Inside the room, Li Hao felt the relief of having survived a disaster.
Twice now!
Two days in a row, the Red Shadow had drawn near to him. Did this mean it was about to make its move?
So over the past two days, the Red Shadow had been observing him.
It was like checking on a pig one had raised—was it fat enough?
Was it ready for slaughter?
How much meat would it yield once butchered?
Yes, that was exactly how Li Hao felt right now. Each inspection by the Red Shadow seemed like an admiring appraisal of its own crop, checking whether the harvest was ripe.
"Damn it!" Li Hao swore under his breath.
What do you take me for?
Before, Li Hao would have had no choice but to resign himself to fate, even if he still had to gamble with his life. But now... he refused to resign himself to fate!
The jade sword was a supernatural item. He had learned his teacher's breathing art, touched the supernatural realm, and could absorb mysterious energy. At a moment like this, why should he give in?
"No matter how powerful it is, it can't be powerful enough to act without restraint!"
Li Hao gritted his teeth. If it were truly so formidable that it feared nothing, why be so cautious?
It was afraid!
Afraid of whom?
It had to be the Night Watchers!
There had to be people among the Night Watchers far stronger than the Red Shadow, which was why it didn't dare cause too much of a stir.
"Why scare myself?"
Li Hao comforted himself, then looked at Black Panther and couldn't help cursing in a low voice, "Useless mutt. Every time you see it, you cower like a pathetic coward."
Black Panther's canine eyes were filled with pure innocence.
*I'm just a dog, small and weak. Even you were terrified, so of course this dog is terrified too!*
Besides, Black Panther felt it was still young—being scared was only natural.
One man and one dog sat slumped in the living room, neither making a sound for a long time.
After a while, Li Hao picked up his communicator and dialed a number.
This time, he wasn't calling his teacher.
After a brief wait, Liu Long's cold, haughty voice came through the receiver: "Speak!"
No pleasantries, just that single word.
"I feel like someone's watching me!"
"Oh."
Liu Long's response was flat, devoid of any fluctuation.
Li Hao thought for a moment. Perhaps the man assumed he had noticed the Demon Hunting Squad tailing him?
But the Red Shadow was not the Demon Hunting Squad.
Guessing Liu Long might have misunderstood, Li Hao fell silent for a second before continuing, "I don't know how to explain it. I just felt a sudden chill sweep through the apartment! The stray dog I took in started barking out of nowhere, and then it flattened itself on the floor, completely frozen. I just checked on it, and it even wet itself!"
"Hm?"
Liu Long paused.
A sudden chill, a barking dog, and wetting itself?
He suddenly realized something, dropping his composure. His cold voice came through again: "Are you sure?"
Li Hao nudged Black Panther with his foot. The dog looked visibly depressed. *Wet myself? You're the one who wet yourself! Your whole family wet themselves!*
Unfortunately, unable to speak human words, Black Panther could only accept its fate.
Li Hao lied without so much as a blush, answering immediately, "I'm sure!"
"Understood!"
Liu Long's voice took on a grave edge. After a moment's consideration, he said in a low, solemn tone, "Stay put for now, and don't say anything more. I'll head over shortly, but I won't show myself! Starting tomorrow... I'll follow you in secret. Don't act suspicious."
He didn't tell Li Hao to stay away from home or sleep at the Inspectorate.
He still needed Li Hao exposed out in the open.
Li Hao didn't object. He acknowledged the instruction, then added, "Boss, so I just do nothing for now?"
"Do nothing!" Liu Long's voice was stern. "You have only one task: if you feel that sensation again, don't do anything else—just draw open the curtains!"
"I'm afraid I... might not get the chance to draw them," Li Hao muttered.
Liu Long seemed to realize that as well. After pondering for a moment, he added, "Come to the Inspectorate tomorrow and come straight to me!"
"Understood!"
Li Hao agreed readily. With his wits, he could roughly guess that Liu Long might pull out some good stuff for him, which was the best possible outcome.
If he could con—ahem, if he could squeeze out some benefits, he would take them.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
In the Demon Hunting Squad, if you kept your mouth shut, you might end up with nothing. Liu Long seemed quite stingy; on Li Hao's first day joining the squad, the man hadn't given him a single thing. Liu Yan, at least, had told him that firearms were his for the taking.
"Phew!"
Hanging up the call, Li Hao sat on the floor and sank back into contemplation.
Soon, he glanced at the palm print on the wall, his brow furrowing slightly.
The Red Shadow... had it noticed?
Even if it had, it wasn't a big deal. A pseudo-martial-master who wasn't even a Ten-Slayer wouldn't matter to a supernatural.
If it truly believed this was the extent of Li Hao's hidden strength, that would actually be a good thing.
There was still mysterious energy inside the jade sword, and Li Hao knew the breathing art. Over the next few days, he might grow stronger with every passing day. Gauging him by his strength today would only serve to mislead the enemy.
Even if improving his strength might not pose any real threat to a supernatural, Li Hao would still never give up.
……
The night passed peacefully.
July 14th.
The weather was bright and clear.
Another night had gone by, and the Red Shadow's appearance still hadn't drawn anyone's notice.
Li Hao had slept well. Before leaving, he gave Black Panther a few more reminders, left out some dog food, and then rode his bicycle to work.
Whether Liu Long had come last night, Li Hao didn't know.
He had no way to ask, either. In any case, all he cared about was going to Liu Long today to see if he could squeeze out some perks—ideally, powerful supernatural items would be best.
Of course, that was mostly wishful thinking.
……
The Confidential Records Office.
Li Hao was still working here.
The moment he stepped through the door, Chen Na was already there, earlier than him. Seeing Li Hao, she waved excitedly, motioning for him to come over.
Li Hao was a little surprised. Why was she here so early?
Chen Na was the colleague he was closest to since joining the Inspectorate. Their relationship was decent, certainly warmer than with the others, as the two of them were the youngest in the office.
"Li Hao!" Seeing him, Chen Na said excitedly, "Good news!"
"What happened?"
"Newcomers are joining our office! Did you forget? This time of year is always recruitment season. We're finally liberated! We won't have to come in early to clean up or pour tea and serve water anymore!"
Chen Na was thrilled.
She and Li Hao were both newcomers. Of course, she had arrived slightly earlier than Li Hao, so he ended up doing more chores. Even so, there were still tasks Chen Na had to handle, like filing documents, which Li Hao sometimes couldn't manage alone.
"Recruits?"
Li Hao was slightly taken aback, having almost forgotten about it entirely.
Besides, it wasn't a big deal to him.
He would be leaving the Confidential Records Office soon. In fact, he was technically no longer part of it right now; the official notice just hadn't been issued yet.
So that was what this was about!
Li Hao smiled, showing a hint of delight. "That's great! We're finally free. No wonder you came so early today. Are the newcomers starting today?"
Chen Na nodded happily. "Yeah! They actually picked the candidates a while ago, but they've been in training until now. Today's their first official day!"
"Well, that's good!" Li Hao smiled along, sharing Chen Na's joy.
She had good reason to be happy! Otherwise, once he left without any new recruits arriving, Chen Na would have had to take over all of his chores too. She would have been furious.
"How many recruits?"
"Two... wait, three!" Chen Na was quite well-informed. She chuckled and said, "Originally I heard there were only two, but then they seemed to add another. Three in total! They have it way better than us. When I came, I was the only recruit, and you were a transfer student. I had to do all the work alone, and then so did you. With three coming at once, it won't be nearly as exhausting for them."
Li Hao hummed in agreement and nodded.
In truth, he didn't care at all!
Once the section chief arrived, he still needed to check in and then head over to the Law Enforcement Team. He had real business to handle; who had time to fuss over this?
Still, his persona in the Confidential Records Office was that of a kind, honest young man. Even if he was leaving, he couldn't break character, so he played along with her excitement.
As they chatted, the other staff members gradually trickled in.
Li Hao busied himself as usual, not slacking off just because he was about to leave.
Around nine o'clock, Wang Jie arrived.
He wasn't alone; trailing behind him were three newcomers.
All of them were quite young—two men and one woman.
"Quiet down, everyone!" Wang Jie clapped his hands with a smile, calling out, "Put down whatever you're working on for a moment..."
Well, truth be told, except for Chen Na and Li Hao, everyone else had already been gossiping and waiting for the excitement; there was hardly any work being done.
Acting as if he hadn't noticed, Wang Jie chuckled. "Today, three newcomers have been assigned to our Confidential Records Office, and all of them are elites! Being able to join our office is proof of their competence and skill..."
After a string of compliments, the three newcomers stepped forward.
Li Hao set aside his work and looked at the trio. Two men and one woman, all clad in Inspectorate uniforms, looking quite sharp and spirited.
He paid little attention to the woman, focusing instead on the young man on the left.
Very young, looking even younger than Li Hao—perhaps only eighteen or nineteen, though it was hard to tell for sure.
Handsome and sunny!
Li Hao was usually dubbed the handsomest guy in the Confidential Records Office, though that title had plenty of padding, given that the office was mostly filled with older men and women and few youths.
Not that Li Hao was unattractive, but compared to this fellow, he fell a bit short. Most noticeably, his skin wasn't as good.
The young man's skin was fair—not a sickly pale, but a smooth, milky white that looked remarkably tender.
Big Sister Yu, who had always insisted on making Li Hao her son-in-law, now had eyes practically glowing. It was hard to tell if she had already switched loyalties and wanted this newcomer as her son-in-law instead.
Chen Na stole a few extra glances as well, then glanced back at Li Hao before whispering with a giggle, "Li Hao, see that? Your biggest rival has arrived. His name is Wang Ming, right? He's even handsomer than you!"
Li Hao smiled and nodded gently. "As long as you like him, Sister Na."
"Tch! I don't go for fresh-faced pretty boys!"
Despite her words, Chen Na still looked a few more times and couldn't help adding, "His eyes are so bright!"
Indeed, very bright!
He looked exceptionally spirited!
The eyes were the window to a person's soul. If a man was handsome but had dull eyes, he would still come across as listless and useless. Yet this young man named Wang Ming had strikingly bright eyes.
"Hello, seniors. I'm Wang Ming, a recent graduate from the Inspectorate Academy..."
Wang Ming gave a brief self-introduction.
Soon, Wang Jie led Wang Ming toward Li Hao and Chen Na. Glancing at the two of them, the section chief said with a warm smile, "Li Hao, Chen Na, you two are seniors now. Wang Ming, you'll shadow Li Hao first to learn the ropes and familiarize yourself with the case files he handles. Chen Na, Li Hao, teach him well."
Assigning Wang Ming to learn from them wasn't special treatment; it was because Li Hao was about to leave. Chen Na didn't know this, but Wang Jie was well aware.
Thus, he needed someone to take over Li Hao's post.
Wang Ming was a perfect fit!
Chen Na giggled. "Sure thing! Should we prepare a new desk for him?"
"No need!" Wang Jie smiled. "Just pull up a chair for now. He can make do for a few days!"
Chen Na was a little puzzled, but she didn't probe further. Making do for a few days it was.
Li Hao, on the other hand, understood perfectly. He smiled and gave a gentle nod, yet inside, he was far from as calm as he appeared.
Wang Ming! What was going on here?
He hadn't focused on Wang Ming because the guy was handsome, nor because his eyes were bright. Rather, he had caught a faint glimpse of starlight around him. Though this starlight wasn't as thick as what Liu Long and the others possessed, to Li Hao... it felt far more dazzling than theirs!
Yes, the quantity was small—very, very small.
Yet the starlight was extraordinarily dazzling, so much so that even from a distance, Li Hao could sense its cold, radiant gleam.
*A Starlight Master!*
The term sprang unbidden into his mind.
Those who stepped into the supernatural realm were divided into two kinds of supernaturals: the innately gifted Heaven-Blessed Divine Masters, and the Starlight Masters who drew energy into their bodies through external means. Regardless of the path, both were supernaturals!
At this moment, for no apparent reason, the title "Starlight Master" flashed across Li Hao's thoughts.
His expression remained unchanged, as mild and gentle as ever, yet waves of shock churned within him.
Why had a Starlight Master suddenly appeared?
Who sent him?
The Red Shadow?
The Night Watchers?
It should only be one of the two. So was he with the Red Shadow, or with the Night Watchers?
Why had he been assigned specifically to the Confidential Records Office, right beside Li Hao?
This was supposed to be an ordinary batch of new recruits. How could a supernatural end up in the Confidential Records Office? There was clearly something wrong.
No one else could see the starlight around Wang Ming, but Li Hao saw it with crystal clarity.
*Can Liu Long and the others see it?*
He seemed to have forgotten to ask yesterday: how does one identify a supernatural?
This wouldn't do!
At this moment, Li Hao felt a sudden chill throughout his body. A supernatural had actually appeared right beside him.
Damn it!
Was he from the Night Watchers?
If he belonged to the Night Watchers, that wouldn't be so bad. But if he was on the Red Shadow's side, that was terrifying—Silver City would be utterly unsafe, and this was the very headquarters of the Inspectorate!
"Brother Hao..."
A voice broke through his thoughts.
Li Hao looked up. Wang Ming was looking at him, a sunny smile on his face. "Brother Hao, you're my senior and probably a bit older than me. I'll call you Brother Hao from now on, and you can just call me Wang Ming."
Li Hao smiled, a somewhat artificial smile—though no one could tell, as Li Hao always smiled like that.
"You're too polite!" Li Hao said with a touch of envy, "I only arrived a year earlier, but I'm just an amateur who switched paths halfway through! You're different—you graduated from the Inspectorate Academy, far more professional than me! By the way, which Inspectorate Academy did you graduate from? Silver City's?"
Silver City had its own Inspectorate Academy, which served as a reserve pool for the Inspectorate; most members of the force came from there.
"No." Wang Ming shook his head, his smile radiant. "I'm from White Moon City! I graduated from the White Moon Inspectorate Academy."
Beside them, Chen Na exclaimed in surprise, "The White Moon Inspectorate Academy?"
Wang Ming nodded slightly without elaborating, seeming not to care much about Chen Na.
Meanwhile, Li Hao's heart stirred.
White Moon City!
There were several cities near Silver City of roughly the same scale, with populations just over a million.
Yet over three hundred li away lay a massive city: White Moon City.
White Moon City also held a unique status—it was the provincial capital of Silver Moon Province. In the past, Silver Moon Province had taken its name from a blend of Silver City and White Moon City.
Silver City had even come first!
However, that was many years ago. Over time, Silver City's poor geographical location led to outward migration and a massive drain of people. Today, Silver City was merely an ordinary city among the thirty-two cities of Silver Moon Province.
It was said the higher-ups were even considering renaming Silver Moon Province to Yueyao Province. The second largest city in the province was Yaoguang City, which was far more prosperous than Silver City now.
Of course, no conclusion had been reached yet. Rumor had it that Silver City had repeatedly refused the change; after all, Silver City had once had its glory days.
These thoughts flickered across Li Hao's mind in an instant. What struck him was that a graduate from the provincial capital's Inspectorate Academy had actually come here... Whether this identity was real or fake was a question in itself. As expected, coming from so far away left him with nowhere to verify it.
Chen Na looked both surprised and envious. "Wang Ming, then why did you come here?"
Wang Ming said with a bright smile, "Isn't Silver City quite nice? Of course... the main reason is that competition in White Moon City is too fierce, making promotions tough. My family advised me to come here where there's less competition, see if I can get promoted, and then transfer back."
That made sense!
Chen Na nodded. "That's a good idea. Small as Silver City is, the promotion opportunities aren't bad at all! Having fewer people means we have a better shot at moving up! Big cities are way too competitive; you made a smart choice!"
"I think so too." Wang Ming's smile grew even more radiant and extraordinarily handsome. Chen Na was clearly smitten; she quickly looked away and glanced back at Li Hao, as if trying to compose herself.
Li Hao felt a bit helpless.
What was that supposed to mean?
You used to tell me I was handsome!
Women... heh!
Of course, this was hardly the time to fuss over such trifles. Li Hao gradually calmed down.
What was there to fear?
Take things as they come!
At this stage, being able to instantly spot what made the other person unusual was his advantage. Whatever this guy was, he was already here—so be it!
After exchanging a few simple words with Wang Ming, Li Hao dumped the workload and said, "Chen Na, show Wang Ming the ropes first. I need to head out."
"Where are you going?"
"The Law Enforcement Team."
"Again?"
Li Hao smiled. "For the assignment at the end of the month. Didn't I take on the mission to protect the faculty and students from Silver City Ancient Academy? I have to go over for handover and training so nothing goes wrong."
Chen Na was at a loss for words. She said helplessly, "When we asked if you wanted to go, you said no, and now you're heading over again! Fine, I'll take care of Wang Ming!"
Li Hao teased, "I'm leaving such a handsome guy to you, and you're complaining?"
With that, he turned to Wang Ming with a smile. "Wang Ming, learn from Chen Na for now. The tasks are straightforward, and as a top student, you'll pick it up in no time."
Wang Ming gave a gentle smile and nodded, adding, "Brother Hao, let's have dinner together tonight. My treat. I'm a newcomer, and both of you are my mentors, so I have to treat you!"
"Sure, sure!" Chen Na agreed at once.
Li Hao had originally wanted to decline, but after a second thought, he also smiled and nodded. "All right, thank you for your generosity!"
With that, he stood up and left.
Treat them to dinner?
Treat, my foot!
This fellow was very likely here for him.
Either someone from the Red Shadow was keeping tabs on him, or the Night Watchers had sent an operative.
As for why the Night Watchers would send someone so discreetly... heh, it was nothing more than wanting to blindside the Red Shadow's faction, or perhaps they knew about the situation in Silver City but were keeping it under wraps.
By now, they had probably deduced that the Red Shadow's target was Li Hao, so they had sent someone to get close to him.
They might not have even coordinated with Silver City's leadership, arriving directly to assess the situation first.
*To be so bold as to walk straight into the Inspectorate... would a supernatural from the Red Shadow's side dare do that? This is, after all, Silver City's highest law enforcement agency... There's a high probability he's a Night Watcher!*
Li Hao weighed the odds. He couldn't say for sure, but he was eighty percent certain Wang Ming was a Night Watcher!
A Starlight Master!
Good grief, so young—though his age might not be real.
Li Hao's mind raced. Was this a good thing or a bad thing?
If he was a Night Watcher... it was actually a good thing.
*I was worried Liu Long might not be able to handle it, but if this guy is a Night Watcher... that gives us much better odds!*
With these thoughts, Li Hao walked into the Law Enforcement Team's basement.
……
"You're late!"
Liu Long was already there. Li Hao didn't mind the reprimand, remarking casually, "A few newcomers arrived at our office. One was assigned to shadow me, probably to take over my work. I showed him around for a bit and went over the basics. I have to say, inspectors from White Moon City are truly professional; he picked everything up with ease."
Liu Long nodded, paying it no mind.
Seeing this, Li Hao could only conclude that either Liu Long truly didn't know, or the man's thoughts ran extraordinarily deep.
Li Hao continued, "Boss, did you notice anything last night? Was someone following me?"
"Hard to say. It's possible. When I arrived, I didn't spot anything."
Li Hao cared deeply about something right now—not the Red Shadow, but another matter. He quickly asked, "Boss, can ordinary people like us detect a Starlight Master? Is there any difference between them and us?"
Liu Long paused. "Liu Yan didn't tell you?"
"No."
Liu Long shook his head; Liu Yan truly was unreliable. He promptly explained, "Normally, there isn't much difference! Supernaturals are human, and so are we. The real difference only shows when they use their supernatural powers!"
Liu Long elaborated, "Once a Starlight Master employs mysterious energy, there will be energy fluctuations... Of course, ordinary people still have a hard time detecting it, but we martial masters can sense it. As for non-martial-masters..."
He glanced at Li Hao and seemed to remember something. "That reminds me, the squad has a supernatural detector that can sense supernatural fluctuations. It was made specifically for ordinary people."
"A supernatural detector?"
"Yes!" Liu Long nodded. "As long as they use supernatural powers within a close range—about a hundred meters—the detector will respond."
A hundred meters!
Practically useless!
Li Hao frowned. "Such a small detection range? If a supernatural gets within a hundred meters of us... and uses supernatural power, I'd probably be dead already, wouldn't I?"
"There's no helping that!" Liu Long shook his head. "Supernatural powers only emerged not many years ago; reaching this level of development is already quite an achievement. Besides, those who deal with supernaturals are usually powerful martial masters or supernaturals themselves, so they don't need detectors. Detectors are usually stationed at fixed locations to prevent supernaturals from infiltrating."
"Oh!" Li Hao asked curiously, "Then if a supernatural doesn't use mysterious energy, can we not identify them at all?"
"Not necessarily. There are supernaturals with sensory abilities who can detect them. Also, once a supernatural reaches a certain level, they can sense the fluctuations of mysterious energy inside someone's body even without that person activating it."
"Of course, that level is still far beyond us!"
Li Hao said with regret, "Is that so? I thought supernaturals came with their own glow when they showed up, visible at a glance."
"What are you imagining?" Liu Long chuckled. "How could that be possible! Of course, if a supernatural is very weak—a novice whose supernatural fluctuations are unstable—even a normal person could sense something unusual if they get close enough."
"Understood!"
Li Hao nodded. He got it: they couldn't see the starlight of mysterious energy either. Whether that was because Liu Long was too weak, hadn't stepped into the supernatural realm, or because other supernaturals couldn't see it either, was unclear.
He himself... seemed truly special.
No wonder everyone who had spotted the Red Shadow seemed to have vanished. Perhaps there was more to it than met the eye.
"Boss, can you give me a detector?" Li Hao asked.
Liu Long nodded. "I was already planning to give you one as a precaution, though it won't do much."
Li Hao didn't care whether it was useful or not.
With a supernatural detector on him, perhaps... he could use the opportunity to expose Wang Ming.
Right now, he couldn't speak up.
Doing so might arouse Liu Long's suspicion. But with the supernatural detector on his person, and Wang Ming being a Starlight Master, Li Hao would find a way to expose him regardless of whether Wang Ming used mysterious energy or not.
For now, Liu Long was at least protecting him, whereas the Night Watchers were an unknown quantity. Regardless of whether Wang Ming belonged to the Night Watchers or the Red Shadow's faction, Li Hao had to let Liu Long know so he could be prepared!
Of course, none of it could look deliberate.
While Li Hao turned these plans over in his mind, Liu Long said nothing more, silently leading him deeper into the basement.
There was no one inside, though through an open doorway, Li Hao caught a brief glimpse of Dr. Yun Yao busy with something.
Only when they reached the deepest part of the basement did Liu Long stop in front of a metal-crafted room.
The door was made of solid metal.
"This is the Demon Hunting Squad's vault!"
Liu Long explained in a cold tone, "Everything inside was bought with our brothers' lives! You're a newcomer, and you'll soon be acting as bait, so an exception is being made to bring you inside. Furthermore, you will receive an opportunity no one else gets—to witness true mysterious energy, precious beyond measure!"
Liu Long spoke with utter solemnity!
He wasn't exaggerating; it truly had been bought with lives.
Li Hao's interest was piqued instantly. Mysterious energy!
Aside from the Starry Sky Sword, this would be his first genuine contact with mysterious energy. Would the mysterious energy here be the same as that within the Starry Sky Sword?
His teacher had said that the mysterious energy on supernatural items was faint and meager.
Did that mean he was about to see an immensely dense reservoir of mysterious energy?
In an instant, Li Hao grew excited.
He could almost picture a river of starlight!
Of course, he knew that was a fantasy, but he couldn't help his racing heart.
Liu Long glanced at him, nodding slightly as a barely perceptible smile touched his lips. *This is how a normal person should react. I want you to understand that even if you possess some Li family sword and have brushed against mysterious energy, it amounts to nothing. True mysterious energy is not something the faint traces on those supernatural items can ever compare to!*
Chapter 18