Chapter 97: Undercurrent Surge (Part 1)

It wasn't until Min Tianyou finished reporting the previous events that Yue Chengzhang's tapping on the edge of the command console finally ceased.

Without any dithering, he quickly made a decision.

His gaze swept over Su Jingchuan and Min Tianyou, and finally lingered a moment longer on Ying Duo's conspicuous green hair, his tone steady and decisive.

"I understand the situation. In that case, Teacher Su, and this green... *cough*... Ying Duo classmate, please join us in the upcoming operation."

He first affirmed that Su Jingchuan and Ying Duo would formally take part in the Supervision Bureau's operation, then immediately identified their most urgent objective.

"First, our most urgent task is to obtain an original sample of the Gloomy Fluorescent Stone. We need to study its composition and the Mutation energy characteristics it contains, assess its potential risks, and, incidentally..."

His gaze fell again on Ying Duo, especially on the obviously abnormal green hair.

"See if we can find clues from the sample itself and devise a method to resolve this classmate's head... 'special situation'."

Although Ying Duo's brain has already suffered irreversible damage, we still need to find a way to suppress the further spread of the Mutation, right?

And the hair itself has become the Mutation Source, located so close to the brain...

Yue Chengzhang only felt a throbbing headache and could only order someone to fetch a few bottles of holy water as a precaution.

He didn't forget to instruct Su Jingchuan to keep a close eye on Ying Duo's Mutation Value; if it rises, they should immediately take holy water to suppress it.

Su Jingchuan gave a slight nod in agreement; although he also carried some medicines provided by Teacher Li Ya, having a larger stock would never be too much.

Immediately after, Yue Chengzhang turned his gaze to Min Tianyou, cutting straight to the crucial part of their current investigation.

"Tianyou, how long does your next 'prophecy' require to prepare? Our current intelligence is quite limited; if a prophecy could point the way, the investigation should proceed more smoothly..."

Min Tianyou seemed to have anticipated the question and simply shook his head lightly.

"Regiment Leader Yue, as you know, my prophetic ability doesn't match my sister's; I can't activate it at will, and its cooldown isn't short either."

"If I force the ability, the resulting prophecy could be far off from reality; before that, I suggest we rely on conventional investigative methods."

He paused briefly, then continued.

"Perhaps you could first explain how far the investigations of the other divisions within the bureau have progressed? That would help us determine the next steps more clearly."

Yue Chengzhang was not surprised by Min Tianyou's answer; if Min Tianyou could prophesy at any time, he wouldn't dare bring him into frontline investigations, fearing he might follow in his sister's footsteps.

"Alright, we have already preliminarily compiled the intelligence we have gathered."

He lifted his finger and tapped heavily on a marked area of the map.

"As of now, we have reason to suspect that the organization behind the coordination and smuggling of this batch of Gloomy Fluorescent Stones into the country could very well be—'Undercurrent'."

The moment 'Undercurrent' was mentioned, Su Jingchuan's brows knit together instantly.

Even the usually expressionless Ying Duo's hollow golden eyes seemed to flicker upon hearing the name.

Undercurrent??

Hmm... this name sounds somewhat familiar?

Yue Chengzhang continued his explanation, his tone involuntarily taking on a cold edge.

"'Undercurrent' has been increasingly active lately; they specialize in taking commissions from the gray zone, so it's not surprising they handle contraband transport."

"However, this smuggling route for the Gloomy Fluorescent Stone doesn't match their Regiment Leader's style; it has many loopholes, yet all signs still point to them."

Yue Chengzhang straightened up and surveyed the group.

"If 'Undercurrent' is indeed pulling the strings, the danger of this case must be reassessed; they are not ordinary smugglers but a well-equipped outlaw organization, even staffed with numerous Special Ability Practitioners."

The mere mention of 'Undercurrent' has already caused the nature of the case to shift subtly.

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The Undercurrent's base is deep underground, with metal corridors crisscrossing.

Here, daylight never reaches; only the cold white glow of artificial lighting streams from strips hidden in the ceiling gaps, casting an icy sheen on the metal walls.

Inside a certain meeting room deep within the base, the décor starkly contrasts the cold hardness evident in the surrounding corridors.

Lin Xiao sat on a comfortable sofa, with a cup of steaming clear tea on the coffee table before him.

It was an exceedingly pleasant afternoon; he rested one hand under his head with his eyes closed, while the fingertips of his other hand tapped rhythmically on the armrest, as if waiting for something.

The door slid open silently, and a tall figure blocked the entrance.

"Regiment Leader Lin, you really are in a good mood, taking leisure to drink tea."

An uninvited guest arrived.

A coarse voice shattered the quiet atmosphere; the man strode in from the doorway like a meteor, his military boots thudding heavily on the metal floor.

Lin Xiao did not look up.

"Showing up uninvited, you always lack manners."

The man sneered, walked straight to the sofa opposite Lin Xiao and sat down, brazenly placing both legs on the coffee table.

"What etiquette does a indecisive person like you need? A fellow who spends all day drinking tea and teasing birds?"

Lin Xiao didn't look up; he simply placed the teacup back onto its saucer, producing a crisp clink.

"On my turf, do I need your permission to drink tea or coffee? Sha Yufeng?"

His voice was calm, yet oddly carried an aura of authority.

"Of course not; I just didn't expect our Regiment Leader Lin to be so idle. It seems the Undercurrent's expansion in Heavenly Crown has been slow for a reason."

Sha Yufeng looked around, his gaze sweeping over the shelves packed to the brim with books, his eyes full of contempt.

"I heard the underground auction you built here was completely blown up? The boss even seemed to have caused you trouble?"

"Efficiency does not equal recklessness."

Lin Xiao lifted his gaze; his ice-blue eyes showed no ripple, clearly unwilling to argue further on the matter.

"If you're just here to spout these boring remarks, you may leave now; you're disturbing my rest time."

Sha Yufeng's facial muscles twitched; he lowered his legs and leaned forward.

Beneath his short dark-blue hair, his blood-red eyes stared coldly at the person before him, his voice extremely impatient.

"If I hadn't been assigned a mission that forced me to come to this damned place, would you think I'd be willing to see that cold face of yours?"

Lin Xiao's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Your mission?"

His voice remained calm, but his eyes grew sharp.

"This is Tianmian City; what mission within my jurisdiction requires you to come in person, yet I haven't received any notice?"

"Ha!"

Sha Yufeng's face flashed with a smug look as he leaned back in the chair, arms crossed over his chest.

"Looks like Regiment Leader Lin Xiao is out of the loop; it's just simple smuggling—I brought a shipment over. After all, not everyone is as meticulous as you, reporting every little 'small business' up the chain."

Lin Xiao's eyes narrowed; he immediately understood Sha Yufeng's intention.

He used his private forces and channels, bypassing the Undercurrent's internal procedures.