The next morning.
The moment Yue Shi stepped into the office, he saw Ling Xun already waiting by his workstation.
"You're here." The Section Chief of the Special Operations Section spoke with his usual professional demeanor, skipping all pleasantries.
"The business trip plan has changed. We're leaving immediately. Someone will be traveling with you to Chijing City today."
Yue Shi's brow furrowed slightly. "Who?"
He considered himself to have arrived early enough—it was just past eight—but he hadn't expected the other party to be in even more of a hurry.
Ling Xun gestured toward the door. "They're already waiting for you. Chijing City is quite far, and the helicopter won't be flying in a straight line; it needs to bypass certain sensitive airspaces. Even at full speed, it'll take half a day. The weather forecast says there might be snow this afternoon, and visibility will worsen, so we must depart as early as possible."
Yue Shi didn't ask further questions. He simply nodded and picked up the briefcase containing all his "belongings."
"Let's go."
The two of them took the elevator in silence directly to the top floor of the Investigation Bureau building.
The wind on the rooftop was strong, whipping Yue Shi's long hair about. He squinted and saw the helicopter on the landing pad, its rotors already spinning slowly, producing an increasingly intense roar.
And waiting beside the helicopter were two people he didn't particularly want to see.
It was the glamorous woman and the muscular man from the Glory Association. They were still wearing their white uniforms, their expressions cold and sullen, looking like they were owed a fortune.
The Su Yuanhe who might or might not have been real was gone, and that plain-looking bodyguard was nowhere to be seen.
Upon seeing Yue Shi's arrival, the glamorous woman gave no reaction. She simply turned and nimbly boarded the helicopter first, followed closely by the muscular man.
Yue Shi followed them with an expressionless face.
The door closed, and the noise inside the cabin became deafening.
As the helicopter lifted off, the Investigation Bureau building quickly shrank in their field of vision, becoming an insignificant square within the city grid below.
The city's silhouette receded, and the helicopter adjusted its course, flying toward Chijing City.
Yue Shi put on noise-canceling headphones, and the world's clamor was instantly filtered out, leaving only the dull hum of the engine.
Soon, the co-pilot's calm voice came through the headphones: "Estimated flight time is about five hours. Please be prepared."
No one responded.
The atmosphere in the cabin was frozen. The two from the Glory Association sat upright, eyes fixed forward, as if no one else existed.
Yue Shi remained silent, his gaze fixed out the window.
Initially, the helicopter maintained a straight flight path, but after more than an hour, it began to change course frequently, clearly taking a detour.
It was avoiding the scattered supernatural domains and the territories of the lawless Chaos Zone gangs below.
Looking down from the high altitude, those areas appeared with a sickly gloom, sharply distinguished from the neatly planned city.
The city and the Chaos Zones outside were like two completely different worlds.
The entire five-hour flight passed in this oppressive atmosphere.
When the co-pilot announced they were approaching their destination, Yue Shi looked through the window and saw Chijing City in the distance.
Under a leaden sky, the city as a whole had a dark red tone, with massive clusters of buildings sprawling across the land.
In the center of the city, a landmark building, the Chijing Tower, towered high like a red crystal pillar, its peak emitting a rhythmic red glow.
Elevated tracks radiated outward from the Chijing Tower, making the entire city look like a giant circuit board operating with precision.
Even with the naked eye, it was clear that Chijing City was far more developed than Amber City.
As the helicopter approached Chijing City's airspace, a beam of light swept from somewhere on the city wall, briefly passing over the fuselage, seemingly some kind of identification procedure.
After entering the city limits, they flew for a while longer over endless clusters of buildings.
The surface area of this city was truly immense.
Finally, the helicopter landed smoothly on the landing pad atop the Chijing City Investigation Bureau.
The roar of the rotors gradually subsided, and the cabin door opened.
Yue Shi and the two from the Glory Association stepped off the aircraft, and a cold wind carrying the distinct scent of an industrial city immediately hit them.
Several people were already waiting on the landing pad.
Leading them was a young man in an Investigation Bureau uniform. He wore a gentle smile and had a refined air that made people feel at ease.
Seeing them disembark, he immediately stepped forward, his gaze falling first on the glamorous woman.
"You've traveled a long way; thank you for your hard work. I am Xin Yanzheng, an external affairs specialist for the Chijing City Investigation Bureau. Welcome to Chijing City." His voice was clear as he smiled and extended his hand to the woman.
The glamorous woman hesitated for a split second before reaching out to briefly shake his hand.
After shaking hands with her, Xin Yanzheng also gave a smiling nod to the muscular man beside her.
Only then did his gaze turn to Yue Shi. Though he was still smiling, it carried a hint of formulaic courtesy and detachment.
A flawless professional smile also appeared on Yue Shi's face as he politely responded.
But in his heart, a storm was brewing.
A massive sense of absurdity flooded his body, and a phantom pain of torn time swept over him.
The phone possessed by Ghost vibrated slightly in his pocket—extremely light, like a silent warning.
Yue Shi forcibly suppressed all his boiling emotions, not even twitching an eyebrow as he maintained his cold, aloof expression.
Xin Yanzheng didn't notice anything unusual. He stepped aside and made a gesturing motion to the glamorous woman: "The vehicles are ready. Everyone, please follow me."
Then he said to Yue Shi, "The Bureau has arranged a brief welcome reception for you. After that, we will discuss the details of this transport mission in depth."
His treatment of the two from the Glory Association was clearly warmer, while his attitude toward Yue Shi was strictly professional.
Yue Shi followed at the back in silence, his gaze sweeping over Xin Yanzheng's back, the malice in the depths of his eyes threatening to erupt.
The group entered a private elevator at the top of the Investigation Bureau building.
Yue Shi stood toward the back, looking out through the glass observation wall.
The buildings of Chijing City had sharp angles, mostly made of steel, concrete, and reinforced glass, creating a sense of order.
Giant billboards projected product logos, mostly advertisements for energy giants or heavy industry groups.
Further away, the domes of large factories constantly belched white steam, blending into the gloomy sky.
The entire city was like a massive mechanical creation, carrying a strange sense of oppression as it operated without pause.
The elevator landed smoothly, and the doors slid open silently.
Xin Yanzheng stepped aside and gestured: "This way, please."
Several luxury cars were parked next to the private passage. The glamorous woman and the muscular man from the Glory Association got into the front car, while Yue Shi boarded the one behind.
The car door closed, shutting out most of the clamor from outside.
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