“From now on, everyone is a comrade-in-arms. Working together to solve cases is what matters most.
Past grudges end here. I don’t want any of you bringing personal vendettas into your work under me.”
It was Qin Yue who clapped her hands, resolving He Xiaoyi’s predicament with a single statement.
“Master He, Chen Ping, what are your thoughts?”
“Understood, Section Chief Qin.”
Chen Ping didn't care.
He had been in a daze before, hurting people without even realizing it, so how could he possibly remember He Xiaoyi?
Seeing the man now, he felt a slight sense of dislike at most, but it was nowhere near a grudge.
After all, who doesn't have a couple of coworkers they can't stand?
Seeing Chen Ping’s reaction, He Xiaoyi breathed a sigh of relief, his expression visibly relaxing.
“I’ve kept you all here to discuss the ‘Green Ti New City Haunting’ case. What you saw in the meeting earlier was only a summary.
Zhang Yue, hand out the more detailed files to everyone.”
Qin Yue stood up and rubbed her temples wearily.
“Everyone, take a look at the materials in your hands first... I’m going to the restroom.”
She hadn't closed her eyes for nearly eighteen hours.
The group could naturally see Qin Yue’s exhaustion.
Zhao Daxian leaned back on the sofa and let out a slow whistle.
Impressive. Such a heavy burden, yet Section Chief Qin carried it without a word.
He had heard that she even signed a formal pledge during the meeting with the higher-ups.
She said that if she couldn't handle being the section chief, she would strip off her uniform!
She truly was the ruthless Qin Yue.
If it were him, he probably would have quit a long time ago.
...
...
In the restroom, Qin Yue splashed a handful of cold water onto her face.
The chill brought a moment of clarity, dousing some of the unspeakable anxiety buried deep in her heart.
She had never been this anxious before.
She had once gone undercover among vicious drug traffickers, licking blood from a blade’s edge and walking on a tightrope.
She had hunted down insane human traffickers in the deep mountains, fighting for her life.
She had even personally shot armed thugs who had taken hostages in a desperate standoff in the middle of the city.
Qin Yue had bled, she had killed, and she had seen death. The scars on her body, both large and small, were countless.
Yet this was the first time she felt powerless.
It was like punching cotton.
Who was their enemy?
They didn't know.
How could they protect the public?
They weren't sure.
The Special Incident Investigation Section was like a blind person crossing a river by feeling the stones in the middle of the night.
Not only did they have to worry about the undercurrents in the river, but they also had to avoid the rocks and branches that might trip them up.
In the past, if a decision was wrong, there was usually room to correct and adjust the strategy.
But now, if her decision had even the slightest error or if an operation had a flaw, what they lost might be lives and the trust of the people.
The overhead light flickered slightly, and the short-haired woman in the mirror had eyes that burned like torches.
Was she afraid of death?
She didn't know who was asking, but Qin Yue instinctively spoke her mind.
“If I were afraid of death, I wouldn't have become a police officer in the first place.
I’m more afraid of disappointing Director Ma, of disappointing the organization...”
Before she could finish, a sudden shiver ran down her spine.
Who had asked that question just now?
The restroom was empty. In the narrow, cramped space, only the sound of running water and the rapid, heavy thudding of her heart could be heard.
Qin Yue slowly raised her head.
Without her noticing, a mist had suddenly filled the restroom.
The white fog seemed to crawl out from the floor, thick as milk, swallowing the room bit by bit.
The chill in the air became increasingly pronounced. The water droplets on the mirror froze into ice, hanging from the edges of the glass.
Sensing the drop in temperature, the hair on Qin Yue’s exposed forearms stood on end, and goosebumps broke out one after another.
Someone...
Or rather, something had entered.
...
The moment the white mist appeared, Chen Ping, who was sitting in the reception room chatting with the others, suddenly froze.
This familiar, overwhelming black aura.
This familiar, oppressive intimidation.
And this intense, living fear...
She was here!
That Greater Ghost was definitely here!
He almost screamed, but a voice in his heart kept shouting back in protest:
Don't make a sound, or you'll die!
You'll die, you'll die, you'll die!
Chen Ping cowered on the sofa, not moving an inch, looking like a wooden statue.
...
Qin Yue grew even more composed.
She reached out and wiped the condensation from the glass, finally catching a glimpse of the uninvited guest in the mirror.
It was a woman.
Her face was obscured by layers of white mist, leaving only her fair, rounded chin visible.
She wore ancient purple clothing, and a classical heart-protecting mirror hung at her chest. The mirror was engraved with a Vermilion Bird pattern.
The woman seemed to have no feet, floating there weightlessly.
She just stood there, quietly watching Qin Yue.
“Are you not afraid of death?”
The woman spoke again.
Her voice sounded like the clashing of gold and jade, creating a humming echo in the narrow space.
The white mist grew thicker, and the fog in front of the woman seemed to come alive, flowing slowly to reveal the face of a classical beauty.
Cloud-like hair and fragrant cheeks, vermilion lips and pearly teeth; on her hibiscus-like face, her phoenix eyes were slightly upturned.
This face was beautiful enough, but because it was so perfect, it felt eerie and filled with a non-human dissonance.
It was as if a character from an ancient painting of court ladies had come to life, not looking like a real person at all.
Despite the different clothing, Qin Yue recognized her instantly.
This woman was the Target B who had guided Chen Ping with the yellow chicken during the Hongxing Mansion haunting!
She didn't make any sudden moves, only tentatively answering the woman’s question.
“If I were afraid of death, I wouldn't be a police officer.”
“I’m only afraid that my death will have no value, and that I’ll fail to complete the mission the organization gave me.”
The white mist drifted, and layer after layer of moisture clouded the restroom mirror.
The temperature dropped lower and lower, until Qin Yue could even hear her teeth chattering.
“Sigh... you people, even after a hundred years, you still have this temperament...”
The woman let out a long, melancholy sigh. Her gaze was filled with complex emotions that Qin Yue couldn't decipher:
Nostalgia, guilt, longing, pity...
Who was she exactly?
How did she bypass the security to enter the experimental area?
The Special Investigation Section’s monitoring department had people on duty twenty-four hours a day.
Why hadn't anyone raised the alarm?
And what did she mean by “you people”?
Had she really lived for hundreds of years?
The questions in Qin Yue’s mind grew larger and larger, knotting into a ball she couldn't unravel.
“Don't be nervous, little demon suppressor. I am here to deliver a command on behalf of your Lord Commissioner.”
The woman chuckled softly, her head tilting slightly. Her wide eyes felt profoundly non-human, much like an oversized doll.
“Tonight, the Ghost Building stirs, and an evil ghost manifests.”
“By order of the Kuizhou Circuit Demon Suppression Commissioner, the demon suppressor is commanded to proceed to the Ghost Building at the hour of the Rat tonight to arrest the evil ghost and bring it to justice, protecting the safety of the common people. Do not fail!”
“Those who disobey shall face military punishment.”
“Crack!”
As the woman’s words fell, the restroom mirror let out a sharp snap. Countless cracks appeared on the glass, and the moisture clinging to it froze into ice.
The mirror shattered into countless small shards, each reflecting thousands of images of the woman.
The white mist vanished as suddenly as it had arrived, leaving the room perfectly clean.
Only the woman’s words seemed to still echo in Qin Yue’s ears:
“By order of the Kuizhou Circuit Demon Suppression Commissioner, the demon suppressor is commanded to proceed to the Ghost Building at the hour of the Rat tonight to arrest the evil ghost and bring it to justice, protecting the safety of the common people. Do not fail!”
“Those who disobey shall face military punishment!”
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