The cleanup operation for The Vanishing Bus would begin tonight, ahead of schedule!
Shen Bingyue's words struck like a thunderclap, instantly blasting Qin Feng awake from his drowsy slumber.
He rolled over and sat up without the slightest hesitation. "Send me the address. I'll be there right away."
The fifty-sixth floor of the Global Financial Building in downtown Donghai City.
An unprecedented urgency seeped into Shen Bingyue's voice.
"I'll wait for you on the first floor."
After hanging up, Qin Feng quickly got dressed, stuffed his M-7 pistol and spare magazines into his backpack, checked his gear, and headed out.
Half an hour later, beneath the Global Financial Building.
Qin Feng looked up at the steel tower piercing the clouds, silently marveling at it.
Who would have thought that the landmark building in Donghai City's busiest commercial district was actually a branch base of the Special Cases Department?
Truly hidden in plain sight.
"Qin Feng."
Shen Bingyue's voice came from behind him.
He turned around and saw that she had changed out of her usual combat uniform tonight. She wore a sharply tailored black women's suit, her silver hair tied into a high ponytail with a simple black cord. Her entire bearing was crisp and capable, like that of an icy CEO.
The only thing unchanged was her pair of cold, frost-like eyes.
"Let's go." Without further explanation, she took out a special magnetic card and inserted it directly into the reader of an inconspicuous private elevator.
The elevator doors opened, and a soft blue beam swept over Qin Feng from head to toe. Then a mechanical synthesized voice sounded. "Verifying identity... Collaborator, permission level LV.3. Verification passed. Welcome."
The elevator's interior was far larger than it appeared from the outside. As it descended at high speed, Qin Feng felt a faint sense of weightlessness.
"Ding—"
The doors slid open soundlessly, revealing the world within.
"Holy crap." Even Qin Feng, who had seen his share of grand scenes, was stunned by the sight before him.
This was an enormous underground domed space.
The floor was made of mirror-smooth black obsidian, carved with intricate, mysterious silver rune formations. Light flowed slowly through them at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The ceiling rose dozens of meters high, with an enormous holographic screen hanging overhead, displaying the distribution of anomalous energy throughout Donghai City in real time.
Rows of faintly glowing crystals were embedded in the walls, pulsing rhythmically like the breathing of some massive beast.
The most eye-catching feature was the floating staircase spiraling upward in the center of the hall. Electricity flickered along its railings, and whenever someone stepped onto it, bands of blue light lit up one after another, perfectly blending technology and mystery.
"First time here?"
Shen Bingyue looked at Qin Feng's slightly dazed expression, the corner of her lips curving into an almost imperceptible smile.
"Scared?"
"It's all right."
Qin Feng quickly recovered, coughed lightly, and put on an unruffled front.
"It's just a little more advanced than I expected."
"A little?"
"Every rune tile here could buy a house outside, and the base's defensive formation was personally reinforced by Master Zhang of Longhu Mountain.
And you call that just a little?"
"Can't help it. People who've seen the world are just this calm."
Qin Feng spouted nonsense with a perfectly serious face.
"Even the village committee back in my hometown is planning to install holographic projections."
Shen Bingyue gave him a look that said she could not be bothered with him, then led him toward another internal elevator. "Come with me. Director Wang and the others are waiting."
The two took the elevator to the combat conference area on the eighteenth floor.
Black-and-white photographs lined the corridor walls, all of them martyrs from previous generations of the Special Cases Department.
A line of small text beneath every photograph recorded their names and achievements.
"They were all seniors who died protecting ordinary people."
"Every year, new faces are added here."
Shen Bingyue's voice became low and solemn.
Qin Feng's gaze swept across those photographs, and the flippancy on his face faded.
Some of them were very young, even younger than him.
Some had resolute eyes, as though they had never regretted their choices, even in death.
His heart tightened, and he instantly understood the weight of this job.
"We're here."
Shen Bingyue pushed open a heavy alloy door.
Inside was a spacious conference room. Five or six people were already seated around the round table in the middle, each emitting different energy fluctuations.
Seated at the head was a burly middle-aged man with a stern face. His eyes carried an imposing aura whenever they opened and closed, like a dormant volcano.
"Director Wang." Shen Bingyue nodded to him.
"Little Shen, this is..."
Before Wang Jianguo could finish, a rather shrill voice rang out, filled with undisguised mockery.
"Oh, so this is the legendary Vigorous God of Essential Balm who rose to the top on Fengyoujing and Virgin Boy Urine?"
Qin Feng followed the voice and saw a tall young man with an arrogant expression.
He wore a specially made black combat uniform embroidered with golden lightning patterns across the chest and cuffs. Tiny electrical arcs crackled around him from time to time.
"Lei Yun, watch your words."
Wang Jianguo frowned and rebuked him.
"Director Wang, I'm just curious."
Lei Yun stood up, folded his arms, and looked down at Qin Feng.
"I heard that Brother Tianliang of the Gao Family of Shanghai is humble and powerful, and that he prepared for half a year just to earn a spot in this operation.
Yet he was replaced by some unknown amateur.
I just want to ask, is that fair to all the colleagues who have worked hard at their cultivation?"
Though he seemed to be speaking up for Gao Tianliang, he was actually inciting the others and questioning Qin Feng's qualifications.
A wave of suppressed laughter rose in the conference room, and several amused gazes fell upon Qin Feng.
But Qin Feng's expression did not change. He even smiled.
Tilting his head, he looked at Lei Yun as though looking at an unruly child and spoke leisurely.
"Oh? So the relatives of someone who failed to pull strings are here causing trouble. What, is your Brother Tianliang made of glass? Did his heart shatter just because someone squeezed him out of a spot?"
Lei Yun's face instantly turned livid.
Qin Feng continued to twist the knife. "With such poor mental fortitude, don't work in our line of business.
Go home and practice the Glass Heart Restoration Technique. It's safe, and you won't have to worry about dragging your teammates down."
"You're courting death!" Lei Yun roared, the lightning around his body beginning to surge.
"Don't get so worked up. Young people shouldn't have such a short fuse."
Qin Feng spread his hands, looking utterly innocent.
"Jealousy really makes people ugly. Look at you, your face is almost as red as a monkey's ass."
"Pfft—" Someone in the corner finally could not hold back their laughter.
Lei Yun's face turned the color of pig liver, filled with both rage and humiliation.
He had intended to crush Qin Feng with words and background, only to be utterly outmatched by Qin Feng's sharp tongue and left completely at a disadvantage.
"Talk is cheap!"
Lei Yun finally exploded, the electrical arcs around him becoming wildly violent.
"Let's see just how capable you, the Vigorous God of Essential Balm who only knows how to run his mouth, really are!"
As soon as the words fell, he abruptly raised his right hand. A bolt of purple lightning as thick as a water bucket instantly condensed in his palm, its violent energy illuminating the entire conference room as brightly as day!
The other team members changed expression and retreated, ready to enjoy the show.
Just as Wang Jianguo was about to intervene, Shen Bingyue stopped him with her hand.
She also wanted to see for herself just how strong this guy truly was.
Qin Feng looked at the violent lightning so close at hand, his expression still calm and composed.
He slowly stood up and patted dust from his body that was not there.
"Are you sure you want to do this here?"
Qin Feng pointed at the delicate instruments around them, all glowing faintly.
"These things don't look cheap. If you accidentally fry them, can your family afford the compensation?"
Lei Yun froze, and the lightning in his hand faltered slightly.
"But it's fine."
Qin Feng smiled, his smile carrying a trace of amusement and provocation.
"Since you're so eager to personally test whether the legend is true, I'll reluctantly indulge you."
"But..."
"Let's make this interesting first. The loser kneels on the floor in front of everyone and barks like a dog three times. What do you say? Dare to bet?"
Before you continue