Head to the Rooftop

He walked forward along the street. He kept walking. He went straight back to his rented apartment, unlocked the door, walked inside, and shut it firmly behind him. Raising his hand, he released dark green flames. "Why did you try to kill me?" he asked. The woman's head slowly drifted into midair and spoke: "Do not misunderstand." "Misunderstand?" Ye Huan asked, slightly puzzled. "Yes. My intention was merely to test your current martial strength, but my Holy Maiden read too much into it," the woman's head replied curtly. The scene from earlier had genuinely moved her. A remarkably gifted newcomer, decisive and resolute, willing to risk her life to protect the person beside her. A truly talented ritual executor, steady and reliable, boasting exceptional performance, and full of vision. They trusted each other without reservation. With two such individuals under her command to do her bidding, why should she ever worry about failing to achieve greatness? —Killing them brought no benefit to the cult; it would only reduce the cult to An Qi's personal instrument of power. An Qi— "Is that so? An Qi mobilized your covenant object just to kill one of her own?" Ye Huan remarked with a hint of emotion. "What now, then? What do you plan to do? Should I continue rising through the ranks of the Bureau of Investigation to realize the ideal I spoke of, or should I return to the darkness to settle things with An Qi once and for all?" Ye Huan pressed. The woman's head looked at him. His expression was calm, even carrying a slight smile. Yet she could already feel the hidden killing intent radiating from him, that irrepressible fury. He wanted to get rid of An Qi! —He no longer cared in the slightest for past sentiments. He had transformed. Right now, he needed an answer. And the moment had come when an answer must be given. What about An Qi? In An Qi's hands, all of the cult's resources were squandered on factional infighting, showing zero progress on every front, stagnant as a pool of dead water. Pondering this, the woman's head finally made her decision: "From now on, you do not need to worry about Luosha's safety, for I will soon announce her new identity." "Your safety will also be guaranteed. I shall issue an oracle forbidding anyone in the cult from moving against you." "Thank you for your grace," Ye Huan offered a salute. Now that her mind was made up, the woman's head spoke with brisk efficiency: "Proceed according to your original plan." "As for this internal competition, I order both sides to cease immediately." "Matters outside the city have reached a critical juncture and must remain our primary focus for the near future. Lie low carefully, and await my further orders." "Understood," Ye Huan replied. Without another word, the woman's head rose straight into midair and vanished. Silence returned to the room. Looking out the window, one could see the high-rises ablaze with lights, the streets bustling with an endless stream of carriages and cars. Life was tranquil and content for the people out there. Ye Huan watched in silence. A win. Not a victory in a fight to the death, nor the complete destruction of the enemy. Rather— Throwing one punch to prevent a hundred from following. He had successfully forced the enemy to stand down temporarily, thereby winning time to grow. Time. It was so precious. Perhaps to his enemies, a day here or there meant nothing. Yet with every passing day, he became stronger. Taking a step back— If not for the mess left behind by the original body, he wouldn't have had to jump out and do so much in the first place! The current situation was already the best outcome he could hope to secure. His phone vibrated softly. "Stay in the office to write your report tonight. No field missions." Song Fushan. The section chief was looking out for him after all. Finally, he could get some rest tonight. Still, the report on busting the cultist hideout and rescuing the hostages did need to be written promptly. Failing to submit an operation report within three days would bring a reprimand. *Sigh.* Who would have thought that even after leaving Earth, he would still be stuck grinding out papers and assignments? Ye Huan turned the thought over in his mind, feeling himself unwind at last. This was enough. Survive another day. Tomorrow, he would be even stronger! *** At the Bureau of Investigation. Xia Li was reviewing the safe house's surveillance recordings. As Luosha's guarantor, she needed to provide a final sign-off once Ye Huan completed the afternoon operation so the paperwork could be archived. Finding a spare moment, she watched Luosha's actions in the footage with great care. Before long, Xia Li clamped a hand over her mouth in sheer astonishment. "Oh dear... what do we do about this..." She scratched her head in distress. With her furrowed brows and pouting lips, she didn't look at all like a capable, shrewd woman, but rather like a teenage girl of sixteen or seventeen. The office was empty. Xia Li stood up, walked over to lock the door, returned to her desk, and picked up the phone. "Hello." "It's me! It's me, honestly! You couldn't even recognize my voice?" Her voice had lost its usual composure. "I found an incredible prospect." "Really!" "...Never practiced martial arts, hasn't reached her physical peak, and hasn't trained in any spiritual energy methods." "Take a guess." "Can't guess, can you? Heh heh." "Listen closely—" "Using pure spiritual power alone, she resonated directly with the Ether and channeled its power." "I'm serious!" "—See, you don't believe it either. Honestly, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, too." "That's right, a natural spiritual master! Skipping right past Shidu and Jiuyao, grasping the true essence of Daozang Baji." "Give her a little time to grow, and she'll be able to execute spiritual techniques directly." "Alright, hurry over." The call ended. The surveillance footage continued on the screen. Luosha dashed forward and threw her arms around Ye Huan. "Huh? What?" Xia Li clamped a hand over her mouth in shock, her eyes sparkling. —*Aren't young people on the frontier a bit too bold with their romance?!* At that very moment, Ye Huan was grinding through his report in the office, miserable as could be. Song Fushan wasn't around. With no one to guide him, Ye Huan had to write while scurrying between offices, asking advice from colleagues who had taken part in the afternoon operation. It wasn't until half past ten at night that he finally finished the report. He submitted it. Xia Li circled several sections, declaring them non-standard and demanding revisions. It really was just like writing an academic thesis! Ye Huan gritted his teeth, grumbling under his breath as he rewrote the document. Eleven at night. Inside the General Affairs Section office. "Looks good now." Xia Li pulled out a pen and signed the document. The "thesis" was finally approved! Ye Huan let out a long breath of relief, almost wanting to head out for a midnight snack to celebrate. Too bad Section Chief Song wasn't around. Otherwise, he would have definitely dragged him into an online game and crushed him. Double the joy! He cast a glance above Xia Li's head. Sure enough. After clearing the identity challenge yesterday, a new achievement challenge had appeared. "Identity Achievement:" "Upon entering the Taiyin Sect, in light of the excessively frequent daily sparring and dueling among disciples, the sect has decided to organize a small-scale wilderness expedition to help all disciples realize that there is much more to learn beyond mere combat." "Identity Challenge: Participate in this wilderness expedition alongside Xia Luoning and secure first place." "Upon success, receive achievement settlement." "Begin challenge?" "Note: You have already completed today's challenge. Please return tomorrow to attempt again." Truly remarkable. He had only just beaten her "First Place in Entry Test" achievement yesterday, yet a new achievement had already popped up above her head. And it was first place again. A wilderness expedition... Only upon reaching the level of Daozang Baji did one dare venture into the wilderness alone. This expedition organized by the Taiyin Sect was likely confined to the outskirts near the sect grounds, with senior experts guarding them. Regardless of whether he could beat the challenge, it offered a prime opportunity to broaden his horizons and gain experience. *Tsk.* *Looks pretty tough.* *Should I attempt it tomorrow?* Ye Huan pondered silently. "Xiao Ye, you've earned another merit this time. What kind of reward do you want? I can help give you some advice," Xia Li said with a smile. "I want..." Ye Huan snapped back to reality, Luosha's figure suddenly flashing in his mind. That unhesitating embrace. That natural, unfeigned concern in her eyes. —It had nothing to do with romance. Because he had helped her, she was willing to stand on his side. Even facing death, she would turn back to help him. That was simply how she operated! "Once the cult investigation is over, let my informant return to a safe life," Ye Huan said. Xia Li replied in surprise, "Our Bureau of Investigation is a core department of the Empire. Even though Lantie City lies far out on the frontier, our vertical chain of command is exempt from regional limitations. There are many kinds of rewards you could consider." "I want to secure Luosha's future and wrap up this assignment properly—Director Xia, is there a way to arrange that?" Ye Huan pressed stubbornly. Xia Li looked at him intently. *You foolish boy. Blinded by romance, not even caring about your own prospects.* *How many times in a life does one earn merit like this?* *A reward forged with your life on the line, and you want to squander it on women and affection?* *How short-sighted!* Xia Li's tone turned cool, her voice dropping: "If she is to step completely into a new life, then even you must sever all contact with her." "Why?" Ye Huan asked. "Because if you go looking for her, the fiends of the Black Tide Cult might trace her through you." "If that happens, she will be in danger." Xia Li spoke deliberately, her gaze fixed on him, a glimmer of amusement dancing in her eyes. "I have no objection," Ye Huan said. "Huh?" "Let her go live a new life, and we won't contact each other again," Ye Huan said with utter decisiveness. Xia Li was taken aback. Staring at him, her voice pitched higher: "Hey, she's an extraordinary beauty and possesses astonishing martial talent. You're really willing to let that go?" "The investigation is over. My informant must return safely to normal life," Ye Huan said flatly. He appeared entirely placid, as though simply stating that it was going to rain tomorrow. Xia Li froze for a moment, an expression of understanding gradually dawning on her face. It wasn't what she had thought at all. It wasn't romance. Because of their prior cooperation, he was determined to ensure she ended up in a safe position once the job was done. What was that? ...Professional ethics. The kid actually had guts. He wasn't the kind of person who cared only for profit and tossed people aside once they were used up. That changed things entirely. "You completely lack romantic sensibility," Xia Li threw him a sideways glance. "I'll trouble you with it, Sister Xia," Ye Huan grinned. His smile was rather endearing. "Fine, I'll take care of it." "Then I'll get back to work." Ye Huan walked out of the General Affairs Office. He didn't look back. Xia Li, however, sank into thought. In the surveillance footage, Luosha had embraced him. Such a beautiful girl with such breathtaking talent had come to view him as the sole person she could rely on in her most desperate hour. Yet his only concern was ensuring her safety. —Even if it meant never contacting her again. So Luosha's judgment hadn't been wrong after all. Xia Li brought up a Bureau of Investigation Assisting Personnel Resettlement Form on her computer and began filling in the details. Once finished, she casually fired off a message to Ye Huan: "I was just teasing you earlier." "The Empire has plenty of powerful, prosperous cities capable of ensuring her safety. You don't need to cut contact with her." Reading the message, Ye Huan felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion. Having no idea what to say, he simply sent back six dots: "......" Looking at the "......" he had sent, Xia Li couldn't help but chuckle. That probably meant he was utterly speechless. Still, he truly deserved credit. After a moment's thought, she quickly typed a few words: "Head to the rooftop."