Chapter Eighty-Seven: Emergency Meeting

Wujue gave him no chance at all. He closed in in a blur, drove both guns into the man’s body, and fired several shots in rapid succession. Under the pull of his formidable power, the bullets burrowed deep into the man’s organs and even into his brain, where they exploded one after another.

At last, there was no possibility of survival left. He collapsed to the ground like a heap of rotten flesh.

Wujue wiped the cold sweat from his brow, turned, got back into the car, and said to the mayor, “An enemy has already infiltrated those around you. This man was the spy.”

The truth lay plainly before them. Even without Wujue’s explanation, the mayor could see that the aide who had always followed him was no longer anything human.

Covered in sweat, he said, “He was always my most capable assistant. How could this happen? It’s unbelievable. What should we do?”

With calm composure, Wujue replied, “Naturally, we must keep this quiet and use his death to uncover the spies lurking in this city. Mr. Mayor, I know you were being used, so you must trust us.”

The mayor looked up at Wujue and, in the end, nodded.

Just then, Xiao Yang arrived. Glancing at the mutated corpse on the ground, he said, “Finished? Pity we didn’t keep him alive. What now?”

Wujue helped the mayor settle back into the car and said, “What sort of story do you think we should make up? And where is An Yi?”

“She went with the convoy to the western suburbs. The crowd has just dispersed, so it looks like the unrest has calmed down for now.” Xiao Yang thought for a moment, then said, “Looks like we can only invent an enemy that doesn’t exist. I’ll take the body back to the lab. You escort the mayor home.”

So they split up. Accompanied by Wujue, the mayor returned to City Hall. On the way, several calls came through on Little He’s radio, all from subordinate aides asking about the crowd’s reaction earlier.

Wujue had the mayor answer according to the story they had devised: they had encountered an enemy, Secretary Little He had been killed, and Wujue was currently escorting him back.

The moment they heard Little He was dead, there was naturally quite a stir. Wujue told the mayor not to say more, switched off the radio, and urged him to return as quickly as possible.

“By not letting them come meet us, are you worried those people may not be trustworthy?” the mayor asked uneasily.

Wujue said, “Once we get back, we’ll see how everyone reacts. Only then will you be able to tell who is suspicious and who isn’t. Sit tight. I’m going to speed up.”

He abruptly accelerated and raced all the way there. In less than ten minutes, they reached the entrance to City Hall. By then, quite a few people had already come out and were just about to split up and act.

Seeing Wujue bring the mayor back, almost all of them froze in shock at the entrance. It was obvious that some had intended to come out to receive them, while others meant to contact different channels and gather information.

At the sight of the mayor appearing safe and sound, their expressions varied at once. Wujue missed nothing, committing every face to memory, and then accompanied the mayor back to his office.

The first to approach were the captain of the special police unit and the minister of the emergency department that had been temporarily set up after the crisis erupted. Both asked anxiously, “Mayor, are you all right? That call gave us quite a fright. What would we have done if something had happened to you? Quick, escort the mayor back inside.”

At once, several fully armed special police officers stepped forward to protect him, but the mayor had found his bearing again. He waved a hand and said, “What is the point of empty ceremony at a time like this? Summon all department heads and have them wait in the conference room for a meeting. Old Zhang, Little Song, you two come in with me. Everyone else will stand by in the hall. Has the special police unit returned? Begin citywide alert immediately. We must protect the safety of the people. We cannot afford carelessness again.”

With that series of orders, everyone felt the gravity of the situation. Those who had been intending to leave had no choice but to obey and turn back.

The special police captain immediately relayed orders over his radio, telling the vice-captain to mobilize all the police in the city, and then followed the mayor into the office.

Wujue entered with the three of them. Under the astonished gazes of the other two officials, he locked the door, then contacted Xiao Yang through his wireless earpiece. “I’m here. Have you delivered the body?”

Xiao Yang replied, “It’s here. I’m starting the autopsy and examination now. The moment I have results, I’ll notify you.”

Wujue said, “No need. If possible, just have An Yi bring Little Han over to help.”

After saying that, he stepped aside, signaling that the mayor could begin.

The mayor rose at once and said, “Gentlemen, the attack on Little He has exposed many problems. It seems our city is not as safe as we imagined.”

“What, Mayor, do you suspect there are spies?” asked Old Zhang, the emergency minister, who had followed him the longest and immediately understood.

The mayor shook his head. “In truth, we have all been far too optimistic. For more than a month now, we have lost contact with every other place, and we still do not know that the enemy is drawing near, waiting for a chance. Just this morning, an alien invaders’ laboratory was discovered at the factory in the northern suburbs. They had already made their move against us long ago. On the way back, a monster even attacked me. Fortunately, Master Wujue was with me and saved my life. Sadly, Little He was killed.”

“Do you know what happened then?” the mayor said, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression shifting darkly. “The people were actually misled, the special police were obstructed, and we were forced to change our route. That gave others an opening. This is a warning bell for all of us!”

As he reached the end, he struck the table, looking furious beyond measure, showing the force a leader ought to possess.

Old Zhang and Little Song both felt ashamed and said one after another, “It was our oversight. Such a major blunder occurred, and we failed to ensure your safety, Mayor. But at present, the most troublesome matter is not those newcomers. Won’t they stir up even greater unrest?”

It seemed both men already knew about the extraterrestrial friends Wujue’s group had rescued. News traveled quickly indeed, and neither appeared to harbor any particular suspicion regarding Little He’s death.

The mayor waved a hand. “I have already settled those people in the western suburbs. But how was the news leaked? From the moment I received the message, less than two hours passed before I arranged for people to come receive them. Who leaked the information during that interval? Think carefully, comrades. This is an extremely dangerous matter. Right under our very noses, such a massive breach has appeared!”

The two men fell silent at once. The matter truly was thorny. Even if they themselves were clean, who could guarantee that subordinates or relatives were not involved? Once the investigation began, no one could be certain the flames would not spread to them as well.

In that awkward moment, Wujue received a message from Xiao Yang. The autopsy results were in: Little He had been infected by a virus of the Heavenly Scourge race, and it had lain dormant for at least a year. In other words, he had belonged to the Heavenly Scourge race long before this.

It seemed the Heavenly Scourge race’s infiltration plan had begun very early indeed. And judging from the information they had previously obtained from Ming’s organization, what had hidden itself in Little He should have been a low-level third-rank warrior, one with the ability to disguise itself and transform.

Even in death, the corpse remained a serious threat. It could mutate again at any moment and infect other living creatures. It had to be destroyed as soon as possible.

As soon as he received the news, Wujue said to the three men, “It has been confirmed. Little He died at the hands of a monster from the Heavenly Scourge race, and he may mutate again at any time. Time is short. We must think of a way to deal with this immediately, or the situation will only grow worse.”

Old Zhang and Little Song were both senior leaders of C City. They had long been displeased by Wujue’s presence in the office, and now they could not help speaking sharply. “Master Wujue, we are grateful to you for protecting the mayor. But this is a matter of municipal administration, and it should be left to us. You ought to go and keep a close eye on those outsiders instead. Be careful they do not cause trouble.”

Seeing their cold expressions, Wujue abandoned all courtesy. Rising to his feet, he said, “Since things have come to this, there is no point in politeness any longer. Your concern for appearances is plunging this entire city into crisis. Do you know how terrifying the Heavenly Scourge race is? On our journey here, we saw countless cities reduced to ruin. In those places, the Heavenly Scourge race directly infected every living thing on the ground. By then, there will be no room left for you to play these games of courtesy.”

He went on at length about all he had seen and heard before, and the two men were thoroughly shaken. At last Wujue said, “We will take responsibility for those people from outside. Please, each of you, do your own duty. Mr. Mayor, I take my leave.”

After bidding the mayor farewell, Wujue departed. What remained depended on how they chose to act.