After Zhao Huaisha finished her outburst, Lyu Huan finally spoke, his voice lower and more somber than before. "Section Chief Ling, my visit here is not a simple courtesy call. I have an extremely important matter that must be discussed with Director Tang in person."
He paused, his tone growing more serious. "I advise you not to act on impulse and take it upon yourself to make decisions for your superior. You might not be able to bear the weight of the consequences involved."
"You only need to follow the standard procedure and inform Director Tang of my intent. As for whether she sees me or not, that is for Director Tang to decide herself. Even if there are any issues later, I will take full responsibility. But if your interference delays headquarters' business, how do you plan to answer for that?"
Ling Xun’s brow furrowed slightly. Lyu Huan had laid it all on the line, even bringing up "headquarters' business" and "taking responsibility." If Ling Xun continued to refuse stubbornly, it would make the Amber City Investigation Bureau look guilty or as if they had ulterior motives, giving the other party the perfect excuse to escalate things.
He remained silent for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping over Lyu Huan and Zhao Huaisha. Finally, he nodded slowly, his tone returning to a professional, business-like calm. "Fine. Since Mr. Lyu insists, I will relay your request to the director. However, whether she sees you or not depends on her schedule."
Ling Xun walked a short distance away, out of everyone's line of sight, and connected to the comms with Director Tang to provide a low-voiced report.
Director Tang’s voice came through the other end, calm and rippleless, betraying no emotion.
A moment later, the call ended. Ling Xun walked back and looked at Lyu Huan. "The director is currently handling urgent matters. She has agreed to meet with you, but the time is set for 6:00 PM today. Please be at the director's office on time."
Zhao Huaisha’s face darkened, and her lips twitched. She felt that a mere local branch director was putting on such ridiculous airs that it was simply beyond reason.
Just as she was about to mock her for having "such a big ego," Lyu Huan suddenly turned his head. This time, he didn't let her speak nonsense. Instead, he used an extremely stern, warning gaze to choke back all her words.
Zhao Huaisha was stifled by that look and instinctively shut her mouth, though her face was still written with indignation.
Lyu Huan turned back and nodded to Ling Xun, his expression unreadable. "6:00 PM. I will visit Director Tang on time."
With that, he said no more and immediately left with a frustrated Zhao Huaisha in tow.
After walking a few steps, Zhao Huaisha didn't forget to look back and glare fiercely at Yue Shi. Then, she trotted to keep up with Lyu Huan and asked in a low, cautious whisper, "Captain, that Ms. Tang... who exactly is she?"
Although Zhao Huaisha was arrogant, she wasn't stupid. From Lyu Huan’s cautious attitude just now, she had already sensed that this director of the Amber City Investigation Bureau was no ordinary person.
Lyu Huan let out a soft sigh, his gaze sweeping across the somewhat dilapidated surrounding streets. His voice was also kept very low. "You’re young, so you don’t know about the past. Thirty years ago, Ms. Tang was a towering figure who commanded the winds and clouds. People called her the 【Black Guanyin】."
"Black Guanyin?" Zhao Huaisha repeated the three words.
"Yes. That name alone was enough to strike terror into the hearts of all the transcendent families and even the entirety of headquarters," Lyu Huan said with a heavy tone.
"Back then, Ms. Tang single-handedly wiped out the entrenched great elite families, completely breaking the monopoly those clans held over headquarters' high-level positions and resources."
"That... does sound pretty impressive." Zhao Huaisha nodded half-comprehendingly. She didn't feel the sense of oppression from Lyu Huan's words; she was just following along with his sentiment.
Then she muttered, "But looking at headquarters now, it still seems like it's been infiltrated by various family factions like a sieve. It’s only been thirty years, and those transcendent families have grown back again. All that trouble she went through back then doesn't seem to have changed much..."
Lyu Huan’s expression turned solemn. "What do you know? These so-called transcendent families today aren't worth a damn!"
"The ones Ms. Tang wiped out back then were the old elite families. They were the true privileged class that had persisted since the previous era. At the start of the supernatural descent, they used their original power and wealth to grab massive benefits, reaping the very first dividends of the supernatural era. Their foundations were unfathomably deep."
"Unfortunately, they got one thing wrong. Supernatural things like transcendents and supernatural creatures are the most irrational of all. Resource monopolies cannot completely suppress the growth of the bottom tier. Some people are even born as Rank 4 powerhouses; they don't need resources at all."
"When Ms. Tang was young, she was a rising star with exceptional talent. It’s said she wanted to reform the system, which infringed upon the interests of the great elite families at the time. Those clans did everything they could to suppress her. They once successfully wiped out all her forces and even... rumors say they actually killed her once."
Zhao Huaisha’s eyes widened in shock.
Lyu Huan continued, "But no one expected that a month later, Ms. Tang would 'resurrect' and make a comeback. She abandoned her past gentle methods and became cruel and tyrannical, uprooting all those old elite families."
"Do you know what 'uprooted' means? It means they were all killed. Several surnames that had been passed down for countless generations vanished from this world overnight, from top to bottom. They didn't just change their names; they truly died, and they died in horrific ways."
"Headquarters suspects Ms. Tang possesses some kind of causality-based power, capable of severing the nine generations based on bloodlines, or simply cursing everyone with a certain surname to death. This is also why they are so incredibly wary of her."
"The few famous transcendent families today only rose to power by filling the vacuum left by that great purge. In a way, they have Ms. Tang to thank."
Lyu Huan gave a cold laugh. "It’s just a pity. I’ve heard that those exterminated old elite families might have held core secrets regarding the origins of supernatural creatures and transcendents, but they preferred to take those secrets to their graves rather than make them public."
Zhao Huaisha listened with her mouth agape. After a long while, she stammered, "Such... such a powerful person... how come I’ve never heard of her..."
"It’s normal for youngsters of your generation not to have heard of her. Someone is intentionally downplaying her influence, and..."
Lyu Huan’s expression became complex, even carrying a hint of secrecy. "Usually, almost no one dares to mention her, especially not her true name."
"They don't even dare mention her?" Zhao Huaisha was even more confused. "Why is that?"
Lyu Huan was silent for a moment before he slowly squeezed out a few words:
"She can hear."
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