Lyu Huan was stunned, only to hear Tang Zhuhe continue: “The headquarters kept this information hidden quite well. They’ve concocted a great plan to save all of humanity, and yet I haven’t heard a single whisper of it until now.”
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Lyu Huan’s head, making him break out in a cold sweat instantly. He finally realized where his conversation with Tang Zhuhe had gone wrong!
The headquarters was extremely wary of Tang Zhuhe, and all information regarding the lost item was kept strictly confidential. Yet here he was, Lyu Huan, demanding she work for the headquarters without revealing a single detail. This wasn’t a request; it was a test and exploitation!
“Every other word out of your mouth is about grand principles, yet you refuse to say a single word about what the lost item actually is or what the headquarters’ plan entails. You’re guarding against me like a thief, so why should I help the headquarters?” Tang Zhuhe leaned forward slightly, her intellectual and elegant aura suddenly becoming incredibly oppressive.
“That transport vehicle crashed near Amber City. Instead of informing the local Investigation Bureau and requesting assistance, the headquarters sent you here as quickly as possible to seal the scene and test me with your words… The headquarters suspects me, don’t they?”
Lyu Huan was drenched in sweat. He opened his mouth to explain, but no sound came out.
Tang Zhuhe snorted coldly. “It seems that because I’ve been living a quiet life these past few years and haven’t killed anyone in a long time, those old fossils at headquarters have developed some delusions and started stirring up trouble again. They’ve forgotten how they knelt and kowtowed for mercy back then, and they’ve forgotten who is the one guarding the Mysterious Garden here. To think they actually dare to test me…”
“No, it’s not like that! Director Tang, you’ve misunderstood!” Lyu Huan tried to explain in a panic, but he didn't know where to start.
He could clearly feel that Tang Zhuhe’s thoughts were veering further and further into the territory of conspiracy theories.
And the cause of all this was precisely the headquarters’ ambiguous attitude and his own stupid way of communicating.
He regretted it. He shouldn’t have come to find Tang Zhuhe. All he wanted now was to leave this suffocating place immediately.
He even vaguely realized that he might just be a pawn being used. Given his personality, the higher-ups didn't even need to give him explicit instructions; he would naturally take the initiative to contact Tang Zhuhe, perfectly completing this clumsy test for the headquarters.
They were testing if Tang Zhuhe had been injured in the Mysterious Garden, if she was still as powerful as she was thirty years ago, and whether her strength had progressed or regressed over the years...
Lyu Huan could only blame himself for never having truly dealt with Tang Zhuhe before. He had only pieced together her personality from fragments of rumors and thought he could move her with the cause of humanity...
“Um, Director Tang, if it’s inconvenient, then I’ll take my leave first...” Lyu Huan stood up, wanting to say goodbye.
“Do you think this is a place where you can just come and go as you please?” Tang Zhuhe’s face showed a look of mercy, but the killing intent in her eyes was unmistakable.
An invisible pressure suddenly descended, and Lyu Huan’s body stiffened, rendering him unable to move.
“Now then, let’s have a proper chat. Tell me exactly what the headquarters is plotting.” Tang Zhuhe became increasingly pleasant.
Lyu Huan’s heart trembled with fear. His survival instinct overrode everything else, and he no longer dared to hide anything. However, he didn't know much either, revealing only one thing—
“The headquarters intercepted a piece of intelligence from the Su family regarding an Otherworld—a resource-rich world with no supernatural occurrences that is habitable for humans!”
As his voice fell, a deathly silence filled the office.
Tang Zhuhe, who had remained calm and elegant, finally showed a different expression. Her fingers, folded on the desk, curled slightly.
“An Otherworld?”
...
On Yue Shi’s side, after sending the contaminated individuals from Chen Biao’s neighborhood to the isolation center, a search was conducted, but no source of contamination was found.
Chen Biao’s parents were also unclear about how he had come into contact with the supernatural. This case could only be put on hold for the time being.
After returning to the Investigation Bureau, Bai Wanyang’s mood was very low.
Yue Shi did not comfort him.
In the office, the sisters Wei Jianxian and Wei Siqi were chatting and gossiping.
They mentioned that Captain Lyu from headquarters had walked out of the director’s office with a pale face after less than ten minutes.
“It’s been confirmed. That group from headquarters is going to raid the Qingshan Sanatorium tomorrow.”
“But it’s strange. Our bureau isn’t getting involved at all. We haven’t sent anyone to help.”
“Sister, this is a bit weird. Did something happen?”
“Why do you care so much? At least we don’t have to go risk our lives in a supernatural domain.”
“True.”
The two sisters whispered to each other, and Yue Shi caught an earful of it.
After work in the evening, Yue Shi found a place a bit further away to have dinner.
He ate slowly, then strolled leisurely along the road after finishing.
As the night deepened and the evening breeze grew chilly, Yue Shi walked along the sidewalk, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number.
“Hello?” a familiar voice came through the receiver.
It was Zhong Mo.
“Calling me at this time... is there any progress in the investigation?” He got straight to the point. After all, there wasn't much else for him and Yue Shi to talk about.
Yue Shi walked slowly along the sidewalk, the streetlights stretching his shadow long.
“The transcendents sent by headquarters are going to raid the Qingshan Sanatorium tomorrow. The thing they’re looking for might be inside the sanatorium.” Yue Shi threw out information that was a mix of truth and uncertainty.
The raid on Qingshan Sanatorium was true, and the item being there was what the headquarters’ people believed—every part of it was true in its own way.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line, as if the other person was judging the veracity of the news.
“This news is quite timely. Thanks,” Zhong Mo’s voice sounded again, carrying a well-measured hint of joy.
Yue Shi couldn't tell if his joy was real or fake, only asking, “What exactly is that lost item?”
Zhong Mo said, “I’m not entirely sure of the specifics. There are many rumors. Some say it’s a supernatural object that could be called a divine artifact, while others say it’s some epoch-making technology. Opinions vary.”
“How is what you’re saying any different from bullshit? Do you have any actual substance?” Yue Shi retorted bluntly.
Zhong Mo was left speechless for a moment before saying warmly, “My understanding is indeed limited. I can only tell you one thing—the vast majority of transcendents and supernatural creatures with spatial abilities in the world have mysteriously disappeared over the past few years. Their disappearance is highly likely related to ‘that thing.’”
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