On the outskirts of Qianli City, far from the hustle and bustle of the urban center, a certain base remained bustling late into the night.
Overloaded heavy trucks went in and out. The area was brightly lit, with tall searchlights illuminating the base's surroundings as bright as day, to the point that even the owls in the nearby hillside forest stopped hooting.
Only a few nightjars looking for mates let out strange, rhythmic calls every now and then.
Due to historical reasons, Qianli City contained countless air raid shelters of various sizes, and the headquarters of the newly established 500 Special Investigation Section happened to be set up right inside one.
Tap, tap, tap.
The crisp sound of leather boots clicking against the hard floor echoed off the shelter walls, emphasizing the vastness of the underground base.
“Although the 【729 Changping Red-clothed Little Girl Case】 is closed, we live in the internet age. Remember to coordinate with the cyber police to manage public opinion and prevent the issue from spreading.”
“As for the 【Route 9 Bus Supernatural Case】, headquarters requires our section to neutralize the weird involved—the Route 9 bus—once the case is wrapped up, and to investigate the cause behind its supernatural occurrences as much as possible. However, before taking action, I want the action group to conduct a thorough background investigation on the case to avoid any casualties.”
Qin Yue, clad in a black uniform, paced a few steps in front of a massive whiteboard. At first glance, her black uniform resembled a police officer's, but a closer look revealed four pockets over her right chest and the words “Special Investigation Section” embroidered across the back.
Seated around the conference table were the members of the Special Investigation Section: Fang Zijiang, He Xiaoyi, Zhang Yue, Zhao Daxian... Aside from Chen Ping, everyone was present.
“The Route 9 Bus Case is the first case since our Special Investigation Section's emergency expansion, so there is pressure from top to bottom. That's perfectly normal. Pressure drives results, and I trust everyone's capabilities. As you know, the underground experimental base here was specially approved by higher-ups for research purposes. After all, the number of special cases we handle will only increase, and the containment and study of weirds after closing cases is a top priority. Therefore, all research on case-related weirds will be conducted here to minimize potential secondary hazards.”
At this point, Qin Yue glanced at Zhao Daxian, who had remained silent the entire time, and suddenly spoke up. “As for this case, Teacher He and Zhao Daxian will lead the action group. Do either of you have an issue with that?”
He Xiaoyi’s expression turned somber. Naturally, he knew about this case. It was fair to say that no one living in Qianli City was unfamiliar with the ghost story of the Route 9 bus.
Before Qianli City renovated its public transit system, the old Route 9 bus ran from the urban area toward the suburbs, went up to the Qingpo Mountain Cemetery, and then took a loop route back to the terminal station.
Then, during a heavy rainstorm one year, a landslide hit Qingpo Mountain. A Route 9 bus drove up right as it happened, and the vehicle, along with its passengers, was buried under the mud. Nine passengers, including the driver, lost their lives.
Since then, eerie rumors about the Route 9 bus began to spread. Someone out for a 4:00 AM jog claimed to have seen an old Route 9 bus creaking its way up Qingpo Mountain, filled with emotionless passengers.
Others getting off late-night shifts and scrolling through their phones while waiting at a bus stop looked up to find an empty old Route 9 bus idling right before them.
The reason this case was handed over to the Special Investigation Section was that witnesses had seen missing individuals board an old Route 9 bus before vanishing without a trace. Before they took over, the number of missing persons had already reached six.
Yet what worried He Xiaoyi wasn't the bus itself. With Zhao Daxian's arrogant and disdainful nature, would he really be willing to take orders from anyone else?
He Xiaoyi looked toward Qin Yue, hesitant.
“...Of course, I will strictly obey the organization's arrangement.”
The young man wearing a pink tracksuit stood up with an energized expression and declared decisively, “I'll hold a meeting with the action group right after this and make sure we burn the midnight oil to crack this background investigation! Teacher He, sorry to trouble you this time.”
He agreed so readily that, by the end, a slight awkwardness crossed his face as he added, “Um... Teacher He, I admit my past work attitude was problematic, but I promise you, something like that will never happen again. Really!”
Why is he acting so out of character? Did this guy take the wrong meds today?
Even Zhang Yue, who was flipping through documents beside them, noticed something was off and looked up at Zhao Daxian.
—Ever since the Green Ti New City fire haunting case concluded, this guy's attitude had been downright strange.
When Zhao Daxian first arrived, he was always languid, indifferent to everything, and perpetually slacking off.
Now, however, his entire aura had shifted.
Not only was he brimming with drive, but the way he looked at Qin Yue was tinged with faint hope, as though yearning for some form of approval.
Compared to his cynical attitude when he first joined, the current Zhao Daxian was so obedient it was downright eerie.
“Section Head Qin, the weird artifacts collected from the scene of the Red-clothed Little Girl Case have been delivered. My team is rushing the tests, but because we lack proper preservation methods, these materials degrade easily.”
To the side, Fang Zijiang slowly pushed up his glasses and spoke tentatively. “So we'll have to trouble Group Leader Zhao to collect a few more samples during field operations next time...”
Knowing Zhao Daxian's personality, everyone expected him to reject Fang Zijiang's request. To their surprise, the man seemed to breathe a subtle sigh of relief and immediately patted his chest in agreement. “No problem at all! Leave it to me.”
If they hadn't been certain that this Zhao Daxian was genuine, they would have suspected he was possessed.
Qin Yue, of course, knew the real reason behind his shift in attitude.
—With the Special Investigation Section's emergency expansion and such massive moves from official authorities, religious organizations naturally reacted.
Over this period, more than half of the calls Qin Yue received were inquiries about her progress with the cultivation technique. The rest were probing, directly or indirectly, into the government's attitude toward folk religious organizations.
Even renowned Taoist masters and exorcists were self-recommending. She had lost count of how many application forms to join the Special Investigation Section she had rejected.
Zhao Daxian likely felt the threat of being replaced at any moment. Furthermore, having personally witnessed extraordinary figures like Ma Guniang, he was straining with all his might to get closer—just a bit closer—to that door of mystery.
Qin Yue had originally intended to replace him. Considering team chemistry going forward, she suppressed the thought for now.
During the Green Ti New City case, Zhao Daxian's performance was barely passable, and he was even taught a small lesson by Ma Guniang for his flippant tongue.
Yet it was clear that Ma Guniang's stance toward them resembled that of a benevolent elder looking upon juniors. She clearly favored the government as well; otherwise, she wouldn't have gifted them a cultivation technique after a single encounter.
Ever since the scene's video footage was submitted that day, the higher-ups had been investigating Ma Guniang relentlessly. Unfortunately, they found nothing.
Her origins, what the "demon suppressors" and "Commissioners" she spoke of actually were, and why she maintained a favorable yet ambiguous stance toward the authorities—all remained a complete mystery.
—Every frame of Ma Guniang's appearance had been scrutinized repeatedly. Her speech habits, movement preferences, and verbal quirks were cross-referenced again and again, and even the style and fabric texture of her clothing weren't overlooked.
It was said that over a dozen trace inspection experts had fainted from exhaustion over this.
However, one thing was certain: Ma Guniang held the answers they sought.
Qin Yue absentmindedly rubbed her temples.
If her subordinates were tough to manage, worst-case scenario, she would train them slowly over time; if that failed, she'd handle it then. But as for those who knew about Ma Guniang, the fewer, the better.
“I know everyone is interested in the special entity calling herself Ma Guniang as well as the cultivation technique. The safety of the transcribed manual has already been verified by martial arts grandmasters and traditional Chinese medicine titans.”
She opened her eyes slowly, her gaze sweeping across the group, before speaking with a light smile after a pause:
“Considering this technique does possess certain special effects, once translated and bound into volumes, the organization will prioritize distributing it to members of the Special Investigation Section. To ensure safety, the first batch will consist of myself and nine other action group members practicing simultaneously to monitor our progress.”
At these words, everyone's eyes lit up, and their gazes landed squarely on Qin Yue in unison:
“Section Head Qin, what does cultivation feel like? Is it really like in Xianxia novels where you can feel spiritual energy?”
“The first batch has already started? Remember to send me a copy of the synchronized experimental logs so I can analyze them when I get back. Oh, right, do you feel anything unusual while cultivating?”
“If I had to mention a special feeling, it would be a noticeable increase in physical fitness, along with a higher energy intake than before,”
Qin Yue shrugged. “Also, during daily training, everything feels much easier than before. As for the spiritual energy you mentioned, I really don't feel anything.”
She stood up and threw a sudden punch into the air. A sharp crack of breaking air resounded as her bones popped softly in rapid succession. Beneath the skin of her toned arm, the muscles bulged with striking clarity.
—If this punch landed solidly on someone, it would probably knock their very soul out of their body.
Though the others couldn't see internal mechanics, they keenly sensed that this punch differed from ordinary martial techniques.
How could it be described? If standard fighting techniques were ordinary weapons, Qin Yue's punch felt like a sword forged in blazing fire—brimming with lethal intent.
“This should follow the path of body tempering—first opening the meridians and stretching the bones, then balancing the five elements of the internal organs. Ancient texts record that tempering blood qi aims to bolster the physical vessel's vitality, cleansing the essence and washing the marrow to purge postnatal impurities.”
Zhao Daxian's eyes were filled with envy, his mouth practically drooling. “It's like forging iron—hammering the flesh step by step to consolidate it until it reaches primordial unity and forms pure physical vitality. Only then can one gather qi and concentrate the spirit, storing qi inside the body to draw upon at will.”
The others gathered around Qin Yue to inspect her, and He Xiaoyi couldn't help but marvel in amazement. “It can actually be cultivated? In our modern age of depleted spiritual energy, I'd only heard of naturally blessed lands like Longhua Mountain or Mount Emei allowing people to temper their bodies with spiritual energy. If this technique truly has no drawbacks, we owe her a massive debt of gratitude. With your progress, let alone traditional body-tempering practitioners, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Tsk tsk tsk, I really wonder what kind of amazing place that Demon Suppression Division is, for even a basic manual given away so casually to be such a top-tier treasure.”
Indeed, what kind of place was the Demon Suppression Division?
Qin Yue couldn't help but exhale slowly.
Rate on N.U.
