From the entrance of the city to the main city, the journey was more than 20 minutes without a break!
The familiar city, the familiar people, and the familiar sky.
All of this was no longer familiar to him because of an LED.
"This is …" Wang Chenghao sucked in a breath of cold air. "This … is the trace of 'those things' …"
"It's definitely not a military exercise!
These are all cover-ups! "
On the screen, the entire City of Salvation was covered in a faint layer of red!
There were even three places that were as red as blood!
Qin Ye withdrew his gaze, "Let's go."
There was no point in guessing. Zhang Baoguo definitely knew more details.
They had already agreed on the address, so they drove very fast. No one was in the mood to enjoy the scenery on the road.
After following the GPS for 20 minutes, they arrived at a well-decorated teahouse.
"Sir, do you have an appointment?" As soon as he entered the door, a waiter greeted him and asked with a smile.
"Mr. Zhang's appointment."
"Please.
Room 204. "
Qin Ye quickly made his way to the second floor and stood in front of Room 204. Then, just as he was about to place his finger on the door, he paused.
"Why?" Wang Chenghao asked curiously.
"… Tell me, if you have a head full of white hair, and you see your former peer with a youthful face in front of you, what will you do?"
"Death by a thousand cuts!!"
Qin Ye glared fiercely at him. How unoriginal! How vulgar!
The door was gently pushed open. Inside was a deep blue carpet, and a 1.5 meter tall Immortal Peach Flying Crane Tea Pot was placed in the middle. Beside it were two armchairs.
The peony painting was magnificently placed on the easel.
Paired with the exquisitely carved palace lanterns, it had to be said that it was decorated in Chinese style and was far more elegant and luxurious than the Fenglai Hotel.
An old man with a head full of white hair and a young man wearing a thin sweater immediately stood up when they saw the door open.
Surprisingly, no one spoke.
Click … The door closed softly, and Qin Ye glanced at the old man across from him. Although his hair was already white, his spirit was still hale and hearty. His height was approximately 1.8 meters, and he appeared to be a burly man.
The few wrinkles on his face carried traces of vicissitudes of life.
The young man and the old man were somewhat similar. They both had square faces.
His eyebrows were very thick, and he looked very energetic.
"It's been twenty years.
You're getting old. "Finally, Qin Ye spoke up and walked over with a faint smile on his face.
As soon as Zhang Baoguo saw Qin Ye, his body began to tremble slightly.
The look in his eyes was very complicated, as if he was looking at his own past, his own youth … In the end, it turned into a sigh, "I haven't seen you for twenty years, but you haven't aged at all."
Dong!
Their bodies hugged each other tightly.
Even Qin Ye couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Tears streamed down Zhang Baoguo's face as he hugged Qin Ye tightly and patted him on the back, "Long time no see. How have you been?"
"How have you been?
You're doing well too. Did you get promoted? "
It took Qin Ye a full three to four minutes before he finally sat back down in his seat with a wistful sigh.
"Old Man Qin." Zhang Baoguo didn't sit down. Instead, he bowed deeply, almost ninety degrees, "Back then … many thanks to you."
The hand of the young man, who was curiously sizing up the two, trembled as he looked at his father in disbelief.
Old … Qin?
Did I … hear wrongly?
Today, his father had specially asked him to come. He had canceled a debate at the Student Union in his university.
His father's exact words were: No matter what you are doing, you must be with me today!
Therefore, he was here.
But!
He had initially thought that his father was paving the way for him, or that his father was a friend of some high-ranking official.
As soon as he opened the door, he was somewhat surprised.
Subconsciously, he thought that Old Man Qin was some second or even third generation official of the Capital City.
But as soon as he heard Old Man Qin's name, he was completely dumbfounded.
Old Man Qin?
He had never seen his father use this term of address to anyone before!
Not even the secretary or the mayor had ever used it before!
And yet, he was acting so respectfully towards someone who was clearly a junior of his own age?
Qin Ye didn't notice the expression on the young man's face at all.
Instead, he simply nodded his head, "It was nothing much back then.
If not for the fact that you were upright and upright, I wouldn't have made a move. "
"But … you've opened my eyes to a different world!"
Zhang Baoguo's voice grew agitated once more, "I know … how difficult it is for people like you to make a living in society.
Especially when you're someone with a carefree character who refuses to join the government.
Yet, you've taken the risk of being reported by me … I … "
He bowed his head, his voice choked, and wiped his eyes.
The young man immediately handed over the handkerchief, and the look of anticipation in his eyes faded away.
So it's a benefactor …
A benefactor of my father's generation, and I'm supposed to repay his kindness?
"It's all in the past. Old Zhang, don't call me Old Qin every time.
You're making me sound old. "Qin Ye picked up his teacup and drained it in one gulp," From now on, I'll call you Old Qin. "
"What's this …"
"It's settled then." Qin Ye smiled, "Deputy director of the Municipal Bureau of Investigation?
That's a position of power. Even the big bosses in the city would have to maintain good relations with you. "
Zhang Baoguo smiled helplessly and shook his head. Then, he glanced at the young man, "Zhang Linhua, what are you waiting for?
Aren't you going to pour some tea for your godfather? "
What?!
Zhang Linhua was dumbfounded.
Godfather?
Godfather?!
Since when did I acknowledge a godfather?!
Wasn't he supposed to be able to do whatever he wanted in the city?
And now I have a godfather of the same age?!
"What are you looking at?!"
Zhang Baoguo glared at Zhang Linhua, "Can't you see that your godfather's teacup is already empty?"
"I …" Zhang Linhua's heart was filled with humiliation. He opened his mouth several times, but no words came out.
"Forget it.
Old Zhang. "Qin Ye poured himself another cup," I do look a little too young. "
What do you mean by look?!
I'll change my surname to yours if you're more than 20 years old!!
Zhang Linhua's temples throbbed, and he took the opportunity to sit back down.
Zhang Baoguo glared at him, and then smiled faintly at Wang Chenghao, "My friend … is he the same as you?"
Qin Ye smiled faintly and glanced at Zhang Linhua.
Zhang Baoguo sighed in his heart. Without the title of godfather, Zhang Linhua wasn't qualified to listen to what Qin Ye had to say next.
"Get out.
Wait for me on the first floor. "
Zhang Linhua suppressed the anger in his heart and walked out of the room.
The room was silent. Several seconds later, Qin Ye asked, "Have you heard of the Special Investigations Department?"
"Yes. In fact, I've been aware of the establishment of the Special Investigations Department since a year ago. It's filled with talented people like you." Zhang Baoguo deliberated, "Their authority has been growing exponentially since four months ago.
They have the authority to mobilize their troops without the need for coordination. "
Qin Ye was deep in thought, "Have they already taken over the reins of local defense?"
Zhang Baoguo glanced around and whispered, "It's not just local defense … Old Qin, I know that there are some things in this world that can't be explained by science. Or rather, science hasn't reached that point yet.
Think about it, how many aspects are involved in the outbreak of supernatural incidents? "
"Medicine, people's livelihood, engineering … You can say that there's nothing they can't intervene in.
And so long as they intervene, all other departments will have to make way for them! "
"Including you guys?"
"Including us!"
Zhang Baoguo responded affirmatively, "They're even detached from all supervisory bodies. If you really want an analogy, do you remember the Imperial Secret Service of the Ming Dynasty?"
Straight to the top!
So that's how it is … Qin Ye's eyes flickered slightly as he held onto his teacup. The Special Investigations Department was massive, complex, and powerful. What he had seen in Clear Creek County was but the tip of the iceberg.
Secondly, this department wasn't built in a single day. In fact, the government had probably been preparing for this day a long time ago.
"What's the situation like in the City of Salvation?
What if I say … I want a list of their names, as well as a detailed map of the areas where the supernatural incidents are taking place.
Can you do that? "
"What do you want a list of their names for?" Zhang Baoguo asked quizzically.
"To survive." Qin Ye responded placidly, "I don't want to clash with them.
My identity can't be exposed.
Avoiding danger is the only way for people like me to survive.
Old Zhang, it's not that I'm looking down on you, but as soon as I'm discovered … there's no way you'll be able to suppress me. "
Zhang Baoguo pondered for a moment, and then shook his head, "I'm afraid I can't do that."
"Let me show you something." He reached behind his back and pulled out a brown paper bag.
He took out a folded, one-meter square map and a stack of documents from inside.
Qin Ye glanced at it. It was a map of the City of Salvation.
"The City of Salvation has a total of four districts and six counties. I've already numbered them 1-4.
The documents here are also numbered, corresponding to each district. "
Qin Ye opened up the documents. As soon as he flipped through it, his eyes widened.
14 May. A series of disappearances occurred in Solid County.
The Special Investigations Department took over the investigation. Seven days later, four twisted corpses were found in the county's reservoir. The cause of death was unknown.
20 May. A series of bizarre deaths occurred in Peace County. The deceased were turned into dried corpses. One day later, they were reduced to human skin.
The Special Investigations Department took over the investigation. Three days later, they destroyed the old locust tree in the outskirts of the county and dug out a damaged urn. No more funerary urns were found.
4 June … 12 June … 30 June … 2 July …
The map didn't show any signs of red at first. But from May onwards, red began to appear like a tidal wave, slowly encircling the entire city!
"2 July. A collective outbreak of evil spirits occurred in the outskirts of the city. Everyone claimed to have seen something unclean.
That night, two nurses were hanged to death on the rooftop. The Special Investigations Department took over the investigation overnight.
The Third Hospital was shut down for four days after the incident. "
He flipped through the pages, "9 August. At the Wanshou Cemetery in the outskirts of the city. The night watchman could clearly hear someone singing a Huangmei opera.
The next day, the hilltop cemetery was flipped open from the inside out … "
He closed the documents, "It's been almost five months since 14 May. The outbreak began in the county town, and then gradually moved closer to the city …"
"Why?"
To put it simply, it was organized and premeditated.
It wasn't hard to imagine that if no one had planned all of this, the outbreak of supernatural incidents would have been unplanned and chaotic. It wouldn't have been as chaotic as it was right now!
Someone … no, a ghost … is making a move in the City of Salvation!
Qin Ye furrowed his brows. Could it be … that the mastermind behind the scenes is that long?
Not just in Westriver, but even in Insignia Province?
That doesn't seem too realistic.
"We're investigating."
Zhang Baoguo shook his head, "The Special Investigations Department is fully in charge of everything. All of their personnel and whereabouts are top secret.
Suffice it to say, the more violent the outbreak of supernatural incidents, the more their identities will be protected.
I'm afraid not even provincial officials would be aware of this, much less a deputy chief inspector of the Commission for Discipline Inspection. "
Qin Ye nodded. It seemed that he was indeed being difficult.
What he wanted was far too difficult.
Zhang Baoguo glanced at Qin Ye's expression and suddenly chuckled, "That said, as long as you don't stir up any trouble in the City of Salvation, I'll still have my say.
You were in Clear Creek County when you left your phone number a few years ago. Why did you have to travel so far? "
"I'd like to as well."
Qin Ye lifted his eyebrows and smiled faintly, "Old Zhang … let me ask you, what happens if a wolf sneaks into a pack of huskies?"
Without waiting for Zhang Baoguo's response, Qin Ye continued, "Staying in the same place for more than five years is already considered a red line.
Zhang Baoguo nodded his head, but he still felt a little disheartened.
How did I … get inexplicably assigned to a pack of huskies …