Bi Mo Zhi Jian

Chapter 200 The Truth Beneath Reality, Breaking the Surface! (Extended Chapter)

The Investigation Bureau and the Hearth Organization already had a very close working relationship.

Transactions and procurement of various strategic materials.

Coordinated efforts to eliminate anomalies and maintain social peace and stability.

Currently, many personnel from the Investigation Bureau and special task forces were undergoing training at the Hearth base.

"Our cooperation with Hearth is indeed very deep, and we each have contributions and benefits, but without a doubt, it is our Investigation Bureau that has the advantage."

Even though the cost of a training and awakening slot for a Hearth student was not cheap, and the cooperation during this period had almost emptied their Investigation Bureau, Director Tang still felt they had gained. How could the awakening of their investigators and special task force members, which saved them from death, be measured in money?

But this level of cooperation was not enough!

Director Tang spoke, "Now is a critical period of societal change, and our Donghuang can lead the way because we were the first to begin in-depth cooperation with Hearth."

"But last night's Red Moon ritual affected several countries, and the impact was immense!"

"Although we are not entirely clear about the specific details of the Red Moon ritual, we can surmise that a powerful individual from Hearth took action to prevent the ritual and the disaster."

This way, the ancient Hearth and the might of Hearth's powerhouses would also be revealed to those countries.

Of course, some countries might have already had a relationship with Hearth.

But after this event, those with cooperation would inevitably deepen it, and countries without cooperation, or even those that had never heard of Hearth before, would continuously seek its traces after witnessing it.

Until they made contact with Hearth.

Director Tang believed that being able to find and contact Hearth was inevitable. Hearth was an ancient organization that fought against disasters and did not hesitate to support organizations and forces worldwide.

In simple terms, their Donghuang would gain numerous competitors.

Many powerful individuals within Hearth originated from Donghuang, which already made Director Tang feel fortunate and proud.

"It is true that the world needs to unite to fight against great disasters, but there is competition within this unity. I hope that the awakened individuals of our Donghuang can be at the forefront of the world, and I hope that in the future, everyone in Donghuang will be like dragons!"

"Therefore, we need to tie Hearth to our chariot."

"How do we tie it?"

Huang Hongtian frowned, "Hearth is not an organization within our country, nor is it under the jurisdiction of our Investigation Bureau."

Director Tang laughed heartily, "Of course I understand that. What I mean is, to introduce Hearth personnel into our Investigation Bureau!"

Hearth recruited and trained its personnel themselves.

Their investigators could not get in.

As for secretly placing someone? Indeed, some high-level officials had proposed it, but Director Huang and he had rejected it. Once discovered, it would easily offend Hearth and completely destroy their honeymoon period of cooperation.

Moreover, what could be achieved by placing someone there? They had common goals with Hearth, so there was no need for such actions.

Since they couldn't get into Hearth, having Hearth come into their Investigation Bureau was the same.

Currently, there were many cooperative tasks between Hearth and their Investigation Bureau to eliminate anomalies, such as defending the gates of the anomaly realm and clearing out large numbers of anomalies deep in the mountains and forests.

Often, their Investigation Bureau and special task forces would organize large numbers of personnel, and Hearth would send high-level experts for support.

Given this existing cooperation, why not take it a step further?

Introduce external hires to serve in their Investigation Bureau, even granting them high positions.

Wouldn't that tie them to the chariot?

After hearing Director Tang's plan, Huang Hongtian's eyes lit up.

Brilliant!

The only problem was that there would definitely be opposition from many high-level officials in the bureau, but since the two of them had reached a consensus, other problems would not be too significant.

...

That evening,

Within the Hearth secret realm, Fang You was having a video conference with Director-General Tang of the Investigation Bureau.

Director-General Tang mentioned inviting some Hearth warriors to serve in the Investigation Bureau, acting as a bridge for communication between the two sides, which would increase efficiency in eliminating anomalies and maintaining social stability.

Although this proposal implied Hearth's combat strength was being exploited by the Investigation Bureau, it also offered considerable benefits.

It was not impossible.

Where did Hearth's Apostles not carry out missions?

Fang You nodded, "Preventing disasters from descending is also Hearth's responsibility. Director Tang is too kind."

"We still have to thank Hearth for its contributions. You are true unsung heroes."

Director-General Tang also smiled.

After further discussion, preliminary agreement was reached.

Hearth planned to send a group, with the first batch of over ten individuals, to take up positions in the Investigation Bureau.

Fang You also raised some requirements.

He stated that the tenure of Hearth warriors in the Investigation Bureau would not be too long, with rotations planned at intervals.

Investigators would undergo training and study at their Hearth base.

In turn, their Hearth warriors would intern within the Investigation Bureau.

This was also quite good.

The Hearth students who graduated from the training base were undoubtedly strong, even ranking among the stronger echelon of special investigators.

However, in actual anomaly tracking and post-incident handling, they still had many areas for improvement.

The experience and case-handling approaches of veteran investigators were all worth their learning.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that working in the Investigation Bureau would bring them significant gains.

Accumulating more internship experience would allow them to interact with mysterious departments of various countries when establishing branches in the future, without being flustered.

This was truly a win-win-win situation.

The Investigation Bureau gained powerful combat strength, Hearth could obtain first-hand information and data, and at the same time, it trained the less mature Hearth warriors.

Quite beneficial!

The only issue was, who would be chosen as the person in charge among the Hearth individuals serving in the Investigation Bureau?

He fell into deep thought.

This person must possess sufficient strength, and at the same time, have a certain degree of skill and ability to handle matters.

Therefore, individuals like Xing Jinglei were ruled out.

"Yin Ling, Liu Shang, Qian Mian, and others all have their own primary responsibilities and are unable to spare the time. Currently, the most suitable among the formal Apostles is Pei Hongjing."

"However..."

Old Pei was also busy with his own endeavors, managing Pei's Security Company. This company was independent of the Pei Group and, similar to the Witch Sisters' Guild founded by Yiluoxi, was an organization and company under Hearth's umbrella.

It received certain support from Hearth.

When necessary, it would provide personnel and resources to Hearth... but under normal circumstances, it operated independently, and Hearth did not interfere.

Pei Hongjing was constantly shuttling between his company and the base, and was very busy.

Moreover, Old Pei was more skilled in business. Currently, there was no need for new trade between Hearth and the Investigation Bureau, but soon, mysterious departments from other countries would come knocking, and that would be when Old Pei would shine.

Appointing him as the head of Hearth-Investigation Bureau liaison would not be appropriate.

Then who else?

Among the formal Apostles, only Sister An was available. An Jianyou, as the first Hearth member to enter the Investigation Bureau's sights, would be a suitable choice.

As long as Fang You requested it, An Jianyou would not refuse.

However, he was reluctant to let her go.

An Jianyou was Hearth's powerhouse. Before Brother Hei Dao was promoted to Fourth Awakening, she was undoubtedly the second strongest in Hearth. Assigning her to the Investigation Bureau would be an underutilization of her talent.

At the same time, she was also a key player in exploration.

After much deliberation, she too was ruled out.

Then who else was suitable?

Fang You was troubled, as it seemed he could only choose from the secondary Apostles.

He opened the Apostle list and scrolled down, sorting by strength.

Soon, he found a candidate.

Fan Anyuan! Currently, his position was that of an instructor at the training base. He was not talkative, but his ability to handle matters was quite good. Currently, he was also the person in charge of liaison with the Investigation Bureau at the training base.

His qualifications, strength, ability, and experience were all suitable.

Of course, Fan Anyuan's Second Awakening, with strength comparable to a three-star anomaly, was still somewhat lacking in his opinion.

To be the person in charge of Hearth at the Investigation Bureau, he had to at least have the level of Third Awakening.

Otherwise, it would not be worthy of Hearth's prestige.

He glanced at Fan Anyuan's stats.

Mysterious Value: 319.

A significant portion of this was gained from killing anomalies in the previous night's Red Moon ritual battle.

Although there was still a considerable gap to the baseline of 400, it didn't matter. A little extra effort would suffice. The Faceless Statue currently placed in the secret realm of Kangaroo Country had accumulated a lot of mystery.

However, before that, he felt the need to supplement some aspects of identity and status.

...

"Medal ceremony?"

At the training base, Sun Hao's jaw dropped, and he asked the soul-stirring question, "What is that? I've never heard of it!"

Luo Jianxing hung his head, "It's to award medals to Hearth warriors who have made outstanding contributions. This medal represents extraordinary glory and can only be obtained by a select few."

"This is Hearth's first public medal ceremony. The previous awards for the big shots were not publicized, were they?"

Outstanding contributions! Medal rewards! Supreme glory!

Sun Hao felt invigorated. Looking at Luo Jianxing, this senior expert, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Luo, Brother Luo, did you also receive a medal?"

Luo Jianxing stiffly turned his head. Can't you read the room?

Don't you see I'm so dejected? Why are you bringing up what makes me unhappy!

"Ahem, I'm still a little short."

He heard that this time, recipients of medals included Chairman Pei, Miss Liu Shang, and Miss Liu Ji, but in addition to them, there were also Roland, Gou Pingan, Fan Anyuan, Luo Rui, Ming Deng, and Xu Tian.

The big shots at the front were one thing, but the ones behind...

Alright, Luo Jianxing compared them briefly. None of these people could defeat him, and their contributions seemed even more distant.

Emmmm...

The medal ceremony was not overly grand.

However, many students still registered to observe. The conference hall was full, and eyes filled with envy gazed upon the few people walking onto the stage.

Especially when they saw the instructors coming to present the medals themselves, they became even more envious.

So sour!

The next recipient of a medal must be me!

On the high platform,

After the host finished reading the award speech, Fang You walked forward, his gaze sweeping over Liu Ji and others, nodding with a smile.

"Your efforts and contributions will not be forgotten."

"Congratulations."

"Now, I will award you the Fire Wielder Medal."

...

...

The Fire Wielder Medal!

The recipients of Hearth's honor! Fan Anyuan and others could now call themselves Hearth Fire Wielders.

This was glory, this was pride.

But it was more than just glory.

The title of Fire Wielder was not directly tied to a specific position, but it generally meant they could hold more important roles.

Fan Anyuan, the Fire Wielder, was preparing to take up a position in the Investigation Bureau.

Yin Ling, Wang Chui, Liu Shang, Qian Mian, and others were all department ministers – Qian Mian was also among this batch of Fire Wielders, but at their request, they did not participate in the medal ceremony.

In addition, the Fire Wielder Medal had more specific benefits.

They could now redeem higher-level items, and furthermore, they would receive a 10% discount on any item they redeemed.

10% discount!

This was a tangible discount.

After hearing his colleague's narration, Luo Jianxing became even more envious. "Ahhhhh, next time, next time I must obtain the Fire Wielder Medal."

"I'm going to take on missions, big missions! None of you dare to snatch them from me!"

"And then encounter a powerful enemy and be instantly defeated?"

Luo Rui, who had specially returned to attend the medal ceremony, chuckled.

He remembered that when Luo Jianxing first went on a mission to the country of Waves, he was also very aggressive, charging forward, and then he was defeated, almost dying at the hands of cultists.

Luo Jianxing was dejected.

Damn it! He should go back and train!

...

Donghuang Country, Baiyun State, Baiyun City, in an ordinary university dormitory.

Ye Luo, a university student, was trying to bypass the firewall to access the internet.

A while ago, the situation in Donghuang had been slightly strange, and many schools had suspended classes, but they resumed soon after.

It was as if nothing had happened, and the country had been peaceful during this period.

But Ye Luo knew that the world was not as simple as it appeared!

Because,

He was a superpowered individual!

He didn't understand how it happened. He just suddenly felt very unwell one day, and after enduring it, he gained special abilities.

Just like the destined protagonist described in novels.

However, Ye Luo, who had read thousands of novels, understood very well that protagonists in their early, weak stages must lie low and hide themselves.

He never exposed his special abilities, only occasionally practicing in secret, exploring ways to become stronger, and observing his surroundings.

He observed if there were other superpowered individuals in the university town.

The results seemed to be negative.

Superpowered individuals were indeed very rare. He was at the forefront of the world's changes and spiritual energy resurgence!

In the era of spiritual energy, he would become a peak powerhouse with immense power!

Novels were written like this!

Ahem, of course, Ye Luo was self-aware. He might not be the protagonist, and this world had definitely undergone unknown changes, but he felt he was at least an important supporting character, right? He was very strong! Since gaining his superpowers, he had been getting stronger day by day!

For this reason, he stopped playing games and almost skipped classes.

Every day, besides exercising and secretly honing his superpowers, he would surf the internet, trying to bypass the firewall.

He also wanted to find information about superpowered individuals from abroad.

Ye Luo was browsing the largest video website when his eyes suddenly widened.

"Red Moon Appears!"

"Oh my god, come and see God!"

"Red Devil Day!"

"World Tree Descends! Ten Thousand Flowers Bloom! What kind of power is this!"

When he clicked on the first video, Ye Luo instinctively thought it was special effects.

Even though he himself was a superpowered individual, the internet was full of deception, seven parts fake and three parts even faker.

But when he clicked on the second, third, fourth... and more than a dozen similar videos, Ye Luo felt that something was not right.

Especially the comments below, which sounded so real!

"I swear! I was in the city of Waves at that time and witnessed the Red Moon with my own eyes! Oh~ and those terrifying devils, they were impervious to swords and spears, they killed people on sight, my neighbor Aunt Susan's dog was brutally murdered!"

"Pictures! Pictures! Pictures! Look, this is the city of Waves after the Red Moon. This is real. We have encountered an unprecedented disaster!"

"I saw a huge dark shadow! Many people went mad, there were screams everywhere, and blood everywhere!"

"What happened in our Fog City was even more exaggerated. I even saw a small sapling grow into a dozens-of-meters-long thick vine in a few seconds. This is a picture I took at the time!"

Not only were there pictures, but also videos.

Ye Luo clicked on one of them. The video was very shaky, indicating the tension and fear of the person filming at the time.

It trembled throughout.

But the video was still clear.

Outside the window, on the ground, vines grew rapidly, turning into dozens of meters long vine dragons in the blink of an eye, tearing through the air with a whistle, easily shattering high walls and overturning the earth, bringing an unparalleled visual impact.

And realism!

Ye Luo swallowed. His heart trembled.

Is there a possibility that he is neither the destined protagonist nor an important supporting character, and may not even be an ordinary supporting character?

In the new era, he is probably an expendable background character.

Not even qualified to leave his name.

At this moment,

In countries like Sunset and Waves, more and more information about the Red Moon disaster appeared online, with countless first-hand videos of witnesses to the extraordinary and the disaster.

The truth, deeply hidden beneath reality, finally surfaced before the public!