I write obituaries for the gods.

Chapter 5 Leave No One Alive

"Are you alright? You've been spacing out since just now..."

"Um?"

In the office of the First Department, Lin Chen came back to his senses and shook his head at Li Zhanyi.

"It's nothing... I haven't been sleeping well lately..."

He rubbed his temples, trying to pull himself out of that illusion.

The painting transported Lin Chen to a white city, a place both real and surreal.

In the darkness, Lin Chen felt as if he had been "changed," but he didn't know in what way, nor did he dare to tell Li Zhanyi.

If the situation just now involved an abnormal event, based on Lin Chen's understanding, he would most likely be detained for a lot of tests, wasting a lot of time.

What he lacks most right now is time.

He knew that the foundation was likely already in action, and Huihui was in danger; he couldn't afford to mess things up at a time like this.

Li Zhanyi looked at Lin Chen with some suspicion. She picked up the coffee pot, poured a cup of coffee, and pushed it in front of Lin Chen.

"Alright, speak now. What do you want to see Section Chief Jiang about? Is it about the collapse of the Tiejiao Bridge? Do you have any information to report?"

"Yes."

Lin Chen picked up the coffee, hesitated for a moment, and then put it back.

"I suspect... the foundation wants to harm my sister."

......

After listening to Lin Chen's brief explanation of the situation, Li Zhanyi nodded thoughtfully.

"Oh...so you suspect the Foundation is targeting Megumin and might take drastic measures?"

"That's right." Lin Chen nodded.

"But if it's just a check of personal belongings, this procedure is fine," Li Zhanyi tilted her head. "Or is there really something wrong with Huihui's belongings?"

"Um..."

Lin Chen didn't rush to speak. When explaining the situation earlier, he didn't mention that "Huihui's phone recorded the scene," after all, he didn't completely trust the Investigation Bureau.

The reason Lin Chen went directly to the Investigation Bureau was because he remembered that Jiang Zhengge seemed to have shown a certain degree of hostility towards Qingtian at the scene that day.

This made Lin Chen think that the other party might know some secrets, and as an organization independent of the foundation, Jiang Zhengge might be able to help protect Huihui.

"What, you don't trust me? You won't tell me?"

Li Zhanyi gave a sly smile, which made Lin Chen quickly wave his hand:

"No, it's not so much a lack of trust, it's just..."

"It's okay, I understand what you mean."

Li Zhanyi stood up, pulled a form from the pile of documents beside her, and pushed it directly to Lin Chen:

"Fill in the address, and I'll have someone keep an eye on her. Tell your sister to stay home and not go out. If anything happens, we'll get involved."

This move surprised Lin Chen. He thought he might have to argue for a long time and finally ask the other party to help him find Section Chief Jiang, but the other party actually decided to help right away.

"So you've decided to help me just like that?" Lin Chen rubbed his temples.

"We definitely need to show it to the section chief, but since you are a family member of a victim in the Tekkaku Bridge incident, we have to help you no matter what."

As Li Zhanyi spoke, he took a lollipop out of his trench coat pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.

Lin Chen didn't sit idle either; he immediately picked up a pen and started filling out the form.

About five minutes later, Lin Chen finished filling out the form and felt a great relief from the tension in his chest.

He picked up his coffee, took a sip, and then cast a grateful glance at Li Zhanyi, who was lying in the ergonomic chair staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Thank you, Ms. Li."

"You're welcome," Li Zhanyi immediately straightened up. "But let me remind you, if you really suspect that the Foundation is watching that girl, then you'd better not cause any more trouble. The Foundation is not a good thing... Oh no, I shouldn't say things like that. Anyway, be careful and don't mess around."

"Okay, I definitely will." Lin Chen stood up.

Just then, the office door was pushed open, and a clerk walked in, shouting:

"Zhanyi, the new special weapons have arrived. Come help me unload the boxes."

"I just got back from my shift, Brother Wang... I still have three final assignments waiting for me!" Li Zhanyi said reluctantly. "Do I really have to carry them all?!"

"No, you have to help. There's a ton of stuff. Hurry up, we'll meet in the lobby in three minutes."

"Okay, okay, I got it."

Li Zhanyi mumbled a few words that Lin Chen couldn't hear, then gestured with his chin towards him:

"Let's go, I'll see you out."

So Lin Chen followed Li Zhanyi in the elevator back to the lobby.

Inside the lobby, members of the Investigation Bureau were carrying long boxes, while the "police officers" stood motionless on both sides.

"Won't they help?" Lin Chen asked, genuinely curious.

"Their duty is to stand guard, so they just stand guard."

Li Zhanyi shrugged, looking miserable, then flashed a bright smile and waved at Lin Chen:

"Alright, Mr. Lin, I hope everything goes well for you. And goodbye forever!"

Lin Chen was taken aback for a moment before realizing that the girl was wishing him well, so he waved back.

Goodbye, Miss Li.

As he walked out of the Investigation Bureau lobby, he could still hear Li Zhanyi complaining:

"What! A shotgun! I don't like using them, so why are you asking me to move one!"

......

Many memories of that day are now hazy. Lin Chen only remembers returning home, making dinner for Huihui, and then going to bed early.

Lying in bed, Lin Chen reviewed the day's events and pondered them repeatedly.

As he thought about it, that sense of unease welled up in his heart again: he didn't know how much authority Li Zhanyi had in the Investigation Bureau. What if she decided to help, but Jiang Zhengge disagreed, or what if her superiors disagreed?

Has the foundation actually found Huihui? If they have, are they already preparing to take action? What will they do? Create an accident? Or will they employ their specialty: a media campaign?

Under the covers, Lin Chen's fists clenched slightly.

He suddenly felt powerless: his aunt and uncle had been thrown into the sea and died by Qingtian like trash. Not only could he not reveal the truth, but he also had to worry about the Foundation harming Huihui.

He knew he could easily find a way to expose the truth; at worst, he would confront her head-on. But Huihui couldn't do that.

She has no parents, and Lin Chen doesn't want her to be in danger as well.

Raindrops pattered against the security window, pattering softly.

Finally, Lin Chen fell asleep amidst his complicated thoughts.

That night, he had a dream.

The details of the dream are now blurred, but Lin Chen only remembers that when he came to his senses, a pure white city was surrounding him.

"......!"

Lin Chen took a breath, the cool air mixed with rain filling his lungs.

He looked around: the city's outline had now been replaced by pure white lines, which rose and fell like the ebb and flow of ocean waves.

Seeing the scene before him, Lin Chen's eyes widened in shock.

He had seen this before: when he looked at the oil painting hanging in the Bureau of Investigation, the phantom of this white city had flashed before his eyes!

He remembered that at that time, Li Zhanyi said...

"This was a gift from the mayor to our unit, it's called... 'Mirage City'?"

As Lin Chen reminisced, the white city before him rapidly began to change, eventually coalescing into the outline of the Investigation Bureau's lobby.

Lin Chen stared blankly at the white figure beside him: it was clearly Li Zhanyi, who was repeating what she had said to Lin Chen.

Will this city... change as memories grow?

At that moment, Lin Chen heard a murmur behind him:

"Hey? A new batch of goods has arrived? Okay, I'll come over and check them right away."

Lin Chen turned his head and looked at the reception desk in the distance, where he saw a white figure holding a landline microphone.

That seemed to be the man who had called Li Zhanyi out to move things. Li Zhanyi called him... Brother Wang?

But Lin Chen didn't hear him speak at all in reality, because they were far apart at the time.

Before Lin Chen had time to ponder, as his thoughts drifted to "moving things," the surrounding scenery changed rapidly, and the timeline brought him back to the moment he left the Investigation Bureau.

Lin Chen watched as Li Zhanyi, dressed in white, opened the long trunk, looked at the weapons inside, and then complained:

"What! A shotgun! I don't like using them, so why are you asking me to move one!"

"Okay, I bought you lollipops. I'll send them to you after I finish moving them."

"Really? Brother Wang has suddenly become so understanding...?"

Looking at the scene playing in front of him, Lin Chen gently rubbed his temples, forcing himself to calm down.

So...

This white city... or rather, named after that oil painting—this "city of mirages"—will change its content according to my thoughts, focusing on a certain scene.

Lin Chen looked around and then at the other people in the hall.

"...Okay, we'll arrange for someone to handle this shortly..."

"...Third Department, No. 35 Tianhai Road, Xicheng District, Delta-level anomaly entity, risk assessment is moderate, please take a look..."

"...What should we eat tonight? I'm so hungry..."

If Wang Ge's voice on the phone at the counter was still somewhat connected to Lin Chen's surroundings, then these noises coming from all directions now have absolutely nothing to do with Lin Chen.

At this point in time, Lin Chen had already left the Investigation Bureau, so even if he had super hearing, he couldn't hear that far.

"call..."

Lin Chen let out a soft breath and began to organize his thoughts.

Currently, he is in the "Mirage City," which is like a dream, where everything is based on reality and records information from reality.

As for why I fell into this dream... was it because I saw the painting "Mirage City" during the day?

Lin Chen couldn't think of any other possibility.

He walked over to Li Zhanyi and looked with her at the opened long box: a revolver shotgun embedded in foam, next to a box of ammunition and an instruction manual.

"Mirage City" seems to contain all the details of an entire timeline, including sound and visuals.

"Is this... a superpower?"

Lin Chen recalled some rumors he had heard online: In Yudu, it wasn't just "demigods" who possessed those strange superpowers; sometimes, ordinary people would also gain superpowers after coming into contact with anomalies.

However, those rumors did not have a good ending. Most ordinary people who accidentally gained superpowers were ultimately devoured by the power they obtained.

Therefore, those so-called "superpowers" are interpreted as "a means by which anomalous entities attempt to assimilate humans."

This coincides with the current situation: "Mirage City" is the dream that Lin Chen suddenly fell into after seeing that oil painting. If that oil painting is actually an anomaly, then Lin Chen may have already begun to be corrupted by it.

The Bureau of Anomalies has a potentially harmful anomaly displayed in its lobby? Is that even possible...?

But no matter what, Lin Chen now seems to possess abilities he shouldn't have.

Normally, when this happens, either the investigation bureau or the foundation will come and quickly turn Lin Chen into a performance record.

As soon as the thought crossed Lin Chen's mind, he remembered the two investigators who had taken Huihui's personal belongings.

As his thoughts drifted, the scenery before him rapidly changed, transforming into a pure white hospital corridor.

"......!"

Lin Chen's pupils contracted slightly: This was the scene when Lin Chen accompanied Huihui to the hospital for a check-up on the day the Iron Horn Bridge collapsed!

Does this mean...?

Did he have the opportunity to "eavesdrop" on those two foundation employees?

"We are investigating traces of subspace contamination at the scene. As the primary victim, we need to take Ms. Huihui's personal belongings back for testing."

Lin Chen watched as the two foundation staff members took Huihui's bag from his hands, then turned and walked to the end of the corridor.

Without hesitation, he followed them and walked with them down the pure white corridor.

After turning the corner, Lin Chen saw one of the civil servants press his earpiece and say softly:

"It's difficult to do it if there's a guardian involved."

"...Not a good start? Fine, wait in the corridor..." a voice came through the earpiece.

"What did the doctor say?"

"...The bribery attempt failed. This hospital is under the control of the Investigation Bureau; they offered more money than we did..."

"Who is that guardian?" the civil servant asked again.

"He's just a tenant, damn it, minding his own business..."

Bribing the doctor? Making a move?

Hearing these words, Lin Chen felt goosebumps rise on his back.

That day... if he hadn't been there... were these people planning to target Huihui directly?

What do they plan to do with Huihui?

As if to answer his question, the foundation official spoke again:

"What do we do now, boss? Is it really necessary for our department to keep cleaning up Qingtian's messes?"

"Damn it, do you think I wanted to? The problem is that this was Ms. J's order. She showed me the body camera footage, and it's clear that Qingtian deliberately didn't save anyone and even cursed at the little girl."

"What should we do then?"

"What can we do? Kill her, but what if she goes out and screams? Let's transfer her to the media enforcement department and wait until after Qingtian's commendation ceremony."

"And that caregiver, Lin Chen, is also a threat; there's a blind spot in the surveillance."

"Let's take care of that too while we're at it."

......