Chapter 608: Dark Star Fluctuations (Core Energy of This Chapter)

Meeting dismissed, Li Li Banfeng returned to his office and pondered Shen Shen Jingye's whereabouts.

Did Shen Shen Jingye really go to Hulucun?

Everyone who went to Hulucun endured hardships beyond what ordinary life could bear—what hardship had Shen Shen Jingye endured?

He was the head of the Dark Star Bureau, even elevators required someone to hold the door open for him; if he dared claim hardship, ninety-nine point nine percent of people couldn't survive. Li Li Banfeng called Chen Chen Zhangrui into the office: "What happened to the scars on Shen Shen Jingye's face?"

"Li Ju, which scars are you referring to?"

"The ones from two days ago—he had bandages wrapped around his face and told me his wife popped a boil." "I'm not entirely clear on that…"

Li Li Banfeng frowned: "Shen Director is missing, and you still have the nerve to play games with me?"

Chen Chen Zhangrui chose his words carefully: "I did see him when he changed his dressings—a long, deep knife wound. From my estimation, it was inflicted by his wife."

"Does this happen often?"

Chen Chen Zhangrui nodded slightly: "We discussed this before—his wife suffers from mental illness; this isn't the first time she's injured Shen Director." Li Li Banfeng now had a rough idea: "Summon all personnel. Launch a citywide search. Three shifts daily. Work must not cease."

Chen Chen Zhangrui stared blankly for a long moment, then lowered his voice: "Li Ju, if Shen Director truly entered Hulucun, we won't find him by searching the city."

Li Qi frowned: "Who told you he went to Hulucun? What did the Higher-ups say? Shen Director was tracking Hulucun's location and became trapped in an Unnameable Place."

"You know what an Unnameable Place is, right? I don't care what you call it in Waizhou—find the Unnameable Place, and you'll find Shen Director. Act immediately!"

Chen Chen Zhangrui quickly organized personnel and set out.

How do you find an Unnameable Place? Chen Chen Zhangrui had no idea.

Invisibility Space, Dark Dimension, Antimatter Space, Vector Space, Asymmetric Space—all could be called Unnameable Places. In Waizhou, there was no clear definition of an Unnameable Place.

Fortunately, Chen Chen Zhangrui understood Li Qi's intent: the priority now was to make noise.

Only by making noise could the higher-ups realize the Dark Star Bureau was actively searching for Shen Shen Jingye, not passively waiting—and that Shen Shen Jingye likely hadn't entered Hulucun. Whether he had or not, only Hulucun could confirm it.

Li Li Banfeng left the Dark Star Bureau, found a quiet alley, and removed the jade pendant from his neck, clutching it in his hand. Ai Yi had said: as long as you let go of immediate concerns, you could find Hulucun's entrance.

Immediate concerns were short-term matters; right now, Li Li Banfeng didn't feel anything worth worrying about. Yet after two attempts, he couldn't enter Hulucun.

What's going on? Who am I even worrying about?

He forced himself to adjust his mindset, striving to forget his immediate concerns. After six attempts, he finally saw the village path. A cold wind blew, carrying the scent of gunpowder—something major had happened in the village.

Li Li Banfeng hurried toward the village and saw A Long fishing in the river, holding a spear, calm and composed—as if nothing serious had occurred. Farther away, farmers worked the fields as usual.

BOOM! A thunderous explosion shook the ground. Li Li Banfeng asked A Long: "What happened?"

A Long replied: "The village chief and his wife are fighting!" Li Li Banfeng was startled: "It's gotten this bad?"

A Long remained expressionless: "They do this often. The chief drives a tank to blast his wife to pieces; she hides in tunnels and ambushes him with sniper shots."

Li Li Banfeng sighed: "What's so unresolvable between a husband and wife that they need tanks?"

A Long agreed it was absurd: "Isn't it? Last time I fought with my wife, I threw two grenades; she fired a full magazine from a submachine gun. Afterward, we made up. Isn't that how married couples are?"

After some casual chat, Li Li Banfeng met A Yun: "In the past few days, has anyone named Shen Shen Jingye come to Hulucun?"

A Yun nodded: "Yes! He carried himself like a high-ranking official, but his rank was surely lower than our village chief's."

"On his first day, he signed the covenant and moved to Huluyao."

"He signed the covenant already?"

Shen's condition differed from what Li Li Banfeng had expected.

A Yun led Li Li Banfeng to Shen Shen Jingye, who was drawing water from a well. He didn't notice Li Li Banfeng, but Li Li Banfeng could tell—he'd never done this work before. He was a cultivator, likely of high cultivation base, yet his balance was poor, spilling much water.

A Yun whispered: "Drawing water is the least of it. You should've seen him farming—clumsy hands and feet, so awkward you couldn't bear to watch. No wonder he could never become village chief."

It wasn't Shen's fault—how could the head of the Dark Star Bureau have ever farmed?

His face still bore bandages—he'd likely been injured again by his wife before leaving. It was precisely because he suffered at her hands that Hulucun had chosen him.

A Yun asked Li Li Banfeng: "Shall I speak to him?"

Li Li Banfeng shook his head: "No need. It wouldn't help. How long has he been here?"

"Today is the fifth day."

Ten days remain before the half-month mark. Whether he stays or leaves is his own decision—no one can force him.

"Where did Shen Shen Jingye enter from?"

A Yun flipped through the ledger: "He left a mark upon entry—he must exit the same way. I'll take you there."

Shen Shen Jingye entered through the entrance outside a restaurant on Yunsheng Road in Jia City District. Li Li Banfeng walked along the street and spotted Lu's Bookhouse.

Is this Lu Boss's business?

He sent Xiao Pan through the wormhole—Xiao Pan had already told Li Li Banfeng.

Honestly, this wasn't Lu Boss's fault. If Li Li Banfeng had been followed by a stranger who saw something they shouldn't have, he wouldn't have let the stranger off easily either.

But Yu Yao being in Lu Boss's hands—that was something Li Li Banfeng hadn't anticipated.

Should I go inside and take a look?

Li Li Banfeng was about to push the door open when the projector flickered: "Seven Director, you've got a call, hehe!"

"A call is a call—why are you laughing?" Every time he entered Hulucun, the projector behaved strangely.

Li Li Banfeng found a quiet corner and took the call.

Inside the bookhouse, Lu Boss tore a manuscript page and tossed it into the wastebasket.

The sequel to "Rust Frost Collection" was clearly failing—he couldn't even read it himself. He gazed out the window, muttering: "Should I show him the manuscript? Did Zhang Zhang Xiuling really receive his guidance?"

Li Li Banfeng was still on the phone—the call was from Deputy Director Wang: "Director Guan has instructed me to notify you: a special task force has been formed to investigate Shen Shen Jingye's disappearance. Director Guan is leading it. You must report progress to him regularly."

Deputy Director Wang had always been obsequious before Shen Shen Jingye—today his tone was brazen.

Someone must have promised him a better position if Shen Shen Jingye fell.

Li Li Banfeng didn't get angry, replying calmly: "Wait a moment—I'll report progress to Director Guan shortly." "Just be careful yourself," Deputy Director Wang said, then hung up.

Li Li Banfeng placed his phone inside the projector's film compartment: "Let me give you the basic plot." "No need—the Dark Star Bureau's drama is familiar to me, hehe!"

"Your task is to report—every two hours, nonstop."

The projector thought for a moment: "Reporting every two hours makes our work ethic seem lax. Change it to hourly—I enjoy frequent communication with Director Guan." Li Li Banfeng calculated the time: "Fine. Keep each report under twenty minutes—give Director Guan as much rest as possible."

At three p. m., the projector replied: "Seven Director, Director Guan has blocked our number." Li Li Banfeng frowned: "Poor work ethic. Change the number and call again."

"Seven Director, after so many calls to Director Guan, my phone and his have become friends—though only of the shallow variety."

"I can't demand much from him, but getting my number unblocked from his blacklist isn't hard. Once unblocked, with a little disguise, I'm certain he won't refuse to answer."

"Fine, do it."

Through the phone, the projector could befriend another phone.

After two visits to Hulucun, the projector seemed to have evolved. At 3:30 a. m., Director Guan Guan Zhengyang's phone rang.

The caller ID showed a superior leader. Normally, Director Guan would leap from bed, compose himself, and answer immediately.

But two hours earlier, the same number had called—and when answered, it was Li Qi. Guan Guan Zhengyang didn't know if it was a phone malfunction or a signal issue.

Should he answer or not? He couldn't risk it.

If it truly was his superior calling, missing this one call might haunt him for life. Guan Guan Zhengyang picked up.

"Little Guan, let me update you on recent progress—we've made another major discovery during the search for Director Shen." Again, Li Qi's voice!

Guan Guan Zhengyang had reached his limit.

"Li Ju, do you know what time it is? You absolutely mustn't…"

"Little Guan, mind your tone. Remember your task force's duty. Remember your mission. From the moment you became group leader, you must abandon all thoughts of comfort…"

The next morning, Guan Guan Zhengyang announced a temporary halt to all task force operations. The search for Shen Shen Jingye would be handled solely by the Dark Star Bureau, with Li Qi in charge of all specific operations. Guan Guan Zhengyang could no longer endure the harassment—though the main reason was that the higher-ups wanted to resolve the issue.

Shen Shen Jingye's disappearance had too great an impact. To recover him, Li Qi was their best choice.

Li Qi was indeed responsible. He first had his secretary draft a recent work summary, blaming the failure to locate Shen Shen Jingye on the overall low capability of the security team. To improve their foundational skills and professional competence, he signed documents authorizing three hundred units of Harmonizer per officer.

Three hundred units equaled one Jin Jin Yuandan—equivalent to one hundred days of cultivation. The order was issued, but the Pharmaceutical Department delivered only one hundred units.

Li Li Banfeng grew angry and summoned the Pharmaceutical Department head: "What's this? The order is issued—why isn't it executed? Do you think my words mean nothing?"

Department Head Yan Yan Zhipeng hurried to explain: "Li Ju, that's not our intent. We have regulations: no more than one hundred units of medicine may be issued to the same person within a month. Exceeding that requires higher approval."

Wait for higher approval? Who are you fooling?

Li Li Banfeng had asked Tang Yuan: since Shen Shen Jingye changed his methods, the Dark Star Bureau had increased rewards for frontline staff. Security Team's Zhui had received five hundred units of Harmonizer for a major achievement—everyone knew.

Later, Zhui became a traitor, and the incident became a joke about Shen Shen Jingye. "You don't follow rules with Director Shen, but now you cite them to me?"

"Li Ju, the circumstances were special…" Yan Yan Zhipeng tried to outwit Li Li Banfeng. But the truth was simple: if he split the three hundred units across three months, applying for one hundred each time, the matter would be resolved.

Yet he knew Li Qi wouldn't remain director forever. He was from Like Puluozhou; even if Shen Shen Jingye never returned, someone else would take over. He didn't want to take the risk for Li Qi.

Li Li Banfeng saw through his scheme clearly: "Director Yan, following regulations is correct. I'm unfamiliar with them—I made a mistake. Don't take it personally." Yan Yan Zhipeng smiled: "Li Ju, if there's nothing else, I'll return to my department."

"Go ahead."

In the afternoon, Li Li Banfeng summoned Yan Yan Zhipeng again: "Some colleagues report the Harmonizer issued by the bureau has no effect." Yan Yan Zhipeng was startled: "How could it have no effect…"

"I'd like to ask you the same question—is it due to your improper storage?" This wasn't Li Li Banfeng making baseless accusations.

Harmonizer was sold on black markets across Yuezhou. Its origin remains unconfirmed.

Li Li Banfeng had ordered Tang Tang Changfa to investigate. He could trace the sources of all black-market goods—magic treasures, spiritual items, elixirs—but not Harmonizer or Guide Agents.

The sellers of Harmonizer and Guide Agents on the black market were always the same, with nearly identical prices. Were these drugs unrelated to the Dark Star Bureau?

Li Li Banfeng planned a special inspection to thoroughly investigate Harmonizer storage procedures.

Yan Yan Zhipeng protested: "Li Ju, all medicine we distribute is freshly prepared. Each dose bears the preparer's signature. If there's a quality issue, it's due to raw materials—not our storage!"

"Wait!" Li Li Banfeng froze. "What do you mean by 'prepared'?"

According to Shen Shen Jingye, medicine was allocated by the superior company. How had it become "prepared" here? Yan Yan Zhipeng hesitated—should he tell Li Li Banfeng?

But then he realized: not telling was worse—he couldn't take the blame.

"Harmonizer is difficult to store and transport. Each year, the bureau submits a plan to the superior unit based on last year's usage and this year's needs. The superior unit then allocates raw materials, and we prepare the doses according to actual requirements."

Little Shen, your work ethic is seriously flawed—you dared lie to me?

Li Li Banfeng said: "Then is there a problem with your raw material storage?" "We have dedicated systems and assigned personnel..."

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "So I believe our work will withstand scrutiny." The document was issued, and the next day, inspections began immediately.

Yan Yan Zhipeng dared not hide anything—he showed Li Li Banfeng all the raw materials and formulas.

Li Li Banfeng had assumed the formulas would clearly list every ingredient, but he underestimated the strength of the secrecy measures.

In reality, the formulas only listed code names and quantities for each substance—no names or properties. The Pharmacy Department followed procedures strictly to turn solid powders into liquid formulations, but had no knowledge of the underlying pharmacology.

It didn't matter that the Pharmacy Department didn't know—Li Li Banfeng had ways to find out.

Analyzing the components of a single vial of medicine was extremely difficult. But with a dozen raw materials laid out before him, analyzing their components became far easier.

Li Li Banfeng took a bag of each medicine, claiming it was for sample testing, and sent them home to his wife to analyze.

Purely in terms of efficacy, the Harmonizer was inferior to top-tier elixirs like Jin Jin Yuandan, but it could be mass-produced—this advantage far outweighed that of elixirs. More crucially, besides the Harmonizer, there was another, even more important medicine.

Li Qi issued an order: Rectify the issues, and extend the investigation to include the Guide Powder as well!

The Guide Powder was the introductory powder for Dark Energy users. Tang Yuan consumed the Guide Powder and became a Scholar; later, in Pulu Province, he ingested the Wu Xiu powder and evolved into a Wu Xiu.

Though he endured some setbacks, Tang Yuan retained his level and gained enhanced combat power—this proved a certain connection existed between the Guide Powder and the Peddler's powders.

The Guide Powder's formula was extremely complex, with many ingredients. Li Li Banfeng didn't mind the trouble—he kept samples of every substance and handed them all, along with the formulas, to his wife for testing. Day and night, they investigated for three straight days. Yan Yan Zhipeng could no longer endure the pressure and confessed his mistake to Li Li Banfeng, admitting he had distributed three hundred units of the Harmonizer.

After inspecting the Pharmacy Department, they turned to the Archives Department—the risks and hazards in archive management were equally serious!

There was far too much archival material for Li Li Banfeng to handle personally—he delegated the task to Tang Yuan. Tang Yuan understood Li Qi's intentions and made backups of all documents Li Qi found interesting.

One file in particular caught Tang Yuan's attention—he reported it directly to Li Qi: "Seventh Master, this document is highly unusual. Please take time to review it."

Tang Yuan had risked much to obtain it, so Li Li Banfeng took it seriously. The file was titled: "Investigation Report on Black Dwarf Star Periodic Fluctuations." Black dwarf star?

Li Li Banfeng had encountered the concept of black dwarf stars in university: the lowest-energy end product of low- to medium-mass stars, which, in his understanding, was what remained after a star's energy was completely exhausted.

It takes an extraordinarily long time for a star to become a black dwarf—longer than the age of the universe. Thus, black dwarfs are purely theoretical; none should exist in the current universe.

Even if they existed, humans would struggle to observe them, as black dwarfs emit almost no energy due to their extremely low temperatures. Why was the Dark Star Bureau studying this? Isn't this the domain of astronomical institutions?

Dark Star Bureau... Dark Star Bureau... of course!

This was the Dark Star Bureau—Li Li Banfeng had nearly forgotten the name! Black dwarfs are hard to observe—aren't they precisely "dark stars"?

Studying dark stars is the Dark Star Bureau's primary mission!

Li Li Banfeng opened the file and read it carefully. As a specialized report, it lacked context and background, so he didn't fully grasp many sections. But the conclusions were clear: the report contained three major findings, two of which Li Li Banfeng understood fairly well.

First finding: Black dwarf stars do not, as originally hypothesized, emit almost no energy. They periodically release bursts of energy and matter, some of which fall to Earth and trigger biological mutations.

Matter and energy?

Are these highly active dark matter and dark energy?

Could the origin of Dark Power be the black dwarf star?

Second finding: Based on multinational survey data, black dwarf star eruptions occur every twenty to thirty years. After each eruption, traces remain in Earth's rock layers, soil, and structures.

Third finding: Within one to two years after a black dwarf star eruption, Huineizhou launches foreign wars. This was harder to understand—what connection exists between Huineizhou's foreign wars and black dwarf star eruptions?

Li Li Banfeng pinched his forehead, thinking silently, when Zhong Er entered to report: "Li Ju, Gangchaluowa 's lawyer has arrived and requests to see the detainee." "What?" Li Li Banfeng was momentarily confused.

"Ganchalova—a high-ranking member of the Birch Hermitage. She has shown merit, so her case remains unsettled and she's still detained here." "The Lavash woman?" Li Li Banfeng nodded—he remembered her. "Let the lawyer see her. Follow proper procedures."

Zhong Er turned to leave, but Li Li Banfeng suddenly called out: "Wait!" He remembered something important.

"Why did Ganchalova join the Hermitage?"

Zhong Er remembered clearly: "Because of a war—the war in the Sleeping Lands."

According to Ganchalova's testimony, during her youth, a war erupted in the Sleeping Lands of Lavash—the invasion by the Dark God Chernobog. That war occurred twenty-two years ago.

Pushing back another twenty years or so brings us to the Second Pulu War.

A few days ago, Ling Ling Miaosheng said the Nei American state was preparing for war. The black dwarf star's eruption cycle is twenty to thirty years.

Has the black dwarf star erupted again recently?

Is this why Huineizhou plans to attack Nei American?

Is the information about American accurate? Will the battlefield definitely be in Nei American?

Recently, Huineizhou agents have been very active in Pulu Province: Ge Ge Junma nearly stole from Ink Fragrance Shop, Luo Su Lijun planned to attack Soda Kiln, the fake coachman was one step away from seizing Yellow Earth Bridge...

They wouldn't attack Pulu Province, would they? Major wars always have clear precursors.

a8

At Zhong Zhong Desong Cliff, at the village entrance, an old man with a cane said: "De Nian is the root of virtue. Without virtue in thought, how can one perform virtuous deeds?"

Opposite him stood an old woman who disagreed: "Virtuous action is the root of virtue. Without performing virtuous deeds, no matter how many noble thoughts one holds, one cannot be called virtuous."

The two elders seemed to be debating, speaking politely. Outsiders might have thought they were close friends. After half an hour of argument, the old man failed to convince her and sighed: "You've lived a lifetime and remain stubbornly blind!"

The old woman sneered: "You twist truth into falsehood and still cling to your nonsense."

The old man's face darkened: "The Peddler appointed me to oversee Zhong Zhong Desong Cliff—why do you resist?"

The old woman lifted her gaze: "The Peddler isn't even from Zhong Zhong Desong Cliff—on what grounds does he interfere in our internal affairs?" "Enough said," the old man ordered, "Listen to me: Kill this traitor!" Behind him, over a hundred De Xiu charged toward the old woman.

Getting De Xiu to charge was no small feat—this proved the old man held great prestige in Zhong Zhong Desong Cliff.

Leading the charge was a young man wielding a short knife, shouting: "Kill the traitor! Show no mercy!" The old woman smiled, unmoved, and activated the De Xiu technique: Virtue Bears All.

The young man had no defense—he felt as if half a mountain had crushed him, collapsing instantly. The old woman cried: "Slay all the virtueless! Restore the Dao's glory!"

Behind her, over a hundred others surged forward—but not all were De Xiu.

One man picked up a tile shard, severed the young man's head, and led his group into battle against the old man's followers. By the time the Peddler arrived, the fight was over—only corpses littered the ground, the snow dyed crimson.

The Peddler stuck his rattle on his cart and frowned: "If this keeps up, the De Xiu will go extinct!" A man walking beside him sighed: "I think they need a leader."

The Peddler scanned the corpses, flipped over the old man's body: "This is the leader I've chosen for them." The old man had died in battle; most of his De Xiu were dead or wounded.

The man picked up a tile shard: "I didn't expect anyone in Pulu Province would dare challenge you."

"And this young man's death is strange—his head was severed by this tile shard. That's clearly not a De Xiu technique." It was a Wu Xiu technique. Few Wu Xiu ever came to Zhong Zhong Desong Cliff.

The Peddler knew the situation was grave—this war had spilled beyond Zhong Zhong Desong Cliff.

The man examined the other corpses: "From the bodies, all combatants were strong, but many weren't De Xiu. They had no reason to fight for Zhong Zhong Desong Cliff—this place shouldn't be so compelling."

"I suspect someone is exploiting this war to incite chaos. I even suspect this hidden force originates beyond Pulu Province." The Peddler nodded: "So I want someone to come and quell this chaos—but Li Qi refuses to come."

The man smiled: "My friend has a deep aversion to De Xiu—he felt the same way at Hai Chi Ridge."

The Peddler looked at the man: "I can't stay here forever. I'm entrusting this to you. Your task: end this war quickly and restore order in Zhong Zhong Desong Cliff. Do you understand?"

The man thought: "I don't quite grasp 'restore order.' Can you be more direct?"

The Peddler explained: "Directly: those who listen stay; those who don't, die."

The man shook his head: "'Listen' is still vague. Can you be more concrete? How many should live? Seven tenths? Half?" PS: It seems this friend prefers quantitative solutions.

The Lord of Pulu has earned the Second Star of Glory—thank you, dear readers, for your support and kindness!