Chapter Six: Confirmation and Reminders

Within a sinister, shadow-cloaked church, a towering figure draped in a blood-red cloak crushed the wineglass in his hand to powder.

“Dead? Two fanatics—just like that?!”

Vivid crimson liquid flowed down his palm from the shattered glass.

“What on earth happened? How were they exposed?”

A blood-colored silhouette, prostrate on the ground, spoke in a low voice, “Master Chairman, I have already obtained the latest intelligence. The ones who killed our two zealots were from Investigation Bureau Group Nine…”

“The Investigation Bureau again!”

At the mention of that name, a flash of bloodlust and madness crossed the Chairman’s eyes. He turned to the kneeling figure before him.

“I don’t need to tell you what must be done, do I?”

“Of course, esteemed Chairman. Rest assured…”

With a deferential reply, the blood-hued figure’s body abruptly dissolved into a dense mist of blood and vanished from the darkness of the church.

...

The following day.

At home.

Lin Lei lounged half-reclined on the sofa.

A husky lay in front of him, nuzzling affectionately against him.

“Ha Ha, stop it,” he laughed.

This was the very husky he had rescued from the ghoul. After several days of care at the animal hospital, it had more or less recovered its health. Lin Lei had brought it home as a guard dog.

He named the little fellow “Haha.”

Perhaps because it knew Lin Lei was its savior, Haha was especially close to him.

As Lin Lei scratched Haha’s head, he watched the TV before him.

A local channel in Biyang City was reporting the breaking of the serial murder case.

However, the details had been thoroughly redacted. In summary, the perpetrator was discovered by a special officer of the Guard Division during another crime, shot dead on the spot, and decisive evidence was found in his home.

There was also a blurred-out interview with the young man and two girls involved.

Whether their memories of yesterday had been “modified,” or they had signed a confidentiality agreement with the Investigation Bureau, they appeared quite cooperative.

Lin Lei stroked his chin thoughtfully.

At that moment, Li Xueshu’s call came through again:

“Did you see the news, Lin Lei? You’ve done a great service. Taking out two ‘Blood Sakura Society’ fanatics in a row—one of whom was the serial killer… You’ve earned yourself plenty of investigation points this time.”

Lin Lei answered modestly, “It was your intelligence that was crucial, Captain.”

Indeed, with such detailed information, any experienced Rank One investigator could have accomplished the mission with ease. Lin Lei had certainly benefited from Li Xueshu’s intel.

Li Xueshu chuckled, “Come by the Investigation Bureau this afternoon. You did very well on this mission. Your accumulated investigation points meet the requirements—you can be promoted to official investigator now…”

Lin Lei’s eyes lit up.

...

That afternoon.

“Congratulations, Comrade Lin Lei!”

In a small auditorium on one floor of the Investigation Bureau building, Hodge solemnly handed Lin Lei a small red booklet. “Congratulations on officially becoming a Grade Four Investigator!”

Lin Lei accepted the booklet with a smile. “It’s an honor.”

He had been fortunate; on his very first investigation, he’d stumbled into a major incident involving the Free Alliance. Even though the witch from the Free Alliance had been taken down single-handedly by Li Xueshu, Lin Lei had been the leader of the investigation.

When the mission was settled, Lin Lei received over a hundred investigation points.

On this mission, he had single-handedly eliminated two Blood Sakura Society fanatics and cracked a serial murder case in Biyang City—earning no fewer points than his first mission.

In truth, while the Blood Sakura Society was a longstanding foe of the Biyang Investigation Bureau, it was ultimately a local force, incomparable to a cross-provincial power like the Free Alliance. Normally, the points awarded should not have been so close.

But in his first mission, Lin Lei had been the lead investigator, yet the real credit went to Li Xueshu. Lin Lei had only dispatched a few ghouls and stalled a second-tier entity.

This time, it was all his own work, and the credit was his alone.

Compared to monsters like ghouls, cultists posed a far greater threat.

As the brief induction ceremony concluded, Hodge called Lin Lei back, grasping his hand with a smile.

“Xiao Lin, I’ll be sending you some materials only official investigators can access. Keep an eye out for them.”

Lin Lei coughed, withdrawing his hand. “Thank you, Adviser Hodge. I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll be off.”

He always felt Hodge was a bit too friendly for his liking—best to keep a respectful distance.

Watching Lin Lei leave almost as if fleeing, Hodge only smiled in return and turned away.

...

At the shooting range.

Li Xueshu, dressed in snug sportswear that accentuated her graceful figure, wiped sweat from her brow with a white towel as she made her way to the rest area.

Lin Lei approached with a smile, handing her a bottle of water. “Captain, you wanted to see me?”

Taking the water, Li Xueshu nodded. “With this mission, your investigation points must be over two hundred now. Given your source energy talent, it shouldn’t take you long to reach full Source Energy Overflow…”

“But I need to warn you—don’t be in too much of a rush to apply for breakthrough materials.”

Lin Lei frowned slightly but then caught her meaning. “Captain, could it be that a special mission offering breakthrough materials as rewards is about to come up?”

She had hinted at something similar before. Now, with this proactive reminder, Lin Lei could easily guess her intent.

“Think what you like; I didn’t say anything,” Li Xueshu replied with a smile, then lowered her voice. “My advice is, once your emotions are stable, reach full overflow as soon as possible. You might even exchange some points for Source Energy-boosting potions…”

A gleam flashed in Lin Lei’s eyes.

Her words confirmed his suspicions; her advice was not without purpose.

But Lin Lei had already reached full overflow in his first rank, so there was no need to buy extra Source Energy potions.

“By the way,” Li Xueshu’s smile faded, her expression growing more serious, “be careful these days. You killed two Blood Sakura Society source energy users. Those people are lunatics; nothing’s beneath them.”

“And unlike the Free Alliance, the Blood Sakura Society is a local power. They’ve been entrenched in Biyang City for so long—they’ll be even more troublesome for you.”

Lin Lei’s eyes narrowed. “It shouldn’t be that easy for them to find me, right?”

Li Xueshu replied, “Your details haven’t been leaked, but the Blood Sakura Society is unpredictable. They may have some special ways to confirm your identity or whereabouts. It’s not impossible.”

Lin Lei nodded, but felt little fear.

The Blood Sakura Society’s strongest were at Stage Four, with only a handful at Stage Three.

Even if they sent someone after him, at most it would be a Stage Two. He might not be able to defeat them outright, but with all his methods, he was far from helpless.

On the contrary, he almost hoped to encounter a Stage Two source energy user—to test his strength.

Li Xueshu stretched languidly, making no effort to hide her alluring figure before Lin Lei, and yawned. “I have to go to the academy soon. Care to join me?”

Lin Lei shook his head. “No need. I have a physical training class later. I’m planning to take a long leave from the academy anyway…”

The physical training course offered by the Investigation Bureau was a mandatory public class for all investigators—two sessions per week.

Even for Source Energy users of other disciplines, whose bodies far surpassed ordinary people, regular combat skills were not always applicable to these “superhumans.”

In such cases, it was necessary for veteran, powerful Source Energy users to teach combat techniques tailored to those on a “superhuman” level.