Accompanying the Sovereign is Like Accompanying a Tiger

On the first floor of the villa, inside a grand dining room decorated in an antique style, Li Fan's family and his colleagues from the Anomaly Bureau were gathered around a massive round table.

The table was laden with delicacies and high-end spirits, while a housekeeper bustled about nearby.

The young members of the Anomaly Bureau had yet to recover from their shock, glancing around at the villa's furnishings between bites and sips.

"Oh, Mr. Li, rest assured! Li Fan is a steady, hardworking, and incredibly talented young man. He made a major contribution the moment he joined our department—he has a bright future ahead of him!"

At the table, Wu Qian gripped the father's hand and patted his own chest as he spoke.

The father, carrying himself with the air of a successful businessman, smiled gently:

"I appreciate Director Wu's guidance. I'll leave Xiao Fan in your capable hands. To be honest, I know nothing but business, so I'm afraid I can't help him much with his work."

He then turned to the young Anomaly Bureau staff, raised his glass, and said:

"Come, you talented young people. Your presence today brings such light to my humble home. Please, feel free to visit often with Xiao Fan. You are all welcome! Let me toast you all first!"

With that, he downed his drink in one go.

"Thank you, Uncle Li!"

"You're too kind, Uncle Li!"

"Brother Fan, you kept this hidden from us for so long!"

Zhao Lei and the others raised their glasses to drink, not forgetting to tease Li Fan.

The mother, possessing a refined and elegant temperament that marked her as a lady of high breeding, said softly:

"Everyone, please eat. Don't just drink. I'll have Auntie Zhang simmer some rock sugar and pear soup in a little while."

The table was filled with laughter and conversation.

Through their talk, everyone learned that Li Fan's father was in the liquor business, serving as the sole distributor for a well-known brand across the entire Southwest region. Having spent his youth working abroad, he had built a formidable network, which explained their substantial wealth.

Li Fan's mother was a woman of noble grace; once her husband's capable partner in business, she had since retired to focus entirely on art.

They had bought this villa two years ago. Aside from the couple, the household included Auntie Zhang the cook, Old Sun the gardener, and Driver Chen.

The couple was overjoyed to have Li Fan back home.

By now, Wang Chaolong, Zhang Ya, and the others were completely won over.

No one had expected Li Fan to be so low-key.

He had been hiding his light under a bushel; he was actually a wealthy second-generation heir.

Not only could they not compete with him at work, but his family background was also in a league of its own.

"Brother Fan, with your family being this rich, why did you join the Anomaly Bureau?" Zhao Lei asked, looking somewhat puzzled.

If Li Fan had possessed immense psychic power, it might have made sense, but his power wasn't particularly high. Wasn't joining such a dangerous place just asking for trouble?

The group of young trainee investigators nearby pricked up their ears, eager to hear Li Fan's explanation.

Li Fan took a bite of food, sighed, and said:

"In this day and age, anomalies are occurring more frequently and with greater intensity. What good is money alone? Although the Anomaly Bureau keeps its operations secret, our actual status in society is quite high."

Wang Chaolong nodded immediately:

"Brother Fan is right. In this world, money needs the protection of power. Come, Brother Fan, let me toast you!"

Li Fan smiled as he drank with Wang Chaolong, silently mocking the guy for being so deeply poisoned by bureaucracy—it was always about money or power; he really should have joined the Cleaning Association.

The host and guests were all satisfied. Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Wu Qian led the group away, promising to give Li Fan a day off.

Li Fan righteously declined the offer, and while seeing his boss to the car, he had Old Sun load several cases of liquor into Wu Qian's vehicle.

The rest of the brothers also received a few bottles each as a welcoming gift.

The group left, thoroughly satisfied.

After standing at the villa entrance with his parents to wave the Anomaly Bureau cars off, Li Fan returned to the living room and collapsed onto the sofa.

The father and mother's expressions shifted instantly; they stood trembling, unsure if they dared to enter.

The gardener, the driver, and the nanny had all vanished without a trace.

They had never expected the Collector to be promoted to a full investigator on his very first day, let alone become a section chief!

Most importantly, they never imagined the Collector would actually come "home" to stay.

"This is bad, this is terrible. We weren't notified at all. Will he be angry? Are... are our living conditions too conspicuous? Do they not meet the requirements?" the father asked the mother, his voice trembling.

After the Cuckoo Project began, the Cleaning Association cell controlled by the Collector had gone into hibernation, with all affairs managed primarily by the father and mother.

They were also in charge of the funds.

Because of this, they hadn't been stingy when choosing the base, but they hadn't sought the Collector's approval either.

The mother was equally nervous, though not as panicked as the father. She said:

"Although the Collector has always been frugal, believing that only a simple soul can enter the abyss to serve the Lord of the Abyss, we did this for the success of the Cuckoo Project. Yes, for the Cuckoo Project! Besides, as the Collector's subordinates, we must project power on his behalf, otherwise those treacherous fools in the Association will lose their respect for the Master!"

As if trying to convince herself, the mother added:

"I know Master Collector's personality is... rather strict. If this explanation doesn't satisfy him later, we must apologize sincerely! Remember that!"

Father looked toward the empty garden and cursed under his breath:

"Damn it, Old Chen and Old Sun have no loyalty at all; they both ran off!"

Mother replied:

"They were afraid that if Lord Collector got unhappy, he'd tear them apart... Alright, let's go. Pull yourself together!"

She then took a deep breath and led the way toward the living room.

Father tried his best to remain calm, following closely behind.

Entering the living room, Father and Mother stood at attention before Li Fan, who looked up to meet their gaze.

Both sides were terrified.

"Lord Collector, please forgive our presumption; this villa is..." Mother began.

Li Fan waved his hand gently, cutting her off. Her face turned deathly pale, and she exchanged a glance with Father, their hearts sinking into the abyss.

Then, Li Fan said expressionlessly:

"You have done well."

Father and Mother's hearts were instantly pulled back from the depths of hell.

Lord Collector was satisfied!

He liked this place!

Could it be that even a saint has moments of weariness?

Or did the events at the Anomaly Bureau change his preferences?

Regardless, this was a good thing.

Father hurriedly said:

"I never expected that you would rise to the leadership of the Anomaly Bureau in just one day. I am truly in awe!"

Li Fan nodded slightly and said:

"I am only staying temporarily, so there is no need to be nervous. Is there any news from headquarters?"

Mother quickly replied:

"Early this morning, we received an encrypted message from headquarters stating that the aura of the Lord of the Abyss has been detected in the direction of Gu City. They hope you can locate the anomalous item that appeared last night; headquarters is offering a massive reward."

Li Fan remained expressionless. He casually opened his backpack, pulled out a bag of Shell Currency, and tossed it to Father, saying:

"Take it."

Father and Mother opened the bag and, upon seeing the Shell Currency inside, immediately felt the faint psychic radiation emanating from them.

As powerful Awakened, they could sense that each of these Shell Currency pieces had once possessed at least one hundred units of anomalous psychic radiation.

The sheer quantity was enough to demonstrate the intensity of the psychic radiation!

Moreover, they could even sense the remnants of a once-powerful will.

That powerful will now existed only as a trace of psychic radiation, clearly having been erased by the Collector.

Although they already had a bone-deep understanding of the Collector's power, seeing these items still left them deeply shaken.

To be this powerful, almost comparable to a god, yet to feel exactly like an ordinary person—this terrifying contrast only made them fear him more.

For a moment, they couldn't even manage a word of flattery.

Li Fan stood up and said:

"I am a bit tired."

Mother hurriedly said:

"We have already prepared the largest suite on the second floor for you; you may move in immediately."

When they had spent the funds to buy the villa, they had reserved a room for the Collector as a form of insurance. If he were displeased, they could claim it was all for Lord Collector.

They hadn't expected it to come in handy now.

Li Fan nodded and headed to the room on the second floor.

Thud! The door closed.

Li Fan upstairs and Father and Mother downstairs all let out a sigh of relief at the same time.

"Old Li, arrange a secure delivery channel immediately to send these items to the New Continent headquarters," Mother said solemnly, packing the Shell Currency into a leather case.

Father nodded: "It's a good thing we prepared the room in advance. I hope he is satisfied."

They could not let the Collector think they were incompetent.

From now on, they would have to be diligent and conscientious.

After all, serving a master is like sleeping with a tiger.

In the second-floor suite, the heavy curtains kept the room in darkness.

Li Fan switched on the light.

The walls of the room were lined with wooden shelves.

On the shelves sat human heads—air-dried and cured, submerged in formalin, or preserved as taxidermy specimens.

They watched Li Fan from every direction.

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