Chapter 4

In this dream, no matter what Xuanji says, it seems as if she is merely talking to herself

Then he actually moved, slowly turning around

Well, regarding that "person," he may have misunderstood.

Xuan Ji suddenly felt that he might not be very competent for this job—after all, he was a troublemaker registered at the headquarters, and it seemed a bit unreasonable to expect a troublemaker to mediate.

That won't be the case, and there aren't that many matters. Most of what is online has this kind of style. Lao Luo handed over the phone and pointed to one of the popular posts on the forum, saying, "The matters that truly require us to dispatch field personnel mostly come from the police department."

Xuanji focused her gaze and saw that the title of the post was "Help: I feel that my son is no longer my son."

It is an evil spirit

Director Xuan's face, which always carried a hint of levity, grew serious as he slowly slipped his hand into the pocket of his outer coat

Lao Luo was taken aback upon hearing Xiao Li's exclamation— that "identity card" in Xuan Jie’s hand transformed into a withered leaf, which then caught fire and in an instant turned to ash

Xuanji: "... ... Your hands are truly skillful"

What does this mean

The Chiyuan Branch of the Anomaly Control Bureau is currently overwhelmed with the situation regarding the mutated trees, leaving no time to attend to this group of logistics personnel. They only sent a small intern named Li to guide them to the hospital

Leader

The post roughly states that the original poster's family had a troublesome child who used to skip school, smoke, and spend all day in internet cafes. Recently, for some unknown reason, he has turned over a new leaf, not only attending school honestly but also managing to rank in the middle of his class during the monthly exams. The surprise is so great that the mother finds it hard to believe, leading her to entertain wild thoughts and suspect that her son has been impersonated by someone else.

Although Luo Cuicui did not have much hair, she was very perceptive and immediately realized that she had asked an inappropriate question, quickly excusing herself with understanding

"No, no, no, that's not necessary. How could I possibly accept..." Xuanji, feeling anxious and fearful, glanced at the roll of environmentally friendly colored yarn and thought it would be better to resign before winter. She quickly changed the subject, "Besides today, what other matters do we usually have? Do we have many business trips?"

"Fake certificate?" Luo Cuicui exclaimed, "Who is this person?"

This is the identification he submitted. Xiao Li took out an ID card from a file bag, stating, "No phone, he said his phone was lost"

"Not a human." He kicked open the slightly ajar door, and a cold light was flung from his hand, directly aimed at the back of the long-haired man

No wonder he felt a sense of familiarity the moment he saw that map

"I can't do it, I am of no use," Luo Cuicui first spoke a few words of false humility in a proud tone, then added, "My hands and feet are different from those of ordinary people. If I don't take care of them, my fingers and toes will keep growing, and in a year, I would wear out many pairs of shoes!"

Old Luo changed his tone and cheerfully flattered, "However, I see that you won't stay with us for long, Director Xuan. You are not an ordinary person, are you?"

No, it definitely wasn't a vine that was thrown out. I remember it was particularly fast, and...

A sudden chill rose along Lao Luo's spine, and before he could react, he saw Director Xuan lean back in a nonchalant manner, winking at him. The previous sharp, demonic aura had completely vanished, as if it had all been merely a figment of his imagination

The hospital has been quarantined by the foreign control bureau, thus there is only one person in the family waiting room

He took out a few coins from his pocket and performed a simple divination.

For this matter, Xuanji even made a special trip to the clan's altar. However, whether due to a lack of skill or some other reason, the altar only provided him with a vague direction and a single character

"It is I, the leader, I am Lao Luo, Luo Cuicui." The gentleman with a barcode on his head approached, and a fragrant breeze wafted over. Xuanji sniffed, detecting a scent of fresh grass; this Cuicui brother is quite the fresh type.

Only the gentle breeze lifted the hem of the garment of the person at the window, and the man who had seemed like a statue for the past ten years suddenly came to life, letting out a soft sigh

As he spoke up to this point, he suddenly fell silent—by the window stood a person with a sword slanted at their waist, the hilt of which was intricately engraved with complex patterns, at the center of which was a design that perfectly corresponded to the arrangement of the eight mutated trees of Chiyuan

Old Luo shouted into his ears amidst the buzzing noise of the airplane: "Wake up quickly, we are about to land!"

Business trips are quite frequent. Regarding today's matter, it appears serious, but in fact, it is not difficult to handle. The most troublesome aspect is that some colleagues in the field do not pay attention to environmental protection; they casually damage a large bridge or blow up a few cars, and after causing the damage, they just leave without a care. Meanwhile, we still have to rush around to arrange for repairs! We also need to discuss compensation plans and so on. Sigh, once the topic of money comes up, the disputes can drag on endlessly. Bi Chunsheng said, leaning closer to Xuanji and lowering his voice, "Our previous Director Gong returned home before reaching retirement age, claiming it was 'internal retirement,' but in reality, it was due to 'issues.' I heard that the bureau is currently investigating him."

Sister Bi stared into her eyes and calmly repeated, "It is just a vine."

Well, it should not have much of an impact. I had always thought you might be some kind of wraith, but it seems...

The direction pointed to the headquarters of the Alien Control Bureau, and the character written was "person"

A resolute voice came from behind: "Trust me, the next rapidly developing opportunity will definitely be in Southeast Asia. You won't suffer losses or be deceived by buying this house..."

Xuanji, feeling utterly bored, took out his phone, connected to the airplane Wi-Fi, and found the post that Lao Luo had just shown him.

Xuanji: "... ..."

Just as the newly appointed Director Huang of the Anomaly Control Bureau was intent on digging into him, he simply went along with the flow. As for the meaning of the character "人" (ren), Xuanji had not yet grasped it, so when Director Huang asked him which department he wanted to go to, he chose a place that specialized in dealing with people

Xuanji casually poked her chest with her thumb and said, "Brother, what do you think is not ordinary about me? Is being an idol enough?"

"The light is broken again," Xiao Li said unknowingly as he walked forward, adding, "This person... um... seems a bit strange. You'll know when you take a look later."

The weather is overcast at the moment, with abundant moisture floating in the air, as if it is about to condense into droplets at any second. Despite the dehumidifying air conditioning in the car during the journey, my clothes are still completely damp, clinging wetly to my body. Qianru's hair has already frizzed into a sea urchin, spiky and messy as she walks along, trying to tame it.

Xuanji was startled and suddenly sprang up from the chair... She was taken aback by the shimmering lip balm on the exquisite older brother Luo Cuicui's lips, and then she fell back down again.

Is this "super capable" or is it a problem

Director Xuan, "Sister Bi is quite talkative and has opened up the conversation, "I take it that you are just here temporarily to guide us, right?"

Old Luo said: "Our department is a place that seeks not to achieve merit, but rather to avoid mistakes. When Director Gong was in office, he emphasized to us every day that we are responsible for maintaining order and must absolutely not create trouble. Whatever we do, we must remember this principle."

"In addition to business trips, matters online also fall under our department's jurisdiction," Bi Chunsheng said as he finished a round of knitting, then pulled out a length of yarn and skillfully wrapped it around his little finger. He continued, "There are several clustered forums and public accounts discussing strange phenomena that we need to keep an eye on at all times. When we see new trending topics, we must first determine which ones are just idle chatter from the public and which might actually indicate real issues. After filtering, we will pass the problematic ones to the field team—this task is managed by Lao Luo."

At that moment, a gentle breeze suddenly blew in through the window, and Xuanji widened her eyes, as this was something she had never experienced in her dreams

He had not yet finished being polite when he turned around and saw Sister Bi pulling out a roll of seaweed green yarn from somewhere. While chatting with him casually, she began to knit with her hands flying up and down, and one sleeve was almost taking shape, creating an exceptionally warm atmosphere around them

Xuanji asked: "What if something is overlooked? Wouldn't that make the problem even more serious?"

All the replies below are "Get the children of the internet addiction school out of here". After refreshing, the post is gone, probably reported by someone

Xuanji suddenly raised a hand to stop him: "Get away, stay far away."

Xuanji: "... ..."

The figure remained as usual, motionless, like a still life

As he spoke, he was about to push the door open and enter

The guide, Xiao Li, couldn't help but let out a chuckle, "Pfft," perhaps thinking it was somewhat impolite, and quickly cleared his throat: "The sixth rescued individual has no injuries, so they have been arranged in the family lounge, just up ahead"

He has a pair of atypical phoenix eyes that curve when he smiles. Due to his usually lively expressions, it often seems as if he is harboring some mischief, leading people to mistakenly think he has smiling eyes. However, when he looks over without speaking or smiling, his true appearance is revealed. His eyelids are very thin, and the slightly upturned outer corners of his eyes hold an inconspicuous small mole. When his expression darkens, an indescribable allure emerges.

Xuanji asked in surprise, "Is Sister Bi 'particularly capable'?"

What is most striking is his long hair. The hair extends past his waist, thick and voluminous, and in such a humid environment, it neither collapses nor becomes frizzy. When casually tied back with a string at the nape of his neck, it is surprisingly as thick as a child's arm, perfectly resembling a wig

Lao Luo's gaze lingered on that person's hair for a moment, affectionately touching the "barcode" on his own head, and murmured: "Now even young men are starting to wear wigs, it must be due to air pollution"

He flipped through other posts in the forum, and indeed, just as Lao Luo said, these forums are mostly trivial. Aside from a few delusional individuals and those writing novels online, the remaining popular posts are all clickbait, with sensational titles. The discussions that can actually be engaging are basically the same old topics—family matters, nonsensical issues, and celebrity gossip.

The slightly worn coins jumped on the small tabletop, and before they settled, they rolled down due to the turbulence of the airplane. Xuanji caught them with her hands and opened her palm to take a look, frowning— the divination symbols remained as unpredictable as ever.

Five stranded tourists were more or less injured, each looking dejected. It is said that once they leave the hospital, they will be taken away by the police to pay fines. Their identification documents and mobile phones have all been confiscated, conveniently to be handed over to Qianru for inspection, to prevent the release of any information that should not be made public.

Xuan Ji raised her eyes along his finger, and she did not know how it happened to be so coincidental; the light in the corridor flickered and suddenly went out

Xuanji flipped through for a while but did not see anything interesting. Turning back to take a glance, he noticed that the plump girl had already curled up in the corner and fallen asleep. Lao Luo and Sister Bi were huddled together discussing the matter of buying a house in Cambodia, and no one paid attention to him

Xuanji indeed has this intention, but in order to avoid shaking the morale of the troops, he did not answer directly. Instead, he tactfully said: "This must all comply with the arrangements of the organization. I have not done this before, and there are areas I do not understand, you..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Xuan Ji's smile on her face suddenly faded, and she lifted her eyelids to look at Old Luo

Xuanji: "... ..."

The fresh and lively Cui Cui said: "One must be cautious, for if there is nothing wrong and you report something, it would cause the field staff to make a trip for no reason, and upon their return, wouldn't they seek trouble with us? Isn't that right? They are our ancestors, and we cannot afford to offend them"

Xuanji observed the female host's expression becoming increasingly hesitant, her tone growing more uncertain. After they went back and forth like this two or three times, the female host naturally accepted Sister Bi's explanation. When she asked again, it was as if she had lost her memory, and she would no longer mention "tree roots" or "pythons".

A person is leaning against the window, facing away from him, gazing out the window.

The flight path was quickly approved, with a flight time of approximately one hour and forty minutes from the headquarters of the Anomaly Control Bureau in the suburbs of Yong'an City to the Chiyuan Grand Canyon. This was the first time Xuanji enjoyed the treatment of a business trip on a private jet, finding everything novel. After the plane stabilized in flight, he temporarily set aside his tasks and eagerly wandered around.

Indeed," said Lao Luo, "our logistics department is basically made up of ordinary people, and only the three of us are 'exceptional'. You, as a leader, casually pointed us out, which shows your keen insight.

The person sat on a plastic chair, with their back to the partially closed door, intently watching advertisements on the television mounted on the wall

Xuan Ji敏感地 detected a faint scent of candle wax in the air, which also seemed to have a hint of fishiness. He cast a glance in the direction of Chi Yuan, feeling a sense of foreboding arise within him

I will go buy a lottery ticket tomorrow," Xuanzhi casually said, "What is your special ability?"

Lao Luo: "... ..."

What are you so arrogantly proud of there

For the past ten years, Xuanji has been gazing at this figure from behind, never having seen its face. Whenever he attempted to approach, the figure would immediately awaken. However, later he investigated and found that he was not alone; his ancestors had also never seen this person turn around. Thus, he quickly regained his composure.

He was taken aback, gently pinching his fingers—the invisible ring on his index finger emitted a faint, warning chill.

"Brother, did you know that the戒面 has shattered?" Xuanji asked, "Does it affect you?"

The hospital is situated at a high elevation, from which one can see the mountains of the Chiyuan Grand Canyon in the distance

This is a very familiar dream. The members of their clan, after each clan leader receives the sacred fire ring, often dream of this scene: a quaint little building with a wooden beam structure, possibly a place like an inn, the room is not large, and one can faintly hear the bustling voices from downstairs

His waist and back are straight yet relaxed, and his sitting posture resembles that of someone who has undergone specialized training in body posture. Just his silhouette alone is indescribably pleasing to the eye

Xuanji put on his headphones, blocking out Lao Luo's "Macroeconomic Lecture", and closed his eyes to rest. However, whether it was the chair being too comfortable or something else, he actually fell asleep and even had a dream

The stone on his ring cracked, and his divination has remained this way, regardless of whether he inquires about significant matters or trivial affairs

Bi Chunsheng laughed heartily: "Would you like one? I bought a lot of yarn this time, and with winter approaching in a month, just wait for me to finish knitting a sweater for the old man. There will be enough left for me to knit you a hat—what style do you prefer?"

Bi Chunsheng took the initiative to handle the conversation, while Xuan Ji observed for a while and found her approach quite interesting—she resembled a friendly neighborhood committee sister, skillfully engaging in small talk to help the other party relax before adeptly interrogating them about their experiences and observations in the Grand Canyon

Sister Bi opened her eyes and spoke nonsense to correct: "That was an earthquake. What you saw should be the vines that were originally wrapped around the big tree. When the big tree fell, the vines were thrown out. Where would a giant python come from in the scenic area?"

What the hell

If the other party mentions something unreasonable, for example, a female anchor with a broken leg recalls: "At that time, it seemed like a giant python was chasing us, looking particularly strange, it was earth-colored, just like that... that tree root, it scared me to death!"

I underestimated this position, akin to that of an old matron in the imperial palace, and surprisingly, there are even risks of corruption involved