Xiao Zheng never imagined that within half a year of taking up his post at the General Dispatch Office, he would be in charge of two major internal cleanups.

He was so busy that he didn't even have time to rest his feet, working through the night until dawn before finally finding a place to sit down.

With a blank expression on his face, Xiao Zheng couldn't help but wonder if he should consult a master to see if there was something wrong with his fate, such as a taboo against promotion.

If the previous incident with the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly was only a matter of breaking the law and discipline, then this time it was truly shocking.

Chief Huang and Dr. Wang, along with other non-combat personnel, immediately evacuated.

The headquarters building was sealed off on site, with all personnel prohibited from entering or leaving. Everyone was subject to on-site inspection, and the electronic and magic locks on the sealed underground facility were fully activated.

Dangerous items that had not been counted could not be stored, so they were temporarily packed and escorted by research staff who had been verified as innocent, and transported to a resort villa located ten kilometers away.

The resort villa had been completed for over half a year, with complete facilities and advertisements already spread out, but it had not yet officially opened.

It was built with the investment of Director Xiao's father and other lackeys from the Bureau. The entire Xiao family treated their young master as a treasure, and with just one phone call, the villa was requisitioned for public use.

Chief Huang reported the emergency situation and called in a group of ordinary people armed with real guns to take over the internal security of the villa.

After a series of struggles, everyone was still catching their breath when they suddenly realized with horror that the deadly 3S*001 sealing box was empty.

Panic ensued once again.

"It's okay, it's okay! Director Xuan just made a video call and said that the dangerous item from 3S*001 is with him...scared the crap out of me," Wang Ze wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sat down to roughly recount Sheng Lingyuan's crazy actions.

After finishing the story, his restless soul finally settled down, but the taste left in his mouth was far from pleasant.

"I'm telling you, this person," he rudely stuffed a cigarette into his mouth, lit it with one hand using a lighter, and gritted his teeth, "he can predict things and see ten steps ahead...hey!"

No matter who was suspected of being a cult member, they wouldn't feel good about it.

But the proportion of defectors brought out by this one sealed box was too shocking.

Wang Ze himself was now scared even when he saw his compatriots. He couldn't figure out whether this huge bureau was filled with "humans" or "demons".

If someone was caught off guard, he would start to wonder if the other party was guilty.

Who released the delirious Zhi Chun who was poisoned by the mirage island and led him to the downtown area?

How did the lackeys under Master Yue De's command get their hands on the mithril cannon that hasn't even been officially produced by the Research Institute?

In the Dongchuan Forest Park, during the crucial moment of capturing Aluojin, who made the mysterious phone call that almost ruined everything at the central dispatch office?

And how were the suspects caught in the underground black market silenced?

There are so many questions that are hard to fathom. If even the headquarters is like this, then what about the local branches?

Even the "respected and revered" Old Lady Yu is involved in human sacrifice, attempting to revert to ancient ways. What about the other skilled individuals with hidden agendas at the Penglai Conference?

Wang Ze shuddered and took a deep drag of his cigarette. He felt that it was all too absurd.

"I mean, have I been wandering outside for too long and lost touch with the times? Why do I feel like actively 'detaching from humanity' and distancing ourselves from ordinary people is the mainstream and the right path? And people like us are just a minority out of these traitors and lapdogs?"

Xiao Zheng was in a bad mood and snapped, "Can you stop talking for a moment?"

"Let's not argue," Chief Huang calmly waved his hand and handed everyone a freshly brewed cup of hot coffee. "Can you listen to me for a few words?"

Everyone immediately stopped talking and turned their attention to the only ordinary person in the room.

"According to Little Wang, 'that person' has shared that the True Nature Sect believers...subconsciously, they have a special spiritual invasion," Chief Huang summarized, "I can understand it this way, right? This thing should be the result of their repeated worship of the demon king idol and self-brainwashing. On the other hand, precisely because they have this thing in their minds, it further deepens the brainwashing level. Even those who were skeptical of the True Nature Sect at first will gradually become immersed in it during the ritual."

As he spoke, he glanced at Dr. Wang in the corner, who lifted his drooping eyelids to his cheekbones with a meaningful look at Huang: What did I say again?

Chief Huang couldn't help but sigh and turned to look at Yan Qiushan, sincerely saying, "Qiushan, you're amazing."

Only someone with a heart made of granite could remain unmoved in the True Nature Sect for three years.

Yan Qiushan's body was still covered in metal parts from his injuries, making him uncomfortable as he sat. He crossed his arms and leaned against the window, standing like a wooden board.

Suddenly, he was called out and praised, but he didn't react much.

He responded coldly, "There has always been a legend within the True Nature Sect about a 'divine oracle.' The gist of it is that 'as long as your heart is sincere and you work hard to cultivate, one day you will hear the divine oracle. The divine oracle doesn't use any human language in the world, but the person who hears it will naturally understand its meaning.' I used to think this was just a common saying used by cults to create mystery, but now it seems to refer to the imprint in our subconscious."

"So, they themselves don't even know about this brand. Today, in order to obtain the mermaid scales from Old Lady Yu, they didn't hesitate to expose all the people who had been lurking in the bureau for so many years," Wang Ze asked, "So what exactly is in the 'Heavenly White Jade Palace' that made them spend so much blood and treasure?"

"It's also possible that the other party doesn't care about these followers at all. According to the information extracted from Vice Captain Yu's memory, when the mysterious person attached to the well wall sensed something was wrong, he immediately abandoned him," Zhi Chun said.

"They devour the 'cultivation' of special abilities people in the same lineage, and the followers may just be the reserve food of the manipulators behind the scenes..." Zhi Chun continued.

Chief Huang was stirring his coffee when he heard the sentence. The spoon suddenly hit the cup and spilled a mouthful of coffee onto his immaculate white shirt sleeve.

Zhi Chun thought he had said something he shouldn't have and immediately stopped talking.

He asked softly, "Chief Huang?"

Yan Qiushan looked sharply at Chief Huang.

"No, I just remembered it when you mentioned it earlier. He Cuiyu definitely doesn't have this mark in her mind," Chief Huang's expression remained unchanged as he grabbed a tissue and calmly wiped his hands. "In other words, those who have this mark are definitely from the True Nature Sect, and those who don't necessarily have it are not necessarily clean. They may even have a higher rank and be more deeply hidden within the True Nature Sect."

One sentence silenced everyone.

At this moment, Li Chen walked in with a face as dark as water.

"Just received a report, there are 168 people with problems in Thunder, from ordinary members to my deputy... I..." Thunder, with a total of 400 people stationed at headquarters, is the face of the special forces.

It looks glamorous, but if you shake it, half of it will fall apart.

Li Chen felt like he had swallowed three pounds of live maggots, heavy and wriggling in his stomach.

He said, "Chief Huang, why don't you just fire me?"

"Fire you for what?" Chief Huang threw the crumpled paper he had just wiped his hands on at him. "If I fire you, who will take care of this mess in Thunder? You messed up and still dare to act spoiled? Do your job and stop talking nonsense!"

Li Chen almost cried when the napkin hit him.

"This isn't Li Chen's fault," Xiao Zheng helped smooth things over. "After all, Thunder is his 'family'. The proportion of people from 'special and talented families' in Thunder is the highest, and there is a serious problem of cliques. When I was there, Thunder agents had several incidents where their relationships with ordinary people caused trouble with their families. Other departments should be better, after all, the majority are from ordinary families..."

"What are you thinking, young master?" A hoarse voice interrupted him.

Xiao Zheng turned around and saw a small, thin woman standing at the door, complaining that the heating was too high. As she walked in, she unzipped her windproof coat and her hood fell down, revealing a dark and aged face.

The newcomer appeared to be around the same age as Chief Huang, weathered by the elements and looking rather drab in her peach-colored coat. She seemed like an unkempt old laborer.

However, as soon as she entered the room, everyone except the 200-year-old Dr. Wang stood up in unison.

Even Yan Qiushan, who usually couldn't be bothered, tore away from the poster he had been leaning against and stood up straight to greet her: "Sister Dan."

"Captain Dan."

"Captain Dan is back..."

Dr. Wang's drowsy wrinkles smoothed out as he asked, "Little Lin is back?"

Dan Lin, also known as the Captain of the Storm Special Forces, was already 59 years old and still working on the front lines of special operations. She was also a seasoned expert in finding missing persons.

Unlike Wang Ze, who wandered around aimlessly, Dan Lin had a special job that required her to track the pulse anomalies caused by heavy rain all year round. She had to maintain all the supernatural monitoring points in remote areas such as deserts, snow-capped plateaus, and other places where nobody lived.

Even though the Bureau had undergone a leadership change, she never returned.

The Bureau seemed to function as if she didn't exist, but without the monitoring network maintained by Dan Lin during heavy rain, the entire Bureau would be paralyzed.

Dan Lin first bowed to Dr. Lao Wang before greeting the younger colleagues one by one. When she reached Yan Qiushan, she looked at the puppet that was Zhi Chun and sighed, hesitating to speak. She probably knew what had happened.

In the end, she only said one sentence to him, "It's good that you're back."

Although Xiao Zheng was a higher administrative level, as a junior, he still obediently gave up his seat.

Without any hesitation, Dan Lin pointed at him and said, "Young master, I have to say, you really don't understand the struggles of ordinary people. Who told you that someone from an ordinary family background will always stand with the common people?"

"Little Xiao is still young and has room to grow. He has the kind of clean energy that caught the attention of the old bureau chief," Chief Huang chuckled. "Even after ten phone calls, we couldn't get a hold of you. But now that the bureau has been forced to move, we finally 'invited' you back."

Xiao Zheng looked at Yan Qiushan with suspicion in his eyes, silently asking how an ordinary person like Chief Huang could know Captain Dan.

Why would he even bother to contact her?

Yan Qiushan was also surprised and narrowed his eyes in thought.

"What are you winking for?" Dan Lin didn't turn around, as if she had eyes on the back of her head.

She laughed and scolded Xiao Zheng, "The wife of Chief Huang is my junior sister. Every time I went to report to the headquarters, I would go to her house for a meal. Old Huang's specialty dish is boiled beef, and every time there are guests at home, he has to make it. No one can stop him. Whenever I see him, I think of that taste."

Chief Huang still smiled, but unusually didn't respond, "How about the heavy rain?"

"The heavy rain is not a big deal. Except for those who stayed at headquarters, all other departments are dealing with natural disasters in the deep mountains and forests. They don't usually have much contact with humans, so they have fewer opportunities to be corrupted."

Dan Lin glanced at Xiao Zheng and sighed, "You, on the other hand, have a good family background and your family is open-minded. Do others have your conditions? Children with special abilities born in ordinary families are often seen as freaks or sick. If you ask around, you can easily hear their tragic stories."

Wang Ze couldn't help but tighten his jaw.

Dan Lin spoke without any concern for his words, "In my opinion, it's all because of the confidentiality regulations. They always make the aftermath department carry the radio and run around the world. What's the point of that? We don't have many operations in densely populated areas anyway. Occasionally, there are witnesses, just talk to them and tell them not to spread it around, and that's it."

Li Chen was shocked and said, "Captain Dan, ordinary people...this is against the rules!"

"Who said it wasn't?" Dan Lin's crow's feet didn't even move, "I violate the rules about seven or eight/ninety times a year anyway. Besides, I should retire soon. Chief Huang, will you discipline me?"

Chief Huang hurriedly smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare."

"In the early days, the Qingping Division isolated themselves, afraid of being caught and burned as monsters. And now, your organization, so large, still follows the old ways from thousands of years ago, claiming to be afraid of causing panic. Is it because our work cannot see the light of day, or because you all have such high ideals that you must do good deeds without leaving a name?

"Every day, our heads are bowed, our bodies bound by the 'Fifteen-Person Red Line.' Who doesn't have resentment in their hearts? I certainly do. But this resentment could have been resolved with a simple thank-you letter and some local specialties, which only cost eight cents. Isn't that cheap? But no, you all insist on accumulating grievances with your Echo Sound machines, driving yourselves mad."

Shaking her head, Dan Lin lit a cigarette and sneered. "In this huge Bureau, nearly thirty percent of the special abilities agents resent ordinary people. They're so damn resentful that they're about to explode, that I don't even want to take care of them anymore, and instead reincarnate as a wild animal!" she exclaimed.

Yan Qiushan lowered his head slightly and said, "I'm ashamed."

"It's not your fault. The Wind Gods this time wasn't too serious, it's all because you have such good connections. There was a small group of idiots in the Wind Gods who had contact with the True Nature Sect. When they heard that Zhi Chun was their doing, they immediately turned against them."

Dan Lin flicked her cigarette ash and continued, "Anyway, talking about this is useless. The explosion of the True Nature Sect incident isn't all bad. He Cuiyu and Master Yue De both dug their own graves, at least we can now enter Jiangzhou and Dongchuan. Once we take care of these troublemakers, our current network of supernatural monitoring can cover the entire country. If we can detect energy outbreaks in a timely manner and deal with them promptly, our brothers won't have to risk disturbing the lives of ordinary people."

Chief Huang sincerely said, "Sister Dan, your contribution will be remembered for generations."

"Don't worry, I'm not into young meat. I don't plan on living as long as He Cuiyu either. As long as I can get enough retirement funds for 15 years, my pension won't have been paid in vain." Dan Lin shook his head and then spoke seriously, "Can I go meet the 'gentleman' that you and Teacher Wang mentioned? I rushed back specifically for this matter."

Sheng Lingyuan frowned early in the morning when he heard the name 'gentleman'.

In fact, the emperor didn't need anyone to take care of him.

If no one cooked for him, he could go without eating. If no one made his bed, he wouldn't sleep anyway. If no one washed his clothes, he could go without wearing any.

As a master of illusion, he could easily conjure up a set of clothes from dry leaves and twigs, and make them look however he wanted. Even if he went around naked, the heavens wouldn't strike him with lightning over such a trivial matter.

Xuan Ji was willing to serve him as the emperor, allowing him to manipulate him without resistance or gratitude, maintaining a safe distance without any demands.

Therefore, Xuan Ji took away his clothes and replaced them with new ones, and he had no objections. After taking a shower, he put on the new clothes without a second thought.

Sheng Lingyuan walked out of the bathroom, squeezing his wet hair down while the steam from his hand created a black mist. His hair instantly dried and fluffed up as usual.

Just as he was halfway through, the Emperor suddenly stopped - he noticed that Xuan Ji, who was setting up breakfast, was wearing the exact same outfit as him.

In ancient times, there were strict rules about what clothes and accessories one could wear, and there was no such thing as "couple outfits" in the minds of the old-timers.

However, after traveling through the mortal world, Sheng Lingyuan gained a basic understanding of industrial society and realized that people's clothes were mass-produced by machines, so it was normal to accidentally wear the same outfit as someone else.

Although he knew rationally that it was convenient for Xuan Jitu to buy multiple identical outfits at once, did they really have to be exactly the same?

The emperor thought it was strange.

"Good morning," Xuan Jitu greeted him with a sudden smile and took the liberty of changing his title to "Lingyuan."

What happened to the formal address all of a sudden?

The two characters "Lingyuan" made Sheng Lingyuan's heart tremble, but he had already said, "No need to be unfamiliar."

He had been dead for thousands of years, and the Great Qi Dynasty had long gone. It was not convenient to be too particular about a name.

He could only maintain an indifferent attitude and respond casually, pretending that nothing had happened as he walked past.

Sheng Lingyuan acted as if nothing had happened, and so did Xuan Ji.

While setting the tableware, Xuan Ji said, "By the way, Yan Qiushan called earlier and said that the headquarters has temporarily moved. He will bring a colleague from the Storm special forces over later."

"Good," Sheng Lingyuan replied, "I was just starting to make sense of those sacrificial texts. This way, we won't have to..."

Xuan Ji stopped Sheng Lingyuan's hand from reaching for the soup bowl - not accidentally, but firmly and clearly.

His fingers even dared to curl up slightly, as if he had ambitious plans to hold Sheng Lingyuan's hand in his own.

"Fresh out of the steamer," Xuan Ji pressed his hand and handed him the scalding hot soup bowl. "Be careful not to burn yourself."

Since he was "without desire or attachment" and "unaffected by worldly matters," he naturally had to uphold the philosophy of "form is emptiness, emptiness is form."

All things in the mortal world are illusory, so why would he care if someone took advantage of him?

After all, even "advantage" is illusory.

Since it's only an illusion, What's the harm in losing a little bit of advantage?

Besides, he wouldn't suffer any losses or be fooled.

The emperor looked down upon the world and surely wouldn't care about such trivial matters.

Xuan Ji recklessly spilled the fire in his palm onto the emperor's cold hand, thinking to himself, "Well, if I don't touch him, it would be such a waste."