"The whole building could hear you chatting."
Everyone jumped, turning to see a long-braided man in a blue and black military uniform standing at the door. He had hawkish eyes and lupine brows, long arms and a wasp waist, standing a full two meters tall, with a braid one and a half meters long drifting behind him—impossible to ignore.
The Imperial Court held gold, purple, blue, and black as symbols of rank—junior operatives wore black, intermediate ones blue and black, senior operatives purple on blue, and members of the Imperial Family dressed in embroidered robes of gold.
"Good day, Deputy Director Kui!" Everyone quickly stood, saluting with a fist to the chest.
This long-braided man was none other than Kui Zhao, number two in the Statistical Department.
In Le Yuxin's eyes, Kui Zhao practically radiated a sharp, blade-like aura—getting close would be like being slashed to ribbons. "This was obviously a kind of spiritual reaction between Awakeners; for Kui Zhao to put out that much pressure, his Spiritual Cultivation must have been much deeper than mine!"
"Looks like you all have a pretty easy life, just waiting to go home and have dinner every day," Kui Zhao's parched lips curled into a wry sort of smile, "I almost envy you."
Le Yuxin knew only their team leader, Qian Yuliu, had the right to speak to Kui Zhao, so he stepped forward, "Deputy Director Kui, we..."
"Stop, I'm not blaming anyone," Kui Zhao's voice was soft but somehow every word carried, "It's a good thing if the Statistical Department business is light—it means the people of Star Engraving are upright, no Backlight Particle rebels, and Governor Ding will be reassured when he reviews our activity logs."
Le Yuxin replied calmly, "A light workload is certainly a good thing, but sometimes it feels like we don't earn our pay, so we complain a little. I hope the Deputy Director can understand."
"Really?" Kui Zhao scanned the room; everyone nodded at once.
"Good, because you won't be bored much longer—a critical mission, 6:10, all personnel to the courtyard."
With that, Kui Zhao spun on his heel and left. Le Yuxin glanced at the others and barked coldly, "What are you waiting for? Get ready to move! Anyone need a bathroom, go now!"
When Le Yuxin led his squad into the courtyard, he saw three armored light trucks ready and waiting. Glancing around, he found all five Statistical Department squads present—some operatives were empty-handed, some wore swords. "Shit, this must be a big job, and I still haven't fully absorbed Qian Yuliu's abilities; if I mess up, I might get suspected."
Kui Zhao stood beside a striking, bespectacled man in a purple and blue uniform. The man swept his gaze over the crowd but said nothing.
Le Yuxin felt confused. Just then, an operative—apparently late from the restroom—scurried into formation. Only then did the imposing man push up his glasses and offer a gentle smile, "Hope I didn't mess up your dinner plans, but this mission shouldn't take too long. You'll still get home for dinner with your folks."
This man was the director of the Statistical Department, Lan Yan.
"For Glorious Light!" All operatives saluted in unison, fists to their chests.
"Squads Five and Four to truck three, Three and Two to truck two, One with me on truck one, move out," Lan Yan clapped his hands. The operatives sprang into motion—quick, efficient, clearly well-drilled.
Le Yuxin and his group climbed into their armored truck, facing none other than Lan Yan and Kui Zhao.
Le Yuxin "felt a bit of a panic starting inside, but quickly regained composure: Qian Yuliu was just a regular squad leader. Lan Yan and Kui Zhao were senior officers; their paths hardly ever crossed. Even if someone new took over Qian Yuliu's body, there was no way these two would pick up on it."
"Captain Qian, how goes your recent cultivation?" To Le Yuxin's surprise, Lan Yan didn't ask about work—just made small talk, like they were old friends.
His voice was gentle and refined. "Though Le Yuxin could sense he was plenty intimidating, it was a far cry from the edge radiating off Kui Zhao—Lan Yan felt more like a pleasant spring breeze, warm and inviting."
Le Yuxin "suddenly realized this must be one of the subtleties of Spiritual Power: different flavors of spiritual force can either inspire terror or goodwill. The way Lan Yan and Kui Zhao projected themselves was a clue to who they really were."
"I wonder what other people think Qian Yuliu's spiritual aura feels like..." A strange thought flickered through Le Yuxin's mind. He answered, "I train diligently every day, but I've hit a bottleneck—improvement's been tough to come by lately."
That was Qian Yuliu's real situation; Le Yuxin wasn't lying.
Lan Yan clapped Le Yuxin on the shoulder, "That's normal. Your Eight Rice Stream and Spiritual Cultivation are both breaking new ground; if you want to really level up, you'll need more than practice—you'll need guidance and some real insights. I went to school with Xu Fei, the master in Senluo County. Give it some time, and I'll arrange a letter of recommendation and a long break, so you can study with Xu Fei for a bit."
"I didn't know who Xu Fei was, but he must be a master of the Eight Rice Stream."
Le Yuxin nodded, "Thank you."
"No need, your growth is the Statistical Department's growth. Thanks to talent like yours, I earned the Governor's trust." Lan Yan grinned, "I'm counting on you to win big for us and take over my post one day."
"Director, you flatter me—there's no way I measure up," Le Yuxin replied evenly. "He was increasingly aware of the wonders of the Residual Blood Physique—no matter what happened, he could always keep a clear head."
Lan Yan shook his head lightly, "Captain Qian, I believe in you. The Statistical Department's mission is only going to get heavier and more urgent from here—be ready to step up and take on more."
At that moment, Elly gathered her courage and blurted, "Director Lan, what happened to make this mission so sudden and urgent?"
Lan Yan nodded, "We found a Backlight Particle hideout. Elly, be extra careful—these Backlight Particles are dangerous."
Elly exclaimed with a start, "Director Lan, you actually know my name?"
"Of course, you joined the Statistical Department last July—I remember everyone here," Lan Yan smiled, "You're all my sharpest blades and strongest shields, my hands and feet, you're like family to me—how could I ever forget you?"
Elly trembled with excitement, biting her lip hard, "I'll protect you with my life, Director!"
Does he even need you to protect him... Le Yuxin grumbled to himself.
"There's another big reason this action is so rushed." Lan Yan paused, his tone suddenly complicated, "Someone in the Statistical Department is a traitor, working with the enemy."
Everyone in the car was stunned silent—except for Le Yuxin, Lan Yan, and Kui Zhao, who stayed calm. Elly immediately asked, "Who's the traitor?"
Suddenly, Lan Yan turned to Le Yuxin, "Captain Qian, who do you think it is?"
"Like I'd know? I just got here, I haven't even figured out who's who yet..." Le Yuxin thought it over before answering evenly, "If someone's always distracted and keeps staring at you, then that's your mole."
Lan Yan froze for a second, then burst out laughing, "Nicely summed up, Captain Qian—no wonder you're our best!"
Just then the armored truck braked to a stop. Lan Yan glanced out the window and said, "We're here. First squad—move out!"
The operatives poured out in single file, Le Yuxin trailing behind Chen Fu. As soon as Chen Fu hit the ground, he blurted, "Wait, this place is—"
Le Yuxin stepped off. Twilight was falling, and they had come to a residential neighborhood. Directly ahead was a sprawling mansion. "Something about this place looked familiar—obviously, that feeling came from Qian Yuliu's memories."
"You should have figured it out by now."
Lan Yan walked up behind Le Yuxin, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Our mission target—the Backlight rebel base—is right here: 24 Yunlong Street."
"And everyone at 24 Yunlong Street is affiliated with Star Engraving Military Academy—the main person is Lecturer Lin Jinyao."
There was a note of sadness in Lan Yan's tone, "I've heard Lin lecture before—no question, he's always been a true gentleman, worthy of respect. I know it's hard to believe, but he is a suspect in the Backlight affiliate case. Nothing's proven yet—we can only hope this investigation clears his name."
Lin Jinyao...
"That name sent endless ripples across Le Yuxin's mind."
"As the memories flickered past, Le Yuxin recalled two things:"
First, Lin Jinyao really was the Backlight rebel leader in Star Engraving County.
Second, Qian Yuliu was the mole planted inside the Statistical Department by the Backlight rebels!