STB Chapter 17: Spoiler

This is machine translated and all copyrights belong to the author. Please note that the translator might take creative liberties for better readability. Thank you for reading.

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This is a crisis that occurs in a domain beyond the reach of the national machinery.

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The opportunity to sow discord between two powerful S-class ability holders presented itself.

Should he manipulate or reveal the truth?

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Yaojin spoke, “We are looking for someone named Jian Hua. There is a possibility that he is connected to Li Fei.”

The statement was a bit convoluted, but Jian Hua immediately understood. He pondered in his mind: If it’s neither the surveillance footage nor any involvement with Li Fei, then how did his name end up on the secret department’s blacklist?

Wait a minute, if it weren’t for the Pearl Hotel incident, wouldn’t he have exposed Li Fei instead?

In an instant, the blame was shifted back to him. Jian Hua felt speechless.

Major Zhang could have evaded the question and let Jian Hua misunderstand Li Fei, fanning the flames and distorting the facts.

The investigation revealed that Jian Hua was merely a body double recently hired by the actor Li Fei, with no significant connection. However, many things in the world were not as they seem on the surface. It would be unwise to discredit the relationship between him and another person in front of someone who was new—- how could you be certain that they weren’t actually acquainted?

Zhang Yaojin didn’t come here to provoke Jian Hua.

In fact, in this conversation taking place at the moment, Major Zhang couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

Zhang Yaojin took out two pieces of paper that resembled cue cards and pushed them in front of Jian Hua.

One of the papers was filled with information, including Li Fei’s age, birthplace, awards, representative works, blood type, zodiac sign, hobbies, and so on, similar to the data provided by official fan clubs.

The other card was mostly empty, with only two lines of question marks next to the name “Jian Hua”: Possibly acquainted with Li Fei? Lives in Huai City?

Jian Hua glanced briefly at the cards and calmly asked, “What is this?”

“These are two individuals who will impact the future of China.”

“…” Jian Hua was struck with suspicion regarding the identity of the person before him.

Zhang Yaojin, with his resolute military bearing, remained composed despite the weariness on his face. Even while sitting, he maintained a straight posture, his gaze exuding a commanding presence. He possessed the aura of someone accustomed to giving orders, only lacking a mark of an iron-blooded elite on his face.

If this were an act, it would have to be performed flawlessly, aligning perfectly with the character. In the entertainment industry, only a handful of people could accomplish that. There was no need to resort to deception.

Jian Hua could only force a slight smile and asked, “Major Zhang, are you joking?”

“I wish I were.” Zhang Yaojin took a deep breath. When he led his team to arrest Li Fei, he had been skeptical of the contents in the chat group records. Well, as long as there were suspicious elements in the Pearl Hotel surveillance, he could request Li Fei to “cooperate with the investigation.” However, the miniature energy detector found near Li Fei’s body dealt a painful blow to Major Zhang’s eyes.

Misfortune never comes alone. Another strange incident occurred in Huai City. A suspect held in custody went on a rampage, destroying his room in an attempt to escape. All of this happened within a mysterious timeframe. One police car was damaged, and the suspect managed to flee a considerable distance while still handcuffed. Fortunately, he was eventually apprehended without causing further panic.

Major Zhang hurriedly returned to Huai City to clean up the mess.

The case had been secretly reported, and the approval hadn’t come through yet. Major Zhang found himself in a dilemma when faced with the name “Jian Hua” in the latest progress of the investigation.

Contacting Jian Hua hastily would entail significant risks.

But if they didn’t communicate, who could guarantee that Jian Hua wouldn’t embark on a dark path? If they waited too long, it might be truly too late.

“You are an ability holder, and you are more aware of the recent changes than I am,” Zhang Yaojin tried his best not to come across as intimidating. He wasn’t accustomed to this gentle conversational style.

Pushing the two white cards on the coffee table aside, Jian Hua leaned back on the sofa and opened his hands, saying, “I don’t want to beat around the bush. How can you confirm that the Jian Hua you are looking for is me?”

There were countless people in China with that name.

Even if you carefully comb through the assistants, script supervisors, makeup artists, lighting technicians, and extras in the industry, you might find four or five Jian Huas. Even in Huai City, inputting those two characters into the household registration system would likely yield several pages of search results.

It’s not strange in a country with a population of over a billion, and several million permanent residents.

“Today, around 1 p.m., the Huai City Geological Bureau detected a large-scale energy fluctuation in this location.” Major Zhang took out a third card from his pocket, which only contained latitude and longitude values.

Jian Hua seemed to be pondering something.

Zhang Yaojin gave the definitive answer, “Your home.”

“…”

“Of course, this is just my inference. The satellite map shows this residential area in the southeast corner. As for other evidence, I believe that a thorough investigation of your recent movements will undoubtedly yield results.”

Zhang Yaojin didn’t forget the “surveillance footage” mentioned by Jian Hua earlier. But for safety reasons, he didn’t want to pressure Jian Hua. So he changed the topic and put on a sincere and serious expression, saying, “I represent the ‘Red Dragon’ and have taken over the Pearl Hotel explosion incident in Huai City. Arresting the suspect is not my ultimate goal. Ensuring national security and maintaining social order are. You and Li Fei have no criminal records and are no different from the thousands of people living in this city. I will provide assistance according to the circumstances if you encounter any difficulties.”

This was the first time Jian Hua heard his name being mentioned in conjunction with Li Fei.

He was stunned for a moment, almost retorting to Zhang Yaojin that he and the actor had vastly different lives, so how could they be compared?

Little did he know that the next sentence from Major Zhang would be—-

“Li Fei has encountered significant trouble. The energy data within his body is terrifying. It triggers alarms when he goes through security checkpoints.”

As a car owner, Jian Hua felt fortunate that he hadn’t been taking the subway these days. But then he realized that if he couldn’t pass through security checks and couldn’t take planes or trains, how would he go to Beidu to film?

“You arrested Li Fei?”

“He is cooperating with the investigation,” Major Zhang corrected him.

“It’s the same thing,” Jian Hua didn’t want to discuss these word traps. He asked directly, “Are you planning to release him?”

“We won’t detain him for more than 24 hours.” Zhang Yaojin glanced at his watch and nodded. “He can leave in a few hours.”

“…”

The expression in Jian Hua’s eyes made Zhang Yaojin feel strange: Was he actually hoping that Li Fei would be kept in custody?

“So, how does he plan to solve the security checkpoint issue?” Jian Hua asked casually.

—-If Li Fei couldn’t pass, he wouldn’t be able to work normally, and Jian Hua had to go along with him.

“It might require our assistance as ‘Red Dragon’ to use a special passage,” Zhang Yaojin finally understood. His mind was filled with perplexity. Could it be that what ultimately convinced Jian Hua wasn’t his personal visit or disclosing the secret correctly but rather gratitude that Jian Hua still wanted to live in this country, despite being poor with little savings, and had to continue working according to the contract?

With this thought in mind, Zhang Yaojin decided to temporarily withhold a certain fact.

Jian Hua’s supernatural abilities were completely different from Li Fei’s. When Major Zhang stood in front of Li Fei, a sense of crisis sharper than a blade hit him. But on Jian Hua’s side, except for the pair of eyes filled with wary hostility that made Zhang Yaojin feel suffocated, there was nothing unusual.

This didn’t make Major Zhang feel at ease. On the contrary, it made him even more on edge.

When he was young, Zhang Yaojin was involved in anti-drug operations in the southern jungle. He once stumbled into a snake’s lair but managed to walk out unharmed—-later, the python attacked a villager and was killed. Based on the deductions of experienced hunters, the python had just finished a meal at that time, allowing Zhang Yaojin to escape death. The dark, damp, and suffocating cave, the uneasy feeling lingering in his nerves, yet unable to detect anything.

The miniature energy detector lay quietly in Zhang Yaojin’s pocket, without any vibrations.

Zhang Yaojin was troubled because he understood the setting that the Black Abyss organization’s “true leader” was hidden for ten years from the beginning of the story until the end.

If it weren’t for the Pearl Hotel explosion incident, which drew high-level attention from the local government and was reported as a terrorist attack, and if the “Red Dragon” stationed in Haicheng hadn’t received orders to come and investigate specifically—-these awakened individuals wouldn’t have made a sound, and discovering them would be unusual!

When Jian Hua realized what his supernatural ability was and gained complete control over it, he became like a water droplet merging into a river or sea, making it impossible to find him.

“What did you mean by ‘affecting the country’ that you mentioned earlier?” Jian Hua felt that Zhang Yaojin was still hiding many secrets.

“I hope you join the newly established supernatural abilities team of the Red Dragon. You’ll have your normal life and the rights you deserve. No one will force you to cooperate with national research, I guarantee it!”

Jian Hua’s eyes flickered, and a hint of sarcasm appeared on his face. “You guarantee it on a personal level?”

Zhang Yaojin nodded solemnly, “Although it’s my personal guarantee, I believe that this guarantee will be effectively implemented! Because shortly, a major event, a global one, will occur!”

“…”

Jian Hua fell silent again because he felt that his brain cells were somewhat inadequate. He sensed that Major Zhang was implying that both Li Fei and himself would become secret weapons, more powerful than the national machinery. Was that possible?

A flash of insight struck Jian Hua, and he blurted out, “Are you saying—”

“The abandoned world, the world where time stands still, will face a major crisis!” Zhang Yaojin’s expression was devoid of emotion. This was the primary reason why he hurriedly visited today.

The records in the chat group were absurd and ridiculous. The only thing that could be verified was Li Fei’s condition and the numerous mysterious events that the surveillance cameras couldn’t explain. But this impending disaster was something that they had to believe in rather than dismiss.

In the abandoned world, the criminals destroyed the Pearl Hotel, and reality returned, leaving behind traces of destruction.

Just imagine, people living in high-rise buildings suddenly falling to their deaths because the ground beneath them disappeared. People driving on highways find their cars and themselves foolishly sitting in deep pits with no road. Or having a meal and suddenly being engulfed in flames… What kind of trouble would that be?

No one would dare to blink their eyes, and the city would turn into ruins.

This was a crisis that occurred in a domain beyond the reach of the national machinery!

Only superhumans could appear in the abandoned world, and only S-class superhumans like Li Fei and Jian Hua could control and quell the crisis.

“I don’t want to say this, but the facts are clear. If you want life to continue and tomorrow to arrive safely, you have to face them,” Zhang Yaojin said with a serious face, emphasizing each word. “The appearance of superhumans is a global phenomenon. Before superhumans erupt into wars in various countries, monsters, countless monsters, will first appear in the abandoned world.”

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Last Edit  06-16-2023 3:55 PM

This is machine translated and all copyrights belong to the author. Please note that the translator might take creative liberties for better readability. Thank you for reading.