Invitation

Standing at the railing at the end of the hospital corridor, looking down at the patients moving around in the sunlight in the garden below, Lin Tong took out a pack of cigarettes, put one in his mouth, and looked at Lu Li.

"I don't smoke." Lu Li shook his head in refusal, then looked at Lin Tong with a slightly strange expression and asked, "I didn't know you smoked."

"I'm under a lot of pressure, so this helps relieve my stress. I don't smoke much." Lin Tong said casually, his face expressionless. "Come with me to the Countermeasure Bureau later to give a statement and register your information."

"Register for what?" Lu Li raised an eyebrow and asked, "The Countermeasure Bureau, is that the official superpower organization you mentioned?"

"That's right, its full name is the Supernatural Incident and Disaster Countermeasure Bureau. It's a special force established by the Yue Kingdom's royal family to deal with supernatural events. There are branches in every major city in the province. I'm an officer from the Yongzhou headquarters, and I've come to the Jing Province branch. I'm currently the leader of the Jing Province City of Sound Non-Standing Group." Lin Tong lit a cigarette, took a puff and exhaled, then said, "The main reason I asked you to register is because you've also gained superpowers. The Countermeasure Bureau stipulates that all confirmed superpower users must register their ability information."

"Also, I hope you can join my group." Lin Tong looked at Lu Li and suddenly extended an invitation.

"Your group, I remember you just said it Non-Standing Group?" Lu Li blinked.

"Yes, the reserve team isn't part of the official team. You can think of them as temporary workers with official positions. We only step in to do some auxiliary work when the official team is too busy. You could say it's a sinecure." Lin Tong said, smoking a cigarette. "My current team members are either nearing retirement or second-generation rich kids who are just coasting along."

"So this is what they mean by 'even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake'?" Lu Li chuckled, looking at Lin Tong. "Then why did you call me over? According to you, there's nothing I'll do there. What would I do there?"

"Are you really planning to stop Wang Wencheng's teachings and never touch anything mystical again? That's impossible!"

"I understand the psychology of people who have just gained superpowers. The so-called 'becoming stronger' is happiness. If you join my group, you'll be officially employed by the Countermeasure Bureau. You'll be able to visit the internal library, which contains relatively safe materials on mystical topics for you to study. Of course, you'll also gain access to standard superpower gadgets."

"If there are benefits, there must be obligations, right? Don't tell me you brought me in just so I could enjoy those benefits?" Lu Li asked.

"Of course, I'm planning to build a strong team to investigate some things in a certain place. It's just a thought, though; there might not be an opportunity to actually do it. In that case, you'll owe me a favor." Lin Tong didn't specify what it was about, but simply asked, "Are you going or not?"

"Go, why wouldn't you go!" Lu Li was quite interested in the Countermeasure Bureau; if he had the chance to join, how could he not go?

"Then I'll come find you this afternoon and show you around the branch." Lin Tong nodded, extinguished his cigarette and threw it into a nearby trash can, patted Lu Li on the shoulder and left.

Watching Lin Tong leave, Lu Li maintained a curious expression and naturally returned to the ward. Bai Lu fell into a deep sleep again. The doctor said that her body was very weak and she needed to recuperate for a period of time.

"We'll be going now. Remember to let me know if anything comes up," Albert said with a smile. "Also, Lu Li, remember to return the books you borrowed from the library."

"I remember." Lu Li nodded. Surprisingly, the school didn't impose any punishment, instead describing the theft as a loan. He wondered what the Mi University was really up to.

In the afternoon, Lin Tong to call Lu Li. Lu Li into Lin Tong's car and then found Jiang Xuanmo and Gu Lin in the back. They must have been going to give their statements together.

The car stopped at a place called the Natural Meteorological Research Bureau. Lu Li and the others were quickly taken to a small conference room inside and separated to give statements. Lu Li told the truth, of course, without revealing his identity. The statements were quickly recorded, and then they signed a confidentiality agreement, instructing the others not to tell anyone about it.

Lin Tong told the two women to wait a moment, then led Lu Li upstairs. They quickly arrived at a room, opened the door, and told Lu Li to go in and do as instructed over the loudspeaker.

Inside was a pure white cubicle space, completely empty. As soon as Lu Li entered, he heard a voice say, "Please activate your ability or item, tester."

Lu Li nodded, focusing his attention on his right hand. The symbol on it ignited with a pale blue flame, and Lu Li felt everything around him slow down. In terms of external ability, this meant that Lu Li's speed doubled.

The broadcast then asked Lu Li to perform some actions, such as punching at full power and running at full speed. After Lu Li's ability ended in one minute, Lu Li was asked to do some tests in his normal state, which took about ten minutes to complete.

Then the door opened, Lu Li walked out to see Lin Tong hand him a form with a full-body photo of Lu Li and some data. Lu Li glanced at it and found that most of the data was rated F, except for the ability section which read: Personal Time Acceleration, rated C for humans, with various test data for this ability below.

At the end of the table, there is a recommendation: it is suggested to upgrade melee combat skills.

"Sign here, and I'll apply for you to join the Non-Standing Group. I'll notify you once it's approved, and you can come here to collect your benefits," Lin Tong said casually.

"That's all?" Lu Li said with some disappointment, "I thought your Countermeasure Bureau branch would have an underground base, and I would need to conduct a series of reviews before I could pass!"

"You're overthinking it with the underground base thing. Come on, let's have dinner."

"It's best if you don't leave the City of Sound anytime soon. The Countermeasure Bureau might still have some questions for you. Also, you signed a confidentiality agreement, so it's better to keep these things to yourself." After the group finished eating, Lin Tong said seriously, "What are your plans for the future?"

"Gu Lin and I plan to tell our families about our relationship, then settle down in City of Sound and open a small shop or something," Jiang Xuanmo said, holding Gu Lin's hand. They no longer intended to run away and chose to face the pressure from society and family directly.

"I'm going to attend a relative's wedding soon, in Moonbrook Town not far away. Is that alright?" Lu Li asked Lin Tong. Lu Zhengling hadn't mentioned when he was getting married, so Lu Li planned to go to Moonbrook Town first to meet his uncle, Lu Zhengling.

"That's no problem, just get back quickly," Lin Tong said casually after thinking for a moment.

On the last two days of the National Day holiday, Lu Li boarded a car bound for Moonbrook Town, his mind preoccupied with Lin Tong's situation. He hadn't yet let go of his suspicions about Lu Li, and taking Lin Lu Li into the Countermeasure Bureau was more about keeping him under surveillance. At the same time, Lu Li was extremely interested in Lin Tong's identity. His true form had once tried to brainwash Lin Tong and read his memories, but he discovered that Lin Tong's memories were protected by a powerful force that even Lu Li's true form couldn't access. This kind of protection that transcends time is definitely not something a mere officer from headquarters could possess.