BXBX NOVEL Chapter 89: Nursing Hub
Chapter 89: Nursing Hub
Cowboy's prediction proved to be spot on.
In the few days following the gathering, many more murder cases perpetrated by psychic mutants took place all over Sandrise City. Some of these horrific crimes were committed by individual psychic mutants, while other cases clearly displayed signs of organized group activity.
The stir caused by the recent terrorist attack still hadn't subsided yet, and these frequent murder cases only served to further increase the publicity of the psychic mutant outbreak. All news stations were constantly releasing stories related to these incidents, and the general public was calling for the government to take more forceful measures in order to ensure the safety of the masses.
Right as public opinion was reaching a peak, a young congressman began to call for congress to establish an "Adapter Inspection Department" in order to better protect the interests of the general public.
When this proposal was first made, it garnered a majority of public support, but it didn't take long before dissenting voices arose to condemn the proposal.
The first to object to the idea was the Dataist Union. They argued that the Adapter Inspection Department was going to be different from Mechguard, which consisted solely of robot officers that carried out justice in strict accordance with the law.
If such a department were to be established, it would have far too much power at its disposal, and it would pose far more of a threat to society than the psychic mutants that it sought to destroy.
From the perspective of the Dataist Union, it was very difficult for adapters to be monitored by inspection departments as all clashes between adapters took place on a psychological plane. If certain people were to be granted the right to monitor adapters, then they would have free rein to exercise the power bestowed upon them by the legal system as they pleased.
Unregulated power was definitely going to be misused. This was the argument posited by the Dataist Union.
In the face of this argument, another congressman from the opposition party stepped forward, suggesting that a supervision department was established above the inspection department with the purpose of supervising the inspectors.
This proposal garnered support from some celebrities and internet personalities.
This proposal had clearly been made to muddy the waters, and as soon as Adam saw Deranged Pig supporting the idea on television and on the internet, he immediately knew that the resistance army was behind this.
Seeing as the perpetrators behind the psychic mutant outbreak wanted to seize more power and establish the rules, the resistance army was going to use that to its advantage, muddying the waters so that the rules were no longer clear-cut.
While this back-and-forth tug-of-war was taking place, some things were marinating beneath the surface, and Adam had a feeling that something big was about to happen.
One day, he received two calls, the first of which was from Red Spider, informing him that May had found a place where a large number of psychic mutants were staying. In addition to that, they had found out the target that the psychic mutants were planning to attack next, and they were preparing to launch a capture mission that very same night.
The second call from Cowboy, informing Adam that their undercover agents had received news that the psychic mutants were going to be receiving assistance from other adapters.
"They're going to target a school for their next attack. Their plan is to kill a large number of children, and they'll do everything in their power to ensure that the attack goes smoothly. With that in mind, I feel like the power of the pawn shop alone won't be sufficient to stop them. When the time comes, our organization's second-in-command will be leading a team of adapters in person to provide reinforcements." Cowboy was telling Adam his plan through the call. "At the same time, we'll be bringing some people to capture footage and some security personnel from the real world. In addition to that, we'll also be contacting Mechguard. If they manage to successfully carry out such a malicious attack, then the formation of the inspection department will be all but inevitable."
"Sounds like the footage that we capture is going to be very important."
"Indeed. Through our footage, we have to show the people that these psychic mutant attacks aren't just random attacks staged by deranged individuals. Instead, it was all planned by certain people. If we can do that, then we'll be able to shift the blame onto the congressmen proposing the formation of the inspection department and put a wrench in their plans."
"I see."
"Before that, I want you to introduce me to Boss May. We're going to be fighting alongside one another, so I want to have a chat with her in person."
Adam contemplated the request for a moment before deciding to agree. Even though doing this would expose his identity, he didn't have much choice under these circumstances.
Thus, he gave Cowboy May's contact details, then left a message for Red Spider, and after that, he packed some things and prepared to go to the pawn shop.
Right as Adam was about to leave, he was paid a visit by Shae.
"I'm coming with you. Warlock told me about everything."
"It's going to be very dangerous."
"When am I not in danger?" Shae countered with a nonchalant smile. "Nowadays, even when I go out to buy something, I'm worried about being assassinated, so what's the difference."
"I guess that's true," Adam replied with a nod. "I can't argue with that, so it's up to you."
"I called up Nie Yiyi and Hook as well?"
"You called up those two?" Adam was rather amused to hear this. "Surely there's no way they would come, especially Hook. That guy's a massive coward!"
"Do I hear someone badmouthing me behind my back?"
Right at this moment, a figure with a grease-laden face emerged from a corner of the dormitory building. Regardless of what season it was, he always seemed to have a face full of grease.
"I'm going with you, I'm just going to not fight, like usual. Those psychic mutants are like a bunch of rabid dogs. Surely they wouldn't insist on coming after me once I conceal myself."
"I guess, but this isn't like you at all," Adam said in a rather perplexed manner. "No matter what you say, this is still an extremely dangerous mission. What reason do you have for coming?"
"I passed 1,000,000 followers."
Hook pulled out a social media account before showing it off to Adam. There were many videos on his account, including the one that Adam had helped him film a couple of days ago. In the video, Adam answered questions about his battle against psychic mutants, and that was the key to his growth in followers
The terrorist attack from last time had catapulted him into internet stardom, but if he were to refrain from participating in this operation, then his clout would quickly be surpassed by new events, and no one would pay any more attention to him.
"I want to be famous, so I have to pay the price to maintain my fame. My mission during this operation is to serve as a battlefield correspondent. I even bought a set of equipment that'll allow me to film everything and upload it to the internet."
"I didn't think I would actually ever see anyone go so far for fame," Adam said with a shake of his head, and as he turned around, he noticed Nie Yiyi also arriving from another direction. "You came as well! What's your reason for coming?"
"I want to push myself. I've reflected on myself extensively after losing to you last time."
"What did you think about?"
"I realized that It was still being too easy on myself. At the place where I undergo training, there's a very popular saying: 'true horror lies between life and death'."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It has many layers of meanings. I don't know how to explain it to you, but those who have truly come face to face with death and survived, regardless of whether it's suicide, an accident, or an attack, those who have seen true horror and come out the other side will inevitably become a lot more resilient. Through their experience, they will have gained a type of irreplaceable mental fortitude. Compared with those people, I've been far too safe and sheltered. I want to step into the storm and see what that will bring me."
"Let me make this clear in advance: this is going to be a very dangerous operation."
Adam couldn't decide how others lived their lives, but he had an obligation to provide them with the information necessary for their decision-making. The last thing he wanted to see was for someone to make a wrong decision as a result of misinformation from him.
"I wouldn't go if it wasn't dangerous."
Nie Yiyi was very determined.
"Alright, in that case, let's set off."
Thus, Adam's four-man team departed from the academy and traveled to the pawn shop by car.
Once again, Adam arrived on the debaucherous street that the pawn shop was situated on, but this time, his mental state was completely different.
The first time he had come here, his heart had been filled with anger, cynicism, and disorientation, with disorientation being the most pronounced of the emotions that he had felt. The disorientation had stemmed from the fact that he didn't know what he was, nor could he see what the future held.
Coming back to this place now, he had already learned about his own past, and all he had to do was unravel the bigger mystery and eradicate those who were pulling the strings, killing off those immortals who should've never had access to immortality to begin with.
Inside the pawn shop, Red Spider was particularly serious on this day. She wasted no time with words as she led Adam and his group to the top level of the building, where 34 people were already waiting for them.
"The vast majority of the people here are adapters. They are the backbone of the pawn shop, and they're going to be your comrades for this operation," Red Spider introduced.
Adam nodded in response while doing his best to commit everyone's physical appearance to memory. 34 people didn't sound like a lot, but it was actually an enormous number.
Adapters were extremely rare to begin with, and due to the special ability that adapters possessed, it was very easy for them to earn a living. As a result, there were far more freelance adapters than there were ones that were part of organizations or working for companies.
Furthermore, the ones that had been called up for this operation were most likely all mature adapters with a certain level of combat prowess, which made this number all the more impressive.
The Oni Organization was a hitmen organization renowned across the entire world, and even they only had a Dragon, eight Oni, and 36 Tigers, which only amounted to a total of 45 mature adapters.
"Do we know the location of the psychic mutants?"
"We don't know their exact location, of course. Otherwise, we could just call Mechguard and get their officers to apprehend them. All we know is their target of attack and the rough area that they'll be operating in..."
While Red Spider was speaking, May caught sight of Adam. On this day, she was wearing a black cheongsam, but in addition to that, there were also many mechanical devices attached to her body, presumably to assist her in battle.
"Good to see you."
Adam nodded in response.
"Oh, and you've brought a few friends with you."
May's gaze roamed over Shae and the others, and it was as if her eyes could see straight into one's soul.
In the end, her gaze settled on Nie Yiyi, and she praised, "These are some good friends that you have."
After that, she didn't waste any more time with small talk as she turned to address everyone in the room.
"Let me make this clear: no one is allowed to die today! Prepare to set off. I won't disclose the address for now, you'll all know where we are once we get there."
With that, Boss May led the team of adapters out of the room.
Everyone followed her to the underground carpark, where a bus that was disguised as a school bus had already been waiting for quite some time.
The yellow bus was extremely nondescript and unremarkable, and it wouldn't attract any attention even if it were to be driven along the streets. After everyone had gotten into the bus, all communicator signals were temporarily blocked, following which the bus slowly set off. After traveling for a full two hours, the bus arrived in another densely populated area.
.
This place was Area 66, the largest nursing hub in all of Sandrise City, home to the largest childcare center, kindergarten, and primary school in the entire city.
Not only was there a huge number of children in this area, the streets were also packed with workers, as well as the parents and relatives of those children.
Even though many women chose to pursue the path of nurturing their children through artificial wombs in order to avoid the pain and bodily harm that came with pregnancy and childbirth, this didn't mean that they cared for or loved their children any less than they otherwise would've.
Not only did this area boast a very high population density, many of the people here were completely defenseless against terrorist attacks, so if this area were to be targeted by an attack, then the consequences were going to be catastrophic.