Within a few days, the Supernatural Investigation Bureau resumed normal operations.
All vacant positions have been filled.
However, compared to before, the atmosphere within the Investigation Bureau is not so good now.
After such a terrible incident, everyone realized that working for the Investigation Bureau involved a high degree of risk.
In this situation, few of the people who are transferred here are truly dedicated to their work.
Before his death, the previous director, Mu Xingrui, left some clues on his mobile phone. Based on these clues, the technical department quickly found a person named "Wen Jingyan" who matched the photo taken by Mu Xingrui.
However, some anomalies were discovered when tracing the life and career of this "Wen Jingyan".
According to the investigation, Wen Jingyan was born in a remote mountain village. He has a cheerful personality, good looks, and excellent academic performance. Through his own efforts, he left the mountains and was admitted to a prestigious university.
"But during the second semester of his sophomore year, he accidentally fell into the school's artificial lake and was pulled out of the water, already unconscious."
"After regaining consciousness, his personality underwent a complete transformation, as if he were a different person, and he also dropped out of school."
"This happened about ten years ago. Since Wen Jingyan was considered the school's most handsome guy at the time, many people remember it vividly, especially after Wen Jingyan chose to drop out of school."
"He's a child from the mountains; under normal circumstances, he would never drop out of school. Nobody knows why he resolutely chose to do so."
"After that, Wen Jingyan's whereabouts became mysterious. He didn't have a job, but he wasn't short of money either, but he wasn't so rich as to attract attention."
"He's always moving, never staying in one city for more than a year. He lives a leisurely and carefree life like a travel blogger, but he's never gone back to his hometown..."
Listening to the investigators' incessant reports, Mu Linzhou grew increasingly impatient and snapped, "Stop!"
"Why waste time talking nonsense? Mu Xingrui took a picture of Wen Jingyan before he died. No matter who Wen Jingyan is or what his past experiences were like, since he's involved in this matter, there's something suspicious about him!"
"Bring the person back for questioning. If there are any doubts, just ask them directly."
The investigators shook their heads. "Wen Jingyan is currently missing. We cannot locate him or make contact with him."
Mu Linzhou slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "That's your problem! You can't even find one person? Are you all incompetent? I don't care what methods you use, just find this person as soon as possible!"
The investigators looked troubled, but under Mu Linzhou's menacing gaze, they finally nodded with difficulty.
As he turned to leave the office, the investigator responsible for the report immediately darkened his expression, cursing inwardly, "What the hell? Does he really think he's something special? A bastard!"
Then Mu Linzhou summoned Feng Qian to his office and asked in a gentle but firm tone, "Feng Qian, as the only superhuman in the Investigation Bureau, you should be very willing to contribute your strength during this turbulent time, right?"
"Of course." Feng Qian nodded. The bureau chief had already said so; how could he refuse?
"Very good, Feng Qian, I knew you were a responsible and good comrade." Mu Linzhou first gave verbal affirmation, and then immediately issued new task orders to Feng Qian.
"I'm putting all matters related to 'Lucky Casino' in your hands. Figure out how that casino operates as soon as possible, and report any new discoveries to me immediately."
Upon receiving this latest order, Feng Qian smiled outwardly, but inwardly he cursed Cheng Linzhou.
So you're just going to fleece one sheep at a time, aren't you?
You've got your eye on him, and you absolutely have to make him go to that lousy casino, right?
To be honest, at first he did have many unrealistic expectations of the Lucky Casino. Relying on his lucky streak, he wanted to try his luck at the casino again and see if he could win more.
However, after experiencing Zhang Suyuan's resurrection and massacre of the entire Supernatural Investigation Bureau, Feng Qian suddenly realized the danger of the supernatural.
Who could have imagined that the prestigious Supernatural Investigation Bureau would be wiped out so suddenly?
Feng Qian was indeed very lucky, but no one could guarantee that his luck would continue. No matter how many times he won in the Lucky Casino, if he lost just one time, he would probably be finished.
After leaving the casino last time, he won extraordinary powers. He told everyone how easily he won and how tempting the chips offered by the casino were, but he rarely mentioned the dangers of the Lucky Casino.
This is essentially a risk transfer strategy. As long as more people become interested in Lucky Casinos and are willing to take risks there, the Investigation Bureau won't keep a close eye on him or use him as a stepping stone.
Feng Qian's little scheme had already succeeded while the former director, Mu Xingrui, was still alive.
Unfortunately, a sudden accident caused all those he had bewitched to die.
The new director Mu Linzhou, didn't think Feng Qian, this extraordinary individual, was particularly valuable. His first act upon taking office was to assign him some dangerous missions.
When Zhang Suyuan was still alive, the Investigation Bureau treated him like a treasure. Now that Feng Qian has become the only superhuman in the bureau, this is how it turned out...
Feng Qian was determined to slack off completely, only agreeing readily on the surface.
Seeing that he readily agreed, Cheng Linzhou was very satisfied, thinking that Feng Qian was on the right track.
After all, Feng Qian is the only surviving superhuman in the Investigation Bureau. Cheng Linzhou was afraid that Feng Qian was a troublemaker who would affect his authority as the director, and he had even prepared to suppress Feng Qian. Now it seems that there is no need to use those methods for the time being.
Cheng Linzhou then issued a series of new orders, the main purpose of which was to keep everyone busy.
At first glance, the Supernatural Investigation Bureau, which has undergone a major reshuffle, does indeed seem to be thriving, and the new director seems to be more responsible and accountable than the previous director.
In the lab, researcher A frowned upon seeing the latest notification.
"Director Cheng has never been to our lab even once. How could he suddenly change our research direction? Has he even looked at the previous experimental data? This kind of blind command is simply..."
"Shut up!" another researcher, B, hurriedly interrupted him. "Don't say things you shouldn't. We just follow orders from above."
"Do as instructed?" Researcher A's tone was full of sarcasm.
"You're still too young. You've never encountered a leader who completely disregards reality and only knows how to give orders. If we can produce results, everyone will be happy, but if we don't, then we can expect to be scolded. What's worse is that if problems arise, the leader will definitely shirk responsibility, and we'll have to bear all the blame."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Researcher B asked, looking distressed.
"Just throw together a shoddy lab report every few days to get by," Researcher A said.
"Huh?" Researcher B exclaimed in surprise, "What if the director sees through your deception? The consequences would be even more serious."
"Don't worry," Researcher A said confidently. "I've seen plenty of leaders like that. They're out of touch with reality, only looking at paper data and issuing orders through meetings. As for the actual situation..."
"Hehe~, since Director Cheng took office these past few days, besides sitting in his office holding meetings and issuing orders, has he personally observed or participated in any of the Investigation Bureau's grassroots work?"
Researcher B thought about it carefully and realized it was true. He couldn't help but complain, "Why would they parachute in such a leader from above?"
Researcher A said, "After what happened before, the Supernatural Investigation Bureau isn't exactly a good organization. This new director... he probably offended someone, right?"
Researcher B was still somewhat worried. "Regardless of who this new director is, he's our leader now. If you pad your lab reports with irrelevant information, it might not be a problem in the short term, but if the experiments don't yield any effective results in the long run, you'll eventually be singled out as a negative example."
"A long time?" Researcher A's tone suddenly turned strange. "Let's see if he can live that long first!"
Researcher B's heart skipped a beat, and then Researcher A continued, "Others may not know the inside story, but we deal with these supernatural things every day. You should know very well how dangerous they are."
"We've even been underestimating the dangers of the supernatural. The most terrifying thing about these things is that they simply cannot be effectively controlled!"
"Zhang Suyuan's body suddenly moved earlier; even the thick lab walls couldn't hold him for a second!"
"The tragedies that have occurred in the Supernatural Investigation Bureau could repeat themselves at any time. Heaven knows how long this new director will live..."
Researcher B looked speechless. "Can't you ever wish for something good? If something unexpected really happens, neither of us will survive."
Researcher A shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't worry, we'll run with Feng Qian again next time."
No one else could hear the conversation between the two researchers, but similar conversations were common elsewhere in the Supernatural Investigation Bureau.
After the new director Mu Linzhou took office, everyone noticed that there were more meetings. Every few days, there were large meetings, documents were written, and reports were submitted. The superficial procedures and formalities were done very well.
As for the actual results...
In any case, the Supernatural Investigation Bureau hasn't produced any effective results since its establishment.
As night fell, perhaps due to air and light pollution, not many stars could be seen in the dark sky.
The night in Jing City remained bustling and lively. The tragedy that occurred at the Investigation Bureau was not widely known, and only a small number of people who knew about it lived in fear and unease at night.
They had previously encountered other supernatural events, such as vampire churches abroad, entire towns filled with followers of evil gods, and ghost taxis that led people to unknown places at midnight...
But since these things didn't happen to me personally, even if I knew the cause and effect, I would only be simply shocked and wouldn't feel the fear of being there.
However, the tragedy that befell the Supernatural Investigation Bureau happened so close to us that the sense of security of watching from the sidelines vanished instantly.
"Phew~"
The Headquarters the Supernatural Investigation Bureau was quiet and empty at night. Xiao Zheng, the security guard on night shift, couldn't help but shiver, a sense of helplessness and frustration welling up in his heart.
The new director requires 24-hour continuous patrols, a check-in every hour at night, and immediate reporting of any unusual activity.
The workload has increased, but the security positions have not been expanded. Most of the original security personnel of the Investigation Bureau have passed away, and as a newly transferred person, Xiao Zheng is a little panicked.
Although night patrols were his duty, his fears were no less than anyone else's; if something strange happened during the night, he would be the first to be affected.
This wasn't because he was being overly pessimistic or constantly thinking about bad things; rather, the atmosphere within the Investigation Bureau was inexplicably unsettling.
Even during the day when there are many people, a chilly feeling can sometimes arise for no reason.
Just then, Xiao Zheng suddenly heard a strange sound.
"No way, am I really that unlucky to have something like this happen to me?"
Xiao Zheng, who had been on edge the whole time, immediately wanted to run away, but his sense of responsibility stopped him. He quickly notified the captain of the security department of the situation.
Upon receiving the message, the team leader immediately reviewed the surveillance footage but found nothing unusual.
He then led his men to the location of the strange noise to investigate in person.
However, before they could get close, they heard a terrified scream.
"It's Lab 3. It seems the researchers who were working through the night encountered an accident," the captain said gravely.
"Help!" came a cry for help from inside the laboratory.
The captain rushed over immediately, and as soon as he reached the laboratory door, he smelled a strong stench of corpses.
He instinctively reached for the lab door, but Xiao Zheng exclaimed from behind, "Captain, don't be impulsive! Report the situation first, and wait for orders before we act. Otherwise, if the dangerous source in the lab is released, we can't bear the responsibility!"
The captain paused as he reached for the door, a fleeting look of struggle crossing his face. Before he could make a decision, the cries for help from inside the laboratory abruptly ceased.
Then came a loud "bang".
The captain quickly retreated.
The heavy metal door of the laboratory was violently broken open from the inside, and a strong stench of corpses hit him, making Xiao Zheng shudder.
The captain, who was closer, remained expressionless, his gaze fixed on the interior of the laboratory. "There's a corpse lying on the floor inside..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold wind blew in from nowhere, its chill penetrating to the bone, causing everyone present to shiver involuntarily.
The captain then stopped insisting on rescuing people or assessing the situation, and simply said, "Everyone be careful, retreat first, cordon off the area..."
"Ah--"
The captain, who was only halfway through his sentence, suddenly let out a scream.
The corpse that had been lying on the floor in the lab had somehow gotten up and pounced on the captain with lightning speed, even biting his neck.
The captain's carotid artery was severed, yet strangely, not a single drop of blood flowed out.