Endless Smoke and Dust - Foreword.

Misfortune is like a preschooler who can't go to the bathroom alone, causing chaos as soon as it arrives.

Xiao Zheng had a rough night, jumping off a building and getting struck by lightning, leaving him covered in smoke and ashes.

After hearing these words, his vision went black and his ears rang with the sound of frogs.

He used to think of himself as a rare young talent, a chosen one who could even play the father of the male lead in idol dramas.

He believed he could handle anything, even if it meant being a director or a bureau chief.

But since taking office, he had been hit with one setback after another, as if the words "not qualified" were written on his forehead.

The previously calm Bureau of Paranormal Control suddenly became chaotic, stripping him of his halo and revealing his shortcomings.

"How could he disappear? It's impossible! I had at least twenty agents by his side, 24-hour surveillance, and electronic eyes within a radius of one kilometer around the hospital. Gong Chenggong is just an ordinary person who has been bedridden for half a year..."

Yan Qiushan reached out and stopped Xiao Zheng from spinning around. "That's enough."

Yan Qiushan's face was mottled with black and white, as if he had been pixelated.

His eyes were also covered with a layer of gray, shining with a cold, metallic color.

He held onto Xiao Zheng's arm, but his gaze was fixed on Chief Huang.

"Chief, may I ask you a few questions? First of all, I'm not good at speaking, so please forgive me if I say anything inappropriate."

"I couldn't possibly," Huang chuckled. "I'm just a layman when it comes to special abilities talents. Captain Yan is my senior, so if there's anything I'm not doing right, please point it out to me."

Yan Qiushan pushed Xiao Zheng aside and walked straight up to Chief Huang.

"You're the only ordinary person who has been the director of this bureau since its establishment. That's truly special, so I was curious and looked into your background."

Chief Huang's smile faded a bit. "Oh, and what did you find?"

Zhi Chun gently tugged at Yan Qiushan's collar, but he ignored him and held onto his wooden wrist.

"Your work history is very clean. You used to work in the department that bridges ordinary people and special abilities. Your reputation and connections are excellent. Your wife, Mrs. Han Guo, is a special ability person who comes from an ordinary family background. She has a PhD in mathematics and specializes in mental abilities.

"Because of her high education, she was recruited by the Bureau when she awakened her powers at the age of 29. When she was being trained at the Youth Training Institute, her supervisor was Captain Dan, who was recovering from an injury at headquarters at the time. After completing her training, she joined the Ancient Studies Department and was once the leader of the 'Chiyuan Research Group' in the department."

When Chief Huang heard the name 'Han Guo,' his eye twitched.

"The Chiyuan research team had an accident. During a field investigation, the team leader, Han Guo, went missing. Three days later, her body was found in the primitive forest of Chiyuan. The official investigation result was 'death caused by unknown supernatural creatures.'"

Yan Qiushan's gaze was sharp as a knife, shooting towards Chief Huang.

"But I found the autopsy report. Compared to being bitten by wild animals, I think her death was more like those in the underground special abilities detention center of the Bureau yesterday - skin peeling off, flesh melting... Chief Huang, don't you think this is a bit too coincidental?"

Dan Lin and Zhi Chun couldn't help but interrupt him at the same time.

Dan Lin: "Qiushan!"

Zhi Chun: "Respect the dead, can't you speak properly?"

"Sorry," Yan Qiushan apologized readily, speaking in a cold and polite tone. "It's just that the True Nature Sect has conducted the Yin Sacrifice ritual, which happened to coincide with your arrival. And Mrs. Han's cause of death is exactly the same as that of the True Nature Sect members who participated in the sacrifice.

"Starting from Chiyuan, the bureau first lost the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly Egg, then the leaked mithril cannon that had not yet been put into production. The mysterious formation on the protective metal plate around the foundation tree has an unknown source, and there was also the thawing agent that almost caused us to fail last night...

"All these coincidences really make people have to be cautious. Chief Huang, as the family member of the deceased, I would like to offer my condolences, but her cause of death is sensitive, and your position is even more sensitive. Can you also explain to your colleagues?"

The conference room fell silent, and everyone's gaze fell on Chief Huang.

At this moment, a slow and aged voice interjected, "Han Guo is not a true disciple of the True Nature Sect. Let me explain... I can vouch for her."

Dr. Wang of the Ancient Studies Department, leaning on his cane, was at the entrance to the conference room. His loose and aged skin had a bluish tint like stone, and his face was covered in age spots resembling totems. His solemn expression made him look like a guardian beast.

With each tap of his cane on the ground, Dr. Wang trembled as he made his way inside.

"Professor Wang..."

"We've troubled you..."

"Han Guo is a good kid. She's been with me in the Ancient Studies Department for half her life, either squatting in the basement to study ancient books or digging in remote areas... We get no credit for our hard work. Usually, no one remembers us in the Ancient Studies Department. In the bureau, we are just the... not very useful search engine... Don't help me! I don't need your help. I'm only 237 years old, still young!"

Dr. Wang impatiently waved away Dan Lin's hand and pointed to Chief Huang, "Would the True Nature Sect believers marry ordinary people? They adopted three special abilities children abandoned by their families as deformities and never had their own children because of this. Would those crazy people in the cult do such thankless work? Little Yan, you've been undercover for three years. Have you left your humanity in the True Nature Sect?"

Yan Qiushan remained unmoved: "I didn't know about this situation beforehand, and I apologize again. It's precisely because of my incomplete understanding that I asked Chief Huang for guidance. Also, Doctor, if I still had my humanity, I should be on the other side by now."

"You!"

"Blood pressure, watch your blood pressure!" Chief Huang felt like the old doctor's neck had grown two inches longer and was afraid that his brain wouldn't get enough blood supply.

He quickly pushed over a small sofa for him to sit on.

"There are suspicious aspects to my background, and it's responsible for other comrades to question it... Teacher, it's okay."

Wang Ze was quick-witted and interjected at the right time to ease the tension.

"Chief, you've adopted a child too? How old are they? Have they graduated? Which department are they in?"

"They're not in the bureau," Chief Huang smiled at him gratefully. "My children were all average when they were young, but as they grew up, they learned to control themselves and became exceptional. Now they have all returned to ordinary lives. The eldest is teaching in another province, the second got married and moved to the south, and the youngest just went abroad for further studies. They're all doing well.

"As for me...after I received the transfer order from the headquarters in Yong'an, I sold my house in my hometown, cancelled my phone number, and transferred my savings to my third child's account. I cut off all contact with my relatives and friends from before."

Wang Ze was taken aback, sensing the desperation in Chief Huang's words. Chief Huang was a friendly and honest-looking man with a slightly thinning head of gray hair styled in a neat and tidy manner. He dressed in clean, semi-new clothes and had a demeanor that fell somewhere between a mentor and an elderly gentleman.

In a gentle and calm tone, he said, "Han Guo is my wife, and the information that Qiushan found is all true. I remember telling you all before that my wife used to work in the bureau. She didn't have the qualifications to work in the field due to her lack of expertise, so she only assisted Dr. Wang in the Ancient Studies Department. Although the Special Talent Census has been ongoing, the records have been lost and collected over many years, making it difficult to obtain any meaningful results. They have worked hard for many years to achieve even a small amount of progress."