Dark Star Bureau

Yuezhou East Station, Platform 96.

After getting off the train, Li Banfeng carefully surveyed the platform.

The last time I came to this platform, I was in a bit of a rush and didn't look around carefully. At that time, Li Banfeng didn't buy any food, and there was no food provided on the train. There was a deputy Team Leader from the Dark Star Bureau behind him who insisted on killing him.

The vice- Team Leader is no longer here, but the Dark Star Bureau still sent people.

Director Shen Jingye arrived, and so did the Public Security Team Chen Changrui.

Shen Jingye stepped forward first to shake hands. "Xiao Li, you've worked hard."

This is the skill of language; with just one sentence, one can convey the care of an elder and the authority of a superior. In the ensuing conversation, Shen Jingye will naturally be able to take the initiative.

Li Banfeng held Shen Jingye's hand and nodded, saying, "Xiao Wang, you've worked hard too."

Shen Jingye paused for a moment, then said, "My surname isn't Wang."

"So what's your surname?" Li Banfeng asked sincerely.

Tangyuan quickly introduced, "This is our Director Shen."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "Oh, it's Little Shen. How's the situation at the bureau?"

Shen Jingye thought for a moment and replied, "That's good."

Li Banfeng said, "Let's talk about the specifics of what's good about it."

Shen Jingye thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let's talk about it in the car."

That's not right.

Why is this person so special?

Even if he's a big shot in Pro State, when he's in Outer State and meets someone of such high status, he should at least feel a little nervous and awkward, and at least know the basic rules and manners.

Why does he look like he's here to inspect work?

Once inside the van, Shen Jingye gave a general overview of the Dark Star Bureau's overall structure.

After listening, Li Banfeng shook his head slightly. "Just from what you said, I still don't have a clear understanding of the Dark Star Bureau."

Shen Jingye didn't know how to respond, "Okay, we'll take you on a tour later."

Upon arriving at the Dark Star Bureau, Li Banfeng observed the building's height; it had thirty-six floors.

Shen Jingye took Li Banfeng to the exhibition hall first and gave a general introduction to the history of the Dark Star Bureau.

The Dark Star Bureau has a relatively short history, having been established only a little over a decade ago.

However, tracing the origins of the Dark Star Bureau is more complicated; the Dark Star Bureau's predecessor consisted of more than a dozen organizations.

Each organization has different responsibilities, Shen Jingye said in passing, clearly not wanting Li Banfeng to know too much.

After leaving the exhibition hall, Shen Jingye led Li Banfeng on a tour of the various departments, and then organized middle and senior management personnel...

A meeting was held, which served both as a welcome to Li Banfeng as an arrangement for his work in the next stage.

Based on past experience, people from Pro State are not used to this kind of meeting.

Dozens of people attended the meeting, but they kept their eyes on one Pro State man the entire time.

Every move and every word is under scrutiny. No one can stand being watched like that. They would either feel awkward or disgusted, or, in their extreme exhaustion, ignore all the procedures that follow and completely obey the bureau's arrangements.

Of course, there are exceptions. Xiao Zhengong is a special case. After several meetings, he still insisted on choosing the position of deputy Team Leader of the Public Security Team, which made Shen Jingye very dissatisfied, but in the end he still agreed to his request.

This time, Shen Jingye learned from his mistakes and changed his strategy. He first conducted an in-depth analysis of the current situation and subtly pointed out the threats facing Pro State.

These threats all come from the Inner State, Shen Jingye also pointed out implicitly that only they can help Pro State resist the threats from the Inner State.

He also analyzed the situation from Li Qi's personal perspective, emphasizing that Li Qi's personal fate, including his business, power, and personal safety, were all under their control.

Shen Jingye's speech lasted thirty-eight minutes. He wanted Li Qi to understand one principle: regardless of the overall interests of Pro State or Li Qi's personal interests, he should cherish his role Balance Person and strengthen cooperation in his work.

It is Li Qi's only way out.

Li Qi showed neither annoyance nor anger; he listened very attentively.

Next, it was Li Qi's turn to speak. Shen Jingye had already made his plans. He would give Li Qi a few options, such as arranging a leisurely position for him, allowing Li Qi to live in Outer State under the surveillance of the Dark Star Bureau, and play his due role at crucial moments. This was the true value and meaning of Balance Person.

He also believed that Li Qi would not refuse his arrangement.

Li Banfeng took a sip of tea and began to speak.

"Little Shen, judging from your presentation materials, you have put in a lot of effort, but there are many problems and omissions in the materials. I think it is necessary to point them out here. From the overall materials, there are three main problems. The first problem includes five aspects—."

Li Qi was different from Shen Jingye; he didn't need to read from a script when he spoke, and he kept staring at Shen Jingye's expression.

Shen Jingye looked at Li Banfeng with a smile, first showing a hint of disdain and dissatisfaction, and even mocking Li Qi's overestimation of his abilities.

Fifteen minutes later, Shen Jingye's smile disappeared, and his gaze remained fixed on the table, no longer looking directly at Li Banfeng's face.

This slope was built very smoothly.

Half an hour later, Shen Jingye was sweating. He felt somewhat uneasy; he kept feeling awkward listening to Li Banfeng speak.

You shouldn't keep your hands empty all the time.

He picked up his notebook and started taking notes. At first, he just wrote a few random strokes, but then he became more and more serious as he wrote.

Li Banfeng's speech lasted a full hour, and Shen Jingye's pen never stopped.

Only after Li Banfeng finished speaking did Shen Jingye let out a long sigh of relief. His clothes were soaked with sweat. "Little Shen, is it really necessary to be so tired?" Li Banfeng took a sip of tea. "I don't even feel tired talking, how can you be this tired just listening to me talk?"

Shen Jingye was indeed very tired. He sat upright, leaned forward, and only sat on half of the chair. He listened to the speech for an hour and even took a notebook.

Wiping away his sweat and resting for a moment, Shen Jingye regained some composure and had his secretary present Li Qi with a stack of forms.

The table describes the responsibilities and compensation for different positions.

The purpose of today's meeting is to select a suitable position for Li Qi. If Shen Jingye had gotten down to business earlier and said less useless things, he wouldn't have had to suffer so much.

Li Qi picked up the form, flipped through it casually, and realized that all the positions were the same to Li Qi; he didn't need a salary.

They don't care about the pay; any job is fine.

Shen Jingye waited for Li Qi's choice, but Li Qi suddenly put down the form, looked up at him and said, "I've made my choice. The position of bureau chief is quite good."

Shen Jingye panicked and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "I can't choose the director. There's no director position on the form. I'm the director; you can't take it from me—"

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Shen Jingye realized he had lost his composure.

Li Qi couldn't possibly steal the director's position with just a few words.

It was a joke, how could you take it seriously?

Now that he's so serious, his face doesn't look so good.

Li Qi sighed, "Little Shen, you value your official position quite a bit. I didn't say I wanted to take your place."

None of the positions on your form are suitable for me. I'd like to be a deputy director. What do you think?

Shen Jingye looked bewildered and said, "This isn't something I can decide on my own—"

"Then you can take your time to study it. I'll be taking a car back to Pro State tomorrow. Let me know when you have the results." Li Qi left the meeting room.

Chen Changrui watched Li Qi's retreating figure, his eyes trembling slightly.

He felt that the figure seemed familiar, but he couldn't be sure because it had changed so much.

The others looked at Shen Jingye.

Shen Jingye. He didn't say the meeting was over, and no one else dared to leave.

In Xie Juncong's bedroom at the Ghost Hand Gate headquarters, He Jiaqing was wolfing down a roasted chicken.

Xie Juncong had prepared a large table of food and wine, and was carefully serving He Jiaqing. He Jiaqing had almost finished eating.

He asked, "Where's Big Head?"

"Are you talking about that friend from Outer State?" Xie Juncong said. "He came last night, before you woke up. He said he'd come to see you again tonight."

He Jiaqing drank a pot of wine, caught his breath, and said, "If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have even thought of coming to find me, would you?"

Xie Juncong didn't dare lie. "We really didn't know you were in trouble."

He Jiaqing's eyes flashed coldly as he looked at Xie Juncong: "Do you think Big Head knows? Do you think something happened to me?"

Would I really go out of my way to tell you? Why is it only Big Head who knows to come find me?

Xie Juncong didn't dare to say anything more. He Jiaqing had the table cleared away and went to bed to sleep again.

When evening came, Big Head arrived, and He Jiaqing also woke up.

Upon seeing Big Head, He Jiaqing was about to perform a grand salute, but Big Head stopped him, saying, "We are brothers, it is only right that I save you."

He Jiaqing sighed and said, "You're my true brother. Without you, I would definitely be dead. How did you know I was trapped in the Jiang Xiang Gang's headquarters?"

Big Head recounted his investigation, and when he mentioned Xiao Zhengong's death, He Jiaqing was extremely shocked. "Li Qi killed Xiao Zhengong? Xiao Zhengong was Balance Person, and Li Qi just killed him like that?"

Big Head nodded and said, "The current Balance Person is Li Qi."

He Jiaqing's eyes widened. "Li Qi became Balance Person? Didn't you say that Balance Person had to have connections with the Inner State?"

Big Head said, "According to the investigation by the Guanfang Hall, Li Qi did indeed have dealings with Inner State. When Sage Peak was destroyed, Li Qi saved many people near Bastard Slope."

"Sage Peak has been destroyed?" He Jiaqing was even more surprised.

Big Head was also surprised. "I heard from the foreign doctor Cui Tike that you were also involved in this matter."

"I was involved?" He Jiaqing had a bad feeling.

Big Head said, "Some people suspect that you stole the Emperor's Imperial Jade Seal, saying that you were the biggest beneficiary of that incident."

"I benefited—" He Jiaqing's brow twitched, and after a long pause, he asked, "What else did I participate in during this time?"

Big Head shook his head. "That's all I know for now. You'll probably have to ask that foreign doctor about other things."

He Jiaqing gathered his thoughts and asked again, "Because Li Qi killed Xiao Zhengong and had dealings with Inner State, he became Balance Person?"

"No, that's not it. During this period, a new Balance Person appeared, named Chen Weixin. However, this Balance Person disappeared for some reason. Li Qi was able to become Balance Person mainly because of the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus incident."

He Jiaqing was shocked. "Mystic Life Crimson Lotus has been exposed?"

"Yes, the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus had been hidden in the residence of the Local Earth God Ye Song Bridge, and was discovered by General Envoy Liao."

"The Local Earth God of Ye Song Bridge?" He Jiaqing was still confused. "Are you talking about Mystic Life Crimson Lotus?"

Big Head recounted the Ye Song Bridge incident, He Jiaqing was completely bewildered.

The Mystic Life Crimson Lotus, found in the dwelling place of the Local Earth God, can summon heavenly light and can be used to Pill Refining with human blood and flesh.

What is the status of the Red Lotus that I gave to Li Banfeng?

How did two Red Lotus suddenly appear?

The world is changing too fast.

He Jiaqing looked at Big Head and asked, "Is this Pro State?"

Big Head asked in surprise, "Where do you think this is?"

He Jiaqing said, "I've been locked up underground for too long, and I feel like I've come to the wrong place."

"The location is definitely right, but there are some details I might not know enough about. You can ask your aunt He Yuxiu. She is one of the witnesses to the incident, and it seems that she and Li Qi have a very special relationship."

"They have no special relationship!" He Jiaqing's veins throbbed, then he asked Big Head, "How much longer can you stay in Pro State?"

"Actually, it's time for me to head back. I plan to leave Pro State the day after tomorrow."

He Jiaqing said, "After you get back, you must tell me about Li Qi's current situation."

Big Head added a reminder: "According to General Envoy Liao's latest investigation results, Li Qi and your friend Li Banfeng..."

It's not the same person.

"Not the same person?" He Jiaqing laughed. "You don't need to worry about whether they are the same person or not. Just remember one thing: Li Qi is very important to me."

"Li Qi is a very important person. We must keep him here. Don't bother with him over trivial matters." Shen Jingye received the instructions from his superiors. The next day, Wen received a new appointment document. Ji Qi officially became the deputy director of the Dark Star Bureau.

The deputy director received a good salary, including a duplex apartment and a car. Because Li Banfeng n't have a mobile phone, he was specially provided with one and a satellite phone.

In the evening, Li Banfeng arrived at the duplex apartment, took out the record player that Ling Miaosheng had given him from his suitcase, and started playing songs on his cell phone and satellite phone. He played the same song more than a dozen times without the sound changing.

There's no hook on the phone?

Li Banfeng walked through each room, but the music remained unchanged, and there were no hooks in the rooms.

Why didn't the Dark Star Bureau set up any hooks here? They didn't want to monitor me?

Such a good thing?

Just as Li Banfeng was feeling that something was wrong, he suddenly saw the projector light up next to him.

He created a scene in which Li Banfeng was sitting on a sofa, while Li Banfeng, who was carrying a record player and walking around, was obscured.

What's going on?

Li Banfeng stared at the projector with a strange expression.

The projector replied, "Seventh Director, there are my kind in this room."

His kind.

Li Banfeng patted his forehead; he hadn't quite grasped the concept.

In Outer State, you don't necessarily need hooks; there's something called a camera.

The projector was extremely sensitive to the lens, and he detected a total of eleven cameras in the duplex apartment.

"Seventh Director, don't speak yet. The technology in Outer State is strange. My kind can even collect sound, and they can also transmit images and sound through some means."

These creatures don't seem to be used for filming movies, so I'll deal with them. The cameras couldn't hear a word the projector said, but Li Banfeng couldn't speak easily.

The projector hovered in mid-air, using its Withering Skill on each camera.

The camera disappeared for a moment, then reappeared in the same spot.

"Seventh Director, don't worry. These people from Outer State have all become my friends. From now on, they will only convey the images I want them to see and the voices I want them to hear."

"Do you need to stay in this room the whole time?"

The projector was confident. "No need. These new friends are all very obedient. Even when I'm not around, they know what they should do."

This should be considered a technical contest between Pro State and Outer State.

Li Banfeng sighed. He had been in Pro State for too long and needed more time to adapt to life in Outer State.

The phone rang, and Li Banfeng answered it.

Tonight, the Public Security Team on duty, Banzhuan, issued a notice that an unidentified creature, suspected to be a dark energy anomaly, has appeared in a residential building in the Light Boat Road Garden Community in White Plain District. One person has died and sixteen residents are trapped in the building. All Public Security Team are required to rush to the scene immediately.

Dark Energy Anomaly?

What is this term?

Does Yuezhou City have this kind of thing?

He wasn't a member of the Public Security Team, so he could have stayed out of it, but Li Banfeng decided to go and take a look.

He wanted to know exactly what the Dark Energy Anomaly was, and also wanted to see the quality of the Dark Star Bureau's Public Security Team.

Although the Light Bulb's combat strength is not high, he is just a newcomer to the Dark Star Bureau. According to Ji Banfeng's estimate, the overall combat strength of the Dark Star Bureau's Public Security Team is no less than that of the Guanfang Hall, and should be able to surpass a powerful family or a first-class gang in Pro State.

The dark energy anomalies they mentioned were likely extremely powerful cultivators, or even Strange Monsters of the same level as Bagworm Moth Madam.

Is it possible that he is a pure-blooded Inner State?

Only by seeing it can you know the answer.

Light Boat Road, White Plain District.

Li Banfeng knew this place; he had also lived in Yuezhou for a long time.

When you come to Outer State, you have to adapt to the lifestyle of that Outer State. To get to Light Boat Road, you have to transfer several times by subway, which seems a bit far.

Why take the subway? I have a car!

But I can't drive, and they haven't provided me with a driver yet.

Li Banfeng had driven a road roller in Blue Poplar Village, but the way a steam road roller is driven is quite different from that of a car.

Let's just walk. At Li Banfeng's current speed, walking is much faster than driving.

But this isn't Pro State. Wouldn't running wildly on the city streets late at night cause trouble?

Taking a shortcut?

I haven't been back for two years. Yuezhou has changed a lot, and I may not even recognize some of the roads.

Having lived in Yuezhou for twenty years, Li Banfeng never imagined that this place would feel so unfamiliar to him.

It's safer to drive.

Who can drive?

Driving is essentially operating a machine, which isn't difficult for someone who understands Work Method.

Li Banfeng returned to Portable Abode: "Old Master, I want to take my Wife out for a walk."

Portable Abode snorted and said, "What are you doing out for a stroll in the middle of the night? You're not allowed to go!"

"The night view from Outer State is quite nice. Let me show my Wife something new." As he spoke, Li Banfeng took out a Small Train, turned it on, placed it on the ground, and it started running.

The train chuckled, "What kind of nonsense is this? Is this how you try to appease me?"

Li Banfeng then took out a Small Train, and the two trains raced together in the Portable Abode.

Portable Abode Shenju sighed, "Seventh Brother, it's fine to joke around with you normally, but this kind of thing can't be taken lightly. Take all this junk away, I don't want to look at it again."

Li Banfeng took out a third train.

Ugh!

Three trains sounded their horns together.

Portable Abode angrily retorted, "Seventh Brother, what can I say to you? Do you really think I'm a child?"

Two minutes later, Li Banfeng came out of Sui Shen Ju carrying a record Portable Abode.

The record player scanned Li Banfeng's residence. "Hey, husband, this house in Outer State is pretty much the same as the Pro State."

"It's far worse. It doesn't even have a courtyard, yet the price is outrageously high."

Just as Li Banfeng was about to leave with the record player on his back, the projector reminded him, "Seventh Director, there are others like me outside."

There are cameras in the corridor, cameras in the elevator, cameras all the way to the parking lot, and even cameras in Li Banfeng's car.

The projector turned these like-minded people into friends, and they got into the car with Li Banfeng.

After studying the machine for a few minutes, the phonograph driver said to Li Banfeng, "My lord, the machinery in this Outer State is quite different from that in Pro State. Little Slave 'm not sure what to expect."

Li Banfeng sat in the passenger seat, encouraging the record player. "My dear Wife, you're so skillful. A mere car is a piece of cake for you."

The record player started the car with a stylus; one stylus controlled the gear shift, another controlled the accelerator and brake, and the last stylus controlled the steering wheel.

The projector created an illusion in the back seat, concealing the record player and making Li Banfeng appear to be in the driver's seat.

This way, passersby won't notice anything unusual.

"My lord, your Little Slave must be getting going...—" The record player was very nervous.

"Let's go, my Wife, it's not difficult at all."

"My lord, this Little Slave is driving very slowly."

"It's alright, if I really can't make it in time, I'll just run."

After less than ten minutes, the record player was no longer strained.

"My dear husband, this thing is more interesting than a train; it doesn't have to follow the tracks!"

"Yes, my Wife can run away however she wants!"

"My lord, there aren't many people on the road ahead, Little Slave I'll drive faster!"

"My Wife, drive as fast as you want."

White Plain District, Light Boat Road, Garden Community.

It's called a residential complex, but it actually consists of only one residential building.

This residential building should have been demolished long ago. Only five families, a total of about ten people, have not moved out and are trapped inside tonight.

A bundle of straw mats stood at the entrance of the building.

Next to the straw mat, lay the Star, Sun Haoran.

Tangyuan drove over and found the area cordoned off. When she saw the Star lying on the ground, Tangyuan was about to rush over to help when she was stopped by the Light Bulb.

Tangyuan frowned and said, "Why are you stopping me?"

The Light Bulb said, "Don't underestimate this bundle of straw mats. He's incredibly fast; we can't get close to him at all."

Tangyuan asked, "You made a move?"

The Light Bulb nodded. "Star and I were the first to arrive. We originally wanted to wait for reinforcements, but some residents ran out of the building and were about to be beaten to death by this straw mat, so Star and I decided to strike first."

This bamboo mat isn't afraid of bullets. I figured the best way to deal with it was with fire. I planned to spray oil on the mat first, then have the Star set it on fire. But I sprayed the oil, and the Star's fire didn't ignite; it was knocked over by the mat.

Tangyuan looked at the Star and asked, "Is the Star still alive?"

The Star heard Tangyuan's voice, opened his eyes, and moved his eyeballs slightly, indicating that he was still alive.

The Light Bulb said to Tangyuan, "Based on my observation, it won't attack this bundle of straw mats if it's more than ten meters away."

If you come within ten meters, as long as you lie down and play dead, he won't attack you.

If someone moves within ten meters, he'll beat them mercilessly until they're dead. Before we arrived, an elderly woman was beaten to death in the stairwell. Residents saw the body and called the police, which is why we came.

The residents are very agitated right now. There seems to be something else inside the building, and they might try to rush out again. All we can do now is maintain order at the scene, prevent unauthorized personnel from approaching the building, and wait for support.

The Light Bulb's sound grew fainter and fainter.

Creak, creak.

The bamboo mat walked towards the Light Bulb and the Tangyuan.

Tangyuan said, "Didn't you say that the mat wouldn't attack from a distance of ten meters?"

The Light Bulb nodded and said, "From my perspective, that's how it is."

As the mat drew closer, Tangyuan prepared to unleash her technique, but Light Bulb reminded her, "What technique are you planning to use? How about 'Ink Counting and Line Following'? Your move doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. The Star is still lying there; don't you dare ruin his life."

As soon as the words were spoken, the bamboo mat swept across and hit the Light Bulb.

The Light Bulb reacted extremely quickly, slipped, and dodged the blow from the bamboo mat.

The mat turned around and attacked the Tangyuan, Tangyuan couldn't dodge.

Just as the mat was about to hit Tangyuan's face, a muffled thud was heard, and the mat suddenly flew far away.

Tangyuan didn't know why the bamboo mat flew away, and neither did the Light Bulb.

Seeing that the straw mat was still more than 30 meters away, the Light Bulb rushed over and helped the Star up.

The injured Star hadn't even regained his footing when the straw mat rushed back in.

The Light Bulb, carrying the Star, tried to escape, but the bamboo mat was much faster and struck the back of their heads.

Bang!

Another muffled thud.

The bamboo mat flew off again.

Tangyuan looked around and realized that this was not an accident; someone was rescuing them.

A person was standing on the awning in the stairwell.

Tangyuan's eyes lit up. "Seventh Master!"

The Light Bulb was secretly delighted. "It really is Seventh Master."

The Star didn't understand. "What 'Master'?"

Li Banfeng looked at the straw mat and said, "Keep hitting it, and it'll come back."

PS: Li Banfeng has changed his perception of Light Bulb; among these three, he can be considered a top-tier fighter.