In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 17 The Other Side of the Mountain

The two quickened their pace and left, descending the mountain before dark and sending a report to the border station.

On the way, Liu Qiang remained curious as always, asking questions about this and that.

"Brother Lu, are there any survivors on the other side of the mountain?"

"After the Great Cataclysm, almost all the countries south of the South China Sea were wiped out, but that doesn't mean humanity is extinct. Otherwise, where do you think drugs came from? Would you be allowed to cultivate them on a large scale privately in your own country?"

Over the years, Lu Zhao has encountered many smugglers through firefights and interrogations.

Last year, we could often see armed personnel across the mountain.

They have essentially established a foothold in the Miye Sanjiang region and gathered the remnants of the South China Sea nations, but the Federation does not recognize them as a nation.

Firstly, they lacked a well-organized army; secondly, their ruling system was too Renaissance-like, with slavery being restored; and thirdly, they were the private domain of terrorist organizations such as bandits.

According to a rough estimate based on aerial photography, the population of the Miye Sanjiang area is conservatively estimated at 200 million, with 5 million north of Beishan, 100 million in the Luzon Islands, and 10 million in Central Asia.

They exist as scattered city-states, religions, organizations, and even tribes, clinging to the remnants of the old era, barely surviving, awaiting the destruction of the next cataclysm.

Some scholars have proposed that so-called beast tides and catastrophes are caused by the overdevelopment of a certain life form, resulting in an uncontrollable expansion of its power.

Just as every dynasty eventually gives rise to a supreme being upon its demise, the ancient gods are what we now call the ancient gods.

"The various forces, large and small, surrounding the Federation are basically the private domains of terrorist organizations."

After Lu Zhao explained, Liu Qiang asked again, "Why not send troops to wipe them out?"

“You can’t kill them all, you can’t eliminate them all, and there are still many ordinary people who just want to live.”

Lu Zhao paused for a moment before replying, "At the same time, no one wants to see a second Cangwu City emerge. The foreigners we accepted back then are now causing numerous problems."

This is a mess; to this day, none of the 200 million foreigners in Cangwu City have household registration.

At that moment, an urgent communication came through the two officers' walkie-talkies.

Two colleagues have gone missing in Ant Ridge District 3. Please proceed immediately to assist in the investigation.

The police pickup truck turned around and drove onto another road.

Lu Zhao looked at his phone's navigation and said, "It's less than five kilometers away, in the neighboring jurisdiction."

Liu Qiang said, "This is the first time in two years that someone has gone missing. Could it be a large monster?"

"It's most likely not a demonic beast, otherwise it would have called for help. If it is a demonic beast, it's probably a special type with abilities, which would be difficult to deal with."

As Lu Zhao spoke, he dialed Zhang Like's number to explain the situation.

"Old Zhang, get me a sniper rifle, the rifle can't hold the line."

The voice on the other end of the phone said, "Don't try to run away with a gun."

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Zhao and Liu Qiang were at the foot of a mountain.

The sun had already set, and a misty rain began to fall in the mountains, like dirty cotton wool soaked in lead gray, tightly wrapping this primeval forest on the border.

It was very cold, as if it were giving some kind of warning.

"Stay in the car and don't turn off the engine."

Lu Zhao got out of the car with his gun in hand, and his mental energy spread out in all directions. He quickly locked onto a pickup truck with border markings parked at the end of a forest path not far ahead.

As soon as the driver's side door opened, Lu Zhao could smell the stench of blood even before he got close. Within fifty meters of his mental perception, there were no medium to large-sized life forms.

"Reporting to headquarters, vehicle located."

Lu Zhao reported the situation further, picked up his rifle, and slowly approached.

Inside the car, two corpses sat with their heads down, their necks slashed open by some kind of sharp weapon, blood flowing out of the car.

"Police badge numbers 8955 and 8933, confirmed dead."

Lu Zhao reported into the walkie-talkie in a heavy voice.

He then walked around the vehicle, and the wheels sank completely into the ground, the surrounding soil appearing strangely compacted.

A pool of blood was found not far from the vehicle, resembling a crime scene. Upon closer inspection, Lu Zhao noticed two severely deformed bullets.

They do not show the usual signs of impact and breakage; instead, they appear to have been instantly melted by high temperatures and then rapidly cooled.

It was clearly caused by some kind of supernatural power.

After observing the scene for a while, Lu Zhao did not disturb it and slowly retreated.

Twenty minutes later, armed border police officers arrived one after another.

Police helicopters appeared and circled overhead.

When Zhang Like, who was leading the team, saw the two dead colleagues inside the car, a shadow fell over his face.

No matter how small the matter, it is no small matter when two people die, especially two policemen.
-
"How to say?"

He turned to ask Lu Zhao, who was fiddling with a sniper rifle.

The 7.62mm high-precision sniper rifle is the current mainstream police sniper rifle in the Federation, which can maximize Lu Zhao's abilities.

Lu Zhao succinctly stated: "With the footprints of three people, we can confirm that there are two extraordinary individuals, one of earth element and one of metal element."

Under pressure, Zhang Like couldn't help but smoke, exhaling clouds of smoke as he said, "They're probably bandits. Only these lunatics dare to be so arrogant. Two colleagues have died; it won't end until these people are caught."

"This morning I saw an overloaded truck, license plate 7105**."

Lu Zhao suddenly suggested something that made Zhang Like look puzzled. He explained, "The Five Elements supernatural powers often affect the physical body. For example, those with fire element supernatural powers generally have a body temperature of forty degrees Celsius, while those with metal element blood are like they are filled with lead."

He had only glanced at the oncoming vehicle unintentionally, but even after seven or eight hours, the image remained vivid in his mind.

Car model, license plate, tires...

This is also one of the benefits of mental supernatural abilities: the ability to remember everything seen.

Zhang Like asked, "Are you sure he's the criminal based on just this?"

Lu Zhao continued to recall: "Most of the freight transport on the Ant Ridge National Highway is long-distance, and minivans are only suitable for short-distance transport and are rarely seen here."

"And it can be seen through the glass that there are three people in the vehicle, but it is not carrying any cargo."

In the past, he wouldn't have thought so much about it, but with two policemen dead, this car became highly suspicious.

After listening to Lu Zhao's analysis, Zhang Like exclaimed, "With your observational skills, you should be working in drug enforcement, not staying here to do border defense."

Lu Zhao laughed and said, "What I've been doing for the past four years is no different from drug enforcement."

"Too."

Zhang Like's phone rang.

Lu Zhao stood aside, watching Zhang Like's phone calls. From Lü Jinshan, to the county level, to the provincial level, many leaders he rarely saw called to inquire about the situation.

Death is common in the world today, and violent crimes are frequent. At least ten bodies are dumped at the Triangle Estuary of Cangwu City every day.

However, the federal government has not normalized this practice, especially since provocative crimes against the government will be dealt with swiftly and severely.

Of course, this only applies to people with household registration. People without household registration are managed by the Outer Domain Comprehensive Administration Bureau, which often closes cases hastily for the sake of efficiency.

When someone without a registered residence dies, they're no different from a stray dog ​​on the street.

Lu Zhao had lived in Cangwu City for six years, so he could understand the official quarantine policy. Ultimately, it was because there were too many people. The South China Sea East Circuit now had a population of 300 million, only two-fifths of whom were of Han Chinese descent.

And their numbers will increase over time.

In response, the Federation, which still retains some of the characteristics of a classical empire, adopts ancient laws to govern people and does not register non-Chinese citizens.

Without a household registration, one is not considered a person.

They need their cheap labor but don't intend to bear too much governance cost, hence the term "consumables".

Humanity must yield to the pressure of survival; truth lies in the hands of the extraordinary.

(End of this chapter)