Chapter 35: Arrest Operation (Part 2)

With that thought, Fan Jie did not hesitate at all. At the first moment, the button phone was already in his hand.

At the same time, he pulled the aberrant hair he had just subdued out from his heart. Once again, it was that sensation that was both painful and pleasurable.

Good. Be obedient.

For our first battle, we’ll use these people to establish—

Before the sickly smile could surface, Fan Jie only felt a gust of wind sweep past his eyes. Then something slammed heavily into his back.

“Ah!”

With a scream, he flew forward, landed face-first, and hit the ground hard like a dog eating dirt.

Agony.

His face hurt as if it had been smashed entirely into his skull.

His mind was already blank.

What… was that?

…

Chen Yi did not hesitate. With a clear target, he walked straight into the depths of the university.

Behind him followed three full-strength Night Watchers squads. Someone among them was even holding a gun, which gave him a full sense of security.

The unique stench of aberrations was extremely obvious. Very soon, even Xun Shiming behind him smelled it.

Compared with an aberration’s pure foulness, this smell clearly could not be considered sharp. It was a muffled stink, the unique smell of that group of awakened people.

A team member even asked in confusion through the earpiece, “How strange. Why do these awakened people always discover aberrations before we do?”

“They definitely didn’t know before. They only started beating us to it this past week.”

“When we catch them, we’ll have to question them carefully.”

“If their method is better, sooner or later we’ll have to make arrangements on our side too.”

Very soon, they approached the source of the smell: a pitch-black old six-story building.

No one knew how many years ago this building had been constructed. The outer walls were dusty gray, and vines had crawled up almost three floors high. Under the pale moonlight, it looked as if the building were being swallowed and gnawed away from bottom to top by some substance.

A certain broken pane of glass reflected the moonlight, branding a patch of light onto the eyes. At a cold glance, it looked like a deathly pale human face. Only after staring for another two seconds would one realize it was all an illusion.

Xun Shiming raised his hand and tapped his earpiece twice. He asked, “Who knows this building ahead?”

Someone in the earpiece said, “The earliest girls’ dormitory of C University. Back when I’d just graduated from college, I came downstairs here to wait for my ex-ex-ex-girlfriend. Around five years ago, I guess.”

“Whoa, what the hell, ex-ex-ex-girlfriend?”

“Who are you showing off to?”

“You could actually date a C University girl? You’re bluffing, right?”

Chen Yi was listening with great interest. Even the dark, gaping building ahead did not seem so scary anymore. Then he heard Xun Shiming repeat in a stern tone, “Cao Baoshan, did I ask you to say anything extra? Everyone else, radio silence.”

The earpiece instantly fell quiet.

The corner of Chen Yi’s mouth, which had lifted, dropped back down.

Then he heard Xun Shiming say, “There are people in the building. Conceal yourselves on the spot.”

The Night Watchers, who had already been walking in the shadows, immediately merged completely into the darkness.

Chen Yi looked back. In the blink of an eye, he could no longer see a single person. He looked left and right, then, half a beat slower, found a spot behind a tree shadow to hide. Only then did he see Xun Shiming hidden under the tree shadow.

Xun Shiming’s combat literacy was perfect. Even his lurking posture was so standard and handsome it was outrageous. He was in a stance where he could spring up at any moment and slit someone’s throat.

Like a black panther hidden in the night.

Seeing Chen Yi come in, he shifted aside and continued, “All units, the target has changed. The current arrest targets are awakened people. Repeat, awakened people. Report numbers now.”

Chen Yi was about to say, how were they supposed to report numbers? The people were inside the building, how could they see?

Then he saw one squad step into the night and go upstairs. Two minutes later, a reply really sounded in the earpiece. “Third floor, far end on the right. Five people. Four men and one woman.”

“Return. Find positions at the stairwell and set up defenses.”

“Yes!”

Chen Yi watched them withdraw without a sound like the tide beneath the night, soon disappearing as if they had never existed.

In fact, in the story from the book, the Night Watchers did not have such high tactical literacy. Because awakening was random, the Demon-Suppression Bureau had to absorb large numbers of civilians. Being able to ensure their basic mental health was already extremely difficult. Wanting every single one of them to have the qualities of a soldier was simply impossible.

But clearly, the Night Watchers squads Chen Yi was seeing before his eyes were completely different. They not only possessed the ability to eliminate aberrations, their real combat ability was even stronger.

Most of them came from the military, as well as the Criminal Protection Team and the Martial Protection Team. All of them had undergone high-intensity training and had been tempered by the nation’s iron hammer. They were true elite soldiers.

Chen Yi watched their seamless movements, each step perfectly executing a tactical order. Finally, they surrounded the building’s exits with an airtight arrest net. His scalp tingled, and the hot-blooded military spirit of a man was stimulated awake.

So, truly outstanding talents had to be handed over to the state.

The silent waiting was like that of hunters with endless patience.

Finally, the prey, as anticipated, crashed into the hunting net.

Chen Yi’s breathing grew a little rough with excitement.

Unfortunately, this was, after all, an era that had entered Spiritual Energy Revival. With ordinary soldiers laying the ambush, it was very difficult to hide from awakened people whose five senses had also increased after awakening and whose strength had grown.

Before Chen Yi could appreciate a swift, thunderous arrest operation, the other side discovered them the moment he entered the ambush circle.

“Who is it? Come out!”

A low roar broke the silence of the night.

Immediately afterward, Chen Yi smelled a dense foul stench.

This extremely sharp stink was, of course, not the smothering, noisy smell like someone had soiled themselves after absorbing aberrant energy. Instead, it was even sharper and more piercing, like gasoline and paint, a smell that made people feel extremely uncomfortable.

This also allowed Chen Yi once again to draw a clear distinction between aberrations and awakened people.

He’s going to release an aberration?

These awakened people are already using aberrations to fight?

There are still ordinary people in the Night Watchers team!

Chen Yi’s heart instantly lifted.

After the other side called them out, the atmosphere also became tense, ready to erupt at a touch.

Xun Shiming walked out from behind the tree shadow with a gun and ordered, “Put down your weapon, put your hands on your head, and crouch!”

The firearm was only a deterrent. Unless absolutely necessary, they did not want to shoot.

However, they had still underestimated the arrogance of awakened people.

Even though he was already surrounded, this awakened person clearly was not afraid. The rise in personal power made him gradually disregard the threat of national institutions.

Dense aberrant energy radiated from his body. Compared with the ghost inside the phone, the aberrant tool he had just subdued was obviously much more silent and undetectable when used.

No one can catch me. I’m someone with two aberrant tools.

“Stop!”

Xun Shiming shouted. Having touched the threshold of second-stage Qi Refining, he clearly perceived the other party’s intention.

“If you don’t stop, I’ll shoot!”

He rushed forward, the gun in his hand almost pressed against the back of the man’s head.

The man’s overly pale face revealed a strange smile. The hand he had raised high loosened, and the phone that clearly did not belong to this era truly fell to the ground.

With a thud, it sounded especially heavy in the deep night.

Crouch, hold his head, drop the weapon. Every movement seemed incomparably cooperative.

Yet whether in Chen Yi’s eyes or Xun Shiming’s, the person before them was full of defiance down to his bones.

The man’s lowered head curved upward at the corners of his mouth.

Almost there. Just a little more. She’s coming…

Chen Yi finally could not endure it anymore.

Perhaps Xun Shiming still had to follow arrest regulations, and he also did not know how to deal with that unseen aberration that was clearly about to appear.

But Chen Yi did not need to.

He had his own method.

Master-level Gale Legs circulated at full power. He leapt out from behind the tree like thunder and lightning. Before another second could even tick by, Chen Yi kicked the rebellious man and sent him flying to the ground.

“Ah!”

A scream rang out.

The man fell and flew onto the ground.

What holding your head? What disarming? Direct forceful suppression!

The man who had flown out maintained a face-first position and smashed heavily onto the ground.

But he was ruthless enough. Even though the pain made his vision go black, he still forced himself to hold on to one breath, flipped over, and opened his hand toward Chen Yi.

Under the moon, his palm opened completely, aimed from afar at Chen Yi. His face held a vicious smile twisted by pain. He opened his bleeding mouth, revealing a missing front tooth.

“Die!”

The aberrant tool he had just obtained was his greatest trump card.

In this world, aside from him, no second person knew he had two aberrant tools on him.

They were just a group of Guard Team members who could not even eliminate aberrations, yet they called themselves Night Watchers and wanted to recruit them?

Pah!

It was only an official post. What was so good about it? He had even disdained a million-yuan annual salary at a major corporation. In chaotic times like these, clever and bold people like him were the ones who ought to stand above others.

Anyone who blocks me can die!

Die!

Finally, a long, thin strand of hair burrowed out of his palm. It was as if it were alive, the tip twisting in a circle before finally locking onto the person directly opposite him, the closest one to him.

Then, like an arrow leaving the bowstring, it shot out.

A cruel smile appeared on the man’s face.

He knew very clearly how terrifying an aberrant tool was. It was like controlling an aberration. No one could stop an aberration’s devouring. Ordinary people could not, and even these Night Watchers would not find it so easy to defeat one.

Moreover—

With his other hand, he pressed the button at his cuff. A thread suddenly flashed bright under the night.

It pulled taut.

From his wrist, it connected all the way to that vermilion button phone.

Next.

He only needed to reel it in like this.

With two aberrant tools in hand, even the Night Watchers’ headquarters was somewhere he dared to break into. What did these few people count as—

Huh!?

He saw the young man before him standing blankly in place, as if he had not reacted, ignoring the pouncing bite of the hair aberrant tool.

Just as Fan Jie thought he would be torn apart by the aberration, the young man merely raised his hand.

That strand of hair, which seemed like an arrow slicing through the wind and possessed excellent concealment, was easily pinched in the young man’s hand.

Then the young man holding the strand of hair lowered his head and glanced at the transparent thread by his foot.

Then he lifted his foot.

Well, great.

The button phone that was speeding back was stopped halfway by his step.

Only then did the young man unhurriedly return his gaze to his hand.

He stared in disgust at the strand of hair pinched between his fingers for two seconds. Then an abrupt light appeared in his hand.

It was a small ball of light, as tiny as the flame of a lighter.

But it was even more dazzling than sunlight.

In an instant, it illuminated the young man’s relaxed brows and elegant, understated face.

Yet this person, who did not seem very aggressive at all, was easily holding in his grasp an aberrant tool that would have terrified even the boldest person in the world until their legs went weak.

Then, under Fan Jie’s gaze, he personally watched this aberrant tool, which by all rights should have been impossible to destroy, burn into ash.

The instant the light flashed, he vaguely saw the girl from his memories, crying, screaming, begging, and sobbing. Amid unwilling struggles, she shattered inch by inch and vanished without a trace.

The man who had still been smiling ferociously just now froze in expression. His slightly open mouth revealed a row of teeth missing a front tooth.

On that absurd face, his gaze solidified.

What… is this?

How could anyone do something like this?

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