Chapter 68 - 66: Bai Juzhi

Chapter 68: Chapter 66: Bai Juzhi

Anomaly Administration Bureau, Director’s Office.

Director Zhao Pengcheng sat in his office chair.

A knock came at the door.

A man wearing a white business shirt and suit pants walked in.

He had short hair and wore a pair of glasses, giving him a scholarly appearance.

He looked less like an Investigator and more like a university professor.

When Zhao Pengcheng saw the man, his face broke into a wrinkled smile:

"Juzhi, come, have a seat. There’s something I need to discuss with you."

Bai Juzhi sat in the chair opposite Zhao Pengcheng, his back perfectly straight. He spoke neither servilely nor arrogantly:

"Director Zhao, please speak freely."

Zhao Pengcheng took off his reading glasses:

"There are four special-grade team leaders in the bureau, and you are the most capable."

"Unlike the others, who are obsessed with their little cliques. They only listen to Cao Ye; they’ve nearly forgotten that I’m the director."

Bai Juzhi nodded.

"You were the one who promoted me. Naturally, I follow your lead."

Zhao Pengcheng sighed.

"Speaking of which, I feel I’ve wronged you. I still haven’t fulfilled the promise I made to you."

The corner of Bai Juzhi’s eye twitched slightly.

"What orders do you have for me?"

Zhao Pengcheng said:

"I want you to go to the South Sea and establish an anomaly investigation station."

"Your primary mission is to find Dusk. You know what I mean."

Bai Juzhi’s pupils trembled.

He lowered his head and mused for a moment:

"The probability of finding Dusk is ten percent."

"The probability of Dusk being willing to join the Anomaly Administration Bureau is one percent."

"The probability of defeating Dusk is one in a thousand."

"In any scenario, my probability of death is over ninety-nine percent."

"Director Zhao, this mission is extremely difficult. It’s practically a suicide mission."

Zhao Pengcheng gave a meaningful smile:

"If you complete the mission, I can authorize you to use the Mother-Child Black Coffin once."

"I told you long ago, as long as you do good work for me, I will ensure your wish is granted."

Bai Juzhi’s body trembled, and his hands, resting on his knees, suddenly clenched the fabric of his pants:

"Are you serious?"

Zhao Pengcheng nodded very seriously:

"I am a man of my word."

Bai Juzhi’s eyes darted around, and he muttered to himself as if... solving a math problem.

After a long moment, he pushed up his glasses:

"Then I will need the bureau’s support."

Zhao Pengcheng let out a sigh of relief:

"Name it. I will support you as much as I can."

Bai Juzhi said:

"First, I need personnel, but they cannot be Cao Ye’s people."

"You know my style of doing things. His men will only mess things up."

Zhao Pengcheng said:

"No problem. There are still plenty of Investigators in the bureau who listen to me."

Bai Juzhi said:

"Second, I want the highest level of authority regarding the South Sea."

Zhao Pengcheng said:

"Dusk is a major affair. For the convenience of the investigation, that’s reasonable."

Bai Juzhi said:

"I need the Human Skin Drum and the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse."

A look of conflict appeared in Zhao Pengcheng’s eyes.

But when he thought about how Dusk had even more Taboo Items, he gritted his teeth:

"Fine."

’Nothing ventured, nothing gained!’

Bai Juzhi added:

"If necessary, I want that Old Cat to help me."

Zhao Pengcheng shook his head:

"That’s not possible. It is our bureau’s trump card."

Disappointment showed in Bai Juzhi’s eyes:

"Very well, then. I’ll depart immediately."

Zhao Pengcheng said:

"Good. You head to the South Sea first. The Human Skin Drum and the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse will arrive in the South Sea in three days."

Bai Juzhi said urgently:

"No, you can’t send them now!

I will notify you when I need them."

Zhao Pengcheng asked, puzzled:

"Send them to you when you need them? What a hassle."

Bai Juzhi said:

"There is an eighty-five percent probability that the enemy possesses the ability to sense the location of Taboo Items."

"I’m afraid he will snatch them the moment they arrive in the South Sea."

Zhao Pengcheng’s old eyes widened:

"Is that so? Why didn’t you say anything earlier?"

Bai Juzhi frowned:

"You didn’t ask."

Zhao Pengcheng pondered for a moment, then asked cautiously, in the tone of a primary school student asking a teacher a math question:

"What is your probability of success?"

Bai Juzhi said:

"Two percent."

Zhao Pengcheng looked disappointed:

"That low?"

Bai Juzhi’s lips pressed into a tight line. He spoke slowly:

"It’s not low."

...

Night. The South Sea, Antique Shop Zero.

Jiang Chaosheng sat behind the counter, gazing at the night outside.

The rain had stopped.

’I wish it would rain every day.’

Today was the first time in two months that Jiang Chaosheng had stepped out of Antique Shop Zero during the day.

It felt good to be bathed in sunlight, even if it was a bit overcast.

Jiang Chaosheng picked up a notebook and wrote:

"If I recycle or contain six more Taboo Items, I can completely break the Curse."

"But there are no more Taboo Items near the South Sea for me to recycle or contain."

Jiang Chaosheng paused his pen, his gaze turning distant:

"Fortunately, the Cleaner Fish System will be completed soon."

"Once the Cleaner Fish System is successfully established, the prototype for the Taboo Association will exist."

"The Taboo Association will soon be able to recycle Taboo Items for me."

Jiang Chaosheng could sense the locations of Taboo Items throughout the Xia Kingdom.

Once the Taboo Association took its initial form, it would be time for him to recycle the Taboo Items.

Tallying up Li Qinglian’s messy legacy, there were a total of ten un-recycled Taboo Items scattered across the Xia Kingdom.

Of these ten Taboo Items, if the Taboo Association could recycle six, the Curse would be broken.

’By my calculations, Yang Xiao should have gathered the candidates for the Cleaner Fish by now.’

Jiang Chaosheng continued writing in his journal:

"I have contained Taboo Items in the South Sea twice in a row. I’m afraid the authorities have already noticed me."

"Before, it was the Shocking Court Wood Investigation Team. This time, they’ll probably send some real heavy-hitters."

Jiang Chaosheng put down his notebook, looked up at the lamp on the ceiling, and muttered to himself:

"I don’t like killing, but I’m not against it either."

Just then, Jiang Chaosheng felt a strange fluctuation of energy beside him.

Jiang Chaosheng held out his hand and saw one of Yang Xiao’s Shadowy Little People jump off his wrist.

The Shadowy Little Person stretched, bowed to Jiang Chaosheng with clasped hands, and moved like a shadow puppet.

Jiang Chaosheng raised an eyebrow slightly.

’What’s this about?’

The Shadowy Little Person then jumped into Jiang Chaosheng’s palm, scrambled up his arm, and climbed all the way to his shoulder, whispering in his ear:

"Sir, my apologies for disturbing you so late."

"I wish to report that the candidates for the Cleaner Fish have been selected."

"In two days, I hope Master will honor Black Rose Manor with his presence."

"I forgot to mention to you, Sir, that I have recently been in contact with Xia Li."

"She has provided a luxurious manor for any and all of the Taboo Association’s activities."

"Your adoring Yang Xiao, along with all the lovely Cleaner Fish, awaits your grand arrival."

A hint of surprise appeared in Jiang Chaosheng’s eyes.

’Yang Xiao can already manipulate shadows to this extent?’

His main shadow was in Antique Shop Zero, so theoretically, it should be difficult for him to control it.

’Yet he can actually manipulate this shadow to speak with me?’

It had to be said, Yang Xiao was very talented when it came to using Supernatural Power.

"I wonder if he would become even stronger, if he were to open his Spiritual Aperture?"

Jiang Chaosheng muttered to himself.

Unfortunately, mortals cannot open a Spiritual Aperture on their own.

The Nine-tailed Fox, however, could help Yang Xiao open his Spiritual Aperture.

But that crazy woman had become very quiet after turning into the Nine-tailed Demon Core, and there was no telling when she would awaken.

Jiang Chaosheng also wanted to open a Spiritual Aperture and experience the joy of using Magic.

If his own understanding of Extraordinary Power deepened, perhaps he could unlock even more power from formidable Taboo Items like the Scythe of Death.

Jiang Chaosheng walked out from behind the counter and headed for the second floor.

’I haven’t written in my diary today.’

As Jiang Chaosheng passed the door to the back room, he saw the Evil Crow hugging a few pairs of underwear that smelled of laundry detergent, sleeping soundly and muttering things one might in a wet dream.

"Sicko."

Jiang Chaosheng cursed, went upstairs, and entered the study.

He opened his diary, fell silent for a moment, unsure of what to write.

Finally, he wrote:

"Is that Crow a sicko or what!"

’It’s hard to imagine that it would willingly be enslaved for a hundred years for its lover.’