Top Secret Intelligence

After the supplies were successfully delivered, deep in the forest.

Hyuga Tianyi received the package, and his heart settled significantly.

Tianyi slowly raised his left hand and began bandaging his wound as requested.

With the slightest large movement, his heartbeat began to race frantically, and his distorted facial features appeared exceptionally gruesome under the moonlight.

He used his trembling fingers to tear open a cotton swab, and aided by the dim glow of the moonlight, he clearly saw the grotesque bloody hole in his left shoulder.

He gritted his teeth and, following the method Old Li taught him, cautiously dipped a cotton swab in iodophor to clean the skin around the wound, working in circles from the inside out to remove dirt and blood scabs.

This process was long and agonizing, and a mere dozen seconds of wound cleaning left his face covered in cold sweat.

Next, he unfolded a sterile gauze pad and covered the wound.

Hiss! Ugh—! His breathing grew rapid. Tianyi furrowed his brow as a wave of dizziness washed over him, and he shook his head, trying to clear it a bit.

Then, he began wrapping and bandaging it with an elastic bandage.

"There needs to be pressure... but it can't be too tight..." Old Li's voice echoed in his mind.

He adjusted the tightness of the bandage until he felt the wound was firmly secured and the bleeding effectively stopped, without his fingers going numb.

By the time he finished all of this, he was nearly exhausted and collapsed limply like a heap of mud.

Leaning against a relatively dry spot behind a tree, he unscrewed the bottle of mini purified water, took a few small sips, and then tore open the outer packaging of a chocolate bar to chew on it slowly.

The intake of sugar and calories brought a trace of warmth to his body.

He had survived! At least, he had survived for now.

Then Tianyi cautiously picked up the simple map drawn on A4 paper.

The paper felt somewhat soft in the damp air, marked with lines sketched in ballpoint pen and the words Land of Fire, Land of Wind, Land of Rain, Land of Rivers, and Konoha noted on it.

He tried hard to recall the route he took during his escape in the daytime, but his mind held only chaos.

Fear, pain, and running with all his might had left him no time at all to memorize the surrounding topographical features.

He was just an ordinary office worker, not a specially trained wilderness survival expert, and even his predecessor, the Genin named Hyuga Tianyi, was unfamiliar with this vast border forest due to his young age and lack of experience.

"This sucks... With just a map and no reference points, I have no idea where I am..." Tianyi cursed under his breath, and a sense of helplessness welled up in his heart once again.

"Wait, the stars, the moon!"

He raised his head and peered through the sparse canopy, trying to locate the stars. The night sky remained gloomy, with most of the starlight obscured by clouds, but fortunately, several exceptionally bright stars were twinkling between the gaps in the clouds.

Among them, the most constant and bright star in the northern sky instantly caught his gaze.

Polaris! A thought stirred in his heart.

As a modern person, using Polaris to identify direction was common sense carved into his bones. He remembered very clearly that the direction where Polaris was located was true north!

"Thank you, science teacher!"

He immediately lowered his head, spread the map flat on his lap, and gestured on it with his finger.

"The mission our squad received earlier was to patrol and scout the northwest direction, in the border area close to the Land of Rain..." He reasoned hard, combining the fragments of his predecessor's memories with the locations on the map.

"After being ambushed, I fled all the way to the southeast... So, my approximate location right now is very likely..." His fingertip swept across the region on the map representing the forest at the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, "...on the southeastern edge of this area? Or have I deviated from the main combat zone, yet remain within the search range of Hidden Rain?"

Although he could not pinpoint his exact location, at least Polaris provided a general direction.

"I can't go northwest; that's walking right into a trap. Going east, back in the direction of the Hidden Leaf Camp... but that direction very likely has a Hidden Rain blockade line..." He muttered to himself, his brow tightly furrowed.

"Or... go south? Enter the territory of the Land of Rivers to take temporary refuge? No, no, no, the situation there might be even more complicated..."

"Go east!"

The information was too scarce, and the risk was too great. Every choice could lead to utter destruction.

He closed his tired eyes, carefully folded the map, and tucked it close to his body.

At least he was no longer a completely headless fly.

Room 1202, Building 2, Jiayuan Residential Complex

Seeing the glowing Book of Ten Thousand Worlds successfully transmit the first-aid kit and map, the tense atmosphere in the room eased slightly.

Old Li's taut nerves also relaxed marginally. At least they had successfully taken the first step, sending the most needed assistance to the young man in another world.

Yet this brief moment of reassurance was instantly replaced by an even greater sense of responsibility and urgency.

He had witnessed with his own eyes a phenomenon that transcended existing physical laws, heard a voice from another world, and had an otherworldly weapon transmitted over...

This was no longer an ordinary missing persons case, nor was it a domain that a district criminal police officer like him could touch.

This was a top-secret event capable of subverting existing scientific understanding and impacting national strategy!

Thinking of this, he abruptly turned around, the expression on his face instantly vanishing. His sharp gaze swept across the face of every colleague in the room.

"Everyone, listen up clearly!" Old Li's voice was not loud, but it echoed in the silent room.

"From now on, all details regarding Fang Tianyi's missing persons case, including everything seen and heard here tonight, are classified as top secret!

It is strictly forbidden to disclose half a word in any form to anyone—including family, friends, or colleagues in other departments! This is an order, and it is also discipline!"

He paused, emphasizing his tone: "Now, immediately, hand over your personal phones to Little Liu here for safekeeping!

Everyone's law enforcement recorder must remain turned on the entire time, recording all our subsequent actions until the transfer order from higher-ups is issued!"

There were no questions; years of professional training made the police officers present execute the order immediately.

After a brief flurry of movement, all the phones were gathered together. The law enforcement recorders recorded this historic moment.

Old Li's gaze finally landed on the bewildered and helpless Fang Mother, who still had tear tracks on her face.

He stepped forward, softening his tone: "Auntie, you've seen the situation too. Please trust us, and even more, trust the country!

Your son's matter is no longer just your family's private affair; it is a major national matter!

I guarantee to you with this police uniform that the country will definitely do its utmost to bring Tianyi home safely!"

He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice a bit, carrying a plea: "Therefore, please cooperate.

Externally, just act as if Tianyi is still missing. Do not mention this book to anyone, nor anything that happened tonight.

This is to protect him, to protect you, and for the national interest. I hope you can understand!"

Fang Mother looked into Old Li's resolute eyes, then looked at the ancient book that had returned to its ordinary appearance, and nodded heavily.

She covered her mouth with her hand, suppressing a sob: "I... I understand, Officer Li. I won't tell anyone... I'll wait. I'll wait for the country to rescue my son back..."

"Thank you for your understanding and cooperation." Old Li nodded solemnly.

Without a moment's further delay, Old Li waved a grand hand: "Pack up! Return to the municipal bureau immediately!"

The police car quietly pulled away from Jiayuan Residential Complex in the night, without sirens this time. Inside the car, it was dead silent, and everyone wore a grave expression.

The municipal bureau building appeared exceptionally spacious and quiet in the late night, with only the lights in the duty room and sporadic security lights in the corridor still illuminated.

Old Li walked hurriedly toward the bureau chief's office. With twenty-three hours and twenty-three minutes left, they had to race against time and send this top-secret report to the channel leading to the highest decision-making level at the absolute fastest speed.

He arrived outside the bureau chief's office, tightly gripping the transparent evidence bag in his hand. Inside lay the ancient book and the kunai from the Naruto World.

In his other hand was the law enforcement recorder's memory card, which recorded all the audio and some video. He felt his heartbeat was even faster than when he was carrying out the mission just now, and his palms were full of sweat.

He directly pulled out his phone and dialed Bureau Chief Wang Jianguo's private number.

The phone rang seven or eight times before it was answered. From the other end came the bureau chief's voice, carrying heavy sleepiness and a hint of annoyance at being disturbed: "Old Li? So late, is there something urgent?"

"Director Wang," Old Li's voice sounded somewhat hoarse due to tension and excitement.

"This time out, we... obtained a piece of top-secret intelligence. It's in my hands right now, and I'm at your office door."

"Top-secret intelligence?"

The other end of the phone fell silent, with only the sound of faint breathing.

A few seconds later, Bureau Chief Wang Jianguo's voice sounded again, all sleepiness gone, replaced by the sharpness and gravity characteristic of a veteran criminal investigator: "Understood! Wait for me in the office; I'll be there in thirty minutes!"

The phone hung up. Old Li leaned against the cold wall and let out a long breath. These thirty minutes felt even longer than the hour he had just spent at Fang Tianyi's home.

He replayed everything that happened tonight over and over in his mind: the glowing book, Fang Tianyi's crying plea for help, and this kunai that appeared out of thin air... Every scene challenged the materialistic worldview he had built over decades.

In less than thirty minutes, hurried and forceful footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.

Bureau Chief Wang Jianguo came striding over in casual clothes, his hair somewhat disheveled, but his gaze as sharp as an eagle's. There was not the slightest impatience on his face from having just been woken up.

"Let's talk inside." Director Wang offered no pleasantries and directly unlocked the office door with his key.

The two entered the office. Director Wang locked the door behind them and pulled down the blinds before turning to Old Li.

His gaze instantly locked onto the evidence bag in Old Li's hand: "What's going on? Detailed report!"

Old Li took a deep breath and placed the evidence bag and memory card on the bureau chief's desk.

Then, using language that was as concise, clear, and objective as possible, he reported the entire process from receiving the report yesterday, dispatching police today, discovering the Book of Ten Thousand Worlds, making contact with Fang Tianyi in another world, delivering supplies, and finally transmitting this kunai, completely and without reservation.

As Old Li narrated, Bureau Chief Wang Jianguo's expression shifted from initial gravity to astonishment, then to disbelief, and finally transformed into extreme seriousness.

He did not interrupt Old Li, only tapping his fingers unconsciously on the desk while keeping his eyes locked on the peculiarly shaped kunai, especially the dried and blackened bloodstains on the edge.

"...That's basically the situation, Director Wang." Old Li finished his report, and the office fell into a dead silence.

Bureau Chief Wang Jianguo stood up, walked over to the window, and gazed at the city's night view outside, his back appearing exceptionally heavy. He was silent for nearly a minute before slowly turning around. His usual composure had returned to his face, but deep within his eyes, turbulent waves surged.

"Old Li," his voice was low and powerful, "are you sure... all of this is real? There's no other possibility?"

"Director Wang, I stake it on my party spirit and this police uniform!" Old Li straightened his back, his tone resolute.

"The law enforcement recorder also has complete audio and video recordings, and Fang Tianyi's mother witnessed the whole process. That kunai... you've seen it too.

This is definitely not craftsmanship and material from our world!"

Bureau Chief Wang Jianguo nodded, walked over to the desk, picked up the kunai, examined it closely, and felt the unique cold touch of the metal.

"Crossing over... another world... war..." he muttered to himself, every word weighing a ton.

Suddenly, he raised his head sharply, a sharp light flashing in his eyes, "Old Li, you did the right thing! The classification level of this matter must be immediately raised to the highest! It has already exceeded the processing authority of our municipal bureau and even the provincial department!"

Then he immediately picked up the red secure phone on the desk and dialed a short number.

"Hello, it's me, Wang Jianguo. Code name 'Dragon City', incident level 'Grade A-plus'. I request the immediate activation of the 'Deep Blue' protocol and the dispatch of the highest-privilege takeover team... Yes, right here in my office; the evidence and preliminary report are already in my hands... Yes, understood! We will stand by in place and ensure absolute information lockdown."

Hanging up the phone, Bureau Chief Wang Jianguo looked at Old Li with a complex gaze—there was shock, heaviness, but more than anything, a sense of mission born from shouldering a historical responsibility.

"Old Li, and your squad, none of us are going to sleep tonight. Guard this place and wait for the people from above to arrive." He gestured toward the sofa.

"From now on, this matter will be handed over by our own hands. And our task is to ensure nothing goes wrong before that happens."

Old Li nodded heavily. A rescue spanning time and space along with strategic intervention at the national level marked a historic event.