Chapter 146 - 143: "Ignorance" is Bliss
The next day, the Shen City news made a token mention of the issue. They reported that due to frequent poor drainage during the rainy season in recent years, the municipal government planned to clean and inspect the city’s sewer system. This was to ensure the "ocean in the city" phenomenon wouldn’t happen again and to lay the groundwork for a permanent solution.
In many parts of Shen City, similar cleaning vehicles could be seen driving around. They were very mindful of the impact on the city’s public image, setting up portable partition walls wherever they needed to descend into a manhole.
The inspection was progressing well, and the results so far were excellent. Not only had they found no giant rats, but there were also very few other rats in the sewers. In fact, large numbers of rat corpses were frequently found in some areas.
If the situation continued to improve within a week, the alert level for this aberrant event could be lowered.
...
In stark contrast to the orderly sewer cleanup, Cui Ying and her team were not feeling very good.
The staff of "Where the Nightingale Flies" were all currently gathered at the Shen City Public Security Bureau headquarters.
Having chosen to call the police immediately upon discovering the rat problem instead of reporting it, they had, at least, shown they hadn’t completely lost their senses.
Being taken to the Public Security Bureau for "protection" as the ones who made the report initially confused and angered them. ’Even if there was a rat that mutated from eating too many chemicals, that’s no reason to put us under house arrest, is it?’
Later, after having some time to reflect, the more they thought about it, the more they suspected something wasn’t right.
This also indirectly confirmed their previous suspicions: ’the government definitely knows something.’
It was even possible that the rat wasn’t an isolated mutation. The thought alone was chilling.
In truth, however, this soft detention was mainly due to an order from Tao Xingzhi.
It wasn’t the first time this small editorial department had run into something like this.
In fact, there had been at least three incidents directly involving them.
The first time they caught the Special Security Team’s attention was during the aberrant vine invasion in Rong Town. The incident came to light because of their report; otherwise, it likely would have cost many more lives before being discovered, and the situation could have become far worse.
Due to the profound impact of the bizarre, plant-based aberrant event, it was initially classified as a Category 1 crisis, though it was later downgraded to Category 3.
Although the group was later caught after going to Rong Town for journalistic purposes, the matter wasn’t pursued further, as their ignorance of the true situation was considered understandable.
The second incident occurred when the group, emboldened by their niche popularity, went too far. In a provocative article, they vaguely hinted at some of their own presumptuous theories and dug too deeply into state secrets, prompting an investigation from the cultural affairs department.
As a rule, any matter involving the Special Security Team, no matter how trivial, was ultimately reported to headquarters. And so, the team once again came across the name of this small editorial department.
Once the department was on their radar, the team also looked into the small media outlet’s style and past articles. They discovered the outlet’s signature trait of relentlessly digging for the truth, which prompted them to investigate some of their stories more closely.
Two stories in particular were highly suspicious. One was the incredible tale of a group of hikers who, after getting trapped in the mountains, were guided to safety by a "Monkey King".
At first glance, it seemed like a clickbait fantasy story. However, the hikers, the mountain, and every person mentioned in the article were all verifiable—except for the "Monkey King".
The other suspicious story, which had an even greater possibility of involving an aberrant event, was about a child’s bizarre illness in a small village within the Qiantang region.
The information on that case was more comprehensive; local residents and numerous eyewitnesses could corroborate the story, and there were medical records from major hospitals. Unfortunately, that lead also went cold.
The third time they came to the Special Security Team’s attention was the current "Shen City Rat Infestation" incident. It was not only a confirmed aberrant event but was also classified as a Category 2 crisis due to its sensitive location.
Moreover, it ultimately led them to a truly supernatural and mysterious power—very likely the same one at the top of the Special Security Team’s watchlist.
After so many encounters, Tao Xingzhi himself had grown deeply interested in this little editorial department.
The first time could be considered an accident. The second could be written off as part of their job, pursuing interesting stories. But when you linked it to the third incident, the whole situation took on a different light.
’How many cases like this are there in the whole world?’
’Aren’t there too many coincidences?’ He was beginning to suspect that one of them might be a special Evolver.
The Special Security Team had already thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of everyone in the editorial department. They were almost all ordinary citizens; at most, two were members of the Communist Youth League.
The only things worth noting were minor: Cui Ying’s older relatives were rather superstitious, and Zhong Bolun, nicknamed the Count, occasionally sleepwalked.
Cui Ying and her team weren’t locked in a holding cell. Instead, they were asked to temporarily remain in an officers’ recreation lounge inside the Shen City Public Security Bureau headquarters.
Inside, there was a pool table, a ping-pong table, sofas, refreshments, a television, and even a few folding lounge chairs with plenty of blankets.
The group hadn’t slept all night, worried about both the giant rat and their own predicament.
CLICK.
The door to the lounge suddenly opened.
The people who entered weren’t uniformed police officers, but three men in casual clothes. The man in the lead appeared to be middle-aged, while the other two were much younger.
Tao Xingzhi carefully observed the young people. They had all stood up when the door opened, but they didn’t immediately start shouting in protest. ’It seems they’ve mentally prepared themselves,’ he thought.
He glanced at Jiutian, who gave a slight shake of his head, signaling that there were indeed no supernatural presences among them.
"Hello. My surname is Tao, and these are my colleagues, Xiaohuang and Xiaoliu," he said. "Have you all eaten breakfast?"
The Huaguo People have a long history of using talk of food as a friendly greeting and a way to ease tension, so the question helped Cui Ying and her team relax a little.
"Someone brought us food a little while ago. We’ve eaten."
"Good."
Tao Xingzhi acknowledged her, then walked into the lounge and sat down on the sofa in front of the TV. Xiaoliu closed the door and stood guard to the side. Huang Jiutian, looking even more relaxed, went straight to the mini-bar for snacks and drinks.
He tossed an energy drink to Liu Yue, then grabbed a can of coconut juice and handed it to Tao Xingzhi.
Tao Xingzhi popped the can open, took a sip, and glanced at his watch.
"Why aren’t you watching TV? It must be terribly boring just waiting in here for a whole day and night!"
With that, he turned on the television and went straight to the Shen City channel.
The news report was about the joint effort by the Shen City municipal government, related departments, and private companies to clean the city’s sewers.
The sound from the television instinctively drew the attention of Cui Ying and her team, causing a few of them to frown.
"Don’t bother looking for it. The giant rat won’t be on the news."
Tao Xingzhi reached for a cigarette again, but his pockets were empty.
"Everyone, please sit. Don’t be nervous. You’re not going to be imprisoned, much less persecuted. However, what we’re about to say must not leave this room."
For some reason, the three men had an overwhelming presence. Cui Ying and her team grew tense. None of them sat down.
"Sit!"
WHOOSH. Within two seconds, everyone had found the nearest seat and sat down.
"Good. First, on behalf of the people, the Party, and the government, I want to thank you for your contribution. A reward of one million RMB has been transferred to your department’s business account. You can check it once you get your phones back."
"Second, regarding your media outlet, the ban and investigation have been lifted. You are free to report on whatever you wish—so long as it doesn’t involve state secrets, of course."
In the end, Tao Xingzhi couldn’t hold back. He got a cigarette from Liu Yue, his umpteenth plan to quit smoking going up in smoke before it even began.
He lit it and took a deep drag, easing his stress and fatigue.
"Sorry about that. The pressure’s getting to me. I apologize for the second-hand smoke."
He apologized, but he had no intention of putting it out.
"There are some things that the state doesn’t necessarily want to hide. On the contrary, you should be glad for the public’s ’ignorance.’ It’s a sign that the situation is under our control."
He delivered the line with profound meaning, pausing long enough to let their imaginations run wild.
"Alright, that’s all I can say. You’re all highly educated; it shouldn’t be difficult for you to understand my meaning."
"Luck is a curious thing. I never used to believe in it, but I can’t say that anymore."
Tao Xingzhi placed a business card on the table.
"The things you’ve been through have made me very interested in your luck. If you encounter anything strange in the future, contact us directly."
Having said his piece, Tao Xingzhi left with Huang Jiutian and Liu Yue. They needed to get some sleep.
The research institute’s comparison results were back. The specimen from last night was from the same plant as the one in Rong Town.
The remains of Thorns would soon be transported to Shen City.
"You’re free to go. Follow me to retrieve your personal belongings."
Less than a minute after Tao Xingzhi’s group left, a police officer came in and announced the end of their confinement.
...
「Qingzhen」
On Qin Xiaoxia’s desk, a Sound Transmission Flower in a pot had just finished screaming before it slowly lost its Life Force and withered away.
"Such a strange group of people exists? Reporters?"
"They’re paparazzi, Big Bro! I read online that those people are even crazier than spies!"
Doudou seemed very interested.
"You’re thinking of entertainment reporters. This group is different. But, well... they’re all troublemakers, that’s for sure!"
Qin Xiaoxia stroked his chin, lost in thought. He suddenly broke into a strange smile, making Doudou jump in fright.