Trickster Hunter.

Chapter 464 Gangs
“Stimulating the brain with a special frequency current can ensure the stability of the modified container,” Anna’s voice rang in Sun Hang’s ears. “The brains of the modified containers have all undergone surgery. Their brain structures are somewhat like sophisticated computers. As the data stored inside—that is, the increasing amount of negative emotions—and the large amount of redundant data generated in daily operation, some bugs will also accumulate… These bugs will not have any obvious impact on their brains under normal circumstances, but once the number of bugs accumulates to a certain level…”

"What will happen?" Sun Hang asked.

“Modifying the container can get out of control, and I don’t know what will happen,” Anna said. “It could turn into a super monster, or its head could explode like a rotten watermelon, with a bunch of monsters of all sizes growing out of its corpse, or nothing could happen…who knows.”

“What if I pull out these silver needles now, or smash the machine?” Sun Hang asked again, “Wouldn’t many people die?”

“It will prematurely trigger the negative emotions stored in the modified container’s brain,” Anna said. “I’m not sure if the surrounding residents will be affected, but the fat man lying on the ground right now is most likely not going to survive.”

I don't care whether he lives or dies.

Sun Hang said this, but he didn't reach out to touch the two modified containers lying on the operating table, nor did he touch the machine that looked like it was pieced together from a bunch of discarded parts in a small workshop.

To be honest, I don't know if Lin Lun is too carefree, or if the machine's reliability is much higher than it appears... Doesn't he worry that if the machine malfunctions, the two modified containers might "explode"?

"How much longer?" Sun Hang kicked the supermarket owner, who was panting on the ground, and asked.

"Wh...how long?"

"How long will they continue in this state?"

"I...I don't know...the time is all set by the machine..." The supermarket owner shook his head with difficulty, "Sometimes it only takes half an hour, sometimes it takes four or five hours."

"Where do they go after they're done?"

"I have even less to say about that... I'm just someone who... I only provide the venue... I never ask about things I shouldn't... and I wouldn't dare to ask..."

"Anna."

"Mom, I'm here."

"If these two modified containers explode, can you absorb the negative emotions they release?"

"I don't like junk food... but if Mom asks me, I can reluctantly help you this once."

Sun Hang pointed his finger, and a liquid metal blade as thin as a cicada's wing instantly circled the machine, cleanly severing all the metal wires connected to the silver needles.

The two people lying on the operating table suddenly began to convulse violently. The veins under their skin bulged, their eyes rolled back, their mouths were twisted and grinned, and clear saliva kept flowing from the corners of their mouths.

It looked like an epileptic seizure.

Upon seeing this, the supermarket owner let out a low cry of fear. He didn't know where the strength came from, but he managed to get up, supporting his battered body. He used both hands and feet to climb the ladder and scramble towards the exit of the basement.

Sun Hang didn't bother with him—if something happened to these two modified containers, even if Sun Hang didn't kill him, Lin Lun, as the "mastermind," would definitely not let him go.

The two modified containers experienced a full five minutes of "epilepsy" before their limbs drooped limply like those of boneless mollusks.

Both of them had stopped breathing and their hearts had stopped beating; thick, black blood was slowly seeping from their nasal cavities and ear canals.

No new monsters were created, and the negative emotions, as thick as black fog, did not spread out of control.

"Mom, I did a great job, didn't I?" Anna's voice rang in Sun Hang's ears at just the right moment.

"It's alright." Sun Hang nodded.

“Mom didn’t ask me to help her, but I still did—as a reward, shouldn’t Mom grant me a request?” Anna said in an almost coquettish tone.

"any request?"

“Kill that little lackey outside.” Anna’s tone suddenly turned cold. “I don’t like him.”

"No need to discuss."

"Waaah... Mom, don't you love Anna anymore? It can absorb negative emotions too, so why do you always make Anna do all the dirty and tiring work..." Anna's tone instantly switched to a sobbing voice.

“I’ve never loved you, and I’m not your mother,” Sun Hang said coldly. “You’re the one who’s been clinging to me.”

“Anna is angry,” Anna said, and then her voice disappeared completely.

Sun Hang took one last look at the two corpses in the modified containers, then climbed up the ladder.

The supermarket owner had disappeared, and the petite Xue Yue was huddled next to a stall at the supermarket entrance, cautiously peering inside.

Upon seeing Sun Hang climb out of the basement, the tense expression on her face immediately dissipated somewhat.

"I...I heard gunshots!" Xue Yue said. "Several shots! And a fat man covered in blood just ran out of there."

"Yes, it was that fat guy who fired the shot," Sun Hang said. "By the way, it's been so long since the gunshot, why hasn't the sheriff arrived yet?"

“In Liusu District… these kinds of things aren’t under the jurisdiction of the Public Security Bureau,” Xue Yue said softly. “Gangs frequently clash, and you can hear sporadic gunfire almost every week. Everyone’s gotten used to it… the Public Security Bureau only intervenes when the situation gets out of control.” “So, unless there’s a large-scale gunfight, the Public Security Bureau doesn’t care at all?” Sun Hang was speechless. “Mastermind, it seems like the Liusu District Public Security Bureau needs a overhaul.”

"The situation at the Willow Lodge District Security Bureau on the Zodiac Layer is extremely unique. They granted Lin Lun and the local gangs a very high degree of autonomy—although this contradicts the laws and regulations of the Federation and Chunming City, it must be admitted that since Lin Lun and the local gangs reached a certain tacit understanding, the security situation in Willow Lodge District has greatly improved. The number of casualties and property losses caused by fighting each month has also decreased significantly compared to when the Security Bureau directly managed the area, which is why..."

“I think I understand what’s going on…” Sun Hang nodded. “This Lin Lun uses money or something else to bribe gangs in order to improve the order in Liusu District, thus getting the Public Security Bureau to turn a blind eye to the problems in Liusu District… While taking advantage of this loophole, he secretly raises strange creatures and modifies containers in Liusu District… and the Public Security Bureau, which has long delegated power, is completely unaware of this…”

Sun Hang smacked his lips: "I even suspect that his bribery of those gangs was just a show for the police... I don't believe that money alone can make these gang members, who dare to attack even sheriffs, so obedient."

"Should we mobilize security forces from other areas and city defense troops to conduct a thorough search of the entire Liusu District? At the same time, should we issue an arrest warrant for Lin Lun himself?" the mastermind immediately asked.

"By the time the city defense troops arrive, they must have already received the news, right?" Sun Hang glanced at the bracelet. "Aren't you afraid of driving them into a corner and releasing the monsters they've been raising, causing a large number of civilian deaths in Liusu District? Or is it that you don't consider these civilians in Liusu District without legal status as citizens of Chunming City, so their deaths are negligible?"

"If it is confirmed that an organization is raising monsters within Chunming City, then that organization can be defined as a terrorist organization or a cult, making it a top priority target for eradication. To ensure the safety and stability of Chunming City, the sacrifices you just mentioned are within acceptable limits," the mastermind said.

“Here’s what we’ll do: you go and mobilize a group of elite troops with covert operations to quietly seal off Liusu District—don’t openly drive armored vehicles into the middle of the road to block it. Try to find some easily believable excuses, such as road repairs or ventilation system malfunctions… Don’t let anyone in from outside, and don’t let anyone out from inside. If anyone tries to force their way through, lethal weapons are permitted,” Sun Hang said.

"Received, executing your order." The mainframe's efficiency was as high as ever. "The mission details have been issued to the First Garrison Regiment of Chunming City. The military commander of the unit has accepted the mission and is discussing and coordinating with relevant units on the mission details. The blockade of the Liusu area of ​​the zodiacal layer is expected to be completed in fifteen minutes."

“Very good.” Sun Hang waved to Xue Yue. “Next, we should go find the mastermind behind this.”

"The mastermind? What kind of mastermind?" Xue Yue blinked and asked.

“The person who ‘created’ you,” Sun Hang said.

"...Huh?!" Xue Yue's mouth gaped open slightly. "I...I was...created by someone?"

Where were you when you first gained self-awareness?

“I…I can’t remember…it seems like I was in a complex network of pipes…these pipes had some exits, and once you crawled out, you could see the sun and lots of cars…but at the time, I thought the sun was too bright, so I stayed inside the pipes…until later, the voice told me to go out into the world, and that’s when I left those pipes…”

"Master, can you pinpoint Xue Yue's initial location?"

"Based on the description of the target, the area with the highest matching degree is the underground sewage and drainage pipe network located between the Heavenly City Wall and the ecliptic layer, with an accuracy of approximately 43%."

How is sewage and wastewater usually treated in Tian Shi Yuan?

"Through these pipeline networks, pollutants are transported to various treatment plants... In order to protect the environment above ground, most of these treatment plants are built in industrial areas of the ecliptic layer," the mastermind replied.

"So, Lin Lun's Fuxing Pollutant Treatment Company is also connected to this pipeline network?"

"Yes. Liuxiu Fuxing Pollutant Treatment Company is currently responsible for treating sewage from six areas in the ecliptic: Liuxiu, Guixiu, Xingxiu, and Tianshiyuan Liuxiu, Guixiu, and Yixiu."

"Please guide me to the shortest route to Fuxing Pollutant Treatment Company."

"Okay, a guide drone has been arranged for you."

As soon as the mastermind finished speaking, a drone flew to a spot five meters in front of Sun Hang and hovered in mid-air.

"Also, there are gang members lying in ambush at the street intersection forty meters ahead. They are armed with lethal weapons. Should we use armed drones to eliminate them to ensure road safety?" the mastermind asked again.

"An ambush?" Sun Hang thought for a moment. An ambush was quite reasonable—about ten minutes had passed since the gunshots rang out. Even if the local gang members were pigs, they should have realized what was happening by now. Not to mention the supermarket owner who ran out to tip them off.

However, Sun Hang felt that the supermarket owner was unlikely to reveal to Lin Lun that he was a monster hunter, or to the gang leaders who were completely subservient to Lin Lun.

The reason is simple: if Sun Hang were the supermarket owner, having completely messed things up and even trying to make amends wouldn't save his life, spreading the news that "a hunter investigated in Liusu District and discovered a modification container" would undoubtedly detonate a bomb in Liusu District. Regardless of Lin Lun's reaction, those gang leaders would definitely target the supermarket owner's fat first...

His only way to survive was to spread the news, but conceal the fact that Sun Hang was a hunter, so that Lin Lun and the gang members would prioritize "silencing" him. Once Sun Hang and the gang members were "in sync," he would take advantage of the chaos to escape Liusu District.

From the supermarket owner's perspective, he would even prefer Sun Hang to eradicate Lin Lun's influence in Liusu District—he would rather be wanted by the Bureau of Abnormal Investigation and the Public Security Bureau than be hunted down and retaliated against by Lin Lun.

He had studied a little law and knew that although his crime was not minor, it wasn't serious either. At most, he would have to pay a fine and serve a dozen or so years in prison before regaining his freedom... But if he fell into Lin Lun's hands, his life would be out of his control.

Being killed outright might be the best outcome.

"I'll do it," Sun Hang said. "Let's save some power; the drone will be very useful later."

As if completely unaware of the ambush ahead, Sun Hang followed the drone that was guiding him and swaggered towards the street corner.

Just ten meters away from the street corner, two impatient gang members rushed out from behind the building where they were hiding. They pulled out machetes made of iron pipes and steel plates that were stuck in their backs and swung them at Sun Hang with strange noises!
At the same time, more gang members surged out from behind them, forming a circle around Sun Hang against the buildings on both sides of the street.

Sun Hang noticed that many of them had guns, and one burly man even had two fragmentation grenades hanging from his waist.

Is this what they mean by a significant improvement in public security?

(End of this chapter)