Chapter Seventeen: Codename—The Guillotine of Remorse

“Establish immediate contact with the Special Response Team on Warm Guy’s side—I need real-time updates from there, right now!”

Inside the specially outfitted command vehicle, Fu Ying issued further orders to her subordinates while simultaneously reviewing all the intelligence she’d gathered in her mind thus far.

There wasn’t much information—only fragments up to the point before Qi Chen entered the uncanny domain, and most of it was the first half of Warm Guy’s summary. But once Qi Chen crossed into that area, the flow of information dropped off sharply; the Special Response Teams tasked with sealing off the sector couldn’t get too close to the anomaly.

What counted as a safe distance for uncanny operatives couldn’t be assumed safe for ordinary people. Even a slight exposure could trigger subtle psychological changes in those without resistance—a potential hazard for future operations.

These were lessons the Alliance had learned in blood.

“Captain Fu! Seventh Squad just sent their latest report—they need you to take the call!”

The intelligence officer responsible for communications in the van pulled off her headset and turned urgently to Fu Ying.

Snatching up the receiver and pressing it to her ear, Fu Ying’s face grew grave. She spoke rapidly, but her words were clear and sharp:

“Seventh Squad, why was communication interrupted just now?
Where is Qi Chen, who requested the connection with me, at this moment?
What is the current situation on your end?”

Immediately, the voice of the Special Response Team leader crackled through:

“Reporting, ma’am! An abrupt incident occurred at Officer Yue’s position—appears he was suddenly attacked by an anomaly and dragged at high speed toward the guillotine!”

As an ordinary human, even the squad leader positioned at the perimeter was not equipped to witness the entire process; mortal senses were incapable of perceiving true uncanny phenomena. All he could do was report exactly what he’d seen.

To his eyes, Warm Guy had simply stumbled near the guillotine and was then swept toward it.

“I believe Officer Qi intervened somehow—our vehicle’s psychic intensity meter registered a massive spike, which broke our connection.
Now, Officer Qi has also entered the uncanny zone, and seems to be attempting a rescue of Officer Yue!”

The voice on the line suddenly fell silent. Fu Ying’s brows arched in surprise. After a brief pause, the team leader’s voice returned, now tinged with excitement rather than the earlier restraint.

“The guillotine! It just erupted out of the ground!”

A flicker of astonishment crossed Fu Ying’s eyes, but before she could ask further, the frontline leader delivered even more startling news:

“Captain Fu! The guillotine has snapped shut!
It looks like everyone inside the uncanny zone has returned to normal!”

Suddenly, a voice she knew all too well came through the receiver.

“Hey! Fu, the crisis is about wrapped up. Hurry over and handle the cleanup!”

Beep. Beep.

Warm Guy ended the call decisively, leaving the command vehicle’s crew staring at each other in confusion over this unfamiliar sequence of events.

…

…

“Kid, when Captain Fu gets here, don’t do anything foolish. I know she recruited you personally, but as your mentor, it’s my duty to fill you in on the essentials of working with her.
Always stick to the facts, understand?
Especially when it comes to uncanny analysis—just share your experiences and observations with her. She’ll handle the deeper investigation herself.
If she doesn’t ask about something, don’t bring it up.
When she asks about the current situation, just repeat the analysis I prepped for you. That’ll be more than enough.”

Qi Chen nodded repeatedly, listening closely to Warm Guy’s advice. These were hard-won lessons, and he knew they’d be invaluable for his future work.

Screech!

A piercing sound of brakes rang out as a larger command vehicle than their own armored car skidded to a halt right before them.

With a crash, the double doors at the rear of the van were thrown open. Fu Ying’s voice followed:

“You two—inside. Now!”

Qi Chen noticed Warm Guy shrink his neck slightly, as if intimidated.

But… hadn’t this veteran sounded pretty relaxed and even friendly when talking with Captain Fu just now?

Unbeknownst to Qi Chen, the middle-aged man was now deeply regretting his attempt to show off in front of the rookie earlier.

“That tone… I’m doomed.”

Once inside, Qi Chen was dazzled by the array of sophisticated instruments packed into the van. He couldn’t understand any of them, but that didn’t stop him from being impressed.

The Department of Anomaly Management—truly professional.

“Both of you, over here.” Having changed into a leather jacket, Fu Ying glanced coolly at the new and old recruits. Qi Chen instinctively felt he’d better keep some distance from Warm Guy right now.

“Warm Guy, give me your account of this anomaly.”

Warm Guy shot a furtive glance at Qi Chen, then, feeling a sudden chill down his back, straightened up and replied loudly:

“Reporting, ma’am! Here’s my summary!
I’ve provisionally classified this as a sudden uncanny incident.
Based on evidence at the scene, it originated from a car accident. The anomaly’s codename: Confessional Guillotine.
It possesses the ability to emit invisible uncanny ropes. Anyone ensnared experiences immense psychological pressure, with a rising sense of guilt during the process. Confession can slow the dragging effect.
Once a person is pulled to the guillotine, a beheading event is triggered. Current hypothesis for neutralization: if the guillotine is activated with no victim, it reverts to a tangible antique!”

The report was brief but precisely summarized the supernatural properties of the Confessional Guillotine, leaving little room for criticism.

At least in Qi Chen’s opinion, he’d learned a great deal just from that concise explanation.

This was the professionalism of a veteran uncanny operative!

A faint smile appeared on Fu Ying’s face, but seeing her smile only made Warm Guy’s expression stiffen.

“So, the Confessional Guillotine’s immediate lethality isn’t that high, right? The target has to be dragged to the blade for a blood event to occur.
But why did you enter the uncanny zone without authorization?
I’m guessing it was to rescue someone about to be executed?”

Fu Ying snorted coldly.

“According to your theory, the speed of dragging correlates with guilt. Doesn’t that mean the victim was likely someone with a particularly strong sense of guilt?
So you risked losing control to save someone who might be a real scumbag?”

“What if… my theory was wrong…” Warm Guy muttered almost inaudibly, but Fu Ying caught every word.

“Ha! You know very well what I mean. I’m just telling you: in the future, when you encounter an incident with low risk of escalation, I expect you to consult me before acting.
And don’t let your bleeding heart put you at risk for the sake of rescuing people who, for all you know, might be trash.”

Qi Chen sat quietly, listening to the senior officer instruct his direct superior. Just as he thought none of this concerned him, a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Now, it’s your turn to speak.”

...