Transition

The Minister summarized, "The headquarters intercepted some intelligence from the Su family, and naturally, we cannot allow such an important item to remain at large. If the Otherworld truly exists, it will be our hope—a chance for humanity to escape this desperate world overrun by the supernatural."

Tang Zhuhe pondered for a moment before asking the core question: "What was the original source of the intelligence the Su family obtained regarding the 'Otherworld'?"

The Minister shook his head, a trace of gravity appearing on his face. "I don't know. The headquarters used many methods and even planted numerous moles, but the Su family's secrecy on this matter is extremely high. Only a tiny handful of people know, and not a single shred of information has leaked out."

"These transcendent families are deeply intertwined and bound to the headquarters. To strike one is to affect the whole. Without a definitive reason, the headquarters cannot use violent interrogation methods against them without cause..."

Tang Zhuhe understood instantly. The headquarters found it inconvenient to use violence, but Ms. Tang did not!

Tsk~, the moment she stepped into this meeting room, she had already completed a sync infiltration on the other side.

"As the Minister of the headquarters, you are actually being restrained by these families that have only risen in the last few years? That's hard to justify. I suggest cleaning them out as soon as possible; otherwise, they'll eventually become too powerful to control," Tang Zhuhe said.

The Minister shook his head. "It hasn't reached that point yet. They aren't like the great elite families of the past who monopolized everything, and they won't have the chance to grow into great elite families either."

Tang Zhuhe replied, "If that's what you think, then I really don't know what to say."

The Minister sighed. "It is only natural for the strong to shield their own kin. Even if we eliminate these families, new ones will quickly be born. Moreover, transcendent families are part of the force fighting against the supernatural. I must consider the big picture. If they were gone..."

"The world will keep turning no matter who is gone, including you and me," Tang Zhuhe interrupted him.

"Back then, those great elite families were always shouting that they were the ones holding up the world, that they were the ones fighting the supernatural on the front lines, and that everyone else should be grateful to them. They said the world would surely be destroyed without them. And the result? After they died, the world became a better place."

The Minister said, "You are too extreme. The Investigation Bureau's purpose is to protect the people, not to engage in internal strife to eliminate dissenters. The current situation cannot withstand any upheaval."

Tang Zhuhe shook her head. "It is difficult for a supreme powerhouse to be born with 'protection' as their goal. The more you want to protect, the more you will lose."

"Forget it, we'll never see eye to eye." Tang Zhuhe waved her hand, suddenly losing the desire to argue with this old fossil.

Ms. Tang left.

The Minister sat alone in his office for a long time, a strange smile slowly pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Ms. Tang has a sense of the big picture; she is still working hard to save this world.

This is... truly wonderful.

...

Yue Shi sat in the Action Section office, his fingertips tapping the desk unconsciously.

Outside the window, the sky was a dull gray, making the atmosphere feel somewhat suffocating.

He rubbed his brow, his mind still replaying the images he had seen through the ravens earlier—

Zhao Huaisha had led the group from headquarters and walked into the Qingshan Sanatorium building without hesitation.

To avoid being discovered, the ravens circled outside and did not follow them in.

The specific situation inside the building became a fog. Afterward, a fierce conflict seemed to have occurred, with a third-party force intervening. But in the end, Lyu Huan led the team out without further incident, and they left immediately without a word.

The gains were scant.

Aside from confirming that Qingshan Sanatorium seemed to have become more dangerous than before and that the director's behavior had suddenly become very strange, there was almost no progress on other intelligence. The people from headquarters also returned empty-handed.

Yue Shi picked up his cold coffee and took a sip, the bitter taste spreading across his tongue.

This feeling of being kept in the dark made him a bit irritable.

When he was annoyed, he liked to see others suffer.

A true villain simply cannot stand to see others happy.

Over the next few days, Yue Shi handled supernatural incidents while using the Investigation Bureau's internal channels to research information on the major forbidden zones, especially the Mysterious Garden.

The progress bar for his new skill was also slowly growing.

That day, the atmosphere in the office was somewhat gloomy.

Ling Xun was nowhere to be seen, busy with unknown tasks.

Bai Wanyang's mood was still very low, remaining in a state of grief.

He was tracking down the source of the contamination that had caused Chen Biao's mutation, but unfortunately, he had gained nothing. With his heart full of hatred and nowhere to vent it, he only became more sorrowful.

But no one cared.

Wei Jianxian, one of the twins, was racing against time to lose weight. She had eaten a four-inch cake and drank two large cups of milk tea by herself the night before, so she had to quickly shed the excess sugar and fat she had consumed.

But everyone knew that after dieting for a few days, she would lose control again and have a massive feast, regret it afterward, and then start dieting all over again in a continuous cycle.

Just then, the younger twin, Wei Siqi, ran in carrying a large bag of snacks, breaking the silence. She was always more lively than her sister.

"Hey, hey, hey, have you heard?" Wei Siqi tossed the snacks onto her desk and eagerly leaned in toward her sister, her voice just loud enough for everyone in the office to hear.

"Heard what?" Wei Jianxian asked listlessly, looking at the pile of snacks with great dissatisfaction while rubbing her eyes.

This little brat would buy a pile of snacks every time but only eat a tiny bit, leaving the rest for her older sister to finish.

Yue Shi's fingers stopped tapping the desk. He picked up his coffee cup, seemingly indifferent, but his attention had already drifted over.

Wei Siqi blinked and lowered her voice, adding a sense of mystery to her secret. "I just heard some grapevine news. That famous 'Glory Association'—you know, the charity organization—it seems they're coming to Amber City to host an event!"

The Glory Association?

Yue Shi's hand holding the coffee cup paused slightly.

Wei Siqi continued to talk to herself, "I heard it's quite a large fanfare. Many people of status will be there. I don't know what they're planning..."

Wei Jianxian sneered, her tone carrying a hint of sarcasm. "What else could they be planning? Doing charity, obviously~"

Wei Siqi opened a bag of potato chips and said while eating, "I haven't heard of any scandals involving the Glory Association lately that they'd need to cover up with charity. There might be some kind of conspiracy."

"Even if there is a conspiracy, it probably has nothing to do with us." Wei Jianxian endured the urge as long as she could before finally picking up another bag of chips.

Yue Shi slowly set down his coffee cup and turned his gaze to the gray city skyline outside the window. Deep in his eyes, endless malice churned frantically.