Chapter 187 - 186: Four States

Chapter 187: Chapter 186: Four States

The Maze where the pollution spread occurred was also in the north, just like the Daling Forest Maze. They were approximately 500 kilometers apart.

There were 122 Mazes scattered across the globe. Looking at a world map, one would expect the distance between them to be immense. A mere 500 kilometers apart was so close, they might as well have been neighbors.

After sending the coordinates to Su Yuqing, Feng Ling added an explanation:

"These coordinates mark where the Maze Administrator died. I doubt the Administrator would have strayed far from the Maze, so it should be somewhere in the vicinity."

Su Yuqing glanced at the map. "I know of this Maze. It was discovered by the research institute around the same time as the Daling Forest Maze. Because its surveyed area extends beyond our national borders, a plan for how to handle it is still under discussion. This time, in Daling Forest..."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "We sacrificed three Inspectors, so I suspect the Supervision Bureau’s next Maze operation will be approached with far more caution."

Feng Ling nodded. "We definitely need to be on guard against the Alien Species pulling another dirty trick like that Squirrel."

Hearing this, Su Yuqing’s expression darkened. "We still know far too little about Cards. When she messaged me, I didn’t even consider that possibility."

Feng Ling listened in silence.

’Actually, it’s not that humanity knows too little about Cards,’ she thought, ’it’s that we haven’t had enough time to learn.’

From humanity’s perspective, after discovering that some mysterious extraterrestrial lifeform had landed on Earth, there was a long list of things to do:

Establish the Inspection Bureau, train Inspectors, and deploy them to major cities to control the Alien Species’ activities.

Build a scientific research team to counter the Alien Species and study them, along with the Cards and Mazes.

Build a specialized medical team to treat Inspectors, regardless of bizarre combinations like human and beast, human and insect, or human and aquatic or amphibious creatures.

And at the same time, stabilize the economy and maintain order to prevent social upheaval.

Now, they’re even starting to roll out the Hunter program to fill the shortage of Inspectors.

All of this was accomplished in just six months.

’Now they can even survey polluted Mazes. Feng Ling guessed that in another six months, they might even be able to find the unpolluted ones.’

’Or, to dream even bigger, maybe humanity could use high-tech to forcibly shut down the Mazes without needing a Maze Administrator at all! That would be a true, final solution to the pollution problem!’

The more Feng Ling thought about it, the more excited she got.

Just then, Su Yuqing asked her, "How are you planning to get there?"

Feng Ling blinked, then began to negotiate. "Could I borrow the truck and a driver from you? My license only covers small trucks, I can’t drive a big rig."

"Sure, I’ll arrange it," Su Yuqing agreed without hesitation.

Feng Ling added, "And let’s not notify the local branch this time, alright? If more Inspectors show up to ’support’ me and they recognize Ye Zheng, things will get complicated."

Su Yuqing frowned. "I can’t agree to that. The existence of a Maze within the jurisdiction of a local Inspection Bureau branch must be reported."

Feng Ling pursed her lips. "Then go ahead and report it. All anyone knows is that there’s a Maze somewhere in that area. No one knows where the entrance is. I’ll still have to find it when I get there..."

As she said this, her eyes curved into a smile. "But, it seems there are plenty of Alien Species in that area looking for the Maze Administrator. I should be able to run into a few of them."

Her voice was filled with anticipation.

Seeing her unable to hide her delight, Su Yuqing didn’t know what to think. He glanced up at the empty concrete slab above the staircase, his heart growing heavy.

’No Pollution Body has ever recovered.’

’It wasn’t for nothing that Zhou Diao called the observation room a gas chamber. Too many of their comrades had died in that room.’

’He was a guardian of the Inspection Bureau’s order, and he’d always considered himself impartial. Every time Zhou Diao complained about the system’s internal cruelty, he would lecture him about the bigger picture, feeding him a stream of justifications.’

’But now that it was his turn, he found himself fantasizing about the old clichés—looking the other way, staying the executioner’s hand.’

Su Yuqing looked at Feng Ling and said with sudden earnestness, "Thank you."

"Huh?" Feng Ling was taken aback.

Too embarrassed to get emotional, Su Yuqing shifted his gaze to the workers nearby. "...In any case, for this trip to find the Divine Statue, feel free to bring up any requests you have. I’ll do my best to fulfill them. And for those I can’t, I’ll help you find a way."

"Great," Feng Ling laughed. "I won’t stand on ceremony with you. I’ll have a list for you later, haha!"

Su Yuqing nodded.

The decorations on the first floor were soon finished.

Su Yuqing left with the workers. His departure was brisk, and he didn’t mention Ye Zheng once.

That afternoon, the plants Feng Ling had ordered online arrived—wholesale devil’s ivy for 9.9 yuan. Compared to the plants Su Yuqing had provided, they looked remarkably cheap.

Night fell. The Pollution Bodies drifted off to sleep one by one, and Baozi finally completed his task for the day.

He had spent the entire day monitoring Ye Zheng’s mental state, recording every emotional fluctuation.

Feng Ling felt a little guilty. She knew that using his spiritual power exhausted Baozi easily, and his recovery was incredibly slow.

’But given the circumstances, I’ll definitely have to take Baozi into the Maze, unless I can find someone else with the Spiritual Control ability.’

’When I borrowed him, I only said it would be for a few days. I never mentioned going into a Maze.’

’The Mazes are incredibly risky. Baozi might not be willing, and Pei Xianjue would be even less likely to agree.’

’What should I do...’

’Should I try recruiting on the Hunter forums? I have a little money now, so I should be able to hire some help... right?’

Feng Ling rested her chin on her hand, watching Bao Changzhi talk on the phone with his family, deep in thought.

When Baozi finished his call and turned around, he was startled to find Feng Ling watching him. He scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and explained, "Ever since I started this bodyguard job, I’ve had to make time to call home every night to let them know I’m safe. It’s a rule my mom set."

"That’s nice," Feng Ling nodded. "After all, it’s a dangerous line of work."

Baozi chuckled. "Before I entered the Maze last time, I told my family ahead of time that I might not be able to call for a few days. Sure enough, I ended up trapped in there for several days. My mom was a wreck, crying her eyes out. Sigh, nothing I said could console her."

Feng Ling murmured, "Hmm..."

’Yeah, this won’t work. I’ll have to find someone else.’

Baozi asked, "Ms. Ling, you’ve been standing here for a while. Is there something you wanted to ask me?"

"I wanted to ask you about the Pollution Body’s condition today," Feng Ling replied.

"I think he’s doing much better than I expected. I observed him all day, and his mental state can basically be divided into four modes—"

Baozi explained them one by one. "The first is a lucid state, where he retains human reason and can communicate normally. The second is a hunting state. In this mode, he possesses a certain degree of intelligence but lacks human reason. He has marked out his own territory within the building, and if any living thing enters it, his aggressive instincts are triggered. By the same token, if nothing enters his territory, he can remain quite calm. Then there’s the third, a state of pain, which seems to be caused by his own body. That’s easy enough to understand. Even we humans can become irritable and irrational, our minds breaking down, when we’re seriously ill."

After he finished, Feng Ling asked, "What about the last one? You said there were four modes, didn’t you?"