Prelude to the Coming Storm (Please Bookmark and Follow!)

Lingyun Pharmaceuticals.

A renowned mega-corporation in the Federation.

Across the Federation's five star systems, sixteen habitable planets, and hundreds of habitable space megastructures.

Every human settlement had one of its branches.

It was an unquestionable corporate behemoth.

Lingyun Pharmaceuticals' Taiyu City headquarters stood in the heart of the city.

Right beside Taiyu City Hall.

At thirty-two stories tall, it was the third-tallest building in Taiyu City.

Second only to Universe Tower and City Hall.

It employed more than two hundred thousand people.

Inside the building.

The staff hurried about, every one of them pressed for time.

Even the receptionist never put down the handset in her hand.

Just then.

The glass sensor doors slid open to either side.

A group of Peace Officers in Security Bureau uniforms arrived at the front desk under the astonished gazes of Lingyun Pharmaceuticals employees.

"Taiyu City Security Bureau."

"We're here to ask these people to cooperate with an investigation."

"Please notify them."

The leading Peace Officer Inspector placed a list on the front desk.

The young receptionist, startled to her feet, stared helplessly at the list.

Several of the names on it even belonged to Lingyun Pharmaceuticals' mid-level executives.

"I-I'll notify them right away!"

After the Peace Officer Inspector lightly knocked on the desk.

The receptionist suddenly came back to her senses.

She hurriedly picked up the phone and dialed the internal numbers of the people on the list.

"D-Director Liu."

"The Security Bureau is here. They want you to cooperate with an investigation!"

At the same time.

News of what had happened in the lobby spread at incredible speed.

"An Inspector came in person?"

"This is serious!"

Within the Peace Officer system.

Below the Chief Peace Officer came the Deputy Chief Peace Officer, followed by five Inspectors responsible for Taiyu City's five major districts.

They corresponded respectively to the Director, Deputy Director, and three squad leaders of the Operations Division.

For a time.

All sorts of rumors erupted within Lingyun Pharmaceuticals!

Qin Annian did not know yet.

The behind-the-scenes struggle he had been anticipating had already begun to unfold.

As a temporary worker.

His daily job was to patrol his assigned district in the morning and evening.

He could handle trivial, tedious matters such as everyday disputes himself.

But anything involving criminal cases had to be reported to a Peace Officer.

"I have to become permanent as soon as possible."

That thought had crossed his mind more than once today.

After finishing his patrol.

Feeling constrained at every turn, Qin Annian drove his patrol car back to the Security Bureau building.

Just after parking.

His Personal Terminal received a message.

"Hm?"

"Another anonymous message?"

Qin Annian's brows instantly furrowed, and his gaze sharpened.

"Forget what happened last night."

"Thirty thousand Federation Credits will be transferred into your account."

The purchasing power of Federation Credits was roughly ten times that of the currency from his previous life.

Thirty thousand Federation Credits.

That was sixty times his five-hundred-credit monthly pay as a temporary worker.

A cold smile appeared at the corner of Qin Annian's mouth.

If he had been the person he was before awakening the memories of his previous life, he would definitely have agreed without hesitation.

This was practically the limit of what could tempt him.

"He really has an accurate grasp of human nature."

"However."

"I'm no longer the person I used to be."

"With tricks of only this caliber, I'll look down on you."

After closing the car door.

Qin Annian waited for the person behind the scenes to make their next move.

Sure enough.

Just as he had expected.

The moment his left foot crossed the entrance to the Security Bureau's first-floor lobby.

An internal investigation notice from the Security Bureau arrived on his Personal Terminal.

"Number 4396, Qin Annian."

"Please cooperate with the Investigation Division's inquiry."

Threats and bribes.

They had used both.

Qin Annian gave a mocking laugh.

When soldiers came, he would block them with generals; when water came, he would dam it with earth.

"Don't let me catch your tail."

"Otherwise..."

Just as his right foot crossed the doorway as well.

"Qin Annian."

"We're from the Investigation Division."

"Please cooperate with our work."

The Investigation Division.

Its full name was the Internal Affairs Investigation Division.

It was independent of the Peace Officers and the Operations Division, reporting directly to the Security Bureau Director.

It specialized in investigating duty-related crimes within the Security Bureau.

It was the department everyone in the Security Bureau feared and least wished to deal with.

While these Investigation Division investigators waited in the lobby.

They had already drawn plenty of attention.

"What happened this time?"

"Looks like someone's in trouble."

"Who are those devils from the Investigation Division planning to go after?"

"As far as I remember, there haven't been any major cases recently, right?"

Everyone looked grave as they whispered among themselves.

Then.

What happened next left everyone utterly dumbfounded!

The Investigation Division was actually waiting for a temporary worker?!

"Fuck!"

"Am I seeing things?"

"Wait, did I see that right?"

"That uniform is a temporary worker's uniform, isn't it?"

"Did the Investigation Division get the wrong person?"

Usually.

Anyone summoned by the Investigation Division was at least someone with a bit of authority.

At minimum, they would be a veteran Peace Officer or an Operations Division squad leader.

But.

What was happening before their eyes completely defied common sense!

A temporary worker?

How much authority could he possibly have?

"Hiss!"

Suddenly.

Someone sucked in a sharp breath!

"Why does this temporary worker look so familiar to me?"

"It's that video!"

Someone cried out.

For a moment.

The others looked confused.

"What video?"

"Temporary worker, public class!"

Once those two keywords were mentioned.

Everyone immediately understood!

Their gazes turned toward Qin Annian, who stood between two investigators.

"So it's him!"

"That temporary worker who knocked down Peace Officers with two punches this morning!"

"How could this happen? How could he have provoked the Investigation Division?"

"His Life Development Power increased by nearly two points in two months."

"That definitely makes him a genius-level talent, doesn't it?"

Logically speaking.

Not even the Security Bureau would pass up such a talent.

It was foreseeable.

The bureau would soon grant Qin Annian permanent status.

He would become the second temporary worker in Taiyu City Security Bureau history to successfully become permanent.

He was also exactly the kind of poster figure the Propaganda Department loved most.

But why had things developed so differently from what they had imagined?

"What exactly is going on?"

"Why would the Investigation Division target Qin Annian?"

They had no idea.

Originally.

Qin Annian's performance that morning had already caused quite a stir within the Security Bureau.

Especially Lin Xiao's words:

"You're a Fist Technique Grandmaster?"

They added a touch of legend to the conflict.

An eighteen-year-old Fist Technique Grandmaster?

Even the Martial Gods whose names had gone down in history, beings regarded as godlike.

Could they have earned the title of Grandmaster at eighteen?

By comparison.

Increasing one's Life Development Power by two points in two months was easier for people to accept.

And this was a temporary worker already shrouded in an aura of mystery.

Now.

He had actually been taken away by the Investigation Division?

To say people weren't curious

would be a lie.

Many people used their own networks and connections

to inquire about the matter.

Although

it involved the Investigation Division,

they still couldn't suppress their curiosity!

Thus,

the news that Qin Annian, a temp worker who had only just made a name for himself,

had been taken away by the Investigation Division

swept through the entire Security Bureau like a tornado!

Even Lin Xiao and Captain Chen

soon learned of the news.

The latter's expression darkened!

"Just as expected."

"Those people have finally made their move."

Lin Xiao, on the other hand, frowned deeply and said to Captain Chen,

"Isn't this far too brazen?"

"What do they take the Security Bureau for?"