In Shang Jianyao's eyes, Shen Du's face no longer showed its original gentleness, distorted like that of a crazed beast.
His eyes also lacked anything that could be called reason, not even possessing the clarity of some animals.
That unusual cloudiness and the profusion of blood vessels seemed to come from the depths of everyone's nightmares.
Shen Du struggled desperately, even with his hands cuffed behind his back and controlled by two burly young men, still giving the impression that he could break free from his cage at any moment and hunt down the surrounding creatures.
This was a capacity he normally did not possess.
With low, hoarse roars, Shen Du was led away step by step, followed by the heart-wrenching cries of his child.
"Dad, Dad..."
In such a scene, everyone who witnessed it remained silent, filled with fear, panic, sadness, and sighs.
Finally, Shen Du was taken away from the "Activity Center" area, leaving behind only the lingering echoes of his roars.
Shang Jianyao watched without expression, then abruptly turned and walked back the way he had come.
"That's Uncle Shen, isn't it? He actually got 'Heartless Disease'..." Long Yuehong was also affected by this event, gazing in the direction Shen Du had disappeared, and unconsciously sighed a few words to Shang Jianyao.
It was only then that he realized Shang Jianyao wasn't beside him.
"Hey, hey, where are you going?"
Shang Jianyao ignored him, turning onto the road leading to the Fourth Elevator Zone.
He walked neither fast nor slow, as if he had just remembered something else he needed to do.
Soon, he returned to the 647th floor and entered Room 14, which had been assigned to the "Old Task Force."
Jiang Baimian hadn't returned yet and was still operating the only computer, typing away at the keyboard with a clattering sound.
"What's wrong? Forget something?" Jiang Baimian asked, looking up when she sensed someone entering.
Shang Jianyao walked to her desk and said in a deep voice:
"Shen Du got 'Heartless Disease.'"
Jiang Baimian paused for two seconds, recalling who Shen Du was:
"That uncle who took you into the 'Life Ritual' cult?"
Shang Jianyao nodded emphatically.
Jiang Baimian furrowed her brow into a mountain range:
"After he learned about Wang Yafei's sudden death, was he very afraid and panicked?"
"Relatively confused." Shang Jianyao affirmed Jiang Baimian's guess by way of a supplement.
Jiang Baimian nodded thoughtfully:
"You suspect Shen Du suddenly contracted 'Heartless Disease' because he wanted to report the cult?"
"Yes." Shang Jianyao didn't deny it.
Jiang Baimian said "Hmm":
"You came back here to remind me not to investigate rashly recently, lest I also become 'Heartless'?"
"The image of the initial 'Heartless' is very poor." Shang Jianyao seemed not to have heard Jiang Baimian's question, suddenly blurting out such a sentence.
"Indeed, it's miserable to become such a 'Heartless'." Jiang Baimian understood his meaning and nodded slightly. "Don't worry, what I'm most wary of is being noticed by the cult. The investigation I plan to do now is mainly to look for clues from public information. Hmm, rest assured, I won't look for connections to view surveillance footage for the time being. I'll wait a while, until they no longer care about this matter."
Shang Jianyao replied succinctly:
"Okay."
Having said that, he prepared to turn around and return to the 495th floor.
Jiang Baimian stopped him, thinking and saying:
"Don't be discouraged. Although this matter is a tragedy, it has given me considerable confidence.
"The more they do, the more traces and loopholes they leave behind, the more likely they are to be caught..."
She paused, and said with a serious expression:
"Actually, I'm not very convinced that Shen Du suddenly developed 'Heartless Disease' because he wanted to report the 'Life Ritual' cult.
"You also listened to the hourly news, and you know that the company has recently discovered several cases of 'Heartless Disease' infection. One more case is normal."
Over the years, although humans have not yet found the pathogenesis and transmission rules of "Heartless Disease," they have at least summarized some phenomena.
Among them, one is:
As long as "Heartless Disease" appears, there will not be only one case. Within a certain range and during a certain period of time, several or even more cases will inevitably break out, and most of these cases have no intersection.
Fortunately, "Heartless Disease" reappears after a long period of time after an outbreak, otherwise humanity would have collapsed long ago.
It's like humanity's shadow, hiding somewhere at night, and naturally appearing when dawn breaks.
"It's even more of a coincidence than when we met Qiao Chu." Shang Jianyao commented.
Jiang Baimian nodded slightly:
"If it's not a coincidence, then the significance of this matter is extraordinary.
"Has the 'Life Ritual' cult mastered all the secrets of 'Heartless Disease' and can use it to deal with enemies?
"How did they know that Shen Du was going to betray them? How did they make 'Heartless Disease' break out just before Shen Du reported it?
"Why did nothing unexpected happen after you told me about it?
"What's the difference here?"
Without waiting for Shang Jianyao to answer, Jiang Baimian exhaled and said:
"These are all questions that need to be considered, and they may contain the most important clues.
"During this period, you and I should think about it carefully.
"Go back, don't ask about related matters too actively, just show appropriate curiosity, and don't start an investigation."
Seeing that Shang Jianyao's expression was still serious, Jiang Baimian smiled slightly and said:
"Don't be too afraid of them either.
"If they could easily infect someone with 'Heartless Disease,' they would have eliminated all the board members and replaced them with their own people long ago.
"And we are now most likely sincerely praising the tolerance of Siming and will not worry about similar things at all."
Shang Jianyao nodded:
"Slowly, don't rush."
"...Isn't that what I should be saying to you?" Jiang Baimian waved her hand. "Go back, get some rest. The cult should be notifying us of a gathering soon."
Seeing that Shang Jianyao was a little puzzled, she sighed with a smile:
"Since Shen Du's incident has occurred, as long as the cult's higher-ups haven't dedicated their brains to Siming, they should be able to think that they must gather the believers as soon as possible to unify their thinking in the gathering, whether it's intimidation or appeasement, in short, they can't let the situation continue to develop like this.
"If a dozen or twenty cases of 'Heartless Disease' break out in one breath, then we won't need to report it, the company will dispatch elite soldiers to conduct the most thorough investigation."
Shang Jianyao listened quietly, and suddenly opened his mouth and said:
"Team Leader, I want to sing a song for you."
"No need, let's sing after this matter is resolved." Jiang Baimian replied very smoothly. "I know, you want to praise me."
Shang Jianyao didn't say anything more, turned and walked out of Room 14, and took the elevator back to the 495th floor.
At this time, many employees were gathered inside and around the "Activity Center," discussing what had just happened in small groups in low voices.
For many people, this was like a long-forgotten nightmare returning, making it impossible for them not to be fearful and panicked.
--The current incidence of "Heartless Disease" is very low. Many young people may have only directly faced infected people two or three times in the past few years, or even not at all. Most have only heard of it.
This shadow, which has always loomed over humanity, has appeared once again.
Shang Jianyao didn't rush home, but first walked into the "Activity Center" and, unsurprisingly, found Long Yuehong.
He was chatting with Yang Zhenyuan in a corner.
"Where did you go just now?" Long Yuehong asked curiously when he saw Shang Jianyao coming over.
"Forgot something." Shang Jianyao made up a reason casually.
"Oh, I see." Long Yuehong expressed his understanding.
Shang Jianyao sat down, as if wanting to prove that he wasn't impatient, looked at Yang Zhenyuan, and asked with a smile:
"Didn't you move to the 569th floor?"
Yang Zhenyuan's wife, Zhou Qi, was ten years older than him and had a husband before. She was assigned housing, so after the two were successfully matched, Yang Zhenyuan directly lost his housing allocation qualification and could only move to Zhou Qi's house on the 569th floor.
"Can't I come back to see my parents?" Yang Zhenyuan responded with a smile.
Shang Jianyao looked him up and down:
"Your wife has trained you really well."
"Huh?" Yang Zhenyuan's fair face flushed inexplicably.
Long Yuehong helped translate:
"He means you're much more cheerful than before."
"A little bit... more confident." Yang Zhenyuan raised his hand and scratched his hair.
After chatting about Yang Zhenyuan's work at the research institute, Shang Jianyao turned to Long Yuehong:
"What exactly happened to Uncle Shen?"
Long Yuehong had already heard a round of gossip and sighed:
"They said Uncle Shen was a little off last night, looking absent-minded.
"Ah, if he had gone to see a doctor earlier, maybe nothing would have happened."
"If he was already infected with 'Heartless Disease,' treating him earlier wouldn't have helped." Yang Zhenyuan's workplace was a certain biological research institute, leaning towards the medical aspect, but due to his professional issues, he was mainly responsible for the electronic equipment inside.
Long Yuehong sighed again:
"Yeah...
"It's really miserable, Uncle Shen's child is still so young..."
Shang Jianyao was silent for a few seconds, then turned and asked:
"When did Uncle Shen get sick? Who saw it first?"
Long Yuehong pointed outside:
"Uncle Shen got sick in the 'Order Supervision Office' next door. As soon as he went in, before he could even speak, he got sick. Phew, it's a good thing it was in that place. They quickly controlled Uncle Shen, otherwise, someone would most likely have been injured."
"Order Supervision Office..." Shang Jianyao repeated. "How many people were there at the time?"
"Three or four, right? Two people definitely wouldn't be able to subdue a 'Heartless'." Long Yuehong guessed.
Shang Jianyao asked about various details, not concealing his "curiosity," and had a preliminary impression of the whole matter:
After eating dinner, Shen Du wandered around the entrance of the "Activity Center" for a while, looking dazed and pale.
After about ten minutes, he began to walk towards the "Order Supervision Office" next door. As soon as he went in, within tens of seconds, there were sounds of fighting and roaring inside...
That time was the peak of post-dinner leisure, and many people had witnessed the corresponding situation.
After chatting until seven forty, Shang Jianyao bid farewell to Long Yuehong, Yang Zhenyuan, and Zhou Qi, who had come to find her husband, and left the "Activity Center," heading towards his home.
When he was approaching No. 196, Block B, he first glanced at the bottom of the door.
There, a stick figure of a baby was drawn with white chalk.
This meant that there would be a gathering of the "Life Ritual" cult at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow.
............
On the 647th floor, Jiang Baimian packed her things and entered an elevator in a secluded corner.
She swiped her electronic card and lit up the number "349" that appeared.
ps: The first update seeks monthly tickets~