145: Chapter 145: Fifty Meters Underground

"This is a decision from the higher-ups; it's not something we can decide."

Zhang Qiang said, "As it stands, although Specter incidents are intensifying, they are at least within controllable limits. No one can say for sure how massive the impact would be if this were made public—it might even have the opposite effect."

At this point, Zhang Qiang's expression became extremely solemn. "In fact, the first Specter incident discovered by the authorities was two years ago. Back then, Specters were extremely rare, and the most powerful ones were only C-rank. But now, even A-Rank Specters are no longer uncommon..."

"It's as if we are in a survival race against the Specters, but in reality, the speed at which their strength increases far outpaces humans."

"Take the Night Demon, for example. When we last attempted to capture it, it had only just reached B-rank, and I could easily suppress it. But now, it has actually reached A-rank, and even to the point where it can use a ritual to advance!"

"Wait!"

Qin Shaowu suddenly asked, "You said the Night Demon is advancing? It's already A-rank; can it really advance further? What rank would that be?"

Zhang Qiang remained silent for a moment before slowly uttering two words: "S-rank!"

Chu Xuan, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up and asked, "What is so special about such a Specter?"

"In truth, we haven't seen an S-rank Specter, but headquarters has sent down relevant files. The horror of this level is comparable to a natural disaster. It can manifest a massive Forbidden Domain and connect to the Dark Place. If not dealt with in time and allowed to develop, it will become a forbidden zone for human life..."

Zhang Qiang took a deep breath and didn't say much more on the subject, shifting instead to: "In short, the future is volatile. Perhaps one day, any random person you encounter could be a Specter!"

"If you don't want to be eaten and want to truly control your own destiny, your only choice is to hunt Specters and keep getting stronger. Joining the Night Watchers is your best option!"

"With an official platform as your background, whether it's support in terms of social resources or equipment and weaponry, it's far beyond what you can achieve by fighting alone..."

Hearing this, the corners of Chu Xuan's mouth curled slightly. This guy had rambled so much, emphasizing the terrors of Specters, and now he had finally revealed his true purpose: he wanted to recruit him and Tang Zheng into the Night Watchers.

Sure enough, Zhang Qiang went on just as he had in the dream, listing various benefits of joining the Night Watchers. He mentioned that although they were joining the authorities, they didn't actually have such lofty ideals; it was primarily for themselves, just a group of people huddling together for warmth. He spoke very realistically.

And this time, perhaps because Tang Zheng was with him, Zhang Qiang even stated bluntly that if he and Tang Zheng joined, he could spend an hour every day using his Smoke talent to act as a sparring partner for them.

Chu Xuan had already planned his path, so naturally, he had no reason to refuse, and Tang Zheng agreed as well.

Next, they began testing the two of them, just as in the dream. Upon learning the specifics of Chu Xuan and Tang Zheng's talent abilities, the others were naturally filled with amazement.

Especially after learning that Chu Xuan had just broken through to Level 3, even Zhang Qiang couldn't help but look twice, marveling at the feat.

Then, he set a goal for Chu Xuan: within half a month, he must reach Level 4!

Qin Shaowu also received preferential treatment because of his relationship with Chu Xuan and Tang Zheng, being personally tested by Luo Xiaotian.

Qin Shaowu had gained the Transcendent Skill [Gale] during his first contact with a Specter incident today, and his physical attributes were already close to the Peak of human standards, which was quite outstanding.

However, compared to Chu Xuan and Tang Zheng, he seemed somewhat ordinary. Overall, Zhang Qiang still placed more emphasis on the talent Chu Xuan called [Heavenly Secret].

"The testing is over; there shouldn't be any issues."

Zhang Qiang smiled and said, "Normally, I could give you official notice right now, but I'll take you to meet the other team members and the other Deputy Captain first. That way, it shows we value you more, since both you and Tang Zheng are special talents."

When they finished their testing and came out, the questioning of Liu Dahai and the other survivors had also concluded, and they had signed the relevant confidentiality agreements.

The family of three did not wish to remember this horrific experience ever again and chose to have the Night Watchers help erase that segment of their memory.

Some others, having been involved in a Specter incident, could apply to join the authorities. Once they passed the relevant assessments, they would have the chance to join as civilian staff.

Wang Ruozi had also obtained Transcendent abilities and possessed two special items, the Flower Cotton Jacket and the Copper Mirror, so she received relatively more attention and could undergo team entry testing to become an intern member.

Intern members wouldn't necessarily participate in combat; they were considered Night Watcher reserves.

Wang Ruozi readily agreed to this outcome. Thus, taking the Old Woman Li Guifen with her, she boarded the minibus with Chu Xuan and the others, bringing the Great Buddha's corpse down the mountain.

As for the other B-rank Ghost's corpse, it was handled on-site by other researchers in white coats, who dissected it and took it back piece by piece.

Before leaving, Chu Xuan remembered the alms bowl from his dream that could produce spirit money out of thin air during the Spirit Washing ritual presided over by the White-haired Village Chief, so he returned to the Mahavira Hall to check.

Unfortunately, for some reason, that alms bowl had already shattered and possessed nothing unusual. There was no System prompt when he touched it, so Chu Xuan had to give up his thoughts of studying it.

The rest of the journey was uneventful. The minibus sped along and soon arrived at a Research Base.

The exterior looked nothing special, but once the vehicle entered, it wasn't hard to notice the dense checkpoints and heavy security.

Arriving in front of a white building, Zhang Qiang first had someone drive away the minibus containing the Great Buddha's corpse. Then, he had someone take Qin Shaowu, Wang Ruozi, and Li Guifen to settle in and rest, finally leading Chu Xuan and the others inside.

"Beep! Please enter!"

A beam of blue light swept over everyone in succession.

Luo Xiaotian explained with a smile, "This is a routine scan. If it were a Specter, a red light warning would flash."

Entering a spacious elevator, Luo Xiaotian performed facial recognition, and then the elevator slowly started.

This white building appeared to have only three floors, but it took a full two minutes before the elevator stopped, and during this process, blue lights swept over them from time to time.

Tang Zheng said suspiciously, "The elevator took so long to stop? And I feel like this elevator is going down..."

"It is going down," Chu Xuan said.

"This is fifty meters underground. Even a nuclear strike would ensure we remain safe," Luo Xiaotian chuckled.

Tang Zheng marveled at this, and just as he was about to speak, the elevator doors slowly opened.

The scene before them immediately caused Chu Xuan and Tang Zheng to look around in awe.

This was a very spacious underground world with a ceiling height of about ten meters. The people seen most often were researchers in white coats.

There were also all kinds of advanced instruments that were dazzling to the eye; they basically couldn't name any of them, and some had only been seen in sci-fi movies. At a glance, it gave off a very high-tech feeling.

"This was originally a special Research Base. Since the Bureau of Abnormal Human Investigation was established, we've made use of this place. An area has been partitioned off here for our Night Watcher team, though normally we're mostly in the other building outside."

Luo Xiaotian explained, "We brought you here because both of you are quite special. Although you haven't officially joined the team yet, all that's missing is a formality that doesn't really matter. With Old Zhang leading you, you're qualified to participate in today's formal meeting."

"Call me Uncle Qiang."

Blowing a thick cloud of Smoke into Luo Xiaotian's face, Zhang Qiang took the lead. "The meeting time is almost here. Let's hurry and not keep them waiting, or Xiao Lajiao will lose her temper again."

Hearing the name Xiao Lajiao, the corner of Luo Xiaotian's mouth twitched. He couldn't help but point at a metal door ahead and remind him, "We're less than 10 meters from the conference room. Although the soundproofing here is good, she is a Level 8 Transcendent; she can hear you speaking ill of her."

Zhang Qiang's face stiffened slightly.

Just then, the metal door ahead slowly opened, accompanied by an arrogant voice coming from within.

"Stinky smoker, who are you calling Xiao Lajiao?"