By the time Shen Yun arrived at the hospital, a massive crowd had already gathered, forming a sea of people. Aside from the onlookers hungry for gossip and the media reporters ready for a hot interview, the majority were the families of the missing victims. They were the ones who cared most about this incident. Had it not been for the heavily armed military maintaining order with live ammunition, the crowd would have surged forward long ago, descending into utter chaos.
Shen Yun knew exactly how many eyes were glued to this place—and to him. Therefore, after stepping out of the car, he simply wore a cold expression and remained silent. Even so, live photos and follow-up reports were broadcast immediately.
[Perfected Lord Thunder looks furious throughout; begging for mercy might be useless?]
[One of the world's newly advanced supreme experts: an arrogant and aloof youth.]
[Just how strong is a Golden Core Perfected Lord? Experts point out...]
Listening to Little Nine's report, Shen Yun felt utterly speechless. He finally understood what celebrities went through; even if he did absolutely nothing, people would always find something to talk about. He pushed those thoughts aside. He spotted his father's family waiting at the hospital entrance not far away, including his younger sister, Shen Jiayi, and quickened his pace to walk over.
His sister was only in her third year of middle school this year, though she was already quite tall. She didn't look any different from how she was in the past world, except for her pale expression right now. Huddled in her mother's arms, her eyes were red and swollen, and tear streaks stained her cheeks. She had clearly just cried her heart out.
"Master, other than being a little weak, she is fine. She hasn't been violated; she is still a pure virgin," Little Nine directly relayed the scanning results of her Divine Thought to Shen Yun.
Shen Yun breathed a sigh of relief. When such a pretty young girl went missing for several days, it was only natural to worry about that sort of thing.
"Jiayi..." Shen Yun opened his mouth, only to realize that he wasn't actually that close to this sister. After all, they had never lived together and had only met a few times. Given her good upbringing and manners, he merely felt a certain level of brotherly responsibility toward this obedient and sensible sister.
"Brother!" Shen Jiayi threw herself directly into Shen Yun's arms, her held-back tears threatening to SPLASH down once more.
Shen Yun could no longer maintain his cold facade. He raised his hands, unsure of where to place them. Eventually, his heart softened. He gently patted his sister's back and comforted her in a soft voice, "Everything is fine now. No one will ever hurt you again. Just leave the rest to me..."
Standing to the side, Shen Xiangchen and his wife, who was ten years his junior, both had moist eyes. During the few days their daughter was missing, they had barely slept a wink. Looking at his red-eyed father, Shen Yun didn't know what to say. His artist father was over forty yet usually maintained the flashy appearance of a mature, handsome man. In this world, however, he had become thoroughly haggard, having lost an unknown amount of weight. The revival of Spiritual Qi brought nothing but disaster to ordinary people.
"Brother," Shen Jiayi said. Seemingly done crying, she took a deep breath, wiped her eyes, and pulled an object from her pocket. "This is... what he told me to bring you."
It was a voice recorder.
"Mr. Shen..." A nearby policeman was about to speak, but Shen Yun raised a hand to stop him and pressed the button on the voice recorder directly. After a brief silence, a slightly magnetic male voice spoke.
"Mr. Shen, taking your sister away was merely a coincidence." He Anhe's voice was exceedingly calm, lacking even a hint of panic. There was even an air of confidence in his tone. "As a fellow beneficiary of the revival of Spiritual Qi, Mr. Shen should understand that our current strength and status rely entirely on our own talent, bitter cultivation, and serendipitous encounters. Although my, He Anhe's, strength is insufficient, which is why others see me as meat on the chopping block... I have my own fortuitous encounters. I look forward to the day when we can sit down over drinks to discuss the Dao together."
The recording ended there. Shen Yun pondered for a moment, deciphering the meaning behind the man's long speech. First, he admitted defeat and apologized, clarifying that he had no intention of making enemies. Then, he implied that despite Shen Yun's current glory, it wouldn't be long before he shared that exact same glory.
"Boring." Expressionless, Shen Yun tossed the voice recorder directly to the nearby policeman. Regardless of the situation, he had to fully play the part of being disdainful.
"Master," Little Nine's voice suddenly rang out in his mind. "There seems to be a problem with the other girl's body."
The other girl. Shen Yun looked toward another family standing not far away. Aside from his sister, another girl had been released. Shen Yun had seen this person before; she was his sister's classmate and best friend. She had a chubby, dumpling-like face and looked lively and adorable.
"What's wrong with her?" Shen Yun asked.
"In her heart... there's a tiny bug, very, very small." Little Nine paused, her tone laced with a hint of surprise. "It looks just like the Gu bugs described in novels."
A Gu bug?
"Mr. Shen." Another man in a police uniform walked over, his face full of apology. "An official media reporter would like to interview you. What do you think..."
"Master," Little Nine spoke up again. "This person also has an identical bug in his heart."
"..." Shen Yun looked the rather young policeman in front of him up and down until the man's scalp went numb. Only then did he slowly ask, "Have you ever bought and taken medication from the Sanyao Company?"
"I bought a box, but it didn't do much." The young policeman didn't know why Shen Yun suddenly asked this, but he answered truthfully.
"What about you?" Shen Yun looked at another older policeman who had been following him.
"Me? I'm already at this age." The man shook his head. "I did buy some for my son, though. Stood in line for ages."
Shen Yun asked Little Nine in his mind, "How many people around us have the bug you mentioned in their hearts?"
Little Nine intensified the scan of her Divine Thought. Rings of electric light suddenly flashed across Shen Yun's body, startling the surrounding crowd. They hastily retreated, unsure of what this Golden Core Perfected Lord was trying to do. Ultimately, Little Nine got her answer.
"Three hundred and eighteen people."
"That many?" Shen Yun surveyed his surroundings, remaining utterly silent. There were roughly only two or three thousand people here. Just what exactly was that He Anhe planning to do?
"Master, I've never seen this kind of Gu bug before. However, considering it's located in the heart, the worst-case scenario is that he might be able to remotely control the life and death of those afflicted." Little Nine was also somewhat surprised by this result.
Based on this ratio, a conservative estimate would mean the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in East City were under He Anhe's control.
Shen Yun gently closed his eyes, then suddenly snapped them open.
"Take me to see your person in charge."
Emotionally speaking, this concerned the safety and lives of hundreds of thousands of people! Moreover, Shen Yun inevitably felt some apprehension toward such sinister methods. Rationally speaking, the fortuitous encounters of the Otherworld appeared to be in the hands of the nation, so this was also, more or less, him taking a stance.