Chapter Eighty-Six: Another Perverse Act

"Something even more interesting?" The subordinate quickly realized what Chen Ding'an meant, for Fang Yun had already provided the answer. After his astonishing actions, he seemed unsatisfied with the previous inspection results. So, after dealing with the fragments of skin, he returned to the corpses.

He first looked over the various tools on the shelf, picking up a cranial saw. Though called a cranial saw, it was really just a small, circular electric saw. He examined it for a moment, seemed dissatisfied, and put it back.

Then, to the subordinate's horror, he reached out—one hand steadying the corpse's head, the other inserting his fingertip straight into the skull. With a gentle twist, he removed the entire skullcap in one piece...

"This... this..." The subordinate was too shocked to speak, unable to find any words to describe his feelings.

"Don't get too worked up. I was just as surprised as you the first time I saw it, but you'll get used to it soon enough," Chen Ding'an said, patting his shoulder.

"Mr. Chen, you've seen this before? And it was done by this man?" the subordinate asked, incredulous.

"Oh!" Chen Ding'an shook his head. "I've never witnessed him perform this kind of autopsy before—today is the first. But I've seen him do plenty of other astonishing things in the past. Nothing surprises me anymore. Whatever strange things happen around this guy, I won't be shocked. You'll get used to it too."

"Get used to it?" The subordinate mulled over the word, confused.

Chen Ding'an smiled. "You don't think, after seeing what this fellow is capable of, he’ll just pretend you don’t exist, do you?"

"What?!" The subordinate was startled. "He’s not going to kill me to keep me quiet, is he?"

"Pfft—" Chen Ding'an couldn't help but burst out laughing. "What nonsense are you imagining? He's a high-ranking official of our country! He’d never do such a thing. But you definitely won’t escape having to sign a confidentiality agreement."

"Whew!" The subordinate let out a breath of relief. "So that's it, Mr. Chen—you gave me quite a scare."

Chen Shaotian said, "Actually, it's a good thing for you. You’ve already had decent treatment working under me, but once you sign the confidentiality agreement, you’ll basically be marked as a civil servant in the system. And this matter will definitely be reported up the chain. I suspect, when Fang Yun returns, he'll ask for one or two of my people to go with him, and that person will probably be you. It’s good to have more contact with Fang Yun. Though he can be a bit long-winded, he's actually easy to get along with. Dealing with higher-ups will help your career development a lot.

Of course, after you leave with him, you still have to focus on your work. You can't afford to slack off or get complacent."

"Of course!" The subordinate understood Chen Ding'an meant well, and from his words, also realized his future was about to change for the better—a realization that filled him with excitement.

During their conversation, the intercom to the quarantine room was turned off, but unexpectedly, Fang Yun's voice suddenly rang out from the room: "Hey, hey, Ding'an, what do you mean calling me long-winded in front of others? And why are you so sure I'll ask you for someone?"

After having roughly grasped Fang Yun's extraordinary nature, the researcher was no longer surprised that Fang Yun could overhear their conversation from the other room. In his mind, Fang Yun was like one of those superpowered humans from comics or films—or perhaps a member of the legendary Dragon Unit, as often depicted in novels!

"Based on what I know of Elder Fang, he sent you here to get information and expects you to report back. But he never trusts your word alone—he’ll always have you bring someone with you to make the report. My researcher here has been by your side since you arrived, which shows the trust I place in him. And you, being someone who hates trouble, would never bother picking someone new, so for convenience’s sake, you’ll just take him to Elder Fang. Am I wrong?" Chen Ding'an spoke with utter confidence.

"Ha! You really do know me and the old man well!" Fang Yun’s reply was as good as an admission.

He didn’t continue, instead sticking his finger into the opened skull, and after pulling it out, he popped it straight into his mouth to taste.

Even the researcher and Chen Ding'an, accustomed as they were to corpses, felt nauseated at this sight—barely suppressing the urge to vomit.

"You really have a strong stomach!" Chen Ding'an mumbled, covering his mouth. "Can’t you pick a less disgusting way to examine things?"

"Heh! So even you have your limits? Compared to what you went through during training, this is nothing but a drizzle, isn't it?" Fang Yun retorted.

"How is that the same?" Chen Ding'an argued. "Next time you’re about to do something revolting, give us a warning first, will you? I know you’re gifted, but we’re just regular people, not freaks like you."

As Chen Ding'an spoke and the researcher recovered from the revulsion, he suddenly remembered a similarly disgusting scene he'd witnessed recently. In the forests of Kestall, a man who appeared later had also dipped his finger in the blood on the ground and tasted it.

Surely... they couldn't be the same person, since the newcomer was sent by the security company, not the government. Yet both used the same method to investigate. Was there some connection between them?

As he pondered this, Fang Yun suddenly spoke: "Alright, I’ve finished checking the general condition of the bodies. Where are those strange glowing instruments you mentioned? Are these the ones laid out on the table?"

Chen Ding'an raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're done already? Not going to open them up further?"

"I'm not some Japanese quack—what’s the point of opening up the abdomen? I only needed to check their brains. The rest will be taken care of when we get back," Fang Yun said with a shrug.

Chen Ding'an nodded. "Fine by me. Those are the instruments. But I suggest you don't touch them—best to let the professionals handle the research. You’ve never had a knack for high-tech stuff."

Fang Yun seemed to accept Chen Ding'an’s words, saying nothing more. After washing his hands at the sink, he left the quarantine room.

The inspection had gone without incident, to Chen Ding'an’s relief. He had worried that those strange objects might start glowing again and knock him unconscious as they did before. If anything happened to Fang Yun, he’d have no way to answer to Elder Fang.

Fang Yun was the old man’s only son. Though Elder Fang usually acted unimpressed with him, if anything happened to his only child, the sky would fall.

"So? Did you find anything?" As soon as Fang Yun returned, Chen Ding'an asked eagerly.

To his regret, Fang Yun shook his head. "No progress. On the surface, it does seem they died from fatal injuries or excessive blood loss—nothing unusual in their brains."

"Sigh..." Chen Ding'an let out a long breath. "Just as I thought—same as before."

The subordinate was a bit confused. Hadn’t the cause of death already been established? Nearly all had died for the reasons Fang Yun described. After all, they’d been fighting unknown enemies—what other cause could there be?

Fang Yun patted Chen Ding'an on the shoulder. "Don’t dwell on it. It’s been so many years; if there was something to find, we’d have found it by now. Let go of the past."

"You’re certainly philosophical about it," Chen Ding'an snorted.

"I’m the one involved and even I’m not fussed. Why are you, of all people, so anxious?" Fang Yun joked.

"Hey! Who are you calling anxious?" Chen Ding'an protested. "So, what now?"

"Have your people pack up all the bodies, the unconscious, and those instruments—load them all up. I’m taking everything back. Once there’s news, the old man will be in touch," Fang Yun said, glancing back at the quarantine room.

"In such a hurry?" Chen Ding'an frowned. "Leaving already? Not even staying for a meal? It’s been years since we last met."

Fang Yun sighed deeply, helpless. "Maybe next time. The higher-ups are taking this case very seriously—I have to get back right away. You should understand the main reason: this incident is extremely unusual. Why would that consortium suddenly hire so many security firms at this time? It was that building that first showed anomalies, but this isn’t the first such incident. In previous cases, nothing this serious happened, and the consortium didn’t act out of the ordinary. This time, though, they hired five security companies, and coincidentally, such a massive casualty event occurred. It’s as if..."

Chen Ding'an finished Fang Yun’s thought. "As if they knew an attack was coming, and knew ordinary people wouldn’t stand a chance—so they deliberately hired all those people as cannon fodder? That would explain why they used outsiders instead of their own security force..."