"Just curious, purely curious."
The Professor chuckled good-naturedly. After a whirlwind assault on the desserts, he had consumed more than half of the spread. The coffee, so sugary it was almost a paste, also went down.
He was only about half-full from his "dinner."
He wiped his mouth and pulled out a thick file from under the table, placing it in front of Ai Qing.
"This is the investigation you requested—all current records and information on the Savior Association," the Professor said. "As per your instructions, I've only performed a basic consolidation, removing some useless, redundant material. However, I haven't included any subjective analysis. I trust this much documentation won't be too daunting for you."
Ai Qing was quite confident in her ability to process documents. If speculation was needed, she didn't require someone else to make wild guesses and inject their subjective opinions for her.
The primary reason she had been selected as an Inspector from among tens of thousands of candidates wasn't just her near-perfect exam scores, but also her 'intuition'—a talent considered rare even within the Astronomical Society.
Yes, that's right. Intuition.
If she were to blindly guess heads or tails, her odds would be roughly fifty-fifty. In a dice game requiring predicting the outcome, she would likely fare far worse than professional mathematicians.
But it was only when faced with complex and chaotic situations that her intuition truly revealed its extraordinary value.
If one were to speak in terms of probability, her chances of being correct were around sixty-five percent.
This accuracy, more than fifteen percent above that of ordinary people, made her stand out from the complex tests, and she was rated as a top-tier A+ talent.
Such a talent was a perfect match for a predictive-type Stigma. Even without Soul Sublimation, it was enough to inspire great expectations.
The Astronomical Society wasn't concerned about the thirty-five percent failure rate; in fact, they had more than enough resources to cover any costs. If Ai Qing hadn't refused the offer from the Countermeasures Department and opted for a regional post instead, the Astronomical Society would likely have already begun her targeted development, wouldn't they?
That was why she was derided by her fellow trainees as a classic example of someone who didn't know how to appreciate an opportunity.
As an information broker, the Professor was thoroughly familiar with his collaborator's background—at least, everything documented on paper. But he was far more curious about the aspects that had never been committed to writing.
Ai Qing remained deeply secretive about these matters, never revealing the slightest hint to anyone.
In the silence, she focused on flipping through the thick pages. The Professor didn't speak again to disturb her, merely swiveling his chair to browse the obscure professional books on his own table.
If Ai Qing were to summarize her initial impressions from reading, it was that the Savior Association's affairs were far murkier than she had anticipated.
Although they seemed like a group of swindlers, the questionable points were too numerous to count. Whether it was the strange provenance of the Border Relic or those Sublimators who had secretly interacted with them…
Wang Hai, according to his accomplices' confessions, was merely a temporary leader. Before him, when the Savior Association went by other names, there were even traces of previous leaders.
They were indeed maintaining a low profile and developing quietly in places like Old Pond Town. However, their public facade, which included numerous companies like Love Charity, had extensive dealings with other regions.
Their reach extended beyond Xinhai, with traces leading to other places, connecting with all walks of life. If the Red Gloves, an outside force, hadn't made a decisive move and inadvertently utilized this fraudulent church, who knows how long it would have taken to notice these insidious elements festering among the lower classes in rural areas and remote cities.
Now, it looked more like a front and an alias for some massive organization.
But whose hand was pulling the strings?
There were too many suspicious possibilities.
The Black Sky Cult from India? The Paradise of Bliss from the Border? The Science God Spirit Association from the United State of America? Or one of the countless shadowy factions from Yingzhou?
It was a pity that Wang Hai and the Nightjar, the only two who knew the details, were already dead. Otherwise, Ai Qing wouldn't be forced to start her investigation from scratch, like searching for a needle in a haystack.
She wasn't worried about what the Red Gloves, killed by Huai Shi, and Green Day, the Border's largest terrorist organization, were plotting.
The power of the Border was, after all, confined to the Border. To make any significant moves in the Current Circumstances, they couldn't bypass the Astronomical Society, which held sway over the entire human world.
What truly worried her was what those lunatics from the Savior Association—the ones who preyed on the elderly for their Source Substance—were really trying to achieve. Had they already succeeded? Were they still in the process? What exactly was their plan?
And who else was involved with them in this?
She found it hard to believe that a worthless conman like Wang Hai, who only knew how to swindle money, could have used Love Charity to infiltrate Xinhai's upper-middle class on his own.
A glance at the files showed he was only ever capable of scamming pension funds.
So, who was pulling the strings from behind the scenes?
Before long, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing.
After she finished the call, she completely lost the mood to continue thinking.
"Let's conclude the preliminary report here," she said, gathering the files from the table. "I'll transfer the remaining payment to you. However, the investigation into the Savior Association must continue. Please notify me of any new developments."
"Don't worry, I will."
The Professor sipped his tea, observing her expression. "Has there been another incident involving Erosion Material or Sublimator crimes?"
"No, worse than that."
Ai Qing, her expression unreadable, tapped the armrest of her wheelchair. Recalling the description of Huai Shi from the phone call, she felt an overwhelming urge to sigh.
"—Far, far worse than that."