Taking Office: Federal Central Intelligence Agency Inspector

Early morning.

Qing Yi sat at the dining table in his mansion, eating the breakfast prepared by the servants: fried eggs, white porridge, pickled vegetables, scallion pancakes, and steamed buns. It wasn't particularly luxurious, just rather refined.

After finishing his meal, he wiped his mouth and walked outside. There were already six bodyguards waiting in the elevator. They were people he had asked his mother to send, and they were all elite soldiers.

In fact, Qing Yi had more than just these bodyguards; there were two more in the elevator, and he would even use a life detector to check the elevator shaft before each elevator ride.

Downstairs, two other people were guarding the convoy to prevent anyone from tampering with the vehicles.

Qing Yi bought more than one house in the third district of City No. 10. He bought two units on this floor and four units upstairs and downstairs, a total of six units, to be used for security personnel and servants.

This is a genuine trip by the core members of a conglomerate; the security personnel alone numbered an entire combat squad.

Qing Yi got into his executive-class car, and then his phone rang. The caller ID showed Li Ke.

He slightly curled the corners of his mouth, then felt that his reaction was a bit inappropriate, so he waited for the phone to ring about ten times before answering it, and then calmly asked, "Why are you calling me so early in the morning?"

In this executive-class vehicle, there is a soundproof panel between the rear seats and the driver, so the driver cannot hear what the passengers in the back are saying.

To direct the driver, you must press the intercom button next to the seat...

Li Ke on the other end of the phone didn't seem to care about his tone. "I heard you're going to participate in the third round of the Shadow Struggle, so I'm just reminding you to be careful. You're going to Intelligence Department Three Division today, right? The Intelligence Department Two is my family's; I've already spoken to my father about it. If you need anything, you can let me know."

Qing Yi said, "I am a member of the Qing family, and you are a member of the Li family. How can a member of the Qing family ask the Li family for help when something happens? Who are you looking down on?"

Li Ke said, "Being careful is never a bad thing. By the way, if you want to get along well with the agents under the Intelligence Department Three, remember to control your bad temper and don't flaunt your wealth to those agents. Be low-key and blend in with everyone. That way, they will be willing to work for you."

Qing Yi amused and exasperated. "Why have you become so fussy? I'm different from the other Shadow Candidate, okay? I'm too young, so it's hard for me to convince anyone no matter what I do. It's better to act rich and pretend to be young, so the other Shadow Candidate will look down on me. Everyone has a different strategy, and I have mine. Not only will I act rich, but I'll also bring bodyguards to work. Once they all look down on me, they'll be sorry."

For some reason, Qing Yi involuntarily told Li Ke the whole plan.

Actually, this is wrong, because he shouldn't have told anyone about such an important secret as the Shadow Struggle, especially since Li Ke is a member of the Li family.

But Qing Yi didn't feel there was anything wrong with it. The relationship between the two of them had become somewhat delicate at some point.

They're like friends, but neither of them admits they're friends.

Li Ke: "If you have your own ideas, I won't say anything. I'll send you the contact information of an inspector from the Intelligence Department Two later. Remember to contact him if you're in danger. I asked my father to specifically ask the Privy Council to speak to him."

Qing Yi said impatiently, "Why is there so much trouble? Hey, I already said I don't need Li's help!"

Li Ke: "I've already sent it to you."

Qing Yi: "... By the way, where's your master? Didn't he take you on a journey? You're back now, where is he?"

Li Ke explained, "Sir left the Li family alone, and I don't know where he went. What, do you need him for something? If you miss him, you can call him. Don't you have his phone number?"

Qing Yi panicked. "I miss him? How could that be? I was just asking where he went."

Li Ke: "Okay."

Qing Yi was speechless. The other party's reply was clearly very perfunctory, "Alright, I'm already at the Federal Central Intelligence Agency, I'm not talking to you anymore."

Li Ke said, "Okay, I'll call you again tomorrow."

Qing Yi was initially in a depressed mood because he was going to pretend to be stupid at the Federal Central Intelligence Agency, but after making this phone call, he felt much more relaxed.

Some people knew that he wasn't really stupid or naive, and that Li Ke had even asked his father, who was now in charge of the Li family, to have the Privy Intelligence Department Two Bureau to secretly assist him.

Perhaps this is the significance of the second round of the Shadow Struggle, and also Qing Yi's advantage.

When he got out of the car, Qing Yi even carried a backpack, making it look like he was going to school rather than going to work.

He told his security supervisor, "Park all the vehicles in the most conspicuous spot at the PCA entrance, so everyone can see them when they come in and out. If anyone asks whose car it is, tell them it's a car my parents arranged for me. You guys will have to work hard and take turns standing guard by the cars. I'll give you some extra pay when we get back."

The security supervisor bowed and said, "Boss, you're too kind. There's no need to pay extra for such a small task."

Qing Yi shook his head. "One thing at a time."

After he joined the PCA (Federal Central Intelligence Agency), he would call everyone he met "brother" or "sister," being incredibly enthusiastic.

Upon arriving at the Intelligence Department Three, he was astonished to see the agents who had visited him the day before now gathered around Qing Wen, chattering away.

Qing Wen, dressed in a PCA (CIA) uniform, looked humble, and had long since taken off the watch on his wrist that was worth a house in the Upper Third District.

In this report, Qing Wen is from the fourth group of the Intelligence Department Three, Qing Shi is from the fifth group, Qing Wu is from the sixth group, Qing Yuan from the Seventh Group, Qing Yi from the eighth group, and Qing Xing from the ninth group.

At this moment, the agents of the Eighth Group under Qing Yi saw that their real boss had arrived, so they quickly said goodbye to Qing Wen and came to Qing Yi's side.

Although they felt that Qing Yi had no chance of winning the Shadow Struggle, they still had to give him face.

Otherwise, if Qing Yi's parents felt that their child had been wronged by the PCA (CIA), they would also be unable to bear it.

To the conglomerates, they are nothing more than ants struggling to survive.

An agent approached Qing Yi and said cautiously, "We saw that Qing Wen arrived early, so we went over to say a few words."

Qing Yi smiled and said, "Brothers and sisters, you don't need to worry."

After saying that, he walked straight to Qing Wen's side, and with his watermelon-shaped haircut, he said obediently, "Brother Qing Wen, congratulations on your victory in City No. 18."

He was referring to the fact that Qing Wen killed Qing Zhong. Although Qing Zhong did not kill Qing Wen himself, from the outside perspective, Qing Wen did win.

Qing Wen looked at Qing Yi with a friendly expression. "I heard that after you arrived in City No. 18, you went to the Banshan Manor?"

Qing Yi nodded. "Yes, I went to visit Aunt Changqing. She was worried that something might have happened to me, so she said that since I had no intention of participating in the Shadow Struggle, I might as well stay at the Banshan Manor."

It should be noted that Qing Yi the first to declare that he had no interest in the Shadow Struggle. He even gave the Forbidden Item ACE-090 Immortal Brooch that he obtained in the first round to Qing Wen early on.

His age is also the objective condition that is most easily underestimated.

At this moment, Qing Yi smiled and said, "Brother Qing Wen, I don't have the ability to complete the task given by Mr. Shadow. How about this, if you need manpower, you can transfer manpower from me at any time."

As he spoke, Qing Yi looked at the detectives of his eighth team. "Brothers and sisters, remember, if Qing Wen needs any help, you must all lend a hand."

The agents were secretly pleased. Although they hadn't landed a top candidate like Qing Wen as their inspector, they had genuinely helped Qing Wen, and he would certainly not forget them if he rose to Qing Wen.

However, it seems that Qing Yi really has no intention of participating in the Shadow Struggle?

What they didn't know was that Qing Yi's Kite Falcon, and the chat between the agents yesterday was sent to Qing Yi the Kite Falcon.

Therefore, he was eager for Qing Wen to take his eighth group out to work, so that his Kite Falcon could report Qing Wen's every move.

Just then, a confused voice came from outside the main office and asked, "Whose wallet is this?"

Qing Yi knew who it was without even looking, Qing Xing.

For some reason, this Qing Xing has had a mysterious buff since childhood. It seems that he has been picking up money whenever he goes out since he was 7 years old, and all kinds of good things seem to happen to him, as if he is a person chosen by fate.

This story has become legendary within the Qing family, with people saying that he was born different from others and was blessed with good fortune.

Qing Xing, my name wasn't originally Qing Xing, but Qingchong. Later, I was so lucky that my father changed my name to Qing Xing.

Just then, an agent rushed up to Qing Xing from outside the corridor and said, "Hello, this is my wallet..."

Qing Xing, she calmly nodded. "Here, take it back."

After saying that, the young man in his twenties left as if nothing had happened and went to his office to report for duty.

It's like they've long been used to finding money and wallets on the ground.

Gradually, all the Shadow Candidate arrived.

Unsurprisingly, all the Shadow Candidate dressed very simply, completely abandoning their airs as the core scions of the conglomerate, and tried to blend in with their agents. They even ate lunch in the cafeteria.

Qing Yi was the only exception. He didn't interact much with the agents under his command. During work hours, he would just sit at his desk and daydream. At lunchtime, he would go to his executive-class car at the entrance to eat, which was filled with exquisite and rare food.

Qing Yi sent a message to his Kite Falcon: "Why can't I see the location of Intelligence Department One's office?"

Kite Falcon replied, "Intelligence Department One is an independent department, located about one kilometer away."

Qing Yi found it strange. "Why do you want to break away and become independent?"

Kite Falcon: "Various financial groups have sent elite intelligence personnel to compete for legitimate intelligence power. Therefore, in order to prevent others from being affected when those living devils fight each other, the top brass of the PCA allowed the Intelligence Department One Division to operate independently."

Qing Yi put down his phone and continued eating. He felt he should take a trip to the Intelligence Department One when he had the chance, as it seemed to be the real Federal Central Intelligence Agency.

One kilometer away.

Qing Chen stood outside a dilapidated building, silently observing it. Compared to other towering buildings that seemed to reach the clouds, this building was like a department store from an old era in the Outer World.

It has only nine floors, and even the glass structure on the outside of the building is dilapidated and no one is cleaning it.

The only unusual thing is that there is a courtyard outside the building, with a three-meter-high wall and a neat fence-like electric fence on the wall, and surveillance cameras everywhere.

The main gate of the courtyard was as strict as a prison, with a small door beneath the huge iron gate.

Qing Chen stepped forward and pressed the doorbell. With a beep, a middle-aged man inside opened the iron window of the small door and asked expressionlessly, "Who is it?"

Qing Chen glanced at the other person calmly, then showed his letter of appointment and said, "Newly appointed Inspector."

The middle-aged man immediately put on a smiling face, "Oh dear, why didn't you say so earlier? Look at the mess this has made."

With a click, the small iron gate, just wide enough for one person to pass through, opened, and the middle-aged man led Qing Chen inside.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "The Seventh Group you are in charge of is on the third floor. The entire floor belongs to you, and all your agents are here. No one is out investigating cases today."

"Yes," Qing Chen nodded.

Upon reaching the third floor, the middle-aged man called out, "The new inspector is here."

The atmosphere was a bit strange, though, because none of the more than ninety agents in their seats stood up; they were all busy with their own tasks with blank expressions.

The middle-aged man immediately slipped away when he sensed the awkward atmosphere. Qing Chen suddenly realized something: the other Shadow Candidate's agents were all waiting to flatter them, while the agents and Kite Falcon he was about to take over were all waiting to be scrutinized...

This is because the Intelligence Department One cannot tolerate people who are just trying to get by. If the leadership is too weak, the entire team will suffer.

At this moment, a middle-aged man came up to Qing Chen and extended his hand. "Hello, Inspector. I am Qing Hua, the acting head of the Seventh Group before you came. I am a trainee inspector."

Another young man, around thirty years old, stood up and said with a smile, "Hello, Inspector, I am a trainee inspector from Group Seven, my name is Qing Zhun."

Qing Zhun was someone Mr. Shadow had mentioned, saying that he could be trusted.

Qing Chen looked over and found that the other person was handsome, well-proportioned, and looked very capable.

The organizational structure of Intelligence Department One is somewhat different from the other divisions. In Intelligence Department Three, a trainee inspector can manage 36 agents on his own.

The Intelligence Department One consists of 96 agents, along with one full-time inspector and two probationary inspectors.

The specifications are much higher.

Qing Chen looked at Qing Hua: "What do I need to do now?"

Qing Hua seemed to have been prepared. He led Qing Chen to the inspector's office and said, "Your identification code is your account password. You can log in to the electronic archive to view all PCA files. Only you, me, and Qing Zhun in Group Seven have this permission. Please take a look at the past files first to get a general understanding of the cases we have handled before, so that it will be easier for you to start your work."

Qing Chen asked, "What cases are you currently investigating?"

Qing Hua smiled and said, "Why don't you take a look at the database first?"

Qing Chen nodded and sat down decisively.

He opened the vast database of information and suddenly realized that this was the first show of force his subordinates were giving him.

If a normal person wanted to read through all those past documents, it would probably take forever.

During this period, if he wanted to interfere in the affairs of Group Seven, the other party could always use "you don't understand the situation" as an excuse to brush him off.

This is probably a common tactic in office politics, it doesn't involve any real intrigue, but it's very effective.

Qing Chen was very patient, and he sat there for 7 hours.

Outside the inspector's office, someone whispered to Qing Hua, "This must be someone Mr. Shadow sent, right? Will there be any problems if we give him this show of force?"

Qing Hua calmly swept his gaze over all the detectives. "You are all the Qing family's pawns in the PCA. If the leader is incompetent, none of us will have a good life. If he can't even handle this small matter, I will apply to the family to replace him. But if he is outstanding, I, Qing Hua, can kneel down and apologize to him. It has nothing to do with you."

After that, the agents had no further objections.

Qing Hua was right about one thing: more than ten years ago, the Seventh Division had a very stubborn and self-willed inspector who led the detectives into a trap set by Kashima, resulting in the death of 90% of the team.

Nobody wants this to happen again.

That evening, after receiving a message, Qing Chen left his office and headed straight for the door.

After he left, the detectives exchanged glances. "Is he planning to go home? He didn't say a word. Maybe he's still angry about that show of force."

"I would also get angry if I had to look at so much information."

Qing Hua thought for a moment and said, "Let's take another look."

What they didn't know was that after leaving the main office, Qing Chen didn't leave the building of Intelligence Department One, but went to an interrogation room on the 7th floor.

The video and audio recording equipment in the interrogation room had all been turned off, and a middle-aged man was waiting quietly.

Qing Chen pushed open the door and entered. The middle-aged man stood up politely and said, "Greetings, sir. Commander Li Yunshou asked me to give you his regards."

Qing Chen calmly asked, "Does he have any news he wants you to bring me?"

The middle-aged man said politely, "There's nothing special to report. I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Li Yunqu. If you need any assistance in the future, please let me know, and I will do my best to cooperate."

Qing Chen nodded. "I appreciate the thought, but there's nothing I can help with right now. By the way, which floor are the people from Kamishiro, Kashima, and the Chen family on?"

Li Yunqu said, "Kamidai is on the 4th floor, Kashima is on the 5th floor, the Chen family is on the 2nd floor, and our Li family is on the 6th floor. Currently, Kamiya and Kashima are probably fully investigating a missing person case from the first half of this year. That case may be related to the shadow of the Qing family. They may be trying to find clues related to the shadow of the Qing family through this case."

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I understand. What is the Li family investigating?"

Li Yunqu said, "In our investigation of the Mechanical God Cult, we suspect that the financial backers behind the Mechanical God Cult are connected to the Age of Gods."

"Okay, thank you," Qing Chen nodded. "If you need any help, feel free to let me know."

After saying that Qing Chen turned around and went back to the third floor.

Li Yunqu stood in the interrogation room and respectfully watched Qing Chen leave. For someone from the Li faction like him, Qing Chen was one of the few people in the entire conglomerate who could sit at the council table.

This is a truly great person, an existence as unattainable as a cloud in the sky.

Many people thought that Qing Chen came to the Intelligence Department One alone, and even Mr. Qing's Shadow might think so.

But that's not the case.

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