He Was Exposed!

"...Dear colleagues and comrades, after half a year of training, you're finally about to take up your new positions and embark on a new journey. I wish you bright futures and great achievements!"

The balding Director Zhao Yifeng stood on the dais, beaming and full of energy. He delivered his speech with impassioned enthusiasm, earning a round of thunderous applause from the thousands of people in the hall.

The hall was clearly divided into sections. The first few rows on the far left were filled entirely with trainee investigators wearing gray training uniforms.

On the right sat members of the Support Department, all in white protective suits. They looked rather dispirited.

Near the center on the left sat the bureaucrats from the Political and Personnel Department, all wearing the look of people who never did a day's work.

Near the center on the right sat the members of the Combat Department, radiating bloodlust as they sat ramrod straight in black combat uniforms. Many of them looked refined and handsome, but their eyes were full of killing intent.

In the very front row, eight people sat scattered about in casual clothes, men and women, young and old.

There was a heavily made-up middle-aged man, a burly young woman, and even a little girl wearing glasses and carrying a large backpack.

These people were the Anomaly Bureau Southwest Branch's most powerful assets.

Awakened individuals who wielded mental powers.

Li Fan sat in the last row, both hands in his pockets. One held the resignation letter he had just fished out of the director's mailbox with tape; the other gripped the detonator. He surveyed the Anomaly Bureau members present.

He had committed the names of the Cuckoo Project infiltrators firmly to memory, then burned the paper to ashes.

The names on the list had shocked him. He had never imagined that the Cleaning Association had infiltrated the Anomaly Bureau to this extent.

There were nine Cleaning Association spies inside the Anomaly Bureau.

But according to "Father," the infiltrators operated on a strict need-to-know basis. They didn't know who their superiors were.

In other words, Li Fan knew they existed, but they didn't know about him—or even about one another.

Quite a few were merely peripheral members of the Cleaning Association, obvious cannon fodder.

It was a pity that the Collector's identity was just too shocking. Otherwise, Li Fan would have considered taking the whistleblower route to clear his name.

Zhao Lei nudged Li Fan with his elbow and asked in a low voice,

"Fan, why are you so late? The meeting's almost over."

Li Fan slumped over the table and said,

"My parents came to visit. I just saw them off. Besides, I've already been assigned to the Dissection Department, so it doesn't matter whether I attend the meeting."

At that, Zhao Qianxue, seated in front of him, turned around and frowned.

"Li Fan, what's gotten into you? You were one of the top students in training just a few months ago. Why have you suddenly given up on yourself? Look at Ouyang. You used to outrank him, but now he's awakened an ability and become the strongest among our batch. He's even going up to give a speech as our new recruit representative. He's definitely getting into a frontline department."

The ponytailed young woman looked completely baffled, as if she couldn't bear to see him waste his potential.

The handsome, resolute-looking man sitting beside her was Ouyang. He glanced at Li Fan but said nothing.

They had all joined the frontline Investigation Department. From here on, they were bound to soar. They were no longer on the same path.

The fact that they could still exchange a few words was a courtesy to their old friendship.

At last, the director finished his speech and began calling out names.

"Ouyang, Zhao Qianxue, Hong Botao, Sun Zhenglong, Zhao Qinqin, Zhang Jiaju... The following thirteen trainee investigators, please come to the dais to receive your Outstanding Trainee Awards!"

The trainees whose names were called broke into delighted smiles. Some others, who had excellent scores but hadn't been called, felt bitterly aggrieved and muttered things like, "It's all about connections."

The thirteen trainees lined up on the dais to receive their certificates from the bureau's leaders.

The certificates had bright red covers with gold lettering, making them look both tacky and festive.

Once they had their certificates, the outstanding trainees couldn't help opening them to take a look. They were soon engrossed in reading.

Director Zhao Yifeng smiled with satisfaction and said,

"Colleagues, it's truly gratifying that you achieved such excellent results in your training. The emergence of anomalies has plunged the entire world into turmoil. Having joined the Anomaly Bureau, you must put humanity first and prioritize maintaining the stable development of society..."

The next second, he suddenly changed tack and said in a grave voice,

"...Unfortunately, according to the information we've gathered, some spies took advantage of this opportunity to infiltrate our ranks and join our team of investigators."

The hall erupted in gasps!

Li Fan's eyes flew wide open, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

In the next instant, dozens of armed investigators stormed the dais, pointing their guns at the thirteen trainee investigators waiting to receive their awards!

Heavy doors clanged shut. Iron gates dropped over every entrance to the hall, sealing it completely!

The awakened individuals who had been sitting in the front row had somehow spread out to the exits. Some stood, some sat, and one was crouching. They watched everyone in the hall like hawks.

As though they were looking at a group of prey.

The director, who had looked so listless moments ago, now had the sharp eyes of an eagle. He swept his gaze over the crowd and slowly said,

"According to our investigation, these thirteen individuals came from the Cleaning Association, the Unity Society, and the Soul Suppression Bureau. They harbor ill intentions and have been waiting for a chance to act."

His words set off another wave of gasps.

"Holy crap, is that for real? Ouyang and Zhao Qianxue are both spies? Didn't Zhao Qianxue just diss you?" Zhao Lei muttered in shock.

Li Fan looked just as stunned, while swiftly surveying the surroundings from the corner of his eye.

There were nine names on the list, and seven of them were among the people on the dais.

Two Cleaning Association spies still hadn't been exposed.

Most importantly, had he himself been exposed?

If they really had uncovered the Collector's identity, there was no way he could explain it away with a few lines like, "I'm a transmigrator. It has nothing to do with me!"

For a moment, he felt both relieved and worried.

Relieved that the Anomaly Bureau wasn't completely powerless, but worried about being exposed himself.

Still, it seemed the Anomaly Bureau hadn't targeted him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been allowed to show up late at his leisure. They would have put him under surveillance long ago.

"Director, what are you talking about? What spies? I have no idea what you mean! You're accusing an innocent person!" Zhao Qianxue shouted.

Most of the other twelve echoed her, protesting loudly.

They also realized that their feet seemed to have stopped obeying them, leaving them unable to move from where they stood.

The director gave a slight shake of his head, then signaled to a female investigator beside him, who wore a trench coat and a mask.

The woman immediately walked over to the prisoners and asked gently,

"Who are you? Tell the truth."

Her voice was gentle. It seemed to pluck at the heartstrings of everyone who heard it, and the noisy hall quickly fell silent.

"I'm... I'm Zhao Qianxue!"

"I refuse to answer such an insulting question."

"Hong Botao!"

"I'm Zhang Jiaju, a trainee investigator with the Anomaly Bureau Southwest Branch!"

"I'm..."

The woman in the trench coat nodded, then asked, "What are your real identities? Where are you from?"

"My real identity is a trainee investigator with the Anomaly Bureau!"

"I'm from Gu City..."

"I'm not a spy! I've been framed!"

"..."

The woman in the trench coat shook her head slightly and said, sounding somewhat disappointed,

"People who lie are tormented by their consciences. They'll have to pay the price."

As soon as she finished speaking, all thirteen of them, including the two who had refused to answer, suddenly felt a powerful wave of guilt rise inside them, as if they had done the most regrettable thing of their lives.

The regret and guilt were so intense that they could barely breathe!

They had lied!

All thirteen simultaneously put their left index fingers in their mouths and began biting down frantically.

The sharp pain came at once, easing their inner torment. The harder they bit, the more their anguish subsided.

Then, fully conscious, all thirteen bit off their left index fingers at the same time!

They suddenly realized that the moment they had received those certificates, they had already been hypnotized!

And the terrifying scene unfolding before them struck another devastating blow to everyone's resolve.

As guilt, regret, fear, and confusion engulfed the crowd, the woman in the trench coat spoke gently again,

"What are your goals?"

This time, the thirteen, already on the verge of collapse, answered together.

Seven answered, "Welcome the Lord of the Abyss's descent." Four answered, "The salvation of the Lord of Unity." The remaining two answered, "Suppress evil spirits and protect the present world."

Those were the slogans of the Cleaning Association, the Unity Society, and the Soul Suppression Bureau, respectively.

The hall erupted into an uproar.

Clearly, the thirteen had confirmed themselves as spies.

The thirteen had fallen silent, unable to defend themselves. They were handcuffed and taken away under the trench-coated woman's control.

Li Fan's expression was grave. This was his first time seeing an awakened individual from the Anomaly Bureau in action.

That bizarre hypnosis was impossible to make sense of. It was truly alarming.

He had to admit that if he were subjected to that kind of hypnosis, he would probably confess on the spot.

It seemed the Anomaly Bureau had found some of the spies, but others were still at large—and the more than three hundred mental bombs hadn't been found.

After the thirteen people on the dais were led away, Director Zhao Yifeng said solemnly,

"Comrades, our world is facing unprecedented upheaval, and we are living in an unprecedented era. This is a brutal battle, a fight to the death. I hope you're all ready for what's coming. Know who you are and what you must do! Understand what it means to be human, and how to preserve your humanity amid the anomalies! Let us encourage one another. Meeting adjourned!"

The metal gates around the hall opened. Everyone sprang to their feet with a loud commotion, calling to their friends as they headed outside and discussed what had just happened.

Today, they had experienced the cruelty of the job for the first time.

It had truly opened their eyes!

Li Fan released the detonator's main switch and closed its cover in his pocket. Blending into the crowd, he stood and walked toward the exit.

On the dais, Director Zhao Yifeng watched the departing crowd in silence, then asked in a low voice,

"Did we detect any unusual mental fluctuations just now?"

The bespectacled man beside him, who looked like a bookish scholar, shook his head.

"No. If there are still spies, they can't be minor players like the ones we caught... Still, one trainee investigator arrived quite late during the meeting. His parents came to the bureau to see him today. That was rather strange."