4: Chapter 4: Stop pretending, let's lay the truth out.

"Director Zhao, are you really going yourself?" Inside the command vehicle, Captain Li, the team leader, kept a stiff face.

Director Zhao Lixin gave a grunt of affirmation, his eyes never leaving the tablet. On the screen, Jiang Ning sat cross-legged in the middle of that vortex of airflow, her eyes closed as if in meditation.

"The target hasn't shown any hostility; her eating and drinking habits are no different from an ordinary person's. But the technology in her hands is something we completely don't understand," Director Zhao Lixin explained. "At a time like this, sending an average person over could lead to a major incident if even a single word is misplaced. I have to go myself. Only if I go will it represent that the country values this enough."

Professor Chen also spoke up, "Right. I need to get close to see that field. Looking at data alone is useless; I have to see it with my own eyes. This might be the most important experiment of my life."

Captain Li didn't say anything more. He knew these two big shots had made up their minds and no one could talk them out of it. He only signaled to the people around him, and the hidden special agents all became hyper-vigilant, ready to respond to any accident.

"Remember, we're from the 'Old Industrial Zone Renovation Project Department.' I'm the director, and Professor Chen is the technical consultant," Director Zhao Lixin gave his final instructions. "Be sharp later; watch more and talk less, and follow my lead."

"Yes!"

Two off-road vehicles with "Municipal Engineering" plates drove into the abandoned construction site.

Director Zhao Lixin and Professor Chen got out of the car, followed by several young people in engineer uniforms carrying various instruments—all members of The Ninth Bureau in disguise.

Just as the vehicles drove into the site, Jiang Ning opened her eyes.

Although she had lost all her power, her cultivator's intuition remained. She could feel several "mortals" with steady, heavy footsteps approaching her.

Were the newcomers unfriendly?

Her heart tightened, and her hand quietly reached for a sharp stone. She also began to mobilize the small amount of spiritual energy she had managed to gather in her dantian. Though it was pitifully little, if she truly had to fight for her life, a surprise attack could still be effective.

She stood up and looked coldly at the approaching group.

The man leading them had a square face and wore a jacket, carrying an air of official authority. The old man beside him wore glasses and had a head of white hair, looking like a scholar, yet his expression upon seeing the array revealed a hint of madness.

"Hello, little girl." Director Zhao Lixin stopped about ten meters away from Jiang Ning and forced a smile. "Don't misunderstand, we mean no harm."

Jiang Ning didn't say a word, simply sizing him up.

"We're from the city's urban planning department." Director Zhao Lixin pointed at the vehicles and people behind him. "This old industrial zone is going to be renovated, so we came to take a preliminary look. Do you live nearby?"

This cover story was crafted seamlessly.

But who was Jiang Ning? She had fought with those old foxes in her sect for so many years; what kind of person hadn't she seen?

These people claimed to be in engineering, but every one of them had a steady stance and bulging temples—they were all martial artists. Especially the leader; he had such a strong official aura that no project director could ever possess.

Furthermore, their eyes kept glancing toward the array behind her.

Jiang Ning knew perfectly well in her heart that this group was here for her array.

She didn't expose them, only replying coldly, "I'm just passing through and taking a rest."

"Oh, I see." Director Zhao Lixin nodded and took two steps forward as if unintentionally, looking at the array built of scrap metal. "Little girl, this thing you've made... it's quite unique. Is it performance art?"

Professor Chen behind him could no longer hold back. The old man pushed up his glasses, rushed to the edge of the array in a few steps, and pulled out a detector, extending it forward.

As soon as the detector got close, the numbers on the screen began to jump upward like crazy, eventually going off the charts.

"My god..." Professor Chen stared at the off-the-charts reading, his hands trembling with excitement. "It's so pure! This energy field... it's simply a miracle! A perfect cycle!"

He paced around the array, muttering a bunch of terms that Jiang Ning didn't understand.

Director Zhao Lixin looked at the out-of-control Professor Chen with a headache, cursing "nerd" in his heart, while still having to pretend nothing was wrong. He explained to Jiang Ning, "This colleague of mine is a technical fanatic; he can't move when he sees something novel. Please don't mind him."

Jiang Ning's gaze shifted from the strangely beeping instrument back to Director Zhao Lixin's face.

She had a good idea of what was going on. These people were most likely the authorities of this world, similar to the Immortal Alliance or the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy in the cultivation world. They were here because of the commotion caused by the Spirit Gathering Array.

There was danger in this, but also opportunity.

The danger was that she was currently as weak as a mortal; if the other side decided to act, she would have no way to stop them.

The opportunity was that if she wanted to carry out 'Infrastructure Construction' in this world, she certainly couldn't do it alone. If she could get in touch with the authorities and have access to people and money, her path as a 'worker' would be much easier.

In her sect, she had suffered because she lacked a backer; she couldn't make the same mistake again.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning became less tense and instead wanted to see what the other side intended to do.

She stared at Director Zhao Lixin and exposed him directly: "You aren't from the Urban Planning Bureau."

This wasn't a question; it was a statement of fact.

Director Zhao Lixin's smile froze on his face. He hadn't expected this little girl to look so young yet have such sharp eyes, uncovering their cover with a single sentence.

Inside the command vehicle, Captain Li and the others listened to the sounds from the bug, their hearts leaping into their throats.

"She found out! What do we do? Should we initiate Plan B?"

Director Zhao Lixin raised his hand and made a gesture toward the hidden camera, signaling them not to move.

He looked at Jiang Ning and remained silent for a few seconds. The smile on his face vanished, replaced by a solemn expression.

"You're right," he admitted bluntly. "We aren't from the Urban Planning Bureau. Little girl, can we find a place to sit down and have a good talk? Let's talk about you, and also about this... great thing behind you."

He used the word "great."

Jiang Ning thought to herself, here comes the real show.