The wild guesses were quickly interrupted by a message from Luo Shiqian: "The Door User is dead."
The group stopped their idle chat and headed to the prison where the Door User was held.
"How do you deal with transcendent beings who commit crimes?" Lu Zhi asked, voicing his inner doubts on the way.
Luo Fisi replied, "Sentences are passed based on the severity of their crimes. Most are secretly executed, while a few are imprisoned until death. Some voluntarily become research subjects. Under the supervision of guardians, they are granted a little freedom but cannot leave headquarters, and a tracking chip must be implanted in their bodies."
*Beep*, the elevator door opened, and the four stepped out. Luo Fisi continued, "A transcendent criminal is equivalent to a time bomb, constantly endangering the lives of ordinary people."
Transcendents who are extremely evil and show no remorse are directly executed; it's the best way to avoid future trouble. Those who show remorse, though not sentenced to death, will never be released from their cages until they die.
"Although they are prisoners, they still possess human rights," Luo Fisi said with a chillingly indifferent smile. "Since they're going to be locked up until they die anyway, why not use them all for research? Why even consider their wishes? *Tsk*..."
Lu Zhi didn't reply. Everyone has their own thoughts, and the line between good and bad, right and wrong choices, has always been difficult to pinpoint.
"You're here." Luo Shiqian stood inside a transparent glass room, accompanied by a man and a woman in white coats, holding transparent tablets to accurately scan and assess the corpse on the ground.
"How did he die all of a sudden?" Luo Fisi half-crouched, examining the Door User's corpse.
Lu Zhi quickly scanned the body, confirming no traces of injury and no dangerous items in the room. So, how did he die?
After about five minutes, the female researcher among the two in white coats replied, "Natural causes."
"No, how is that possible?" Luo Fisi exclaimed. "He looks only in his early twenties. Transcendent bodies are stronger than ordinary people's, his mental pollution index is within the safe range, there's a barrier to prevent external harm, and he was under our watch, so murder is definitely impossible..."
Lu Zhi interrupted him coolly, "You've explained it yourself. Besides natural causes, what else could it be?"
Luo Fisi rubbed his chin and muttered, "It definitely wasn't natural causes."
Luo Shiqian said, "I was watching the entire time. He showed no signs of pain when he died; he looked quite happy."
"Did he show any other unusual behavior before he died?" Lu Zhi asked.
The researchers directly showed them the surveillance footage. From the moment the Door User entered the research room to his death, it was less than fifteen minutes. He remained silent throughout, and the only action he took was continuously stroking his left wrist.
Qin Huai suddenly said, "Wait, pause here. Magnify this area. Is that a pattern where he was touching?"
Indeed, upon magnification, a dark spot the size of a thumb was visible, resembling a black tattoo.
Just as Lu Zhi was about to examine the body, Luo Fisi got there first. He looked at the corpse's left wrist. The skin there was clean, with no tattoo pattern.
"It's gone?" Luo Fisi unexpectedly used a wind blade to cut open the corpse's wrist. As death had occurred less than an hour ago, blood slowly flowed out.
"What are you doing!" the male researcher exclaimed in shock. "How can you arbitrarily damage the corpse's integrity?"
Luo Fisi tsked, his lazy, carefree voice carrying a hint of coldness. "What? Only you are allowed to use a knife on the corpse, and I can't even touch it?"
The male researcher was intimidated by Luo Fisi's gaze, his face turning slightly pale, his lips quivering.
"Sorry, Aisi is just worried that damaging the corpse will affect the subsequent research," the female researcher adjusted her glasses, her expression and voice very calm. "You shouldn't have easily damaged the corpse's integrity, after all, this is currently the only Apostle's corpse."
Lu Zhi's expression shifted slightly. "What do you mean?"
The female researcher explained, "The abilities used by transcendants originate from their own psychic power, like a robot with a self-recharging energy core. Once the energy is depleted, it can only recover over time. However, if the core energy is used beyond its capacity, the robot absorbs energy from the outside to maintain sufficient power, leading to 'negative energy' incompatibility and damage to the body. This is what we call mental pollution."
The female researcher continued, her eyes gradually shifting from calm to fervent. "But the psychic power used by Apostles does not come from themselves; it comes from the energy of their deities. Unfortunately, we have never obtained a complete Apostle's corpse for in-depth research, so we hope Captain Luo Fisi.Luodding, you won't damage the corpse."
Hearing this, Lu Zhi couldn't help but quietly ask Shen Qi, "Is she the chief researcher here?"
Shen Qi found Lu Zhi's gesture of covering his mouth and tilting his head adorable. He lowered his head, whispered into Lu Zhi's ear, "Yes, she defined psychic power levels and mental pollution."
Lu Zhi's gaze gradually filled with admiration. He nudged Luo Fisi's foot and said, "Don't cause any damage."
Luo Fisi pouted and stepped away from the corpse, replying, "Weren't I just trying to see if there was any illusion technique?"
The male researcher quickly fetched empty tubes from outside to collect the blood and even wiped the blood from the floor with cotton swabs, putting them into bags.
"We will continue to research and determine the true cause of death," the female researcher instructed for the corpse to be carried away and left in a hurry.
Lu Zhi and the others also left. Lu Zhi said, "I remember there was another person, right? The one who was with the Door User."
Luo Shiqian: "They were all mercenaries, paid to do a job, and knew nothing."
This way, the only clue was the foreign deity with golden eyes captured by the satellite.
"There have been quite a few newly emerged ability users causing trouble lately. Be careful when you go out," Luo Shiqian said, nodding before leaving, as if he had endless work every day.
Luo Fisi crossed his arms behind his head, glanced at Luo Shiqian's retreating back, and said to Qin Huai, "Let's go, we have our own business to attend to."
Before leaving, he impudently said to Lu Zhi, "Next time Captain Shen isn't around, let's have tea and chat alone, Lu Baby."
Lu Zhi: ???
Don't give me random nicknames, thank you.
Shen Qi's gaze towards Luo Fisi was chilling.
Luo Fisi shivered and eagerly pulled Qin Huai away, shouting back, "Wow, such scary possessiveness. You'll scare Lu Baby away."
Shen Qi let out a cold laugh.
Lu Zhi could no longer see Luo Fisi, but he heard a pained "Ouch!" and a cry of pain. He wondered what Shen Qi had done to him.
Exiting the special department and boarding the self-driving car, gazing at the lush green mountains, Lu Zhi suddenly said, "The foreign deity's eyes were truly beautiful."
Shen Qi's eyes suddenly darkened. He slowly met Lu Zhi's bright, smiling dark eyes and said with unusual calmness, "Shen Qi, do you think the thief who stole the eyes is that foreign deity?"