Chapter 35: Infiltrating the Basement Level of the Abandoned Factory

The following morning, Yun Zhi and Zi Ji arrived in D Town, Y Province.

The Haicheng Bureau of Anomalous Affairs was not comfortable sending two newcomers out on a mission alone, so Feng Na, deputy leader of Team Three, came along as well.

However, Feng Na would not be accompanying them throughout the entire operation. Her supernatural ability was fire-based, and far too conspicuous to use recklessly.

Yun Zhi and Zi Ji had brought tracking and listening devices inside their storage space. In an emergency, they could take one out, say a designated code phrase, and send a request for assistance to Feng Na, who would be waiting not too far away. She would then rush over with the local police.

Of the three suspicious locations, the one considered most likely was an abandoned factory five kilometers from the famous tourist attraction known as the “Sea of Flowers.”

That was the first place Yun Zhi chose to investigate.

According to Gu Yaya and Si Ming, they had originally been taking wedding photographs at the Sea of Flowers. After the photographer finished, the two of them saw that the scenery in the area was beautiful, with plenty of picturesque spots, so they decided not to return to the inn immediately and stayed to look around.

They followed a small path for quite some distance. Si Ming took many beautiful pictures of Gu Yaya, and they also used a selfie stick to take plenty of sweet couple photos.

After walking for a long time, Gu Yaya’s feet began to ache in her low-heeled sandals. She did not want to walk all the way back. When she spotted several dilapidated residences ahead, with an electric tricycle parked outside, she decided to ask the owner whether he could give them a ride. They were willing to pay.

As they approached the abandoned houses, they were about to see whether anyone was inside when, through a window, they caught sight of a transaction taking place.

There were bundles upon bundles of brand-new hundred-yuan banknotes, along with two large crates filled with bags of white powder.

The area was remote, and very few tourists from the Sea of Flowers would walk so far.

Normally, someone had been stationed outside the residences to keep watch. If tourists approached, he would drive them away in advance.

Unfortunately, Gu Yaya and Si Ming had terrible luck. The lookout had developed a stomachache and gone to the toilet.

Afraid of being berated by his boss, the man did not dare report the matter. He only wanted to finish his business quickly and return.

After seeing the transaction inside, Gu Yaya realized that she had stumbled upon something extremely serious. She covered her mouth, grabbed Si Ming, and tried to flee.

Unfortunately, they ran straight into the lookout, Liu Xiaoqi, who had just returned.

Liu Xiaoqi gave a furious shout, calling everyone inside the house out. Gu Yaya and Si Ming had already been walking for most of the day and were exhausted. How could they possibly outrun them?

As a man, Si Ming had better stamina. If he abandoned Gu Yaya, he might have had a slim chance of escaping.

But it was even more likely that they would shoot him dead. Yes, those people were armed.

Before long, Gu Yaya and Si Ming were captured by Liu Laoer, the man in charge, and his companions. They were knocked unconscious and taken away.

When they were splashed awake with cold water, they had no idea where they had been brought. They only knew that the room was spacious and poorly lit, and that it was not one of the dilapidated residences where they had witnessed the transaction.

The abandoned factory Yun Zhi and Zi Ji planned to investigate first was five kilometers from the Sea of Flowers and 2.2 kilometers from the old residences.

It was very likely the place where Gu Yaya and Si Ming had been taken after being knocked out—and where they had met their deaths.

The police in Y Province had taken a circuitous route from the rear and observed the abandoned factory through binoculars for several days. They discovered that vehicles frequently went in and out, which was highly suspicious.

But they did not dare send anyone inside. If the place truly was a gathering point for drug traffickers and human traffickers, there would certainly be many hostages inside.

If they carelessly alerted the criminals and the latter realized that their activities had been exposed, they might kill every hostage in their hands rather than allow themselves to be captured.

In that case, the police would not only fail to save anyone—they might actually get the hostages killed.

Besides, the local police force had many familiar faces. The more experienced criminals knew them all. So the police found a young man named Li Su, who had graduated from the police academy that year and had only recently joined the force. They also requested an agent from the Y Province Bureau of Anomalous Affairs: Jiao Yuxuan, who was said to possess a mental ability capable of hypnotizing others.

The two posed as a young couple, taking pictures and wandering around the Sea of Flowers and the abandoned residences.

Just as expected, before long, Li Su and Jiao Yuxuan were both taken away.

However, the electronic devices they were carrying, along with their watches containing tracking and listening devices, were all discovered and discarded at the abandoned residences. The devices were not taken away with them.

Since the police did not dare follow too closely, they had no idea where Li Su and Jiao Yuxuan had been taken. They only knew that the two had been out of contact for an entire day, and that not a single message had come back.

Even Jiao Yuxuan, who possessed a mental hypnosis ability, had been captured. Who would dare act recklessly now—not ordinary police officers, nor the few idle agents from the Y Province Bureau of Anomalous Affairs whose abilities were either weak or unsuited for combat?

As for the powerful agents in the Y Province bureau, all of them were occupied with other missions and could not get away.

Moreover, this case had originally been initiated by the Haicheng Bureau of Anomalous Affairs. Naturally, the local authorities turned to Haicheng for assistance.

When Yun Zhi and Zi Ji arrived, Deputy Director Liu of the local police station and Ye Fenfang, Jiao Yuxuan’s close friend from the Y Province bureau, were both delighted.

Deputy Director Liu asked, “Comrades from the Haicheng Bureau of Anomalous Affairs, when can you begin the operation?”

Ye Fenfang said anxiously, “Please, you have to save Yuxuan! I told her not to show off, but she refused to listen. By the way, I’m Ye Fenfang from the Y Province Bureau of Anomalous Affairs. My ability is imitating the cries of various animals. If there’s anything you need me to do, I’m at your service!”

Yun Zhi: “...”

What kind of bizarre ability was that?

In truth, there were very few situations where Ye Fenfang’s ability would be useful. The criminals were hiding in a remote hideout, not deep in some primeval forest.

Yun Zhi said, “Don’t worry. We’ll do everything we can.”

Zi Ji added, “Our first destination is the abandoned factory, right? Then let’s set out.”

Seeing how eager the two young people were to carry out the mission, Deputy Director Liu was afraid that their recklessness would lead them to the same fate as Li Su and Jiao Yuxuan. He hurriedly grabbed them and explained just how dangerous these criminals were.

They had more than firearms and ammunition. They might also possess grenades, explosives, and other weapons.

For people in public service, sacrifice itself was not frightening. What was frightening was dying without purpose—giving up one’s life while failing to transmit any useful information, rescue the kidnapped civilians, or prevent innocent bystanders from being dragged into the disaster. In that case, it was better not to act rashly.

Feng Na, who had come with them, helped smooth things over. “Deputy Director Liu, Comrade Ye, don’t worry. These two newcomers of ours have genuine ability, and they won’t act impulsively.”

Once they decided to proceed, the next step was to determine their plan.

“Have the two young people disguise themselves as a couple again and take pictures until they accidentally enter the criminals’ territory and get captured? That won’t work. Li Su and Jiao Yuxuan already used that method once. The criminals may have noticed something. Even if they were uncertain before, using a similar trick again would confirm their suspicions.”

“Exactly. They haven’t returned to those old residences these past two days. It would be reasonable for tourists to follow the path and reach the residences, but accidentally entering the abandoned factories beyond a long stretch of road under construction, filled with potholes everywhere, would be far too suspicious.”

After confirming with the chat group system, Yun Zhi learned that her spatial safe house could take other people inside with her.

Entering alone in drivable mode required three hundred points. Taking two people in required five hundred.

The chat group had also issued a special warning: “It is not recommended that non-members of the chat group learn of the spatial safe house’s existence. Otherwise, the host may face a threat to her personal safety.”

“Zi Ji is the exception.”

After all, Zi Ji’s other identity, Lu Ziji, was the chat group’s first member. He still needed to rely on Yun Zhi and Lu Ziji to conduct transactions and obtain the pills that would allow him to prolong his life in this world.

He would never casually reveal Yun Zhi’s secret to outsiders.

Furthermore, with the strength of Zi Ji’s soul, no one could force him to speak of anything he did not wish to discuss.

The others were another matter. Even if they had no intention of harming Yun Zhi, they might not possess the power to protect the secret of the spatial safe house.

Thus, Yun Zhi said, “Zi Ji and I have a way to enter the abandoned factory without making a sound. As for the specific method, I’m afraid I can’t explain.”

Anyone capable of joining the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs had some means of protecting their life.

After Feng Na and Deputy Director Liu confirmed that Yun Zhi’s method was safe, they did not ask further questions.

Ye Fenfang, however, asked, “Can you take me with you?”

She and Jiao Yuxuan had joined the Y Province bureau together a year earlier, and they truly had a close relationship.

Yun Zhi shook her head.

It was not that she completely trusted Ye Fenfang. Even if she did, Ye Fenfang’s ability was simply too impractical. Bringing her along would not offer much help and might even require someone else to protect her.

Ye Fenfang understood her own situation. If her older brother had not been the leader of Team One in the Y Province bureau, she might not even have been able to join.

“Then I’ll wait here for good news,” she said. “If you need help with anything, just tell me. My brother will be back tomorrow after completing an A-rank mission overseas. His ability is invisibility, which is especially suited to this operation!”

Yun Zhi: “...”

Now she understood why this somewhat airheaded young woman had managed to enter the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs.

Invisibility and her spatial safe house followed much the same principle: making sure the enemy could not see them.

Still, her spatial safe house was safer. While she was inside, the enemy could not see her—or touch her.

An invisible person could still be detected by infrared scanning, and could still be hit.

Yun Zhi and Zi Ji decided to act after nightfall. First, they found an inn near the Sea of Flowers and checked in to rest.

After confirming that there were no surveillance cameras in the room, and that the tracking and listening devices they had brought were all stored inside their storage rings or spatial storage, Zi Ji finally said, “Do you know that I can use the power of my soul to plant a mental suggestion in people we encounter, making them believe they’ve never seen us? It would be very suitable for sneaking in.”

“My method is somewhat similar to Jiao Yuxuan’s mental hypnosis, but it consumes a great deal of soul power. If we encounter too many people, I won’t be able to handle them all.”

“Acting at night is perfect. There should be fewer people around.”

Yun Zhi: “...”

So Zi Ji’s soul power could be used that way.

Yun Zhi said, “What a coincidence. I have a treasure that can make us ‘invisible’ for the time being. It’s also quite similar to the ability of Ye Fenfang’s brother!”

After Yun Zhi told Zi Ji about the spatial safe house, he exclaimed, “Isn’t that a portable mustard-seed dimension? How marvelous!”

“You worked hard to earn those points. Why don’t we use my soul power to clear the way first?”

“No!” Yun Zhi said. “I’ve saved up 3,290 points. I finally have a chance to use them! I’ve never tried the spatial safe house before. I absolutely have to test it this time!”

“All right. But that means your investment in the mission will be higher...”

“Points are meant to be spent. Besides, the hemostatic flesh-regenerating pills and the soul-dazing powder I use to issue missions were both refined by you in the past. Those two things are in high demand, so I can just have Brother Lu prepare more for me later. And we can’t stay inside the spatial safe house the entire time once we reach the abandoned factory. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to use your soul power then!”

Zi Ji agreed readily. “Fine. They’re only low-grade pills. I can make as many as you want.”

In any case, he would not have to refine them himself in the future. Lu Ziji would do the work.

Soon, night fell.

In the five-person group chat containing Feng Na, Deputy Director Liu, Ye Fenfang, Zi Ji, and herself, Yun Zhi sent a message:

“We’re beginning the operation. Wait for our news!”

After sending it, she directly activated the Spatial Safe House.

Five hundred points for two people in drivable mode, with the ability to enter and exit repeatedly over the course of one day—it was not particularly expensive.

Yun Zhi grabbed Zi Ji by the arm. The two people in the room vanished the next instant.

Yun Zhi’s vision went black, and then she and Zi Ji appeared together inside a fairly modern little house.

The house was not large, only ten square meters. A sofa about two meters long stood at the far end, with a coffee table in front of it.

Two seats were positioned before the floor-to-ceiling window. One was the driver’s seat, with a steering wheel in front of it and pedals for the accelerator and brake.

Outside the window was a view of the small living room in the family suite where Yun Zhi and Zi Ji were staying.

Yun Zhi opened the map on her phone and discovered that it could connect to the outside network. She immediately felt much more at ease.

Yun Zhi rushed to the driver’s seat. “I’m driving!”

Zi Ji was a step too slow. He pouted. “I wanted to drive too!”

“It’s my space, so I’m in charge!”

Zi Ji: “...”

He had no choice but to sit in the passenger seat beside her.

Yun Zhi spent some time getting used to the controls. Driving the spatial safe house was actually easier than driving a car.

The house could reach a maximum speed of 180 kilometers per hour, and it could pass through obstacles such as walls and trees.

Fortunately, Zi Ji was with her. Otherwise, the experience would have been rather frightening.

The spatial safe house could not turn on its headlights, leaving them surrounded by complete darkness.

The area around the inn was manageable, since there were at least a few lights.

But once they reached the completely dark wilderness, Yun Zhi grew a little nervous.

“Can you handle this?” Zi Ji asked. “If not, let me drive.”

Yun Zhi instantly stopped being afraid. “How can a woman say she can’t? Of course I can!”

Feeling bored, Zi Ji took a bag of caramel-flavored sunflower seeds from his storage ring and began cracking them.

Yun Zhi: “...”

“I’m tired. You drive!”

What was this feeling of being treated like a chauffeur?

Zi Ji’s eyes lit up at once, and he switched seats with her.

Then Yun Zhi experienced what it meant to travel at flying speed.

Zi Ji drove the spatial safe house straight up to its maximum speed of 180 kilometers per hour.

Even inside the safe house, Yun Zhi could not feel the airflow outside, but she could see the stationary objects beyond either side of the floor-to-ceiling window rushing backward.

Holding the caramel sunflower seeds, Yun Zhi shouted, “We’ve already passed the abandoned factory!”

Zi Ji: “...”

By the time they turned around and drove back to the abandoned factory, several minutes had passed.

Once they entered the factory, Yun Zhi took the driver’s seat again, and their speed naturally slowed considerably.

There did not seem to be anyone in the buildings above ground.

It was only when Yun Zhi noticed a faint light leaking through a narrow crack and heard the faint commotion below with her exceptional hearing that she realized the factory area had a basement level.

She maneuvered the spatial safe house downward.

If the world aboveground was quiet and peaceful, the world beneath it was violent and dark.

In a small room on the left, many people were being held prisoner. Most had numb expressions, huddling in corners or sleeping on the floor.

Among them, Yun Zhi saw the young police officer Li Su, whose body was covered in wounds.

After confirming that his injuries were superficial and that he could hold on for a while longer, Yun Zhi decided not to interfere for the moment.

Another area was filled with flashing lights, alcohol, and ceaseless noise.

More than a dozen scantily dressed young women nervously accompanied a crowd of men as they drank and sang.

Some danced. Some took drugs. Some were being used for sex.

Others were being whipped.

The single word “chaos” was nowhere near enough to describe it.

Seeing the scene, Yun Zhi nearly released an entire cloud of soul-dazing mist and knocked everyone unconscious at once.

But the area she could control was limited. At most, she could incapacitate several people at a time.

If the others noticed that something was wrong and held their breath in advance, the tactic would become useless.

She had infiltrated this place to gather more information, not merely to wipe out the entire hideout.

As long as the leaders above remained, destroying one hideout would only lead to a second and a third. They could establish countless more, making it pointless.

Gu Yaya and Si Ming had only asked her to destroy the criminal den responsible for their deaths and send Liu Laoer, Liu Xiaoqi, and the others to justice.

But after seeing the countless victims who had suffered the same fate as Gu Yaya and Si Ming, after seeing the hell they had endured, how could Yun Zhi stop after dealing with only one small part of it?

Zi Ji was equally furious when he saw what was happening outside. He clenched both fists, clearly wishing to rush out and exterminate all the criminals.

But Yun Zhi stopped him. “Let’s listen first and see whether we can get any useful information. Also, I need to find a concealed corner where we can exit and add something to their drinks. If we attack directly, we might injure the hostages.”

Zi Ji nodded. “All right. I’ll go out with you. If anyone notices you, I’ll hypnotize them.”

Soon, the two of them found a concealed corner and exited the spatial safe house.

Yun Zhi was only at the first level of her ability and could not control mist from too far away. Fortunately, the corner they had chosen was in a small storeroom behind the criminals’ gathering area, separated by partition panels. It was where alcohol and prepackaged food were kept, and errand boys occasionally came in to fetch fresh drinks.

It was difficult to tamper with unopened liquor or beer, but regardless of what they drank, the criminals all liked to add ice.

Yun Zhi added a layer of ice cubes formed from water infused with soul-dazing powder to the ice stored in the freezer.

When an errand boy came in again to collect drinks and ice, Yun Zhi and Zi Ji slipped back into the spatial safe house.

The drugging was complete, but quite a few people were assigned to security or were working in side rooms away from the most crowded area. They did not drink alcohol.

So Yun Zhi had Zi Ji drive the spatial safe house near those people, where they found concealed corners to exit.

Yun Zhi used water mist infused with soul-dazing powder to render them unconscious.

Zi Ji used his soul power to temporarily prevent them from screaming, then used his electrical ability to knock them out completely.

Before long, all the criminals guarding the outskirts or working away from the busiest area had been taken down.

Using her outwardly released mental power, Yun Zhi also gathered more information from the conversations of several people in the main area.

The other two hideouts suspected by the Y Province police also belonged to this group.

However, the criminals had begun to sense that something was wrong.

“Liu Laoer, that man and woman you captured two days ago aren’t right. The man was too skilled. We beat him nearly to death, but we still couldn’t force anything out of him. He stubbornly stuck to that ridiculous story. I’d say he’s a rookie cop.”

“You’re right, Boss Zhou. Should we just take care of the man...?”

He drew a finger across his throat.

Yun Zhi and Zi Ji temporarily split up. Zi Ji went to clear out the surrounding area while Yun Zhi returned to the spatial safe house and moved back toward the central area.

There she discovered that the man called Liu Laoer truly looked exactly as Gu Yaya and Si Ming had described: in his thirties, with a somewhat long, wedge-shaped face and a height of around 175 centimeters.

There was also a faint bite mark on his left hand.

Yun Zhi took out her phone, photographed Liu Laoer through the “floor-to-ceiling window,” and sent the picture to the three-person group chat with Gu Yaya and Si Ming.

Knowing that Yun Zhi would be acting that night, Gu Yaya and Si Ming had been anxiously waiting for news.

Gu Yaya said excitedly, “Yes, that’s Liu Laoer!”

“Why are you so close to him? Be careful, Yun Zhi! Revenge is important, but your safety and your friend’s safety are even more important!”

Si Ming added, “Be careful in everything you do. Your safety comes first!”

Yun Zhi replied, “Don’t worry. My friend and I are perfectly safe. As for Liu Laoer, I’ll be sure to give him some special attention later.”

What puzzled Yun Zhi was the whereabouts of Jiao Yuxuan. She had searched the entire basement level and had not seen her anywhere.

All she could do was listen in on the conversations of the hideout’s minor leaders and see whether they mentioned where Jiao Yuxuan had been taken.

If they did not bring her up on their own, Yun Zhi would capture them and use the artifact spirit Jade Dragon to interrogate them.

But doing so would mean revealing yet another trump card to the authorities.

If someone had low overall strength but too many abilities, then many high-risk missions would no longer be a matter of whether she wanted to accept them. She would be forced to take them.

Just like Ye Fenfang’s brother. Because he possessed invisibility, he had no choice but to undertake even A-rank missions overseas.

Fortunately, when Boss Zhou and Liu Laoer began discussing Li Su, they also mentioned Jiao Yuxuan.

Boss Zhou said, “No. Even if that man, Su Li, is a cop, keeping him alive is more useful than killing him. Think about it: if the police track this place down someday, would using one of their colleagues as a hostage be more intimidating, or using an ordinary stranger they’ve never met? Besides, the woman who came in with him isn’t simple.”

“You really have thought it through, Boss,” Liu Laoer said.

“That little woman called Jiaojiao is definitely strange. I originally planned to send her to Boss Zhou so you could have first pick, but after saying just a few words, she somehow convinced Xiaoqi to put her on the vehicle being sent to Pastry Country!”

“Xiaoqi is my biological nephew. He can be reliable enough with small matters, but when it comes to something this serious, he has never dared disobey me.”

Boss Zhou extinguished his cigarette. “I asked several brothers who had dealt with her, and they all said they had followed her instructions without realizing it. She’s probably some kind of hypnotist. That woman is truly strange. It’s better that she was sent over there. If she stayed here, she’d be a disaster waiting to happen.”

“But could she cause serious trouble over there? If something happens on that side, our goods won’t have anywhere to go.”

Liu Laoer gestured toward the area next door, where many ordinary people were being held.

Boss Zhou took a sip of foreign liquor with ice. “Don’t worry. I reported the unusual aspects of her condition. Once she gets there, she won’t be able to cause much trouble. The bosses above might even have a special way to control her and put her to work for us. When that happens, even some of the more difficult merchandise will be easy to tame!”

Liu Laoer flattered him. “Boss Zhou is truly wise!”

At that moment, many of the people who had drunk the adulterated alcohol began collapsing.

“What’s happening?”

“There’s poison in the liquor!”

“Damn it! The guards on the outskirts are down!”

“Someone infiltrated the place! Raise the alarm!”

Only six or seven criminals remained conscious, including Boss Liu, and none of them had hostages nearby whom they could seize.

Yun Zhi stopped hiding. She found a concealed corner and emerged from the spatial safe house.

These few people were just enough for her to practice the lightness skill and martial arts she had only recently begun learning.