Countermeasure Team Three

The trip to the National Security Bureau was uneventful. Ren Suo looked around the first-floor lobby and found that the Anti-Special Crime Task Force was on the third floor of the National Security Bureau.

The Xuan Kingdom National Security Bureau was actually just an umbrella term. Based on their different functions, it was divided into seventeen bureaus—the Eighteen Bureau, the Anti-Special Crime Task Force, had only appeared recently. Moreover, not every province and city had a National Security Bureau, and even those that did did not necessarily have all seventeen bureaus. For example, the Lianjiang City National Security Bureau only had the Business Guidance Bureau, Social Investigation Bureau, Technical Investigation Bureau, Enterprise Bureau, and Anti-Special Crime Task Force.

Other departments, such as the Confidential Affairs Bureau, International Intelligence Bureau, and Counterintelligence Bureau, were absent. Although Lianjiang City was a developed coastal city, it was not important enough to warrant those departments.

Ren Suo reported to the Anti-Special Crime Task Force that afternoon and found that the entire third floor was their office area. Though the National Security Bureau was called a bureau, and the Anti-Special Crime Task Force was also called a bureau, these were merely conventional names. Strictly speaking, based on rank, a Xuan Kingdom National Security Bureau at the provincial-capital level should be called a Security Department. Still, everyone generally called it the National Security Bureau.

When reporting in, Ren Suo directly called An Su Yu, who had notified him. Then a young woman in her twenties appeared before him. Unlike her gentle-sounding name, An Su Yu wore her hair short and had darker skin. Though she was pretty and had a fine figure, the sight of this girl standing ramrod straight made Ren Suo feel as though she could take him out in the next second.

"Follow me." An Su Yu's expression was impassive as she led Ren Suo into Room 303 on the third floor. "You're now a member of Countermeasure Team Three. Your ID and uniform are with Team Three's captain... Captain You, your new recruit is here!"

At first glance, Room 303 appeared empty. However, at An Su Yu's shout, a broad-faced man rose from behind a wall of papers at the innermost part of the room, where the files were piled as high as a monitor. "New recruit?"

Ren Suo recognized him at once—You Jilong!

The Black Vest who had led the Lianjiang City civil servants to the intensive training base!

"Yeah. Didn't you know the deputy director assigned two new recruits to your team?" An Su Yu said irritably. "You keep saying at meetings that you don't have enough manpower all day..."

"It isn't enough!" You Jilong immediately said. "Only two? Lianjiang has over a hundred..."

"You want the ones who haven't even made it through the door too?" An Su Yu retorted. Then she turned to Ren Suo. "All right, he's your superior, the captain of Countermeasures Team Two, You Jilong... You should know him, right? He'll explain the specifics to you."

"Come here."

You Jilong rummaged through the mountain of files in front of him, looking like a senior high school student searching for exam papers. After a while, he pulled out a thoroughly crumpled document. "This is your salary and benefits package. Take a look. If there's no problem, sign it."

Ren Suo took it and read through it. His face quickly lit up with delight. There was no probation period; he would be made a full employee immediately. The salary was 6,000 yuan, which did not seem like much, but there were also lunch subsidies, dinner subsidies, transportation subsidies, and housing subsidies below. A rough calculation showed that he would earn at least five figures a month. Needless to say, the standard social insurance and housing fund were all fully covered by the organization.

Most importantly, after three years on the job, he could apply for an interest-free loan to purchase property, with a maximum loan amount of five million yuan.

But after a brief burst of excitement, Ren Suo calmed down. He flipped through the papers again, then looked up in confusion. "Um, didn't they say we were qualified to enter the Cultivation Field to cultivate...?"

"The Cultivation Field? Oh, cultivation!" You Jilong smacked his forehead. "This employment contract was drafted two months ago. The Cultivation Field hadn't even been built then... The credentials for entering the Cultivation Field are linked to our work IDs... Right, work IDs. Let me look..."

Unlike when he had led them through intensive training, You Jilong was still a tough-looking man with a broad square face, but his manner was now relaxed and casual. Even the nervous Ren Suo gradually relaxed—he knew that, as a cultivator, the organization he was joining could not possibly be ordinary, but seeing that his superior was a normal person reassured him greatly.

"So I left them here yesterday." You Jilong took two little booklets from the third drawer beneath his desk, compared them with Ren Suo, and handed him one. "Keep it safe. Replacing it costs sixty-five yuan. The Cultivation Field is near Tiyu West Road, converted from the old Sports Center... Just use map navigation to get there yourself."

"No problem." Ren Suo took his booklet. Its brown cover bore the Xuan Kingdom national flag, laid out horizontally. Opening to the first page, he saw his photo, name, and employer, as well as two professional provisions:

"First, the holder of this document is obligated to assist any Xuan Kingdom citizen seeking help."

"Second, the holder of this document may require Xuan Kingdom citizens and organizations to cooperate with operations. Any resulting losses shall be borne by the National Security Bureau."

One obligation, one right.

Yet they were enough to demonstrate the weight of this document.

"You understand what kind of job you're doing, right?" You Jilong patted his shoulder. "Not just anyone can enter the Countermeasures Bureau, and not just anyone... can join Countermeasure Team Three."

"I'm a little confused about that too." Ren Suo asked, "Um... why was I selected to join the Countermeasures Bureau?"

Before coming here, Ren Suo had opened WeChat on his phone for the first time in a long while—as someone who had spent three straight days gaming, Ren Suo never touched his phone except to order takeout.

There were not many messages on WeChat. Back in school, Ren Suo had been a diligent, hard-working type who relentlessly studied essay exams. Even when he used WeChat to contact people, it was usually because he had business to discuss; he did not idly flirt with friends for no reason.

The sole exception was the group he had joined a few days ago, We Are the Future Successors of Xuan Country, which had a flood of messages—because Ren Suo had not muted it yet.

He clicked in, intending to ask what kind of organization the Anti-Special Crime Task Force was, only to find that they were already discussing their assigned workplaces.

"Social Investigation Bureau looking for teammates!"

"Social Investigation Bureau +1."

"You guys have it good. You got into the National Security Bureau. Why was I assigned to the Baiyun District Public Security Bureau..."

"You're at a Public Security Bureau too? Me too! But I'm at the Haizhu District Public Security Bureau Branch."

"Waaah o(╥﹏╥)o, have we been abandoned? Why haven't I gotten my notice yet?"

"I heard that Director Yu's department is the Anti-Special Crime Task Force. I heard it has the best benefits and prospects too. Did anyone get assigned there?"

At that moment, a user named "Xiao Qiao" said, "Don't worry. Those assigned to the Public Security Bureau, the Social Investigation Bureau, and me, assigned to the Anti-Special Crime Task Force, all have bright futures!"

"Damn it, show-off!"

"Beautiful lady, do you need an accessory for your thigh?"

The more Ren Suo read, the more his eyes stung. Although he had not asked directly, he could tell that the Anti-Special Crime Task Force was a highly coveted department among public-service cultivators. But Ren Suo did not know why he had been accepted directly into it.

You Jilong glanced at Ren Suo. "Your cyclone has completed its transformation, right?"

"Huh?" Ren Suo froze. "How did you..."

His cyclone had completed its transformation three days ago, making him a cultivator. How did You Jilong know?

"When your aptitude was tested on the fifth day, they also checked the exact time your cyclone would complete its transformation," You Jilong said. "Those whose cyclones would transform within the next day or two were admitted directly into the Countermeasures Bureau. For those who needed a little longer—seven or eight days to fifteen days—their acceptance notices were delayed until after their cyclones transformed. Those who took even longer were assigned elsewhere."

"For now, the only requirement for joining the Countermeasures Bureau is this: becoming a cultivator! After all, we're very busy here." You Jilong patted the files on his desk. "The work is dangerous too. Only cultivators whose cyclones have transformed can ensure their own safety."

"That's the only reason?"

"That's the only reason. Did you think you were accepted because your looks happened to suit the deputy director's tastes?" You Jilong chuckled, then swept his gaze around the office.

"The other team members are all out on missions right now, following others to search for the goddess. I'll introduce you once everyone's here tomorrow."

"Searching for the goddess?" Ren Suo found that strange.

"Searching for the goddess." You Jilong said flatly, "Did you watch the video If You're Strong, Climb 10,000 Meters?"

Ren Suo's expression tightened, but he quickly relaxed. "I did."

"You know everything in the video was real by now, right?" You Jilong said. "But you probably didn't notice that the goddess in the video—the female lead—had a Lian Province regional accent when she said 'thank you' in Xuan Writing."

Ren Suo was stunned. "I-I think she did..."

He truly had not noticed, but thinking back now, the Seeker of the Way's Chinese had indeed sounded very natural to him—it fit his linguistic habits perfectly.

"Because of that, the bureau is currently trying to find traces of the goddess's life. But they've searched for several days without any results. The bureau will probably end this meaningless operation today." You Jilong shrugged. "There, that's your desk. Come with us to pick up your uniform now. You start work tomorrow. Attendance is at 9:00..."

Just then, An Su Yu suddenly pushed open the door. "Captain You, another one of yours. Come claim her!"

Ren Suo turned to see who was fortunate enough to become a new member of Countermeasure Team Three alongside him. But the next second, he froze, and that desire buried deep in his heart surged up once more—

"Hello, Captain You." A beautiful girl greeted You Jilong with a bright smile. Then she looked at Ren Suo, somewhat surprised. "You're here too."

The next second, she smiled again. "We'll be colleagues from now on."

It was Qiao Muyi.

Based on what You Jilong had just said, the Countermeasures Bureau only accepted cultivators whose cyclones had transformed. Did that mean Qiao Muyi's cyclone had already completed its transformation too?

"Perfect timing." You Jilong suddenly remembered something. "Right, I still need to test you two..."

"A test?" Both turned to look at You Jilong at the same time. An Su Yu, who had been about to leave, also stopped and watched them with great interest.

"Mm, a test." As he spoke, You Jilong reached out toward their shoulders.

The moment You Jilong's hands settled on them, Ren Suo sensed that something was wrong—in only an instant, he felt half his body go numb.

If this continued, he would completely lose control of his body...

Suddenly, You Jilong withdrew his hands and looked at the two of them with a smile. "You've both learned Clothing quite well. It's enough to handle the daily missions of Countermeasures Team Two."

Ren Suo and Qiao Muyi exchanged a glance and immediately understood the nature of the test: You Jilong had used Lock on them just now, forcing them to activate Clothing on their own to resist it!

From the looks of it, they had both successfully resisted.

"Then let's go pick up your uniforms first. Come back and sign the contracts afterward." You Jilong walked out with an untroubled air, and Ren Suo and Qiao Muyi followed close behind.

No one noticed that the hands behind his back were trembling slightly.

Ren Suo, meanwhile, let out a sigh of relief.

Before coming here, after much deliberation, he had not equipped Introduction to Fighting. Instead, he had chosen—

Spell!