Zhang Wen slumped in his chair, fine beads of cold sweat seeping from his forehead.
He finally understood why this application had been sent for manual review.
Even the system backend of "Yellow Springs" had probably triggered a BUG alert because of these absurdly outrageous numbers. The system itself had deemed the data unscientific, beyond the scope of its comprehension!
He looked at the name "Frost" on the screen, his expression becoming incomparably complicated.
No wonder... no wonder the Shen family's young miss had personally recommended him.
Anyone would be scrambling to take such a monster under their wing.
But the problem was, as a Soul Reaper, should he approve this application or not?
If he approved it, and this kid had relied on some crooked shortcut to advance so quickly, leaving his foundation unstable, Zhang Wen would not be able to bear the responsibility if something went wrong.
If he rejected the application of a freakish genius who had reached the Form Observation Realm within three days and independently slain a D-Class urban legend?
He would probably be summoned for tea by his superior, Lord Judge, the very next day and asked whether he was blind or whether an urban legend had chewed up his brain.
This was a complete hot potato!
Zhang Wen felt that he had never encountered such a thorny problem in his career. It made his heart pound even more than when he had faced a C-Class incident in his youth.
After struggling for a full five minutes, Zhang Wen finally let out a long sigh and made his decision.
He packaged Qin Feng's file and promotion application, encrypted them, then sent them directly to his superior—Judge's email through the highest-level internal access channel.
<Urgent! Abnormal Promotion Report for Newcomer "Raven"!>
After doing all this, Zhang Wen leaned back in his chair, feeling as though every bit of strength had been drained from his body.
Naturally, Qin Feng had no idea what a massive uproar he had caused within the internal affairs department of the "Yellow Springs" organization.
Just as he was preparing to continue browsing missions, a system notification suddenly popped up at the top of the screen.
[Dear Collaborator "Raven," following executive review, your promotion application has been approved.] [Your rank has been raised from LV.2 Soul Reaper to LV.3 Soul Custodian.] [Your permissions have been updated. We wish you a pleasant work experience.]
"Executive review?" Qin Feng was slightly taken aback. He had not expected the process to be so efficient, much less to have alerted upper management.
He opened his personal profile. The bronze token badge representing a "Soul Reaper" had become a more imposing silver-glinting Soul Custodian badge.
The most obvious change brought by his increased permissions was the [Mission Hall].
He opened the Mission Hall. After advancing to the Form Observation Realm, D-Class missions were no longer marked red, denoting lethal danger, in his view. They had become orange-yellow, signifying "challenging."
One mission caught his attention.
[Commission No.: D-087] [Type: Investigation Assistance / Elimination] [Incident Description: Near Donghai City University Town, several college students have recently encountered "Ghost Call." Victims receive calls from unknown numbers... within 24 hours, the prediction becomes reality.] [Current Status: Three victims have appeared. Resentment is spreading, and the incident level is showing signs of escalation.] [Reward: 80 Contribution Points, cash yuan.]
"Ghost Call..." Qin Feng raised an eyebrow.
A classic rules-based urban legend that spread fear through a medium and killed invisibly.
He stroked his chin.
Such urban legends were difficult to deal with head-on. Although his [Scissors of Truth] were sharp, they only worked at close range. Against an enemy that could neither be seen nor touched, he could easily be forced into a passive position.
He needed a means of breaking the "rules," or something that could launch effective long-range attacks.
"Perfect. Let's see if the store has anything new after the promotion."
With a clear goal in mind, Qin Feng eagerly entered the [Exchange Store].
Many items that had previously been grayed out and marked "Insufficient Permissions" were now fully available to him.
A dazzling assortment of products instantly filled the entire screen.
[Spirit Binding Lock (C-Class Dharma Artifact): Can restrain C-Class and lower spiritual entities. Price: 150 Contribution Points.] [Golden Light Incantation (Daoist Spell): Upon activation, covers the entire body in protective golden light, impervious to all evil. Price: 180 Contribution Points.]
Qin Feng was dazzled, practically drooling.
Every one of these items was far more powerful than the [Scissors of Truth] in his hands.
But as a pauper with only 65 Contribution Points in his pocket, he could only feast his eyes on them.
He sighed, set the filter to "D-Class," and sorted the results by price from low to high.
Very quickly, one item seized his full attention.
[M-7 "Spiritbreaker" Pistol (D-Class Technological Armament)] [Description: Produced by the Special Cases Department Technical Division, the perfect union of firearms and mysticism. Can fire standard 9mm rounds, inflicting physical impact on low-level spiritual entities. Can also be loaded with specially made Psionic Bullets, inflicting conceptual damage on D-Class and lower non-corporeal urban legends.] [Price: 15 Contribution Points.]
A gun.
A pistol with sleek lines, entirely black, and brimming with a cold, murderous aura.
Qin Feng's breathing abruptly stopped.
Talismans, ritual swords, prayer beads... these things were certainly powerful, but to a modern young man, the sense of security they provided was nowhere near as direct or intense as that brought by a gun.
What flashy spells could compare to simply pulling the trigger?
Against a medium-borne urban legend like "Ghost Call," it might produce miraculous results.
"This is the one!"
Qin Feng stopped hesitating and looked at the matching ammunition.
[Psionic Bullet (D-Class)] [Description: Every round is engraved with a demon-breaking rune and infused with high-purity psionic energy crystals.] [Price: 5 Contribution Points per round.]
The price was a little cheaper than he had expected.
He calculated it. The pistol cost 15 points, and the remaining 50 points would buy exactly ten Psionic Bullets, spending every last Contribution Point he had.
[Confirm exchange: M-7 "Spiritbreaker" Pistol ×1, Psionic Bullets ×10.] [Total expenditure: 65 Contribution Points.] [Your Contribution Point balance: 0.]
Seeing his account reduced to zero, Qin Feng grinned instead.
Money only became his after it was spent, especially when it was invested in combat power.
Once he dealt with "Ghost Call," he would receive 80 points. Pure profit.
Half an hour later, the doorbell rang.
Qin Feng opened the door. A plain-looking man in a courier uniform and baseball cap handed him a square black briefcase.
"Mr. Raven, your express delivery."
Without any unnecessary words, the man confirmed receipt, turned, and left, quickly blending into the shadows of the hallway.
Qin Feng closed the door and impatiently opened the case.
It felt slightly heavy in his hand, cold to the touch.
The M-7 "Spiritbreaker" Pistol lay quietly in a black velvet groove, with two rows of golden Psionic Bullets glowing faintly blue beside it.
Yet beneath the pistol were several items he had not ordered.
A box of standard 9mm rounds, fifty in total.
An exquisitely made card bearing an embossed national emblem.
Qin Feng picked up the card and saw his photo, name, and a string of numbers printed on it. At the top were several gilded words: [Great Xia National Special Assets Management Committee—Field Personnel Weapon Permit]
Beneath the permit was a folded, stiff note.
Qin Feng unfolded it and found an address written on it.
"Third Designated Shooting Range, Donghai City Police Department."
Below the address was a line of forceful handwriting in fountain pen, carrying an unquestionable authority.
"Raven, welcome to a new level. A good hunter needs a good gun, but more importantly, needs to know how to use it. Don't disappoint me.—Judge"
Qin Feng's pupils contracted slightly.
Judge!
He stroked his chin and put away the pistol, ammunition, and newly issued weapon permit.
He had not expected his promotion report to have been personally handled by someone at such a high level.
Fine. Since he still had time, he would go practice with the gun first.
After practicing with the gun, he would go meet that "Ghost Call." Nighttime was when urban legends emerged, and it was also when he, a Soul Custodian, went to work.
Before you continue