"That person?" Hong Tao froze, then suddenly realized what Zhao Yifeng meant. "You mean..."
Even when facing Gluttony, he had been able to keep his composure, merely raising his guard.
Now, though, his face was full of fear, and even his voice trembled.
If the Investigation Department's investigators saw their squad leader like this, they would be utterly shocked.
Even a man of iron could be afraid?
Zhao Yifeng's eyes snapped open, sharp as lightning. He waved a hand and said:
"It's only a guess. That person probably won't venture deep into Central Province. The Central Bureau once conducted a psychological profile on him. He has his own principles, and if I'm not mistaken, there's a rift between him and their president."
Hong Tao let out a small breath of relief and steadied himself. "If there really is a rift between them, that would be great. But then again, it makes sense. When someone's achievements overshadow their superior's, they can become impossible to control. This is good news."
Zhao Yifeng nodded. "We'll set aside the news about Gluttony for now. The information we've received from various channels suggests that the Cleaning Association isn't making any major moves. Our priority is still whatever's inside Cloud Mountain."
Hong Tao said gravely, "Judging by what happened this time, the Unity Society wanted to use a diversion to make us lower our guard around Cloud Mountain. They even dragged the Cleaning Association into it as a scapegoat..."
Zhao Yifeng rose and walked to the window. Gazing out into the heavy darkness, he said, "I just don't think it's that simple... We've had leads about that thing for a long time, yet the Unity Society waited until tonight to make a major move. It's strange. They were behind several of the abnormal incidents before this, but each one was resolved easily. That doesn't make sense..."
They had known about the leads concerning Cloud Mountain for many days, yet the Unity Society had waited until tonight to make a big move. It was strange.
Just then, someone knocked. Hong Tao went to open the door, and a middle-aged man with graying hair and the air of a scholar stepped inside.
"Old Zhao, what exactly was that monster that appeared on Cloud Mountain tonight?... At this rate, everyone's going to panic..."
Zhao Yifeng turned around, his face already bright with a warm smile. "Director Kong, what brings you here in person? It was just an abnormal infected being. It didn't cause any damage, did it? There's no need to worry. Handling things like this is what the Anomaly Bureau does best."
Director Kong of the Cultural Relics Bureau shook his head with a bitter smile. "To be honest, I'd heard rumors about your bureau before, but I never imagined they were all true... That monster was a nightmare... A lot of our people are suffering from post-traumatic stress now. And then there were the archaeology team members who died a few days ago. When will this all end?"
He then looked up at Zhao Yifeng. "It's laughable that I was worried about damage to the relics and refused to let you get involved. Only now do I understand what we're up against."
At that, Hong Tao immediately realized that what had happened on Cloud Mountain tonight was far from simple.
The casualties were likely much worse than had been disclosed.
Zhao Yifeng's expression turned solemn. "Old Kong, the confidentiality regulations prevent me from telling you many things. But don't worry. Now that we've pinpointed the underground palace, we'll move as quickly as possible and put an end to this!"
After comforting Director Kong of the Cultural Relics Bureau, Kong Wenqing, and seeing him out, Zhao Yifeng's smile vanished at once. He turned to Hong Tao and said, "I can't shake the feeling that the Unity Society has another objective. They're creating confusion, using a diversion, even drawing out the Cleaning Association, yet in the end, they've only made us take Cloud Mountain more seriously. Could they really be that stupid?"
"You mean...?"
"Speed up the excavation of the underground palace on Cloud Mountain. If necessary, use explosives. At the same time, assign a separate squad, with two extra Awakened, to patrol Gu City. Send Yang Gan too."
"Yes, sir!" Hong Tao snapped to attention.
Only after making those arrangements did Zhao Yifeng feel the weight in his chest ease a little.
Just then, a bespectacled young man with a head of naturally curly hair and a studious air walked in. He said to Zhao Yifeng, "Director, the Dissection Department has been working very diligently lately. Their completed reports are also quite thorough, and they've been a big help to our Research Department. Do you think we should commend them bureau-wide and have everyone learn from their work ethic? It might encourage them, too."
Zhao Yifeng glanced at the detailed report the Dissection Department had just sent over, then nodded. "It's a small matter. You handle it."
"Cheers, Director!"
In a private room at the Xidelong Hotel, the people from the Dissection Department had just finished bathing and getting their feet massaged. They raised their beer glasses together, clinked them with cheerful smiles, and drained them in one go.
Then they slumped back in the large wooden armchairs and sighed with contentment.
All their fatigue had vanished.
A satisfied smile appeared on Li Fan's face, and Keke's cheeks were rosy too.
After leaving the bureau, the guys had grabbed a bite, then enjoyed a bath, a scrub, a foot massage, and a full-body massage—all in one package. They'd spent four or five hours at it, had lunch, then slept for a long while before finally coming to the private room to raise their glasses.
And so, a comfortable day had passed.
Time had flown by in the blink of an eye, taking them completely by surprise.
They hadn't even had time to go to work before it was time to clock out.
It was already night.
Xidelong certainly lived up to its reputation.
If you wanted to really unwind, this was the kind of place to come.
The likes of the Red Star International Hotel might be luxurious, but they weren't good places to relax.
"Come on, I'd like to propose a toast to our director! Having such a thoughtful leader and such considerate seniors is a real blessing for me!" Li Fan stood and raised his glass with a grin.
It really felt great. Sharing the joy was better than enjoying it alone. Getting to work in such a comfortable environment, surrounded by coworkers who were on the same wavelength, made him truly happy.
And he owed all of it to Director Wu Qian.
What was that saying? A weak commander made for a weak army; a good leader was incredibly important.
"Good suggestion, Section Chief Li!"
"You got that right, Fan!"
"Come on, let's toast Director Wu!"
"Bottoms up!"
His colleagues immediately joined in, raising their glasses in response. Everyone cheerfully tipped their heads back and downed their drinks, followed by another chorus of "ahh!"
Flattery always went down well, and Wu Qian clearly enjoyed Li Fan's words.
He narrowed his eyes and said, "My philosophy is that work can make you miserable, or it can make you happy. Since we have a choice, why not be happy?"
Then his expression shifted, turning a little troubled. "Still, there really have been more abnormal incidents lately, and they're happening more frequently. We'll probably have plenty of overtime ahead—maybe once or twice every month. You'll have to bear with it."
Ma Lihua popped a peanut into her mouth and waved a hand. "It's just morning shifts. That's nothing. We all know how things work around here, Director. Don't worry."
The group, all in high spirits from drinking, eagerly pledged their loyalty.
"Exactly. We all know what the work atmosphere in our department is like. How could we not be satisfied?"
"Just give us the work, and I'd like to see anyone refuse. I'd be the first to object!"
"But come to think of it, things really do seem more unsettled lately. There are way too many abnormal infections. It was never like this before."
"I feel like we've dissected as many bodies this year as we did in the last five."
"Right. I remember a few years ago, finding a deformed corpse counted as a big case. Most of the time, people just developed mental problems after getting infected. The most shocking case back then was a man who swallowed an entire cat alive. I was scared stiff at the time, but looking back now, that's nothing."
As they chatted, they started talking about the abnormal incidents they'd encountered before.
After all, there had been a lot of them lately.
The existence of the Anomaly Bureau had originally been kept under partial secrecy from the public.
Bureau regulations required its members to keep things confidential, but some people had heard plenty through other channels.
So now it was public, but not entirely public.
With abnormal incidents becoming more and more frequent, they would probably be harder to keep secret in the future.
"The infected person I dissected the year before last was truly bizarre. He was covered in mushrooms, even inside his esophagus. My scalp went numb when I saw him. I still shudder when I think about it."
Hu Zhengqi shuddered as he spoke.
Li Fan shuddered too.
He knew that mushroom corpse.
"Being scary is one thing, but the one I dealt with during overtime last year was downright creepy. They said he died of Long Sleep Syndrome and had died alone. By the time they found him, he'd become a mummy. But when we examined him, we found that he was still experiencing rapid eye movement! The key thing was that his eyeballs had dried up, yet they were still moving! I had to smoke a whole pack before I could calm down."
Zhang Hongbing took a drag and spoke slowly.
The dissectors present were all a little tipsy. One after another, they shared stories about the abnormal infected beings they'd encountered and discussed what might have caused their conditions.
It had turned into a professional exchange.
After they'd eaten and drunk for a while, Liu Dalong, Zhang Hongbing, and Ma Lihua got up to go pee. The rest began clinking glasses and chatting among themselves.
"Ke Ke, I didn't realize you could hold your liquor so well." Li Fan gave Ke Ke, whose cheeks were flushed and eyes bright, a heartfelt compliment.
Ke Ke said shyly, "I used to work cleaning tanks at a distillery. The fumes built up my tolerance."
Li Fan clicked his tongue. She really had worked every job under the sun.
Everyone was completely relaxed now, and Li Fan more than anyone. He'd nearly forgotten that he was the Collector and was working undercover in a dangerous situation. The pressure had lifted from him considerably.
Suddenly, a shrill scream came from outside.
"Holy crap!"
It was Liu Dalong!
Everyone immediately rushed outside. They saw Zhang Hongbing and Ma Lihua lying on the ground, with blood nearby. A huge, bizarre creature, over two meters tall and resembling a cross between an octopus and a spider, had Liu Dalong wrapped up. It hung him upside down from the ceiling as it scuttled rapidly into the distance!
"Snap!"
The hotel lights went out!
Before you continue