Joining the Secret Intelligence Department

Qing Chen was still holding a cold, black pistol in the corridor.

The bright white light from inside the elevator shone through the open doors, creating an extremely awkward atmosphere.

The woman in front of me looked to be in her early twenties. She had fair skin, and when she cried, her eyes were red and looked like she had applied pink eyeshadow.

However, the skincare technology in the Inner World is more advanced, and some forty-year-olds can look like they are in their twenties, so facial age is no longer a reliable indicator.

The woman's hands had no calluses, and her physique showed no signs of combat training.

A highly trained assassin will have his right hand hang down unnaturally when walking, instead of swinging like a normal person.

That's so we can draw our guns faster and respond to crises more quickly.

Even if someone forcibly overcomes this habit, it will still look somewhat awkward.

Just then, Qing Chen's phone rang. He picked it up and glanced at it; it was a message from Mr. Shadow: "Interesting."

Sure enough, the other party wasn't content with just muttering "interesting" to themselves; they insisted on sending the actual word "interesting" to me...

Qing Chen looked at the security camera at the elevator entrance. The other party was probably watching his expression through that camera.

However, at this moment he was thinking about a question. Li Changqing once said that this shadow sometimes, while playing around, would accomplish what he wanted to do.

So what is the purpose of the other party's actions?

Is he hoping to develop some kind of connection with the woman in front of him? Or is he just looking for some fun?

The woman looked at Qing Chen with teary eyes. "Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?!"

Qing Chen sighed, "I'm sorry, I really mistook you for someone else."

The woman said, trembling, "If you let me go, I promise I won't call the police."

"Thank you," Qing Chen said, then brushed past the other person and entered the elevator, quietly pressing the close button several times.

If Qing Chen hadn't been able to remain calm, he would have pressed the close button until it broke.

As soon as Qing Chen stepped out of the elevator, he called the Qing family's shadow, "Is what you're doing funny?"

Shadow laughed, "I get unhappy every time I see your composed demeanor. It's quite amusing to see you flustered even a little."

"What are you after?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.

"Of course it's for fun," Shadow retorted with interest. "Is there anything more important than being happy? No!"

As Qing Chen walked out, he sighed. He had come to City No. 10 just to have some fun with Mr. Shadow.

The boy stood in the bustling cyberpunk city at midnight.

Before me were colorful neon lights, and golden holographic clouds flowed rapidly across the sky, converging perfectly with the blue whale at the end of the long street, as if the giant whale was rolling in the sea of clouds.

The boy's pupils narrowed, and the dazzling stripes of light on the buildings and the mechanical limbs on the pedestrians on the roadside converged together.

Shadow asked curiously, "What are you doing standing there? Why aren't you moving? By the way, the power structure of the Secret Intelligence Department is very simple. Your position is Secret Agent, and the 12 people under you are called Kite Falcon. They were all carefully selected for you by me, so you must make good use of them."

Qing Chen remained silent.

Shadow chuckled, "Go report to the Secret Intelligence Department with An Xin. There are many more interesting things waiting for you in the future... Huh?"

At that moment, Shadow suddenly realized that Qing Chen's figure had disappeared from the surveillance footage. The boy seemed to have a power that allowed him to vanish like a drop of water merging into the ocean whenever he entered a crowd.

Qing Chen did not change his appearance, but instead walked into the blind spot of all the surveillance cameras.

He was proving to the shadow that even though the other party was incredibly powerful, he still had a way to escape its control.

"That's even more interesting. I like being in control, but I like the uncertainty of the future even more," Shadow said before hanging up the phone.

In the 34 years of Shadow's life, his life was well-organized, as if everything was progressing according to his plan in the foreseeable future.

Including his own life.

People crave certainty in life, such as fantasizing about saving six million in the bank to earn interest and living a carefree life for the rest of their days.

For example, finding a stable job and then waiting to grow old.

For example, finding a faithful and unwavering love, hoping it will never change.

But Shadow felt that this kind of life was boring. When a person gets used to people, things and events being controlled, they actually prefer things that are uncertain.

Uncertainty equals surprise.

If you know what you're going to get beforehand, then it's not a surprise.

1:45 a. m.

The entrance to Caramel Bar.

The Caramel Bar is located on the first floor of the Thunderclap Tower. Yan Chunmi, Secret Intelligence Department, arrived 15 minutes early but did not see her new boss.

She muttered to herself, "He's someone who doesn't like to arrive early, but he's unlikely to be late, right?"

Just then, Qing Chen's voice came from behind her. "You've eaten three servings of takoyaki, two skewers of oden, a serving of braised chicken rice, and a steak on this trip. How can you eat so much? Didn't you say you were going to audition for a film tomorrow? Does a third-tier celebrity not need to manage their figure?"

Yan Chunmi suddenly turned around and saw her new boss's calm, still expression.

She suddenly realized that the other person had been following her all the way without her noticing.

In fact, Qing Chen not only knew that she had eaten so much, but also that when she crossed the first traffic light after leaving the Utopia Tower, she used her left leg.

Qing Chen walked past her and entered the Caramel Bar: "I need to be more careful when I eat in the future."

Yan Chunmi stubbornly bit her lip. She was already the best Kite Falcon in the group. If she wasn't careful enough, then the others were even less capable.

The new boss wasn't trying to remind her of anything, but rather to give her a warning through his actions, telling her to work diligently and not to overthink things.

Someone who can follow someone for several kilometers without being detected by her must have the ability to kill her silently.

In fact, a new batch of spies will be joining the company this time. In addition to the Shadow Candidate Qing Yi, Qing Shi, Qing Wen, Qing Wu, Qing Yuan, and Qing Xing, there are four more people.

These ten spies in total must each win over their twelve Kite Falcon and win their complete loyalty.

If a spy cannot win over the masses, then he is nothing more than a figurehead commander, since all of his intelligence and operational capabilities come from the Kite Falcon.

The Kite Falcon are the elite of the Qing Clan's intelligence system, and it is extremely difficult to recruit them. This means that the person in the position of secret agent must be very capable.

The Qing family is a conglomerate that highly values internal competition. From the Shadow Struggle to the secret agent command, the Kite Falcon, those with ability rise to the top and those without are dismissed. They never show any mercy.

Therefore, Yan Chunmi today, in colluding with Mr. Shadow to tease Qing Chen, were actually intended to make things difficult for him.

Unexpectedly, the slap in the face came so quickly.

Seeing Qing Chen enter the Caramel Bar, Qing Chen Yan Chunmi quickly followed. She asked him curiously, "Boss, when did you start following me?"

Qing Chen said, "From the moment you left the Utopia Tower, but I went back after you sat down and started eating braised chicken rice... It's not a good habit to rummage through other people's things without permission."

Today was his first day arriving in City No. 10, where he was renting a place. There were no personal belongings inside, so Mr. Shadow didn't tell the other party this information, otherwise the other party wouldn't have searched the house at all.

Yan Chunmi said, "Boss, don't try to trick me. I didn't go through your things."

Qing Chen glanced at her. "You only looked through the wardrobe, you didn't look at anything else."

For Qing Chen, any changes to his home are immediately apparent.

Yan Chunmi was genuinely shocked. She was about to say something, but Qing Chen didn't give her a chance. "There's no need to explain anything. We're about to work together to complete the task given by Mr. Shadow. It's normal for you to want to scrutinize your new boss, but you only get one chance like this."

Yan Chunmi lowered her head and whispered, "Okay, boss."

Qing Chen asked, "Where is the Secret Intelligence Department hidden?"

Yan Chunmi led Qing Chen deeper into the Caramel Bar, where there was an elevator belonging to the Thunderclap Tower that could directly connect to floors 2 through 132.

After entering the elevator, Yan Chunmi pressed eight buttons for each floor: 4, 10, 2, 18, 3, 16, 5, and 17.

The letters on the elevator buttons flashed a white light, then went out.

With a whoosh, the elevator did not go up, but instead went down.

Qing Chen silently counted in his mind, and when the elevator reached the 32nd second, it slowly stopped descending and reopened.

In front of them was a small office lit by dim yellow light. An elderly man wearing reading glasses sat at a worn-out desk, looking up at the two people in the elevator.

He thought for two seconds and said, "Qing Chen, you're the first one here. Mr. Shadow mentioned you."

Qing Chen stepped out of the elevator. "What's your name?"

The old man took off his reading glasses and smiled, "Just call me Old Shen."

Qing Chen sized up the other person, his gaze lingering on the reading glasses for a moment.

Old Shen chuckled, "My eyesight may be failing, but my mind is still sharp. You're probably curious why I wear Old Shen glasses, aren't you? After all, it's a simple surgery that can solve the problem; wearing reading glasses is just too much trouble."

Qing Chen frankly admitted, "I am a little curious."

Old Shen said, "I haven't left this underground place since thirty-two years ago, so I haven't had the chance to have eye surgery. Besides, I can't be anesthetized while sitting in this position, not even locally. If it affects my nerves, or if someone takes the opportunity to give me truth serum, that would be a big problem."

Old Shen continued, "Moreover, with today's technology, it's impossible to guard against everything. If someone were to implant something in my eyes during surgery, you would all be in great danger."

Qing Chen silently surveyed the house, only to notice three wooden doors behind Old Shen.

He couldn't imagine what it meant for a person to sit underground for thirty-two years. Could he, too, endure such loneliness?

Qing Chen asked, "Old Shen, is your surname Shen?"

Old Shen smiled and said, "How can I let an outsider sit in this position? My surname is Qing, and my name is Qing Shen."

Old Shen stood up and opened a door behind him, which led to a small room filled with bookshelves, on which were neatly arranged paper document bags.

Qing Chen never expected that in this high-tech era, the Qing Clan Secret Intelligence Department was still using the most ancient method to record all the secret agents' information.

Old Shen took out a new file folder and handed it to Qing Chen: "This is the information on all the Kite Falcon under your command. Memorize it here, and then I'll burn it. Check that the seal is intact. It was like this when Mr. Shadow personally delivered this information. I haven't touched it. I don't know who the Kite Falcon under your command are. Only you know."

Qing Chen thought that with the power of the Forbidden Item ACE-008 Shadow Gate in Shadow's possession, it would be quite convenient to enter and exit this place. However, he did not expect that Shadow would attach so much importance to the information on the Kite Falcon, and actually personally delivered it to this underground.

Qing Chen asked curiously, "What's behind those three doors?"

"You're quite curious," Old Shen said with a smile. "The door on the right is my living room, the one on the left contains all your spies, as well as information on the Kite Falcon under their command, and the door in the middle contains Hexogen explosive. If anyone breaks in, I will blow them to ashes along with them."

Qing Chen silently observed the other person's expression and found that the other person did not feel any psychological burden when saying those words.

He spent a full half hour looking at the information on the Kite Falcon.

This contains the contact information, cover identities, intelligence gathering methods, height, weight, measurements, and skills of 12 Kite Falcon.

There was one exception: the paper document originally listed the strength levels of all the Kite Falcon, but someone had deliberately crossed it all out with a black pen, as if someone didn't want Qing Chen to know so easily.

Without a doubt, it was Qing's shadow who painted it. No one but this shadow would joke about such important information from the Secret Intelligence Department.

Half an hour later, Qing Chen returned the documents to Old Shen.

In fact, Qing Chen could remember it at a glance, but he didn't want Yan Chunmi and Old Shen to know that he had a photographic memory.

Old Shen opened the drawer under his desk, where a small incinerator was revealed.

Old Shen muttered, "You're looking very carefully. Other spies only need ten minutes to look at their stuff. Let me think about what the procedure is... Oh right, you still have to take an oath, but Mr. Shadow told you you don't need to, so please go back."

Yan Chunmi, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment. No need to take an oath?!

Why?

It's important to know that all spies who come here must take an oath; this is a standard procedure.

The Shadow Man specifically instructed Qing Chen not to take an oath, which must have a deeper meaning.

But she couldn't understand why.

"That's all?" Qing Chen asked. "Shouldn't they have given us something? Like weapons?"

That's how secret agents in movies are portrayed. After becoming a top agent, they acquire high-tech weapons, like shoes that can eavesdrop or pens filled with high-performance explosives...

There are also rings that symbolize the identity of a top agent.

Old Shen asked with a smile, "What else do you want? If a spy has to come to me, Old Shen, for even how to acquire weapons, what kind of spy are they? Should I give you another badge to wear on your chest so you can walk down the street and tell everyone you're from the Qing family's Secret Intelligence Department?"

Qing Chen wasn't annoyed by the rebuke; he simply said goodbye calmly and then turned and walked into the elevator.

Old Shen watched him leave with a smile, as if he had done something very ordinary.

In the elevator, Qing Chen suddenly said, "Yan Chunmi, before I came, you should have been a secret agent on this group of Kite Falcon, right? After I came, you became Kite Falcon."

Yan Chunmi laughed and said, "How could that be? I've always been Kite Falcon."

As she spoke, Yan Chunmi stared straight at Qing Chen, without touching her nose or letting her gaze wander in any other direction; everything seemed normal.

Qing Chen smiled but didn't say anything, but he already had the answer in his heart.

In his judgment, the Kite Falcon was not qualified to enter this underground area at all. Old Shen was too important, and the information about this underground area was too important.

Therefore, Yan Chunmi must have a more important position, at least higher than that of the Kite Falcon.

The elevator goes up slower than it goes down.

As the elevator slowly ascended, Qing Chen asked, "Why has Old Shen willingly sat here for 32 years?"

Yan Chunmi thought for a moment and said, "I heard that 32 years ago, his whole family was assassinated, and he was the only survivor. After recovering, he vowed to find the murderer and avenge his family, and to spare the other members of the Qing family from such suffering, which is why he was willing to stay here."

"Understood," Qing Chen nodded. Hatred is the greatest motivation for a person to live.

Back at the Caramel Bar, Qing Chen walked straight out. "You can do as you please. I'll summon you if needed. Until then, don't show your face in front of me without permission."

Yan Chunmi felt a chill run down her spine. Despite the boy's young age, he gave her an inexplicable sense of pressure.

After Qing Chen left, Yan Chunmi sat in an empty booth at the bar.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man wearing a top hat appeared behind her, smiling, and asked, "How's the new boss?"

Yan Chunmi didn't turn around; she just sighed softly, "He's more formidable than I imagined, but he seems a bit difficult to get along with."

"I'm a bit disappointed. Our group is so strong, yet we weren't assigned a Shadow Candidate to be the boss," the middle-aged man said. "I really envy the other groups. If they bet on the right thing, they can even get a chance to rise to prominence. If they manage to get the new boss into the Shadow position, the whole group can rise to great heights."

Yan Chunmi thought for a moment and said, "But didn't you think about what would happen if you bet on the wrong person? There are six Shadow Candidate. Do you know who will have the last laugh? If you follow the wrong person, you will face a purge and retribution later."

"What's there to be afraid of? We can always run away to another place," the middle-aged man laughed. "Why don't you come with me and fly far away?"

"Stop joking around. I wouldn't even look at a man of your caliber," Yan Chunmi sneered. "Besides, the person who can become a Shadow must be the smartest one. Do you really think they'll let the Kite Falcon escape unscathed? Think about this Mr. Shadow now, are you confident you can escape his grasp?"

The middle-aged man suddenly felt a chill run down his spine when he thought of that Mr. Shadow.

He was a figure who commanded respect and awe whenever his name was mentioned.

At this moment, Yan Chunmi got up and left. "Work hard. This new boss is not simple. Maybe things will turn out for the better."

What she didn't say was why Mr. Shadow specifically instructed Qing Chen not to take an oath.

A 5,000-word chapter, with another chapter at 11 PM tonight.