Chapter 59: 59. Frost
By the banks of Lanjiang.
Yang Fan had only been fishing for a while, and hadn’t even gained 0.1 Spiritual Source Value, so he had to leave.
Because a drone flew over.
The loudspeaker on the drone announced, "According to the ’Mosquito Prevention Guide’, do not linger near the river ditch, please return immediately!"
Yang Fan had no choice but to pack up his fishing rod and head home.
He was willing to follow the rules when possible.
He walked a bit further and saw his fishing friend, Old Gangster, again.
Another drone hovered nearby, constantly urging, "Please leave."
Old Gangster was unfazed.
The drone repeated itself a few times, seeming to be at a loss, before flying away.
Yang Fan stepped forward and said, "Uncle, these poisonous mosquitoes are no joke; many people have died overseas."
Old Gangster, with an attitude of "I’d rather die than not fish": "I’m not afraid, I’ve got anti-mosquito clothing prepared."
Yang Fan shook his head and left the riverbank.
He glanced back at Old Gangster and silently thought, "Do I really have to force you?"
A moment later.
"Goo-chee!"
Accompanied by a bird’s cry.
A dark shadow descended from the sky, diving swiftly towards Old Gangster.
It was the Peregrine Falcon Needle Eye.
It swooped past the fishing rod, and with its hard beak, pecked at the rod like lightning.
"Snap!"
The fishing rod broke.
Needle Eye flew off like a gust of wind.
Its speed was so fast, Old Gangster couldn’t see what kind of bird it was from start to finish.
He only felt a flash before his eyes, and the fishing rod in his hand suddenly became much lighter.
Old Gangster shouted "Mama!", even leaving his bench behind, grabbing his bucket, and scuttling away.
On the other side.
Yang Fan witnessed this scene and smiled with satisfaction, "Losing the rod is better than losing your life, right?"
As he knew.
Old Gangster was a kind-hearted person who often brought fish to the elderly living alone nearby.
That was why he decided to intervene, kindly "persuading" Old Gangster to go home.
Back at Yue Bay District.
A sparrow landed on the windowsill.
It was the "courier" of the Soul Stealing Wisp, code-named Sichuan Pepper Chicken No. 11.
Spirit Crows Black no.6 transferred the curiosities to the sparrow, which was responsible for bringing them back.
A phantom flickered quickly, instantly entering Yang Fan’s body.
He smiled immediately, "Another superpower acquired."
From the scene of "two living people becoming ice sculptures in an instant", this was clearly a rather powerful superpower.
"Buzz!"
The Soul Stealing Wisp lightly vibrated.
Yang Fan immediately knew the name of the new superpower — Frost.
Frost: Not activated, low grade Mental Superpower, requires 3 Spiritual Source Value to activate.
He grinned, "It actually needs 3 Spiritual Source Value, should be much stronger than other low grade superpowers."
Besides.
The Soul Stealing Wisp also absorbed 2.2 Spiritual Source Value, accumulating 9.3 Spiritual Source Value in total.
Yang Fan nodded with satisfaction, "When it gets hot later, I won’t be afraid of not having air conditioning."
However, since his mental state was not yet stable, he didn’t immediately activate the Frost superpower.
*
Half an hour later.
Crow’s Nest.
Commander Zhang from the Jiuzhou Corps Headquarters and Director Liu from the Lijiang Branch both appeared under the Lengshan tree.
They were already aware that a case involving three deaths had occurred in Linjiang City.
One of the victims, a young woman who died from a fall, was surprisingly a rare superpower user.
According to the drone footage, just before the young woman’s death, Spirit Crows Black no.6 appeared at the crime scene.
This was a rather serious matter.
Hence, these two officers appeared together at the Crow’s Nest.
"Mr. Spirit Crows!"
Commander Zhang called out sternly.
"Caw!"
Spirit Crows Black no.6 responded.
Director Liu stole a glance at the commander and asked tactfully, "Mr. Spirit Crows, did you have any direct involvement in Yan Qingqing’s death?"
He was trying to mediate and avoid strains between both sides, which is why he asked.
Unfortunately, Director Liu’s attempt fell through.
Commander Zhang’s gaze was sharp as a knife, "Mr. Spirit Crows, did you kill Yan Qingqing?"
Liu Hei pulled out a mobile phone from the tree hollow, skillfully turned it on, and madly tapped the screen with his bird beak.
A line of text quickly appeared: "Yan Qingqing said, even if she killed someone, as long as she identified as a superpower user, there would be a chance to atone for her crimes. Is this true?"
A soldier brought over a tablet, displaying it in front of Commander Zhang.
Commander Zhang glanced at it and froze immediately.
This is a very sharp issue.
Commander Zhang remained silent for a while before speaking: "Currently, Great Xia faces many challenges, and it needs to leverage all available forces."
Although he did not directly admit it, this statement essentially acknowledged it.
Director Liu looked at the commander and then at Spirit Crow, silently sighed.
He understood that the matter had reached a point of "ideological clash."
Liu Hei’s bird head moved so fast it left residual shadows; another line of text appeared.
"Can I assume that in the current situation, power outweighs rules? Yan Qingqing wields a superpower, so the rules might offer leniency."
Commander Zhang remained silent again.
This is a difficult question to answer.
If he says "no," Liren will undoubtedly be saying one thing but doing another.
If he says "yes," Mr. Spirit Crows could demand special treatment, following suit.
Mr. Spirit Crows possesses even more formidable power; he only dispatched one Spirit Crow and effortlessly eliminated a superpower user.
Such power is truly terrifying.
Commander Zhang thought for a moment and avoided the question: "Do you assume you represent justice? Vigilantism is definitely not justice!"
Liu Hei replied with a mocking tone: "If justice worked, why would I need to act?"
Commander Zhang dodged the question, continued to argue: "Yan Qingqing killed, you also killed; essentially, you and Yan Qingqing are no different."
He grew more agitated: "Except you are more cunning and hypocritical than Yan Qingqing; you understand the importance of occupying the moral high ground. You are just a selfish, shameless scoundrel!"
Liu Hei cawed, sounding like laughter: "Aren’t you trying to occupy the moral high ground to judge me with all this nonsense?
"You defend Yan Qingqing but accuse me of being a hypocritical scoundrel. Using your words, aren’t you also a cunning, hypocritical, shameless scoundrel?"
Commander Zhang choked, feeling as if "the boomerang hit his own face."
Director Liu listened with keen interest.
Earlier, he worried both sides would completely fall out; now he hoped they would argue as fiercely as possible.
Anyway, since it’s heated, watching the drama is never too much!
Liu Hei continued: "I don’t care about justice, nor about being called a shameless scoundrel. I won’t be bound by some inexplicable things.
"People like Yan Qingqing being alive make me uncomfortable, so I just killed her."
Commander Zhang was completely silenced by this statement.
Director Liu nodded lightly, inwardly commenting: "Mr. Spirit Crows is strong; the strong don’t care about being judged."
"Caw!"
Spirit Crow crowed again.
It used its claw to turn off the phone and tucked it back into the tree hollow.
Commander Zhang was dazed for a while, then sighed deeply.
Originally, he came in anger, wanting Mr. Spirit Crows to give an explanation; now, he felt entirely perplexed.
Mr. Spirit Crows did indeed point out an extremely sharp issue — whether it’s appropriate to grant superpower users certain exemptions.
"Let’s go."
Commander Zhang said listlessly.
Director Liu followed behind, whispering: "Personally, I think Mr. Spirit Crows was right to kill!"
Commander Zhang glared at him: "Given your status, it’s best not to say such things publicly."
Director Liu chuckled: "I’m not foolish; of course, I won’t go around saying it."
The director further asserted: "If it’s impossible to treat superpower users and ordinary people equally, society will eventually tear apart.
"By then, superpower users and ordinary people will fully oppose each other, which would be terrible for Great Xia.
"Mr. Spirit Crows must have seen this, understood the danger, and thus struck Yan Qingqing decisively."
Director Liu praised without reservation: "Mr. Spirit Crows is a very smart person!"
Commander Zhang remained silent.
However, from his demeanor, it seemed he did not disagree with Director Liu’s viewpoints.
Director Liu cautiously inquired: "Commander, what do you think the authorities will do about this?"
Commander Zhang was silent for a moment, then replied: "This matter doesn’t have significant impact, likely will end quietly."
Director Liu lightly nodded: "Mr. Spirit Crows must have anticipated this and thus created the illusion of Yan Qingqing’s suicide, allowing the authorities to brush it aside."
He looked impressed: "Truly flawless planning!"
*
That evening.
Linjiang City began to experience heavy rain.
The sky seemed to have opened, pouring rain continuously for an entire day and night, causing water to accumulate on many streets.
By the next evening.
Peregrine Falcon routinely patrolled the city, relying on its keen eyesight, discovered something unusual in a North Suburb ditch.
"Gurgle!"
It didn’t forget to alert its owner.
Yang Fan connected the Mind Link, sharing Needle Eye’s vision.
He stood up abruptly and blurted out: "Poisonous Mosquito!"
The plague of Poisonous Mosquitoes had been brewing for a long time, finally erupting across Great Xia.