"Training's over. Get back here, now!"
The so-called camaraderie, cooperation, and looking out for one another amounted to nothing more than a knowing glance. It was soon interrupted by an irritable voice. "Do you think this is a place where you can smoke?"
"You're not investigators yet. Don't act so lazy!"
"..."
Everyone hurriedly put out their cigarettes and returned to the training room. They found the staff had placed one black case after another on the tables. The instructor stood with his hands behind his back and addressed them in a cold voice:
"Your training is now complete, and your group assignments have been finalized!"
"From now on, you'll answer only to your own Execution Captain, or to an investigator who has requisitioned you for an assignment. Be ready to follow orders at any time."
"Each group will be stationed differently."
"Group D1D2 has no Execution Captain. You'll operate in teams of your own, and you won't need to stay at the base. Once training is over, you'll return to society and receive orders directly from the Disaster Management Bureau. Your performance will be evaluated independently based on the missions you complete."
"Group D3D4 will operate in pairs. You'll serve at the Disaster Management Bureau four days a week. You won't need to stay at the base the rest of the time, but you must remain vigilant and respond to any mission immediately."
"Group D5D6 won't be allowed to leave after training. You'll have to stay at the base and await orders at all times."
"But whether you stay at the base for centralized discipline or leave freely, you must never disclose anything about the base."
"Every violation of the rules will result in a demotion, until you're downgraded to Group D5D6 and confined to the base, or even to Group D7, where you'll lose your personal freedom forever."
"Understood?"
"..."
The response from below was nothing like he'd expected. It was utterly lackluster.
Everyone wore a strange expression. Why were the groups' conditions so different?
They'd only just joined the Disaster Management Bureau, and already there was such a clear hierarchy?
Group D5D6 in particular had just lost even the right to leave the base freely. How was that any different from being sent straight to prison?
Was one's standing in the Disaster Management Bureau directly tied to how much freedom one had?
"Good."
The instructor nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at the black cases on the table. "Execution personnel can be considered half-investigators. Group D1D2, in particular, is already regarded as a group of trainee investigators."
"And now I can tell you this:"
"Investigators are responsible for eliminating all the bizarre things that shouldn't exist in reality and stopping them from spreading. Those who believe in the existence of such things are part of the chain of transmission too, and must be eliminated as well."
"As investigators, you'll each have two great weapons at your disposal."
"These cases contain those two weapons. They're about to be issued to you as graduation gifts from the training program!"
"..."
"Weapons? Could it be a gun?"
Thinking of the equipment they'd taken away after the evaluation mission, Han Su felt a flicker of anticipation.
At that moment, the instructor casually opened one of the cases and turned it toward the group, showing them its contents. "This is a weapon to protect you, and, when necessary, to subdue enemies or whatever other bizarre things you may encounter..."
As he spoke, he picked up a black object and pressed a button. The tip crackled and snapped at once.
Even his voice held a hint of excitement. "The Thunderbolt 101 High-Voltage Stun Baton delivers a restricted 20,000-kilovolt electric shock that instantly paralyzes its target. It also features a 40,000-lumen tactical light and a 110-decibel deterrent alarm."
"This three-in-one self-defense design suits a range of scenarios, including security guards in residential communities, families in slums, truckers in the wilderness, and bizarre investigators. Its composite relic-metal structure weighs just 700 grams, making it easy to carry, and a full charge lasts 36 hours."
"From now on, I expect you to carry it with you at all times!"
"..."
Everyone's faces fell. Damn it, after all that, he'd brought out a stun baton?
"So it really exists..."
While everyone else stared in shock, Crow murmured in amazement. "The high-lethality weapon reserved for investigators, known as the Sword of Mystery."
"This thing is an investigator's weapon?"
Han Su glanced at her. She'd just walked back with him and was standing right beside him. "At least they gave us a gun for the evaluation mission. Now that we've officially joined, all we get is a stun baton? Who are they trying to fool?"
"I don't really understand either..."
Crow looked a little embarrassed as she explained in a low voice, "My aunt told me that real investigators disdain guns. They think guns are a crude, old-fashioned weapon with low logic."
"First, using a gun makes too much noise. Even with a silencer, it's far too conspicuous."
"Second, when you use a gun against an enemy, you're usually exposing yourself to their gaze as well. In a battle on the Mysterious Side, that's a huge opening."
"So, among the investigators I know, very few carry guns as standard equipment."
"Of course, once you're an investigator, it's easy to apply for a gun. It's just that writing reports to get ammunition is too much trouble."
"..."
"She was actually being serious?"
Han Su was somewhat surprised. For now, he still couldn't understand how a stun baton could be more useful than a gun.
But if he put himself in that situation and imagined he was still in the dark Ancient Castle, he could understand it a little. When facing so many monsters in a place like that, the difference between a stun baton and a firearm might not be so great.
Though he still hadn't tried mowing down monsters with a machine gun.
"Then what's the second great weapon?"
The other trainees looked just as bewildered and disappointed as Han Su, but someone still made an effort to ask.
"That would be this ID!"
The instructor picked up a black-covered ID and held it up for everyone to see. He said solemnly, "This ID bears the Disaster Management Bureau's seal. You'll need to carry it with you from now on, but you must be careful never to let outsiders see it."
"When the time comes—I mean, when you receive an urgent mission or face an emergency that requires your intervention—that's when you show this ID."
"Once you show it, you'll have temporary legal immunity!"
"..."
Everyone had looked a little disappointed at the sight of the ID, but when they heard that, some of them began to take an interest. "Legal immunity... What exactly does that mean?"
The instructor glanced at him. "You can run red lights without getting points deducted!"
Everyone stared blankly. "Huh?"
"In other words..."
The man with the gold-rimmed glasses below mused aloud, "By the same logic, would murder be legal too?"
The instructor let out a slow breath and nodded. "That's right!"
At that, the crowd broke into a buzz of discussion. Every face showed utter astonishment.
"But that only means immunity from the laws of ordinary society!"
The instructor raised his voice and warned them with a grave expression. "Once you show this ID, you'll be subject only to the Disaster Management Bureau's internal rules. You can run red lights out there, and you can kill people out there."
"But everything you do outside must be explained in a report once you return to the Disaster Management Bureau. Your actions will only be considered legal after the Bureau's higher-ups approve them."
"If you go beyond what the higher-ups are willing to tolerate, then even if you escape punishment under the outside law, you'll face even harsher punishment within the Disaster Management Bureau!"
"So don't think you've been given absolute power. Quite the opposite. There'll be plenty of eyes watching you."
"..."
"..."
The weight of that final warning poured cold water on the many people who'd just gotten excited. In the crowd below, Han Su's spirits lifted a little as he thought of a perfectly reasonable question:
"So if you're good at writing reports, then you really do have absolute power?"
Put that way, it was easy to understand why Young Master Zhang, who'd once thrived in Azure Harbor's underground world, had racked his brains to get into this department.
"So pick up your cases, take your IDs and weapons, and get ready to walk out through the base's front gate!"
The instructor was nearing the end of his speech. "Your phones and communication devices will be returned to you as well. Miss Ai's encrypted messaging app has already been installed. Remember just one thing: from this moment on, your lives will be different from what they were before."
"In principle, Miss Ai's orders will take precedence over everything else."
"Even your lives!"
"..."
He spoke with great solemnity. Perhaps to create an equally solemn atmosphere, a soft alert suddenly sounded from everyone's phone.
Han Su looked down and saw that the app had just sent him its first message:
"Greetings, execution personnel. This is Miss Ai. Welcome to the D2 Work Group of the First Execution Department of the Azure Harbor Bureau of Abnormal Disaster Assessment."
"Codename: Butcher."
"Initial Rating: C+"
"..."
"I'm only in the D2 Work Group?"
Han Su was taken aback. He'd thought scoring an A would be enough to get him into D1D2, and with five As, he'd assumed a place in D1 was guaranteed.
But when he glanced sideways and exchanged looks with Doctor and Black Tiger, he realized they'd also been assigned to D2. He'd made it in with room to spare, while Black Tiger had only just scraped through.
As for D1...
He looked at Miss Crow in the distance, along with the others who'd received an S rating in Cipher Incantation. It seemed they were the only ones assigned there.
Of course, it didn't matter much to him. He simply found himself looking around for a few others.
Where was Old Zhang?
Now that Han Su was in the D2 Work Group, what new identity would he come up with to strike up a conversation with him?
Before you continue