Chapter 501: Dark Star Bureau

Yuezhou East Station, Platform 96.

Li Banfeng stepped off the train and meticulously scanned the platform.

His last visit to this platform had been rushed, leaving no time for a proper look around. Back then, Li Banfeng hadn't bought any food, nor was any supplied on the train, and a deputy captain from the Dark Star Bureau had been hot on his heels, determined to kill him.

Now, that deputy captain was gone, but someone from the Dark Star Bureau had still arrived.

Director Shen Jingye had come, as had Security Captain Chen Changrui.

Shen Jingye stepped forward first to shake his hand, saying, "Xiao Li, you've worked hard."

This was the art of language; that single sentence conveyed both the care of a senior figure and the authority of a superior, naturally allowing Shen Jingye to take the lead in the subsequent conversation.

Li Banfeng shook Shen Jingye's hand, nodded, and replied, "Xiao Wang, you've also worked hard."

Shen Jingye paused for a moment, then said, "My surname isn't Wang."

"Then what is your surname?" Li Banfeng asked, genuinely.

Tangyuan quickly interjected, "This is our Director Shen."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Oh, it's Xiao Shen. How are things at the bureau?"

Shen Jingye thought for a moment before replying, "Things are quite good."

Li Banfeng said, "Good in what way? Let's discuss the specifics."

Shen Jingye considered it for a moment, then said, "Alright, let's talk in the car."

Something felt off.

Why was this person so unusual?

Even if he was an important figure from Puro Province, arriving in an outer province and meeting someone of such high status, he should at least show some nervousness or awkwardness. He should at least understand basic rules and politeness.

His demeanor seemed more like someone there to inspect their work.

Once inside the business vehicle, Shen Jingye gave a general overview of the Dark Star Bureau's overall structure.

After listening, Li Banfeng shook his head slightly. "Just hearing you describe it, I still don't have an intuitive understanding of the Dark Star Bureau."

Shen Jingye wasn't sure how to respond. "In that case, we'll give you a tour of the facilities in a bit."

Upon arriving at the Dark Star Bureau, Li Banfeng noted the building's height; it had thirty-six floors.

Shen Jingye first took Li Banfeng to the exhibition hall, giving a brief introduction to the Dark Star Bureau's history.

The Dark Star Bureau's history wasn't particularly long, having been established only a little over a decade ago.

However, tracing the Dark Star Bureau's predecessors was complicated. It had evolved from more than a dozen organizations, each with different responsibilities. Shen Jingye glossed over this, clearly not wanting Li Banfeng to know too much.

After leaving the exhibition hall, Shen Jingye led Li Banfeng through various departments. Afterward, he organized a meeting for all mid-level and senior staff, which served as both a welcome for Li Banfeng and an arrangement for his next phase of work.

Based on past experience, anyone from Puro Province struggled to adapt to such meetings.

Dozens of people would attend, staring intently at the person from Puro Province throughout.

Every move, every word, was under scrutiny. No one could bear being stared at like that; they would either feel awkward, or disgusted, or, under extreme fatigue, simply ignore all subsequent procedures and completely submit to the bureau's arrangements.

Of course, there were exceptions. Xiao Zhenggong was unique; after enduring several consecutive meetings, he still insisted on choosing the position of deputy captain of the security team. This greatly displeased Shen Jingye, but he ultimately acceded to his request.

This time, Shen Jingye had learned his lesson and changed his strategy. He began by thoroughly analyzing the current situation, implicitly pointing out the threats facing Puro Province.

These threats all originated from the Inner Province, which Shen Jingye also implicitly indicated. Only they could help Puro Province resist these threats.

At the same time, he also analyzed the situation from Li Qi's personal perspective, emphasizing that Li Qi's fate, including his businesses, influence, and personal safety, were all under their control.

Shen Jingye's speech lasted thirty-eight minutes. He wanted Li Qi to understand that, whether for the overall interests of Puro Province or Li Qi's personal benefit, valuing his status as a balancer and strengthening cooperation in his work was Li Qi's only way out.

Li Qi showed no sign of annoyance or anger; he listened very attentively.

Next, it was Li Qi's turn to speak. Shen Jingye had already made his plans: he would offer Li Qi a few options, settling him into a leisurely position, allowing Li Qi to live in the outer province under the Dark Star Bureau's supervision, and playing his proper role at critical moments. This, he believed, was the true value and significance of a balancer.

He also believed Li Qi would not refuse his arrangements.

Li Banfeng took a sip of tea and began to speak.

"Xiao Shen," he began, "from your presentation materials, it's clear you've put effort into your work. However, there are many issues and omissions in the material that I feel it's necessary to point out."

"Looking at the material as a whole, there are three main problems. The first problem comprises five aspects..."

Unlike Shen Jingye, Li Qi didn't need notes when he spoke. He kept his gaze fixed on Shen Jingye's expression.

Shen Jingye watched Li Banfeng with a smile, initially showing subtle disdain and dissatisfaction, even mocking Li Qi's overestimation of himself.

Fifteen minutes later, the smile vanished from Shen Jingye's face. His gaze dropped to the tabletop, no longer directly meeting Li Banfeng's eyes.

The transition was smooth.

Half an hour later, Shen Jingye was sweating. He felt somewhat awkward, as though his hands shouldn't be empty while listening to Li Banfeng speak.

He picked up the notebook beside him and began taking notes. At first, he just scribbled a few lines, but then he wrote more and more diligently.

Li Banfeng's speech lasted a full hour, and Shen Jingye's pen never stopped moving.

Only when Li Banfeng finished speaking did Shen Jingye let out a long breath, his clothes drenched with sweat.

"Xiao Shen," Li Banfeng said, taking a sip of tea, "is it really that tiring? I wasn't tired speaking, yet you're so exhausted from listening to me?"

Shen Jingye was indeed exhausted. He had sat upright, leaning forward, only perched on half his chair, listening for an hour while filling an entire notebook with notes.

Wiping away sweat and resting for a moment, Shen Jingye cleared his head and had his secretary present Li Qi a stack of forms detailing the responsibilities and benefits of various positions.

The purpose of today's meeting was to select a suitable position for Li Qi. If Shen Jingye had gotten straight to business earlier and spoken less nonsense, he wouldn't have suffered so much.

Li Qi took the forms and casually flipped through them. All positions were the same to him; he didn't need a salary or care about benefits, any assignment would do.

Shen Jingye waited for Li Qi's choice. Suddenly, Li Qi put down the forms, looked up at him, and said, "I've chosen. The director's position seems quite good."

Shen Jingye panicked, shaking his head repeatedly. "The director isn't an option. The position of director isn't on the forms. I'm the director, you can't take mine..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

Shen Jingye realized he had lost his composure.

Li Qi couldn't possibly snatch the director's position with just a single sentence.

It was a joke; how could he take it seriously?

Now that he had taken it seriously, his expression was quite unsightly.

Li Qi sighed. "Xiao Shen, you seem to value official positions quite a lot. I didn't say I wanted to take your place. None of the positions on your forms are very suitable for me. I'd like to be a deputy director, what do you think?"

Shen Jingye looked bewildered. "This isn't something I can decide alone..."

"Then take your time to consider it. Tomorrow, I'll take the car back to Puro Province. Inform me once you have a decision." Li Qi left the conference room.

Chen Changrui watched Li Qi's retreating back, his eyelids trembling slightly.

He had a strong feeling that the figure was familiar, but the changes were so significant that he dared not confirm it.

The others looked at Shen Jingye.

Shen Jingye's face was ashen. As long as he didn't dismiss the meeting, no one else dared to leave.

In the Ghost Hand Sect's main hall, inside Xie Juncong's bedroom, He Jiaqing was wolfing down a roasted chicken.

Xie Juncong had prepared a large table of food and wine, carefully attending to him. When He Jiaqing had almost finished eating, he asked, "Where's Big Head?"

"Are you referring to the friend from the outer province?" Xie Juncong said. "He came yesterday evening, but you weren't awake then. He said he'd come to see you again tonight."

He Jiaqing drank a pot of wine, then, after a moment to catch his breath, said, "If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have even thought of looking for me, would you?"

Xie Juncong didn't dare to lie. "We truly didn't know anything had happened to you."

He Jiaqing's eyes gleamed coldly as he looked at Xie Juncong. "Do you think Big Head knew? Do you think if something happened to me, I'd go out of my way to tell you? Why was Big Head the only one who knew to look for me?"

Xie Juncong didn't dare to say more. He Jiaqing had the table cleared, then lay back on the bed and fell asleep again.

That evening, Big Head arrived, and He Jiaqing woke up.

Upon seeing Big Head, He Jiaqing was about to perform a deep bow, but Big Head stopped him. "We're brothers. It was only right for me to save you."

He Jiaqing sighed. "You are my true brother. Without you, I'd certainly be dead. How did you know I was trapped in the Jiangxiang Gang's main hall?"

Big Head recounted his investigation process. When he mentioned Xiao Zhenggong's death, He Jiaqing was shocked. "Li Qi killed Xiao Zhenggong? Xiao Zhenggong was a balancer, and Li Qi just killed him?"

Big Head nodded. "Li Qi is the current balancer."

He Jiaqing's eyes widened. "Li Qi became a balancer? Didn't you say a balancer must have dealings with the Inner Province?"

Big Head said, "According to investigations by the Customs and Defense Office, Li Qi indeed has dealings with the Inner Province. When Sage Peak was destroyed, Li Qi rescued many people near Scoundrel Ridge."

"Sage Peak was destroyed?" He Jiaqing was even more surprised.

Big Head was also surprised. "I heard from the foreign doctor, Critic, that you were also involved in that matter."

"I was involved?" He Jiaqing had a bad feeling.

Big Head said, "Some suspect you took the Sage's Imperial Seal, saying you were the biggest beneficiary of that incident."

"I benefited..." He Jiaqing's eyebrow twitched. After a long pause to compose himself, he asked, "What else have I been involved in during this time?"

Big Head shook his head. "That's all I know for now. You might need to ask that foreign doctor about other matters."

He Jiaqing organized his thoughts, then asked, "So, Li Qi became a balancer because he killed Xiao Zhenggong and had dealings with the Inner Province?"

"Not exactly. During that time, a new balancer named Chen Weixin also appeared, but he disappeared for unknown reasons. Li Qi became a balancer mainly due to the Mysterious Life Red Lotus incident."

He Jiaqing was startled. "The Mysterious Life Red Lotus was exposed?"

"Yes, the Mysterious Life Red Lotus had been hidden in Ye Songqiao's Earth God's residence and was discovered by Chief Envoy Liao."

"Ye Songqiao's Earth God?" He Jiaqing was confused again. "Are you talking about the Mysterious Life Red Lotus?"

Big Head recounted the Ye Songqiao incident, leaving He Jiaqing utterly bewildered.

The Mysterious Life Red Lotus found in the Earth God's residence could summon heavenly light and refine elixirs using human flesh and blood.

Then what about the Red Lotus I gave to Li Banfeng?

How did two Red Lotuses appear?

This world is changing too fast.

He Jiaqing looked at Big Head and asked, "This is Puro Province, right?"

Big Head looked astonished. "Where do you think this is?"

He Jiaqing said, "I've been confined underground for so long, I feel like I've come to the wrong place."

"The place is definitely correct, but there are some details I might not know enough about. You can ask your aunt, He Yuxiu; she was one of the eyewitnesses to the event, and it seems she and Li Qi have a very special relationship."

"They don't have a special relationship!" A vein throbbed on He Jiaqing's temple. He then asked Big Head, "How much longer can you stay in Puro Province?"

"Actually, it's already time for me to return. I plan to leave Puro Province the day after tomorrow."

He Jiaqing said, "Once you go back, be sure to tell me about Li Qi's recent situation."

Big Head reminded him, "According to Chief Envoy Liao's latest investigation results, Li Qi and your friend Li Banfeng are not the same person."

"Not the same person?" He Jiaqing laughed. "You don't need to worry about whether they're the same person. Just remember one thing: Li Qi is very important to me."

"Li Qi is very important; he must be kept here. Don't quibble with him over minor details..." Shen Jingye received instructions from his superiors. The next day, he received new appointment documents, and Li Qi officially became the Deputy Director of the Dark Star Bureau.

The Deputy Director's benefits were good: a duplex apartment, a car, and because Li Banfeng didn't have a phone, he was specially provided with a mobile phone and a satellite phone.

That evening, Li Banfeng arrived at the duplex. He took out the phonograph Ling Miaosheng had given him from his suitcase and played music, aiming it at the mobile phone and satellite phone. He played a single tune over a dozen times, and the sound never wavered.

There were no "hooks" on the phones?

Li Banfeng walked through every room. The music never changed pitch, and there were no "hooks" in the rooms either.

The Dark Star Bureau hadn't set up "hooks" here? Did they not want to monitor him?

Such a good thing could happen?

Just as Li Banfeng found the situation strange, he suddenly saw the projector light up nearby.

It created an image: Li Banfeng sitting on the sofa, while the actual Li Banfeng, who was walking around with the phonograph, was obscured.

What was happening?

Li Banfeng looked at the projector in surprise.

The projector replied, "Director Qi, there are others of my kind in this room."

Others of its kind.

Li Banfeng slapped his forehead. His way of thinking hadn't adapted yet.

In the outer provinces, they didn't necessarily use "hooks"; there was also something called a camera.

The projector was extremely sensitive to lenses. It detected a total of eleven cameras throughout the duplex.

"Director Qi, don't speak yet. The technology in the outer provinces is strange. These others of my kind can actually collect sounds, and they can transmit images and sounds through some means."

"It seems these others aren't used for filming movies. I should probably do something about them." The cameras couldn't pick up a single word the projector said, but Li Banfeng couldn't speak freely.

The projector floated in mid-air and cast its Withering Technique on every camera.

The cameras first disappeared, then reappeared in their original positions.

"Director Qi, don't worry. These counterparts from the outer provinces have become my friends. From now on, they will only transmit the images I want them to see and the sounds I want them to hear."

"Do you need to stay in this room all the time?"

The projector was confident. "No, these new friends are very obedient. Even if I'm not here, they'll know what to do."

This could be considered a technological confrontation between Puro Province and the outer provinces.

Li Banfeng sighed. Having stayed in Puro Province for too long, he needed some time to adapt to life in the outer provinces.

His phone rang, and Li Banfeng answered it.

Officer Banzhuan, on duty tonight, issued a notification: an unknown creature, suspected to be a Dark Energy Abomination, had appeared in a residential building in Garden Community, Qingzhou Road, Baiyuan District. It had caused one death, and sixteen residents were trapped inside the building. All security officers were instructed to report to the scene immediately.

Dark Energy Abomination?

What kind of term was that?

Did Yuezhou City have such things?

He wasn't a member of the security team, so he didn't have to participate in this, but Li Banfeng decided to go and see.

He wanted to know what a Dark Energy Abomination truly was, and also to see the caliber of the Dark Star Bureau's security team.

Although Dengpao's combat strength wasn't high, he was just a newcomer to the Dark Star Bureau. According to Li Banfeng's estimation, the overall combat strength of the Dark Star Bureau's security team wouldn't be inferior to that of the Customs and Defense Office, and it should surpass that of a prominent clan or a first-tier gang in Puro Province.

What they referred to as a Dark Energy Abomination should be an extremely powerful cultivator, or a strange monster at the level of Lady Suo'e.

Could it be a pure-blooded Inner Province native?

Only by seeing it could he know the answer.

Qingzhou Road, Baiyuan District.

Li Banfeng knew this place; he had also lived in Yuezhou for a long time.

Coming to the outer provinces meant adapting to their way of life. Getting to Qingzhou Road by subway would require several transfers, which seemed a bit far.

Why take the subway? He had a car!

But he couldn't drive, and they hadn't assigned him a driver yet.

Li Banfeng had driven a road roller in Lanyang Village, but operating a steamroller was quite different from driving a car.

He might as well walk. At Li Banfeng's current speed, walking would be much faster than driving.

But this wasn't Puro Province. Would running frantically on city streets late at night attract trouble?

Take a shortcut?

He hadn't been back in two years, and Yuezhou had changed a lot. He might not recognize some of the roads.

Having lived in Yuezhou for twenty years, Li Banfeng had never imagined this place would feel so unfamiliar to him.

Driving would be safer.

Who could drive?

Actually, driving was just operating a machine; for someone who understood engineering principles, it wasn't difficult at all.

Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Residence. "Old man, I want to take my wife out for a spin."

The Portable Residence snorted, "In the middle of the night, what are you going out for? Absolutely not!"

"The night scenery in the outer provinces is quite nice. I want to show my wife something new." As he spoke, Li Banfeng pulled out a small electric train, flipped the switch, and set it running on the floor.

The Portable Residence scoffed, "What is this thing? You're trying to fob off this old man with *this*?"

Li Banfeng took out another small train, and the two trains raced together inside the Portable Residence.

The Portable Residence sighed deeply. "Ah Qi, our usual playful banter is fine, but this matter is no laughing matter. Put away all these junk toys; I don't want to see them for another second."

Li Banfeng pulled out a third train.

Toot toot!

The three trains whistled in unison.

The Portable Residence fumed, "Ah Qi, what can I say about you? Do you really take this old man for a child?"

Two minutes later, Li Banfeng exited the Portable Residence, holding the phonograph.

The phonograph scanned Li Banfeng's residence. "Oh, dear husband, these houses in the outer provinces aren't so different from Puro Province."

"They're very different. This place doesn't even have a yard, yet the price is absurdly high."

Just as Li Banfeng was about to leave with the phonograph on his back, the projector reminded him, "Director Qi, there are more of my kind outside."

There were cameras in the hallway, in the elevator, all the way to the parking lot, and even inside Li Banfeng's car.

The projector turned all these counterparts into friends, and they followed Li Banfeng into the car.

The phonograph sat in the driver's seat, studied for a few minutes, then said to Li Banfeng, "Husband, the machinery in the outer provinces is quite different from Puro Province. I'm not sure I can handle this."

Li Banfeng sat in the passenger seat, encouraging the phonograph, "My dear wife, you are clever and skillful. A mere car will be easy for you."

The phonograph used its stylus to start the car. One stylus controlled the gear stick, another the accelerator and brake, and the remaining stylus controlled the steering wheel.

The projector created an illusion in the back seat, making the phonograph invisible and showing Li Banfeng in the driver's seat, so passersby wouldn't notice anything unusual.

"Husband," the phonograph said nervously, "I'm about to drive..."

"Go ahead, wife. It's not difficult at all."

"Husband, I'm driving very slowly."

"It's fine. If we can't make it in time, I'll just run there."

After driving for less than ten minutes, the phonograph was no longer nervous.

"Husband," it exclaimed, "this thing is more fun than a train! It doesn't have to follow tracks!"

"That's right, my dear wife, you can drive however you like!"

"Husband, there's no one on the road ahead. I'll drive a bit faster then!"

"Drive as fast as you want, my dear wife."

Baiyuan District, Qingzhou Road, Garden Community.

Though called a community, it was actually just one residential building.

This building should have been demolished long ago. Only five households remained, a total of about ten people, and they were all trapped inside tonight.

At the stairwell entrance, a rolled-up straw mat stood upright.

Beside the straw mat lay Mingxing, Sun Haoran.

Tangyuan drove up. A cordon was set up around the community. Seeing Mingxing lying on the ground, Tangyuan was about to rush forward to rescue him when Dengpao stopped her.

Tangyuan frowned. "Why are you stopping me?"

Dengpao said, "Don't underestimate this straw mat. It's incredibly fast; we can't get close to it at all."

Tangyuan asked, "Did you engage it?"

Dengpao nodded. "Mingxing and I were the first to arrive. We originally planned to wait for backup, but then residents ran out of the building and were about to be beaten to death by this straw mat. So, Mingxing and I decided to engage it first."

"This straw mat isn't afraid of bullets. I figured the best way to deal with it was with fire. I planned to spray oil on it first, then have Mingxing set it on fire. But I sprayed the oil, and Mingxing couldn't ignite it; he got knocked down by the mat."

Tangyuan looked at Mingxing. "Is Mingxing still alive?"

Mingxing heard Tangyuan's voice, opened his eyes, and slightly moved them, indicating he was still alive.

Dengpao told Tangyuan, "From my observation, outside of ten meters, this straw mat won't actively attack. If you enter within ten meters, as long as you lie still and play dead, it also won't actively attack."

"But if you're within ten meters and still move around, it will beat you to death, literally until you're dead. Before we arrived, an old lady was beaten to death in the stairwell. Residents saw the body and called the police, which is why we rushed over."

"Now, the residents are very unstable. It seems there are other things in the building, and they might try to rush out again. What we can do now is maintain order at the scene, keep unauthorized personnel away from the building, and then wait... for backup..."

Dengpao's voice faded.

Creak, creak.

The straw mat began to move towards Dengpao and Tangyuan.

Tangyuan said, "Didn't you say the straw mat wouldn't actively attack outside of ten meters?"

Dengpao nodded. "From my observation, that's correct."

As the straw mat drew closer, Tangyuan prepared to use her technique. Dengpao quickly warned her, "What technique are you thinking of using? *Shumo Xunxing*? That move doesn't differentiate between friend and foe, and Mingxing is still lying there. Don't cause him trouble."

The words had barely left his mouth when the straw mat swept horizontally, striking at Dengpao.

Dengpao reacted incredibly fast, his feet slipping as he dodged the straw mat's attack.

The straw mat turned to attack Tangyuan, who couldn't dodge it.

Just as the straw mat was about to hit Tangyuan's face, a muffled thud was heard, and the straw mat suddenly flew into the distance.

Tangyuan didn't know why the straw mat had flown, nor did Dengpao understand the reason.

Seeing the straw mat still over thirty meters away, Dengpao quickly rushed forward and helped Mingxing to his feet.

Before the injured Mingxing could even regain his balance, the straw mat charged back.

Dengpao tried to flee with Mingxing, but the straw mat was much faster, striking down towards the back of their heads.

Another muffled thud.

The straw mat flew off again.

Tangyuan looked around. She realized this wasn't an accident; someone was saving them.

A person stood on the awning above the stairwell.

Tangyuan's eyes lit up. "Master Qi!"

Dengpao's heart leaped with joy. "It really is Master Qi."

Mingxing didn't understand. "What master?"

Li Banfeng looked at the straw mat and said, "Keep hitting it; it's coming back again."