Deity Investigation Report

Chapter 194 Qinggang Council

At the time when the temporary containment center was attacked by the mechanical demons, Qinggang, Central City.

A dark council chamber with extremely high ceilings.

The long, rectangular table and chairs have a mysterious retro feel, with lights shining on the tabletops, and the surroundings are completely dark.

Zhang Chiguo sat at the head of the table, in the only chair, his expression serious, reporting to the figures across the table:

I only have two suggestions:

"First, request permission to unlock one of Miss Ai's locks!"

"Second, the application for promotion to independent investigator by the alcoholic investigator is rejected."

"He is too self-righteous. Even now, while he is still under the management of the Disaster Management Bureau, he has already begun to rely on his identity as a member of a secret school to form cliques, establish an investigator club, and even teach ordinary investigators some unsafe methods to enhance their mental activity."

“Once he is promoted and gains the powers of an independent investigator, I seriously doubt whether he will be as willing as the current independent investigators to take on the responsibility of guarding secret prisons!”

"..."

Three figures sat opposite Zhang Chiguo, and behind them, several screens were arranged on the wall.

Behind each screen is someone who listens to the meeting but doesn't want to show their face.

After listening to Zhang Chiguo's words, only the figure on the right spoke softly: "You came back to the Qinggang Council Hall for the first time to report on your work, just to say this?"

Zhang Chiguo said, "I think this is the most important issue."

The person opposite remained silent for a while, then tapped their knuckles lightly on the table and said, "We have our own considerations regarding the promotion of the drunkard; you don't need to concern yourself with it."

"In addition, Ms. Ai's authority cannot be expanded further, but the Disaster Management Bureau's cleanup work needs to be completed by you in a short period of time."

"..."

Zhang Chiguo listened quietly, and when the other person finished speaking, he put down his pen, leaned back slightly, and slowly said:

"What if I can't finish this job?"

The person sitting opposite him was clearly a little annoyed and said, "Your work attitude is wrong right now."

Zhang Chiguo looked up at the figure, his pupils contracting slightly, and said, "You can come over and tell me how to work."

"you!"

The person across the long table, meeting Zhang Chiguo's gaze, suddenly calmed down.

He realized a problem.

This time is different from before; we're not communicating through a projector.

Although among the first batch of investigators in Qinggang, Zhang Chiguo was known for being stable, disciplined, and having the lowest risk of losing control, people almost forgot that he had once been active on the front lines of combating the bizarre.

But now, looking up at Zhang Chiguo's calm, still eyes, the words that were on the tip of his tongue suddenly became impossible to utter.

"Hehe, it's just a work discussion, no need to bring in everyone's opinions."

At this moment, the figure on the left suddenly smiled and said, "Old Zhang, I can tell you've been feeling a bit frustrated with your work lately!"

Zhang Chiguo said slowly, "It's not that I'm annoyed, I'm used to it."

"But I have my own judgment on whether a job can be completed. If none of my applications are approved, then I will consider it an impossible job and I will need to apply to leave this position."

"..."

The figure on the left smiled and said, "Perhaps you don't fully understand your job."

Zhang Chiguo frowned slightly: "Hmm?"

"We didn't make it clear beforehand because we really wanted you to do this job well."

The figure on the left spoke with a smile, and his words were much clearer. He said directly, "In order to develop the Disaster Management Bureau, we have given it a lot of power. To be honest, in order to carry out our work, we even plan to give it even more power."

"But the Disaster Management Agency needs to deliver a report proving that it is qualified to have this authority, which is what we initially asked you to do."

"If it can be accomplished, that would be great."

"If you can't complete it, all you need to do is report it truthfully."

The figure on the left said, "To put it bluntly, the more important reason for sending you down here is not so much for you to actually reform the Disaster Management Bureau, but for your evaluation role."

"You are also aware of the situation in Qinggang, or rather, at the level of the entire Superreal Defense Line."

“In the past, the ancient nobles, the secret schools, and the mysterious organizations were able to maintain a balance effectively. Although they always paid a certain price, they did manage to resist several tides.”

"But now, the establishment of the Disaster Management Bureau is just an experiment!"

"Since it's an attempt, it can succeed or it can fail, and that's all within our acceptable range."

"If you feel you can no longer continue working at your current job, I can let you go back to work at the secret prison. All you need to do is give me an evaluation before you're transferred. And that evaluation can be as simple as..."

He paused, then slowly began, "...Just tell me whether the Disaster Management Bureau is necessary!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chiguo suddenly looked up and said, "So, the current situation is that the Disaster Management Bureau either needs to take on greater responsibility, or it should be abolished altogether?"

No wonder the disaster management bureau's problems are so serious, yet the higher-ups are all turning a blind eye as if they've lost their minds. No wonder they rejected so many of my applications without even thinking about it.

But then a new question arose in his mind: "The infiltration is already increasing, and the signs of a new wave are becoming more and more obvious. If we abolish the Disaster Management Bureau now..."

"We have three lines of defense against the tides."

The figure on the left smiled and said to Zhang Chiguo, "The Disaster Management Bureau was originally our planned fourth line of defense." "Because the tide is approaching and coming with great force, we must make a decision as soon as possible: either build this fourth line of defense in a short period of time to effectively resist the tide, or simply not waste our energy."

"..."

Zhang Chiguo hesitated, realizing the crux of the matter: "Then Miss Ai..."

The person across the long table said calmly, "Miss Ai, it's just a weapon!"

"And it's a dangerous weapon!"

"The sharpest knife needs to be sheathed. If the Disaster Management Bureau is unnecessary to exist, then of course there is no need for Miss Ai to remain in reality."

"..."

This was considered a complete revelation. Zhang Chiguo listened to their words and was momentarily stunned, remaining silent for a long time.

He didn't want to actually start a war among the disaster management bureau investigators, so he chose to come directly to the council chamber to report.

But the result of this report was crueler than he had expected.

Suddenly, the red lights in their office flashed, and a sharp alarm blared throughout the building, accompanied by a somber electronic voice:

[Qinggang City faces an A+ level threat!]

[Repeated: Qinggang City faces an A+ level threat!]

【…】

"what?"

The sudden alarm silenced the entire office for a moment, followed by a sudden burst of panic.

The person opposite even stood up abruptly, and before they could say anything, shouted outside, "Go and see what's going on!"

Outside the meeting room, someone who had been keeping watch immediately replied, "It was Miss Ai who issued the alarm!"

"There have been no warnings from either the independent investigators or the patrol teams!"

"..."

"How could a Class A threat have appeared around Qinggang before the independent investigators and patrol forces could react?"

The person across the long table even changed their tone slightly, and their brows furrowed tightly as they shouted, "Miss Ai, what exactly happened?"

[A+ Threat! A+ Threat!]

Ms. Ai did not answer carefully as usual, but repeated the electronic voice, and even seemed to have a slight stutter, as if she was experiencing a rare state of insufficient computing power.

The last time this happened was when the Song and Chu states invaded Qinggang.

Meanwhile, the secretaries outside kept coming in to report new clues, such as "Thirty kilometers outside the city, the Mother Tree, one of the ten great calamities of Scroll No. 01, has appeared as a threat," "Secret agents are suspected of betraying the cause," and "Bai Senmang's entire family has died," and so on.

Zhang Chiguo also sensed something was wrong and took out his phone.

Everything seemed normal, but for nearly an hour, no messages came in on my phone.

This suddenly made him realize something was wrong, but before he could say anything, the staff member who came in to report arrived and said urgently:

"Director Zhang, Secretary Cui Qiao is waiting for you outside."

Zhang Chiguo strode out, and Secretary Cui Qiao, who was rushing towards him, had beads of sweat on her forehead and several strands of wet hair.

From afar, someone called out, "Something's happened!"

"The butcher has left the city!"

"There has also been a large number of personnel transfers at the 'Dancing Red and Green' Group. I suspect they may choose to fight outside the city."

"I've been trying to call you, but I can't get through!"

Several varicose veins instantly appeared on Zhang Chiguo's forehead. He didn't say anything, but suddenly looked up at a security camera in the corridor and said coldly, "Miss Ai, what exactly are you doing?"

The camera, of course, did not respond.

Zhang Chiguo's eyes grew increasingly cold, and he suddenly spoke in a deep voice: "I know you're watching. If something really happens to that kid, do you believe I'll shoot your server to pieces?"

The camera seemed to tremble slightly before slowly shifting its focus away from Zhang Chiguo.

But just as Zhang Chiguo was about to leave, he suddenly heard a staff member calling from afar. The person he had just spoken to rushed over anxiously: "There's a problem outside the city. Special operations personnel have betrayed us, and it could very well trigger a real A+ threat!"

"Zhang Chiguo, the higher-ups have entrusted you with handling this matter personally!"

"..."

Zhang Chiguo nodded, then turned to leave, saying, "I will take action!"

"Do not……"

But the person behind him immediately called out to him, his forehead seemingly beaded with sweat: "The people above don't want you to take action, but they've granted you a special package!"

"It's only temporary. After we resolve this issue, we must bring the box back intact!"

"Or, destroy it!"

"..."

Zhang Chiguo suddenly understood what this was, and his expression even showed some surprise.

(End of this chapter)