Ch22 - Water Punishment

At the outskirts of Haidu City.

The light rain was mixed with the cold wind and the temporary tent set up by the extermination team was like a building on the verge of collapse, fluttering in the rain and wind. 

It wasn’t the first time this old forensic pathologist had taken on such a job.

The Extermination Team was a mysterious and eerie organization. They also belonged under the government, but what they do every day, where their headquarters are, and how they can show up with some strange corpses from time to time without disrupting public opinion, the old forensic pathologist didn’t know and didn’t want to know.

When accepting a task from the extermination team, a special requirement must be met. That is, where the victim died was where they must be dissected.

Most importantly, dissecting the brain. 

This was very nonsensical.

For normal homicides, the bodies were given a simple examination at the scene and then transported to the police station, to be given an autopsy in the special forensics room. But the extermination team acted differently. The brain was to be dissected on the spot.

Inside the white tent, the old forensic pathologist put away the scalpel: “He died from suffocation. The strangulation point is not very obvious and the affected area is very wide. He should have been strangled by a very soft material, like a scarf. The body was hung in mid-air…”

After a moment, the old forensics pathologist didn’t think about why this phenomenon of violating common sense happened and continued: “That branch should have been blown by the wind after his death, causing it to be wrapped around the neck of the deceased. The body was simply suspended in the air. As for the fissure in the neck…”

En, also don’t think about why this wound was recovering automatically, needing two adult men’s strength to rip it open.

“This fissure was caused after death. And when this fissure appeared, the deceased had already been dead for around an hour.”

The forensic pathologist continued: “This is how the deceased died.”

There was silence in the tent. 

The old forensic pathologist looked at the top of the deceased’s head, just wondering about how no one had said to open the head on the spot this time when a cold and strict female voice sounded: “Dissect the head.”

The old pathologist lifted his head to glance at her.

It was the young woman with silvery-gray hair.

He seemed to hear that this woman was the deceased’s wife and she had said to dissect the body without any hesitation. When he dissected the corpse to check the cause of death, the woman had been expressionlessly watching from the side, without a  trace of sadness. 

——Perhaps the two have long lost their feelings for each other as the woman was so unfeeling.

A light rain fell on the roof of the tent and soon Meat King’s head was dissected.

The members of the extermination team immediately picked up the black detector and probed at Meat King’s snow-white brain matter, scanning it.

After five minutes. 

“Reporting to Captain, there is no trace of logic factors, it’s a normal death!”

There are three types of user deaths: normal deaths, logic skill breaking, and logic skills going out of control.

For normal deaths, the user’s brain will not have any logic factors left in it as the logic skill disappears with the user.

For logic skills breaking, there may be logic factors spread in the air, and in severe cases, it may also cause a logic storm. For example, White Garden, after his death, generated a logic storm that swept Xiao Jinyu and the glasses man into it. 

As for logic skills going out of control, there is no need to detect it at all as the user itself will become a polluter, with the logic skill attaching itself to his body, until it pollutes another target, where it may transfer itself to a new body.

There is only one way to distinguish the difference between a normal death and a logic skill breaking: by dissecting the brain and seeing if there are any logic factors in it.

The body cannot be transferred because the logic factors left in the brain may be dispersed during the process.

Meat King had died a normal death. 

That means, he was killed by a logic skill, but his logic skill did not collapse or go out of control.

In the tent, the gray-haired woman glanced at Meat King on the bed. After a while, she said calmly: “Bring back to the extermination team.”

***

Haidu City, coffee shop. 

Xu Qi received a call from his captain and he quickly reported his findings to her, including Xiao Jinyu’s meticulous analysis and reasoning. However, on the phone, the Captain’s tone was light, without much change, and just said a simple sentence: “Bring the person back to the extermination team.”

Person?

Oh, she means Zhang Haixiang.

Xu Qi hung up and sneered: “Not a single word of truth came from your damn mouth! It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it, I’ve already sent someone to the contamination area to search for Wang Tai’s corpse. Also for the users who have gone missing for the past few days in Haidu City. Wait for the evidence to be placed in front of your eyes, then I’ll see if you’ll admit it or not!” 

Zhang Haixiang’s expression was bad and he didn’t say a word.

“Get him in the car!”

The team members were instructed to escort Zhang Haixiang out of the coffee shop and Xu Qi looked at Xiao Jinyu and Zhao Hen. He and Zhao Hen knew each other, but they just smiled and greeted each other. Then, he looked at Xiao Jinyu seriously and bowed slightly: “Mr. Xiao, thank you very much. I’m already grateful that you came to Haidu CIty to help, and now you’ve helped us so much.”

Xiao Jinyu: “There’s no problem.” 

Thinking for a moment, he asked: “What do you guys plan to do after bringing him back?”

Xu Qi: “First we’ll go and find Wang Tai’s corpse and check which users have gone missing these days.”

When Xiao Jinyu asked Zhang Haixiang how many other people he’s killed, Xu Qi first was shocked, before he understood Xiao Jinyu’s meaning.

Zhang Haixiang’s behavior was too bold! 

If he wasn’t a hundred percent sure that Meat King would die, he wouldn’t have come to the coffee shop to put the polluter there.

He was very confident that Meat King would not live until 12am on the 12th.

Such extreme self-confidence could not be without a reason and there was only one answer: he knew very well how the pearl necklace killed people.

He was clear on the pearl necklace’s ‘cause’, on the necklace’s means of killing, and how long until the other died. 

To understand the killing method of the pearl necklace, he must have killed with this necklace long before.

And not just once.

Or else he wouldn’t have been able to understand it to this degree.

“If there’s any progress in the case, could you tell me?” 

Xu Qi stilled for a moment, looking at the talking young man.

Under the bright light, Xiao Jinyu frowned slightly, the mole between his right eye and eyebrow swayed a little. His expression was calm as he explained: “This could be counted as the first time I participated in a task. I want to know the truth behind Meat King’s murder and the real use of this necklace. Also, I almost died in his hands.” He glanced at Zhang Haixiang.

Xu Qi nodded in understanding: “Alright, if there’s any news I’ll tell you. Mr. Xiao, really, thank you.” He nodded again at Zhao Hen: “Thanks brother. It’s been a bit busy these days. When I’m free, let’s go drink together.”

Zhao Hen: “Hehe, alright!” 

The captain gave the order and so Xu Qi and the team members quickly escorted Zhang Haixiang to the car, sending him to the headquarters.

In the coffee shop, there were a few policemen and team members left to search the scene, do the final cleaning work, and prevent any missing clues from being left behind.

Although Zhang Haixiang killing Meat King is almost a certainty, there are still two doubtful points in this case.

First, did Zhang Haixiang purposefully kill Meat King, or did he just want to earn money while killing people, and just so happened to kill Meat King; 

Second, Zhang Haixiang’s logic skill was strong, but it had a limitation on it, which was that it could only be used in the bathrooms. Wang Tai invited him to go to the contamination areas to complete a task. There seemed to be a problem in the logic here.

For the first question, Xiao Jinyu is more inclined to think that he was just trying to earn money while killing people and just so happened to kill Meat King.

There was no benefit in killing Meat King for Zhang Haixiang, even causing him to provoke a terrible enemy. Unless he had a personal vendetta against Meat King. This required a follow-up investigation by the team.

For the second question, Xiao Jinyu feels that Zhang Haixiang had hidden something about his logic skill or his definition of ‘bathroom’ is different from what ordinary people think. 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Qtja mbecar jr j yjatgbbw?

Glv la cffv obeg kjiir jcv j ablifa? Yg lo atfgf kjr bcis bcf ablifa, mbeiv la yf mjiifv j yjatgbbw?

Po la kjr atf ijaafg, atfc lo Itjcu Ljlzljcu mjgglfv j qijralm ablifa klat tlw, kbeiv la yf qbrrlyif obg tlw ab erf la ktfcfnfg la kjr ja 50% tewlvlas?

This question also needed to be investigated by the extermination team. 

In addition, there was also Meat King’s corpse. That is, the strange fissure…

The death of Meat King had nothing to do with the fissure in his neck, but why was there a wound on his neck after his death?

This was also what Xiao Jinyu wanted to know.

However, these things could not be done in one day. Xiao Jinyu also couldn’t intervene in the case anymore. 

Too conspicuous.

There was no relationship between Xiao Jinyu and Meat King. He was entrusted by the captain of the Zhongdu City’s Extermination Team to come and help. He can be curious, but he couldn’t be overly invested.

For Xiao Jinyu and Zhao Hen, their task in Haidu City had come to a successful end.

They shouldn’t pay any more attention. 

Zhao Hen bought the train tickets and once again confirmed that Xiao Jinyu wouldn’t be going back with him. He gave his number to Xiao Jinyu: “If you need me, call me anytime.”

Xiao Jinyu glanced at him and lightly nodded: “Alright.”

After knowing each other for two days, Zhao Hen still hadn’t exchanged contact information with Xiao Jinyu and Xiao Jinyu didn’t say anything either.

The relationships between users seemed to be different from ordinary people and he still needed to slowly think about it. Just like the Qi Simin and Li Xiaotong he had met at Changjie Station, they told him about a world that belonged to logic skills but didn’t leave any contact information nor did they contact him again. 

Logic skills attract each other, but users don’t seem to like making friends so much.

“Thinking is lonely.”

Xiao Jinyu’s body froze for a bit and looked to the side.

At the door of the coffee shop, Zhao Hen had already left. He had found the nearest subway station, deciding to take the subway to the train station. 

In just a moment, other than the policemen and the team members who were still busy in the back of the shop, in front of the dry and barren little flower garden, on the steps, only Xiao Jinyu and Su Jiuzhou were left.

This man in black who liked mysterious and weird things stood under the eaves with an umbrella and looked at Xiao Jinyu through the side of his eyes.

“Keep thinking.” He smiled, and said word by word, slowly and softly saying: “…Xiao, Jin, Yu.”

Xiao Jinyu. 

These three characters were pronounced by the man with a strange ambiguity.

However, looking at this man’s bright, deep eyes, Xiao Jinyu did not feel that this kind of affection, which was disguised as ambiguity and good feelings, had anything to do with his direction of interest.

Su Jiuzhou’s performance did not surprise Xiao Jinyu. And without another word, he opened his umbrella with a snap and walked into the continuous rain.

“Do you know what a logic factor looks like?” 

The footsteps stopped. Su Jiuzhou held the umbrella and turned around, looking up at the young man.

The delicate and cold eyebrows hung quietly and the young man’s thick eyelashes cast a layer of shadow on the cheeks, lining the light-colored pupils with a sense of mystery. His face was beautiful but not feminine and standing in the twilight rain, it seemed as if he was separated from the world by a distance, causing them to never be in contact.

After a while.

Su Jiuzhou smiled: “I don’t know. Why should I know?” 

Xiao Jinyu: “It’s light dots, colorful light dots. They fly in the air, spinning.”

Su Jiuzhou’s smile gradually faded and he looked at this person seriously.

The two silently stared at each other.

Xiao Jinyu spoke first: “About that bullet, thank you.” 

Su Jiuzhou stilled for a bit before his soul returned. He pretended to be surprised: “It turns out you can actually say thank you?”

Xiao Jinyu: “…”

Anyone weaker than this strange person would have definitely been killed long ago.

Su Jiuzhou couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t say any more, turned around. With a light voice and dark back, he disappeared into the water vapor from the sky. 

Xiao Jinyu stood on the steps in front of the shop, a little stunned. And after a long while, he read out a name: “…Su Jiuzhou.”

Just now, this man told him his name?

Social habits between users were really different from regular people.

Xiao Jinyu could see that this man’s logic skill was very interesting. But when Zhang Haixiang said that the pearl necklace could change logic skills, that carefree expression on his face disappeared for the first time. 

Therefore, Xiao Jinyu chose to tell this man of the world of logic skills in his eyes.

Xiao Jinyu believed that in this country, even in this entire world, it was very likely that only he knew what logic factors looked like. If someone had seen them before, there would be no need to use those simple detectors to detect logic factors.

—This could be counted as repaying the lifesaving debt he had, right?

But this was just what users were like. 

Even if he left a name, he didn’t leave his contact information. Because it hasn’t reached that point yet and there was no need to.

Xiao Jinyu couldn’t help but think that this man might just die tomorrow.

The fact that ten percent of users would die every year, wasn’t a joke. Perhaps they would die in a blink of an eye, so there was no need to leave contact information.

Not thinking too much on this, Xiao Jinyu also opened his umbrella, leaving the coffee shop. 

The hazy drizzle hasn’t stopped since Xiao Jinyu came to Haidu City. The sky was overcast and cold, the rain cold to the bones, and the winter wind drilled into the open collars of jackets. The coffee shop was surrounded by yellow police cordon and Xiao Jinyu lifted the yellow line, walking into the crowd of onlookers.

“How many people died inside?”

“There was a gun, a few probably died.”

“There are still guns out in the morning? Then they might be shot when trying to arrest them.” 

Unexpectedly, the rumors had already reached this point. Xiao Jinyu glanced at the gossiping crowd of onlookers. Then suddenly, several tiny prayers were transmitted to his ears, making him look to where it came from.

It was a couple of nuns with hoods on their heads.

These black-clothed nuns seemed to really think that someone died in this coffee shop, clutching their silver crosses tightly. They bowed their heads, closed their eyes, and whispered prayers for the ‘dead’ in the shop.

Xiao Jinyu looked around. 

It turns out that on the corner of the street where the coffee shop was located was a Catholic church.

The rain seemed to get heavier, the chill becoming overwhelming. Xiao Jinyu quickly walked out of the crowd.

After getting away from the coffee shop and making sure there were no users around, Xiao Jinyu took out his phone.

“004.” 

He waited for half a minute.

Xiao Jinyu: “?”

The phone screen was pitch-black, without a trace of movement.

Xiao Jinyu lowered his voice, got closer to the phone, and shouted again: “004, are you there?” 

…

“Son?”

“…My good son?”

There was still no reaction. 

Xiao Jinyu’s face sank.

This was the second time 004 had disappeared after the black spear had pierced the screen. However, even if the black spear had pierced the screen, 004 still sent a message, telling Xiao Jinyu to run, letting him know it would be back.

But this time, 004 had disappeared without warning.

004’s physical body must have encountered a problem! 

Without any hesitation, Xiao Jinyu’s first reaction was that something bad had happened to 004’s body that was imprisoned in Zhongdu City. After all, it was a polluter and last time, it was found to have exhibited abnormal behavior. And now, Zhongdu City’s User Committee must have decided to take action against it!

Xiao Jinyu quickly opened the Grow Some Brains APP, opening the User Information, Task Window, and Leaderboard windows one by one.

There was nothing off.

It seems that 004’s physical body didn’t get seriously injured. 

Xiao Jinyu’s expression was solemn and he quickly walked to a convenience store on the side of the street and began to buy clothes and hats. He decided to disguise himself early tomorrow morning, go to Fengheng Bank to retrieve his reward, and then return to Zhongdu City as fast as possible.

His contact time with this suddenly appearing, cheap son of his was too short to have developed deep feelings. But if the other suddenly disappears, first, the Grow Some Brains APP couldn’t be used beyond his scope of ability, and secondly…

It seems like 004 had no ill will against him. And if he could, he didn’t want the other to disappear. If it just wanted to stay like this in his phone, that was completely fine as well.

After coming out of the convenience store, Xiao Jinyu was greeted by heavy rain wrapped in cold wind immediately after walking out, causing him to shrink his body. Time was tight and it happened that the hotel where he stayed last night was not very close to the coffee shop. Xiao Jinyu didn’t choose to take the subway, but instead chose to walk back. 

But just as he had walked halfway, suddenly, the light rain that had stayed in Haidu City for the past two days, started to pour.

The small, transparent umbrella could not withstand such a strong rainstorm and even the trees on the sides of the street were hit by bean-sized raindrops, making them fall to the ground. The eerie raindrops fell on the people, whose power didn’t lose to that of hail. Yet when they reached out with their hands, they could tell it was rain.

The pedestrians on the street were forced to abandon their umbrellas and each of them found their own eaves to hide under.

“What kind of rain is this?! The typhoon from last year didn’t even rain this hard!” 

“This is too scary. This is pouring water, not raining.”

Xiao Jinyu hid in the telephone booth on the side of the street, looking at the pouring rain outside the booth, frowning. He took out his phone, looked at the numbers on it, and said to himself: “Can it still rain so much at negative six degrees?”

[Dad, this isn’t rain.]

Xiao Jinyu froze: “004!” 

[Hey dad, I’m here ╰(*°▽°*)╯!]

Before he could be surprised at the sudden appearance of 004, after it’s reminder, a flash of inspiration appeared in Xiao Jinyu’s mind. He turned his head to look outside of the booth, his fingers touched, and then swiped across his eyelids.

After coming to Haidu City for two whole days, this was the first time Xiao Jinyu had examined the rain in the sky so carefully. After examining it for a minute, he found that the entire sky was filled with logic factors suspended in the rain.

[This isn’t rain. This is Water Punishment’s logic skill, dad.] 

“Who is Water Punishment?”

[Well, the specific ranking is not known now. Last year she was promoted by five levels and half a year ago she ranked in the top 53. I can’t see her rank now, but it should be around A20.]

[Once Water Punishment reaches level five, she can then change the cause and effect of the logic skill. But I tested her when she was at level one, her logic skill is probably condensing water molecules.]

[This rain is so heavy, dad.] 

[It’s cold, hug (⊙v⊙)]

Xiao Jinyu looked at the barrage floating across the screen and slightly froze.

He expressionlessly put the phone back in his arms, gently holding it. Then in front of Xiao Jinyu’s eyes, a silvery gray flashed past his eyes.

“004, is Water Punishment in Haidu City..?” 

“What is she called?”

[Water Punishment, Lou Sheng.]

…

The waves crashed against the shore, causing white foam to rush up the towering cliffs. 

Haidu City’s Extermination Team Headquarters.

The car stopped in front of the small white building and Xu Qi held Zhang Haixiang, scolding him while walking into the headquarters: “So you won’t admit it, huh. Want to keep lying, huh. The evidence is right in front of your face, do you think you can keep lying now?! I’m telling you, if you’ve killed someone then don’t think… eh, Captain.”

Xu Qi held Zhang Haixiang with one hand and he had just raised his head when he saw the cold looking woman standing on the stairs of the lobby.

Lou Sheng walked down the stairs, step by step. 

Xu Qi: “Captain, this is Zhang Haixiang. The new user that came from Zhongdu City already forced him to admit to the killing, and now we suspect that he’s killed others too, so we’re looking for evidence now… Captain?”

The long silvery-gray hair fluttered past him.

Lou Sheng had a face that wasn’t gentle, and on the contrary, seemed somewhat heroic with a trace of coldness. She was only twenty five, yet she had two deep nasolabial folds on her cheeks. She had lived through many changes and experienced many battlefields. With neverending blood on her hands, she would have a monstrous anger.

She was even a bit taller than Zhang Haixiang. 

She grabbed Zhang Haixiang’s collar, holding him half an inch off the ground, and asked him with her voice low: “Did you kill people?”

Zhang Haixiang looked at her in horror. He opened his mouth, yet seemed to have gone mute, unable to say a word.

“I asked, did you kill people?”

Zhang Haixiang yelled out in fear. 

“Bang!”

The next second, the woman’s foot kicked into his stomach, slamming the man into the wall like a soccer ball.

“Have you killed a lot of people?”

Picked up the head and smashed it hard into the ground. 

“Are you short of money?”

A foot stepped harshly on the man’s knee, causing the bone to make a cracking sound.

“Your polluter is very strong?”

… 

Boom boom boom.

The moment all of the team members of Haidu City’s Extermination team heard the first loud noise, they had all rushed downstairs, gathering far away, not daring to intervene.

Xu Qi looked at this scene dumbly.

If such violence was enacted on an ordinary person, they would have died on the spot as early as the first blow. 

But Zhang Haixiang was still living.

“So your polluter can change logic skills, right?”

“Being able to find a polluter in the contamination area is a great thing, right?”

Zhang Haixiang was already on his last breath, unable to make a sound, but he was still grabbed by the gray haired woman and thrown against the wall. 

Word by word, she got it out of her blood and bones.

“You want to change your logic skill, right?”

Xu Qi froze.

Wait, this wasn’t directed towards Zhang Haixiang. 

“You thought that I thought you were weak.”

“You didn’t want to buy it publicly.”

“Never accepting the help of the extermination team.”

Xu Qi’s eyes opened wide, and he looked at the woman who had no expression, only smashing the bloody and blurry head of Zhang Haixiang with one fist. 

Captain…

“It wasn’t for repaying a favor.”

The hoarse voice fell with another punch, spattering blood everywhere.

“…It was because I missed home.” 

The entire Haidu City knew that the chairman of Rongsi Group and his wife had successfully invested in an extremely terrifying potential stock. The daughter of a dead user they had funded ten years ago, had extraordinary potential, becoming a level five user at age twenty four. And after the couple’s death, the level five user married their only son.

Lou Sheng raised her fist, stopping right before Zhang Haixiang’s head.

“Lou Sheng.”

A low, smiling male voice sounded. 

Water Punishment turned around, looking at the person standing at the door.

Su Jiuzhou stood against the light and stepped out of the torrential rain that poured out of the mountains and into the sea behind him.

He first scanned the room filled with blood before asking helplessly: “Do you want your logic skill to break?”

The woman glanced at him, turned around, and once again lifted her fist. 

“Whoosh—”

A pitch black spear broke through the rain and passed through the hand of Water Punishment. The woman’s body flew out in the direction of the spear and hit the wall, the black spear pinning her into the wall.

“Su, Jiu, Zhou!!!” The woman on the wall gritted her teeth, roaring.

Su Jiuzhou turned around and told Xu Qi: “Save your captain, don’t let her logic skill break.” 

Xu Qi was still immersed in the shock from just now, and didn’t react well: “Ah, alright…”

Su Jiuzhou once again looked down, at the squirming flesh on the ground.

So miserable.

Su Jiuzhou retracted his umbrella. 

…

On the streets of Haidu, in a red telephone booth.

Xiao Jinyu was hugging his phone, looking at the sky, when suddenly, the pouring rain stopped.

Eh? 

He walked out of the booth, reaching out.

It really stopped.

On the streets, many people also looked up at the sky in amazement, wondering how the rain could have fallen so much in one second, and stopped in the next.

Xiao Jinyu held his phone, closed his umbrella, and continued to walk in the direction of the hotel. 

He walked halfway there before he remembered something.

“What happened to you before that, 004?”

[?]

Xiao Jinyu asked: “Ten minutes ago I called for you but you didn’t answer.” 

[Ten minutes ago?]

[Oh right, it was because that old pervert hadn’t gone that far yet, so I didn’t dare speak.]

Xiao Jinyu froze: “Old pervert?”

[Old pervert!] 

Xiao Jinyu: “?”

[Dad Q^Q!]

“En?”

[Scared scared scared scared] 

Xiao Jinyu: “The person must have gone far by now. What are you still afraid of?”

[Wuwu, when I was scared I couldn’t talk to dad. Now I want to repeat it again, scared scared scared scared…]

Xiao Jinyu: “…”

“Is the old pervert the same one from Zhongdu City? He also came to Haidu City?” 

[Eh? Dad, weren’t you just exchanging glances with that old pervert? Talking so happily too]

[╭(╯^╰)╮Humph! I almost thought you didn’t love me anymore.]

“?!”

Xiao Jinyu’s eyes opened wide, a hint of foreboding appeared in his heart. 

“Wait, what did you say that old pervert was called?”

[Su Jiuzhou ah.]

The author has something to say:

Today is my lunar birthday, so I was a bit busy~ Updated late~ 

Goodnight =3=