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Chapter 19: It’s Just an Accidental Gas Explosion (Part 2)
"Mmm... Yes, indeed, it really was just an accident." After glancing at his sister who had consoled him with gentle words and noticing the noticeable improvement in her complexion, Leon felt the heavy burden on his heart ease slightly. He smiled and echoed her sentiments.
...
Indeed, yesterday's incident involving four to five hundred people and an out-of-control contaminated individual had already been classified as an accidental mishap after Leon shot the "culprit" dead and Emma submitted the incident report.
According to the red-haired chief, deep beneath the headquarters of the Anomaly Cleansing Bureau lay an extraordinarily powerful anomalous object.
Whenever employees of the bureau completed their cleanup tasks and filed their reports, they would trigger the rules of this anomalous object, which forcibly rewrote the memories of most eyewitnesses. In this case, the event was distorted into a gas explosion.
In Anna's memory, the hospital's gas pipeline first cracked, causing the initial explosion. This explosion coincidentally shattered the storeroom containing anesthetic agents, spreading large amounts of the substance through the ventilation system and rendering hundreds of patients and medical staff unconscious.
The second explosion occurred on the sixth floor where the director's office was located, and on the fourth floor housing the intensive care unit. The director of Red Brick Road Hospital was killed instantly, and Anna's ward was utterly devastated.
Fortunately, Anna had detected the smell of leaking gas early on and decisively led two nurses out of the window, thus narrowly escaping with their lives. However, she sustained leg injuries from falling glass shards, and one of the nurses suffered severe injuries with multiple joint damages.
Just as the third explosion was about to occur, Leon and his colleague arrived to visit Anna. They managed to shut off the gas valve in time, preventing a greater disaster and saving the lives of hundreds in the hospital.
...
Yes, that supposedly incredibly powerful anomalous object even considered the mental health of the Anomaly Cleansing Bureau's employees when "fabricating stories" to cover up events. It deliberately retained Leon and his colleague's "merits" to ensure they received respect for their heroic actions.
Even more bizarrely, to facilitate the bureau's reporting to higher-ups for bonus claims, it implanted a fabricated memory in the victims, suggesting that the bureau had received public complaints and sent investigators to look into Red Brick Road Hospital's overcharging issues. This demonstrated a considerate, open, and humanized approach, albeit somewhat shameless.
Upon hearing such an outrageous operation, Leon, who understood the difference between "procedure" and "artificial intelligence," instinctively questioned the nature of this anomalous object. Something so adaptable clearly possessed its own intelligence and seemed problematic, not merely an object following rigid rules.
However, the response Leon received from the red-haired chief was that this anomalous object indeed had a mind of its own—it was essentially a brain.
This high-level anomalous object capable of distorting memories was originally an ill-prepared evil god that had been hastily summoned and captured. After the bureau eliminated it, they discovered its exceptional ability to alter memories. Consequently, they extracted its brain and installed it into an anomalous object called the [Illusion Jar], creating a specialized tool for concluding large-scale incidents.
Nevertheless, due to the dangerously potent ability of this object to modify collective memories, allowing a single person to control it could lead to severe consequences. Thus, the activation conditions were extremely stringent, requiring approval from more than half of the twelve directors. It remained buried underground during normal times, only to be utilized in dire emergencies.
...
So, what exactly constituted a dire emergency? Or more directly, would someone attempting to take action against the Anomaly Cleansing Bureau qualify as a dire threat?
As Leon listened to the red-haired chief explain this, he almost immediately grasped the definition of "danger" and unraveled a significant mystery—why would nations allow an organization like the Anomaly Cleansing Bureau to exist, even actively cooperating with it?
Perhaps it wasn't voluntary cooperation but rather coercion!
After all, just the memory-altering brain of this evil god alone was enough to give any scheming kingdom a headache. Considering the bureau's long history, who knows what other peculiar objects they might possess?
Through this revelation, Leon indirectly grasped the immense power of the Anomaly Cleansing Bureau. He now firmly believed that his life was irrevocably tied to this mysterious organization.
Guarding humanity's frontline, uncovering the world's truths, gaining abilities far surpassing ordinary people—these aspects alone were irresistible. Not to mention the bureau's high pay, excellent benefits, and official status within the kingdom.
Especially regarding official positions, he heard that those with formal appointments were highly sought-after in the capital's matchmaking market, regardless of gender...
Uh... Wait a minute, didn’t I prepare myself for a lifelong bachelorhood? Why am I suddenly thinking about matchmaking? Could it be due to some stimulus today? Or perhaps, as the black goat mentioned, have I reached the age of restlessness?
...
"Brother? Brother! What's wrong?" After calling Leon several times without getting a response, Anna, who was sipping fish soup little by little, blinked in confusion.
Seeing her brother alternating between serious expressions and shy smiles, the frail girl thought for a moment before placing the milky-white fish soup back on the bedside table. She then raised her right hand to cover her lips, which glistened from the soup, and coughed very softly.
"Hmm?" Hearing the suppressed cough that had worried him incessantly over the past two years, Leon snapped out of his wandering thoughts almost reflexively.
He hurriedly looked towards the girl on the sickbed. Seeing that Anna had only coughed lightly and showed no further signs of distress, he relaxed. Then, reaching for the bowl of soup on the bedside table, he said somewhat sheepishly:
"I was just thinking about work and didn’t pay attention to you... You coughed just now? Did you choke? Should I feed you?"
"No... Hmm..." Looking at Leon, who immediately turned his attention upon hearing her cough, the frail girl's eyes warmed slightly. She shook her head, intending to say she hadn’t choked, but seeing the spoon already at her lips, she decided not to refuse.
Leaning on Leon's arm, she sat up slightly and leaned back against the cushion he provided. Resting against the headboard, the frail girl resumed sipping the fish soup spoon by spoon.
But for some reason, despite having drunk most of the soup independently earlier, she occasionally let out light coughs. Amidst Leon's concerned inquiries, she smiled faintly, shook her head, and parted her slightly oily lips, contentedly waiting for the next spoonful of fish soup...
Mom and Dad, are you still watching over me?
If possible, I hope you can make this bowl of soup last a bit longer, allowing my brother to stay with me a little while more. But not too much longer, just a few more spoonfuls...
"Knock, knock."
The sound of knuckles tapping against glass interrupted the frail girl’s silent prayer.
Both occupants of the room turned towards the source of the sound and were quite surprised to find a girl with red-rimmed eyes standing outside the door.
The baby-faced girl appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen, similar in age to them, yet she wore a mature-looking professional skirt suit and sported an elegant name badge.
She seemed to have already started working, possibly for several years, but there was something oddly out of place about her. It was as if she wasn't entirely accustomed to the attire.
"I’m from the gas company. It was me who signed off on the inspection of the hospital's pipelines here... I... I'm sorry!"
After receiving permission from Leon and Anna, the girl with slightly swollen eyes cautiously pushed the door open. Without a word, she bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle towards Leon, tears welling up in her eyes.
"This entire incident is my fault! If I had been stricter during the inspection, the pipeline might not have exploded, and your wife wouldn't have been injured jumping from the building! Please rest assured, I will provide compensation that satisfies you!"
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