There was only a brief moment of stunned silence before the Gray-robed Man quickly issued his orders:
“Send all standby squads from Coconut City to Coconut City University immediately. Do not worry about ordinary civilians; capturing ‘Zero’ is the top priority. Before the operation begins, notify Mayor Chen.”
“And Jiezi, have her skip waiting and join the team directly.”
The assistant hurriedly agreed and moved aside to contact others.
After a moment, his expression darkened.
“Lord Gray, everyone has received the instructions, but Jiezi… she can’t come right now.”
The Gray-robed Man turned his face. “Can’t come?”
The assistant cautiously hinted at the time. “According to Jiezi’s usual schedule, at this hour, she’s still in the Prison.”
The Gray-robed Man suddenly realized.
Having just received news about Zero, he had been too busy arranging personnel and had forgotten this detail.
“Send her a message. The moment she wakes up, she must head straight to Coconut City University.”
“Understood.”
Once the order was given, people began pouring out from all corners of Coconut City, driving toward Coconut City University.
Office buildings, bars, hospitals—people appeared everywhere.
Mayor Chen had absolutely no idea there were so many people in Coconut City who answered to no one but themselves.
…
In the hotel, Zero slowly woke from her bed.
An afternoon nap was a rare moment of leisure.
She loved the time spent napping; though only two hours, it was enough to completely relax.
No thoughts, fully immersed in dreams.
Even two short hours were safe—no fear of waking up to a changed world.
But today, after waking, Zero felt restless.
Her heart felt blocked, as if an ice cube was lodged inside, refusing to be swallowed.
What had happened?
She picked up her phone.
The browser automatically pushed a news alert.
[Shocking! Mutated Creature Appears at Coconut City University!]
Could it be because of this?
Zero tensed slightly, remembering that Bai Xiaonuo was at Coconut City University.
[This afternoon, a terrifying monster suddenly appeared at Coconut City University, reportedly transformed from a student. Fortunately, aside from that student, no one at the university was harmed…]
No casualties? That was a relief. So it was nothing serious; she was probably overthinking.
And since it was resolved so quickly, it must have been Bai Xiaonuo who intervened.
Zero scrolled down.
A photo of the scene caught her eye—the corpse of the mutated creature lay on the floor like withered wood, surrounded by metallic objects.
Two iron rods were stabbed into its body, drawing attention.
Metal?!
Zero’s pupils contracted sharply.
…
Private cars arrived from all directions, parking on the three main roads and seven side streets around Coconut City University.
Although they came from different routes, those who got out moved closely together, automatically forming a line without a word.
By the time Mayor Chen received the news, these people had already blocked every entrance and exit of the university.
“They only reported after surrounding the city. It’s clearly just lip service,” the assistant spat contemptuously. “So shameless.”
Mayor Chen did not get angry but pondered thoughtfully.
“If they’re this concerned, it’s definitely not just about the mutated creature. They must have found traces of Zero.”
“But… Zero has been staying quietly in the hotel and hasn’t come out. Could they be mistaken?”
The assistant held up a tablet and pulled up a surveillance feed outside the hotel.
“She hasn’t left since checking in. She’s been eating and drinking inside, even… ah!”
“What is it?”
The assistant said nothing, only showed the tablet to Mayor Chen.
The surveillance camera captured a striking figure bursting out the door, rushing toward Coconut City University.
“She… she’s she’s she’s, what is she planning?”
…
The Gray-robed Man did not follow to the scene.
It wasn’t necessary, and he would be of no use.
Zero’s limits had never been definitively established.
Either she remained as she was, allowing past strategies to gradually wear her down until she was captured, or something unexpected could happen.
If an accident occurred and she unleashed unforeseen power, the Gray-robed Man was afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
It was better to stay and command from the base.
“Lord Gray, she revealed her abilities at the school. Why didn’t she retreat in time? Didn’t she consider the consequences?”
The Gray-robed Man smiled indifferently.
“She was taken into the organization before she was even four years old. She’s never experienced school or society and only received a basic education. What kind of risks can she possibly understand?”
Maybe she didn’t even know what she was doing—thinking that by eliminating the mutated creature, she could continue hiding.
“Begin the operation. Have them search every corner, every person.”
…
Zero knew exactly what she was doing.
Those people wouldn’t find her.
They would sweep the school thoroughly and inevitably find Bai Xiaonuo, whose fate would be to be dragged back to the organization.
Zero was very clear on what would happen then.
Bai Xiaonuo’s unique physiology would expose her to even darker and more disgusting things.
As for what would happen to Zero herself—she was just as certain.
Last time, the classical tactics failed.
They wouldn’t use a slow attrition strategy again.
Instead, they would unleash full firepower immediately.
With the enemy giving no quarter, she could only lose control rapidly, get worn down in a bloody war of attrition, and then be dragged back to that place buried in hatred.
There were countless worst-case scenarios for this mission, but there was only one advantage—by going, she could save her little welfare slave.
…
Bai Xiaonuo had become famous.
She had been popular before, so every word she said was spread on the forum.
Her previous explanation about psychological counseling had been treated as a joke but still pinned at the top of the campus forum.
Before today, the replies under that post were all—
[The serious “Nono Goddess” expression is so cute.]
[That silly expression, saying something like that is like a beautiful girl reading “Zhang Zhen’s Ghost Stories.”]
[So adorable.]
[Say more, hurry up.]
But after today, the replies stopped entirely. The forum had exploded.
On the playground, Bai Xiaonuo was surrounded again and again, by both juniors and seniors alike.
“Bai Xiaonuo, Bai Xiaonuo, is it true there’s a bioweapon crisis?”
“Give us some inside information, goddess. I’m scared.”
“Can we still stay in Coconut City?”
“Waaah, mom!”
So many voices spoke at once that Bai Xiaonuo could only wave her hands helplessly.
“If you keep talking like this, I can’t hear a thing. Don’t panic. Listen to me first. No one wants this to happen, but if you think about running away… there’s nowhere to run. Coconut City is actually safer.”
At least I’m here, right? If I hadn’t drawn all the attention today and finished off the monster in one go, who knows how many would have died.
Big sister analyzed it for her last time—this level of mutation usually kills a dozen or twenty people on average.
At that moment, the loudspeaker on the playground blared again:
“Attention, attention, please line up for inspection. Repeating, based on recent orders, please line up for inspection.”
[Author’s note: I really hate to post this, but… Last year was a terrible year. I did so many things that let everyone down, and the series of failures has really damaged my moral integrity. The recent barrage of abuse has been the final straw that broke the camel’s back. I know I’m responsible for everyone’s failures, but my mind is completely blown right now. I’ve been unable to write a single word even after spending ages on my keyboard. So, in short, I’m retiring. I don’t know what the future holds; I may return, or I may not. Anyway, we’ll see each other again. Goodbye, Vanilla and Pudding. …]