Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 103 Headquarters Meeting
Beijing.

The headquarters of Bureau 749 is located on the third basement level.

The third confidential conference room.

The air was so heavy it seemed you could wring water out of it, filled with a unique aroma of tea and strong tobacco.

The conference table occupies most of the room. It is made of dark, heavy solid wood, and the tabletop is covered with a layer of dark green velvet that has been worn and is now somewhat shiny. Fine wear can be seen at the edges.

Several large enamel mugs were scattered on the table, filled with strong jasmine tea stems. Next to them was a glass ashtray, piled high with cigarette butts of varying lengths, from which wisps of smoke curled.

The pale fluorescent tubes hung from the high ceiling, emitting a low hum.

Under the lights, a dozen or so figures sat around the table like frozen sculptures.

They were all dressed in dark Zhongshan suits, many of them with furrowed brows, the cigarettes between their fingers piled high with ash, which they hadn't even flicked off.

Some people had thick kraft paper file folders spread out in front of them, with the words "Confidential" or "Top Secret" printed in bright red on the cover, and the edges of the papers were already curled up; others stared at the bulky CRT monitor in front of them, the screen emitting a faint green light.

The meeting was chaired by an elderly man with gray hair, whose voice was serious: "In summary, the target, Qi Yun, mysteriously disappeared from the headquarters dormitory on the night of July 17th, the exact time is unknown. There were no signs of damage at the scene, no residual energy fluctuations, and no witnesses."

All conventional and unconventional tracking methods failed, as if he had vanished into thin air.

This case is unprecedented in its bizarre nature. After assessment, it is recommended that it be formally upgraded to an 'S-level anomaly,' codenamed 'Zeroing Out'! Now, let's vote…"

At that moment, the old-fashioned telephone ringing "ring ring...ring ring..." suddenly came from the arms of a burly middle-aged man sitting in the back row near the door, which was particularly jarring in the quiet meeting room.

Song Dingqian frowned, immediately turned off the bell, made an apologetic gesture to the people who were looking at him, and quickly got up, crouched down, and walked briskly to the far corner of the conference room.

With his back to the meeting room, he pressed the answer button and lowered his voice: "Hello? Li Fang? What's going on? Don't you know we're in a meeting?"

Li Fang's urgent voice came from the other end of the phone, accompanied by static.

As Song Dingqian listened, his face grew increasingly grim, his brows furrowing into knots: "With a sword? In the morgue? Was the case at Shibanpo also a sword wound?"
Li Fang! Cases require a chain of evidence! To merge cases simply because both involved swords? That's reckless!
Does the hospital have CCTV footage? Great! Go check right away! Locate that person, trace his route backwards from the hospital, and get a clear picture of his face!

"Confirmed. Immediately send the photo to the fax machine in the headquarters conference room! I'll be waiting right next to the machine! Hurry up!"

He went to the fax machine and stood guard right after he hung up the phone.

After a while, a man got up and walked over.

Standing next to Song Dingqian, he offered him a cigarette, while also having one in his own mouth, and asked in a low voice, "Old Song, you look so pale? Did something happen in Chongqing?"

Song Dingqian took the cigarette, lit it using the man's finger, took a deep drag, exhaled thick smoke, and his brows remained furrowed.

"Yes, just received an urgent report. No sooner had I left than a tough character appeared in Chongqing, suspected to be at the Natal Cultivation Realm, with incredibly fierce swordsmanship!"

Song Wan ran into him while investigating a ghost case in the morgue and suffered a great loss. On the same day, a gang-related massacre occurred in which nine people were killed, and the murder weapon was initially identified as a sword!
My subordinates are very inexperienced; they're in a rush to report both cases together. I told them to verify the evidence first.

Zhong Weiguo patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Young people need to be toughened up to grow."

You can't always shelter them under your wings; you have to let them go and make their own way. Paying some tuition is inevitable. Are you especially nervous because Xiaowan is on your team?

Song Dingqian paused, a hint of unease flashing across his face, and said in a low voice, "Old Zhong, what you're saying... back then, transferring Xiaowan over was also..."

Zhong Weiguo's smile faded, and he interrupted him seriously, lowering his voice even further: "Old Song, the bureau had objections to your transfer of Xiao Wan to your directly subordinate team."

It's not that I don't trust your principles, Lao Song, it's that I'm worried this kind of relationship might affect your judgment at crucial moments!

Song Dingqian waved his hand impatiently, changing the subject: "Alright, alright, I know! Let's talk about this 'zeroing' thing you have."

Wasn't Qi Yun the first kid your team made contact with?

How could they disappear without a trace right under headquarters' noses? Is it really that strange?

Just as Zhong Weiguo was about to speak, the "big brother" mobile phone in Song Dingqian's arms rang urgently again!
Song Dingqian immediately answered the call; it was Li Fang: "Boss! We found it! The surveillance footage captured the person's face!"

The surveillance footage review is still underway and will take time. I'll fax you the photos first!

As soon as he finished speaking, the old-fashioned fax machine in the corner of the conference room started beeping, the preheating light came on, and the drum began to turn slowly, making a creaking sound.

A fax sheet was slowly ejected, and black ink gradually appeared on the paper—first the outline of hair, then the forehead, eyebrows…

Song Dingqian stared intently at the slowly forming image, waiting for the crucial facial features.

Just then, in front of the conference table, on the huge projection screen, to coordinate with the vote on the "Zeroing" incident, the operator once again pulled up a clear, frontal photo of Qi Yun, marked "S-level"! The blood-red border and the words "Nationwide Investigation," along with the cautionary tale, were glaringly obvious under the lights!
Song Dingqian stared intently at the fax, refusing to look at it.

Zhong Weiguo glanced at the fax paper almost unconsciously.

On the fax paper right in front of Song Dingqian, the ink finally clearly outlined the eyes and nose of the person in the image... A young, calm face with a strange sense of alienation was fully revealed!

The cigarette that Zhong Weiguo was holding fell to the ground with a "thud" onto the thick carpet, sending up a few barely perceptible sparks.

His expression froze instantly, his eyes widened as if he had seen the most unbelievable thing!
Despite the fact that his demeanor and appearance were very different from what he remembered, he still recognized him immediately!

"Qi Yun?!"

An uncontrollable, deeply shocked growl suddenly burst from Zhong Weiguo's throat!

Almost recklessly, before the fax paper was completely ejected, he ripped the still-warm sheet off the fax machine, clutched it tightly in his hand, and stared intently at the face on the paper.

Everyone in the conference room was instantly drawn to Zhong Weiguo's scream and his outburst.

Their gaze fell on Zhong Weiguo as he turned the fax paper in his hand over and showed it to everyone.

When everyone saw the photo clearly and then looked at the glaring red on the big screen, the entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

(End of this chapter)