"...So you're saying that, using the bracelet I gave you, you ambushed the thug who was attacking Teacher Yuan and defeated him?"
With a silver-white metal briefcase in one hand, faint traces of blood still visible on it, Section Chief Liu carefully picked up and examined the letter covered in Scarlet Blood Script with the other.
Section Chief Liu's expression was extremely strange.
"That's right, that's right."
Bai Zhou nodded. "My stomach hurt, so I asked where the infirmary was and came over to see the doctor."
"I didn't expect..."
He described the tense scene from back then:
"I only had time to break through the window and shout at him, drawing his attention while firing this Poison Needle."
"Thank goodness for this bracelet! Chief, I was scared half to death."
As he spoke, Bai Zhou waved the rust-covered, rotten Bench Leg in his hand, still shaken by the experience.
"If I hadn't had that super bracelet, this is all I could've used against him!"
"..."
Section Chief Liu glanced at the iron Bench Leg in Bai Zhou's hand and fell utterly silent for a moment.
He had killed a Blood Worship Cultist through the bracelet and a sneak attack, saved his coworkers and two ordinary people, and obtained crucial intelligence in the process?
He wouldn't have dared dream something like that, even in his wildest dreams.
But the facts were right before him, leaving him no choice but to believe them.
"...Thanks for the effort!"
Section Chief Liu took a deep breath, his voice gradually rising,
"--Bai Zhou, you saved all of us!"
"Judging by the timing, the Envoy he created disappeared at the exact moment you killed that thug."
"Otherwise, none of us would still be standing here safe and sound..."
Remembering how difficult the Schoolbag Monster had been, he shuddered and looked at the wretched corpse on the ground with both wariness and hatred.
"Without a doubt, he was an extremely powerful and exceptionally sinister Blood Worship Cultist!"
Fortunately, beginners could overcome experts.
A righteous and reckless youth was precisely the kind of person most capable of catching a sinister old dog hiding behind the scenes off guard.
Section Chief Liu now understood everything completely.
"You're a hero!"
"And you've brought our base crucial intelligence."
"--In a sense, you even saved our entire base!"
Raising the Blood Worship Cult letter in his hand, Section Chief Liu breathed heavily, unable to contain his excitement.
"This is extremely important intelligence. We must return immediately and report it to the Major and Deputy Han!"
"With such a tremendous accomplishment, the Major will certainly reward you handsomely!"
"Your promotion is guaranteed."
"Perhaps I'll witness the fastest promotion to Level P2 in the history of a branch!"
His voice paused there. Section Chief Liu looked at Bai Zhou and said with a complicated yet serious expression:
"But this is what you deserve."
"Bai Zhou, you were born to belong to the Special Management Department. The heights you might reach in the future... may be beyond anything I can imagine."
That statement was actually somewhat exaggerated.
But aside from Bai Zhou waving his hands and shaking his head, none of the Commissioners raised any objections.
They had seen too many mysterious things in the Special Management Department, so they more or less believed in the existence of "fate."
For the vast majority of people, the idea that everyone was equal was not empty talk.
But a small minority were different.
Some people possessed extraordinary talents in the Mystic World. From the very beginning, they had experiences others could never imagine and were always capable of creating impossible "miracles."
Just like during the High Platform test. Before the Legacy of Blood Thirst, among all the people in Evening City, only Bai Zhou passed the selection.
It was the same now. Behind all those coincidences that forced people to believe,
there might well be the meticulous arrangements of "fate."
The debut of an extraordinary person naturally could not be set off by ordinary characters.
Unwittingly, they had all become spectators and supporting characters in a stage play.
People like that were destined to be different. They were born to trample fate beneath their feet.
Even if they temporarily stood among everyone else without displaying anything unusual, their brilliance could still be seen.
The idol of all Branch 36, that Major, was one such person.
And now--
Section Chief Liu felt that perhaps, just maybe...
Bai Zhou was that kind of person too?
Things had reached this point, so the holiday could not possibly continue.
The school received an immediate notice to close, with the reason given as a severe gas leak.
A group of parents hurriedly came to take their children away, while the students alone cheered with delight.
Meanwhile, in a place no one noticed, an ambulance carrying Teacher Xiao Yuan and Liu Huahua drove away from the school.
Special personnel took over the scene. Once the news was relayed back, even the Major was alerted.
His first order was for Section Chief Liu and the others to maintain strict secrecy, and he instructed Section Chief Liu to return to the Special Management Department immediately and report the details.
On the drive back, Bai Zhou was still sitting in the passenger seat of the Maserati MC20, but Section Chief Liu was unusually quiet.
Unfortunately, there was no chance of obtaining the Dead Sea Scrolls anymore.
He had not even figured out where Dongxing Road was, let alone had any opportunity to slip out of Section Chief Liu's sight.
Perhaps he could only wait until next time.
Once he was successfully promoted and no one was watching him anymore, his chances of obtaining the Dead Sea Scrolls would naturally increase considerably.
...But come to think of it,
This crucial intelligence concerned the entire base. It was unquestionably a major accomplishment.
Promotion to Level P2 would certainly be no problem, but would he have a chance to reach Level P3?
If he could reach Level P3, he would have a chance to study the special new Last Will on the Crown...
"Bai Zhou."
The sports car's engine hummed softly.
After a long while, just as they were about to turn onto the street leading to the base entrance, the long-silent Section Chief Liu suddenly spoke.
"Thanks."
"If it weren't for you, my daughter..."
As he spoke, an expression of extreme self-reproach appeared on his face.
If he had discovered the problem Liu Huahua was facing a little earlier, how could things have come to this?
To put it another way, if he had not lacked the time to pick up his child and sent her to the best boarding school in Tinghai, how could this have happened?
Wasn't it simply because he had not cared enough in his daily life?
But what else could he have done...
Commissioners of the Special Management Department were like that. They dealt with mysterious items, followed military-style management in their daily lives, and could not leave the base at all.
Only during holidays could their families gather happily together.
--Living the kind of life other people experienced every day and had long since grown tired of.
Children could not come into contact with these things. If he wanted to give her a normal person's life, this was the only way...
But was a child who grew up without a father's or mother's love truly the "normal person" he wanted to see?
As a Commissioner and as a superior, he was qualified.
But as a parent, he fell far short.
This time, if not for Bai Zhou, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life.
But by then, regret would have been useless...
"I owe you a favor."
Section Chief Liu had no intention of staying on his own topic for long.
He ended the subject himself and instead brought up what would happen after they returned:
"Just saving our entire team this time is enough for me to request merit for you and push through your early promotion to Level P2."
"But with this crucial intelligence added in, a promotion to Level P2 alone definitely won't be enough."
"When I report the situation, I'll do everything I can to help you secure more..."
As he spoke, Section Chief Liu's gaze became firm, as if he had made up his mind.
"No matter what, I'll secure enough benefits for you. Even if it reaches the Major, I'll have something to say!"
"Our Major has never been stingy with meritorious personnel. The resistance should only come from below."
"But... it's not as if I have no backing above me either!"
Bai Zhou's heart jumped, and then he heard Section Chief Liu continue his serious analysis--
"Over the next two days, I'll work on things for you."
"Perhaps you'll have a chance to be directly promoted to a Level P3 sector supervisor and receive the qualification to apply for a Magic Potion!"
The base entrance, the Oddities General Store, was close at hand.
Looking up, they could once again see the enormous neon sign reading "Tinghai Welcome You."
The car slowly reduced its speed.
"Last time, I said I'd teach you how to use a gun once you reached Level P2."
"Who could've imagined it? In the blink of an eye..."
"Ha!"
Section Chief Liu slowly turned the steering wheel and clicked his tongue, filled with emotion.
"I'll be waiting for the day I witness you become an extraordinary person and the entire upper echelon throws a celebration for you!"
The Maserati drove into the garage opposite the Oddities General Store and parked.
Watching him change into a Commissioner's uniform in the garage, Bai Zhou finally understood how he had managed to transform from an ordinary person into a completely different one in the blink of an eye during the day...
After straightening his collar, he picked up his thermos again.
The familiar Section Chief Liu had returned.
After returning to the base, Bai Zhou headed straight for the dormitory, while Section Chief Liu rushed off to report to the Major.
On the way back, Bai Zhou had also brought back a poster.
The walls of his dormitory were now covered with colorful posters.
There were all kinds of movie and anime stars, all brought back by Bai Zhou one or two at a time each day.
It wasn't that he liked them. He didn't even recognize them...
It was simply that the slashing and scorching marks he left on the wall while practicing with the blade were too obvious.
If someone saw them, they might think he was a violent lunatic who stayed awake every night, tearing Bench Legs apart and hacking at the walls.
By then, forget about being promoted...
The next day, a group of burly men might come and drag him to the hospital for treatment, where he could keep company with the other natives of Evening City.
The following day.
Bai Zhou met with the hurried Section Chief Liu.
From him, Bai Zhou learned that his promotion was already going through the procedures, and that he would know the specifics in a day or two.
Section Chief Liu's expression was mysterious. He did not explain clearly and only said that he would give Bai Zhou a surprise.
At the same time, the entire base became busy.
Because at that moment, the Blood Worship Cult's "devastating invasion"...
was only three days away.
The importance of that intelligence was beyond doubt.
According to Section Chief Liu, the Major had decided to turn the tables and lure the Blood Worship Cult into a trap.
--Without a doubt, it would be a bloody battle that concerned everyone.
Some people would distinguish themselves and earn merit because of it, but even more would die.
To prepare for the coming great battle, everyone was making preparations.
Many people were secretly writing their Last Wills, and the atmosphere throughout the base was exceptionally oppressive.
Only those white-coated researchers who seemed not entirely right in the head could continue their daily morning and evening exercises as usual.
Naturally,
Bai Zhou was also preparing for the enormous crisis that would strike three days later.
Or rather, he had actually been preparing for this day all along. When the news was truly confirmed, he instead felt a subtle sense of reassurance.
It was like a boot that had dangled precariously without ever falling finally landing on the ground.
He simply had not expected the day to come so soon.
Because of this, Ya specially shortened the training period.
Today was the final day of special training.
All the hard-earned sweat would bear fruit today.
...That evening, after finishing his work as a maintenance worker for the day, Bai Zhou prepared to return to the dormitory and receive his final lesson.
More precisely, it was to achieve the sublimation of "body" and complete the ultimate leap into extraordinary evolution.
--To completely complete the promotion of the "Adventurer" path.
Before you continue