Chapter 015: Xiao Wangyan’s National Livestream

The danger level of the nuclear bug ranges from 1 to 100, the higher the number, the greater the threat. The branch office in Lan City where Lin Yu worked was authorized to handle nuclear bugs up to level 60. In their daily duties, nuclear bugs like the Variant, which are below level 30, were exceedingly common. Thus, dealing with them was never difficult—a routine task for the three of them.

Unfortunately, during this operation, the Variant proved to be more powerful than Lin Yu had anticipated, forcing Qin Qisan and his team to exceed their authority and triggering a commotion. According to company regulations, such actions should be penalized by forfeiting rewards and extending contract days.

After capturing the Variant, Lin Yu secured it in the safety box. Since the disturbance and public impact seemed minimal, Lin Yu immediately called Lü Mou to report, hoping to remedy the situation:

“Boss, the nuclear bug has been caught. The target was the Variant, danger level 19, containment stable at present.”

“Good, there wasn’t any commotion on-site, was there?”

“Uh, I was just about to report—a few problems did arise, and there were casualties. At the moment, aside from alerting some local residents, there hasn’t been widespread attention. But since someone might call the police, we’ll likely need the Swell family to handle the aftermath.”

“Casualties? How many?”

“From what we know so far, there were six, including the restaurant owner who was controlled by the nuclear bug. Additionally, due to the emergency, we activated the second stage of the exterminator, which caused a small-scale disturbance.”

Lü Mou was silent for a moment, then muttered, “So you’re saying it was you who acted beyond your authority again?”

“Yes, I take full responsibility, nothing more to say,” Lin Yu replied without hesitation.

“Alright, I’ll arrange for it to be handled. But, Old Lin... I have to say, you know better than anyone—the last two cases where you exceeded your authority involved nuclear bugs above level 50, which were highly dangerous. But this time, the opponent was a mere level 19 bug. Isn’t that a bit overzealous? If even such minor bugs require overstepping, aren’t you pushing things too far?”

Lü Mou suddenly became stern, speaking in an official tone.

Lin Yu pursed his lips. Though he silently cursed this doctrinaire man, he had no grounds for rebuttal. After all, leaders only cared about results, never the process. Any amount of hardship was always met with a simple “do your best to overcome it.”

With that in mind, Lin Yu said calmly, “You’re right with your criticism. Boss, punish me as per regulations, I have no complaints.”

Qin Qisan was about to speak, but Lin Yu gave him a glare, stopping him.

Lü Mou’s tone softened, and after a drag of his cigarette, he said serenely, “It’s not really a punishment. This time, I’ll deduct ten thousand from your bonus for the Swell family. As for the contract day reduction you earned, yours will be canceled. Consider it a penalty.”

“Alright,” Lin Yu replied coolly.

Lin Yu was about to hang up when he suddenly remembered that Lü Mou and Xiaoyu were at the detention center investigating Xiao Wangyan, so he promptly asked:

“By the way, how’s the situation with Xiao Wangyan?”

“Xiao Wangyan? Who’s that?” Lü Mou replied, bewildered.

Lin Yu, equally confused, asked, “That college student from Dace Academy? The one who incited his roommate to commit suicide!”

Lü Mou was clearly caught off guard and answered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Does Xiao Wangyan have any leads on nuclear bugs? Let’s discuss specifics when you’re back!”

Lü Mou hung up, leaving Lin Yu staring blankly at Qin Qisan and Wu Miaoran.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? Why do you look like you’ve lost your soul? Is the boss really going to punish you over this?” Wu Miaoran asked.

Lin Yu shook his head, still bewildered. “No, not that. I just can’t figure out what Lü Mou is up to. I asked him about Xiao Wangyan, and he claimed to know nothing. I can’t make sense of it.”

Qin Qisan shrugged, “He always likes to play mysterious. How else can he show off his exceptional leadership?”

“Whatever, forget Xiao Wangyan for now. The blood and vicious dog outside have caused quite a stir, and a crowd has gathered downstairs. The police will definitely arrive soon. What should we do?” Wu Miaoran asked.

“What else? We run, of course…” Lin Yu said, lifting the Cloud of Confusion.

The three headed to a secluded corner of the rooftop. Lin Yu raised the Cloud of Confusion, whose fabric strips stiffened and entwined, forming a spiral.

The strips spun, transforming the Cloud of Confusion into a descent device like a bamboo dragonfly, allowing Lin Yu to jump down safely.

He then spun the Cloud of Confusion, sending it skyward until it landed in Wu Miaoran’s hands.

After repeating the process three times, the trio escaped from the rooftop and returned to their car.

They weren’t worried about the aftermath. With the Swell family’s expertise, any bizarre incident could be deftly explained to the public, dissolving chaos effortlessly—they had never failed.

Though the nuclear bug was captured, Lin Yu remained anxious, burdened by an ominous premonition.

Lin Yu was not one to trust intuition, but he had to admit: the more you yearn for good things, the less they come; the more you dread bad things, the more likely they are to happen.

In the car, staring pensively out the window, Lin Yu muttered, “Lü Mou would never joke with me for no reason—something’s wrong.”

“Ah? You’re still thinking about Xiao Wangyan? If he said to wait until you’re back, it probably means he couldn’t talk over the phone,” Wu Miaoran consoled him.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. If that kid’s been controlled or parasitized by a nuclear bug, the boss and Xiaoyu can handle it. What I’m most worried about is when our accounts will be unblocked. That’s our company’s financial lifeblood…” Qin Qisan said helplessly.

“No, I know Lü Mou too well. He wasn’t pretending—he really seemed to have no idea who Xiao Wangyan was,” Lin Yu insisted.

“Oh come on, he was the one who discovered this nuclear incident, even called a full staff meeting. He can’t just forget the guy after a nap! If you’re really uneasy, just call him again—or ask Xiaoyu!” Qin Qisan suggested.

Lin Yu agreed. Though he’d be back at the company in half an hour, he couldn’t rest easy without answers.

He decided to call Xiaoyu for clarification.

Just as Lin Yu was about to dial Duan Xiaoyu, Qin Qisan suddenly slammed the brakes, staring rigidly at the massive electronic billboard outside Baixin Mall as if he’d seen a ghost.

Soon, not only Qin Qisan, but many drivers on the road hit their brakes simultaneously. The screech of brake pads echoed along the street, and several cars even collided.

Drivers and passengers paused, eyes fixed on the electronic screen in amazement.

Even more astonishing, almost at the same moment, the three’s phones lit up automatically.

Upon closer inspection, their phones had opened the Nationwide Live Broadcast app on their own.

Not only their phones—even the car’s Android dashboard and the tablet in Wu Miaoran’s bag had launched the app.

Strangely, a live stream was in progress, and the streamer was someone they knew well.

Seeing the passersby around them picking up their phones, Lin Yu realized that it wasn’t just the three of them—everyone’s device was broadcasting automatically. Even devices without the app were now downloading it.

“This… this is like the old saying, speak of the devil and he appears! Is the live streamer Xiao Wangyan? Has he gone mad, broadcasting openly at a time like this?” Qin Qisan stared in disbelief at the giant screen outside.

Lin Yu and Wu Miaoran saw it too…

It was indeed Xiao Wangyan, the very person they’d just discussed.

Wasn’t he arrested? Wasn’t he secretly detained?

How could he suddenly appear on a live broadcast, on every connected screen?

What was going on?

What was he up to?

As the three puzzled over it, Xiao Wangyan on the screen slowly rested his hand near his chin, gazing playfully at everyone watching.

Though the three had never met him, and weren’t familiar with him, the Xiao Wangyan they saw now differed significantly from the surveillance footage.

He appeared on the live stream without any filters; his pores were clearly visible, but his face was as pale as paper, almost lifeless.

Soon, a horrifying smile spread across his pallid face, and he spoke in a chilling tone:

“Oh, you foolish, ugly people. I am delighted to speak with you at such a moment, in such a setting.

Of course, this is not an equal conversation. You are compelled to watch my store tour live broadcast.

You have no choice—just as big data pushes information to you every day. You will inevitably become slaves to mass entertainment, fated to mediocrity, drained of all value! Hahahahaha…”