Chapter 604: Handover

The lights in the Hall of Heroes were very bright.

They were bright enough to see every stone tablet on the wall and each name carved into them.

Lord Wei stood in the center of the hall, holding the director's badge in his hand.

The badge was small, silver‑white, its edges worn dull.

"Su Ming."

Lord Wei called out.

Su Ming stepped out of the formation and stood before him.

"Yes."

Lord Wei lifted his hand and pinned the badge onto Su Ming's chest.

The motion was slow and solemn.

No one spoke in the hall.

Jiang Yuan stood at the front of the line, watching the scene, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the Card Bag at his waist.

Qin Zhixia's mechanical prosthetic arm tightened slightly, emitting a faint mechanical sound.

Liang Wen, unusually serious, merely stared at the badge.

"From today onward," Lord Wei released his grip, "the Federal Weird Investigation Bureau is yours."

Su Ming nodded.

"I will hold it."

Lord Wei smiled.

"I know."

He turned and lifted a cup of tea from the table.

The tea was warm, the leaves still swirling at the bottom of the cup.

"I've waited a long time for this cup of tea," Lord Wei said, "and now I can finally drink it."

He tipped his head back and drank it in one gulp.

When he set the cup down, his eyes were a little red.

"Everyone," Lord Wei looked at everyone present, "the road ahead is now handed to the younger generation."

"I'm an old man; it's time for me to rest."

Jiang Yuan stepped forward.

"Lord Wei, you......"

"Stop being all motherly," Lord Wei waved his hand, "I'm not dead; I'm just retiring."

"When you have time later, you can still come to the Zongbu Zhihui Zhongxin for tea."

Liang Wen couldn't hold it any longer.

"Lord Wei, now that you're gone, who will approve our funding?"

Lord Wei glared at him.

"Su Ming approves."

Liang Wen immediately looked at Su Ming, his gaze eager.

Su Ming's face was expressionless.

"Funding applications must go through the regular channels."

Liang Wen's face collapsed.

"It's over; the new official's first fire has already burned my head."

Qin Zhixia couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You still know you waste money?"

"Can that be called waste?" Liang Wen said seriously, "That's called strategic investment!"

"Which of my pieces of equipment isn't used to combat the Weird?"

"Enough," Su Ming interrupted, "time to get to work."

"Lord Wei's retirement doesn't mean the bureau can slack off."

He turned and walked toward the hall's entrance.

"Follow me."

Zongbu Zhihui Zhongxin.

A massive holographic screen occupied the entire wall.

Countless red dots covered it, each representing a Weird Domain.

Su Ming stood before the console, his fingers sliding rapidly across the light screen.

"Jiang Yuan."

"Here."

"An anomaly has occurred in S-07 Weird Domain; you lead a team to handle it."

"Copy that."

"Qin Zhixia."

"Yes."

"Three A-level Anomaly Zones in the Northern Territory require patrol; you are in charge of coordination."

"Understood."

Su Ming spoke rapidly, each command precise and on point.

L sat at the workstation beside him, fingers dancing on the keyboard.

"Data synchronized." Her voice was flat, "Estimated time for resource allocation completion: twelve minutes."

Su Ming nodded.

"Enough."

Liang Wen leaned against the wall, muttering softly.

"This guy as director is harsher than Lord Wei."

"He started assigning tasks as soon as he arrived, not even giving a buffer period."

Jiang Yuan gave him a glance.

"Don't you like fighting Weird?"

"Like it or not, I like it." Liang Wen spread his hands, "But you have to let me catch a breath, right?"

"What are you breathing for?" Su Ming didn't turn his head, "You took three days off last week."

Liang Wen choked.

"That's because I was injured!"

"Is the injury healed?"

"... Healed."

"Then go work."

Liang Wen rolled his eyes, turned and walked toward the equipment room.

"Damn, this life can't go on."

Qin Zhixia followed behind him, laughing and shaking her head.

"You should say a little less."

"Su Ming is doing this to stabilize the situation."

"Lord Wei just stepped down, someone outside is definitely watching us."

"Now is exactly when we must not act recklessly."

Liang Wen sighed.

"I know."

"Just complaining verbally."

He paused, lowering his voice.

"Actually, I quite admire Su Ming."

"With such a big burden, he just says he'll take it and does."

"If it were me, I couldn't."

Qin Zhixia said nothing.

She glanced at the busy figure in the command center, her eyes complex.

Su Ming went from lone wolf to today; this path has been harder than anyone's.

But he still made it.

And he walked steadily.

Qiu Ce Yuan.

The tiered classroom was filled with people.

The students below had bright eyes, staring at the man on the podium wearing a black Windcoat.

Liang Wen slipped one hand into his pocket, the other hand holding a microphone.

"Everyone."

His voice, amplified, rang through the whole venue.

"Welcome to the New World."

Someone in the audience whispered.

"Is this the legendary 'Dark-Blooded King'?"

"I heard he alone can Rewind time."

"Awesome."

Liang Wen heard it, grinned.

"That's right, I am the 'Dark-Blooded King' you call."

"But today I'm not here to show off."

He paused.

"I'm here to tell you how hard this path is."

The classroom fell silent.

"You are all the new generation of tricksters," Liang Wen's voice grew steady, "the future of humanity."

"But you must understand one thing."

"Weird will not spare you just because you're young."

"They only kill people."

"And what you must do is be harsher than they are."

Someone in the audience raised a hand.

"Teacher, what if we can't defeat them?"

Liang Wen looked at that student.

Can't beat it?

He laughed.

Then find a way to win.

Use the rules, use strategy, use your life.

There's always something that can let you survive.

The classroom was dead silent.

Liang Wen walked to the edge of the podium, bent over and looked down at the audience.

I know you're afraid.

Afraid of death, afraid of pain, afraid of becoming monsters.

But you must remember.

What is behind you?

No one answered.

They are your family, friends, lovers." Liang Wen's voice was soft, "They are all ordinary people in this world.

They have no power, no rules, they can only rely on you.

So you can't be cowardly.

He straightened his body and tugged at his windcoat.

Alright, the chicken soup is finished.

Next, we start class.

Today's lesson is how to survive three minutes in a B-rank Weird Domain.

The audience burst into laughter.

Liang Wen raised an eyebrow.

What are you laughing at?

When you actually encounter it, you won't be able to laugh.

S-07 Weird Domain.

Black mist shrouded the entire area.

Jiang Yuan stood at the edge of the Weird Domain, his right eye flashing with an azure light.

Shadow Ghost.

He said softly.

The shadow beneath his feet instantly erupted.

Countless black tentacles surged from the shadow, weaving into a gigantic throne.

Jiang Yuan sat upon it.

The throne shot up from the ground, piercing the clouds.

In the blink of an eye, he reached an altitude of ten thousand meters.

Beneath his feet roiled black mist; in the distance, the dome of the Weird Domain loomed faintly.

Jiang Yuan raised his hand.

The shadow legion surged from all directions.

They were thick as blankets, covering the entire sky.

Listen to orders.

Jiang Yuan's voice was not loud, yet it carried throughout the Weird Domain.

Suppress this place.

Not a single weird thing may be let out.

The shadow legion roared in unison.

The next second, they dove down, tearing through the black mist and lunging at the monsters deep within the Weird Domain.

Jiang Yuan sat on the throne, his eyes icy cold.

He is now truly the Shadow Lord.

One person, one domain, ten thousand troops heed his command.

Qiu Ce Yuan, Building Three.

The door of the old school infirmary was pushed open.

Qin Zhixia walked in.

A layer of dust covered the room; sunlight streamed through the broken window, slanting onto the empty desk.

Qin Zhixia stood at the doorway, looking at this familiar yet unfamiliar place.

She recalled Chu Che sitting here like that.

Gentle, refined, the motion of pushing up his glasses always seemed so natural.

She walked to the desk and took out a thermal cup from her pocket.

She unscrewed the lid and poured out a cup of tea.

Steam rose.

Qin Zhixia set the teacup on the desk and spoke softly.

You said you would give me a serious answer.

Now I understand.

She smiled.

No one answered.

Qin Zhixia stood for a moment, then turned and left.

"Goodbye, Chu Che."

The door closed.

The room fell silent again.

The cup of tea on the table was still steaming.

On the surface of the tea, a ripple suddenly appeared.

It was very slight, very faint.

But it did indeed exist.

The ripple slowly spread, drawing an arc in three‑dimensional space that should not have appeared.

Then it disappeared.

The tea cup stood still there.

Sunlight shone on it.