"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
Hu Jiu didn't want to exchange any more pleasantries with Shen Jiliang, so he got up to take his leave.
"Wait," Shen Jiliang called out to him.
"A very strange Supernatural event occurred in Capital not long ago. This Supernatural event does not move or spread, so it is not very harmful."
"But several Ghost Tamers have tried, and none of them have been able to solve the problem effectively. Go and see if you can handle it."
"Okay," Hu Jiu readily agreed.
Shen Jiliang smiled and said, "I'll have someone send you the relevant information immediately."
As Hu Jiu walked out of the Headquarters, his phone beeped.
He received a document—details of the Supernatural event [the Supermarket You Can't Get Out Of].
After Hu Jiu left, Shen Jiliang pushed open the door and went directly to the conference room on another floor.
Most of the Headquarters' top executives were present in the conference room.
They had all heard the conversation between Hu Jiu and Shen Jiliang clearly.
As soon as Shen Jiliang sat down, Zhang Hongwen immediately said, "This Hu Jiu is still too suspicious!"
"To be honest, I find it hard to believe that he resolved the Frozen-to-Death Ghost incident on his own."
"Everyone here knows how vast the Frost Ghost Domain's coverage is; even if it could be resolved, it wouldn't be so easy."
"Hu Jiu has only been Ghost Tamer for less than half a year, how could he be so strong? Unless he can provide valid evidence to prove that the Frozen-to-Death Ghost was indeed captured by him, I don't believe him at all!"
Shen Jiliang retorted directly, "Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant. The Frozen-to-Death Ghost incident has already been resolved. The key point is that many people saw it was Hu Jiu who resolved it."
"If you don't believe me, you can go find Hu Jiu yourself and ask him how he solved it."
"Of course, you have to go to him in your personal capacity, not on behalf of Headquarters. After all, Headquarters has to some extent to care about its reputation and the impact on public opinion."
"They worked so hard to solve S-class Supernatural case, and instead of awarding them a medal as encouragement, Headquarters started questioning them. Don't drag me into this."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hongwen's face showed a hint of unease. Although he held a high position and wielded great power, he was ultimately just an ordinary person.
He had already learned his lesson from Hu Jiu last time. A noble person doesn't sit under a dangerous roof, and a wise person doesn't stand under a crumbling wall. How could he dare to talk to that kind of crazy person who was prone to losing control all by himself?
However, he still insisted, "Don't misunderstand me. I'm not deliberately trying to cause trouble for Hu Jiu; it's just a reasonable suspicion."
"I've checked Hu Jiu's file. His upbringing is quite unnatural. I have reason to suspect that he may be supported by some unknown force."
"This incident Frozen-to-Death Ghost might have been resolved by that unknown force secretly helping Hu Jiu, thereby pushing Hu Jiu to become Law Enforcer and gain sufficient influence at Headquarters."
"What if Hu Jiu or the unknown forces behind him harbor ill intentions towards the country or Headquarters?"
"Therefore, I believe it must be carefully examined!"
Zhang Hongwen spoke with righteous indignation, seemingly with his heart set on the interests of Headquarters, but Shen Jiliang glanced at him as if he were a fool.
"You said yourself it's suspicion. Headquarters can't do things like 'presumption of guilt'. What if you're wrong about me?"
"You know, Hu Jiu is an expert who can solve S-class Supernatural cases on his own. To be investigated just because of a little suspicion will definitely dampen the enthusiasm of the Ghost Tamer at Headquarters. Once people's hearts are scattered, it will be difficult to reunite them."
Zhang Hongwen shook his head. "I don't agree with you."
"This concerns national security; not a single mistake can be tolerated! If any doubt arises, it must be verified and investigated immediately to prevent even greater disasters from occurring in the future!"
Shen Jiliang frowned deeply and emphasized, "The key point is, what if you're wrong? Have you considered the consequences?"
Zhang Hongwen looked at Shen Jiliang with confusion. "Wouldn't it be better if I suspected wrong? It proves Hu Jiu's innocence, and Headquarters can trust someone they know so well."
"I know you're worried that Hu Jiu might be investigated for no reason and have grievances afterward. But in these matters, we must adhere to the principle of 'better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free'!"
"If we appeal to their emotions and reason with them, and also compensate them for their emotional distress, Hu Jiu will surely understand the Headquarters' profound intentions and continue to dedicate himself to the Headquarters' cause."
Zhang Hongwen spoke eloquently, saying it was just a review; how could Hu Jiu possibly hold a grudge against Headquarters?
Even if he harbors resentment, what can he do? In the face of the state apparatus, individual power is insignificant.
Morality, public opinion, and self-interest would all compel him to continue serving Headquarters. He certainly wouldn't dare betray them for the sake of his family and friends, and could only endure the minor unpleasantness Headquarters caused him.
"If Hu Jiu is proven innocent, then we still need to figure out why he was able to grow so quickly and how he efficiently resolved an S-class Supernatural incident."
"If we can fully promote these two points to Ghost Tamer at Headquarters, Supernatural events in the country will no longer trouble us in the future."
Zhang Hongwen described a beautiful blueprint, but he didn't notice that everyone else present was staring at him as if he were a curly-haired baboon.
Shen Jiliang felt a headache coming on.
In fact, people like Zhang Hongwen are very common. They hold high positions of power, but they have never personally experienced Supernatural events or the terror of Fierce Ghosts.
Those who spend all day sitting in the office listening to reports and looking at data are bound to make wrong judgments about the Supernatural, Fierce Ghosts, and Ghost Tamer, and even want to use outdated methods to manage Ghost Tamer.
They thought that dealing with Supernatural events was as simple as forcing them, shouting slogans, and relying on iron will and human lives to solve the problem.
This is a classic example of armchair strategizing.
It's just as ridiculous as suggesting "launching rockets by burning coal".
But Shen Jiliang couldn't laugh, because he had once been like that too.
Before he had any real contact with the Supernatural, he carefully read through all the information about the Supernatural and confidently put forward various hypotheses, thinking that he would be able to thoroughly study the Supernatural and effectively curb the disasters caused by Supernatural in a short period of time.
Unfortunately, he also made the mistake of "it looks easy, but it's impossible to do it properly".
The summaries of Supernatural in written materials should only be used as a reference.
Zhang Hongwen was parachuted in from another department; perhaps he was too eager to advance and make contributions in order to secure his position.
It's also possible that he wanted to retaliate against Hu Jiu for the offense he had committed against him. Who knows what unpleasant things might happen during the so-called "investigation"?
This method is fine for dealing with low-level Ghost Tamers, but it could be used against Hu Jiu...
Shen Jiliang absolutely will not allow this to happen!