"Of course, cooperating with the Investigation Bureau has benefits but also risks," Fang You mused.
This time for the Gate of the Strange Realm mission, their group, the Xin Huo, would undoubtedly need to deploy everyone, including himself as a mentor. However, he still saw his role as tactical support, preferring not to engage directly if possible. After all, he was the commander, not a frontline soldier.
"Deployment carries the risk of exposure. Of course, Brother Hei Dao doesn't fear exposure; he can leave once the delivery is complete. As for An Jian You… this girl is already in the open."
Fang You had assigned An Jian You the role of Xin Huo's diplomat. Since Brother Hei Dao was devoid of emotion and he himself couldn't openly appear, wasn't Miss An the most suitable? An Jian You wasn't afraid of exposure, so the pressure now fell on him. Fang You absolutely did not want to reveal himself, yet this battle might necessitate his personal intervention.
He had devised two contingency plans. "If possible, I will engage in combat as long-range support." "If a true appearance is required, then…" he would assign himself the title of a regular Xin Huo operative. As a Xin Huo mentor, having a few aliases was perfectly reasonable, wasn't it? But Fang You still hoped for the former, as it was safer. Ideally, he wouldn't even need to show up, and the combined efforts of Hei Dao, An Jian You, and the Investigation Bureau's supporting cast would be enough to contain the disaster. He could simply browse his phone, providing strategic and tactical support.
Fang You opened his interface. His character list had been drawn up earlier. His self-set goal was to specialize in Palm Lightning, hoping to train it to the next level before the great battle arrived. Would the next proficiency level grant Palm Lightning remote capabilities? "To break through with Palm Lightning, mere arduous practice will be insufficient; it still requires diligence and effort."
He then opened his item inventory. In the past few days, Brother Hei Dao had eliminated two two-star strange entities. During one mission, he had even used a double-benefit card, accumulating a total of eleven 'Skill Cultivation Cards (White)'. He had nine saved previously, but over the last two days, Fang You had used seven Skill Cultivation Cards, and six more for Brother Hei Dao, leaving him with only seven.
He opened Brother Hei Dao's panel.
"Hei Dao (First Awakening)"
"Physique: 7.3→7.4"
"Spirit: 2.1"
"Mystery: 0"
"Life Energy: 5.28"
"Skills: Basic Saber Technique (Proficient: 27.6%), Blade Slash (Proficient: 67.8%), Strange Entity Tracking (Skilled: 30.5%)"
"Equipment: Novice Combat Saber"
"Ability: Cold Killing Intent"
"Brother Hei Dao's Blade Slash is at Proficient level 67.8%, while my Palm Lightning is at Proficient level 47.4%. Only one of us can advance to the next numerical tier." The scarcity of Skill Cultivation Cards was secondary. The primary issue was that once the proficiency of the Proficient level was maxed out, white cultivation cards could no longer be used for advancement; green ones would be needed at minimum. Green cultivation cards were for breaking through bottlenecks, and he only had one.
However… these past two two-star missions, along with over ten one-star missions, had yielded a considerable amount of Destiny Points and Strange Crystals.
"Destiny Points: 26.3"
"Strange Crystals: 16"
If he, An Jian You, and the Guidance·Awakening hadn't intervened, the fourth draw of Destiny Points would have been sufficient. Now, it wasn't far off, just two or three small strange entities away.
"Let An Jian You earn money," Fang You decided. "She's already registered with the Investigation Bureau now, so she doesn't need to hide her tracks. This means she can take missions day and night, and can directly enter areas sealed off by the Investigation Bureau, greatly increasing the efficiency of eliminating strange entities." Perfect! With An Jian You working hard, his fourth draw would be just around the corner. Hmm, he could also enhance the girl. If her 'Strange Control' improved to the Skilled level, the number of strange entities she could control would likely increase. He should do it… No, he'd wait until An Jian You finished work and was resting before giving her a complete upgrade. This was work time, no delays allowed.
He moved his finger from the 'Cultivation' option to the 'Mission' button and gently tapped it.
…
Meanwhile, at the Investigation Bureau, in a small conference room.
"Forty-four hours. Do you think this intelligence is reliable?" Jiang Tingqiu spread his hands. "Old Zhou, I'm just the messenger. Determining reliability is your job, isn't it?"
Director Zhou pondered. If there were still forty-four… forty-three hours, the situation would be relatively favorable, and they would have some time to prepare. But how accurate was it? Considering the precise strike capabilities of the organization known as Xin Huo against strange entities, Director Zhou leaned towards believing it, but such a monumental matter couldn't be decided by his belief alone.
"Regardless of whether the news is reliable, we must prepare for battle with all our might. As long as the Gate of Hell doesn't open, we will continue to strengthen our existing forces! We will absolutely block the disaster!"
In the conference room, many faces were grim. Not long ago, they had received some disturbing news: a Gate of Hell had appeared in the Sakura Country as well. Unlike in the Polo Country, the Gate of Hell in the Sakura Country was discovered before it opened, similar to their current situation. To combat it, the Sakura Country had mobilized a large number of personnel and brought out items consecrated in various shrines, yet they were still utterly defeated. Strange entities continuously poured out, causing devastation.
It wasn't just the Polo Country or the Sakura Country; incidents involving the appearance of Gates of Hell were becoming increasingly frequent everywhere. Even within their own Donghuang Country, Baijiang City wasn't the only location. Two other sites had already been discovered! One had already opened, spewing a large number of strange entities, though thankfully they were all in areas far from cities, and had not yet caused significant disaster.
Thinking of these things, even many investigators from the provincial bureau wore solemn expressions. Director Zhou tapped the table. "Continue preparations, become more familiar with the new equipment provided by the General Bureau. Also, information. We need more intelligence regarding the Gates of Hell. Regardless, having the assistance of the Black-Clad Swordsman and An Jian You will be of great help to us. There's no need for pessimism; we will achieve victory!"
…
"Caught one, the new Little Black Number One!" An Jian You examined the new strange entity before her with satisfaction. It was ugly, certainly, but this grotesque ugliness was somewhat more bearable than those merely unsightly. The main thing was its strength. This newly captured hulking strange entity was nearly three meters tall, completely black as if covered in rough stone, appearing quite resilient. Its strength was also considerable; just now, the new Little Black Number One had battered the mission strange entity into submission. An Jian You felt a sense of security.
While completing her mission, she was also scouting for a target for Little Black Number Two. She only returned home after six o'clock when dusk began to fall. Tired, but fulfilled. A day of busyness called for rest. Yes, she'd have some snacks, watch a show, and then take a bath and put on a face mask. An Jian You thought this as she opened her laptop and brought her snacks to the desk.
At that moment, an invisible, slightly familiar power descended. The world spun, and her surroundings shifted, filled with eerie, glowing green eyes.
An Jian You: "???
No, I don't want to.
Body: You want to very much.
She stepped forward.