Funeral, Revenge, What About Their Last Will?!

The next day, August 26th.

Two days remain until the Blood Worship Cult invasion.

Cold, silver-white walls stretch straight up to the dome, the metallic ceiling refracting a grim, frigid light, while the cold white LED strips embedded within provide a constant, steady glow to the entire base.

Passing through a cluster of buildings to the very rear of the base, one can see a silent forest of steles.

The fragrance of soil drifts over, and row upon row of silver-white metal tombstones stand upon the ground, shimmering with a faint, eerie light.

They are all cast from an unknown, special material that seems to have the effect of isolating "contamination," with bouquets of chrysanthemums and lilies placed before them.

--This is the Resting Mausoleum.

A place found in every branch base of the Black Box Special Management Department, specifically used to bury fallen specialists.

The urn containing the ashes of Section Chief Liu is placed atop a large mound of fresh flowers, resting before the rows of tombstones.

The black-and-white photograph on the urn is that same stiff, awkwardly smiling, square-jawed face.

"..."

Bai Zhou, having not slept all night, stands expressionless in the middle of the crowd, wearing a formal black suit for the first time in his life.

This is the uniform issued by the organization, which he often saw Section Chief Liu wearing in the past.

Yet, Bai Zhou never imagined that his first time dressing up would be to attend Section Chief Liu's funeral.

...Come to think of it, this is his first time knowing about this "Resting Mausoleum."

But upon arriving here, he feels as if he is being watched by the tombstones, an inexplicable sense of oppression weighing on his heart.

Perhaps the news of Section Chief Liu's death has dealt him too great a shock.

The Major stands at the front, delivering a solemn address:

"On this special day, we gather together not to bid farewell to a fallen warrior."

"--We are merely returning him to the earth, laying him to rest in this sanctuary of heroes to find eternal peace."

"However, the dead are gone, and his name, along with the other tombstones, becomes the backbone of the Black Box Special Management Department, becoming the guiding light that illuminates our path through the darkness!"

The Major's tone rises as he raises a hand to point at the silent forest of steles behind him:

"We contain, we seal, we protect..."

"We are the Black Box Special Management Department."

"One Liu Zhen has sacrificed himself, and we shall take his place and continue forward, until the darkness recedes, or..."

"Until our own names are carved into the forest of steles behind us, remaining here in the Resting Mausoleum!"

"..."

Everyone is dressed in black suits, listening with solemnity.

Following a low roar from the Officer:

"Salute!"

Including the Major, everyone raises their arms, the uniform sound of sleeves brushing against each other echoing in unison.

Funeral music rises.

The urn containing Section Chief Liu's ashes is lowered into the ground, draped in the Federation flag.

From this moment on, he will join the other fallen specialists of the past, finding eternal slumber here.

The crowd's gaze is Focused there, a silent power brewing among them.

In the Black Box Special Management Department, sacrifice is a common occurrence, but as a Level P4 Specialist, Section Chief Liu's death will not go unnoticed; at the very least, there is a funeral such as this.

--Especially during this critical period.

With the Blood Worship Cult about to strike, Section Chief Liu's sudden death irritates the already tense nerves of everyone present.

The dead always provide strength to the living; the motivation and hatred ignite the fighting spirit of the specialists.

Only Bai Zhou remains silent in the crowd, staring blankly at the tombstones.

He cannot fathom it.

A person who was perfectly fine when they met yesterday, how could he suddenly be gone?

People can never accept a sudden parting, for without any expectation, there is no psychological preparation.

It is only at this moment, watching the urn being lowered with his own eyes, that his numb and bewildered brain finally realizes with clarity--

Section Chief Liu is truly gone.

There will no longer be anyone to take Bai Zhou out for Hu-La Soup every morning;

Nor will there be anyone to lecture Bai Zhou with earnest advice.

That middle-aged man who loved to show off his pistol and his rank, who seemed forever proud of his profession and filled with ideals for the Federation, Has finally died on the path to realizing his own ideals.

Even now, he hadn't even had the chance to visit the hospital to check on his injured daughter.

"Bai Zhou... is that right?" A feminine, soft whisper suddenly reached his ears.

Bai Zhou turned his head, and the first thing that came into view was the round head and wide, expressive eyes of the Black Cat Detective.

He felt that the thing looked even more bloated and round than the last time he saw it... and, of course, even cuter.

Deputy Han, cradling the Black Cat Detective doll, appeared beside Bai Zhou.

The arrival of this "Big Shot" caused the surrounding Commissioners to clear a space for the two of them.

"The position of Minister of the Black Box Maintenance Department has always been held by me concurrently. Old Liu was my friend for many years, and also the subordinate I valued most."

As the whiskers of the Black Cat Detective twitched, Deputy Han spoke in a soft voice.

An overwhelming, heavy yin energy washed over him, causing Bai Zhou to quietly shift his position to the side without changing his expression.

"Recently, he mentioned you to me often. It's clear that he appreciated you very much."

"Your Break Rank promotion to p3 this time was something I fought to secure for you."

Only then did it dawn on Bai Zhou.

So, the "backer" that Section Chief Liu had spoken of, was this Deputy Han who looked so... well, a bit effeminate?

"Old Liu is gone. In the future, you might be the one to take over his post in the Maintenance Department."

"Tomorrow, find some time to come to my office to collect your potion."

Deputy Han gave Bai Zhou a deep look.

"I hope you can promote to Extraordinary soon and grow up quickly."

"Don't let down my high expectations, nor the sacrifices Old Liu made for you."

After giving his instructions, he cradled the Detective doll and turned to leave.

...So, he only came here to tell him this?

Bai Zhou wanted to speak but hesitated, then wanted to speak again, but finally called out to this Deputy Han:

"How did Section Chief Liu sacrifice himself?"

"Hmm?"

Deputy Han stopped and looked back.

After a moment of thought, he said:

"He was killed by the Blood Worship Cult, of course."

"He was carrying out a mission when he was targeted by the mad dogs of the Blood Worship Cult. His death was truly tragic..."

Just then, the Major on the stage raised his arms and shouted—

"Blood Worship Cult!"

"It was the Blood Worship Cult that killed Section Chief Liu Zhen!"

"And after this, they intend to kill even more of us!"

"--Revenge!"

The Major's voice echoed, resonant and powerful, in everyone's ears.

"Take revenge on the Blood Worship Cult!"

...And so, the eyes of every Commissioner turned red.

"Yes, revenge!"

"We must have revenge!"

"Wipe out the Blood Worship Cult completely!"

The crowd roared, their emotions stirred to a frenzy.

A fanatical sense of vengeance ignited a soaring fighting spirit in everyone.

However, Bai Zhou, hidden within the crowd, remained silent, appearing completely out of place.

He was very confused.

Yesterday afternoon, Section Chief Liu was still busy helping him secure his promotion to p3, acting all mysterious.

He even said he wanted to give Bai Zhou a surprise; he didn't look like someone burdened by stress or worries at all.

Yet by eight o'clock in the evening, the man was already dead out there, dead on the way to carry out a mission?

Then what time did he receive the mission?

Even a suicide squad wouldn't be in such a rush; even a man about to be beheaded gets to eat a final meal.

Bai Zhou didn't say a word, only looking at Section Chief Liu's tombstone, lost in thought.

"..."

Suddenly, his entire body shuddered, and his eyes gradually widened.

--Something is wrong!

There is something, something not right!

Bai Zhou scanned the forest of tombstones in the Resting Mausoleum, his heart skipping a beat.

He finally realized where the subtle sense of dissonance he had felt since arriving here had been coming from.

...The serene and peaceful Resting Mausoleum, where flower petals fallen from bouquets could be seen everywhere.

The silver white tombstones, standing in silence and engraved with the life stories of heroic Commissioners, were clean and flawless, reflecting the light from the sky.

But, there was a problem.

Weren't they a bit too "clean"?

"..."

Bai Zhou tightened his face, forcing himself to control his expression so as not to reveal any abnormality in front of people.

Yet, a chill shot straight from his spine to his brain.

--Where there are corpses and ashes, there should be "Last Wills."

Just like the corpse pits in the Ruins, they were covered in Last Wills.

Even the "Doctor" of the Blood Worship Cult had burst out a Last Will when he died.

But here, in the Resting Mausoleum alone...

So many Special Management Department Commissioners, countless sacrificed Extraordinaries, and Section Chief Liu, who was clearly an Extraordinary himself—

How... how could Bai Zhou not see a single Last Will?

Where are their Last Wills?!