Chapter 66: The Decision to Join the Ninth Division

On the way back to the City Bureau, the car interior was terrifyingly quiet.

Zhou Weiguo drove, occasionally glancing at Qin Zhixia in the passenger seat.

She had changed.

No longer was she the decisive, sharp-eyed Team Leader Qin.

Now she simply sat quietly leaning against the seat, watching the neon outside flash by in reverse, her side profile pallid, her gaze like a deep, bottomless ancient well.

"Don't think too much." Zhou Weiguo broke the silence, his voice a little hoarse, "This time rest well, heal your injuries, the sky won't fall."

Qin Zhixia's gaze slowly withdrew from the window, she turned her head, looking at this old leader who was both teacher and father to her.

"Captain Zhou." She spoke, "I don't want to just stare at the case before me."

"The world is sick." Qin Zhixia's gaze turned again to the window, that bizarre city nightscape, which in her eyes now resembled a huge, festering abscess.

"I don't want to be that patchwork gatekeeper any longer."

"I want to become...... the 'Shepherd' that Chu Che spoke of."

She was practically quoting Chu Che's words, but her tone carried a resolve all her own.

Zhou Weisheng's heart sank sharply.

He wanted to scold, wanted to shout sense into this girl who'd gone down a rabbit hole, but the words that reached his lips turned into a helpless sigh.

"Zhixia, without enough strength, you can't change anything."

He eased off the accelerator, his tone heavy.

"With you as you are now, even if your abilities were stronger, trying to advance through normal channels would be too difficult."

"Precisely because...... this order, it has already rotted away on its own."

Zhou Weiguo's words were like a key, instantly unlocking the heaviest lock in Qin Zhixia's mind.

Yeah.

Normal channels.

It was once the battlefield she knew best and took pride in.

But now, her father had fallen, she became a plague god everyone avoided, a target that people like Deputy Bureau Chief Wang could humiliate at will.

This road was completely blocked.

She needed strength.

Strength unbound by rules, able to reach the core directly!

A name leapt suddenly into her mind!

The Ninth Division!

That mysterious organization, existing outside all systems, wielding the highest authorization, acting coldly and efficiently!

There, there's no seniority-based hierarchy, no tangled human favors—only pure efficiency and the strongest resources!

In Qin Zhixia's eyes, the extinguished flame reignited a spark.

"Captain Zhou, I want to go to the Ninth Division."

Her words were firm and resolute.

"I want to gain strength as quickly as possible, I want not to be corrupted by the filth of fame and fortune, I want to keep my purest original intention, to become that 'Shepherd'!"

Zhou Weiguo looked at her near‑mad obstinacy in her eyes, opened his mouth, and finally just let out a heavy sigh.

"Have you decided? The Ninth Division...... might be a path a hundred times harder than now."

Qin Zhixia's mouth curled into a bleak smile.

"I don't care!"

"Because I already...... have nothing left to lose."

Inside the temporary command center, everything was bustling.

L had already left earlier to attend some important meeting; at this moment, the remaining personnel of the Ninth Division were efficiently dismantling equipment, clearing traces, preparing to return to headquarters.

Qin Zhixia leaned on her crutch, like a solitary soul out of place in this tense atmosphere, step by step making her way through the busy crowd.

"Tap...... tap...... tap......"

The sound of the metal crutch striking the ground was monotonous and persistent.

She approached the man who was leisurely wiping a brand‑new thermal cup.

Nie Yang.

He seemed to have noticed her arrival long ago, not even lifting his head.

Qin Zhixia stood firm, her chest heaving violently, she exerted all her strength to suppress her emotions.

"Section Leader Nie."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached Nie Yang's ears clearly.

"I want to apply to you...... to join the Ninth Division!"

Nie Yang's motion of wiping the thermal cup paused for a moment.

He lifted his head; the face that usually bore a gentle smile now showed no expression.

Qin Zhixia met his gaze without wavering; she knew this was her only chance.

She set aside all her pride and self‑esteem, like a drowning person clutching the last straw.

"I've handled two weird incidents, I have relevant experience, I know how to deal with 'them'!"

"I can help!"

Nie Yang looked at her, his eyes holding neither contempt nor sympathy, only a businesslike assessment.

He unscrewed the thermal cup, blew on the hot liquid inside, and took a slow sip.

"Team Leader Qin."

He spoke, his tone flat.

I'm afraid you're a step late.

Qin Zhixia's heart sank instantly.

Before she could ask further, Nie Yang proactively explained: "Just now, the Federation's highest leadership issued the latest order."

A brand-new, top-level organization independent of all existing systems has been formally established.

Federal Weird Investigation Bureau.

It is personally led by that high-ranking figure from the nation's top echelon, 'Wei Gong,' who bears full responsibility for all similar special incidents domestically.

Nie Yang looked at Qin Zhixia's shocked expression and continued: "I, L, including the Ninth Division, and other department specialists will all be merged into this new bureau."

Qin Zhixia froze.

Federal Weird Investigation Bureau?

Her mind raced; within seconds she reacted.

Then I... I want to apply to join the Weird Investigation Bureau!

She stepped forward; her crutch, moving too hastily, scraped the ground with a screech.

The nature is the same! I meet the requirements!

Nie Yang laughed.

This time it was a genuine laugh, yet his smile held a hint of cruel scrutiny.

Team Leader Qin, your will is indeed firm enough—I acknowledge that.

He sized her up from head to toe, his gaze like the most precise scanner, finally resting on her right leg in a cast.

But... what's your specialty?

Hand-to-hand combat? Marksmanship? Or intelligence analysis?

He leaned back in his chair and slowly took another sip of water.

How do you compare to Mo Zixuan—who's stronger?

Mo Zixuan!

That name, like a poisoned blade, pierced Qin Zhixia's heart with deadly precision.

She recalled that silver-haired youth's mad laugh, and his inhuman combat skill.

Yeah... all she had prided herself on amounted to nothing before a monster like Mo Zixuan.

Nie Yang collected his smile, his tone turning flat and cold, as if reading an insignificant report.

The bureau needs not a jack-of-all-trades.

But the extreme mastery of a specific field.

To be frank, Team Leader Qin, compared to Mo Zixuan, you...

He paused, then clearly uttered two words.

Quite mediocre.

Mediocre!

Those two words, like two icebergs, crashed down.

Qin Zhixia felt ice cold throughout; all her resolve and courage seemed to become a joke in that moment.

She opened her mouth, but found she couldn't utter a word.

Unable to rebut.

As Qin Zhixia sank completely into the dark abyss of self-doubt, even the hand gripping her crutch began to tremble.

Nie Yang's voice sounded again.

However... I personally admire you.

Qin Zhixia jerked her head up.

Nie Yang looked at her eyes—eyes that, even when humiliated to the extreme, never extinguished their flame—and nodded.

You have a vigor, a vigor that can rise again even in despair.

This is far more precious than many people possess.

He stood, walked to Qin Zhixia, and actually reached out to pat her shoulder.

I have no authority to decide your fate.

But I will write you a recommendation letter and submit it to Wei Gong.

Nie Yang's face regained its warm smile.

The bureau happens to be planning to recruit the first batch of new, experienced reserve talent from across the nation.

Your file will appear on his desk.

As for whether you can seize this opportunity...

It's up to you.