Chapter 75: Are Quan Nus the most good-looking special humans?
A-Ban Fire: Prologue
A sudden burst of flames erupted on the pitch-black sea.
The fire engulfed a small fishing boat, burning through the boat’s canopy and exposing a screaming man inside.
The boat was adrift in the sea, engulfed in flames, with blood-curdling screams echoing one after another. The water couldn’t quell the fire; it continued to blaze, growing fiercer and lighting up most of the dark sky.
Alarmed people ran from the shore, their shouts reaching far out to the sea.
“…A-Ban Fire!” someone yelled, “It’s A-Ban Fire! A-Ban has come back for revenge!”
The air was thick with the smell of kerosene, and the screams had ceased.
Soon, someone else reminded them, “Stop talking nonsense! Someone set the fire! Whose boat is it? Hey! Whose boat? Is there anyone else on board?”
The tide was receding. The ebbing waters carried the burning boat away from the shouting crowd on the shore.
Under the sparse starlight and cold moonlight, several glistening bare backs emerged from the sea, their skin reflecting a silvery sheen under the moon.
Human-like creatures with fish tails surfaced. The fire had startled these silent beings too. They circled the burning boat, dousing it with water and whipping their tails to try to extinguish the flames.
By dawn, the merfolk had disappeared back into the sea. The fire had finally died down, and the nearly destroyed boat was pushed to the shore, stranded on the beach.
The merfolk didn’t dare linger, as there were many dangerous things onshore that could paralyze or kill them. The people also paid no mind to these silent creatures, instead rushing towards the small boat.
Inside the boat was a completely charred corpse and nothing else.
This was the seventh person this year to die an unnatural death in this small town—
A-Ban Fire—
The day after Xie Zijingg was discharged from the hospital, Qin Ge and the head of the Criminal Investigation Division were summoned to Gao Tianyue’s office.
Gao Tianyue first inquired about Xie Zijing’s recovery. Qin Ge candidly reported that Xie Zijingg’s “sea area” had returned to normal, and he had traced back the events that occurred in Luquan that night.
The three of them compared their gathered information, nearly reconstructing all the facts from that night.
The only remaining question was what happened in the Warehouse Zero beneath Luquan that night.
“It’s very serious that the Special Management Committee has been unaware of Zhou You’s escape all these years,” Gao Tianyue said. “If the Wearhouse Zero really detains special criminals, its management is far too lax.”
The head of the Criminal Investigation Division responded, “It doesn’t make sense.”
“So, something must have happened within the Special Management Commission that caught them off guard,” Gao Tianyue looked at Qin Ge. “Qin Ge, you don’t need to concern yourself with this. Cai Yi told me so many things because he is seeking our help. The secret of the Wearhouse Zero is tightly controlled by certain people, and those people are not on the same side as Cai Yi or the forces behind him. Cai Yi and his group are certainly being restrained. The so-called investigation by the Special Management Commission may not necessarily yield a satisfactory truth.”
Qin Ge nodded, “I understand. Cai Yi is hinting that to uncover the secret of the Wearhouse Zero, we must delve into it ourselves. And only those who have been there know the entrance.”
“…Jiang Yong,” the head of the Criminal Investigation Division looked at the files in front of him. “Xie Liang’s diving partner. He has been to the Wearhouse Zero many times.”
Jiang Yong’s file had his photo attached. Over a decade ago, he was a steady and composed middle-aged man.
At the bottom of the file, in the “medical history” section, a clear line read: Suffering from severe schizophrenia (main symptoms: emotional disorder), erratic behavior, memory disruption, loss of ability to work.
The head of the Criminal Investigation Division looked at Qin Ge, “Schizophrenia… this is your area of expertise.”
Yet another sentinel with an abnormal “sea area.” Qin Ge needed to retrieve the method to enter the Wearhouse Zero from Jiang Yong’s chaotic memories.
“Where is Jiang Yong?” Gao Tianyue asked, “Has Lei Chi found out?”
“A small coastal town,” the head of the Criminal Investigation Division replied, “the same place you plan to send Qin Ge on a business trip.”
Qin Ge was taken aback, “A business trip?”
“The American Special Human Management Association has sent a few representatives to exchange ideas with us,” Gao Tianyue said. “One of them is a Quan Nu (Spring Slave), and his research involves special humans and creatures along the coast, so he wants to investigate our southern coastal areas. You’ll take him there, be his guide.”
Qin Ge sighed, “…Quan Nu… what a hassle.”
“What are you looking at?” Lei Chi passed by Xiao Liu, eyeing him strangely and turning to look at his computer screen. “Staring at a man like that, aren’t you afraid your girlfriend will get jealous?”
Xiao Liu looked up at him, his expression somewhat bewildered.
“Team Leader Lei, I’ve been in the Crisis Office for a few years now, and this is the first time I’ve had the chance to meet a Quan Nu.”
As soon as he said this, everyone in the office, both men and women, perked up their ears: “Quan Nu? Another Quan Nu is coming?”
Everyone ran over to Xiao Liu, crowding around him to look at the Quan Nu’s file displayed on his computer screen.
It had been nearly twenty years since the last time a Quan Nu came to China. The younger people had only seen Quan Nu in records and videos, while the older ones, unable to squeeze in, sipped their tea with a world-weary look, saying things like, “Wow, I never thought I’d see a Quan Nu in my lifetime.”
Lei Chi frowned, looking at the photo of the blonde young man on the electronic file.
Quan Nu are a unique type of human that only live in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. There are very few of them, and they are all male. Due to their unique reproductive method, they have long been considered extremely precious special humans. They rely on hot springs to survive and cannot stay away from them for long. Fortunately, in recent years, technological advancements have allowed Quan Nus to leave Yellowstone for over 30 days, given proper preparation and equipment.
“Isn’t he just a foreigner?” Lei Chi said.
“But he’s so good-looking…” Xiao Liu mumbled, dazed. “This photo must be fake, how could it be real…”
The handsome young man in the photo had beautiful, soft, golden long hair. He tied his hair back, revealing an almost perfect face. His blue eyes seemed to be filled with an eternally swaying light, and his lips held a faint, elusive smile, exuding a gentle and affectionate demeanor.
Lei Chi thought, isn’t Bai Xiaoyuan prettier?
Of course, he also knew his aesthetic was quite unconventional.
“When the Quan Nu came here for the international conference back then, there were some small incidents,” the head of the Criminal Investigation Division said, coming out with his tea mug, ready to tell a story. “The conference arranged for him to sit next to a representative of the half-zombie humans. When the live broadcast started, the visual impact was really striking. Later, the half-zombie humans protested collectively, saying the seating arrangement was unreasonable and that putting the Quan Nu next to them was clearly intended to draw a comparison, which was an insult to the half-zombies.”
Lei Chi was stunned: “It wasn’t that bad, was it?”
Chief: “On the last day of the conference, the public pressure was so great that the organizers had to change the Quan Nu’s seat, placing him next to the sentinels and guides. But Leo refused. He insisted on sitting next to the half-zombie human representative with his name tag. He even hugged and kissed the half-zombie human representative, which made for a very classic image.”
Xiao Liu: “That’s too much, deliberately provoking people?”
Chief: “Not really. Leo was very sincere. He said beauty and ugliness are just superficial, and these things don’t matter. The half-zombie human representative was a famous naturalist, and the two later became good friends.”
As Lei Chi listened, something felt off: “Leo? The Quan Nu back then was named Leo, and this one is also named Leo. Are they the same person? Wait, twenty years have passed, why hasn’t he aged?”
Chief: “It’s not that he hasn’t aged; he died and was reborn.”
The werewolf was shocked, looking back and forth between the Chief and Xiao Liu. He didn’t have any knowledge in this area.
“The birth and death of Quan Nu are dependent on hot springs. Their lives are very short. When they know they are about to die, they walk into the hot spring and completely dissolve in it. After this dissolution process ends, a nearly identical spring slave will be reborn from the hot spring, but this is a completely new life. Although their genetic information is exactly the same, their brain cells are broken down and restructured, leaving them with no memories of their past lives. They are entirely new individuals.” Xiao Liu explained. “There’s always been a debate about whether Quan Nu should be considered humans. Their reproductive and propagation methods are completely different from those of all humans, but their genetic sequences are almost identical to humans’.”
Lei Chi sighed deeply: “So complicated. If I become friends with a Quan Nu, he’ll forget me after he dies and is reborn?”
“Yeah,” Xiao Liu said, “so many literary works feature this trait of Quan Nu. And without exception, they are all tragedies.”
Lei Chi: “Xiao Liu, you better not fall in love with a Quan Nu.”
Xiao Liu: “I’m about to get married, Team Leader Lei. I just admire them! Everyone likes to look at beautiful things, right?”
Lei Chi nodded, now thinking about visiting the Adjustment Department to see Bai Xiaoyuan again.
“Chief,” he suddenly thought of something else, “is this Quan Nu going to be accompanied by Qin Ge for the southern research trip?”
The Chief nodded.
Lei Chi: “…What about Xie Zijing?”
The Chief was taken aback, then immediately looked around: “Where’s Xie Zijing?! Wasn’t he supposed to report to the Criminal Investigation Division today?”
Xie Zijing was in the adjustment department, picking up a suspiciously yellow pickled radish.
“Is this really edible?” He was skeptical.
Bai Xiaoyuan’s sand cat was sitting right in front of him, and upon hearing this, it fiercely smacked the table with its little paw: Meow!
Bai Xiaoyuan: “Eat it, it’s just a little salty, it won’t kill you.”
Tang Cuo: “Sister Bai, you’re too harsh. Lei Chi brings you good candies and cakes every day, and you use this salty radish to deal with people.”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “I didn’t make it for him!”
Tang Cuo was most afraid of Bai Xiaoyuan getting angry, so he quickly picked up a piece and threw it into his mouth.
Salty, too salty. He almost suspected that this radish was a fitness fanatic who had just finished many sets of strength training, covered in a thick layer of salty sweat from head to toe.
Xie Zijing, however, ate it with relish. “Bai Xiaoyuan knows how to cook, although it’s hard to eat.” After finishing the radish, he picked up a pen and wrote a line in his small notebook.
During his hospital stay, Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo had both visited him. He had gotten quite familiar with them, jotting down many things in his little notebook one after another.
“Aren’t you going to report?” Bai Xiaoyuan reminded him, “Xie Zijing, it’s eleven-thirty.”
Xie Zijing thought for a moment: “Where’s Qin Ge? I haven’t seen him today.”
It was his first day back at the Crisis Office, and Qin Ge had been missing all morning.
In the hospital, Qin Ge had patrolled his “sea area” many times, and past memories had gradually been retrieved. The only thing he couldn’t quite grasp was his feelings for Qin Ge and the memories of working in the adjustment department.
It was like a student nearing an exam, reopening the book to find that every line was familiar and readable, but not comprehensible.
Qin Ge only knew that he carried around his little notebook all day, but he didn’t know what was written in it. Xie Zijing thought he was curious, but Qin Ge wouldn’t ask.
“You, don’t hang around in front of Qin Ge all day.” Bai Xiaoyuan said, “Seeing you like this now will only make him feel worse.”
The computer beeped with a new notification from the system.
Bai Xiaoyuan opened the notification: “Hmm? An official document—Huh?! Quan Nu?!!”
Tang Cuo immediately jumped up: “What, what, what?”
He crowded beside Bai Xiaoyuan, and both of them stared at the screen in utter disbelief: “A Quan Nu is coming to Beijing! Oh no, he’s also going to the south for research. Accompanying personnel… Qin Ge?”
Upon hearing this, Xie Zijing immediately looked up: “…Quan Nu? Who’s that?”
He had heard of him but never seen him, and since Quan Nu was a special human from another country, China didn’t have any, so he never paid attention.
Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo had a dreamy, dazed look on their faces.
“Really good-looking, really beautiful.” Bai Xiaoyuan said, “It’s said that people who repost Quan Nu’s photos can find a handsome boyfriend within 24 hours.”
Tang Cuo was suddenly choked with a bunch of words: “…”
Xie Zijing frowned slightly: “Qin Ge is accompanying him? Just the two of them?”
Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo nodded repeatedly.
Xie Zijing: “Are Quan Nus the most good-looking special humans?”
Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo nodded again.
