I'm being held captive by a monster

Chapter 267 Where is Xu Zheren?

South City.

"Cough cough cough! Cough! Cough cough!"

Lin Xing'an was awakened by Xu Ye's coughing around six o'clock in the morning.

"Xiaoye, what you're doing..."

Seeing Xu Ye covering her mouth with her palm covered in coughed-up blood, Lin Xing'an quickly patted her back.

Then I went to the kitchen and got a glass of warm water.

"Cough, it's okay, go back to sleep."

After drinking a large glass of water, Xu Ye smiled somewhat painfully and said apologetically.

Her voice sounded weak and hoarse.

"Go to sleep in today, I want to sleep in."

Seeing Lin Xing'an's worried face, Xu Ye leaned against his chest and rubbed her face against his arm.

"……Um."

Lin Xing'an rubbed her head.

The two of them crawled back into bed together.

Perhaps it was because I had been tormented by coughing and a sore throat all night.

In less than five minutes, Xu Ye fell into a deep sleep.

After gently kissing Xu Ye on the forehead, Lin Xing'an got up and went to the balcony.

Through the shadows, Lin Xing'an also saw the image of the mirror ghost disappear from the reflection on the side of the water glass by the bed.

It then flashed through the glass of the balcony.

"call……"

Lin Xing'an seemed preoccupied, deep in thought, as he sat on the balcony silently controlling the water.

Of course, this worried and conflicted look was just for show, to impress the Mirror Ghost.

In fact, Lin Xing'an was quietly planning his next step.

Xu Ye's throat had gone from itchy to sore, and he was coughing up blood.

In other words, the symptoms of Ke Ketangchen and Qian Qiongzhi, the first batch of infected individuals in Beicheng, will only become more severe.

Under Xu Zhe's laissez-faire strategy.

It's likely that all the infections that could have occurred among ordinary colleagues have already been spread.

"But why is there no sound at all...?"

Lin Xing'an frowned.

In this situation, even if Xu Zhe tries to suppress it, shouldn't Qian Qiongzhi be the first to have problems?
Even if Qian Qiongzhi thought it was just a minor illness and didn't say anything, Zhang Guang would have noticed.

After all, Zhang Guang himself was most likely infected.

And as soon as I entered the department, all I heard was coughing; there seemed to be something wrong...

"Unless Zhang Guang wasn't infected..."

"Or is Zhang Guang in seclusion preparing for the election?"

Lin Xing'an rubbed his chin and analyzed silently.

After midnight that night, she neither went to see Yunxia nor contacted Teacher Ju.

But given Teacher Ju's abilities, Xu Zhe should have already found that gloomy basement.

Lin Xing'an's idea was that Zhang Guang would also discover the problem at this time and take the initiative to ask Xu Zhe.

Xu Zhe had no time to think, so he could only confess about the basement incident and pin the blame for the epidemic on him.

After all, if Xu Zhe were given time to analyze the basement carefully, he could still discover some clues.

But now, since there's been no movement from Zhang Guang's side...

"It's time to remind the minister..."

"But we can't let the mirror ghost know..."

Lin Xing'an narrowed his eyes slightly.

"After all, Zhang Guang and I are currently adversaries due to 'disagreements,' and we're also competitors for a spot on the committee..."

"Now I am in the south of the city, and my career has been 'ruined' by Zhang Guang's orders."

"So even if I knew about the epidemic, I wouldn't have told Zhang Guang on my own initiative."

“Once the Mirror Ghost tells Xu Zhe that I will contact Zhang Guang, Xu Zhe will immediately realize what’s going on.”

Lin Xing'an took a deep breath.

Now that things have progressed to this point, he absolutely cannot relax or let his guard down.

"Xu Zhe, under so much pressure, you didn't report it immediately after discovering the basement, were you waiting for me to slip up, right..."

Lin Xing'an peered through the shadows at the Mirror Ghost in the building next door.

A sense of helplessness arose in my heart.

This ghost doesn't need to sleep; it watches over him 24 hours a day without any rest.

Although Lin Xing'an could use this surveillance in reverse, it still greatly affected him no matter what...

Because of the Mirror Ghost, he hasn't had much of a chance to see Yu Yu.

There was no way to let Si Que come out for some fresh air.

Fortunately, Si Que fell asleep that morning and hasn't woken up since.

If it weren't for her loud snoring and frequent turning over, Lin Xing'an would have really thought she had given birth.

"Phew... Let me think..."

Lin Xing'an rubbed a water balloon.

Alternatively, they could remain inactive and do nothing.

Even if Lin Xing'an didn't tell Zhang Guang, the epidemic would be discovered sooner or later, given how things have come to this.

Xu Zhe will definitely lose his composure before him.

"No, we have to talk to Zhang Guang..."

Lin Xing'an fiddled with the water ball in his palm, looking at his reflection in it.

His current goal is to obtain the identity of the sacrificer, not to get rid of Xu Zhe.

Telling Zhang Guang about the epidemic in advance was like giving him another hand.

not to mention……

“I participated in Yu Kexin’s test, and Xu Ye next to me was coughing so badly.”

“In Zhang Guang’s eyes, with my skill level, I could have easily detected the clues in advance using this information…”

Lin Xing'an pursed his lips.

Zhang Guangcai was the key to his survival on the committee.

With Zhang Guang around, Xu Zhe can handle things with ease, no matter what.

"We still need to remind Zhang Guang."

"Then, let's deal with the Mirror Ghost first. Give me at least ten minutes..."

Lin Xing'an leaned against the balcony, watching the willow catkins drifting in the warm breeze outside, and took a deep breath.

The gloom that he had scattered in various corners of the southern city slowly gathered together with Lin Xing'an's thoughts.

In a deserted corner near the train station, the pitch-black gloom gradually turned into flesh color, and little by little, it transformed into Xu Zhe's image.

Then...

A glint flashed in Lin Xing'an's eyes.

The fingers moved gently in a rhythmic fashion, as if tapping out a beat.

"..."

Five minutes later, Mirror Ghost's phone rang.

"Hey?"

She frowned slightly, then answered the call.

"Sister Jing! Animals are attacking the train station!"

"It's a cat! A cat on the wanted list for both humans and animals!"

A flustered yet somewhat excited voice came from the other end of the phone!

In the voice-over, a series of fighting sounds can also be heard.

"What?! Who?"

The Mirror Ghost suddenly stood up.

"The cat, the one with the Rank B ability [Transformation]!"

"First she transformed into Director Xu's appearance, and then..."

"boom!"

A loud crashing sound came from somewhere.

"Don't let go of Ghost Domain, don't hang up the phone, I'm coming right away!"

The Mirror Ghost took one last look at Lin Xing'an, who was sitting on the balcony, enjoying the breeze.

Then, his figure vanished instantly.

Half a minute later, through the gloom of the disturbance at the train station, Lin Xing'an saw the Mirror Ghost suddenly step out from the mirror in the station hall.

"It's so fast..."

Lin Xing'an sighed silently.

Then the gloom instantly dispersed into countless particles smaller than dust, and then the connection was immediately severed.

Since these gluttons believe this is a cat's ability to transform, let them find out for themselves.

"Phew..." Lin Xing'an thought for a moment about how to talk to Zhang Guang, then took out his phone.

He got up, leaned against the balcony, and dialed Zhang Guang's number.

This is Zhang Guang's private number.

It's six in the morning, not a proper time to make a phone call.

But this time also allowed Zhang Guang to sense Lin Xing'an's anxiety.

"Hey, An'an."

The phone was answered after two rings.

Zhang Guang's voice made Lin Xing'an frown.

As expected, Zhang Guang was not infected...

And judging from his state, he probably wasn't in the office either.

"Minister, is it... convenient for you to speak now?"

Lin Xing'an asked, feigning hesitation.

"It's convenient, what's wrong?"

Zhang Guang also noticed that Lin Xing'an's tone was off, and his voice became more serious.

"Minister, have you seen Director Ke and Team Leader Tang Chen these past two days? How are they doing?"

Lin Xing'an lowered his voice and asked softly.

"...I didn't see it. I haven't been to the department these past few days; I've been at home preparing. What happened?"

Zhang Guang frowned and asked.

Lin Xing'an paused for a moment.

"It's alright, An'an. Tell me, did something happen in the south of the city?"

“Minister, there is indeed something I suspect… something seems to be wrong.”

At the train station, Lin Xing'an saw through the shadows that the gluttonous ghost was searching for his whereabouts.

The Mirror Ghost won't be back anytime soon.

So he wasn't in a hurry, and probably said this in suspense.

"So... when I went with Ke Ke and Tang Chen to test Yu Kexin, did you see the report?"

"I discovered that the main reason Yu Kexin was able to escape was that her three owners suddenly started coughing inexplicably one day."

"This persistent cough led them to relax their supervision of people and animals."

"That's what the owners of those three animals said too."

Lin Xing'an took a deep breath and said.

Zhang Guang on the other end of the phone nodded repeatedly.

He glanced at the report but didn't look at it closely.

Now that Lin Xing'an mentioned it, he had just recalled it.

"Minister, I felt at the time that the coughs of those three owners were not quite right."

"Unfortunately...sigh, so many things happened afterward, it's hard for me to say anything more."

"But now... Xu Ye has started coughing too."

Lin Xing'an looked at Xu Ye, who had finally fallen asleep in the bedroom.

"...Xu Ye has started too?"

Zhang Guang's heart skipped a beat.

An ominous premonition made him sit up from his chair.

"Minister, Xiao Ye started coughing the night before she came to Nancheng, after she had contact with Qian Qiongzhi."

"When she first arrived in Nancheng, she only had an itchy throat and wanted to drink water."

"But starting last night, which was the fourth day of Xiaoye's cough, she started coughing up blood."

“When Yu Kexin ran away, according to the owner, it was the fourth day of their coughing, and they were coughing up blood.”

As Lin Xing'an spoke, he also gasped for breath.

"infectious disease……"

Listening to Lin Xing'an's description, Zhang Guang understood the underlying meaning of Lin Xing'an's words.

“But Minister, I have also been in direct contact with those three owners, but so far I have not experienced anything unusual.”

"So I'd like you to take a look at the situation of Ke Ke and Tang Chen."

"And how are those three owners doing? Could you also find out about them for me?"

Lin Xing'an said somewhat embarrassed and nervously.

"Okay, don't worry, An'an, it'll be fine."

"Xu Zhe and Zhao Wuji are in the department. If anything happens, they will report to me."

Although the problem Lin Xing'an mentioned seems quite significant.

But Zhang Guang wasn't too worried.

After all, he hadn't received any news from Xu Zhe during his days of seclusion.

"That's good. I must have been overthinking it."

Lin Xing'an breathed a sigh of relief and said.

"It's alright, An'an. You're quite alert, even after arriving in the South City you still keep an eye on what's happening in the North City."

Zhang Guang also joked.

"Oh, I'm just worried that something might really happen and affect your election. We've come this far, so let's hope nothing unexpected happens."

"An'an, why do you sound even more nervous than me?"

"...Indeed, a little."

Lin Xing'an scratched his head.

Zhang Guang laughed loudly, "Hahaha, An'an, rest well in the south city, I'll take care of things in the north city."

"it is good!"

"Well, I'll be back at the department soon. I'll let you know after I check on Koko and the others."

After briefly learning about Lin Xing'an's daily life in Nancheng, Zhang Guang also spoke.

After hanging up the phone, he also got up and stretched his limbs.

“An’an said that, if you think about it carefully, it’s actually quite terrifying…”

As he stretched his legs, Zhang Guang couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Qian Qiongzhi was the one who had direct contact with those three pet owners.

Xu Ye was in contact with Qian Qiongzhi.

If this indirect contact could infect Xu Ye...

It seems they only possess the abilities of humans and animals.

And the only one that fits this description is the "epidemic" of the sixteenth month...

Thinking of this, Zhang Guang quickly checked his phone again to confirm that neither Xu Zhe nor Zhao Wuji had called him.

"An'an is probably overthinking it."

He hummed a song, tidied himself up, and confidently walked towards his department with his speech notes in hand.

If it really is an epidemic, the entire siege unit would probably have fallen within these few days.

That's really...

Zhang Guang smiled.

"Cough! Cough-cough-cough!"

But before he could even go inside the department, he suddenly stopped.

He could hear a series of uncontrollable coughs...

The source of the sound was inside the department.

"Gudong..."

This series of sounds instantly reminded Zhang Guang of Lin Xing'an's words.

His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pushed open the door.

Upon entering the corridor, Zhang Guang was momentarily disoriented, thinking he had entered a hospital.

Because everyone in the hall looked extremely unwell!

The sound of coughing rose and fell!
"What's going on? Where's Xu Zhe?"

Zhang Guang stopped someone and asked.

"Director Xu has locked himself in his office for several days now."

"What? Lock yourself in your office?"

Zhang Guang's brows furrowed instantly!
"When did all of you start coughing?"

"After you left four days ago, some colleagues started coughing, and then almost everyone started coughing."

"Four days? Where is Zhao Wuji? He... didn't find out? And no one went to check on him?"

"Sigh, Director Zhao has been missing for two days now, and we... cough cough! We can't get in touch with him at all!"

"Zhao Wuji has also disappeared?"

"And Director Ke has also been on leave for several days. During this time, our Siege Department has been completely empty."

The colleague, who had been somewhat reserved, sighed and blurted out everything.

"what?!"

Zhang Guang's mind went blank!
What the hell is Xu Zhe doing?
His expression darkened, and he strode toward Xu Zhe's office.

(End of this chapter)