Bureau of Investigation.
By the time Ye Huan finished writing his report, completed the various procedures, and waited for the verification of the on-site situation to conclude, it was already ten in the evening.
The Bureau of Investigation was brightly lit.
Everyone was working overtime.
It seemed something had gone wrong in the mining district, along with some situations outside the city.
—In short, overtime was the norm.
Ye Huan even thought about finding a good time to quietly look into the agency's sudden death statistics.
Song Fushan put on his jacket and said, "By the rules, after shooting and killing criminals in combat, you can't be assigned any more missions today."
"You're not taking me along tonight?" Ye Huan asked.
"You have to rest for a night. You're a newcomer, after all—by the way, do you feel any psychological burden after killing someone?" Song Fushan asked.
Ye Huan paused slightly.
A mob brawl.
And it was four against one, with others waiting for an opening to join the siege.
And you're asking if I feel a psychological burden?
"I showed a lot of restraint. In the end, there was really no other way. I wanted to live, so I had to be ruthless," Ye Huan replied honestly.
Song Fushan gave a serious nod and patted his shoulder. "No need to blame yourself. Get some good rest tonight."
"Yes, Section Chief."
The door closed.
Song Fushan left in a hurry.
Ye Huan was the only one left in the office.
He sat down on the sofa, resting quietly.
A few breaths later.
A message quietly surfaced in his mind:
"Confirmed: The incident concludes here."
"Prior to today's settlement, you have achieved a high rating score of 9 points."
"Nine is the ultimate number. When your rating on any day reaches 9, an extremely significant event will occur."
"Please select a safe location to rest after 0:00 midnight."
"At that moment, all your strength will be depleted to conduct the special ultimate-number advancement (elementary) draw."
"This advancement targets identity tags."
"Please treat this with the utmost caution!"
Identity tags...
That meant the tag floating above someone's head was about to advance.
How did a tag advance?
Ye Huan was completely at a loss.
Thinking carefully, some people actually had multiple identities. For instance, Xia Li, the director of the General Affairs Office—Song Fushan had mentioned that she was a disciple of a high-level sect.
Yet he could only see one of her identities.
There were indeed limitations.
If this ability could advance and let him see two identities at once, that would be wonderful.
However, it would deplete all his strength.
Safety truly was a bit of a concern!
Feeling uneasy and unable to sit still, Ye Huan decided to practice stance training in the room.
Having just gone through a life-and-death struggle, his adrenaline and focus hadn't faded yet. Stance training was perfect for steadying his qi and blood while reflecting on the battle.
Looking back on it carefully—
He had still been too slow.
The moment he saw the tag "Cardinal of the Black Tide Cult," he should have turned and run immediately.
Another thing.
Iron Cloth Shirt still had vital points after all; he had always been somewhat worried during the fight.
Nothing could be done about it—that was just how his obsessive tendencies worked.
It seemed he needed to advance this technique further.
An hour later.
His stamina had gradually recovered, and his spirits were refreshed.
Song Fushan still hadn't returned.
Should I just rest here tonight?
This is the safest place.
As Ye Huan was pondering, his phone suddenly vibrated.
He took it out to look.
Someone had transferred money to him.
0.1 credit.
Attached with a memo:
"Alive?"
It was that Assistant Archivist of the Flesh Archive!
Ye Huan also transferred 0.1 credit with a memo:
"Alive. Thank you for your warning, I can't thank you enough."
The other side quickly transferred back 0.1 credit, leaving a memo:
"We're even."
Ye Huan shook his head and transferred credit again:
"Helping me like this—if the Cardinal finds out, what will happen to you?"
Luosha had already put away her phone, but seeing this message, she was somewhat surprised.
He actually seemed quite sincere.
She quickly typed:
"I don't care anymore."
Send.
Seeing the message, Ye Huan raised his eyebrows slightly and typed:
"What do you mean by 'don't care anymore'? What are you going to do?"
Send.
—Send failed!
Transfers too frequent!
Tsk.
This world was extremely strict regarding information control and financial transactions.
Then the chat could only be put on hold for now.
Something wasn't right.
Ye Huan stared at her words "I don't care anymore," chewing them over and picking up on the underlying meaning.
An assistant archivist.
A cardinal.
The gap in status was like clouds and mud—worlds apart.
In this context, "not caring anymore" was more likely "no longer caring about life and death."
—She's in danger!
Ye Huan fell into thought.
Logically speaking.
He paid, she went easy during the trial—the deal was done, transaction complete.
Right now, he should stay out of it, just rest at the Bureau of Investigation, and pass today safely.
As long as he survived until tomorrow, his strength would increase once again!
And yet—
Yet afterwards she had sent another message saying "The Cardinal wants to kill you" to warn him.
Looking at it that way, he still owed her a favor.
Should I... look into this person...?
Ye Huan thought for a moment, turned on the computer, accessed the Bureau of Investigation's platform, entered her bank account number, and clicked search.
Beep!
The information linked to the bank card immediately appeared on the screen:
"Name: Luosha."
"Gender: Female."
"Age: 19."
"Employer: Lantie City Library."
"Title: Librarian."
"Post: Circulation Reading Room Administrator."
"Bank Card: 430..."
"Phone Number: 153..."
All information was readily available.
After checking it, he used his investigator authority to lift the personal financial restriction.
Done!
Working at the Bureau of Investigation did have its perks.
Next, go meet her?
Perhaps she was his only ally within the Black Tide Cult.
If the Cardinal took any action in the future, as long as she tipped him off, he would hold the initiative.
—I should meet her!
But not right now.
Midnight was approaching soon.
During the advancement, he would lose all his strength.
First, he had to ensure he could stay alive.
Then what should he do?
What else could he do?
Tsk, he hated being indebted to others.
Moreover—
What if he woke up tomorrow morning and found out An Qi had killed her? How would he feel about it?
...He would regret it.
Then, was there any way to place her in a safe situation?
Ye Huan weighed his options and finally made a decision.
He operated the computer, searching slowly, and finally found some records.
"Undercover."
"Informant."
Two large sections of records, both marked "Access Denied."
But since the Bureau of Investigation had such operational protocols—
Could he make use of them?
Ye Huan got up, left the room, walked down the corridor, and arrived at the General Affairs Office. He closed the door and explained everything to Xia Li in detail.
Xia Li seemed to have returned from outside not long ago as well, taking off her trench coat and hanging it on a coat rack.
As Ye Huan spoke, she listened intently.
"What? You bribed a Black Tide cultist and got advance warning of an assassination?"
After he finished, Xia Li acted surprised.
"She could be considered half an informant already, but I still need to work on bringing her over fully," Ye Huan said, glancing at her cautiously.
This office director wasn't someone who could be fooled.
He could only do his best.
Fortunately, everything that had happened today left a clear trail, all aspects matched up, and that great entity had specifically cleaned up the aftermath.
Xia Li's expression turned serious, and she reprimanded him, "Things like this must be registered with me in advance. Otherwise, if the police department, military, or Bureau catches her, they'll all want to use her for merit and won't listen to a single word of your explanation.
"Also, if colleagues see you associating with a cultist, you won't be able to clear your name either.
"Evidence must be archived with me to prove your innocence."
Ye Huan nodded silently.
This was indeed very serious and crucially important.
Good thing he had come to report to Xia Li.
"Sister Li, I really didn't know before. Now I'm filing a report with you: I've recruited an informant," Ye Huan said.
Xia Li looked at the computer screen, seemingly handling other business.
—It matched.
All the investigation—from the moment he openly stated he had an informant and decided to shield her—produced the most logical result based on existing intelligence.
She had been waiting all along.
Waiting to see what he would do in the end.
Would he wash his hands of it after a single transaction, or would he pull her out of the dark mire?
Now it looked pretty good; he knew how to leverage the Bureau of Investigation's power.
"An informant—do you have any proof?" Xia Li asked.
Ye Huan simply took out his phone.
First, the transfer records, then Luosha's warning memos.
This was the most direct evidence.
Then Ye Huan took out today's combat report.
After Song Fushan and his team collected the bodies, there would also be a site inspection report.
The report was detailed.
It even had the signatures of Song Fushan and several investigators.
As long as all the facts matched up, proving that "the Cardinal sent hitmen and cultists to attack me"—
—and this matter was true as well.
Then.
Looking at the timestamps of the memos, it proved that the informant had issued a warning in advance, helping him escape disaster.
It came full circle.
Xia Li quietly documented each piece of evidence, entered them into the archive, and typed swiftly on the keyboard.
The information he provided wasn't flawless, but it was enough.
After all, she had gone out of her way on a whim to conduct an extra background check, which could serve as corroboration.
Should she vouch for him?
A girl like Luosha had a clear and simple past, was gifted, kind, and pure.
Alright.
She didn't need to worry about this matter anymore.
What an interesting girl.
When there's time in the future, maybe invite her to go shopping and eat together.
Considering Ye Huan handled this matter well and quite to her liking—
Xia Li suddenly said, "The certification is complete.
"The money you spent recruiting the informant—I've reimbursed it for you as well."
Before her voice had even faded, a notification popped up on Ye Huan's phone:
"3,500 credits deposited."
"Memo: Official reimbursement."
What incredible office efficiency!
"In the future, if you can provide crucial leads and intelligence to the Bureau, or assist the Bureau in carrying out major operations, both you and your informant will be rewarded," Xia Li said.
"If she runs into danger, how do we protect her?" Ye Huan asked.
"Safehouses—we have extremely safe and concealed locations specifically designed to protect witnesses and key personnel. Only the Bureau Director and I have access to the details.
"Since you now have an informant, whenever an emergency arises in the future, you can apply to me for a safehouse at any time," Xia Li said.
"I'd like to apply for a safehouse right now," Ye Huan said.
Xia Li understood immediately. "Oh? You're worried she'll be in danger after leaking the information?"
"Yes," Ye Huan said.
"Alright, I'll assign one to you. Give me a moment." Xia Li's hands moved quickly over the computer.
Very soon, she spoke up. "That safehouse isn't far from the municipal library. I've sent you the details.
"All security measures for the safehouse have been activated.
"You can have her use it!"
"Sister Li, thank you so much," Ye Huan said gratefully.
"It's all for work, no need to thank me," Xia Li said with a smile.
Coming out of the General Affairs Office, Ye Huan felt far more at ease.
He returned to the Mysterious Affairs Section office.
He closed the door.
He transferred 0.1 credit to Luosha, attaching the safehouse details.
Having done that, Ye Huan plugged his phone in to charge and lay down on the sofa to rest.
Midnight was almost here.
He was about to welcome the Daily Settlement with an ultimate-number rating of 9!
Chapter 23