Epoch of Twilight

"Captain Xiao, our Defense Division is waiting for its revival. Many members, including Captain Hu were killed during the last mission. As we suffered a great loss, your responsibility is indeed of large scale," Mayor Song said painfully, "And your current most important mission is to reform the Defense Division upon your return. Also, learn from this lesson and improve the security system. Are you confident enough to undertake this task?"

Not long after Xiao Baihong left the sewer, some police and military personnel came by, wanting him to go to the city council office. At the beginning, he was worried and had doubts, thinking that it was a trap. After some hesitation, he decided to go.

He found out that he was not caught upon arrival, but had an important mission instead! Xian Baihong was stunned for a moment before he could recover, and assured loudly, "Don’t worry, sir! I hereby make a military pledge to promise that the last mistake will not be repeated again in the Defense Division!"

"Very well, I hope that you can deliver as promised. You may head back first and if possible, do submit a proposal by tomorrow," Mayor Song said.

Mo Li sent Xiao Baihong to the gate. She then saw him off with her bashful and innocent face, without so much as a flicker of smile.

There were too many unpredictable situations recently that caught her off guard, hence, she now handled them passively!

With her strong ability and cautiousness, she soon controlled the top ranking people of the Desert City. Nevertheless, before she could heave a sigh of relief, what came after was truly shocking. First of all, the Spec and Mr. Xie lost their lives and then, Su Yu was killed unbeknownst to many, at the city council.

In fact, Su Yu was very strong, and even had a record of killing a level six mutated beast. As he was the strongest evolved person she had ever seen, he was the strongest force she had. Therefore, his death made her feel insecure.

Her ability was similar to hypnosis but is much stronger, being able to penetrate deeper and have a stronger hold on the psyche. Common hypnosis can only hypnotize one’s subconscious mind, but she could manipulate one’s memory through their subconsciousness.

Hypnotizing only the subconscious mind allows one to break loose should one begin to feel uncomfortable, or when it goes against one’s subconscious. However, manipulating the memory through a subconscious mind leaves no chance for the person to break lose, as it affects the deepest part of the brain, where the most memories were stored. Manipulation had the power to make one believe – no questions asked – as the memories which contradict with their conscience will be rebooted.

In other words, it can be considered as repairs made in one’s memory!

For instance, when everyone in the city council was given an impression that she was Mayor Song’s nice, nobody, even Mayor Song himself, doubted her identity. Over time, a conditioned memory had been formed.

A memory is not only the most precious asset of human beings but also one that is sacred and inviolable. The idea of "I" is formed as a result of memory, hence, the ability to distort one’s memory was indeed terrifying.

She knew that if her ability was made known and exposed, no matter how she pleaded for mercy, it would be rendered useless.

Since Su Yu died, she felt that danger was creeping closer, as if a pair of indifferent eyes was watching her in the dark. If she errs, she will be struck down. The omnipresent danger had made her feel oppressed and frustrated, but she had no choice but to disguise herself. Even if she sent Hawk Eye to hell, she had no idea what could possibly happen!

She muttered to herself, and clenched her fists until her knuckles were pale, "Could it be him?"

If anyone wanted to identify the most dubious person, he would be the strongest evolved person at Desert City, Luo Yuan – without a doubt.

Previously, she tried to control Luo Yuan, but his soul’s defense was extraordinarily strong. If the defense of a commoner was akin to a fence where she could easily climb over, in comparison, the defense of Luo Yuan’s soul would be likened to a thick and strong wall. As she was worried of being noticed, she only attempted for a very short while before stopping.

Then, she was startled from her deep thought by a few knocks on her door.

Mo Li was shocked and went to open the door. Previously, she had sent a message under Mayor Song’s name to the Public Security Bureau, that they should inform the evolved person who escaped from prison to report to the city council’s office. If they were found, they would be able to continue gathering them up.

As soon as she opened the door, a slight surprise came upon her.

"Why are you here again?" She asked.

The person standing in front of the door was Xiao Baihong, who had just left. After he looked at her with scrutiny, he said, "Something has happened, I want to look for Mayor Song!"

The tone of his voice obviously sounded different. According to her modified memory, he was supposed to be loyal and was even willing to sacrifice for her sake. Her heart skipped a beat. After she realized that something was different, she discovered more flaws, and how different he sounded, although he tried hard to imitate him. He was also a few inches taller.

He was definitely not Xiao Baihong; he was an impostor!

Mo Li’s expression slightly changed but recovered very quickly. She said softly, "Captain Xiao, come with me."

The impostor was no other than Luo Yuan. He then followed Mo Li into an office.

"Captain Xiao, how can I help you?" Mayor Song asked unhappily after putting down his documents, as he saw him walking in nonchalantly as if there was no one else present.

"Hello Mayor Song, I’m sorry to disturb you. I’d like to ask if you happen to have any CCTV footage on who Xiao Baihong had met before?"

Meanwhile, Luo Yuan quickly changed his face back to his own.

Mayor Song jumped in shock. Even Mo Li was staring with utter shock at Luo Yuan, and suddenly felt insecure!

"Mr. Luo, why would you want to look like Captain Xiao, to meet me?" said Mayor Song with a forced smile, as he quickly recovered and sat down.

"It was very important. You’ll find out later," Luo Yuan said with a smile. He was forced to act rashly. As soon as the imprint disappeared, he managed to track it down. Luo Yuan did not expect that the location of the accident was within the city council, especially in the office of the Mayor, no less! He wanted to resolve the problem stealthily, but he could not do it due to the precariousness of the location.

"You wanted to look at the CCTV, could it be anything that happened to Captain Xiao?" Mayor Song became very serious and asked, with his eyebrows furrowed.

Luo Yuan shook his head, "Before I understand the whole situation, I’m sorry to say that I am unable to divulge any information!"

Mayor Song pondered for a moment, before he muttered, "CCTV..."

He obviously paused for a while before he continued, "It was good before today’s earthquake, which seemed to have damaged the circuit. Is the problem serious?"

"Well, the issue was not very serious, but I still need a confirmation first. Considering the circumstances, I’m sorry to disturb you. I’ll leave now!" Luo Yuan stood up immediately.

"Lili, send Mr. Luo off," Mayor Song said.

"It’s alright, how could I possibly trouble a lady?" Luo Yuan said with a smile, but his heart spoke otherwise. He briskly walked towards the gate and stole a glance at the CCTV, which was emitting a weak red light before he left. He smirked as he knew that his assumptions were right.