Chapter 10

At the police station, Yu Ying was interrogating Wen Miao and her group.

Even now, Wen Miao refused to believe she had turned into this hideous form and still wanted to use her abilities to steal someone else’s face.

Wen Miao: “This isn’t my face! This isn’t my face!”

Like a madwoman, she muttered to herself in the corner, scratching her face with her nails until long scars resembling centipedes covered it.

Another Awakener reported to Yu Ying: “Captain, we’ve checked. There’s no trace of Mysticism left on her.”

Yu Ying frowned deeply: “Really? Any idea why?”

“None.”

Yu Ying’s frown deepened further.

This matter was thoroughly bizarre.

The Mysticism aura on an Awakener never disappears until death. Even if they lose control and become Out-of-control persons or Contaminants, it remains. Only in death does it vanish.

So why had Wen Miao become an ordinary person?

Yu Ying had thoroughly investigated the Wen family. Though everything about them seemed strange, the root of that strangeness remained elusive, as if it had vanished into thin air. Without finding the cause, all efforts would be meaningless.

Yu Ying began questioning Yu Fanlian and the others.

The host and cameraman genuinely knew nothing, completely baffled and unable to answer any of Yu Ying’s questions.

Yu Luo was also unaware of what had happened—he had been restrained by servants at the time and nearly died.

Finally, Yu Ying found a breakthrough with Yu Fanlian.

Yu Fanlian said: “It was the Crimson Moon. The Crimson Moon descended upon the Wen family!”

The moment Yu Fanlian’s voice returned was a day she would never forget. The crimson light at that moment was like the gentlest flame in the world.

Yu Ying: “The Crimson Moon?”

Yu Ying stared into Yu Fanlian’s eyes, searching for the truth behind her words.

Yu Ying: “You should know the consequences of lying to an Awakener.”

Yu Fanlian argued firmly: “I’m not lying. Everything I said is true.”

After calming down, Yu Fanlian began analyzing that crimson light.

Before this, she had only prayed to the Crimson Moon—that red glow was proof of its descent!

She continued: “My brother and I had agreed that if his plan to pressure Wen Miao succeeded, he would send me a text by 9 p.m. But when 9 o’clock passed and I still hadn’t received anything, I sensed something was wrong. I rushed to the Wen residence and saw Yu Luo tied up and on the verge of death. In despair and agony, I remembered a post I’d seen on a forum and began praying, begging It to return everything that rightfully belonged to us.”

Yu Fanlian continued in a reverent tone: “In my despair, I never imagined the Crimson Moon would truly descend. The moment the red light enveloped me, my voice returned. It was the Crimson Moon that helped us reclaim what was ours—all thanks to the great Crimson Moon.”

Hearing this, Wen Miao somehow found the strength to break free from the officers restraining her: “So it was you who ruined me! You! Give me back my abilities!”

Yu Ying stopped Wen Miao’s outburst and then instructed Yu Fanlian to retrieve the forum post she had mentioned.

The replies to that post remained only three, making everything seem exactly as Yu Fanlian had described.  

The bizarre occurrences in the Wen family appeared to have no other plausible explanation.  

Yu Ying scoured the forum for a long time but found no traces of mysticism. Could it truly be as Yu Fanlian claimed?  

After Yu Fanlian and the others left, Yu Ying made a phone call.  

On the other end was Cheng Qianming.  

Yu Ying and Cheng Qianming were close friends and former classmates, though Cheng Qianming never expected that the petite girl who stood at just 155 cm would surpass him in progress.  

Previously, Cheng Qianming had mentioned the Crimson Moon incident involving Zhu Yongchang, and now the two were discussing it again.  

Upon hearing that another incident related to the Crimson Moon had occurred, Cheng Qianming froze for a few seconds.  

After ending the call, Yu Ying opened her computer and logged into a restricted-access website using her credentials.  

This website meticulously documented Contaminants from around the world.  

The classification of Contaminants mirrored that of Awakeners, ranging from D to SS.  

The highest level, SS-grade Contaminants, were each an Evil God.  

Using her authority, Yu Ying added a new entry for a Contaminant.  

**[Codename: Crimson Moon Incident**  

**Contaminant Description:** This is a Contaminant that responds to human prayers. When those in utter despair plead to it, they receive an answer—obtaining what they most deeply desire. It manifests before others in the form of a crimson moon, while its true appearance remains unknown.  

**Threat Assessment: Moderate]**  

After some deliberation, Yu Ying cautiously assigned it a **”B-grade”** in the final evaluation.  

The Wen Miao incident caused an uproar across the internet. Despite the Wen family’s desperate attempts at online damage control, the evidence was irrefutable, and Wen Miao’s current appearance bore no resemblance to her former self.  

The fallout from this incident was devastating for the Wen family. Wen’s Father and Wen’s Mother exhausted every means to salvage their company, but their efforts proved futile.  

They considered all possible remedies, but one after another, Wen Miao’s past misdeeds were exposed.  

Online revelations detailed how Wen Miao had cyberbullied schoolmates, pushed someone into water, abused her influence to crush students more talented than her, and even attempted murder and instigated underage criminal activity.  

Once these revelations surfaced, they skyrocketed to the trending search lists, shattering Wen Miao’s image as a prodigy beyond repair.  

Her former supporters, confronted with undeniable evidence, felt utterly deceived and turned against her en masse. In no time, not a single voice dared to defend her.  

Within mere days, the once-prominent Wen family of Haishi teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, becoming universally despised.  

Due to the severity of her crimes, Wen Miao was ultimately sentenced to death.  

The Wen Miao incident remained a hot topic online for over two weeks before gradually fading.  

Xi Le followed the case from start to finish, finding it more exhausting than performing surgery. Still, the outcome was satisfactory—at least the victims received compensation.  

From this incident, Xi Le also gained two new believers: Yu Fanlian and Yu Luo.

Previously, Xi Le had only two believers, and the Power of Faith he received was pitifully scarce. Now, with two more followers, though the Power of Faith remained meager, Xi Le felt significantly better than before—warm and comfortable all over, his health noticeably improved. He could even run ten kilometers without any trouble.

Yet, this amount of faith was still far too little. He often felt hungry and craved more faith, more believers. Only then could he uncover why the Tiny People Cities appeared before him every night and why he had become the Crimson Moon in the sky.

Xi Le had a premonition that the answers would come when he grew stronger.

“One strawberry mochi milk tea, please.”

“Here’s your strawberry mochi.”

Li Zhuoxue took the milk tea and handed it to the girl in the passenger seat.

The girl blushed shyly, her cheeks growing even redder when her fingers accidentally brushed against Li Zhuoxue’s as she took the drink.

She had been pursuing Dr. Li for a full month, and only in the past week had their relationship taken a turn.

This was her chance—her only chance to win him over.

With a soft thud, the car started.

The vehicle moved smoothly along the road. Li Zhuoxue never played music while driving, leaving the interior eerily quiet.

The girl found the silence awkward and cautiously broached a topic.

“Dr. Li, have you been following the news about Wen Miao lately?”

Li Zhuoxue replied, “I have.”

His voice was as gentle and refined as ever, like a noble scholar stepping out of an ancient painting.

Delighted to share a common subject, the girl couldn’t help but vent her indignation. “Wen Miao is awful. I used to admire her, even saw her as my idol. But she turned out to be a thief, capable of such despicable acts.”

Li Zhuoxue listened quietly without interrupting, but the girl soon grew self-conscious and fell silent.

After a while, Li Zhuoxue spoke up, his tone cultured and polite. “My place is just ahead. Would you like to come in for a while?”

The girl’s face flushed at his invitation. “Is that… alright, Dr. Li?”

Li Zhuoxue smiled gently. “Do come in.”

With a shy nod, the girl agreed.

Once inside, she sat nervously on the sofa, sipping awkwardly at the milk tea Li Zhuoxue had bought her.

This was her first time in Dr. Li’s home.

His house was sparsely furnished, decorated in warm tones that matched his demeanor.

Anticipating what might happen next, the girl grew even more tense.

Li Zhuoxue suddenly sat beside her, his gaze lingering on her face and arms, his expression softening unusually.

The girl fidgeted, her cheeks burning.

Li Zhuoxue looked up, his beautiful eyes gleaming. He removed his glasses, which made him appear even more refined and scholarly. “You once said you liked me and would do anything for me. Was that true?”

Thinking it a sweet lovers’ exchange, the girl answered eagerly, “Of course. I meant it.”

Li Zhuoxue’s lips curved into a deeper smile as he took her hand. “That’s wonderful…”

He leaned closer, his other hand gently caressing her skin as though touching a rare treasure.

The icy touch made the girl shiver, even making her want to push Li Zhuoxue away.  

But by the time she realized what was happening, she found herself already trapped in his embrace.  

He whispered the most eerie words in the sweetest voice right by her ear.  

“If that’s the case, then offering everything you have to the Goddess should be acceptable, shouldn’t it?”  

The girl’s expression froze. “The Goddess?”  

In that instant, Li Zhuoxue’s face twisted into a look of fervent madness.  

“She will like you… She will adore everything about you…”