Chapter 69: Life and Death Statement

Jiang Hai City First Hospital.

"Dr. Chu, I watched the tomato‑egg‑shrimp video you posted yesterday! It looks delicious—does it really help cut fat?"

"Dr. Chu, Dr. Chu, your high‑pull move was way too perfect! Can you teach me? I feel like the muscles I train aren't even the same."

Chu Che, who had just finished a small surgery, was surrounded by a flock of chattering young nurses as soon as he stepped out of the operating room.

His short‑video account "Dr. Chu's Medical Mini‑Science" has recently become a total hit inside the hospital.

At first he only explained heart‑care and first‑aid basics; later, at fans' request, he occasionally posted his own fitness or cooking daily life.

He never expected that his handsome, warm face paired with an elegant, composed aura would be a dimensional‑overkill.

The video's likes and follower count surged, especially drawing a large group of young female fans.

Chu Che stood in the middle, a perfectly measured gentle smile on his face, adjusting his gold‑rimmed glasses as he patiently answered each girl's question.

"Of course. Tomatoes and shrimp are low‑calorie, high‑protein foods; cooking them with little oil and salt makes a great fat‑cutting meal."

"The key to the high‑pull is shoulder depression—feel the latissimus firing. Next time I film, I can give a detailed demonstration."

His voice was steady, tone soft; every answer was professional and considerate, flawless.

The young nurses were dazzled, each flushing with a rosy hue.

Not far away, around the corridor corner, newly appointed deputy director Li Chengxian took in the whole scene, a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

He learned of Qin Yongchang's downfall the moment the news broke.

The big hand that had been shielding Chu Che had already been cut off!

Qin Zhixia's stray dog was now struggling to survive herself, let alone protect this pretty face.

The malice in his eyes was unmasked.

The last plan had collapsed because of Qin Zhixia's unexpected appearance, leaving him half‑scared and the laughingstock of the entire department.

This time he would launch an even more vicious, foolproof scheme.

He would make Chu Che, a guy with no background or backing who dared to block his money‑making path, fall into ruin and disgrace forever, never to rise again!

Li Chengxian turned and left, pulling out his phone to contact a few reachable friends.

At that moment, the phone screen suddenly lit up, and a pop‑up displayed a local news push.

【Dong Lin City Commercial Street Shockingly Finds Weird Mannequin】

The news picture showed a plastic dummy with an exaggeratedly weird smile on its face.

Li Chengxian frowned, feeling the thing was unlucky; without a second thought he swiped it away.

What a crappy news article, boring.

Right now, he only wants to see Chu Che kneeling before him, begging for mercy.

A special aircraft bearing a unique emblem sliced through the clouds and steadily landed at a secret base outside the Federation capital.

Qin Zhixia, leaning on a cane, walked down the boarding ladder escorted by two expressionless special police officers.

A biting cold wind slammed into them, mixed with the smell of metal and disinfectant.

Everything before her made her heart involuntarily tighten.

There were no skyscrapers here, only a massive metal fortress that delved deep underground, its end invisible.

Countless huge ventilation ducts, like the ribs of a steel beast, stretched from the ground down into the depths, emitting a low, muffled roar.

This was the headquarters of the Federal Weird Investigation Bureau.

An agency born to combat "Weird," a violent organ that towers above everything.

Grim, austere, icy.

Even the air carried a pressure that made breathing hard.

"Comrade Qin Zhixia, welcome to the 'Hive.'"

Nie Yang appeared on the tarmac at an unknown time, still wearing his half‑worn black windcoat, a warm smile on his face, cradling his signature Goji Berry Thermos.

He led Qin Zhixia deeper into the fortress.

Along the way they passed at least a dozen heavy alloy gates; each identity verification was so complex it made one's hair stand on end.

In the corridor, agents and lab‑coat researchers hurried past, each with a cold stare, moving like high‑speed precision machines, not even exchanging glances.

Everyone here exuded an ice‑cold aura that screamed "stay away."

Nie Yang's smiling face seemed out of place here.

"Don't be nervous." Nie Yang seemed to read her unease, smiling as he explained, "Wei Gong personally interviews every applicant to the bureau. He needs to confirm whether your ability and will are the puzzle piece the bureau requires."

Qin Zhixia nodded, but sweat beaded on the palm gripping her cane.

After passing a long observation corridor made of one‑way glass, she finally arrived before a huge circular conference room door.

Nie Yang pushed the door open for her.

"Wei Gong, the person has arrived."

The conference room was excessively spacious, with only a massive black conference table placed at the center.

An elderly man in a plain administrative jacket, hair speckled with gray, stood with his back to them at the table, holding a brush, practicing calligraphy on a huge sheet of rice paper.

He did not turn around, yet the whole space was saturated with an invisible oppressive force.

Qin Zhixia felt her breathing grow difficult.

She knew this was the legendary "Wei Gong" who could change the Federation's top‑level decisions with just a few words.

After a long while, Wei Gong finally set the brush down slowly.

He turned, lifted his head.

What kind of eyes were those?

Calm, deep, yet seeming able to pierce all disguises in an instant, seeing the deepest secrets of one's soul.

In the instant those eyes stared at her, Qin Zhixia felt herself laid bare inside and out, with nowhere to hide.

Lord Wei picked up the tablet on the table, and the screen displayed Qin Zhixia's electronic file.

He skimmed through, taking in ten lines per glance.

"Combat B, firearms B+, command experience A…"

Lord Wei's voice was soft, even a bit hoarse, yet like a small hammer it hammered each word into Qin Zhixia's heart.

He set the tablet down, his gaze returning to Qin Zhixia, his tone flat and without a ripple.

"A very mediocre résumé."

Mediocre!

Those two words made Qin Zhixia's body stiffen abruptly.

"The Investigation Bureau does not need a mediocre jack‑of‑all‑trades."

Lord Wei continued.

"What we need is the 'extreme' in a particular field."

"The fallen Mo Zixuan was the 'extreme' of solo combat, L is the 'extreme' of information processing. And you, Comrade Qin Zhixia, what do you have?"

Qin Zhixia's complexion turned pale, her lips moved but no sound came out.

Indeed.

What do I have?

Compared with those monsters, everything I once took pride in truly… amounts to nothing.

A wave of immense disappointment and despair instantly engulfed her.

Just as the despair was about to crush her, memories of her father's words from prison and Chu Che's guidance flashed through her mind.

Indeed, she now has nothing left!

Identity, status, pride… all gone!

What else is there to lose?

The flame suppressed deep within the abyss of despair erupted with a thunderous blast at that moment!

Qin Zhixia suddenly straightened her spine, which had nearly been bent, and though her right leg, braced on a cane, trembled, her upper body stood perfectly upright!

She stared directly into Lord Wei's bottomless eyes and shouted with all her might:

"Report, Chief! My specialty is my will!"

"It is a will that, when facing the Weird, is not eroded by fear and does not collapse!"

"This will can become the Investigation Bureau's most solid core force when confronting the Weird!"

Her voice echoed in the spacious conference room, tinged with a slight tremor yet full of resolve.

Nie Yang's eyes flashed with approval; he stepped forward at the right moment and added:

"Lord Wei, Comrade Qin Zhixia is currently the only known police officer whose will has not been completely shattered under the direct mental assault of the Symbiosis Lin Fan, and who can provide effective intelligence and make optimal judgments."

Lord Wei's gaze finally showed a hint of ripple.

He set the file down, hands clasped behind his back, and, with interest, re‑examined the woman who leaned on a cane yet stood like a spear.

"Will?"

He repeated the word.

"It is the most precious, yet the most void thing."

"It needs proof."

Speaking, Lord Wei picked up a remote, pointed it at a massive surveillance wall on the side of the conference room, and tapped lightly.

The screen lit up instantly.

The image showed the derelict skyscraper suspended hundreds of meters in the air by countless special steel cables, like a floating hell‑island—'Sky City'.

The dedicated containment facility of the 'Ghost Wall'.

"The Weird Sequence 002 'Ghost Wall' we contain has an ability that is the 'extreme' of mental attack."

Lord Wei's tone remained flat.

"So far, we have sent fifteen death‑row inmates with the firmest wills inside to test its strength."

"Among them, the one who lasted the longest stayed inside for 5 hours 47 minutes, then jumped off the roof."

Qin Zhixia's heart raced wildly, a chill shooting up her spine to the crown of her head.

Lord Wei, in a tone like announcing a weather forecast, delivered his final decision for her.

"I'll give you a chance."

"Enter the 'Ghost Wall' and stay inside for a full 24 hours."

"If you can walk out alive, it proves that 'will' is indeed your specialty, and that specialty is exactly what the Investigation Bureau needs most."

"When that time comes, the Investigation Bureau's doors will open for you."

This is not a test!

It is a gamble with one's life on a vague, void chance! It is a life‑or‑death contract signed with blood and reason!

Qin Zhixia stared at the derelict tower on the screen, which resembled the mouth of an Abyss, feeling the malevolence emanating from within, almost ready to devour a person.

She felt a fleeting palpitations and fear.

But that cowardly feeling was quickly scattered by an even more frantic and resolute will!

She had no way to retreat!

Qin Zhixia lifted her head, her gaze as steadfast as a burning flame, and looked at Lord Wei without any hesitation.

"I accept!"