I'm being held captive by a monster

Chapter 243 As long as Lin Xing'an can be killed

Encirclement and Killing Department, Director's Office.

"This is your investigation report?"

"Was Yu Kexin rescued by a human or animal with [ghost]-like abilities?"

Xu Zhe flipped through Lin Xing'an's report, then looked up and asked.

"Yes, based on the traces at the scene, that's the case."

Lin Xing'an said.

"Director, the traces at the scene were very clean, and Lin Xing'an's report was written under my supervision."

“He was very serious throughout the entire reinvestigation process, and he also summarized and reflected on his previous mistakes.”

"Lin Xing'an should have realized his mistake by now."

Koko also stepped forward and said.

Tang Chen, who had been frowning the whole time, also nodded to Xu Zhe.

"Okay, then go back. Submit your self-criticism to me tomorrow."

"Tang Chen and Ke Ke stay."

Xu Zhe didn't make things difficult for Lin Xing'an and waved his hand, saying...

After leaving, seeing that no colleagues had noticed, Lin Xing'an went straight to Zhang Guang's office.

"Come in quickly, get yourself a glass of water, sit down for a while, and wait for me."

Upon entering, Zhang Guangzheng was wearing glasses and writing something.

Lin Xing'an also sat on the sofa, listening silently to the sounds coming from Xu Zhe's office through the shadows.

"Director, this cough seems strange to me, it's very unusual."

As soon as Lin Xing'an left, Tang Chen pulled up a chair and sat opposite Xu Zhe, handing him several documents.

"Tell me more about it."

Hsu Che gestured for Ke Ke to sit down as well, then took the documents with a serious expression.

The above is Tang Chen's record of the owner's current physical condition, as well as the causal connections found by his ability [Clues].

"Minister, the direct cause of Yu Kexin's escape was the owner's uncontrollable and persistent cough."

“Normally, the two events of ‘coughing’ and ‘the escape of people and animals’ form a complete cause-and-effect relationship.”

"But within my capabilities..."

Tang Chen shook his head.

Xu Zhe waved his hand and said, "Get straight to the conclusion."

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as he spoke.

"The conclusion is that the coughing of these three pet owners was not an accident."

"The animal husbandry team deliberately made the three owners cough through some means in order to rescue Yu Kexin."

"However, rescuing Yu Kexin is not the final result, or rather, the real purpose of the humans and animals is not to rescue Yu Kexin at all. More things will happen later."

"However... I can't guess what the purpose of humans and animals is, or what will happen next."

Tang Chen took a deep breath and said.

"Koko, what do you think? What's your opinion?"

After a moment of silence, Xu Zhe looked at Ke Ke.

"Director, I share Tang Chen's view; this matter may not be so simple."

"But I feel... it shouldn't be too complicated."

Koko paused for a moment before speaking.

"why?"

"Because Taoyuan just died, the human and animal faction has lost its leader and it is difficult for them to make any big moves. Moreover, the human and animal faction has not shown any abnormalities recently."

"...Nothing seems out of the ordinary, but I'm afraid this is just the calm before the storm..."

Xu Zhe sighed softly, leaned back in his seat, and began to rub the ring on his hand.

Koko is being a bit too optimistic.

Tao Yuan's death made most of the gluttonous ghosts underestimate humans and animals, and they all felt that humans and animals were no longer a threat.

But this matter is definitely not that simple...

Lin Xing'an must have his own plan...

Xu Zhe recalled Lin Xing'an's behavior before he went there that morning, especially after he learned that Qian Qiongzhi was also going...

Lin Xing'an's behavior was practically a provocation against Qian Qiongzhi...

Thinking about this, Xu Zhe couldn't help but feel his head buzzing.

That's Qian Qiongzhi, Qian Sen's granddaughter! Lin Xing'an actually wants to drag her into this mess.

What exactly does Lin Xing'an want? What do humans and beasts want?

"Coughing, contagiousness...etc..."

Xu Zhe's heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly opened his eyes, picking up the documents Tang Chen had just given him again.

I read through the description of the specific symptoms of this cough again carefully.

"Tang Chen, tell me more carefully about the condition of those three owners."

"Also, have you investigated the other gluttonous ghosts around the neighborhood?"

Xu Zhe said in an unusually serious tone.

Tang Chen nodded silently.

"Director, what I'm thinking is the same as what you're thinking now."

"I suspect this is a capability from the animal kingdom."

"And the only humans and animals I can think of with this ability..."

"...Only her."

Tang Chen glanced at the door and lowered his slightly trembling voice.

"..."

Xu Zhe and Ke Ke, who were standing next to him, both gasped in surprise.

A silence fell over the office.

"...That person and animal has not shown up for more than thirty years, and has gone through at least two rounds of chicken coop replacements."

"Her chances of surviving are extremely small."

After a long silence, Koko spoke first.

"That's why if she stays hidden in the shadows, her abilities are at least at the B level."

"Moreover, she has always been on the wanted list for both humans and animals, and the records have not been destroyed, which proves that she was at least not sacrificed and did not die at her mother's hands."

Tang Chen gave a wry smile and said.

"But... the shrine once peered into her soul and predicted her fate. With this ability, she wouldn't live past thirty."

"Even if she survived until now, her body must be extremely weak from the daily backlash of her abilities."

Ke Ke looked at Xu Zhe.

Xu Zhe stopped rubbing the ring.

"Perhaps it is precisely because she has little time left that she wants to burn herself out."

"if it is like this……"

"If those three owners really did contract the 'plague' of the Sixteenth Month, then it means..."

Xu Zhe looked at the two people in front of him and swallowed.

Tang Chen and Ke Ke both instinctively covered their mouths.

That means that all of them who had come into contact with those three hosts may have been silently infected.

And everyone they see will also be infected...

If this was the plan of humans and beasts, then at this point... it seems they have already succeeded...

"..."

Whether it was due to psychological suggestion or not, Keke suddenly felt a tickle in his throat...

It suddenly gave her an urge to cough...

But it was only for a moment.

"Lin Xing'an, is this your plan...?"

"No wonder you wanted Qian Qiongzhi to go..."

Xu Zhe said quietly.

"Tang Chen, Ke Ke, how are you feeling right now?"

He stood up and asked.

"I am not feeling any discomfort at the moment."

"I do not have either."

Ke Ke and Tang Chen both rubbed their necks and shook their heads.

"Director, according to those three pet owners, they were infected around 2 or 3 pm in the community, and started coughing around 9 pm."

"That means even if you are infected, it will take at least five to six hours for the symptoms to appear."

Tang Chen glanced at the time and said.

It's already 7:30 pm.

They all arrived around 3 PM.

"Tang Chen, did you bring back a blood sample?"

"I brought it back, but I don't see Director Zhao here."

Tang Chen placed a small bottle of blood he had collected on the table.

"Old Zhao has gone to take care of some business. Let's wait for him to come back."

Xu Zhe sighed and looked at Tang Chen's report again.

Coughing, an uncontrollable cough, and thirst are my current symptoms.

But if it really is an outbreak in June, then there will definitely be new symptoms later.

By observing the duration of each symptom, we can roughly deduce the sixteen-month cycle of this epidemic... "Director, what... should we do now?"

"The ability to use it in sixteen months is, after all, just our speculation, and we cannot be 100% certain at the moment."

Tang Chen and Ke Ke exchanged a glance and said.

Even though he had just refuted Kirk.

But in any case, he didn't want this to really be the ability of the Sixteenth Month.

After all, if that's really the case, the impact would be...

Tang Chen was somewhat afraid to even think about it.

"Now, stay in my office and don't move. Wait and see if you have any symptoms."

"Then write down everyone you've met along the way."

Xu Zhe took out a stack of papers and handed them to the two of them.

"...Director, if we really do have symptoms too, then..."

Keke's grip on the pen tightened subtly.

She was worried about Lin Xing'an...

"That doesn't mean we're 100% sure that this is Sixteen Months' ability. Ultimately, we'll have to wait for Old Zhao's test."

"And...we also need to find someone to monitor those three owners. Let me think..."

"Anyway, don't tell anyone else about this for now."

"If it really can't be hidden anymore..."

Xu Zhe rubbed his temples, a look of annoyance on his face.

If it were the old him, he would have told Zhang Guang about it directly, or even started a quarantine and lockdown.

But now, he's no longer just a small-time operations director; he's practically the head of the assassination department.

Zhang Guang had already begun the handover process with him that morning, directly transferring power to him.

In other words, if something goes wrong, then it will be his responsibility...

If things really come to the worst, then we'll just have to find someone to take the blame.

"Such a big deal, isn't it likely that he'll be sentenced to death?"

perhaps……

Xu Zhe seemed to suddenly realize something, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes!
Perhaps I can use this incident to get rid of Lin Xing'an?

His breathing became rapid in an instant.

"Keke, Tang Chen, you don't need to observe anymore, you don't need to write anymore, you should go back and rest early."

After a moment of silence, Xu Zhe waved his hand.

"Director, what if we..."

"It doesn't matter, let it spread, let it get out of control, we'll just pretend we don't know anything, after all, even if we did know, we couldn't stop it."

Xu Zhe said it casually.

After all, the more people the virus spreads to, the more people die, and the bigger the burden Lin Xing'an will have to bear...

At that point, even Jiang Rong won't be able to protect him!
Thinking of this, a ruthless look appeared on Xu Zhe's face!
"..."

In Zhang Guang's office.

Lin Xing'an frowned.

He guessed that Xu Zhe, because the matter was of great importance, dared not directly confirm that it was Sixteen Months' ability.

But why does Xu Zhe look like this...?

Is it as if they hope this is the "epidemic" of June, and hope the "epidemic" will spread freely?
"...He wanted to use this incident to get rid of me..."

A serious expression appeared on Lin Xing'an's face.

Only if things escalate can Xu Zhe get rid of me...

He gasped.

If Xu Zhe had been thinking of finding evidence of his wrongdoing and exposing him, then...

For Xu Zhe now, it seems that killing him legitimately would be enough.

This incident provides Xu Zhe with a convenient excuse!

"Would you go to such lengths to kill me...?"

Lin Xing'an closed his eyes.

He hadn't anticipated this situation at all before making the plan.

He was thinking of doing something to attract everyone's attention these next few days, but now it seems...

"...Then let's go."

“Since Xu Zhe wants to let things escalate and then make me take the blame, staying in Beicheng is just waiting to die. The only solution is to leave Beicheng and get out of Xu Zhe’s control.”

"Even if Xu Zhe wanted to find me, he wouldn't be able to. I'll come back when the time is right."

Lin Xing'an thought to himself quickly.

But given his situation, if he wants to leave Beicheng legitimately... perhaps only Zhang Guang can help him...

Zhang Guang "demoted" him to the southern part of the city.

Lin Xing'an looked at Zhang Guang.

Zhang Guang then closed his pen and took off his glasses.

"Here's my prepared speech. What do you think?"

He took a sip of water and waved to Lin Xing'an.

“Minister, you really understand what those committee members want.”

"Every word of this speech resonated with them!"

After reading it, Lin Xing'an couldn't help but sigh.

Those committee members are now all highly successful, and their personal power and honors have reached their peak.

The only hope is to smoothly transition the power in one's hands to the next generation.

Zhang Guang's speech was full of praise for the right of inheritance and he always put the committee members first.

But the most brilliant thing was that Zhang Guang didn't actually mention the committee members at all.

To an ordinary person, Zhang Guang would simply be explaining his ideas through examples.

There was no sign of him trying to curry favor with the committee members.

"Minister, this is perfect. I feel like all the committee members will fall in love with you after hearing this."

Lin Xing'an said jokingly.

"Tsk, no, An'an, I was thinking of asking you for some advice."

"If I had to offer an opinion, Minister, your draft doesn't give anyone else a chance at all!"

"Hahaha, you little rascal..."

Zhang Guang laughed heartily and shook his head.

Clearly, he was quite satisfied with his own manuscript and didn't really want to hear Lin Xing'an nitpick.

"Sigh, An'an, I'm so sorry you've had to go through this. You've had a tough time..."

Zhang Guang poured Lin Xing'an a glass of water.

The news that he personally gave Lin Xing'an a major demerit this morning has already spread.

Just as Zhang Guang had predicted.

Because Lin Xing'an's mistake of "letting people and livestock escape" was too normal, while the punishment of a major demerit was too severe.

So the real reason everyone is saying that Zhang Guang gave Lin Xing'an a major demerit is that Lin Xing'an also registered for the election of a candidate committee member.

Zhang Guang's views are completely opposite to Lin Xing'an's.

"It's alright, Minister, everything is going according to plan."

Lin Xing'an waved his hand dismissively.

"An'an, why don't you withdraw from the candidacy for committee member? Don't waste your time."

"Keep a low profile during this time, and you'll have an easier time."

Zhang Guang paused for a moment, then said with some heartache.

The main problem is that Lin Xing'an has now offended Qian Qiongzhi.

Withdrawing from the election, Zhang Guangming is no longer Lin Xing'an's "enemy" on the surface, and can better protect Lin Xing'an.

“It’s alright, Minister. I’ll keep this up. Even if I don’t get elected, my ideas are still a threat to the committee members.”

"And if I get selected, it's like you'll have one less competitor."

"My personal safety is not a problem."

"And... Minister, should we have another conflict? Let's make it bigger? Like... you're so disappointed that you just send me to the South City?"

Lin Xing'an looked up and asked tentatively.

"...You child, really..."

Seeing Lin Xing'an's appearance, Zhang Guang's face once again showed a mixture of guilt and relief.

"There's no need for conflict. Between you and me, at least in the eyes of ordinary people, we've already fallen out."

“I’ve already given you a major demerit. If I continue to pursue you relentlessly based on my identity and exile you to the south of the city… it will only backfire.”

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Guang shook his head and said.

"Too……"

Lin Xing'an nodded.

"By the way, An'an, I know you have some resentment towards Qian Qiongzhi, but don't provoke her during this time. Even if she provokes you, just bear with it."

"Otherwise... she might actually use some means to send you to Nancheng, and once you get to Nancheng... there's basically no future for you there."

Zhang Guang sighed and gave a deliberate instruction.

Lin Xing'an's eyes lit up.

"clear."

He nodded and said.

(End of this chapter)