43: Where is the cruelty? They are clearly kind and approachable!

Seeing the scene before him, the muscles on the captain's face twitched.

But soon, that trace of displeasure was covered by a thick, flattering smile.

He showed no dissatisfaction with Chen Nian's act of occupying his seat.

He stepped forward quickly, reaching out with a face full of fawning smiles: "Comrade Chen Nian, let me introduce myself first. I am the captain of the Tianyun District Garrison Squad, Gao Yuanshan. Please look after me."

Chen Nian didn't even lift an eyelid.

His gaze remained fixed on the report in his hand, letting out only a faint sound.

"Mm."

Gao Yuanshan's hand stopped awkwardly in mid-air, but he didn't care; he naturally pulled it back and rubbed his hands together.

"Comrade Chen Nian, I am truly sorry. Just now, these little brats under me failed to recognize greatness and offended you. Please don't lower yourself to their level."

"They're all rough men who don't know the rules. I'll definitely educate them properly when we get back. You are a magnanimous person; please don't take it to heart."

"To show our apology, I wonder if Comrade Chen Nian is free tonight? I'd like to treat you to a simple meal, as a way of apologizing."

Finally, Chen Nian put down the documents in his hand.

He looked up, his deep eyes calmly watching Gao Yuanshan.

Gao Yuanshan felt uneasy under his gaze, and the smile on his face became somewhat stiff.

"No need."

Chen Nian's voice was very soft, yet it carried an unquestionable decisiveness.

He couldn't be bothered to waste time on such hypocritical pleasantries.

He went straight to the point.

"You should be very clear about my purpose for coming here."

"The Corpse Ghost Cult."

His gaze swept across the three people in front of him.

"Why is it that in your data files, there isn't a single thing regarding the Corpse Ghost Cult?"

"How much do you know about the Corpse Ghost Cult? Now, tell me everything you know about them."

As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the entire office instantly froze.

The smile on Gao Yuanshan's face completely disappeared, replaced by a look of blankness and shock.

The squad members behind him also looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.

The Corpse Ghost Cult?

How would they know anything about the Corpse Ghost Cult?

Gao Yuanshan's lips trembled, and cold sweat began to seep from his temples.

In the early hours of the morning, they had indeed received an emergency notification from headquarters.

The notice said that within the range of Tianyun District, they had detected abnormal signal fluctuations suspected to be from the Corpse Ghost Cult.

It required them to be on high alert and prepared to respond to emergencies at any time.

Then, early this morning, they received a second notice from headquarters.

It said that Special Commissioner Chen Nian from headquarters would soon arrive in Tianyun District to investigate matters related to the Corpse Ghost Cult.

At that time, they knew something big was about to happen!

Gao Yuanshan's face turned pale, and his voice carried a hint of a tremor.

"I'm sorry, Comrade Chen Nian..."

"We... don't have any information regarding the Corpse Ghost Cult at all."

He answered truthfully.

After all, he knew that his lies wouldn't be able to hide from the Spiritual Energy Bureau.

The corner of Chen Nian's mouth curled into an arc, a smile filled with undisguised contempt.

"You don't know?"

His voice suddenly rose several decibels, carrying a pressing force.

"The Corpse Ghost Cult has been so active lately and has caused so much commotion. As the Garrison Squad of Tianyun District, how could you not have heard even a whisper?"

"Now, the headquarters' detection signal is clearly pointing to your Tianyun District, yet you tell me you know nothing?"

He leaned back against the chair, his cold eyes scrutinizing the group.

"You had better really be doing your jobs."

"Don't let me find out that you're occupying so many resources allocated by headquarters, yet all you do every day is drink tea and read the newspaper without doing any real work."

"I, for one, despise such 'evil' acts as dereliction of duty and wasting the taxpayers' hard-earned money."

He spoke the last sentence with great emphasis.

Upon hearing this, Gao Yuanshan and the others were nearly scared out of their wits.

If this heavy label were pinned on them, none of them would have a good time.

"No, no! Absolutely not!"

Everyone waved their hands frantically in panic, sweat already soaking their backs.

Gao Yuanshan added while covered in sweat:

"Comrade Chen Nian, you've misunderstood. How would we dare! We are conscientious and responsible. We arrange for squad members to conduct 24-hour uninterrupted patrols every day."

"We have never slacked on field missions either; we have always been working hard to maintain the safety and stability of Tianyun District!"

"Is that so?"

The contempt on Chen Nian's face grew even thicker.

"You'd better really be like that."

"I advise you to increase your patrol intensity from now on, covering all areas. Any abnormal situation must be reported immediately."

"The main force from headquarters should arrive soon."

"Don't blame me for not warning you if something really happens then."

Hearing this, Gao Yuanshan and the others felt as if they had been pardoned, instantly feeling immensely relieved.

"Yes, yes, yes! We understand! We'll go and arrange it right away!"

"Thank you for the reminder, Comrade Chen Nian! Thank you, Comrade Chen Nian!"

The group bowed and scraped, their attitude humble to the extreme.

Chen Nian ignored them and turned to look at Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi.

"The two of you were originally here for something, right? Go ahead and do it now."

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi exchanged a glance, nodded, and walked toward the Garrison Squad members.

This time, the attitudes of those members underwent a 180-degree turn.

Not only was their previous arrogance gone, but they also became exceptionally enthusiastic, almost fighting to help them process their affairs.

Chen Nian sat back down and picked up the documents on the desk again.

He flipped through them at a glance.

As it turned out, they were all trivial matters.

Chen Nian slammed the documents heavily onto the desk, producing a dull thud.

The suspicion in his heart grew heavier and heavier.

These fellows probably hadn't done a single piece of real work.

Expecting to get clues about the Corpse Ghost Cult from them was like trying to catch fish in a tree.

It seemed he would have to go out and take a look for himself.

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi were very efficient.

About ten minutes later, they finished their business.

The two walked over to Chen Nian and gave a respectful greeting.

"Senior, we've finished our business, so we'll take our leave now."

They originally thought Chen Nian would let them leave on their own.

However, Chen Nian called out to them.

"Wait a moment."

Their bodies stiffened, and they immediately felt a bit nervous.

They didn't know why this Senior had suddenly stopped them.

But they still immediately nodded and responded.

"Yes, Senior."

"You are going on a mission, right?" Chen Nian asked.

"Yes, Senior."

Chen Nian raised his wrist and directly projected his Personal Terminal into mid-air.

A screen of light unfolded, listing a dense array of mission entries related to Ghostly Creatures.

"Which one is your mission?"

Although Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi were full of doubt and didn't understand Senior's intention,

they still stepped forward and pointed out their mission from the massive list.

Chen Nian's gaze fell on that mission entry.

[Mission Rank: Level 1]

[Mission Type: Investigation]

[Mission Background: Wu Haixia, a citizen of Tianyun District, has recently experienced severe physical discomfort, mental lethargy, and various abnormal behaviors such as sleep-talking and talking to herself. She is suspected of being possessed by an unknown Ghostly Creature.]

[Mission Objectives: 1. Investigate whether a Ghostly Creature exists. 2. If it exists, investigate the cause of the possession.]

[Mission Reward: 10 Contribution Points.]

Chen Nian nodded.

A bit interesting.

Since he had no clues anyway, he might as well start with this most basic investigation mission.

It just so happened that he had a decent impression of these two.

He would treat it as guiding his juniors.

Although by seniority, they were actually his Seniors.

But who said that seniority was determined by age? Those with great strength can also be Seniors!

He said so!

Seeing Chen Nian remain silent for a long time, Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi became even more apprehensive.

"Senior... is something wrong?" Zhao Xinyi asked in a small voice.

Chen Nian closed the light screen and stood up.

"Let's go. We'll do the mission together. I'll take you."

This short sentence sounded like a thunderclap in the ears of Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi.

The two instantly widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.

They were overwhelmed by the favor!

Senior was going to personally take them on a mission?

This was a huge Opportunity!

After the brief shock, a surge of immense joy flooded their hearts.

"Really? Senior!" Zhao Xinyi's voice was even trembling a bit.

Wu Jiahao was also full of excitement, too moved to speak.

Through the conversation just now, they also learned that the young man before them was the legendary Chen Nian.

And they never expected that this Senior, who was rumored to be decisive in killing and brutal in his methods, not only had unfathomable strength but was actually so amiable and easy to get along with!

Brutal?

How was he brutal?

This was clearly an unparalleled Senior who promoted his juniors and showed consideration for his subordinates!

...It wasn't until the figures of Chen Nian's group of three completely disappeared through the door that the oppressive atmosphere in the office finally dissipated.

Gao Yuanshan let out a long breath and slumped into his chair.

He felt as if he had just been fished out of the water.

"My god, that god of slaughter is finally gone..." a squad member patted his chest, still feeling lingering fear.

"I really didn't expect him to be here to investigate the Corpse Ghost Cult."

"Yeah, although it's a bit surprising, it makes sense when you think about it. After all, the headquarters' signal pointed right at us."

The others also began to discuss it one after another.

"Investigate the Corpse Ghost Cult? You've got to be kidding. Those guys are all lunatics. For something so dangerous, whoever wants to go can go, but I don't want to shorten my life."

"Exactly, who cares. If he wants to investigate, let him. It'd be best if he could find something and help us resolve this time bomb. Otherwise, if it really explodes in our Tianyun District, no one will escape."

"Right. As long as... as long as he doesn't investigate our 'business,' everything will be fine."

The person who said this deliberately lowered their voice significantly.

The office instantly fell silent.

Everyone looked at each other, their expressions turning somewhat solemn.

They had finally managed to get on this line and found a way to make a fortune.

They couldn't let it be ruined by someone just as it was starting.

For a moment, Gao Yuanshan's face was so dark it looked like it could drip water.

"No!"

He slammed his hand on the desk.

"We still have to give those guys a reminder. Tell them to restrain themselves lately. They must not expose our business at this critical juncture!"

Hearing this, everyone's expression turned stern, and they immediately understood the captain's meaning.

"Understood!"

Several people acted quickly, each taking out their communication devices, walking to corners, and beginning to contact someone in low voices.