No hostility!
And not a stranger!
Tang Qi thought as he went downstairs toward the door.
Furnace Power—or rather, another effect of powerful Mental Power—made him not only highly sensitive to human emotions, but also to changes in his surroundings. Instead of opening the door immediately, he peered through the peephole and saw an unexpected figure.
"Chief Inspector Stana, you..."
Rustle
Before Tang Qi could finish his greeting, something resembling a contract appeared before him.
The one handing over the contract was Chief Inspector Stana, the tall Police Chief. Though it was the middle of the night, she looked as though she had traveled through wind and dust. She wore a long black trench coat, black trousers, and a chiffon blouse, while her shoes were still stained with mud she had not had time to clean off.
Had she come from far away?
Tang Qi took the contract. Before he could examine it closely, Stana began explaining first.
"Little... Mr. Tang, I am now formally hiring you on behalf of the Messer Police Department as our Special Consultant."
"Please do not refuse just yet. This is very important."
"Since the Siren case, more and more strange cases have begun appearing in Messer City. At first, they were merely terrifying cases of wild beasts attacking people. Later, people began disappearing one after another, and there were even reports of ghosts appearing."
"The department only has ordinary police officers. We simply cannot deal with those things. After reporting it to our superiors, the reply we received was that unless there was a major case involving hundreds of casualties, they would not send any special personnel to help."
"The department has been holding back for now, but another major case has appeared that ordinary people cannot handle."
"At Messer University, one person had died every day for the past seven days. On the first day, it was a janitor. On the second, a gardener. On the third, a security guard. On the fourth, fifth, and sixth days, it was two students and a trainee teacher."
"And today, a very famous Honorary Professor died."
"This case began long ago, but only after that professor's death today did it reach the point where it can no longer be completely suppressed. Soon, all of Messer City will know, and as always, they will condemn the department's incompetence."
"None of that matters. What is truly giving the department a headache is..."
"You cannot stop more people from dying!"
Hearing this, Tang Qi finally interjected.
By now, he somewhat understood why Stana had come.
This Police Chief looked travel-worn and exhausted. She had probably just rushed back from Messer University.
Unlike St. Thorn High School, Messer University was one of Messer City's signature institutions, but it was located in the suburbs. With its well-developed facilities, it had formed a small town attached to the university. Its scenery was beautiful, and its cultural atmosphere was exceptionally rich, enough to rank among the top three universities in Mihuang State.
During the Dugong Sea Demon case, Tang Qi and the Police Chief had made a small agreement: he would not bring her into that Transcendental World.
Given the Police Chief's mature and proud nature, she would not have come looking for Tang Qi again unless she had reached a critical juncture.
Tang Qi glanced at the so-called "letter of appointment contract" and vaguely understood that Messer University was probably even more tense now than St. Thorn High School had been a few days ago.
Otherwise, Stana would not have gone so far as to use a fake letter of appointment to lure Tang Qi over.
That was right, the letter of appointment was fake.
Perhaps she had been too rushed, because all sorts of details in the letter of appointment contract Stana brought exposed its problems.
If Tang Qi had been some poor boy, he probably would not have noticed.
But neither the original owner of this body nor Tang Qi himself lacked experience. Now that his senses were exceptionally sharp, the deliberately suppressed sound of Stana's heartbeat beneath her urgency could not deceive his ears.
If Tang Qi had just arrived in this world, his first thought upon facing such a "huge trouble" at his doorstep would definitely have been to refuse.
But now, this scene had actually been within Tang Qi's expectations all along.
Once he learned that the return of the Spirit Tide was inevitable and that the Mystic Side would soon stir up enormous waves in this world once more, Tang Qi understood that it was impossible to simply hide away and cultivate in silence.
Most importantly, he did not possess a complete inheritance.
The Golden Furnace Meditation Method undoubtedly had an extraordinary origin, but apart from the Meditation Method itself, there was nothing else.
Tang Qi had to go out on his own, actively seek out trouble, solve it, and gain benefits along the way.
Once he realized this, Tang Qi quietly made several preparations.
If all went smoothly, perhaps several paths for growth could emerge for him to choose from.
Tonight's enormous gains proved that Tang Qi's plan was effective.
Great risks brought great rewards.
Especially with St. Thorn High School serving as a powerful temporary shelter, Tang Qi's advantage was far from small.
And Stana's appearance now represented the emergence of another path.
Police Department Consultant!
It was a very good identity. Compared to being a Thorn Apprentice, although it could not grant him the protection of the mysterious power within Thorn High School, once he left the school, he could use this identity to gain the help of official forces, even if they were only ordinary police officers.
But at certain times, their usefulness could not be ignored.
If not for that uniform, Stana could not have "taken" those two Furnace Bullets from him back then.
Now, the repayment had come.
Though the letter of appointment contract before him was fake, Tang Qi was confident he could make it real.
And take the opportunity to demand even more benefits.
Thinking this, Tang Qi reached out and accepted the fake letter of appointment.
Perhaps he had considered it for too long. Worried that this knowledgeable high school student who possessed Supernatural Power would refuse, the aloof older beauty turned into a chatterbox and began persuading him. "I know you have a large sum of money now, but you are still young. You cannot just live off your savings forever, can you?"
"A well-paid job that also lets you continue exploring the Mystic Realm is simply perfect for you. Look..."
Before Stana could finish, Tang Qi suddenly raised three fingers.
"Add three conditions to the contract, and I will agree."
"First, for every mysterious case we encounter, I have the right to handle anything produced during the process. Only what I do not want may belong to the department."
"Second, I will not participate in combat. I will only serve as a case consultant and provide advice."
"Third, double the salary."
"No problem!"
The instant Tang Qi finished stating his conditions, Stana agreed almost immediately.
After Stana swiftly added the three freshly minted conditions to the contract, the two shook hands and smiled.
Watching Tang Qi solemnly place the "fake letter of appointment" into his backpack, the usually aloof older beauty finally revealed a brilliant smile. The corners of her lips carried a hint of pride and cunning from a long-planned scheme finally succeeding.
While revising the contract, after adding Tang Qi's second condition, she also added several supplementary terms. In response to Tang Qi's claim that he was still growing and unsuitable for combat, Stana timely offered to do it in his place—but Tang Qi had to provide that kind of Supernatural Bullet, and if necessary, give her special supernatural training.
Tang Qi agreed to all those minor conditions with a smile.
Stana was very excited. Since that night, her thirst for the Mystic Realm had tormented her to the point of obsession.
Now, she was about to succeed.
But there was still one final step. Stana herself knew that this was a fake letter of appointment. Before resolving the bloody case at Messer University, she would be unable to convince her superiors to hire a high school student as a consultant.
So she had to quickly take this little fellow to Messer University and solve the case.
Faced with Stana's urgent demands, Tang Qi agreed to everything. He quickly packed his luggage, got into Stana's police car, and headed toward Messer Town in the suburbs.
The anxious Stana did not notice at all that the high school student in the passenger seat had also curled his lips into a subtle smile.
Before you continue