The entire Special Affairs Department was eerily quiet.
Everyone seemed to sense that a volcano was about to erupt. As they passed by the director's office, they tiptoed, fearing that even the slightest noise would trigger the bomb inside and drown them in rage.
"You've scared them," Director Fu sighed helplessly, watching the quietly drifting shadows outside the partially open door as he poured tea into the cup of the teenage girl in front of him.
"What's there to be afraid of? Afraid of this cripple?" Ai Qing seemed to be amused, but there was not a trace of laughter on her face or in her pupils. "Rest assured, no matter how deplorable, I would not make a scene at the Special Affairs Department."
"No, I'm trying to advise you to stay calm." Director Fu shook his head. He wanted to smoke, but as if remembering something, he hesitated for a long time, finally rolling up his sleeve to apply another nicotine patch to his arm. "Whether it's the Astronomical Society or the Social Security Bureau, everything must ultimately be done by the book. Since rules are involved, there will undoubtedly be unpleasantness, so you don't need to put too much pressure on yourself."
"Honestly, I'm not worried about Qi Wen," Ai Qing scoffed indifferently. "No matter how much he seems like somebody significant, he's still the same old dog at heart—the moment he gets a couple of bones, he starts showing them off everywhere. If he stays in his own corner, the Yin Family can't do anything to him for now. But he's delusional enough to want to jump into the quagmire of Jinling. He doesn't use his brain. No matter how powerful he is, could he match the prestige of the Huai Family back in the day? In a couple of years, he will be picked clean by those gentry joining hands... By then, he will probably have to thank the Yin Family for sparing his dog's life out of consideration for the past, right? What I'm worried about are The Purified People. In this matter, Qi Wen is not the key. But the problem is, all the clues we could find have been destroyed by that self-righteous jerk Qi Wen!"
She tapped the armrest emotionlessly. "Now, in our hands, apart from a pile of bodies and ruins, all we're left with is a nonsensical prophecy poem. In this situation, if those guys really make a move, we're simply sitting ducks!"
Director Fu didn't speak anymore, just anxiously rolled up his sleeve and applied two more nicotine patches.
For many days, through internal announcements or private communications among colleagues, they had come to understand the surrounding situation and the unprecedented large-scale mobilization by The Purified People in recent years.
Not just Xinhai, but abnormalities were discovered in more than seven or eight cities, almost covering the entire eastern coastal region of Dongxia.
One careless move and another border war could erupt, with untold numbers of people affected.
No one wanted the spark to burst into flame within their own jurisdiction, whether from a sense of duty or for the sake of their professional lives.
But what made Ai Qing uneasy wasn't just that.
There was something else that kept her restless and irate.
It was like the foreboding feeling of leaving home without your keys or forgetting to turn off the faucet – when you know that your deadly instincts are about to kick in again, it's hard for your mood to lift.
Even though many people admired this Talent, few could understand how much Ai Qing herself detested it.
Especially when you don't know when the other shoe is going to drop, you hate it even more.
This anxiety lingered in her mind until, in one moment, she finally pinpointed the source of the abnormality. She abruptly stood up, leaned on her crutch, and returned to the interrogation room doorway, looking around her.
The deserted corridor, the ubiquitous trash cans, and on the ashtray atop one, that small, annoying bottle.
Ai Qing reached out, picking up the thumb-sized bottle that still contained a drop of pale purple liquid.
It had a faint, bitter smell, like some kind of drug.
The test strip she carried turned orange-red.
She was certain it was some kind of Potion from the Border; the orange-red color fell between the red representing stimulants and the yellow representing sedatives.
She looked at Director Fu. "Has anyone else been here just now?"
Director Fu looked baffled and casually called over a subordinate who had just finished compiling reports. The subordinate was just as puzzled.
"You mean Huai Shi?" the subordinate thought for a moment and looked at Ai Qing. "Aren't you two together?"
CRASH!
The bottle smashed on the floor.
Finally...
When the other shoe finally dropped, Ai Qing found herself feeling a mix of shock and astonishment, and to her surprise, a hint of relief.
"What's wrong?" Director Fu asked.
Leaning on her crutch, Ai Qing waved her hand weakly. "Go check your duty roster now. Focus on the armed guards and their weapons."
Clinging to a rare sense of trust and understanding, even though Ai Qing provided no explanation, Director Fu still issued the order as she requested.
Soon, after a brief search and check, the day's attendance and actual presence records were handed over.
Not a single armed guard, ready with live ammunition, was missing.
But there was a discrepancy in the attendance record; someone was missing. Soon enough, the missing person was found in a toilet stall, bound with ropes, his mouth sealed with tape, struggling fiercely.
"Old Wang?" Director Fu was stunned.
Once the tape was torn off, Old Wang ignored his severe coughing and yelled, "It's Huai Shi! It's Huai Shi... he took the keys... the keys to the armory!"
This is just great, isn't it...
In a moment of deathly silence, Ai Qing leaned against a corner, closing her eyes, exhausted.
This son of a bitch.
Does he have any idea what he's done?
Soon, surveillance footage showed the figure of a boy carrying a travel bag emerging from the armory. He strolled casually, as if on a leisurely walk, occasionally waving to acquaintances he passed. He made his way unimpeded out of the Special Affairs Department.
He carried an automatic rifle, six magazines, two pistols, fifty rounds of pistol ammunition, six grenades, two blocks of plastic explosives, and so on...
It was like shopping at a supermarket.
He returned fully loaded.
With a calm smile, he hailed a taxi and silently drifted away.
Director Fu nearly went insane watching this.
Shit, if I had known earlier, I should have just killed this bastard on the spot!
He grabbed the Guard, who was drenched in sweat, and bellowed, "How long has he been gone?"