So You're the One Impersonating Chief Xie?

They gripped the handrails, watching the three men scramble up from below.

Jiang Qingrou muttered, "They're dead for sure, right?"

Song Weishi replied, "Hard to say. They don't look like they'll make it. Do we still go after them?"

Honestly, people who courted death like that were beyond saving in her eyes, but she still had to put on a show of good faith. If they could go up there, they might as well join the spectacle.

Chu Miaoxuan moved first—she was the one who could never openly say they'd give up, but her silence already said enough.

The others followed, noticing that all the insects were chasing the mantis as it coiled upward, brushing past them without a second glance.

Song Weishi was wondering why when she spotted the torn protective suits on the men above, lit up by the flashlights. The suits on two of them had been slashed open at some point.

But it was the other two whose suits were damaged—Wei Qing was still fine, walking at the rear. He'd started out panicked, but now his steps were slowing down more and more.

If she hadn't heard what was said earlier, Song Weishi might not have caught what he was planning. He wanted to kill those two to silence them—after all, what they'd done inside wasn't exactly honorable. He'd mastered the art of killing with a borrowed knife.

The two men running ahead soon noticed something wrong. They felt a stabbing pain, reached back, and found a huge tear in the back of their protective suits.

They whirled around to face Wei Qing, who was completely unharmed behind them. Furious, they cursed him out: "Wei Qing, you son of a bitch!"

As soon as they opened their mouths, the insects inside their suits surged straight down their throats, packing their mouths full. The spiny mantis leaped behind them, its scythes swinging—two heads hit the floor in an instant, blood spraying and drenching Wei Qing behind them.

One severed head was flicked into the air and landed in his arms. He caught it on reflex, meeting the man's glassy, lifeless eyes.

He shuddered violently. His slow pace stuttered to a halt, then he hurled the head away and sprinted back down like a madman, barreling straight through Song Weishi and the others. Guess he knew which way to go when death was staring him in the face.

Song Weishi stumbled back two steps from the impact. A thought flashed through her mind—whether to do something to him—but just like that, the moment passed, and the chance was gone.

Wei Qing had already made it to the bottom. The two men above collapsed quickly, and all the insects swarmed over them like a feast, wrapping them completely in a writhing mass.

No saving them now. Song Weishi and the others hurried down. Wei Qing was already at the door, spotting the vehicle outside, and let out a breath of relief.

They all came out, shielded Wei Qing into the car, went through decontamination first, and only then sat down in the cabin.

Wei Qing let out a long sigh and finally took off his helmet, sticking his head out for air. There wasn't a trace of grief or fear on his face over his companions' deaths—his calm nonchalance wasn't even pretending. But there was no one in the car who could call him out on it.

Song Weishi couldn't stand the sight of him. It seemed the worse someone was, the longer they lived. If you had to compare, the most vicious one was the one who survived longest.

She shifted position, doing her best not to look at him so her expression wouldn't seem odd.

Once the vehicle started moving, Chu Miaoxuan immediately called Xie Huiqing, reporting that the person had been rescued.

But when they'd arrived, there were seven or eight people still alive. Now only one was coming back.

They wouldn't even have needed to search for him—he didn't look like the type to leave witnesses.

Song Weishi was curious what made him so special that they had to bring him out at all. And this was District Two's business—what did it have to do with District One?

The car soon pulled up to Xie Huiqing's work area. After escorting Wei Qing inside, their mission was officially complete, and everyone could disband for now.

Xie Huiqing came down and glanced at them. Wei Qing greeted her, but she ignored him entirely, and his face immediately soured.

"Minister Wei, we've arranged a room for you. Head in there for quarantine."

Xie Huiqing gestured to a nearby room. Wei Qing let out a cold snort and walked straight in without another word.

No one left. They all stood outside the quarantine area, watching Wei Qing and gossiping quietly.

Jiang Qingrou said, "That bastard. Letting him back is just letting him off easy."

Ke Shaoyi agreed: "Right? Disgusting. Saving someone like him feels like saving a pile of crap—useless, and he'd sell out his teammates the moment things got tough."

Song Weishi nodded along with their comments. So they'd all caught Wei Qing's little move earlier.

Chu Miaoxuan stayed silent. The comments made her uncomfortable, considering what she'd done back at the Research Institute wasn't exactly clean either.

Song Weishi didn't even glance at the captain. She'd completely brushed her aside by now. After all this time, she'd learned the hard way that the only person she could truly trust was herself. Once she stopped pinning hope on others, she was truly untouchable.

Xie Huiqing stood a short distance away, quietly watching the man inside sit down.

Wei Qing seemed uneasy. He grabbed a glass of water from the table, downed it in one gulp, and leaned back on the sofa as if exhausted.

It was a far cry from the energized state he'd been in when he first arrived.

She wondered if he was just a paper tiger—putting on a bold front in public while secretly barely holding it together.

Seeing Xie Huiqing still there, Song Weishi walked over to her. Maybe it was first impressions, but Song Weishi felt Xie Huiqing didn't carry the air of a superior at all. She was incredibly approachable, and even someone like Song Weishi, who hated trouble and small talk, found her warm and easy to deal with.

Someone's gaze in the crowd kept following her, and they took a couple of steps closer.

Song Weishi approached Xie Huiqing. Xie Huiqing turned her attention from Wei Qing and raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Something on your mind?"

Song Weishi nodded. "Chief Xie, I have a question. Would you mind answering it?"

Xie Huiqing said, "No need to call me Chief. Just use my name like my sister does."

She tapped her finger on her crossed arms, motioning for Song Weishi to continue. Song Weishi asked directly, "Why bring him back?"

Chu Miaoxuan had already reported what happened on the mission. Wei Qing was no good.

Xie Huiqing gave her an odd look. "Did Captain Chu not tell you? He was optional—your safety came first."

Song Weishi said, "She did. But I still want to know the reason."

She genuinely found the order strange. If he were important, he didn't seem that important.

At some point, the chatter that had been going back and forth had died down. Now it was dead silent, everyone waiting to hear Xie Huiqing's answer.

Xie Huiqing looked inside. "Remember that couple from the quarantine zone who said they knew me?"

Song Weishi thought for a moment. Yeah, that did happen. Those two were strange—they'd mistaken Xie Huiqing for a man and come to the city expecting special treatment, but their scheme backfired and they were exposed on the spot.

Song Weishi suddenly caught on, staring at Wei Qing. "Wait... is that him?"

Xie Huiqing smiled. "Why don't we go in and ask?"

With that, she pulled open the door and walked inside.