back? Why didn’t you tell us yesterday?” Yin Ren stopped chewing, and his voice instantly became louder.
“I thought you had arranged it. Are you sure you want to discuss this now?”
“Never mind, how far is the water pavilion near the back mountain from here?” Yin Ren’s voice suddenly turned serious, mixed with just the right amount of urgency. “That girl caused trouble again last night and said she would go to the back mountain in the morning—”
“It’s right at the water pavilion near the back mountain.”
“…We’ll get prepared on our end and go there. You should quickly report the situation.”
“Understood,” Lu Xiaohe responded indifferently.
Finally, she ended the communication, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and looked at the two talismans.
Beside those two talismans stood a movable blackboard, covered in densely written words:
[1. When in contact with others, there will be sudden intense emotional fluctuations within five minutes, lasting for more than 30 minutes. √
2. Emotional fluctuations lead to a large number of negative thoughts about current work. √
3. Negative thoughts specifically involve strong hatred and suspicion towards team members and colleagues. √
All of the above are applicable, and it is highly suspected of being affected by psychic interference. It is best to act according to the affected style and immediately contact the most hated companion privately and explain the situation. Remember, companions around you are always more trustworthy than strangers.]
[Companions around you are always more trustworthy than strangers.]
These words were repeated over and over, filling every corner of the whiteboard. The handwriting started becoming incredibly messy, resembling a child’s practice, but then those sentences became neater and bolder, indicating that the writer had exerted more force. The subsequent ink faded, and the writing turned into a suspicious reddish-brown blood color.
“This is the first time I’ve been affected… It feels like hell.”
Lu Xiaohe extended her bandaged right index finger, tore open a packet of bread, and took a fierce bite. She glanced at the task assigned to Shian on the public channel, then opened a can of energy drink.
“A fragile mental state really isn’t suitable for staying up all night.”
She swallowed the soft bread and couldn’t help but close her eyes. The image from yesterday at noon seemed to still be before her eyes—
After communication from the hospital was cut off, Lu Xiaohe’s heart sank into an abyss. She quickly skimmed through the janitor’s information and closed the page, but the intense hatred toward Yin Ren was like a potent poison, constantly corroding her nerves.
Pain and worry filled her mind. She didn’t want to do anything, didn’t want…to be affected.
Her current state absolutely couldn’t be affected.
Lu Xiaohe gritted her teeth and struggled to stand up, picking up the pen next to the whiteboard.
She almost squeezed out all of her rationality before she could summarize the current situation. During the writing process, the surging rejection seemed to grip her brain, forcing her to abandon writing and immerse herself in the worry for her loved ones.
[Companions around you are always more trustworthy than strangers.]
But Zhang Hejun’s description of the characteristics was so accurate…
[Companions around you are always more trustworthy than strangers.]
However, Yin Ren’s attention wasn’t currently focused on exploring the Other Side, which was also a fact. The promise to save her mother was merely a verbal agreement…
[Companions around you are always more trustworthy than…]
She wrote it countless times until the ink of the marker ran out. Lu Xiaohe tightly grasped the pen, gasping for breath. Sweat covered her whole body, making her look as if she had just crawled out of water.
She bit her fingertip hard, using the pain to forcefully write the last word.
[Trust.]
The entire whiteboard was filled with words. Lu Xiaohe pressed the communication device with trembling hands. Just as she was about to speak, she saw the mark of “Shian Public Channel” and swallowed the unspoken words.
“Yin Ren, come to the base. Your signature is needed for the incident involving the puppet being poisoned.” Lu Xiaohe suppressed the trembling in her voice and spoke with a flat tone.
On the screen, she opened the janitor’s information again and forced herself to read it repeatedly.
“A signature?”
Not long after, Yin Ren swiftly returned to the base. He deliberately displayed his figure, hovering in the air without any proper form.
“I’m here. Where are the documents? I need to sign them quickly and go…”
Before he could finish speaking, the young Yin Ren’s red eyes suddenly turned, locking onto Lu Xiaohe.
“It’s rare to see killing intent in you.” Lord Ghost King floated in front of Lu Xiaohe. His previously relaxed tone vanished.
Before Lu Xiaohe could reply, Yin Ren directly pressed his hand against her forehead. Seeing the real person suddenly appear in front of her, hatred surged within her, and Lu Xiaohe instinctively wanted to dodge. However, under the strength of that hand, her feet felt as heavy as a thousand kilograms, and she became like a stone sculpture, unable to even move her fingers.
Yin Ren muttered an obscure and unintelligible spell in a low voice, and a warm white light gradually lit up around them, as gentle as the morning sun.
In the next moment, Lu Xiaohe felt as if she had stepped from a stuffy and foul-smelling room to the outdoors. A cool breeze blew, and the hatred and pain instantly dissipated. Her drowsy mind became much clearer in an instant.
Those poisonous emotions seemed to be separated by a thick barrier. They could still touch her heart, but they could no longer interfere with her thoughts.
“…A thousand years ago, your current state would be the standard ‘losing control’ state, the kind that can be fatal.”
After the spell was completed, Yin Ren didn’t show a relieved expression. He leaned closer to Lu Xiaohe’s face, gently sniffing the air around her. His voice became more serious.
“But there are no traces of magic nearby. The technique was too clean. Lu Xiaohe, tell me everything about who you just interacted with, what they said, and what they did. Don’t leave out a single word.”
Lu Xiaohe took a long sigh and opened the refrigerator, taking out two bottles of chilled drinks and casually tossing one to Yin Ren.
“Coincidentally, I was planning to do that.”
Lu Xiaohe pressed the cold drink against her temple, still feeling a lingering fear.
“Oh, right. Remember to contact Ge Tingting and Huang Jin later. I don’t dare to use the public channel, in case it alerts the enemy…”
“I saw them just now. They were heading towards the cafeteria. Don’t worry, I guarantee that I can stop them before they leave the cafeteria.”
Yin Ren stood in front of her, instantly transforming back into an adult appearance. His long black hair flowed like water, and his oversized school uniform transformed into a dark red robe. The once Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi had a solemn expression on his face as he moved his hands intentionally or unintentionally, as if performing finger gestures.
“Now you can speak. Remember, don’t leave out any details.”
……
Another round of beeping sounded, interrupting Lu Xiaohe’s hasty recollection. She leaned back in her chair—
The marker representing Yin Ren had moved to the water pavilion near the back mountain, in close proximity to the markers representing Ge Tingting and Huang Jin. Although she couldn’t be detected, that girl named Luo Chunlei was most likely also at the scene.
“It’s time.”
Lu Xiaohe clenched her fists tightly and then slowly released them. She took a deep breath and sent out the drones. They would patrol around the back mountains and capture any changes, then present their data in front of her.
“Make sure to win, all four of you.”
Evil As Humans Ch201
Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
* * *
Chapter 201: A Set Up
Schools, like hospitals, were considered special places. The current situation was unclear, and Li Nian couldn’t mobilize the same manpower that surrounded the hospital like before. He could only do his best to deploy several teams to evacuate crowded areas near the school and cut off all access routes to the school.
Xiang Jiang, on the other hand, commanded various special task forces to set up sealing arrays around the school. Although Xiang Jiang had never directly fought against a Primordial Elemental, he had made significant progress in “sealing gaps and corruption”.
Before the protective measures could be fully prepared, a Shian police car honked, attempting to enter the school area.
At a glance, Li Nian recognized the license plate of that car.
He waved off the staff and approached personally. “…Fu Xingchuan, have you gone mad?”
“Good morning, Lao Li. Want some fried dough sticks? I have one left.” Fu Xingchuan rolled down the car window.
He wasn’t wearing a red uniform and was dressed casually, with a breakfast bag in his arms. “I was actually going to ask what madness you’re up to, wandering around outside for no reason… Or did Unit 9 cause trouble again? There’s no need to mobilize the Emergency Management Department for that, right?”
Li Nian neither took the fried dough stick nor responded to his remarks.
Fu Xingchuan glanced at the surrounding sealing measures and made clicking sounds with his tongue, expressing sentiments like, “Only witness the laughter of newcomers, but never see the tears of the old1” and “It’s heartbreaking to be this cautious2”.
1Proverb conveying the idea that people often focus on the positive and happy aspects of new or unfamiliar situations, while ignoring or being unaware of the challenges, hardships, or difficulties faced by those who have been through similar experiences before.
2Saying that conveys the sentiment that investing a great amount of effort, time, or resources into preparing for something can lead to emotional distress or anxiety.
“There’s a suspicious situation, and there may be a gap risk. Xiang Jiang and I happen to have some free time, so we came to take a look around.”
Li Nian pressed the veins on his forehead while his gaze swept toward the back seat of the sedan—Sun Qi’an and Zhang Hejun were sitting there, wearing identical expressions of confusion.
“Ah, gap risk?” Fu Xingchuan patted the steering wheel and raised his voice. “Hey, Dr. Sun, it’s not appropriate to go back to school now. Why don’t you persuade Xiao Zhang to wait another day if she has any questions? She still needs to take care of her health. It’s not urgent.”
Without hesitation, Sun Qi’an turned around. “Hejun, the authorities are still investigating. Shall we go back for now?”
Zhang Hejun stared at the school gate, not answering.
“It was against the rules for you to come out this time. But you kept insisting, so the hospital made a concession by having me accompany you.” Sun Qi’an sighed. “Considering your physical condition, in case… if your parents start causing trouble later, it won’t be easy for me either.”
“I want to see Luo Chunlei. I must see her.”
Zhang Hejun finally responded.
“I have hallucinations every time I close my eyes. In those hallucinations, she keeps throwing dirt at me, sprinkling it all over my brain… I have to talk to her face-to-face. I must see her…”
Zhang Hejun’s eyes were wide open, unblinking like a cold-blooded animal. Her gaze was directed into emptiness, and her tone carried a peculiar excitement typical of a patient, sending chills down one’s spine.
Seeing this, Sun Qi’an shook her head helplessly.
“See?” Fu Xingchuan shrugged at Li Nian. “I went to the hospital to check on my leg, and I saw this little girl rushing out like she had gone mad. To be honest, her case doesn’t have much direct relation to the corruption source. I thought since I had nothing else to do, I would bring her here.”
“Her physical recovery is going well, but there are some issues with her mental state. If it continues like this, something might happen, and the hospital can’t do much about it. Minister Li, can you make a compromise?” Sun Qi’an tidied her slightly messy hair and turned to Li Nian.
“And what about Luo Chunlei’s safety? She’s still a minor, and this behavior is simply reckless.” Li Nian pointed out directly.
“We’ll let her into the school, and she’ll come out later. Mr. Fu and I will keep an eye on her.” Sun Qi’an stepped out of the car, lowering her voice. “We won’t let them meet for sure. Bringing her here is just an attempt to calm her down… Look, this is the certificate from the hospital.”
Li Nian observed it for a while.
“Li Nian.”
Not far away, Xiang Jiang impatiently interjected.
“Fine, go ahead.” Li Nian stepped back from the car. “You can move around within the campus, but you’re not allowed to enter classrooms, the playground, or the back mountain. Fu Xingchuan, keep an eye on them.”
“Got it.” Fu Xingchuan stepped on the accelerator.
Li Nian watched the black sedan slowly move forward and head towards the school gate. After a while, he faintly saw Fu Xingchuan rolling down the car window and talking to the security guard.
Fu Xingchuan’s maroon jacket was slightly wrinkled, indicating that he hadn’t had time to change clothes yesterday.
Yesterday afternoon.
As usual, Fu Xingchuan was investigating the corruption source near the school, diligently fulfilling his duties as a consultant. However, he couldn’t dress too conspicuously while patrolling the streets, so he wore this maroon outfit.
At least that was how Mr. Fu was dressed when Li Nian arrived. At that time, the two of them met in a noisy private room of an internet café, looking as if they were about to engage in some illicit activities. Li Nian subconsciously searched for the color red and glanced at Fu Xingchuan three times without stopping.
“Yin Ren contacted me suddenly, using a strand of hair.”
Fu Xingchuan dragged his old partner into the conversation without beating around the bush.
“There’s a large Elemental inside the school, and there seem to be other Elementals cooperating outside the school. Sun Qi’an and Zhang Hejun from Haigu Municipal Hospital… well, they have some ‘unfavorable background’.”
Li Nian: “…”
It was known that the Evil Spirits were monsters formed from the remains of a Primordial Elemental, and Shian had to exert all its strength to control them. It was also known that two powerful Elementals were lurking near the school, and Qi Xin, who was wandering outside, had not been found yet. Including the deceased Mr. Qiu, there were enough Elementals who had descended to form a table of Mahjong.
At this point, what else could their Haigu branch do?
Li Nian suddenly felt an eerie calmness. “Go on.”
“According to Yin Ren, the Elemental he killed before represented ‘Disgust’, and Qi Xin represents ‘Sorrow’. If his information is correct, the Elemental in the school represents ‘Joy’, and the external cooperation is most likely…”
“’Love’,” Li Nian completed the sentence. It was the missing piece of the four classifications separated by Shian from emotional data. Fantastic! The four leaders from the Other Side came to inspect.
“So, why did Yin Ren contact you?” Professor Li politely swallowed back the words, “What use do you have?”
“It’s similar to Mr. Qiu. These bastards just poked their fingers over here. Their true bodies are still on the Other Side, and the avatars here are not invincible.”
Fu Xingchuan lowered his duckbill cap, wearing a mischievous smile on his face.
“If they could truly be invincible, why would they specifically target this school and set up a trap for Yin Ren and the others?”
