After drawing cards, the evil god became my source of吐槽 (tu cao, a form of humorous commentary/criti

Chapter 96 Public Opinion
The military vehicle roared out of the woods, but the atmosphere inside was even more somber than the night outside the window.

An Jing sat in a corner of the carriage, his arm propped against the window, watching the shadows of the trees flash by outside, a smile on his lips, as if he had just won a great victory.

She secretly glanced at He Lin sitting opposite her out of the corner of her eye.

He Lin's face was as cold as ice.

An Jing's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately looked away, pretending to look out the window.

But after a few seconds, she couldn't help but reach out her finger and carefully poke He Lin's arm.

"Sister Lin?" Her voice was incredibly soft. "What's wrong? Why are you so unhappy?"

He Lin remained silent with a cold expression.

An Jing poked it again, leaned closer and said with a smile, "Don't be angry, I'm fine."

He Lin finally turned to look at her, her voice as if pulled from an ice cave: "You can still laugh?"

"I…"

"With your abilities, escaping their encirclement would be a piece of cake." He Lin's voice suddenly rose. "But you've dragged this out for so long. Do you think I don't know you did it on purpose?"

"..."

I've been seen through.

“An Jing, I’ve told you countless times, never put yourself in danger!” He Lin’s knuckles turned white from the force. “And don’t risk your life! You have no idea what they will do after they take you back. If they hide you, even if I suspect the Special Service Department is behind it, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

"I……"

"Do you know your current status? You have the Primal Source within you, and news about Awakened Ones is flying everywhere right now. The Special Service is doing everything they can to arrest you at this critical juncture because they suspect you are related to the awakening of supernatural powers. Driven by absolute self-interest, they are capable of anything."

An Jing opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she only sighed softly: "I know you're worried about me."

She paused, then took a small device out of her pocket and handed it over.

"But I didn't delay because I was acting impulsively; it was for this reason."

He Lin took it, her gaze darkening: "This is...?"

“I kicked the main control module of the jammer out of He Jing’s place,” An Jing said casually. “I found that none of their people brought any regular props this time. After using this, I couldn’t even use my card.”

"But once they use them, they can't use the props themselves."

“It has extremely high research value,” He Lin replied expressionlessly.

An Jing nodded: "Yes, now we have first-hand samples."

He Lin stared at the module for a few seconds, then suddenly closed her eyes and muttered, "Even so, your own safety should be the priority. Your safety is more important than anything else."

An Jing chuckled and leaned closer with a grin: "But aren't you the most reliable one? Of course I have to believe you can come and save me."

He Lin took a deep breath: "I really want to punch you."

"Are you reluctant to part with her, Sister Lin?" An Jing smiled mischievously, her whole body relaxing.

He Lin turned her head away, ignoring her.

They really brought along a patriarch.

The research building was brightly lit, clearly indicating that everyone was busy due to the unexpected incident.

When the convoy arrived, several escort vehicles pulled up behind them, and the lantern bearers were led out of the vehicles and lined up in a row, escorted by fully armed research department agents.

He Jing, in particular, kept his head down the entire time.

The man escorting him, unfortunately, was his former partner, also from the Secret Service, but now transferred to the Research Department, his detective uniform particularly conspicuous.

The moment their eyes met, the air seemed to freeze for a second. Familiar yet strange, He Jing's Adam's apple bobbed, and he felt his face burning hot.

Feelings of shame and embarrassment welled up inside me.

They were escorted into the building and remained silent.

Inside the conference hall on the fifth floor of the research department, An Jing followed He Lin in, where a group of senior executives were already waiting.

Xu Yanyi was the first to greet him, and his eyes visibly relaxed when he saw An Jing: "Are you alright?"

An Jing raised her hand and gave an OK sign: "It's okay, it's a good opportunity to practice my skills."

Xu Yanyi was initially quite worried, but upon hearing her say that, she couldn't help but retort, "You're just pretending to be dead."

He Lin didn't say much, but walked directly to the whiteboard in front of the main seat and raised her hand to signal the start of the meeting.

"Our delayed coordination meeting is now being reconvened."

The projection equipment then turned on, and several recent news headlines appeared on the large screen.

[A series of suspected mysterious events have reignited discussions about the Awakened Ones]

Is Parliament concealing the truth? Public suspicion is growing.

He Lin scanned the entire room, her tone serious:
"Public opinion had already tilted in a dangerous direction before the Secret Service's unauthorized arrests tonight."

"We must decide whether to continue suppressing information or choose to proactively disclose the existence of awakened individuals."

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.

The head of research said, "If we admit it now, panic will quickly erupt in society."

"Moreover, the control rate of awakened individuals is unstable, and there is no unified framework at the national level to deal with this kind of situation."

He Lin turned to look at An Jing: "What do you think?"

An Jing was slightly taken aback, but quickly straightened up and answered seriously:

"I think it will have to be made public sooner or later."

“We can hide it for a day or a month, but we can’t suppress it for a lifetime, especially in the internet age. Once one person’s video is leaked, there will be a second and a third.”

"By then, we will be passively attacked. It is better to take the initiative to set the pace of public opinion now."

The supervisor frowned: "But without a supportive system, how can the public view supernatural abilities? We can't afford the consequences if it triggers imitation or riots."

He Lin nodded slowly: "An Jing is right. The question now is not whether we can say it, but how we must prepare in advance. Reporting it is now an inevitable outcome, but we need to think about how to say it."

"And tonight's actions further illustrate a reality."

She pulled up the next page of footage, showing the surveillance video of He Jing being escorted away.

"The Special Service Department arrested members of the Research Department without prior notification or reporting. This was not an isolated incident."

These words caused many people in the room to frown.

Xu Yanyi nodded: "The Special Service Department's behavior is truly shameful."

The supervisor nodded in agreement: "It's only been a short time and you're already in such a hurry, resorting to such underhanded tactics."

He Lin scanned the crowd: "The news about the Awakened was leaked from the Research Department. The Special Service Department was already in a panic, and now they are probably even more afraid of falling behind."

This incident triggered by the kidnapping may seem to have ended, but behind it lies the prelude to a storm that will sweep across the entire system.

Standing in a corner of the conference hall, An Jing looked at the keywords "awakening," "public opinion," and "system vulnerabilities" on the large screen, but a more distant question surfaced in her mind:
　This author always posts right at the last minute at night. I get sleepy while writing and just write whatever comes to mind, please forgive me.

　　(End of this chapter)