The First Official Mission

"Crystal Skull organization??"

After seeing Zhang Chiguo off, Han Su returned to his apartment and sat quietly for a long time, his mind still filled with this piece of information that had been painstakingly obtained.

So, Zhang Chiguo encountered that woman while investigating an incident related to the mysterious Crystal Skull organization?

This means she has indeed been in Qinggang City all along, perhaps not far from him in distance?

A sense of uncontrollable irritation and gritted teeth welled up in his heart, but then he suddenly relaxed: so close, yet she hadn't appeared for ten years. This was truly interesting.

Now, there was only one question: When should he go look for this mysterious organization?

Zhang Chiguo had strongly urged him to wait until he became an investigator before delving into such matters, and he naturally intended to obey.

But then again...

...It wouldn't hurt to just tag along and observe, right?

His mood lightened. He drew the curtains, locked the door, and sat down at his computer desk, turning on his brand-new second-hand computer.

He sent a message to the woman with the Black Rose avatar: [I'm back.]

Black Rose: [!!! You were kidnapped back again? It's only been eight days. Have you compressed the interval this much?]

Han Su: [...]

[No, it's unrelated. I went on a business trip and just returned to Qinggang City.]

Black Rose: [And what does that have to do with me?]

Han Su: [...I thought we were friends.]

[Fine!]

Black Rose replied: [I just remembered, I actually have something to tell you. The Public Security Bureau just canceled your bounty, confiscated all your files, and even forbade me from keeping a backup.]

[My chat logs with you are also to be deleted.]

[Heh, but before they could ask, I had already deleted them. I didn't want our chat logs to get out.]

[...]

"Is it because I joined the Disaster Management Bureau and my files are encrypted?"

Han Su thought to himself, then suddenly found her tone a bit strange. He wondered what was so unspeakable about his chat logs with her? Besides the matter of him being kidnapped...

Huh? That's a problem.

Han Su wasn't afraid to talk about being kidnapped before. After all, he was barely surviving with each incident.

It was only after meeting Zhang Chiguo and learning some things that he started to intentionally keep it secret. Now, connecting the dots, he even considered silencing Black Rose to tie up loose ends.

He casually typed on his keyboard: [That's not important anymore. Do you remember when I was disfigured and blinded?]

[?]

Black Rose sent a giant question mark: [When were you disfigured? If you weren't good-looking, why would I have the patience to chat with you?]

[And those chat logs, I wasn't flirting with you, just having a serious conversation. You'd better delete them all cleanly!!]

"As expected, she's completely forgotten."

It was only now that Han Su realized what she cared about.

On this life path, he hadn't been disfigured or lost an eye. His appearance was still decent, and at least Black Rose was much more enthusiastic towards him.

She even occasionally said that chatting online was boring and invited him to her office.

She also mentioned having a cat that could do backflips in her office...

He quickly shook his head to clear these thoughts and pondered, then brought up a topic he cared about:

[Do you know if there are any organizations in this city, or around here, that worship mysterious powers, involving crystals and skulls or something?]

[?]

Black Rose replied with great displeasure: [I'm a psychologist, a psychologist who can barely get any clients. Do you think I know everything?]

A moment later, another message came: [There are many organizations in Qinggang that worship mysterious powers. In certain social circles, believing in mysterious forces is quite trendy!]

[Are you talking about the Crystal Skull organization?]

[It seems to be a rather famous organization within the circle of mystery enthusiasts. They worship a crystal skull discovered in ruins.]

[They believe this ancient artifact possesses mystical powers, whether it's to invigorate vitality, grant eternal life, or something else, but it's very popular. Many important figures were their followers back then, but they've since disappeared from Qinggang City...]

[Why?]

[A crackdown!]

[...And you said you don't understand?]

[It's a hobby...]

[...]

[Since the Public Security Bureau won't pay me anymore, can I still consult you?]

[Of course!]

Black Rose answered very decisively, adding: "[You can pay for it yourself.]"

"[Alright!]"

Han Su finalized the cooperation with her, not worrying about the money, even though he didn't have any himself right now.

Although Black Rose was only average in her main job and didn't believe in the existence of true mystical power, Han Su still liked talking to her more.

Firstly, while her professional skills were average, her professional confidentiality was top-notch.

For example, the psychological counseling Han Su received from her, even if the Public Security Bureau asked, she would only report the results, never the content of their conversations. She was even more tight-lipped than the priests in the confessional.

Another point was, why did Han Su increasingly feel that someone who didn't believe in occultism offered such representative advice in the field of occultism?

He had many questions he wanted to ask, such as about the ghost truck, fake humans, and cipher spells, but Han Su, realizing he had just joined the Disaster Management Bureau and didn't yet understand the internal rules, decided to hold back for now.

After ensuring that this woman could still serve as his unprofessional advisor, he closed the dialogue box.

This mysterious organization truly existed, but in Black Rose's words, it was described in two completely different ways compared to Zhang Chiguo's description:

"Since there are organizations like our Disaster Management Bureau that want to prevent certain things from infiltrating, there are also organizations that worship mystery and, at all costs, want to let those things infiltrate."

"Of course, you are in danger within the Disaster Management Bureau, but if you rashly go and make contact with those organizations, the danger is even greater."

"So, before you have the power to protect yourself, if you see them, run away."

"..."

Han Su was very familiar with this feeling. Back in the ancient castle, if he hadn't clearly seen what was in a corridor, he wouldn't have dared to step into it carelessly.

Now, having decided to investigate this matter, Han Su looked at the vast mystical world of Qinggang City and felt a sense of stepping into an unknown corridor of an ancient castle.

Perhaps stepping into the corridor meant step-by-step danger, but passing through the corridor would lead to a door representing hope.

"Beep!"

Just as he was pondering these questions, he suddenly heard a crisp notification.

He reacted for a moment before suddenly understanding. He hurriedly picked up his phone and saw that the Disaster Management Bureau's app had already sent him a message:

"[E3 level commission: From 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM, go to the third streetlight on the right side of Chunhua Street. Accurately record the exact times this streetlight extinguishes and lights up, and submit the corresponding data!]"

"My mission is here?"

Han Su took a moment to process what was happening. Checking the time, it was already eleven o'clock at night.

He didn't dare to delay and immediately got up, put on his clothes and shoes, and then grabbed the briefcase he had received from the Disaster Management Bureau.

He went downstairs, took a taxi, and in about half an hour, he arrived at Chunhua Street. He saw that many shops were still open, and there were snack stalls by the roadside. He found a place to sit down and observed from a distance.

It was just an ordinary streetlight, with a black metal pole and a vintage lampshade.

It was currently lit, with insects buzzing around the lampshade, showing no signs of anything unusual.

The time hadn't arrived yet, so he wasn't in a hurry to do anything, just waiting patiently.

About half an hour later, the temperature on the street seemed to drop, pedestrians began to walk faster, and drunkards seemed to sober up a bit. As the shops approached midnight, they began to close.

About ten minutes later, a team of Public Security Bureau investigators came by for a patrol. After they left, there were even fewer pedestrians on the street.

Han Su waited by the roadside until 12:50 AM. Looking left and right, he saw that the entire street had become empty, as if the whole city had emptied out.

Only that streetlight remained, quietly casting its light, guarding the empty world.

He picked up his briefcase and slowly walked to the side of the street, standing under a tall plane tree and looking up.

All around, the wind had turned cold, and human figures had disappeared.

There seemed to be a sense of tension in the air.

But the streetlight remained completely normal until 1:27 AM, when it flickered as if due to insufficient power supply. Han Su noted down this time.

He waited patiently.

Throughout the night, he recorded the streetlight flickering three times, with two brief extinctions in between: one lasting two minutes and twenty-three seconds, and the other lasting three minutes and fifty-six seconds.

Besides that, nothing else happened.

Han Su stayed there until 5:00 AM. A thin mist had begun to rise on the road, and early risers walked past him, looking at the strange person holding a black briefcase and standing under the streetlight.

At the appointed time, the streetlight silently extinguished. Han Su turned and disappeared into the morning mist.

Nothing had happened that night.

Han Su didn't feel disappointed, he just submitted the data he had recorded.

As he sat down on the bus, the program chimed with a "beep." Han Su saw the feedback that the record submission was successful and the mission was complete.

"[Miss Ai: Thank you, Mr. Butcher, for your contribution to the reality defense line. Your initial evaluation is being improved. Please continue to work hard!]"