Otherworldly Affairs Office

Screams! The owl-like and ghostly cries reverberated, penetrating hearts in the space, forcing everyone present, including Shangxing, to cover their ears against the unbearable sound.

At the same time, as the Black-robed Man continuously applied pressure to the black sphere, every grotesque figure on the ice surface cracked their skin, clutched their heads, and fell to the ground. Even before Pei Yan could react, the piercing wails erupted from their bodies.

Pei Yan, whose skin prickled with goosebumps after hearing just a few cries, commanded his helmet to block the external sound sources, staring in disbelief at the Black-robed Man's actions. What was he doing? Weren't these grotesque figures on his side? Why would he act this way?

These questions didn't trouble Pei Yan for long, as the black sphere in the Black-robed Man's hand repeatedly changed shape under his grasp, ultimately succumbing to the pressure and bursting with a pop. Thick, pitch-black liquid spilled through the gaps between his clenched fingers.

Watching the black water extend rapidly across the ice surface, threatening to cover it entirely, Pei Yan could hardly imagine such a small sphere containing so much liquid. As the liquid spread further, the overwhelming smell made everyone wrinkle their noses.

What was this stench? It was more overwhelming than the bloody smell of a slaughterhouse, mixed with the foul odor of decomposing food piled together. Breathing in a few gulps of this vile air, Pei Yan nearly vomited into his helmet and quickly activated its toxic filtering mechanism. Despite the filtration, the smell was still overpowering and made Pei Yan dry heave.

Just as the black water was about to cover the ice surface and spill into the pond, the gaps between the Black-robed Man's clenched fists stopped leaking. Pei Yan sighed in relief, grateful he wouldn't have to fight in such foul-smelling water, when suddenly, the situation changed again.

The Black-robed Man slowly opened his palm, and in an instant, the black water rapidly retreated towards him, spreading across the entire ice surface as it returned. As it receded, a stream of black flowed into the gap on each grotesque figure's face, where their noses were absent.

Once the black water entered, the grotesque figures that were previously screaming and convulsing froze in place as if struck by a Body Fixing Technique, each maintaining their posture. When all the grotesque figures had absorbed the black water, the remaining liquid swirled back into the Black-robed Man's hand, forming a black sphere identical in size to the previous one.

Shangxing stared at the strange happenings before him, and despite being a seasoned investigator, he found himself unsettled by the bizarre scenes, contrary to his usual decisive nature in missions. It was the power displayed by the Black-robed Man that had left him uneasy.

As the person who bore the brunt of the opponent's mental pressure, Shangxing understood deeply the severity of his capabilities. He knew that if they were to confront him, their entire unit could face dire consequences. But he couldn't fathom why the Black-robed Man played so many tricks. What was he trying to achieve? Why hadn't the bureau's reinforcements arrived yet?

Little did Shangxing know that right after he sent the request for help through his laptop, the Investigation Bureau had already used a secret technique to notify Yuan Shaoqing, who was waiting with a task force on the periphery of the pond to infiltrate for support.

Yet, despite nearly ten minutes passing, not only had they failed to provide support to Pei Yan and the others, but even team leader Yuan Shaoqing himself had to send out an alert for headquarters' assistance. Similarly, alerts began sounding at more than twenty other otherworldly energy monitoring sites nationwide.

As the newly formed Investigation Bureau dealt with the sudden and intense tension caused by these events, a covert mission was unfolding. In the rugged mountain roads along the southern border near the neighboring country, a small team of more than twenty supernatural agents traversed the dense forest in secrecy, crossing the border under the cover of night.

Once informed by their guide that they had passed the area most likely to be detected by border patrols and officially entered Huaxia territory, Shitang Longsi looked up at the bright moon, having prepared and endured so much to finally set foot on this land.

Ahead, a pudgy middle-aged man in a polo shirt, carrying a straw hat and continuously fanning himself, turned to see Shitang Longsi standing in a daze. In fluent Japanese, he called out, "Let's move quickly; we don't have much time. We must break through the internal monitoring network now when the Investigation Bureau is distracted."

"Mr. Mu, do we really need to be this cautious about the Investigation Bureau? My mentor doesn't think much of them," Shitang Longsi replied disdainfully as he hurried to catch up, keeping pace behind the middle-aged man.

The man called Mu glanced at the young man who showed outward deference but radiated arrogance inside and out, wanting to rebuke him but then held back his words.

Mu understood that the arrogance stemmed from Mu Fanchen's intentional indulgence, having groomed him as a sharp tool for killing, without concern for the potential rigidity leading to breakage.

If the mentor doesn't care, it wasn't his place to educate. Thinking this, Mu smiled slightly at Shitang Longsi, "You're already exposed to the Investigation Bureau's radar and, considering the current facilities for detection have greatly improved, it's challenging for agents like us above the third tier to enter through ordinary means."

Mu lifted his gaze to the sky thoughtfully, "That's why we need to seize this prime opportunity when those reckless fools make their first probe, sneak into the interior and reduce resistance for future plans, I suspect the Investigation Bureau will be overwhelmed for some time and won't bother us 'little mice'."

Feeling compelled to issue a warning, Mu sincerely advised Shitang Longsi, "I trust you understand what our risky venture here aims to achieve, so I hope you remain alert and avoid complications. Everything should prioritize the smooth implementation of our organization's plans."

"Mr. Mu, rest assured, my mentor commanded strictly that my team and I must absolutely follow your orders and arrangements here. However, regarding Su Xiang and that esteemed person, I wonder if Mr. Mu would assist the junior according to the agreement?"

"I will act when necessary."

"Thank you, Mr. Mu!"