Beijing, somewhere within a remote restricted zone.
Ordinary people were forbidden from entering. Signs marking it as a military stronghold warned everyone away, while soldiers standing guard and keeping watch remained posted at the massive iron gates.
Beyond layers of blockades and tight security stood a cluster of manor-like buildings.
Training grounds, office buildings, research institutes, and various other structures of unknown purpose formed this restricted zone.
It also had another name.
—Huaxia Night Battles Scenario Supervision Bureau.
An Audi slowly drove toward the iron gates, stopping for inspection as the driver handed over his id card.
"Confirmed. Let them through."
The soldier on duty gave a standard salute, then called for the gate guards to open the iron gates.
The Audi drove into the Night Bureau grounds and stopped before the largest building. Though it was already late at night, someone was waiting there.
Thick-heeled British-style studded boots beneath pure black stockings, a white women's suit shirt beneath a similarly black long coat, and delicately curled dark-red hair framing a face far more exquisite than any internet celebrity's.
Ye Sheng.
The moment Su Qun saw Ye Sheng, he hurriedly got out of the car. Before he could speak, Ye Sheng impatiently asked:
"You're sure you found news of that person!?"
"Yes. Sister Ye Sheng, she matches every description you gave."
"Let's talk inside."
Ye Sheng's expression turned serious as she turned and headed into the Night Bureau headquarters. Su Qun steadied himself and followed after her.
The two walked straight into the Night Bureau lobby. The vast hall was completely empty, which struck Su Qun as odd.
"Why is no one here?"
"We're short-handed. Everyone's been sent out. And besides..." Ye Sheng glanced at him before saying, "The director is currently meeting with those people."
Su Qun's heart immediately tightened. He understood why. He knew exactly who those people were if even the director had to meet them personally.
They were the people standing at the top of the Night Battle pyramid.
"Could the reason be..." he cautiously ventured.
"Yes." Ye Sheng lowered her voice and said slowly.
"It's because of the new achievement announced by the Night Battle world a few days ago. Every faction is trying to guess whose person it was and what kind of ability they obtained."
Su Qun fell silent. Such matters were far beyond his reach.
By then, the two had opened the doors to a special elevator. A row of buttons glowed with technological blue light. Ye Sheng casually pressed one, and the elevator gave a faint shake before starting up.
But rather than ascending several floors, it rapidly descended.
That was right. The Night Bureau's true face lay beneath the underground space below the nearly ten buildings on the surface.
Ding!
The elevator stopped. The two arrived outside a small conference room and pushed the door open.
"Alright, tell me in detail now. What exactly did you encounter?" Ye Sheng asked as she sat down and looked at Su Qun.
Su Qun took a deep breath, recalling the "strange night" that had happened during the day, then slowly began.
"Today, I was randomly assigned to a special scenario where Night artifacts were contested."
At the mention of Night artifacts, a glimmer immediately flashed through Ye Sheng's eyes. She even put aside what she had intended to ask and pressed him instead.
"And the result? Did you get it!?"
"Originally... I think I could have."
Su Qun let out a bitter laugh. Ye Sheng fell silent as well, waiting for him to continue. She had always known what Su Qun was like.
After joining the bureau, he had rigorously completed every kind of training and flawlessly carried out his missions. He was one of the bureau's most promising elites, and Night Bureau elites were not the sort of "elites" society talked about—people who merely earned some money or had a bit of education.
"The scenario was in Ji City. At first, I was randomly placed in a suburban market district."
Su Qun began slowly recounting everything he had experienced that day.
"Then I learned of the existence of B-rank Blazing Light—Si Ai. After finding out that he had prepared a water-element mage as his trump card, I decided to form an alliance."
Little by little, Su Qun described his actions in that Night Battle scenario, his decisions, and the thought behind every step. Ye Sheng listened and nodded repeatedly. There had been no flaws in Su Qun's approach. It had been the safest and most likely method of obtaining the Night artifact.
"But after we ended the melee and figured out the strengths of everyone who remained..."
Su Qun's expression turned grave as he began describing the part of that Night Battle he understood the least. Ye Sheng also focused more intently.
"After that hour began, people kept getting eliminated. I originally thought it would take at least three nights to slowly wear down the remaining people, but once that Night Raven began interfering, it only took one night."
Su Qun let out a long breath and said helplessly:
"Including me, four C-rank Participants and three D-rank Participants were all taken out by him."
"All of them?"
"Yes, all of them." Su Qun nodded. "For some reason, she could always pinpoint our locations. Ji City was such a huge city, but hiding places were useless. In the end, I could only wait for her on a helipad."
Ye Sheng furrowed her beautiful brows, considering every clue as she continued questioning him.
"One last thing. Are you certain that person's final sword light was exactly as I described?"
"Yes, I'm certain. It was exactly as you described." Su Qun nodded without hesitation.
"Whew..."
Ye Sheng let out a long breath and thought to herself.
Got you.
"And the major clue you mentioned? Give it to me."
Su Qun's expression stiffened slightly. Then he slowly took something from his briefcase and placed it on the conference table. The instant it was brought out, not only did Su Qun freeze—
Ye Sheng's face stiffened too.
She extended her slender fingers, her mouth twitching as she gritted her teeth and asked in embarrassment and irritation:
"You're sure this is the major clue you mentioned!?"
Su Qun also wore an awkward, helpless expression as he pointed to the unopened women's underwear on the table.
"Yes. It really was something that fell from Night Raven's body. And I was able to bring it out of the scenario, so..."
With a solemn expression, Su Qun voiced his most rigorous deduction.
"Not only were her methods strange when fighting me, they were equally bizarre when she eliminated the others. She controlled illusions. This Night Battle came so suddenly that even I wasn't prepared. She must have forcibly entered using some unknown method in a hurry. This underwear must have been something she brought into the scenario with her."
"So, the black-haired young man I saw wearing those black robes had to be her disguise. Night Raven's true identity must be female!"
"Huh!!??"
Su Qun's bold guess left Ye Sheng stunned as well. She held back her disbelief and asked uncertainly:
"You're sure?"
Ye Sheng knew that Su Qun had received criminal investigation training, so she placed considerable weight on his opinion.
"I think so. And this package of underwear hasn't even been opened. We can absolutely use the information on the label to find clues about her!"
Su Qun said with utter certainty.
At that moment!
Ye Sheng suddenly remembered a horrifying fact. She recalled how she had fallen before that person.
The last thing she had seen had been that flash of pink panties.
If that person... if Night Raven was female.
Then it really did seem to make sense!
At that thought, Ye Sheng's eyes burst with light. With a hint of excitement, she stood up and took out her phone to call her assistant.
The phone rang once before connecting.
"Hello? Sheng-jie? Sigh, it's so late. If you still don't rest, your chest will shrink, you know~"
A lazy, extremely punchable female voice came from the other end.
Ye Sheng forcibly suppressed the throbbing vein on her forehead. "There's something I need you to trace. Find out where it came from and locate its buyer."
"Ah~" The voice on the other end sounded reluctant. "Did the narcotics division ask us to help again? What a pain. Let them handle it themselves~"
Click!
Ye Sheng felt her anger rise another notch. "Turn on the surveillance camera on your end. You'll understand once you see it."
As soon as she finished speaking, a camera on the conference room ceiling turned toward them, its lens focusing on the "evidence" on the table.
Ye Sheng sensed an unpleasant silence from the other end of the call. After a long while, the person finally spoke in a complicated tone.
"Sheng-jie, I know you're upset, but just because your chest is small and a seller tricked you into buying underwear one size too large—
there's no need to mobilize national resources to find them, right? They need to make a living too, you—"
"Stop talking nonsense!!!"
Aah... the bookmarks hadn't moved at all. This author had once again lost the dream of a second update.
After finally getting a break from the sports meet, Second Version Yuanxin went to play with First Version Yuanxin~~~
Before you continue