Bang!
The conference table was smashed to pieces with a heavy palm strike.
The Director of the Cuifeng City Investigation Bureau walked up to several of his subordinates, his rage unconcealed.
Outside the window, the sky was gloomy and heavy snow was falling, making his expression look even more grim.
“Three family exterminations and several kidnappings and murders. If I remember correctly, most of the victims in these cases weren't exactly commoners.”
As he spoke, the pressure emanating from the director made several people gasp for breath.
To become the director of a local Investigation Bureau, his strength was certainly not lacking.
“Yes, Director,” an investigator answered tremulously.
As the city's supreme authority, they were naturally well aware of who the victims were as the number of violent crimes surged.
“The Yin family, Silverwing Technology Group... You should all know their relationship with the Investigation Bureau and what's behind them.”
The director sat back in his chair and lit a cigarette.
“We know, of course. The victims were almost all related to the city's robot industry and the underground black market...”
Clang!
The person who had just been speaking was hoisted up by the neck. His face turned a deep red, and his feet kicked uselessly in the air.
“Since you know, why has there been zero progress on these cases?”
“Headquarters has already called to inquire about this. Do you understand what that means?”
The director pulled his subordinate close to his face, his gaze fierce and his tone biting.
“Bureau headquarters is currently undergoing internal reforms. This period is crucial.”
“If we can't keep things stable, I'm very likely to lose my position as the Director of the Cuifeng City Investigation Bureau in this storm.”
“You are all the confidants I've personally groomed. If I fall, none of you will have a good ending either!”
At this point, the director finally let go, dropping the poor subordinate.
He took a deep breath, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Too many terrible things have happened lately, and I've become a bit emotional. You don't mind, do you?”
The subordinate clutched his neck, his voice raspy and his face full of terror, unable to speak at all.
His colleague beside him spoke up just in time. “How could Xiao Zhao possibly mind?”
“He owes everything he has today to your cultivation, Director.”
Ignoring the pain in his neck, Xiao Zhao nodded like a woodpecker.
Whatever grievances he felt, he swallowed them down.
Looking at him, some of the others felt pity, while others laughed at his stupidity.
Every investigator in the bureau had to survive under such a tyrannical director.
Most slick veterans wouldn't dare open their mouths when the director was angry.
The more you say, the more you mess up; the less you say, the fewer mistakes you make; if you say nothing, you can't be wrong.
Fortunately, the director did have his merits.
He was powerful, and if there was meat to be had, everyone ate; if there were benefits, everyone shared.
And he was impartial.
Whether you were a fawning sycophant, a master of slacking off, or someone who actually got things done...
The director treated everyone with the same attitude.
There was no room for small-time crooks who deceived superiors and bullied subordinates, so the bureau's atmosphere was actually decent.
They only had to serve the director, their 'Emperor,' and didn't have to worry about a 'Shadow Ruler' lurking in the wings.
“Tell me in detail. What new discoveries are there in these cases?”
“No bureaucratic jargon or meaningless platitudes. I want to know the real situation!”
The director took a drag on his cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
An investigator chose his words carefully before speaking.
“It has been confirmed that the perpetrators of these cases are not the same person.”
“Furthermore, the deaths of all the victims appear very... reasonable.”
“The killers had perfect motives, and everything follows logic.”
“The only point of suspicion is that these killers are just ordinary humans, yet during the crimes, they acted like experienced maniacs.”
“It's as if they were self-taught in various criminal methods, especially in the case of Mr. Yin's death.”
The investigator handed a file to the director.
The director took the file and scanned it.
The investigator continued, “The young man who killed Mr. Yin actually took down Mr. Yin's two strong bodyguards single-handedly.”
“Afterward, he broke into Mr. Yin's home and brutally murdered his entire family.”
“How could an ordinary human suddenly possess such strength and ruthlessness?”
Hearing this, the director was already growing impatient.
“These cases are unusual. There might be supernatural or transcendent interference behind them. I don't need you to remind me of that repeatedly.”
“Get to the point!”
The investigator stopped beating around the bush and said directly.
“We can identify the mastermind by looking for commonalities between the victims and the killers.”
“We can find someone whose circumstances are similar to the victims in all aspects and even arrange a 'scene reenactment' while we lie in wait nearby.”
The director exhaled a smoke ring and barked.
“All that babbling just to say we're setting a trap?”
“Was it necessary to take such a long detour?”
“Talking to you people is exhausting.”
The investigator forced a smile while cursing up a storm on the inside.
Damn it, if you weren't so emotionally unstable, would we subordinates have to be so cautious in everything we say and do?
“Fine. I'm leaving this matter entirely in your hands. Investigate however you want.”
“No matter what means you use, just find the truth as quickly as possible.”
With that final word, the director waved his hand and ended the meeting.
Several subordinates stood up immediately and left one after another.
Free from the director's pressure, they gathered together as soon as they left the conference room to discuss their strategy.
The director only pointed out the direction; he never cared how his people got the job done.
As long as there were results, the process didn't matter at all.
Moreover, the director delegated authority very cleanly, never asking questions or micromanaging.
It was hard to say whether having such a leader was a good or bad thing.
...
On the other side.
Yue Shi was at the dining table, gnawing on crab claws.
The claws were exceptionally large, and Ghost watched in amazement.
“Where did you get those?”
“Fished them out of the sea,” Yue Shi said.
“Your tastes have changed lately.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“How's the Cuifeng City Investigation Bureau? Any movements these past few days?” Yue Shi asked as he ate.
Ghost thought for a moment and said, “They seem pretty average.”
“Although there are many transcendents in the local bureau, their abilities are quite common. Nothing special.”
“Unlike the Amber City Investigation Bureau—they had fewer people, but every one of them was a talent.”
Yue Shi asked, “What about the director?”
“I haven't seen him yet, but he's probably just an ordinary Rank 4.”
If anyone else heard Ghost's words, they would think him arrogant.
Transcendents who reached Rank 4 were rare enough that none could be called 'ordinary.'
But Ghost had followed Yue Shi and seen countless powerhouses; a Rank 4 really wasn't much to him.
“This city's development is quite deformed. It only looks flourishing on the surface.”
“How so?”
Ghost sighed. “Cuifeng City basically has no middle class.”
“A small number of upper-class wealthy people keep up appearances, but the living standards of the majority are terrible.”
To demonstrate his value, Ghost took the initiative to gather intelligence for Yue Shi.
He had easily figured out the city's state of development.
“The wealth gap in Cuifeng City is extreme. Ten percent of the rich live in absolute luxury.”
“The remaining ninety percent are all poor people buried in debt.”
“Yet these indebted young people abnormally choose to marry and have children. The adult workhorses pay their own way to breed more little workhorses.”
“The capitalists don't care about appearances at all because the Investigation Bureau stands right behind them, helping to exploit the bottom tier.”
“For the people living here, simply not being in debt is considered a great happiness.”
Despite such a deformed development model, Cuifeng City continued to operate stably.
What could the dissatisfied masses do?
Revolt?
This wasn't the age of cold weapons where numbers alone could overthrow a regime.
High-tech weaponry and supernatural power allowed a few to firmly crush the many.
Even public opinion was completely controlled by the upper class.
Listening to Ghost's rambling, Yue Shi heartlessly gnawed on a crab leg, his eyes crinkling like crescent moons.
Such a wretched social environment... how wonderful.
It was perfect for the cultivation of pain and evil.
But, the suffering shouldn't be limited to the bottom tier.
Everyone should suffer.
Everyone should be in the thick of it.
‘I'll be the one to light this powder keg.’
Rate on N.U.
