"This saber..."
Hmm, very white, very dazzling.
Director Zhou walked to the side to observe, seeing that the craftsmanship of this saber was exquisite, but then again, isn't exquisite craftsmanship the baseline for modern production?
"Old Zhou, old Zhou, you truly are ignorant, otherwise I'd let you have a go at being director."
"Dream on!"
"Alright, alright, this weapon is for you to try, I'm lending it to you temporarily, don't scratch or dent it, this is a rare weapon I bought for six hundred thousand Huang Yuan!"
Six hundred thousand?
Director Zhou was astonished. Although Jiang Tingqiu had always been unreliable, and although he had been an investigator for so long and was quite wealthy, spending so much money...
Either he was foolish, or I was.
I'm certainly not foolish, but he didn't seem to be either.
Director Zhou picked up the shining battle saber. Its weight was just right. No wonder Jiang Tingqiu had looked somewhat strained when wielding it earlier. It felt perfect for him. Moreover, it seemed, perhaps, maybe, probably... a little similar to the new weapon the headquarters had given him.
Could this also be an Awakened weapon?
Whether it was or not, a trial would tell.
Director Zhou infused it with life energy. The difference between ordinary weapons and Awakened weapons lay in their ability to compress life energy.
Ordinary weapons could be seen as a cup, directly splashing water out. There was no increase in damage, merely a slightly longer range.
Awakened weapons were like water guns, high-pressure water guns, capable of elevating life energy, which would otherwise be like scraping skin, to a level of powerful lethality.
The quality of these weapons lay in the loss of life energy during compression and the speed of compression.
As soon as Director Zhou infused life energy, the battle saber felt as if it had become one with him, as natural as an extension of his arm. The entire process, if he were to describe it, could only be summed up in one word—smooth!
Enjoy unparalleled smoothness!
He couldn't help but swing it, accompanied by the sound of cleaving air.
"Old Zhou, what do you think of this battle saber?"
"Hmm..." Director Zhou pondered for a moment, "Let this director try it again."
A few minutes later,
"How do you feel now?"
"It's okay, ordinary, not as powerful as you said... Hey, let this director examine it again. What can you figure out in a few minutes?"
Over ten minutes later,
"Old! Zhou—!"
"Little Jiang, one must be magnanimous in life, and have a long-term perspective... Don't snatch, don't snatch."
Jiang Tingqiu couldn't grab it back once Director Zhou decided to hold on. Director Zhou was, after all, an Awakened, with much greater strength.
But this was a society governed by law, and in broad daylight...
Jiang Tingqiu's grasp missed.
Director Zhou retracted his hand and said earnestly, "Little Jiang, I won't hide it from you. This Awakened weapon is incredibly powerful. It feels much smoother to use than our new weapons. I'll test its specific destructive power later, and I estimate it will be significantly stronger than the new weapons."
"But whether it's the new weapons or this battle saber, they are both Awakened weapons, aren't they, Little Jiang?"
"You are not yet an Awakened. You cannot control such a weapon. But I am different... How about this, this director will transfer six hundred and fifty thousand to you. It's settled then... Hey, don't get excited."
In the end, Director Zhou reluctantly returned the battle saber to Jiang Tingqiu.
Because he had learned about the weapon's origin from Jiang Tingqiu.
It came from Xin Huo.
However, based on the investigations of their Bureau, Xin Huo was a very small organization. For them to manufacture equipment, which required a complete system, how could Xin Huo possibly achieve it?
Regardless of how impossible it seemed, the fact was laid bare before them.
What Director Zhou was contemplating at this moment was not how the weapon came to be, but rather...
How much stronger was this weapon than the new ones? Could they buy them in large quantities? Could they be mass-produced?
Director Zhou thought for a moment, then personally went to purchase three weapons, one battle saber, one spear, and one long sword... using the Bai Jiang branch account.
He brought these three weapons and quickly boarded a plane to the capital city of the Eastern Huang Kingdom.
...
Huangdu, Investigation Bureau Headquarters.
In an underground training ground.
Director Zhou met the Deputy Director of the General Bureau, who was doing one-handed thumb push-ups with his arms bare.
Deputy Director Huang!
One of the three Deputy Directors of the General Bureau, a figure at the pinnacle of power, and a powerful Awakened!
He was rumored to be the second strongest in the Investigation Bureau, after the Director!
He had a buzz cut and looked to be only in his early thirties, though Director Zhou had heard he was well over fifty. He exuded a fierce aura, making Director Zhou feel like he was standing before a giant beast baring its fangs.
It was chilling.
His bare arms and chest were adorned with ferocious demon tattoos, which seemed to come alive in his gaze.
This was Deputy Director Huang's Awakened characteristic.
Legend had it that Deputy Director Huang was also a special individual with innate talent, but his greatest strength lay in his iron fists. He was a master of martial arts who had studied boxing since childhood!
His boxing skill, abilities, and talent cemented Deputy Director Huang's status.
Standing before such a figure, Zhou Hai dared not even breathe heavily and could only refer to himself as "Little Zhou."
"Director Huang, these are the three weapons I mentioned."
Zhou Hai presented the three weapons one by one.
Deputy Director Huang picked up a battle saber. Its style and appearance were not much different from the new weapons of their Investigation Bureau, both being common and handy types.
He picked it up and swung it lightly, and in an instant, a flash of silver-white saber light erupted within the training ground.
Zhou Hai felt a sharp qi sweep past him, making his scalp tingle. He quickly said, "Director Huang has excellent saber skills!"
"Boxing, saber, sword... no matter what, when practiced to its depths, they are all interconnected."
"And this saber..."
Deputy Director Huang infused it with life energy, and immediately, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
This power! This feel! This smoothness!
"It's at least 50% stronger than our new weapons!"
Deputy Director Huang also realized the preciousness of such weapons. If they could be popularized, it would be no exaggeration to say that the combat effectiveness of the entire Investigation Bureau and special forces teams could be elevated by two grades.
"Buy as many of these weapons as possible. Money is not an issue."
"I will keep these three weapons for now and have them sent to the research institute later to see if any technical breakthroughs can be made."
Deputy Director Huang paused here. "Increase the attention level of the organization named 'Xin Huo.' You should try to engage with them as much as possible and maintain a friendly attitude."
"Also, in addition to the payment for the Awakened weapons, give them a piece of data, information on the production of Awakened weapons..."
Although, based on their deduced situation of Xin Huo, such weapons were likely derived from some special ability rather than technology.
How much time and resources had the research institute spent to develop the technology for manufacturing the first generation of weapons?
Xin Huo could not possibly have that.
This information might not be useful, but it was worth a try... The pace of technological updates was extremely rapid. Trading an older piece of information as a bargaining chip would not be a loss.
This bargaining chip was not even the latest version.
If they could use this to establish deeper communication with Xin Huo and win them over to their Investigation Bureau, it would be even more valuable.
"There are still capable individuals among the populace," Deputy Director Huang mused. "Besides Xin Huo, Yun Ling Province has also produced an excellent Ghoul Hunter, whose combat prowess is extraordinary, and whose efficiency in hunting ghouls is ten to a hundred times that of other hunters."
"In Shui Ze Province, the helmsman of Pei Group is also a capable individual, employing and training Awakened individuals to deal with ghouls... Judging by this, he himself must be a powerful Awakened."
"If everyone could be like this, how could our Eastern Huang Kingdom fear the ferocious disasters?"