I'm being held captive by a monster

Chapter 241 Yes, spring has arrived.

"Damn it, this is really bad luck, I feel like coughing."

"This thing is contagious so quickly?"

Qian Qiongzhi cleared her throat.

But I didn't take it too seriously.

Tang Chen, standing behind him, changed his expression and subconsciously touched his neck.

Fortunately, after carefully checking, he didn't feel any itching in his throat.

He then glanced at Lin Xing'an and Ke Ke.

Seeing that both of them were normal, Tang Chen felt a little relieved.

I hope I'm just overthinking it...

He looked out the window of Yu Kexin's bedroom.

Now that Qian Qiongzhi is here, he can't ask the owner for more details in order to activate his abilities.

"Boss, that cat is intelligent. It reacts faster than we do when there is any abnormality in people or animals."

"We also gave it a certificate to make sure it could handle people and animals."

The mother quickly poured Qian Qiongzhi a cup of water using a paper cup.

"..."

Qian Qiongzhi wanted to refuse, but when she saw the water in the cup, she felt inexplicably thirsty.

"Didn't you hear the cat meowing in the middle of the night?"

"There wasn't a single sign of conflict in the bedroom."

"The animal just vanished without a trace?"

She took the paper cup, took a sip, and walked around the bedroom talking.

"Yes...we didn't hear Xiaobai make any sound."

"At four o'clock in the morning, I opened the door and saw that all the people, animals and Xiaobai had disappeared from the house."

"The scene I found back then is exactly the same as it is now; I haven't touched it at all."

Standing by the door, looking at the empty bed, the mother recalled Yu Kexin's voice and smile, and felt a pang of heartache.

From the time she was in the hospital after the car accident until she returned home, they had been taking care of Yu Kexin for almost two months.

To say there were no feelings involved would be a lie.

After all, it would be heartbreaking to drop a dish that takes twenty minutes to prepare on the ground.

It took them a full two months...

Obviously...

It's only two days away from being ready to eat...

Why did this child run away?
How come you couldn't even last two days?

And yet we've been taking such good care of her...

"Mom thought through gritted teeth."

"Hey, are you just standing there pretending to be a pillar? Come over and take a look!"

"How can you discover the reason for the departure of people and animals if you don't move around and observe?"

"Honestly... you have absolutely no professionalism. I have to remind you..."

Qian Qiongzhi rolled her eyes.

Lin Xing'an nodded silently and followed beside her, observing the bedroom environment.

"Oh? What's wrong? Human-like Bro, not talking back to me anymore? Why don't you say you have such professional judgment now?"

"...You are more professional than me in this area."

Lin Xing'an said calmly.

"Heh, tsk, if you had done this earlier, you wouldn't have had to get such a serious demerit."

"I'll let bygones be bygones because you're Aunt Jiang's grandson. Watch and learn carefully!"

Seeing how obedient Lin Xing'an was to her, Qian Qiongzhi felt a surge of superiority.

"The cat didn't meow, and there weren't any traces around. If that's the case, there are only two possibilities."

"Firstly, the human and animal side has the ability to teleport, so they teleported the cat and the human and animal together."

"Secondly, there are ghost-like abilities, where humans and animals can directly transform into ghost-like beings and fly away."

"I prefer the second option because the teleportation is not very stable. So go back and investigate for me, check on the ghost-type ability users in the human and animal realm, and then I can write a report."

Qian Qiongzhi stood by the window, looking at the floating snow on the windowsill, and said in a showy manner.

"..."

Her words made Lin Xing'an's heart skip a beat.

A look of surprise and seriousness appeared on his face.

I completely underestimated Qian Qiongzhi...

This is definitely not a judgment that a completely ignorant and spoiled brat could make...

He didn't know exactly how Yu Kexin was rescued.

Judging from the appearance of the bedroom, it's highly likely that this was Xiao Le's doing.

but……

Without knowing Xiao Le's abilities, how could Qian Qiongzhi make such a quick judgment based solely on the absence of any signs of a struggle in the room?
And the tone was almost certain...

"What, Human-like Bro, you want to question me?"

Qian Qiongzhi crossed her arms, stared at Lin Xing'an, and raised her chin.

It was as if she had deliberately spoken vaguely just now, waiting for Lin Xing'an to ask.

"How can you be so sure it's a ghost-type ability?"

"Clearly... besides teleportation and ghost-like abilities, there are at least five other abilities that can rescue this human without leaving any trace of combat."

Lin Xing'an asked curiously as well.

Five kinds? For example?

"For example, time-related abilities, such as time-stopping abilities, hypnosis, and so on... including some rather peculiar abilities, it seems that they can all be done."

"Damn, you really have absolutely no practical experience!"

Qian Qiongzhi gave Lin Xing'an another speechless look.

"And time-related abilities... The committee, including the shrine, is now monitoring time-related abilities very strictly!"

"Unless it's something like time reversal, once an ability to influence time is used, it will be immediately known."

"And what you called hypnosis, I... sigh, never mind, you wouldn't understand anyway."

"Study and practice more in the future. When you reach my level, you'll be able to tell at a glance."

Qian Qiongzhi waved her hand, speaking with a hint of impatience.

"……it is good."

Lin Xing'an nodded and said nothing more.

Seeing him frowning and thinking silently, Qian Qiongzhi seemed to have thought of something fun, and her eyes lit up.

"Humanity Bro, ignorance is no crime."

“You have absolutely no experience, and your Director Xu is really going too far by sending you on this mission.”

"I don't think you did this on purpose. It's just that you're not capable enough. It's not entirely your fault. Giving you a major demerit is really too harsh."

"I'm not some unforgiving devil. Apologize to me now, and I'll rescind your major demerit, how about that?"

She looked at Lin Xing'an and said.

Despite her calm expression, Qian Qiongzhi was barely able to suppress the urge to smile!

Lin Xing'an openly challenged her authority at the victory celebration banquet, where almost everyone from the Siege Department and the Coordination Department was present, causing her to lose face. How could a mere apology possibly make up for it?

She said this to make Lin Xing'an apologize to her.

Then she rejected him firmly!
The thought of Lin Xing'an being embarrassed later made Qian Qiongzhi want to laugh...

"Hey, here's a way out for you, just take it."

"You've seen it yourself, I'm not the kind of person who's unreasonable."

"You're from the Siege Department, after all. We'll be seeing each other all the time. Apologize to me, and let bygones be bygones."

Qian Qiongzhi cleared her throat and spoke again.

His voice and tone were incredibly sincere.

"Junior."

Ke Ke also tugged at Lin Xing'an's arm from behind.

Qian Qiongzhi has already taken the initiative to apologize; it's nothing serious...

"If you're asking me to question your abilities, I'm sorry, but in terms of ability and experience, I am indeed inferior to you."

"Hmm, anything else? Apologize to me for what happened at the victory celebration banquet."

Qian Qiongzhi licked her lips.

She was already eager to reject Lin Xing'an's apology. "I will not apologize for what happened at the celebration banquet."

"On the contrary, you are the one who should apologize. You should apologize to Xu Ye."

Lin Xing'an said calmly.

"you……"

Upon hearing this, Qian Qiongzhi's expression instantly stiffened, then slowly darkened. "Say it again."

"At the celebration banquet, you bullied Xu Ye excessively. You are the one who should apologize."

Lin Xing'an spoke again without flinching.

"Heh... You want me to apologize to that good-for-nothing, huh?"

Qian Qiongzhi never expected that Lin Xing'an would actually dare to say such a thing.

"Alright, Lin Xing'an, then this major demerit will stay with you for life."

"And with your abilities... I feel you're completely incapable of handling the work of the Siege Division."

"Go back and wait for my notification. I will arrange a suitable position for you."

"I hope you'll still have the same guts then as you do now!"

Qian Qiongzhi looked at Lin Xing'an and said coldly.

"Damn it, this is really bad luck."

The coughing outside started again, which made Qian Qiongzhi cough as well.

A hint of displeasure and annoyance flashed in her eyes.

Ignoring everyone else, he glanced at his phone and left Yu Kexin's house.

"Junior, what's wrong with just apologizing..."

“Now that things are like this… if she really gets the minister to transfer you out again, you… sigh…”

Koko said with a wry smile.

Lin Xing'an shook her head indifferently, "It's okay, senior. It's already like this, it doesn't matter."

He said it casually.

Then she looked at her mother, who was covering her mouth and suppressing a cough, leaning against the door.

"Could you describe Yu Kexin's condition yesterday in more detail?"

Did she show any signs of anticipation, such as expectation?

"If so, it means that humans and animals may have already informed Yu Kexin of the time of her escape in some way."

Lin Xing'an took out a small notebook and asked seriously.

He certainly didn't want to investigate these details.

He just wanted Tang Chen and Ke Ke to stay a little longer.

After all, the probability of infection is not 100%, so staying a little longer and having more contact with infected people is safer.

"Yes, describe it in as much detail as possible."

"The more detailed the description, the more complete my reconstruction will be."

Tang Chen released the Ghost Domain, which encompassed the entire house.

Within his ghostly realm, fine lines resembling spider silk were clearly visible in the air.

Most of the lines passed through the parents, while others seemed to be drawn to each other, drifting around Lin Xing'an.

This inexplicably reminded Lin Xing'an of the silver timeline in his river of time.

"An'an, why don't you and Director Ke go outside and wait for a while?"

"My ability, [Clues], will help me reconstruct the direct cause of the departure of people and animals."

“Your presence here will interfere with my judgment as an indirect or secondary cause.”

Tang Chen grabbed a few spider webs from beside Lin Xing'an and said.

"Don't worry, this isn't your fault. I'll write the report later."

"This is not a simple case of people and livestock escaping."

He looked up at the increasing number of spider silks in the air and said seriously.

"Okay, call us anytime if you need anything. We'll go outside and take a look."

Koko pulled Lin Xing'an aside and nodded.

As the two left Tang Chen's ghost domain, the spider silk in the air instantly decreased by half.

"Senior, don't you find this matter... strange?"

"When we tested her like that, Yu Kexin didn't reveal any major flaws. Is it because she has such a strong mentality, or... did the humans and animals really warn her beforehand?"

"And those three owners were coughing so badly... Could they have contracted such a serious infectious disease as the Glutton?"

As the two walked in the garden, Lin Xing'an secretly monitored Tang Chen's actions inside the house while tentatively asking a question.

Koko silently frowned.

"The whole thing is indeed very strange. Yu Kexin's behavior that day was very strange. It cannot be ruled out that humans or animals warned her beforehand."

"As for the owner's incessant coughing..."

"I think it's an ability that can affect both humans and animals, but this ability may be contagious, though it shouldn't be fatal."

Koko said, pursing his lips.

"...Contagious? Senior, with all this contact today, won't we get infected and then spread it to even more people back in the department?"

Before Lin Xing'an could finish speaking, Ke Ke shook his head.

"Don't worry, junior."

“Look at that mother, her cough symptoms are obviously better than Dad and Grandma’s.”

"This shows that even the abilities of humans and animals cannot last long."

"And what about the human and animal populations too..."

As Keke was speaking, he suddenly paused, as if he had thought of something.

"Anyway, nothing will happen, don't worry."

After a long silence, Ke Ke smiled again and patted Lin Xing'an on the shoulder.

"That's good……"

Lin Xing'an lowered his eyes.

Pretty much what he thought.

Even though Koko had considered Sixteen's abilities, he didn't have much doubt.

After all, although she had consistently ranked high on the wanted list for humans and animals for sixteen months, she hadn't used her abilities for decades.

Few on the committee have truly witnessed the terrifying power of the Sixteenth Month.

As for Tang Chen...

Through the shadows, Lin Xing'an overheard Tang Chen asking about the cough in detail, just as he had thought.

They had even collected the coughed-up blood, intending to have Zhao Wuji test it when they got back.

This shows that although Tang Chen had doubts, he was also not sure.

Lin Xing'an thought to himself silently.

But just to be on the safe side, we still need to do something to attract the attention of everyone on the committee as much as possible.

By the time everyone noticed the spread of the epidemic, it was already too late.

But before Lin Xing'an could figure out exactly what he wanted to do...

He suddenly felt a gaze upon him.

That familiar gaze made Lin Xing'an's heart skip a beat.

"..."

He looked up, following the gaze.

On a chair under the pine trees opposite the community's landscaped lake, he saw a figure sitting quietly.

It is Yu Shi.

"What's wrong, junior?"

Seeing Lin Xing'an stop, Ke Ke also looked up.

In her eyes, the chair under the pine trees was empty.

"nothing."

Lin Xing'an looked at Yu Shi with a cold gaze, as if he were sizing up a complete stranger.

"I just noticed... the lake water has thawed."

He calmly withdrew his gaze.

Yes, spring has arrived.

Ke Ke glanced at Lin Xing'an a few times and said softly.

(End of this chapter)