If someone else had said these words, General Chen wouldn't have thought much of it; he might even have thought they were being deliberately mysterious. But the woman before him was an exception.

He knew a little about her experiences. She had paid a price that ordinary people couldn't imagine in order to successfully enter the Night Watchers' ranks and infiltrate them.

Compared to this woman, his own patriotic contributions, which he was so proud of, seemed insignificant.

Lin Wan'er was definitely not like this from the start. The dangers and choices she had faced along the way had carved her into this shape, because if she hadn't become like this, she wouldn't have survived.

She had to possess a rigorous attitude, precise judgment, an almost obsessive level of execution, and a cold indifference that discarded all human emotions.

She was different from him. She wasn't a patriot in the broad sense that everyone could accept. Even if the cancerous elements in the Night Watchers' high command were eliminated in the future, Lin Wan'er's achievements wouldn't be celebrated; her name might even be erased from history.

This woman, who couldn't even show her true face, was destined to live in the shadows, silently guarding this land along with many others like her.

She would let down many people and make many choices against her will, but the succession and consolidation of power had always been a history book written in blood and fire. History would eventually prove that she was an extreme, but qualified, patriot.

Looking at the woman before him, General Chen felt a sense of apology and pity. "I'm sorry, Commissioner Lin. It was my fault. I oversimplified the problem." General Chen's expression became serious. "You're right. This is a war. Whether it's the Night Watchers or us, once we sit at this gambling table, there's no turning back."

"The higher-ups were right to choose you as the leader of this operation. You are indeed more suitable for this position than I am." General Chen paused, his gaze towards Lin Wan'er solemn. "In fact, I can say that of all the people I know, no one is more suitable than you."

Lin Wan'er smiled faintly, a complex expression surfacing in her eyes. Her slightly pursed lips seemed to show that the woman's heart wasn't as calm as it appeared. "You flatter me, General Chen. We're just a bunch of lunatics, lunatics who are only needed at times like these." Lin Wan'er looked up and smiled. "We'll be off the stage soon. The future belongs to you after all, and only to you."

General Chen was stunned. After realizing what she meant, he immediately explained nervously, "Commissioner Lin, don't misunderstand. I didn't mean anything by it. Your contributions are obvious. I think…"

Under Lin Wan'er's gaze, General Chen's words trailed off. He was just a proxy; he wasn't qualified to make any promises.

Fortunately, Lin Wan'er just smiled. She glanced out the window and changed the subject naturally. "General Chen, the current situation is even worse than I initially estimated. The families that are willing to support us seem to have decent strength, but in terms of true foundation and high-end combat power, they are far behind the Night Watchers' Thirteen Families."

General Chen sighed, somewhat unwillingly. "That can't be helped. The Night Watchers have been operating for many years for this plan, secretly cultivating and gathering countless experts. And the families we have are just opportunists. At the end of the day, they're merchants. Expecting them to fight the Night Watchers to the death…" General Chen shook his head. "It's not realistic."

"This burden still has to be carried by you and Old Man Luo." General Chen continued. In his eyes, these participating families were only good for helping out and cheering from the sidelines. If they were really pulled out to fight head-on against the troublesome figures in the Night Watchers, it would still require the Scarlet Crimson led by Lin Wan'er and the Dark Army led by Old Man Luo.

"Knock!"

"Knock! Knock!"

…

There was a knock on the door, light and quick, conveying the visitor's eagerness.

Chen Ran walked over and opened the door. A young woman with a nervous expression stood outside.

After Guan Wan'ning entered, her gaze swept over Chen Ran and she walked quickly towards Lin Wan'er. "Commissioner Lin… Commissioner Lin, Rong City is in trouble! A new supernatural event has occurred!"

"Don't panic," General Chen said. "Tell us slowly."

Perhaps infected by General Chen's calm demeanor, Guan Wan'ning calmed down a bit and spoke again. "We've detected a new supernatural event erupting in Rong City. This is the preliminary file."

With that, Guan Wan'ning handed over a sealed official document. Lin Wan'er took it and opened it. There were only a few thin sheets of paper inside.

After flipping through them, even the experienced General Chen couldn't help but frown.

"Rong City Supernatural Event No. 037."

"Provisional Code Name: Ghost Movie Event."

"Supernatural Event Level: A-Level."

"Threat Level: ️️️️ Four Stars"

…

After quickly scanning the few pages, Lin Wan'er picked up the paper, looked at Guan Wan'ning, and rarely revealed a hint of caution in her eyes. "Why is there so little information? Why isn't there detailed data for a supernatural event that has reached A-level, and why was it only reported now that the threat level has reached four stars?"

Guan Wan'ning couldn't help but panic when Lin Wan'er stared at her. She quickly explained, "This supernatural event was first noticed yesterday evening, and at first, there were very few victims, and no serious impact was seen, so we treated it as an ordinary supernatural event. After all… after all, several supernatural events have occurred in Rong City before!"

Seeing that she couldn't get any information from Guan Wan'ning, Lin Wan'er picked up the specially configured phone in the conference room and dialed an internal number. The operator on the other end heard that it was the Commissioner and immediately called the person in charge of the department.

"Commissioner." The man who had rushed over to answer the phone was out of breath, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "I'm the person in charge here. My name is…"

"Give me a detailed account of the Ghost Movie Event," Lin Wan'er's clear, cold voice interrupted the man's self-introduction.

"Yesterday evening… no, it was yesterday afternoon. We received a message that someone had reported a case in Xinghai Bay residential area in the south of the city, saying that their son had disappeared. The missing person was a student, who was on vacation at home at the time, and disappeared in his bedroom."

"After investigating the scene, it was found that the victim's computer was on. A slipper was left near the computer desk, and the books and miscellaneous items on the desk had been pushed to the ground. There were traces of struggle at the scene."

"I… I have a picture of the scene here." The person in charge's breathing became rapid.

"Send it over." Lin Wan'er's voice was still calm.

Guan Wan'ning consciously went to adjust the projection equipment. Soon, a photo was projected onto the large screen in the conference room. The photo showed a computer desk, and the items on the desk were very messy.

But as the picture zoomed in, everyone saw several obvious scratch marks on the edge of the desk near the chair, as if someone had desperately grabbed here, trying not to be dragged away.