Chapter 510: 调和剂

The driver parked the car and opened the door for Shen Jingye.

The access control manager opened the main gate for Shen Jingye.

Two section chiefs, who had been walking behind Shen Jingye, quickly scurried ahead. They pressed the elevator button and held the doors open for him.

Once in his office, Shen Jingye looked out at the scenery and took a sip of tea.

As of now, there was still no news of Li Qi. While they couldn't confirm his demise, they needed to make the necessary preparations.

The disappearance of the previous Balancer, Chen Weixin, for an extended period had put many operations in a difficult position. This time, they needed to avoid a similar situation.

"Li Qi's whereabouts are unknown, and he cannot perform his duties as a Balancer," Shen Jingye began to formulate his speech. "The relevant search efforts must continue, but we also need to start identifying the next Balancer…"

Shen Jingye was carefully crafting his speech. While he wouldn't write the draft himself, he needed to provide his secretary with sufficient guidance to ensure the content remained on track.

"I am deeply saddened by the consequences of Li Qi's unauthorized actions. While we reflect deeply on this, we must also clearly recognize that a weak sense of discipline and a lack of broader perspective are common ailments among nearly all Balancers. We understand the impact of Pro-Zhou's harsh environment on them, but we must simultaneously reinforce our disciplinary measures…"

*Ring… ring… ring…*

The ringing of the landline interrupted Shen Jingye's train of thought. He glanced at the caller ID, and a tremor ran through his cheek.

He picked up the phone and heard the voice he dreaded most:

"Xiao Shen, come to my office for a moment."

In the Dark Star Bureau, only one person dared to call him "Xiao Shen"…

Hanging up the phone, Shen Jingye immediately called the front desk. "When did Director Li arrive?" he demanded. "Why wasn't I informed immediately?"

The receptionist was utterly bewildered and couldn't answer for a long time. Shen Jingye hung up and then contacted several deputy directors and section chiefs. To his astonishment, not a single person among them had received news that Li Qi had come to work.

Shen Jingye rubbed his forehead, feeling a surge of discomfort, when Li Qi called again. "Xiao Shen," the voice snapped, "Why aren't you here yet? How long do you expect me to wait? You need to fix your work attitude!"

Ten minutes later, Shen Jingye arrived at Li Banfeng's office.

Despite his immense frustration and disappointment, Shen Jingye had to feign concern for his colleague. "Xiao Li, you had me worried sick!" he exclaimed. "What exactly happened?"

Li Banfeng chuckled. "I was just about to tell you what happened. Don't worry, let's sit down and talk. Who led the security team to the textile factory yesterday?"

"That was Deputy Director Wang," Shen Jingye replied. "It falls under his purview."

Li Banfeng then asked, "Was that Deputy Director Wang's spontaneous decision, or was he acting under your orders?"

Shen Jingye felt a surge of anger and was about to engage in a dispute with Li Banfeng. However, he rephrased his words, opting for a different approach. "Director Wang's actions were in the fulfillment of his duties," he stated, "and in completing the mission assigned to him by the Bureau."

This was experience. This was capability.

By reframing the statement, he denied Li Qi any opportunity to make an issue of it.

Even if Li Qi still wanted to argue, he couldn't possibly dispute Director Wang's responsibilities, much less question the Bureau's decision.

Li Banfeng frowned. "Xiao Shen," he said, "are you unable to explain this matter clearly?"

Shen Jingye didn't know how to respond; Li Banfeng was completely diverging from his expected line of questioning.

Li Banfeng continued, "If you can't explain it clearly, I'll call Director Wang in."

Shen Jingye remained unable to answer.

Li Banfeng picked up his landline and dialed Director Wang's number. "Xiao Wang," he said, "come to my office for a moment."

An hour later, four directors were seated in Li Banfeng's office.

Director Liu, who was responsible for managing restricted zones, was the first to receive the news. A drone patrolling the Ruirong Textile Factory's restricted area had detected an unknown smoke. Subsequent investigation confirmed that the smoke originated from a cigarette butt.

The textile factory had already been designated a restricted area at that time, so where did this cigarette butt come from?

Director Liu relayed the information to Director Zhang, who was in charge of investigations. Director Zhang dispatched drones for a search, and they identified several suspicious individuals active near workshops three and five.

Director Zhang immediately reported the situation to Director Shen. Director Shen, highly prioritizing the incident, summoned Director Wang, who oversaw the security team, and had him collaborate with Director Liu and Director Zhang to devise an action plan and organize the operation.

Staff members brought the drone footage into Li Banfeng's office. Li Banfeng first reviewed the initial video feed; he saw the cigarette butt, but it was not one left by him or his group.

Lightbulb and Celebrity hadn't entered the factory, and neither Li Banfeng nor Tangyuan had smoked on the premises. The surveillance footage showed the cigarette butt at 9:30 PM, but Li Banfeng hadn't arrived at the textile factory until 10:00 PM, so the times didn't align.

Next, he reviewed the second set of footage.

This set of footage, captured by a drone at 9:45 PM, showed five individuals appearing in the factory compound.

All five were uniformly dressed in black long robes and hats, completely covered from head to toe, with gas masks on their faces.

They moved quickly through the compound, then entered Workshop Six, where the security cameras failed to capture their presence.

Director Zhang stated, "Based on my many years of experience in reconnaissance work, this group likely possesses invisibility-type abilities or carries dark energy carriers that grant invisibility. Of course, it's also possible they interfered with the surveillance equipment."

As he spoke, Director Zhang frequently glanced at Li Banfeng, seemingly to showcase his professional expertise.

Li Banfeng offered no comment on his professional abilities, as everything Director Zhang had just said was essentially meaningless.

After reviewing the surveillance footage, Li Banfeng posed a question: "Was the cigarette butt seen earlier in the footage left by this group?"

Director Zhang replied with great precision, "There's some saliva on the cigarette butt, which is currently undergoing analysis. We cannot fully confirm the source of the butt until the lab report is complete, but based on the current clues, it's highly probable that they left it."

Li Banfeng looked at Director Zhang. "How can you smoke while wearing a gas mask?" he asked.

Director Zhang knew this detail was problematic. "The current inference," he explained, "is that they put on the gas masks after entering the factory premises."

"So you mean they took a smoke break to relax before putting on their masks, and then just casually left the butt on the ground?" Li Qi pressed, his gaze fixed on Director Zhang.

Director Zhang didn't respond. The cigarette butt issue was indeed difficult to explain, but the overall deduction of events was essentially unassailable.

Not only could he find no flaws, but no one else could either.

Unidentified individuals had trespassed into a restricted zone known to contain numerous highly dangerous unknown creatures. Under such circumstances, implementing emergency response measures was both logical and compliant with regulations.

Shen Jingye looked at Li Banfeng. "Director Li," he began, "we have already explained this matter clearly. Now I need you to give me a reasonable explanation: why did you last night…"

He was about to ask Li Banfeng why he had trespassed into a restricted zone with security personnel, but before he could finish, Li Banfeng cut him off.

"You have serious issues in your work," Li Banfeng stated. "That much has not yet been clearly explained."

Shen Jingye remained patient. "Please elaborate," he said, "what exactly are our problems?"

Li Banfeng said, "Xiao Liu found the cigarette butt and informed Xiao Zhang. Xiao Zhang found suspicious individuals and informed you. You then directly informed the security team. Do you really not see a problem here?"

Shen Jingye replied with complete composure, "This is following the division of responsibilities and adhering to standard operating procedures. I don't understand where the problem lies."

"The problem," Li Banfeng stated, "is why no one informed *me*."

Shen Jingye's face hardened. "Director Li," he said, "that is not within your area of responsibility."

"What *is* my area of responsibility?" Li Banfeng retorted.

Shen Jingye couldn't answer directly because he hadn't assigned any specific responsibilities to Li Banfeng.

"This matter still needs to be decided through a committee review."

"The fact that you haven't assigned me any duties proves *you* have a problem," Li Banfeng stated.

Shen Jingye was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yes," he conceded, "that is my oversight. How do you intend to handle it?"

"Considering it's your first offense, write a letter of self-criticism," Li Banfeng said, producing paper and a pen.

"I'm not in the mood for your nonsense!" With that, Shen Jingye rose and stormed out of Li Banfeng's office.

In the hallway, Shen Jingye saw centipedes crawling all over the floor.

Li Banfeng, now perched on his desk, offered an explanation. "These are samples I brought back from the textile factory," he said. "I haven't had a chance to send them to the lab yet. Our security team members were bitten by these creatures and are still in the hospital. So, Xiao Shen, be very careful where you step."

Shen Jingye let out a cold laugh.

Centipedes from the textile factory?

Would he actually believe such an absurd lie?

Shen Jingye returned to Li Banfeng's office and sat back down on the sofa.

From the upholstery of the leather sofa came faint rustling sounds. Li Banfeng reminded Shen Jingye, "I'm still not very familiar with the methods and procedures for preserving samples. These particular specimens are quite lively, and they're crawling all over the place."

Watching the unknown creatures moving within the leather sofa, Shen Jingye fell into deep thought.

Would Li Qi really dare to bring such things into the office?

Even if he wasn't afraid of violating regulations, wouldn't he be concerned for his own safety?

"Don't fall for his trick," Shen Jingye thought. "Don't be threatened by him. He must be using a dark energy carrier that produces hallucinations, just like the situation with the conference room we couldn't leave before."

With this firm conviction, Shen Jingye remained on the sofa for a full minute.

Then he pulled a chair to the table and began writing his self-criticism.

He couldn't afford to be angry with Li Qi; the man was clearly unhinged. If he really had brought centipedes in, the consequences of a bite could be severe.

As Shen Jingye began writing, Li Banfeng turned to the other three directors. "Don't just sit there," he said. "Don't you have any responsibility in this?"

As he spoke, a dozen centipedes crawled out of the sofa and scurried to their feet.

Directors Liu, Wang, and Zhang exchanged disdainful glances with Li Qi, then picked up paper and pens and began writing their self-criticism reports on the coffee table.

Once their self-criticism reports were written, they handed them to Li Qi for review.

Directors Shen, Zhang, and Liu's reports were deemed acceptable, and Li Banfeng allowed them to leave.

Director Wang's report, however, was not considered sufficiently profound, so Li Qi made him rewrite it.

Learning from experience, there was another important meeting scheduled for the afternoon. The conference department, concerned about offending Li Qi, sent the agenda for his review in advance.

Li Banfeng had little interest in the meeting, but one particular agenda item caught his attention.

This item concerned disciplinary action against two members of the security team.

One was Chen Changrui, whose situation Li Banfeng was already aware of; he faced a job reassignment.

The other was Qin Minghui, whose issue was the unauthorized use of harmonizing agents; he faced dismissal.

Setting the agenda down, Li Banfeng dialed Qin Minghui's desk phone.

The call went unanswered; Qin Minghui was not at his desk.

He was in Director Wang's office.

Director Wang was seated, while he stood.

"Xiao Qin," Director Wang said, "you don't need to say anything more about this, and don't entertain any illusions. The fact that this is the outcome today means you're already fortunate."

Qin Minghui remained silent. He hadn't sought out Director Wang to plead his case; Director Wang had called him in personally.

Director Wang hadn't called Qin Minghui in to offer him a chance at reform. Rather, having just written two self-criticism reports for Li Banfeng, he felt the need to vent.

Director Wang was a man who believed in maintaining his well-being; when he was upset, he needed to vent.

He gravely lectured Qin Minghui: "As law enforcement, to know the law and break it is, in my opinion, an unforgivable offense. Letting you go is already a lenient outcome.

Your actions, to put it mildly, damage the reputation of the entire security team. To put it more broadly, you have tarnished the entire Dark Star mission!"

After being lectured for over half an hour, Qin Minghui left the office and encountered Lightbulb in the hallway.

Lightbulb stepped forward to console him. "Chūnibyō," he said, "don't take it to heart. We'll find another place and start fresh."

Qin Minghui smiled and nodded.

"What are your next steps?" Lightbulb asked.

Qin Minghui shook his head; he hadn't decided yet. As a Dark Energizer, he faced numerous employment restrictions, and he couldn't leave Yuezhou except under extraordinary circumstances.

As they chatted briefly, Old Sun, who managed logistics for the security team, approached. "Xiao Qin," he said, "go clear out your locker in the changing room. New recruits are arriving soon, so make space quickly."

Old Sun was nearing retirement, and while his department had assigned him a relaxed position, he remained quite diligent, managing the changing room lockers with strictness.

When Qin Minghui first joined, it took him two full months to complete the application process for a locker from Old Sun. Now, even before the official dismissal papers had been issued, Old Sun, having heard Qin Minghui was to be fired, immediately demanded that Qin Minghui vacate his locker.

As Qin Minghui prepared to head to the changing room, Lightbulb interjected, "Chūnibyō, I'll go with you."

Old Sun said, "He's no longer with the Bureau; you can't call him by his codename anymore. Lightbulb, you've been here for two years; I shouldn't have to remind you of Bureau rules, should I?"

Lightbulb turned to Old Sun. "Does this concern you?" he retorted.

Old Sun frowned. "What's wrong with me saying something?" he asked. "You're young, but you have quite a temper!"

"That's not temper," Lightbulb shot back. "You're just being too nosy!"

Lightbulb rarely argued, but today he couldn't suppress his anger. Just as the two were about to erupt into a full-blown quarrel, Tangyuan approached and said to Qin Minghui, "Chūnibyō, Director Li wants to see you."

Qin Minghui gave a dry laugh. "Another scolding?" he asked.

Tangyuan offered no explanation. "I'm just relaying Director Li's orders," he stated.

Old Sun sneered from the side. "How disgraceful," he muttered. "Just making a fool of himself everywhere."

Tangyuan looked at Old Sun. "Director Li said the changing room's hygiene is unacceptable," he stated, "and he wants you to clean it."

Old Sun blinked. "Director Li went to the changing room?" he asked.

Tangyuan nodded. "He just inspected it," he confirmed.

Old Sun didn't believe it. "Xiao You," he protested, "you can't just make things like that up!"

Tangyuan's face remained expressionless. "During work hours, please use codenames," he stated. "If you don't want to go, then wait for Director Li to come find you personally."

Old Sun was highly skeptical, thinking that a director of Li's stature wouldn't concern himself with such trivial matters.

However, Director Li's temperament was notoriously unpredictable. Grumbling all the way, Old Sun nevertheless headed to the changing room.

Lightbulb quietly asked Tangyuan, "Did Director Li really go to the changing room?"

Tangyuan shrugged, offering no verbal reply.

Qin Minghui arrived at Li Qi's office and stood respectfully before the desk. He had grown accustomed to the daily scoldings.

Li Banfeng began with a question: "Where did you acquire the harmonizing agent?"

Qin Minghui answered truthfully, "I confiscated it from the black market."

"What did you get it for?"

"To consume," Qin Minghui replied with blunt honesty.

"Why did you consume it?"

"To become stronger."

"Why do you want to become stronger?"

"To protect this world and everything important within it." This was Chūnibyō's answer when he first joined the Dark Star Bureau, and to this day, it remained unchanged.

"What constitutes 'important things' in this world?" Li Banfeng asked.

Chūnibyō thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I can't define it," he admitted. "At the textile factory, the two children who were almost devoured by silkworms seemed very important to me. In Garden Community, the residents in those apartment buildings were very important. And…"

Li Banfeng pointed to a chair. "Sit down," he said, "and take your time. Explain the entire situation clearly."

That afternoon, they gathered in the conference room.

Li Qi scanned each director. The directors, however, focused intently on their meeting materials, deliberately avoiding eye contact with him.

Shen Jingye presided over the meeting. Li Qi was the first to make a suggestion: "I propose we begin with the personnel disciplinary action item."

Shen Jingye didn't dwell on the meeting's protocol; he immediately agreed to Li Qi's suggestion. Through their interactions over the past while, he had concluded that it was best not to antagonize Li Qi over trivial matters.

The disciplinary recommendations had already been drafted; ordinarily, such an agenda item would be a mere formality.

However, after the item was read aloud, Li Qi was the first to raise an objection.

He first objected to Chen Changrui's job reassignment. "There was a cloaked space within the Ruirong Textile Factory," he argued. "Chen Changrui was unaware of the specific situation beforehand, so the primary responsibility for this incident does not lie with him."

Director Wang raised a differing opinion. "As a security captain," he argued, "a thorough investigation of the site is fundamental to performing one's duties. To take rash action without sufficient understanding of the situation is, in itself, a dereliction of duty."

Li Qi had anticipated this exact argument. Finding fault was, without a doubt, the easiest thing in the world. As long as these individuals were determined to find flaws, any defense would be futile.

Was there a way to counter this?

Li Banfeng asked Director Wang, "Who assigned Chen Changrui to this mission?"

Director Wang was startled, then replied, "I was acting according to the division of responsibilities…"

Before he could finish, Li Banfeng pressed on, "Did you conduct a thorough investigation of the site? Did you assess the potential risks? Did you formulate preventative measures for the existing hazards at the location?"

Director Wang glanced at Shen Jingye, then turned back to Li Qi. "I arranged for the security team to carry out the relevant work," he said, "following Director Shen's instructions."

Li Banfeng also looked at Shen Jingye. "Did *you* investigate the situation at the site?" he asked.

Shen Jingye lowered his head, glancing at the meeting materials. "For this agenda item," he announced, "I request that the relevant departments redraft the disciplinary recommendations. We will discuss it at the next meeting. Let's first discuss the disciplinary recommendations for Qin Minghui."

The harmonizing agent incident was entirely Qin Minghui's individual action, which made it much more difficult to handle.

According to black market dealer Huang's confession, Qin Minghui had confiscated 700 grams of harmonizing agent from him, but only turned in 500 grams. Qin Minghui was unable to explain the whereabouts of the remaining 200 grams.

During this period, Qin Minghui had taken two sick leaves, which clearly indicated physical discomfort from consuming the harmonizing agent, necessitating two days of recovery.

Director Chen, who was in charge of the case, stated, "The matter is very clear. Qin Minghui himself admitted that the amount of harmonizing agent confiscated did not match the amount submitted. The nature of this incident is severe, with damaging repercussions, and according to relevant regulations, this individual should be dismissed."

Qin Minghui himself had confessed, so the matter seemed settled. It appeared no one could find an angle to defend him.

All eyes in the room turned to Li Qi.

They expected Li Qi to question the rationality of the system. While that issue could be debated, the outcome of such a discussion would hold no substantive meaning.

Violating existing regulations led to punishment. Whether the regulations should be modified would not affect Qin Minghui's disciplinary outcome.

Li Qi carefully reviewed the meeting materials. Instead of questioning the regulations, he raised objections based on the incident itself.

"Qin Minghui's responsibility cannot be determined solely on the unilateral testimony of black market dealer Huang," he stated.

Director Chen naturally found this explanation unacceptable. "This isn't just Huang's testimony," he countered. "Qin Minghui himself has admitted to the facts of the matter."

"According to my understanding," Li Banfeng stated, "Qin Minghui himself was forced to admit the discrepancy in quantities because he was threatened."

Director Chen became agitated. "Director Li," he exclaimed, "what are you implying? Who threatened Qin Minghui? Are you suggesting it was me?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I didn't say it was you," he clarified. "I suspect Qin Minghui was threatened by the black market and, out of desperation, accepted responsibility that shouldn't have been his."

Director Chen sneered. "That makes no sense," he said. "He's a member of the Dark Star Bureau; why would he be threatened by the black market?"

Li Qi also chuckled. "Indeed, this situation is perplexing. What gives a black market merchant the audacity to threaten a security team member? Who is backing him?"

As he spoke, Li Qi scanned every person in the room. "I believe this black market should be thoroughly investigated," he declared. "This matter can be entrusted to me."

The conference room fell silent. Director Chen said nothing, and neither did anyone else.

Shen Jingye broke the silence, his tone remarkably calm. "Xiao Li," he began, "I understand your desire to protect Qin Minghui. However, the disciplinary recommendations we are formulating today are also for his protection.

If this matter remains within the Bureau, Qin Minghui will merely be dismissed. But if the incident escalates, he will have to undergo a much more rigorous investigation. At that point, it won't be us investigating him, but advanced equipment and instruments.

If higher authorities deploy the Dark Energy Testing Device, it will reveal Qin Minghui's entire dark energy fluctuation curve for the past year. Is that truly the outcome you wish to see?

Each time a harmonizing agent is consumed, dark energy shows abnormal growth. If Qin Minghui has consumed harmonizing agents more than once, the curve will reveal multiple undeniable pieces of evidence.

At that point, it won't be a simple dismissal. At that point, none of us will be able to help him."

Li Banfeng showed no hesitation. Looking at Shen Jingye, he said, "Xiao Shen, I suggest you immediately request permission from higher authorities to conduct a more rigorous examination of Qin Minghui using advanced equipment and instruments. This matter truly leaves no room for ambiguity."

Shen Jingye's voice deepened. "Xiao Li," he warned, "think twice. Any impulsive choice could ruin Qin Minghui's life."

Li Banfeng still didn't hesitate. "Xiao Shen," he replied, "I have thought it over carefully. I believe Qin Minghui did not illegally consume harmonizing agents, and I trust that he will withstand this scrutiny."

The meeting had just concluded when the news spread.

The document to dismiss Qin Minghui had not been issued, meaning he was still a member of the Dark Star Bureau.

Lightbulb was delighted for Qin Minghui and deliberately took him to the changing room, much to Old Sun's annoyance.

After work, Tangyuan and Lightbulb planned to take Qin Minghui out for dinner to celebrate.

Qin Minghui, however, wasn't in a celebratory mood. He quietly went to Li Qi's office. "Director Li," he said, "I can't undergo the examination. I've consumed harmonizing agents more than once. If that's discovered, I'll be completely ruined."

"Don't worry, they won't find anything," He Jiaqing said, on a remote call with Big Head from within the Ling Family Film Industries building. "Li Qi's move was the right one. Cultivation is imperceptible, and what other states call 'dark energy testing devices' are merely scare tactics.

But I don't understand his relationship with this Qin Minghui. Why is he putting so much effort into protecting him?"

Big Head also expressed confusion. "I don't know what Li Qi's intentions are either," he replied, "but he is certainly working very diligently at the Dark Star Bureau."

"He's so focused in the other states that he's neglecting matters in Pro-Zhou," He Jiaqing mused. "Logically, this should be a good opportunity to recover some of our previous losses, but in my current state…" He Jiaqing scratched his cheek, revealing a row of green herpes-like blisters on his face.

"I've reviewed many classified documents," Big Head said, "but as of yet, I haven't found any information related to illness cultivation."

He Jiaqing sighed. "This particular Daoist sect is still too rare," he lamented. "Any news from the medical or pharmaceutical cultivators?"

"I've located contact information for a few individuals," he replied. "Their identities are very discreet, so I'll inform you once they've been verified."

"Brother, time is running out. I'll await your news."

After the call ended, He Jiaqing sat silently in his office for a long time.

The office door opened. At such a time, anyone daring to enter this room was clearly no ordinary individual.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man, idly rolling two walnuts in his hand. He sat opposite He Jiaqing. "Young Master He," he began, "you sent for me?"

"Brother Zhang," He Jiaqing said, "you must see that I've fallen prey to Green Flower's scheme. My life might be in danger these next few days, so I've come to borrow something from you."

Zhang Gunli rubbed the walnuts between his fingers. "Can you be more direct?" he asked. "Are you looking to extend your life?"

He Jiaqing nodded. "I was wondering if you could lend me some life?"

Zhang Gunli put away his walnuts and produced a promissory note. "I can lend it," he said, "but the interest is a bit high."