Chapter 233: The Sky Is Changing
The room remained silent for a long time. Everyone seemed to be waiting for the result of the attribute test, even though many of them didn’t understand why such a test was necessary in the first place.
What made things worse was that the test took far longer than expected. Under normal circumstances, it should have produced a result within a minute. Yet ten full minutes passed, and still no one came out.
Gradually, low murmurs rose in the room as people began discussing what was going on. They couldn’t understand why a simple attribute test had to be conducted privately, nor why it would take so long.
Some may have already sensed that something had gone wrong—but no one knew exactly what.
Several more minutes passed before the female officer finally pushed the door open and returned. Her expression was unusually grim. She slowly swept her gaze across everyone present, then issued an unquestionable order in a cold voice:
“Immediately begin screening everyone here. Every single person must undergo an attribute test. Anyone with abnormalities—arrest them all.”
The moment the order was given, the room erupted into noise once more.
“Why… why is this necessary?”
“Conducting attribute tests on all these scavengers will consume a huge amount of resources. I need a reason!”
“This could burn through most of the supernatural materials we brought with us. Are we really doing this?”
It wasn’t outright defiance, but the order was simply too absurd. No officer present could accept it without asking for an explanation.
“I’ve already submitted my reasons to the upper levels,” the female officer said flatly. “Very soon, people from above will come to take over this place. For now—execute my order immediately.”
Her sharp eyes swept across the room. She offered no explanation, but her words alone sent a chill through everyone’s hearts.
What on earth had happened to warrant drawing the attention of the upper levels—enough for them to personally come down to the lower districts?
How many years had it been since anyone from above last set foot down here?
The sky was changing.
No one said it out loud, but everyone understood. No one asked any further questions. They quickly moved to carry out the order.
As for the fate of the killer—what would be done with him next—no one asked anymore.
As the people in the room gradually filed out, Xu Zhi found herself in an awkward position.
…So, what now? Why wasn’t anyone coming to wheel her away? Was she supposed to leave on her own? Would that even be appropriate?
Perhaps noticing the faint awkwardness and uncertainty on Xu Zhi’s face, the officer who had finished giving orders walked over to her.
“Miss Xu, there’s been a bit of a change in the situation. You and your sister may need to stay here for a while longer. In a few days, someone will come to ask you some questions. When that time comes, I hope Miss Xu will answer honestly.”
There was a deeper meaning in her words, with particular emphasis on the word honestly.
Xu Zhi looked confused and innocent, with a hint of anxiety—like a well-behaved child who knew nothing about what was happening and was worried about her own circumstances.
“I’ll have someone take you back. Until further orders, do not leave your tent without permission.”
“Wait, Officer,” Xu Zhi suddenly spoke up.
“My medicine was only prescribed for seven days—” Before she could finish, the officer understood what she meant.
“A military doctor will come by daily to examine you and prescribe new medication.”
That was… truly bad news.
Xu Zhi had already anticipated this, so she wasn’t flustered. She even smoothly changed the subject.
“May I know your name, Officer?”
Her question was laced with cautious politeness—the kind a scavenger would show when facing someone in authority. The officer paused, momentarily surprised, thinking that the girl before her clearly hadn’t yet developed the self-awareness of a [Lamp]-attribute supernatural.
Still, she didn’t dwell on it. It was just a name. If Xu Zhi were an ordinary scavenger, she wouldn’t have bothered. But this girl’s identity was suspicious, and they would likely cross paths again in the future.
“Chi Qiusheng,” she replied simply, then gestured to a soldier standing by. The soldier immediately stepped forward and wheeled Xu Zhi out.
As Xu Zhi was pushed out of the room, she noticed that many of the soldiers previously stationed here were gone—clearly dispatched to carry out the order.
Knowing the truth, Xu Zhi understood exactly why Chi Qiusheng had issued such a command. Discovering a [Cup]-attribute supernatural in the lower districts—her heart must have been anything but calm. Judging by the delay, it had probably taken her quite some time to steady herself, handle the situation, and report it to the upper levels.
By now, the people above were likely in utter chaos. As for the large-scale screenings, they were probably meant to uncover any accomplices—other hidden [Cup]-attribute followers.
Xu Zhi guessed that it wouldn’t just be this slum. The entire lower district would likely undergo a thorough sweep. That would require enormous manpower and resources and would almost certainly trigger a chain reaction of consequences.
Such an accident probably wasn’t part of His original plan. She wondered what the [Cup]-attribute supreme being had been laying out behind the scenes—and whether the sudden emergence of a Cup follower had disrupted some of those plans.
As she pondered, Xu Zhi couldn’t help but think that maybe she and [Cup] were simply fated to clash.
Of all the possibilities, her blade just had to land somewhere else instead of with her. If it had fallen alongside her, she could have exercised some control—delayed its exposure, at least.
But perhaps this was fine too. Letting the supernaturals of this world learn early that [Cup] still existed would at least put them on guard. Xu Zhi didn’t consider either side her ally anyway. Her goal was to muddy the waters. Only in sufficient chaos could she maneuver and profit from the cracks.
Now that a major incident had erupted, even her own suspicious identity had been temporarily set aside. Everyone’s attention was fixed on [Cup]. Compared to that, a mysteriously appearing [Lamp]-attribute supernatural was nothing more than a trivial footnote.
Back in the tent, light rain had begun to fall again outside. The weather in the lower districts was always like this. Xu Zhi had already grown used to it.
“How did it go? They didn’t make things difficult for you, did they?” Qi Yixin asked, frowning, her eyes full of concern.
Xu Zhi smiled and shook her head. “I was just curious about who the killer really was, so I went to take a look. No one gave me trouble.”
“They really caught the killer?” Qi Yixin’s attention was diverted, curiosity creeping into her voice.
Xu Zhi nodded. Qi Yixin relaxed slightly. “Then going to the factory won’t be so nerve-wracking anymore.”
Xu Zhi hummed in agreement but said nothing more.
She needed to calmly assess the situation—what worked in her favor, and what didn’t. The discovery of the blade wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It would allow her to come into contact with people from the upper district much sooner, perhaps even gain an early opportunity to enter it.
She could not remain in the lower districts forever.
Xu Zhi knew this clearly. She needed more knowledge—and the lower districts simply couldn’t provide it.
