Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Shanyang City Government.

Mayor's Office.

The mayor's surname is Zhou, given name Zhengde, he is fifty-five years old this year, with gray hair and wearing reading glasses. He has worked in Shanyang City for a full twenty years.

From his humble beginnings to becoming mayor, Zhou Zhengde's network of connections and relationships in the city was more intricate than the vines in the mountains.

So when the news of the collapse of the administrative building of the Third Mental Health Center in Shanyang City reached his ears, his first reaction was not shock, but a deep-seated alarm.

That wasn't just ordinary shock, but a bureaucratic, instinctive warning—this matter might be related to the research center.

What's related to the research center is related to him.

Because the research findings of the research center are mainly supplied to people like him!

Mayor Zhou.

When the secretary pushed open the door, her face was as white as a sheet of paper.

"Have you seen the news about what happened at the mental hospital?"

Zhou Zhengde took off his reading glasses and slowly wiped them with a cloth.

"I saw it. How much can you believe in the news online? A six-story government building, knocked down with one hand? These people will make up anything for a few clicks."

The secretary's expression did not improve at all because of his words.

"Mayor, the video online is fake. What about the eight bodies on the mountain road?"

Zhou Zhengde paused for a moment while wiping his glasses.

"What eight corpses?"

"Sun Guodong from the Public Security Bureau, and his seven subordinates, are all dead. The security vehicle was smashed, and Sun Guodong's body is still on the roadside. The forensic doctor just arrived at the scene. One of them fell into the canyon and died; his bones were shattered into hundreds of pieces."

The secretary's voice was trembling.

He served as secretary for three years, reporting on mine disasters, chemical explosions, and mass incidents, but he never reported news like "one person killed eight security guards with his bare hands and smashed the security car flat."

Zhou Zhengde put his glasses back on and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

The tapping frequency was very steady, showing no sign of panic.

But his other hand was gripping a pen under the table, his knuckles already white from the effort.

"Were there any eyewitnesses at the scene?"

"Yes. The truck driver saw it with his own eyes. He was so scared he almost drove the truck into the canyon. There were also miners from nearby mines, residents of apartment buildings, and—" The secretary paused, then finished speaking with difficulty, "and people filming it. The video of that woman flying in the sky has been seen by millions of people."

Zhou Zhengde took a deep breath and placed the pen on the table.

He stood up, walked to the window, turned his back to his secretary, and looked out at the gray sky.

The rain had stopped, but the sky was still overcast with low-hanging clouds, as if another downpour was imminent.

"Has Sun Guodong's family been notified?"

He asked a question that seemed to have nothing to do with the current crisis.

"Not yet. The forensic examiner is currently conducting an on-site investigation. We'll wait until they're finished—"

"No need to wait. Go and inform them personally, bringing the compensation. Tell them that Sun Guodong died heroically while pursuing dangerous elements. Also, notify all media outlets to refrain from reporting details of Sun Guodong's cause of death. If anyone asks, say that the security vehicle encountered a landslide during the pursuit."

"Mayor, that video—"

"Let the Cyberspace Administration of China delete the videos. Delete as many as possible, and for those that can't be deleted, say the videos are AI-generated fakes. Then get a few experts on TV to debunk the rumors, saying the flying scenes are visual effects, so viewers won't spread misinformation."

The secretary opened her mouth.

He wanted to say that the video had already been shared millions of times, and it was too late to debunk the rumors now.

But as he watched Zhou Zhengde's retreating figure, he swallowed those words.

He worked for Zhou Zhengde for three years and knew that Zhou Zhengde was a seemingly mild-mannered man who was actually ruthless.

None of the people who can sit in this position for twenty years have a good temper.

"There's one more thing."

The secretary said in a low voice.

"The woman's identity has been identified. Her name is Li Su. Three months ago, she started reporting and appealing after her child died at the Southern Province Eugenics and Childbirth Research Center. During the reporting process, she was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and admitted to the Third Mental Health Prevention and Treatment Center. Qi Jianmin was the one who signed the consent form when she was admitted to the mental hospital. Sun Guodong was in charge of the surrounding security coordination."

Zhou Zhengde's back remained motionless.

"Then what."

"Then she suddenly escaped last night. The method of escape was exactly the same as in the Song Dynasty—she suddenly gained some kind of power beyond the limits of a normal human body. She broke the iron door of the ward with her bare hands, used that power to kill all the caregivers and nurses on duty in the corridor, and then—then she shattered the foundation of the six-story administration building with one hand. When the building collapsed, she was the only one alive in the entire building."

When the secretary finished speaking, her voice was so low it was barely audible.

He himself didn't believe what he was saying.

A man was tied up and injected with antipsychotic drugs in a mental hospital for two weeks. One day he suddenly woke up and was able to dismantle an iron gate with his bare hands, push down a six-story building with one hand, fly, hover in the sky, and kill eight well-trained security guards with one finger.

Such a story, in any era or place, would be considered the ramblings of a madman.

But now, the madman's delusions are turning into a bloody reality right before his eyes.

Zhou Zhengde remained silent for a long time.

He remained silent until his secretary wondered if he had fallen asleep while standing.

Then Zhou Zhengde turned around, his face expressionless, his voice as steady as if he were reading a budget report.

"Immediately activate a Level III emergency response. Mobilize the city's Public Security Bureau and mobile forces to conduct a citywide manhunt for Li Su. Notify Changning City—she has headed towards the Panshan Highway, and her next stop is most likely the Southern Province Eugenics and Childbirth Research Center. Instruct the research center to evacuate its personnel immediately and destroy all important data. Also, contact the province and request reinforcements."

"Anything else?"

The secretary asked.

"Also—contact Jeolla Province. Ask them to share the case files of the Song Dynasty case. Since the two cases are similar, it might be useful to deal with her using the same method."

The secretary responded and turned to leave.

"etc."

Zhou Zhengde called out to him.

"There's one more thing. Notify the Cyberspace Administration of China to find and detain all the people in her ward at the mental hospital, as well as all the patients who had contact with her. We can't let them say anything to reporters. Once the background of the research center is exposed, none of us will be able to cover it up."

The secretary's expression changed slightly, but she nodded and quickly left the office.

The moment the door closed behind him, Zhou Zhengde finally let out the breath he had been holding in his chest.