‘Everything going smoothly?’
Seeing it was a false alarm, Han Su also turned around.
Just now, he had issued the command for the Ghost Freight Truck to retreat as deep as possible.
But could hiding like this truly prevent the Disaster Management Bureau from detecting them and create the illusion that the mission had been completed?
Just then, his phone suddenly made a sound.
It was a message from Miss Ai: [Detected fluctuation of C+ Level Ghost Freight Truck has disappeared. Please confirm if the task is completed?]
Han Su immediately replied: [Completed!]
Miss Ai: [Congratulations, Mr. Butcher. Please exit the mission area. Professional personnel will arrive to conduct detection.]
Only then did Han Su feel at ease. He looked up at the cat-faced mask and found it a bit strange.
She was straddling a motorcycle, her breathtaking long legs stepped into heeled riding boots, smiling as she said, “That was really something. Such a simple task caused such a massive uproar. I didn’t know Disaster Management Bureau people needed to fight so hard these days?”Han Su looked at her twice before asking, “Miss Wei, why are you here?”
The Cat-faced Mask clearly froze for a moment: “?”
Nearby, when Xu Ji heard the sound of the motorcycle, he quietly picked up a stone.
But upon seeing who entered, he immediately relaxed, tossed the stone aside, clapped his hands, and said, “Yeah, Miss Wei, don’t tell me you also like racing on the highways?”
The cat-face was stunned, touched the mask on her face—it was still there—and said awkwardly, “I’m not…”
“Why are you wearing a mask on your face?”
Xu Ji squinted, saying, “With that figure of yours, you really need to wrap yourself up completely, huh?”
Han Su also felt puzzled. Logically, one should be wary of someone acting so suspiciously, yet facing her actually brought a sense of reassurance. While turning around to gather his belongings, he politely asked,
“You accepted a commission too?”
“Thanks.”
“……”
Wei Lan suddenly felt a little embarrassed and said, “Can you guys at least respect my disguise a little?”
……
The surrounding mist was rapidly dispersing. Vehicles and personnel could be seen approaching from all directions—some dressed like ordinary people, others in uniform and fully armed, led by Secretary Cui Qiao.
Precisely because of the approach of these armed personnel, those who had taken the Xu family’s commission only watched from a distance.
“How was the situation handled?”
Secretary Cui Qiao walked up quickly, her expression extremely serious.
When her gaze swept over the person on the motorcycle, her pupils slightly contracted, but she didn’t speak immediately.
“Mission completed.”
Han Su pointed at the pile of wreckage on the ground and picked up the now-ruined Dead Sea Spear: “This thing from the Disaster Management Bureau sure isn’t durable, huh?”
“……”
Secretary Cui Qiao looked at the scrap metal, her face turning unpleasant. She didn’t have the luxury to grieve over such an expensive item being wrecked in a blink. What flashed through her mind instead was the malicious gaze from the direction of Qinggang City. Shaking her head, she quietly said to Han Su:
“There was a malicious infiltration during your task execution, but it should not have succeeded. Someone very powerful blocked it.”
She glanced at Wei Lan and added, “The rest needs to be reported to Director Zhang and investigated with higher authority access.”
“However…”
Her tone shifted abruptly as she asked, “Since the Dead Sea Spear was damaged, how did you eliminate that grotesque?”
“Before this thing malfunctioned, I had already pierced the core of the Ghost Freight Truck.”
Han Su casually tossed the broken piece of metal onto the ground. “So, this thing went down with the Ghost Freight Truck.”
After a brief pause, he turned to Xu Ji and asked, “Isn’t that right?”
Xu Ji responded loudly, “Exactly! I saw it with my own eyes!”
Secretary Cui Qiao’s face turned grim. She stepped closer, seemingly to inspect the Dead Sea Spear, but as she passed Han Su, she whispered,
“Sounds reasonable. Just write the report like that. It won’t hinder us from using this to investigate that malicious infiltration.”
“No need for witnesses.”
She frowned and swept her gaze over the Cat-faced Lady and Xu Ji who were watching the show, saying sternly, “The Disaster Management Bureau doesn’t allow observation of anomalies. By appearing here, you two are classified as deep-contact individuals.”
“I can take you back for investigation immediately!”
“……”
“Understood!”
Next to her, Wei Lan—or rather, the Cat-faced Lady—twisted the motorcycle handle and smiled, “Qinggang’s Disaster Management Bureau doesn’t manage itself well, but sure throws its weight around. Are you saying that folks like us who don’t join the bureau aren’t allowed to live?”
Secretary Cui Qiao’s expression darkened further. “You’re wearing a mask, so I can’t issue a warrant. But if someone sees your face beneath that mask, you’ll never stand a chance in Qinggang City again!”
The Cat-faced Lady immediately said with a smile, “Then I’ll leave right now, so I don’t trouble you.”
She patted the seat behind her and said to Xu Ji, “Still dawdling? Want to get taken in by the Disaster Management Bureau?”
Xu Ji snapped out of it and hurriedly climbed onto her bike. The two twisted the throttle and shot off into the dark night. Neither Secretary Cui Qiao nor her security personnel tried to stop them.
‘The Disaster Management Bureau’s attitude toward these mysterious groups sure is complicated…’
Han Su watched them leave. The others stationed at block positions had already retreated without greeting or revealing their identities.
Even the post-task settlement would be processed through the Black Table, theoretically having nothing to do with him.
Hei Hu, Crow, and Doctor were now walking back slowly from afar.
They all looked quite grim. Especially Hei Hu—already crew-cut—his hair now stood on end.
As if electrocuted.
“Mission complete.”
Han Su turned to them. “As blocking personnel, you’ll need to write reports too. None of you left your posts during the mission, right?”
Hei Hu looked grimly at Secretary Cui Qiao and said, “No, but someone still broke in.”
“I couldn’t beat her.”
“……”
Miss Crow’s gaze swept over the burnt scrap metal on the ground. The scorch marks told of the intensity of the fight.
She lightly nodded.
Only Doctor slowly raised his head and said, “I stayed at my blocking post the whole time.”
After a pause, he simply admitted, “Actually, I wasn’t at my post at first. But when I saw so many eager bystanders coming, I went back and never left. Even chanted the blocking spell when the Ghost Freight Truck tried to escape.”
“In that case, writing our reports will be easy.”
Han Su nodded. “Let’s return to base. Miss Crow, if you don’t mind, would you ride with me?”
Miss Crow didn’t expect Han Su to say that. After a moment, she nodded slightly.
Doctor and Hei Hu returned in the vehicle they came in. Han Su and Miss Crow shared another car. As they rode, he thought silently:
“That malicious infiltration Secretary Cui Qiao mentioned—was it that monster in the middle of metamorphosis?”
“What was it really doing? Trying to kill me? Or trying to stop me from getting my Investigator license?”
“……”
While he sat in quiet contemplation, Miss Crow sat in silence.
She didn’t know why Han Su had asked her to ride in this vehicle, until Han Su opened his eyes and looked at her.
“Miss Crow.”
Han Su’s voice was a little distant. Suddenly, he asked, “Whose orders are you following to approach or observe me?”
Miss Crow was stunned. Her expression instantly showed intense fear, shame, guilt—and a touch of panic.
But then, her eyes locked onto Han Su with beastlike vigilance.
As if she forcefully switched personalities in that moment, her gaze became cold and sharp, filled with hostility.
“I thought of you as a friend.”
Han Su remained unmoved, gazing intently into her eyes. “You can choose to tell me, or choose to keep your distance from now on. Or go find whoever gave you the order and ask them what they really want with me.”
“I value you as a friend, but I’m not interested in playing spy games.”
“……”
That hardened, cold expression on Miss Crow’s face crumbled instantly under a wave of shame.
Her wariness faded, and her face flushed red.
Overwhelmed by remorse, she seemed unable to compose herself under Han Su’s gaze.
“I… I don’t know…”
She stammered, “They just… just told me to come, so I came…”
She struggled to speak, but the words died in her throat. Then she blurted, “I… I’ll ask why!”
Next moment, she suddenly flung the car door open mid-ride and jumped into the darkness outside, startling the security personnel driving the car.
Han Su watched the gaping door as night wind poured in. Slowly, he reached out and shut it.
Miss Crow hadn’t done anything to betray him, but her identity was awkward—better to speak plainly.
Though the Ghost Freight Truck task was completed, the overwhelming unknown and unexpected still left him deeply uneasy. The Disaster Management Bureau seemed powerful, and its rules binding—but only within city limits. Outside the city…
Far too powerless!
After a while, he let out a low sigh, organizing his thoughts: “So, how to write the report?”
“Step one: I used myself as bait to lure out the Ghost Freight Truck. Reasonable.”
“Step two: I deployed three Execution Members to block it… Doesn’t matter if three people guarding six directions makes sense—the Ghost Freight Truck didn’t escape. That’s a fact. Miss Ai should accept that.”
“And step three…”
“……”
This time, Han Su wrote his report especially carefully.
From the preparation stage to execution, to the infiltration encountered during execution, and the Dead Sea Spear malfunction—every detail was noted.
Of course, he admitted the task wasn’t perfect.
For instance, civilians entered the mission area.
But since the Ghost Freight Truck was already eliminated, those civilians didn’t count as dangerous contacts.
If the Disaster Management Bureau had the means, they could track them down themselves. That had nothing to do with him.
Still, he was worried while submitting the report—wondering whether Miss Ai could perform a deeper scan and uncover the truth. Or whether the Ghost Freight Truck’s metamorphosed remains could serve as proof of mission completion.
But that worry soon faded with Miss Ai’s reply:
[Investigation report received. Ghost Freight Truck remains have been recovered. Related files are being archived.]
[Thank you, Mr. Butcher, for your efforts on the front lines of reality. Your initial rating is being upgraded. Please keep up the good work!]
[…]
‘Another generic response. Does this mean Miss Ai accepted my report?’
Han Su felt a strange emotion. Everyone in the Disaster Management Bureau emphasized how important reports were, how harsh the reviews were. Yet for some reason, every time he wrote one, it felt easy.
Could it be… his writing was just that good?