Chapter 19

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Chapter 19: Children Are Innocent

The sound of police sirens in Fanzui City had practically become the essential background music of the night—so much so that without it, people might start to wonder if they’d slipped into another world.

Late at night, when most residents were already asleep, an explosion occurred on the third floor of a downtown department store. The true cause: a seven-year-old boy lost and overwhelmed by emotion, triggering an out-of-control ability.

Fortunately, the blast wasn’t large. A few people were slightly injured, and no one died.

It was a small blessing amid the misfortune that no one approached the crying boy to ask what was wrong—thus minimizing potential casualties.

Still, it was a headache to handle. If the real cause were to be leaked, the child could end up exposed online and viciously attacked by the public, further escalating tensions between ability users and ordinary people.

If the initial aim of broadcasting the danger of unstable ability users had been to warn people to keep their distance from badge-wearing users, then pushing that narrative now would only stoke conflict. Everything must be kept within limits and under control.

After all, anyone might become a mutant. Who can guarantee their own child won’t end up the same? In recent years, the number of children abandoned after awakening abilities has doubled.

No one was seriously hurt—the worst case was some mild scalding, not even requiring surgery.

Compared to that, the real trouble was the fire caused by the blast. The explosion occurred in the clothing section—too many flammable materials. The mall suffered heavy losses. Compensation was a given, but priority was to contain the situation and avoid fueling online outrage.

That pesky female reporter who had previously broken through a blockade had already arrived, sniffing out the story. She put on a righteously angry act, demanding police disclosure.

“Tell the public it was a gas explosion,” Officer Chen said, frowning.

“Chief, we’ve used that excuse for ten years. The gas company is still suing us over it. And many people saw the boy spit out the explosive from his mouth,” his subordinate said bitterly.

Officer Chen paused: “Say a shady vendor mixed gas into food, and the seven-year-old accidentally ingested it…”

“Chief, the gas company’s calling.”

“Don’t answer.”

“…”

—

“Who let you come here? You’re off duty today.” That was the first thing Officer Chen said when Yiwen appeared in her white uniform.

Underage students could only be exceptionally recruited as official volunteers due to their special abilities—and volunteers obviously weren’t as busy as regular officers.

Besides, Yiwen had just started her period today and had taken the day off herself.

“I should be the one asking that—why didn’t you tell me this was related to my father?” Yiwen questioned him.

What did they think motivated her to become a volunteer?

“Yinxian told you?” Officer Chen asked, displeased, pushing her toward the car to continue the conversation there.

Anything involving the true identity of psychic law enforcement agents was best kept secret—even from coworkers. There was no guarantee that a mole hadn’t slipped in among them. Missions requiring real identities were only handled by trusted agents.

“Doesn’t matter who told me. If you don’t talk, I’ll tell your son Ultraman isn’t real.”

Rubbing his temples, Officer Chen gave in. “We caught the ringleader smuggling N1202.”

Children are innocent.

“So fast? I thought we didn’t have much to go on? Surveillance didn’t even catch his face.” Yiwen was surprised.

Illegal dealings had started before the cameras were damaged. Although the culprits were careful, a few blurry back shots were recorded. But trying to catch someone based on a back view alone was nearly impossible.

“Yeah. Two days ago, I half-heartedly sent a wanted poster to the psychic law enforcement group chat in Fanzui City. A new guy accidentally leaked the incomplete warrant online—it went viral.” Officer Chen handed Yiwen his phone.

The wanted poster was extremely half-baked, with only a villainous shadowy figure grinning evilly as the portrait.

According to protocol, such vague notices should only circulate among psychic law enforcement. Posting it online would only stir public panic.

For example, if the poster only described curly hair, regular citizens might panic every time they saw someone with curls, reporting innocent people. Curly-haired individuals would rush to straighten their hair—or just shave it all off—while the actual culprit simply changed hairstyles.

Officer Chen pointed at the listed height: 1.79 meters. “He stormed into the precinct today demanding we change it to 1.80.”

Yiwen: “…”

Glancing at Yiwen—whose expression was unreadable behind her mask and hood—Officer Chen continued, “We interrogated him all day. He finally admitted his contact was the Night Demon.”

“You’re sure the confession’s reliable? Why didn’t you use the Salamander?”

Salamander was Lu Mingxue’s codename.

Police ability-user codenames typically didn’t correspond directly with their powers.

“That’s the issue. Salamander went missing today. The agents shadowing her didn’t even notice how she disappeared. She made a see you later hand sign during class, ran out like she was escaping, and then vanished.”

So, she likely sensed something before going missing? No wonder she wasn’t around that afternoon—Yiwen hadn’t thought much of it since they weren’t close.

As a telepath, Lu Mingxue could very well have predicted danger. The hand sign in class might indicate someone in the class was involved. The sudden disappearance…

Yiwen recalled the space-user murder case—and her new desk mate.

“How’s Mi Xiaoliu?” she asked.

“Records say he’s from the Fallen City. Nothing surprising from folks there. No family info found. We had someone inspect his room—nothing suspicious. Furniture was cheap, and his trash can only had steamed bun wrappers. Looks like he’s been eating buns all week. If surveillance is needed, you’re probably the best candidate.” That last part was said in a whisper.

“I’ll consider it,” Yiwen said, lowering her head in thought.

Even if it started as an unfounded suspicion, it could still be the key to solving the case. So they had to keep watching Mi Xiaoliu.

“Our standard interrogation confirmed his dealer was Night Demon, and we’ve narrowed down Night Demon’s activity range from a week ago. But we couldn’t get anything else. As for Salamander’s whereabouts—no leads yet. Very few people even know she’s a psychic cop. We’ve assigned a team to investigate.”

Too many possibilities—maybe Mingxue accessed forbidden memories, or maybe some criminal group targeted her telepathy. Still, since she vanished but wasn’t found dead, she was probably not in immediate danger.

Someone under covert protection still got abducted. Though it wasn’t direct bodyguarding, this was still a major embarrassment.

Yiwen shook her head. “Would’ve been better if she’d taken off the sunglasses and hidden her ability from the start.”

“We’ve got our constraints too,” Officer Chen replied awkwardly.

“Send me Night Demon’s activity map.”

“I know you’ve been waiting for this moment. But let me advise you—don’t stir the waters. Let the Devil and Humpback Whale handle it. Just follow their lead.” While speaking, Officer Chen sent the map to Yiwen. “And honestly, even with the map, I doubt you’ll find the place.”

Yiwen: “…”

True, she might not navigate it easily, but she could still read.

For instance, one of the marked areas on the map—was near the student apartment complex where Mi Xiaoliu lived.

—

“Master, your phone is ringing,” Sasha said, ready to sleep next to Mi Xiaoliu.

“Mmm.”

Fresh from the shower and lying in bed, Mi Xiaoliu retrieved the phone from her system space.

The phone gave off a cool sensation—its special way of alerting her to calls: warm when cold, cool when hot. No idea what tech it used, but it silently notified her when placed in an inner pocket.

It was the Boss calling.

She answered.

“Asleep yet?” Wei Shi’s first words came in a deep, mature male voice—totally different from the last two times.

“Was about to,” Mi Xiaoliu replied.

“Then stay up a bit. Young people are supposed to pull late nights,” Wei Shi said.

“…”

“I need you to catch someone. He’s a Night Hawk traitor. Foboler has tracked his general area—he’s in your zone.” Wei Shi gave the order. “I’ll send you more detailed info than Foboler has. He’s probably already on the run. Your job is to intercept. I’ll join you soon… The Hermit will inform you of his rough location. Succeed, and I’ll give you one million.”

The Hermit was the codename of the purple-haired big sister.

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