“This is our new colleague, Yue Shi. Everyone, please give him a warm welcome!”
As Ling Xun’s voice fell, a sparse, scattered round of applause followed.
Yue Shi had arrived so late that everyone’s curiosity about their new colleague had long since been exhausted while they waited.
In a sense, they weren't complete strangers to him. Some had met him once, while others had heard the legends about him.
The so-called “legends” referred to when Bai Qingyu was brought back for interrogation. Everyone had seen her miserable state and knew that there was a ruthless, cold-blooded transcendent out there.
Afterward, Ling Xun introduced the other transcendent colleagues in the bureau to Yue Shi one by one—
The twin sisters, Wei Jianxian and Wei Siqi;
Zhu Qunqing and Bai Wanyang, who clearly couldn't stand the sight of each other;
And Aunt Gu, who was in charge of logistics.
Yue Shi knew a little bit about most of them, but this was the first time he had met Aunt Gu.
She was very quiet and didn't say much. After a brief nod of acknowledgement, she returned to her workstation.
All transcendents belonged to the Investigation Bureau’s Action Department. Ling Xun was the section chief and was directly responsible for all members.
There weren't many people in the Action Department, but the work atmosphere...
It was hard to describe.
The sisters, Wei Jianxian and Wei Siqi, were a natural duo. They got along well with Bai Wanyang but ignored Zhu Qunqing.
Bai Wanyang would provoke or taunt Zhu Qunqing from time to time.
Zhu Qunqing endured it gloomily, his expression sour. Even indoors, he wore sunglasses. His scrutinizing gaze would occasionally sweep over Yue Shi, making his face turn even more sour.
Aunt Gu brought over the standard equipment for a formal employee of the Investigation Bureau, along with a uniform that transcendents almost never wore.
Yue Shi sat quietly for a while before Ling Xun called him into the office.
Once he was gone, Wei Siqi glanced sideways at Zhu Qunqing and began whispering sarcastically into her sister’s ear:
“Now that’s a real handsome guy. Not like certain greasy, creepy men...”
She didn't name anyone specifically, but Zhu Qunqing’s face grew increasingly ugly. He felt like he was being subjected to office cold-shouldering and clique bullying, feeling extremely aggrieved.
Thinking this, he stood up angrily and walked out, slamming the door with a loud bang.
Wei Siqi was startled, then curled her lip in disdain. She leaned toward Wei Jianxian’s ear and muttered, “That narrow-minded guy just can’t stand anyone being better than him, especially when he’s being crushed in a certain department.”
The two of them had privately given Zhu Qunqing a nickname: Narrow-minded.
However, Wei Jianxian said, “A person like Narrow-minded isn't very smart. Although he’s jealous of talent, he wears his thoughts on his face. People like him are actually easy to guard against. It’s the ones who look fine on the surface but are actually ruthless and poisonous that you have to fear.”
Wei Siqi understood her sister’s meaning instantly and thought of their new colleague.
This new colleague was truly good-looking. One look was enough to make one's ears ring and brain go blank. A thousand words wouldn't be enough to describe that soul-shaking impact. Any description felt pale and inadequate, leaving one only able to marvel at how someone could look like that...
Wei Jianxian and Wei Siqi were both adult women with mature outlooks. They wouldn't lose their composure or act like starstruck fools over a handsome face; at most, they would appreciate it.
Or rather, people like Zhu Qunqing, who were easily blinded by beauty, were a minority after all.
Especially since this handsome new colleague had shown a rather tyrannical and cruel side. That made it even more important to keep a respectful distance.
...
Inside the Section Chief's office, Ling Xun briefed Yue Shi on the results of Bai Qingyu’s interrogation and the various matters the Investigation Bureau had been busy with lately.
“Bai Qingyu is a supernatural creature transformed from a contaminated human. The source is an existence called the ‘Holy Mother.’ We haven't been able to determine its rank yet.”
“After being contaminated by the Holy Mother, the infected show subtle changes in the early stages—such as becoming vegetarian or becoming excessively protective of small animals and plants. They appear to be overly kind people, making them very difficult to detect. They possess an extremely strong latency.”
“Once the incubation period passes, it moves directly to the late stage. The infected have completely become followers of the Holy Mother, demanding unconditional forgiveness from others and spreading the Holy Mother’s contamination everywhere.”
“This type of follower-class supernatural creature transformed through contamination has been tentatively codenamed ‘bleeding heart bitch.’ Currently, we have no trace of the source of contamination, the Holy Mother. Amber City is conducting a comprehensive screening for infected individuals.”
Hearing this, Yue Shi asked, “Why did a Holy Mother-contaminated person like Bai Qingyu collude with the people from Tulip Security Company?”
Ling Xun flipped through the documents on the desk and said calmly, “After being completely contaminated into a bleeding heart bitch, although Bai Qingyu retained her human intelligence, her mental state had already fallen into a kind of extreme paranoia. It’s easy to deceive her by starting with the things she cares about.”
“Pei Yue promised to help her spread the Holy Mother’s gospel. In return, Bai Qingyu would do things for Pei Yue.”
“The two sides were using each other. Bai Qingyu wanted to contaminate Pei Yue, and Pei Yue intended to capture the supernatural Bai Qingyu afterward. It is suspected that all the ordinary employees of Tulip Security Company have already been contaminated.”
Yue Shi chuckled. “Then Bai Qingyu really wasted her efforts. The ordinary employees of Tulip Security Company were all wiped out during the Bee Woman incident at the First Middle School.”
Ling Xun nodded. “Indeed. Your former colleagues who were stung by the venomous bees... aside from those who died on the spot, some couldn't be saved. Most of those still alive have been left with lifelong disabilities. Only a young man named Zhao Lin has recovered and been discharged.”
“Oh? Is that so? Little Zhao is quite lucky,” Yue Shi remarked with some sentiment.
Ling Xun added, “The one-eyed man who attacked you earlier... his injuries were too severe. He died shortly after being sent to the hospital. We didn't manage to get anything out of him.”
Yue Shi waved his hand, indicating he didn't care.
Ling Xun continued, “Regarding the Bee Woman, the Investigation Bureau has tentatively identified the region where the source, the Queen Bee, is located. It’s in the Chaos Zone outside Amber City, but the specific location of the nest has not yet been determined.”
“Now that you are a member of the Investigation Bureau, I want to put you in charge of leading the team to handle this matter. Any problems?”
“No problem,” Yue Shi said, not forgetting to ask, “Who was in charge of this before?”
Ling Xun said, “It was me, and I also had to mentor the newcomer, Bai Wanyang, along the way.”
“The abilities of Wei Jianxian and Aunt Gu are support-based and not suitable for field work. Wei Siqi and Zhu Qunqing are responsible for screening for Holy Mother contamination within Amber City. I need to continue investigating the events related to Tulip Security Company and another relatively tricky supernatural creature. It’s most appropriate to hand the Bee Woman matter over to you, since you have experience dealing with her.”
Ling Xun didn't say what the other tricky supernatural domain was, but Yue Shi guessed it should be... Boss Pi.
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