Chapter 3

If space is infinite and the distribution of matter is sufficiently uniform on a large scale, then even the most unlikely events are bound to occur somewhere.

According to this theory, there should be an infinite number of inhabited planets, and on those planets, there may be an infinite number of people with the same appearance, name, and memories.

If countless regions the size of our observable universe do indeed exist, then any possible history of the universe would actually exist.

This is what is known as the theory of parallel universes.

The story we are about to see takes place in a universe similar to, yet not entirely the same as, the one we live in.

In that universe, there is also a planet called "Earth"; this planet has a population of billions and a history very similar to ours in ancient times.

However, by the end of the 20th century, the history of that Earth diverged from ours.

A family named "Vitstock" rose to power on this planet, abolished the concept of "nation," and established a unified Earth Empire.

This empire experienced its glory days but, like all dynasties, gradually became corrupt from within and was eventually erased from the annals of history.

By 2102, with a certain event as the catalyst, the empire's rule collapsed overnight, and the era of the "Earth Federation" began.

Thus, another century passed.

Our story begins in 2218, under the rule of the Federation.

...

2218, November 25, evening, 18:36.

A police motorcycle stopped in front of a building in the suburbs of Linyi City.

After the motorcycle came to a stop, a young man, about 1.8 meters tall and well-built, dismounted. He observed the entrance of the building while pressing his fingerprint on the touchscreen of the motorcycle's control panel to turn off the engine.

This man is named Che Wuchen, a "Federation Public Security Inspector."

Although his title includes the word "public security," inspectors are not police officers and do not fall under the jurisdiction of the police department.

Inspectors are senior agents under the "FCPS, the Federal Committee of Public Security (Federal Committee of Public Security)," and in terms of rank, they are equivalent to deputy bureau-level police personnel in most regions. In terms of authority, inspectors have the power to act at their discretion.

Except for the cities directly under the jurisdiction of the federal government, inspectors can requisition the resources of the police and ordinary citizens in any city or region worldwide to assist in investigations. Any non-cooperation can be pursued as "obstructing official duties" after the fact.

At the moment, Che Wuchen had requisitioned a local police officer's motorcycle to come to this place.

Actually... he didn't have to come, as the case at hand was not his responsibility.

A week ago, Che Wuchen had just completed a years-long undercover operation and made significant contributions. His superiors rewarded him and arranged for him to return to his hometown for a month of paid leave, along with a standard procedure of "psychological evaluation" and "loyalty investigation."

Che Wuchen had no objections to this arrangement.

Today, he went to the designated psychologist for the evaluation as scheduled. When he came out of the clinic, he happened to see a police officer issuing a parking ticket for his vehicle.

Che Wuchen knew that the parking meter had expired, and he didn't want to reveal his identity to make the officer uncomfortable. So, he went over and chatted with the officer, intending to cooperate and get the ticket.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, a communication came through on the police motorcycle parked nearby. The content was roughly: "A report has been received that a murder has occurred at the 'Youth Behavioral Correction Center' located at a certain address on a certain road in the suburbs. The details are unknown, and the callback number is not answered. Please, Officer X, proceed to the scene as soon as possible."

This was clearly a directed communication to a specific officer, not a broadcast, as it specified which officer should go.

However, after hearing the message, the officer's reaction was surprisingly calm. He walked to the motorcycle, picked up the communication device, and replied, "Understood," then continued to write the ticket leisurely.

Seeing this, Che Wuchen was a bit puzzled. Although he hadn't been back to his hometown for many years, the "correction center" was quite famous in the entire Long County, and he had seen reports about it in the media more than once.

Out of curiosity, he asked a few more questions during their conversation.

The officer replied, "Hey, that place, they report at least one to two incidents per week on average. Each time it sounds serious, like a murder, but it's actually nothing. It's always the kids inside who report it. They call for help as soon as they get their hands on a phone or a mobile device."

"Our officers in this jurisdiction know the drill. They just go through the motions. When they call out the kids who reported it, none of them have any injuries. They keep shouting for us to arrest someone, but who? Arrest them for false reporting? Talk to their parents... We've tried that before. The parents come and say the kids are problematic, that they've been corrupted by the internet and games, so they sent them to the correction center. They tell us not to believe the kids..."

As the officer spoke, Che Wuchen reached into his jacket pocket, took out his "real credentials," and interrupted, "Stop writing. The license and plates are fake." He paused, showing his FCPS agent badge to the officer, "This is the real one."

The officer was stunned for five seconds before stammering, "S... Sir!"

He was about to stand at attention and salute, but Che Wuchen raised his hand to stop him. In the next second, with a movement so quick it was almost invisible, Che Wuchen took the officer's service pistol from its holster and walked toward the nearby police motorcycle: "I'm requisitioning your motorcycle and gun. Thank you for your cooperation."

Twenty seconds later, the officer was still in shock, and Che Wuchen had already taken the officer's gun and motorcycle and sped away.

In less than ten minutes, he arrived at the "Sunshine Youth Behavioral Correction Center" in the suburbs of Linyi City.

Just from the appearance of the building, it was clear that the place had been around for many years: the white-painted walls were now a yellowish-gray color; the entrance gate was an old-fashioned electric iron gate from the last century, and the material had already rusted and discolored; even the barbed wire on the surrounding walls had rusted to a blackish-brown color.

However, the large sign on the front of the building was relatively new, looking like it had been replaced in recent years. The parking facilities were also advanced, and from a distance, several expensive cars could be seen parked inside.

Che Wuchen stood at the entrance, observing for a few seconds, then thinking for a few more seconds. He then walked straight in.

He didn't interact with the guard at the gate because there was no one there, and the gate was already open.

Even an ordinary person would find the situation somewhat unusual... let alone someone like Che Wuchen, an inspector.

Years of investigative experience and rigorous training were like two fingers that would immediately start tightening the "alert" spring at the slightest hint of danger, putting Che Wuchen's nerves on edge.

Before he even entered the main door of the building, his hand was already in the right pocket of his jacket, gripping the service pistol he had taken from the officer.

Federal police vehicles, guns, I-PENs, and other equipment are activated by fingerprint or iris recognition and leave electronic records with each use. In special or emergency situations, officers can use equipment from other officers of the same or lower rank, but they must write a report explaining the reason for use and have the original owner confirm it with a digital signature.

However, inspectors are not subject to these restrictions. Each federal public security inspector's fingerprint and iris can activate the public and private electronic devices of all ordinary citizens and deputy bureau-level or lower police personnel. Although this also leaves records, these records can only be decoded internally by the FCPS, and whether they are made public... depends on the situation.

This is the significance of "rank" and "authority" in this highly informatized world under federal rule. These two things are the main factors that determine people's freedom and self-worth in society.

Swoosh—

When Che Wuchen reached the main entrance, the automatic door on the first floor of the building opened. As the two panels slid to the sides, a corridor came into view.

The corridor itself was nothing special, with light-colored tiles on the floor, walls painted in white and light blue, and embedded fluorescent lights in the ceiling emitting a white glow.

But the scene in the corridor was terrifying.

At first glance, Che Wuchen saw three bodies, or at least what he initially determined to be three.

The three were in a state of—three heads, each lying in a pool of blood.

The blood was not really "water" but more like a thick "slurry." To put it in perspective, it was as if a whole person, along with their clothes, had been thrown into a blender, first subjected to "high-speed blending," then "mid-level mixing," followed by "external cooking and internal stewing," resulting in a pool of skin, muscle, fat, organs, bones, and fabric fibers mixed into a uniform, viscous, thick, and colorful broth.

"An 'ability user'..." Che Wuchen thought for a few seconds and made this judgment.

He was, after all, a senior agent of the federal government, and various high-tech weapons far beyond civilian technology were not new to him. Although the federal government had equipment that could turn a person into such a mess, to his knowledge, it was still in the development stage. Moreover, the machine was so large that it had to be disassembled and loaded into several containers to be transported, making it impossible to use here.

Therefore, he quickly ruled out the possibility of "using a device to kill." The absurd idea that the killer had thrown the three people into a giant blender to turn them into a broth and then spread it in the corridor was also not considered...

In summary, the only method he could think of that could cause such a state was "abilities."

"Phew..." After adjusting his breathing, Che Wuchen took the gun out of his pocket, held it in front of him, and entered the main door.

As he advanced cautiously, he thought, "The cross-sections of the three necks are very smooth. The killer clearly left the heads on purpose, but... why?"

At this thought, a chill rose in his heart.

Because the possibilities that immediately came to mind were:

First, the killer wanted the first person to arrive at the scene to immediately understand that these were dead bodies, not spilled sauce or something else.

Second, the killer might have left the heads to make it easier for the police to identify the victims. Combined with the first point, this suggests that the killer is not afraid of police involvement and even has a tendency to engage in a game with the police.

Third, it's also possible... the killer knew from the beginning that this case would eventually involve someone who knows about ability users, so he used this method to directly tell investigators like Che Wuchen that the perpetrator is an experienced user of abilities.