In the suburbs of City W, a black Hummer drove past several farm-style restaurants decorated in a festive, rustic manner before coming to a stop in front of a somewhat secluded white building.
Judging by its exterior alone, the building had an aesthetically pleasing, minimalist design with a distinctly futuristic feel. Combined with the “No Unauthorized Entry” sign at the entrance, it certainly looked like a legitimate scientific research institution—if one ignored its name.
“Institute for the Study of Abnormal Organisms.” With those words hanging prominently on its sign, the place instantly went from looking like a highly confidential research facility to a rather dubious establishment that might very well produce videos of people dissecting aliens.
The black Hummer's engine shut off, and the vehicle came to a brazen stop right in front of the institute's main entrance, completely ignoring the raised ETC barrier.
A pair of long legs clad in black military boots stepped out of the driver's seat. The young man who emerged was tall and well-built, with a face that could have belonged to a movie star. Casually pushing his sunglasses up onto his head, he smiled at the elderly man in the security booth. "Zhang-daye, I won't bother parking inside. I'll be leaving again soon anyway."
The old man at the entrance, dressed in a faded, worn-out security uniform, merely glanced at him from the corner of his eye and nodded to acknowledge him. He didn't say a word.
The young man didn't seem to mind. He turned and started walking toward the institute. Meanwhile, the person in the passenger seat had only just managed to get out of the vehicle. Struggling to carry a rather heavy-looking backpack, he shouted, "Hey, Xia Jiaoyang, you heartless bastard! Couldn't you at least help me carry some of this stuff?"
The young man called Xia Jiaoyang glanced back at him. The other young man was dressed fashionably, with an assortment of somewhat excessive accessories jingling noisily against one another. His entire appearance made him look as though he had rolled around in a paint bucket labeled Trendy three times.
Xia Jiaoyang couldn't help laughing. "Who's heartless? Jiang Shang, don't you feel the least bit guilty saying that? Who was it that spent the entire journey fast asleep in the passenger seat instead of helping out the poor soul who's been driving nonstop?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Jiang Shang put on an ingratiating smile. "Hehe, Xia-ge, who are you? How could driving for a little while possibly tire you out? Come on, help me out! Otherwise, I'll have to make at least three trips carrying all this stuff by myself. No, five!"
Looking at his flattering expression, Xia Jiaoyang shook his head helplessly. Nevertheless, he walked over, opened the rear door, and effortlessly lifted Jiang Shang's rather heavy suitcase with one hand.
"Xia-ge is mighty!" Jiang Shang immediately showered him with praise. He didn't seem particularly surprised by Xia Jiaoyang's extraordinary strength. Instead, he couldn't resist asking a few more questions. "You're really not taking even a single day off? You're heading to City H tomorrow?"
Holding the suitcase as casually as if it were a plastic shopping bag, Xia Jiaoyang answered offhandedly, "Yeah. The director called me. I'm responsible for conducting Subject 717's evaluation. He's a pure mental-type, just like you. He can't fight at all, so I'll have to take him under my wing."
Jiang Shang muttered, "If he's a pure mental-type, he can work in logistics. Why insist on becoming a field researcher?"
Xia Jiaoyang raised his eyes slightly. "His abilities aren't suitable for logistics either. Besides, we have to take his personal wishes into consideration. He wants to be a field researcher."
Jiang Shang shook his head with the air of someone speaking from experience. "He's still young. I remember when I thought field assignments sounded exciting too. Just look at me now. It's too late for regrets."
"Heh." Xia Jiaoyang scoffed. "You've had it pretty comfortable working with me as your partner. Anyway, I'll be taking on a new recruit this time, so you can finally go provide support to the logistics department you've been dreaming about."
"Hehe!" Jiang Shang laughed along with him. "Xia-ge, even if I'm not by your side, I'll always be your strongest backup!"
Chatting as they walked, the two entered the research institute. Inside, the imposing building looked less like a research facility and more like a warehouse. The two headed straight for the freight elevator near the entrance.
Xia Jiaoyang stepped forward. Only after passing a series of identity checks—fingerprints, iris scans, facial recognition, voice recognition, and a security key—did the elevator doors finally open.
Before stepping inside, he placed the suitcase on the floor and gave Jiang Shang a brief nod. "You can carry the rest yourself."
"Fine." Jiang Shang looked miserable as he watched Xia Jiaoyang step inside. The elevator doors then closed at an extraordinarily rapid speed.
There was no need to select a floor. The elevator carried Xia Jiaoyang straight down.
—The security checks at the research institute's external entrance weren't particularly strict. After all, the empty research facility aboveground was merely a front. Only by passing through this heavily encrypted elevator could anyone enter the institute's actual core facilities.
Xia Jiaoyang stepped out of the elevator. This was where the place finally looked like a proper research institute.
The underground facility was brightly lit, with each section clearly divided. Researchers in white lab coats hurried through the corridors. Whenever they passed him, they would greet him with respectful nods. "Welcome back, Mr. Xia."
Xia Jiaoyang nodded in response and headed straight toward the conference room.
When he opened the door to the Level A classified conference room, the director was already waiting inside.
Leaning casually against the doorway, Xia Jiaoyang flashed him a smile. Before the director could even ask, he answered on his own. "This incident turned out to be a false alarm. There wasn't any special individual involved at all. We helped solve the case, and then came straight back."
Although the institute couldn't be found on any official government website, it was actually considered an official organization. At the very least, every employee had an officially sanctioned position, and they frequently collaborated with police departments across the country.
The mission Xia Jiaoyang had just completed had come about because the police suspected that a murder suspect possessed the ability to walk through walls and was therefore a special individual with supernatural powers. They had requested assistance from the Institute for the Study of Abnormal Organisms. In the end, however, it turned out to be nothing more than an ordinary locked-room murder case.
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, and Xia Jiaoyang was already used to it.
The director smiled faintly. "I see. Well, it's good that we were able to help. Are you tired? I know you've only just returned, but an incident just occurred in City H. Its danger level isn't particularly high, making it an ideal evaluation mission for Subject 717. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with another trip."
As he spoke, he handed Xia Jiaoyang a file that he had prepared in advance.
Xia Jiaoyang rolled his neck to loosen up and immediately flipped to the page containing Subject 717's information. The first thing he looked at was the subject's codename. Everyone at the institute was assigned a codename by the director. Generally, a person's codename gave a rough idea of their characteristics and abilities. And under Subject 717's codename, the following words were written in bold: "Psychiatrist with Excessively Extreme Ideas."
Xia Jiaoyang couldn't help chuckling. "Excessively extreme? Just how extreme are we talking?"
Anyone under supervision who qualified to undergo an evaluation had already been determined to pose no significant threat. Yet the director had deliberately added the prefix "excessively extreme" to this person's title. That certainly made things interesting.
Seeing how unconcerned Xia Jiaoyang seemed, the director cleared his throat and put on a serious expression. "Don't underestimate him! Subject 717's abilities are rather unusual. We're always extremely cautious when it comes to abilities that involve the human mind!"
Holding the file, Xia Jiaoyang read aloud. "While attending a prestigious middle school in City M, Subject 717 once used his ability to make every student and teacher in the entire school simultaneously believe that a certain student did not exist. Under the tremendous psychological distress this caused, the student nearly jumped to his death from a building. Subject 717 discovered what was happening in time and called the police, preventing the suicide."
The director added, "I also had Jiang Shang verify the situation through brainwave analysis. That student was a notorious bully who had been throwing his weight around at school. Subject 717 initially did consider killing him, but in the end, he still chose to save him."
The moment Xia Jiaoyang saw the description of Subject 717's ability, he understood why the director had insisted on pairing the two of them together.
Xia Jiaoyang's longtime partner, Jiang Shang, could read human minds by interpreting brainwaves. However, his ability was limited to humans. He couldn't interpret Xia Jiaoyang's brainwaves. To put it simply, from a certain perspective—biologically speaking, for example—Xia Jiaoyang no longer belonged to the human species.
To borrow the words of a particularly sharp-tongued researcher: "Xia Jiaoyang's genome has less in common with the average human genome than a banana's does." Xia Jiaoyang had even looked it up afterward. Apparently, bananas and humans shared approximately fifty percent of their genes. That meant he wasn't even half human!
Consequently, most abilities that worked on humans had little to no effect on him.
Xia Jiaoyang dropped the file and pursed his lips. "You're giving him a Level A danger rating for something like this?"
The director explained with a serious expression, "When he first joined the institute, the thoughts revealed through his brainwave readings were extremely dangerous. They included things like destroying the institute and annihilating the entire world. On top of that, his ability can influence people very easily and subtly, without them even realizing it. That's why we initially assessed his danger level as particularly high."
"But quite some time has passed since then, and he has never actually done anything extreme. His dangerous thoughts have also decreased considerably. Our preliminary assessment is that although he has extreme ideas, he has always been suppressing his impulses and refraining from acting on them."
Xia Jiaoyang nodded, having gained a slightly better understanding of his upcoming temporary partner. "Why is he called a psychiatrist?"
The director burst out laughing. "Well, thanks to him, that troublesome student he frightened never dared to bully anyone again. By an unexpected twist of fate, you could say he cured a deep-rooted psychological problem. I believe that if his ability is put to proper use, it could be an excellent remedy for the human mind. Xiao Xia, you'll have to guide him well."
"Don't worry. When it comes to being positive, cheerful, healthy, and optimistic, who could possibly outdo me? I'll make sure he basks in the radiance of positive energy. If you ask me, all those dangerous thoughts of his are probably just a case of excessive adolescent delusions." Xia Jiaoyang flashed a smile and added jokingly, "But are you really sure his psychological suggestions won't work on me? What if he manages to lead me astray halfway through the mission?"
The director smiled and slid an invisible Bluetooth earpiece across the table to him. "That's why you need to meet him in person first. Jiang Shang and I will monitor everything in real time. He has to pass this test before he's allowed to participate in the evaluation mission."
"You old fox." Xia Jiaoyang laughed as he picked up the earpiece and stood. "Fine, then. Let's go meet our psychiatrist."
Before leaving the room, Xia Jiaoyang put on the earpiece and headed deeper into the research institute.
The farther he went, the quieter the surroundings became. After passing through yet another encrypted security door, he entered the most dangerous section of the entire research institute: The Detention Area for Supervised Individuals.
This seemingly unprofessional, counterfeit research institute housed numerous monsters that were constantly itching to cause trouble.
Sensing the gazes secretly watching him from the shadows, Xia Jiaoyang made no effort to avoid them. Instead, he met each gaze directly, one after another, and flashed a relaxed yet provocative smile. "Settle down, little troublemakers. Your stares are getting too noisy."
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