The travel bag was a birthday gift from his dad when he was fifteen. It cost over a thousand yuan and was of excellent quality, so Yu Zhibo decided he couldn't just leave it behind. He planned to find an opportunity to retrieve it tomorrow.
Having made up his mind, he opened the showerhead to wash himself. However, as he passed the mirror, he froze.
"How did I get so handsome?" Yu Zhibo looked at his reflection and found that his skin and complexion had improved significantly. His eyes, in particular, were now bright and piercing. Although his facial features hadn't changed much, his overall demeanor had been elevated by a whole level, transforming him from an ordinary passerby into a sunny boy.
"Well, it's normal to have some changes after awakening, I guess. Too bad no foul impurities flowed out of my pores. Minus points."
He preened, smoothing his non-existent long hair, then lathered shampoo and began his private concert in the bathroom.
After a hot shower, he told his mom to make more breakfast tomorrow. Then, exhausted from the day, Yu Zhibo felt sleepiness wash over him. He played on his phone for a while on the bed before falling into a deep slumber.
The night passed without incident.
At 07:30 in the morning, Yu Zhibo opened his eyes right on time.
Having slept soundly all night, he felt incredibly energetic. Power surged through his body, and his spirits were high. Checking his status, his spiritual energy had fully replenished, and the main mission had only 61 hours remaining.
Thinking about reporting to the Sacred Bureau soon, Yu Zhibo felt a little excited. Awakening was just the stepping stone. To truly understand this world and gain a broader space to soar, he needed the help of a professional organization.
Influenced by a health-focused public account, Yu's parents had developed the habit of morning runs. They hadn't returned yet, but a double portion of layered sandwiches, two eggs, and a glass of milk were already prepared on the table.
His mom had indeed increased his breakfast portion as he had requested last night, but it was far from enough.
Yu Zhibo shook his head, finished the sandwiches cleanly, and as he was peeling an egg, Wang Ange sent him a message:
"Sister is at your小区 exit. Come down quickly if you're up, I'll take you to report to the base!"
"Received!" Yu Zhibo replied, devouring the eggs one by one, then stood up, downed the milk, and hurried out.
He went downstairs, turned right along the path in front of his building, circled the exercise area and the small fountain, and exited the小区. Yu Zhibo began to look for Wang Ange.
"Over here!" Not far from the小区 exit, a formidable silver Range Rover was parked in a temporary spot. In the driver's seat, Wang Ange leaned out, smiling and waving at him.
Yu Zhibo's eyes lit up. He walked over in a few steps, opened the car door, and got in. Admiring the spacious and luxurious interior, he praised sincerely, "This car is awesome!"
"Haha, sister likes awesome things. This car cost me about nine contribution points!" Wang Ange said proudly.
"There's food in the storage compartment in front of you. Eat if you're hungry!" As she spoke, Wang Ange started the engine, shifted into gear, and the car smoothly set off amidst the roar of the engine.
"Wow, Sister Ange, how did you know I was hungry?" Yu Zhibo opened the storage compartment and saw not only two bottles of mineral water but also over twenty packs of military-compressed rations. His eyes immediately lit up.
He knew he had only eaten about a third of his breakfast and was still feeling hungry. Without further hesitation, he grabbed a pack, opened it, and started eating.
"Awakened individuals have much higher energy demands than ordinary people. I guessed that someone like you, who just awakened, might not be used to it at first," Wang Ange said with a chuckle, stepping on the accelerator.
"Thoughtful!" Yu Zhibo gave a thumbs-up in approval.
"These compressed rations are specially made. One pack is equivalent to three bowls of rice, unlike the ones you buy at the supermarket. Be careful!" Wang Ange reminded him, glancing sideways to see Yu Zhibo finishing the first pack in two or three bites.
"Then I'll have another one!" After finishing the first pack, Yu Zhibo indeed felt a slight sense of fullness. After drinking some water, he opened the second pack and started eating.
"Mhm, slow down, don't choke. You wouldn't believe it, but our team leader called me at six in the morning to wake me up and tell me to pick you up. I usually sleep until at least nine," Wang Ange said with a hint of grievance.
Yu Zhibo finished the second piece of ration, shook the crumbs from the packaging into his mouth, then chugged a bottle of water before asking with a grin, "Why? Is it because I'm too much of a genius, attracting your team leader's attention?"
"Although I don't want to admit it!" Wang Ange looked at the smug Yu Zhibo, speechless. "But that's the fact. Yesterday, after I submitted your information, the team leader was amazed. He said you're a rare composite awakened individual and told me to pick you up as soon as possible, so the Execution Department wouldn't snatch you away."
"Composite? Execution Department? What are those?"
"Composite means an awakened individual with multiple abilities. For example, you. From what I understand, you currently have the ability to release flames, the ability to endure damage as a substitute, as well as insight and transformation." Wang Ange said with amazement towards the end, "Your abilities are too strange, not like an awakened person at all. If I hadn't personally seen you absorb spiritual energy and give birth to a sequence core after awakening, I would have thought you were a successor of Daoist magic, but these skills don't seem like Daoist magic either."
Wang Ange muttered to herself at the end, clearly finding Yu Zhibo's messy abilities beyond her comprehension. She then continued, "As for the Execution Department, let me introduce you to the background of the Sacred Bureau."
"Okay!" Yu Zhibo sat up straight, tilting his head as if to listen attentively.
Wang Ange was very pleased with Yu Zhibo's attitude. Having just been promoted from intern to official member, she was very enthusiastic about mentoring newcomers. "The predecessor of our Sacred China Bureau was the Special Combat Group of the Chinese Army's 135th Division, an extraordinary armed force established by our country ten years ago. Both the General Bureau and its branches have three departments: the Execution Department, the Investigation Department, and the Information Department."
"As their names suggest, let's start with the Information Department. The Information Department is responsible for collecting information from all sources, publishing free tasks on the Sacred Bureau app, and cooperating with the Execution Department and Investigation Department on various missions."
"The Investigation Department focuses on investigation, with occasional combat. The scale of operations is small, usually carried out individually or in pairs. The Execution Department's operations are generally larger in scale, often carried out in cooperation with the army or the Public Security Department."
Yu Zhibo listened intently.
"Your file is currently preliminarily registered in the Investigation Department. You'll just need to complete the procedures later. As for why you're assigned to the Investigation Department, there's a reason," Wang Ange explained. "It's because your strength level is too low. Although your spiritual energy has reached the peak of F-level, comparable to the early stage of E-level, F-level is still F-level. The Execution Department often engages in intense combat during missions. Even if you can unleash a fireball with the power you showed yesterday, you can only fire one or two, which isn't very meaningful."
"However, in the Investigation Department, you won't need to fight much. If I remember correctly, your eyes have the ability to see through illusions and the flow of spiritual energy. This ability alone makes you a perfect match for our Investigation Department."
"Perfect match? Why do you say that?" Yu Zhibo asked curiously.
"You should know that Dark Creatures of E-level and F-level can liquefy and change their forms freely, right?"
"Yes?" Yu Zhibo couldn't help but recall the scene from last night when the F-level Dark Creature was restrained by Wang Ange, turned into liquid, flowed onto the ground, and then reformed into a human shape.
"If they transform into human form, we can easily detect them. But imagine, if it turns into a pool of liquid and merges into some dark crevices, or into discarded cardboard boxes, trash cans by the roadside, steel pipes used in construction, or sewers, do you think ordinary people can find them?"
Hearing Wang Ange's words, Yu Zhibo suddenly felt a chill of fear, his scalp tingling.
"And they can change color!" Wang Ange continued. "When they remain still, they automatically change color to blend in with their surroundings. Although movement will cause their camouflage to fail, they are still difficult to hunt."
"We should be fortunate that these low-level Dark Creatures are not interested in human flesh. Otherwise, with their stealth abilities, it would be very difficult to defend against their surprise attacks. But even so, they have caused us immense trouble."
Wang Ange's expression was calm. No one knew how many low-level Dark Creatures had infiltrated this world. They hid in every corner, waiting for an opportunity. Once a human absorbed spiritual energy and awakened, they would often be the first to discover them and then devour them for evolution. Facing them, most newly awakened ability users were powerless.
"Every year, countless awakened individuals are secretly devoured by them. Especially in recent years, the number of newly awakened individuals in our Ningcheng has decreased year by year. Why is that? It's because too many of them have been devoured by these low-level Dark Creatures." By the end, Wang Ange's jaw was clenched, clearly showing her intense hatred for those Dark Creatures.
Yu Zhibo remained silent. Honestly, if Wang Ange hadn't been following him yesterday, facing a Dark Creature with five times his spiritual energy, he and Chen Bo might have been lost.
"Therefore, when I learned that your eyes can see the flow of spiritual energy and see through illusions, I was very excited, and so was the team leader!" Wang Ange looked at him with shining eyes, as if looking at a rare treasure. "If you can truly see the flow of spiritual energy, our reconnaissance efficiency will be greatly improved."
"Because spiritual energy cannot be hidden or disguised, it means that in front of you, no matter how they change their appearance, they will be completely exposed under your eyes!"