I changed the world.

"I am but a recluse; you need only call me 'Chengxuzi' if you are esteemed."

………………

"To be honest, I am ignorant and ill-informed. That monster just now was truly bizarre. I wonder if you know anything about it?"

"I have been traveling here and have come across a place where demonic energy is soaring into the sky. I know that there are demons lurking here..."

………………

"Please do not linger, sir. We shall meet again someday..."

"On January 16, 2016 (the 1th year of the Daisho Sewa era), at the Haeun Building in Gangneung City, the police received a report from a citizen who was leaving get off work and claimed that he had been attacked by a monster in the underground parking lot of the Haeun Building... According to subsequent statistics, this incident caused serious consequences, with a total of 12 citizens dying or going missing, 22 police officers sacrificing their lives, and 8 soldiers killed."

........................

"Next, I will play some more unusual events that we are currently aware of and can confirm that have occurred overseas..."

........................

After all the materials were played, the meeting room fell silent, and everyone looked serious.

A moment later, a voice rang out. It was a middle-aged man in military uniform, sitting not far from Zhou Zhiqing, with a straight back: "I would like to ask, the earliest video is from the 11th year of Chenghe, November 11, 2015, which is about two months ago. So, were there any similar events before that?"

After asking his question, the soldier gazed silently at Wang Yunzhou, awaiting his answer. Everyone else in the meeting room, except for him, also looked at Wang Yunzhou; in fact, this was exactly what they wanted to ask.

In other words... are certain departments really hiding something, a secret that even they, with their status and rank, cannot access?

"My answer to this question is that, at least within the jurisdiction of the Special Crime Investigation Bureau, we cannot be certain."

Wang Yunzhou's answer was clearly unexpected, and a murmur of whispers immediately filled the meeting room.

"Wang's statement was not made lightly," Wang Yunzhou further explained upon seeing the reactions of the crowd. "As early as the beginning of December, after our bureau realized the special nature of these events, we established an independent team to follow up. To this end, we specifically traced the confidential files within the bureau that might be related to this matter."

As you all know, the Special Crime Investigation Bureau was established 93 years ago, its predecessor being a reorganized part of the Black-Clad Guards who belonged to the royal family. From its inception, due to the special nature of its work, the Bureau has always maintained a high level of secrecy. As a result, some of the Bureau's internal files can even be traced back to the secret archives of the previous dynasty.

There are over a million files of various kinds, including more than 7 files that may involve extraordinary people, events, or even mysterious cases. Some of these files contain eyewitness reports, while many are hearsay. However, contrary to what some colleagues imagined, our biggest challenge is not that there are too few files, but rather that there are too many files from various dynasties..."

As soon as Wang Yunzhou finished speaking, the discussion in the conference room resumed. Everyone present was shrewd and had probably already understood what Wang Yunzhou meant.

"The official histories of the previous dynasty alone contain bizarre accounts, including rats eating cattle in the suburbs, ginseng calling out at night, millet raining from the sky, dragons and horses mating, and the dead coming back to life..."

"In this dynasty, similar records have been recorded for 600 years. For example, in the eighth year of Zhaofeng, there was a great disaster in the southeast, and the sea dike breached. According to the secret records at the time, some people claimed to have seen two dragons chasing each other at sea, with the red dragon in front and the green dragon behind. They passed through Linzhou and dozens of houses collapsed one after another."

"Due to the lack of means of visual recording, many of these archives are vague and inaccurate, which has caused many difficulties for our sorting work."

"What we can confirm at this point is that, prior to this, the situation did not seem to have developed to such a dire degree, at least not for the past hundred years." Wang Yunzhou paused for a moment, then continued:

"Everyone has seen the video footage just now. In these events, without exception, we have encountered beings that we do not currently understand. What we can be certain of is that, for at least the past hundred years, for some unknown reason, these beings that we do not understand either never existed, or existed but concealed their whereabouts, or... were suppressed by some force. In short, they have not appeared in our field of vision on a large scale."

Chapter 171 Black Swan

Wang Yunzhou glanced around and nodded, saying, "That's the situation. According to our meeting schedule, let's have each department share their views on the current situation."

After a moment of silence, an officer in police uniform cleared his throat and spoke: "Colleagues, to be honest, given the current situation, our police force is under considerable pressure and has suffered the most casualties."

"After a series of such incidents occurred in various places and many police officers were killed, what troubled our police force the most was not just these cases involving unknown phenomena, but also the problems we encountered in handling ordinary cases and public security situations."

After glancing at everyone in the conference room, the official continued, "Here I want to introduce a concept, which is 'certainty'."

"Some colleagues who are knowledgeable about economics may know that the capital market likes certainty because with certainty, investors can predict future returns. They dislike uncertainty, which they call a black swan."

"Actually, the same applies to us police officers. I'm a veteran criminal investigator, and in past cases, there were usually clues to follow. Especially now that we can use all kinds of advanced equipment, these clues are even easier to capture. No matter how cunning the criminal is, they cannot violate the known laws of physics, and this is the premise for the police to conduct case reasoning, which is what I call certainty."

"However, as you just saw in the video, in the current events involving unknown phenomena, we have encountered some phenomena that cannot be explained by the knowledge gained through the existing education system. For example, some 'organisms' that are completely different from what we previously knew—I'll call them 'organisms' for now; some special force fields that can shield the transmission of traditional electromagnetic waves—of course, whether these are force fields still needs further confirmation from relevant experts; I'm only describing the phenomena; some behaviors that violate our known physical common sense; and even... some people who exceed the physical limits of ordinary humans; and so on..."

"After several cases involving unknown phenomena, our previous certainty has been challenged. As a result, our headquarters now needs to study incorporating these unknown phenomena into case considerations, which adds many more uncontrollable variables to the case investigation than before."

"Therefore, we, the police, sincerely hope that scholars in relevant fields can use our existing knowledge to analyze why we urgently need to understand what we are facing and how we should deal with it."

..............................

“Deputy Director Li’s views are indeed very insightful. Here, I would also like to add a few points,” a soldier with gray hair and wearing major general’s shoulder insignia then began to speak.

"Our Southeast Military Region's Homeland Defense Forces previously participated in some operations related to such incidents at the request of local authorities, and can be said to be the most experienced in this area within the Imperial military order. Afterwards, we also organized the officers and soldiers who participated in the operations to conduct some debriefings and discussions on the monsters encountered during the operations. Here, I would like to share some of my thoughts with you, my colleagues."

"Although we haven't captured any monster entities in the operation so far, and based on the situation we've encountered so far, these monsters are clearly not of one type. We also cannot accurately determine whether they have the same physiological characteristics, but based on the experience of previous operations, we have summarized some experiences that will help us deal with these types of events."

"For example, we found that kinetic energy weapons alone have limited ability to stop most of these monsters. In several battles, we found that some monsters were hit multiple times but still moved freely. This situation can easily cause soldiers to feel powerless on the spot. Many soldiers have sacrificed their lives because of this."

"We also found that energy attacks, such as explosions and burning attacks, are far more effective than kinetic bullets and can deal considerable damage to most monsters."

"Furthermore, so far, none of the monsters we've encountered have left any remains after being destroyed, making further analysis impossible. However, we have reason to suspect that these monsters might exist in a way that differs from ordinary creatures?"

"I remember that the academic community has always had some conjectures and discussions about extraterrestrial civilizations. One of the topics is how to define life? Is carbon-based life the only evolutionary path for life? Now it seems that there are indeed many questions worth studying in this direction."

"Of course, academic issues should be left to professionals. From a purely military perspective, we believe that our recommendations for weapon selection should be more targeted when responding to similar incidents in the future. At the same time, it is necessary to carry out specialized research and development of small arms when necessary."

"Furthermore, as a professional soldier, I personally haven't done much research on supernatural phenomena. However, based on the information we've gathered so far, some events here clearly resemble figures from Chinese mythology. For example, the forms and origins of some monsters seem somewhat similar to the ghosts and monsters in legends. In the recent incident at the Haiyun Building in Jiangling, our on-site commander even encountered a special person who appeared to be a Taoist priest, and according to him, the incident originated from demonic possession. This video was just played, and I believe everyone here has a deep impression of it."

"Regardless of whether what he said is true or false, what we can be sure of is that the abilities he possesses have far exceeded our understanding of the limits of the ordinary human body."

"According to our internal assessment, its combat capabilities demonstrated in battle are at least sufficient to destroy a heavily armored destroyer head-on under certain conditions. To be honest, if we hadn't seen it with our own eyes, we simply couldn't imagine that this is the power a human being could possess."

"Based on what we observed at the time, the abilities he displayed seemed somewhat similar to the image of a 'sword immortal' in Xuanmen legends. However, we are soldiers after all, and we lack experience in this area. I wonder if any of my colleagues have investigated from this perspective?" After speaking, the major general turned his gaze to Wang Yunzhou and Zhang Tao, the deputy director of the Imperial Religious Affairs Bureau. Clearly, he knew that these people from the Investigation Bureau wouldn't let go of such an obvious breakthrough. And the fact that he had invited the people from the Religious Affairs Bureau to this occasion further demonstrated this point.

"General Wang's remarks were very insightful and provided us with some valuable experience in handling such incidents." Wang Yunzhou nodded politely to the other party and then said, "Regarding the last question you mentioned, we have indeed already begun the relevant work."

"In fact, based on our analysis of the information we have collected, we have found that the monsters appearing in many of the fourth type of events are likely to be associated with some widely circulated myths and legends, especially ghosts and monsters. To this end, we are currently assembling a team of experts, including some well-known folklorists and religious figures, to conduct an analysis."

"Just like the example of demonic possession that General Wang mentioned earlier. Everyone is probably familiar with the term 'demon,' as there are various legends about it in my country since ancient times. However, before this, we had not been able to collect any conclusive cases. But this time, if what the person in the video said is true, then the mere existence of this kind of thing is worth studying."

"Since demons truly exist, it is worth considering whether our people's myths and legends passed down through the ages should merely be categorized as folklore..."

"Of course, to integrate resources from all sides to conduct these studies, we need higher-level authorization and coordination. At present, we are only conducting preliminary research on some plans."

"Furthermore, we have noted that in the cases collected so far, at least four different types of incidents have involved humans with special abilities. In at least three of these incidents, the humans involved interacted to some extent with ordinary people present."

"After analyzing and assessing the behavioral logic of these individuals, we have preliminarily determined that, so far, they have not shown any hostility towards other humans or the existing system. This is directly reflected in the fact that, in several incidents, their behavioral logic has been to help solve problems rather than create them."

"Furthermore, we cautiously believe that this type of person may not be an isolated case, but rather a special group with certain internal rules."

"Furthermore, these people are communicable, and their behavior, clothing, and speech seem to have some connection with Xuanmen or certain traditional religious sects."

"However, based on the limited cases we have encountered so far, these people are generally unwilling to engage in in-depth exchanges with individuals with official backgrounds, and their behavioral logic exhibits characteristics such as 'escapism' and 'hiding' to varying degrees. These characteristics do indeed align with certain perceptions and religious concepts in traditional culture, and we have reason to suspect the existence of some related beliefs."

At this point, Wang Yunzhou turned his gaze to Zhang Tao, the deputy director of the Imperial Religious Affairs Bureau, and smiled, saying, "We are not professionals in the study of religion and related fields, and our understanding may be superficial. Therefore, we have specially invited our colleagues from the Imperial Religious Affairs Bureau to this meeting. The Religious Affairs Bureau is the leading religious coordination and management agency within the Empire, and it has extensive contact and exchanges with various people from different religions. I believe they can offer more in-depth insights on this matter."

Chapter 172 The Man Who Ascended into the Sky

As soon as Wang Yunzhou said this, all eyes in the meeting room turned to Zhang Tao, eager to hear his opinion.

In contrast, Zhang Tao, the deputy director of the Imperial Religious Affairs Bureau, who was perhaps the one who knew the most "insider information" in the eyes of many, seemed somewhat bewildered at this moment.

To borrow a popular internet phrase, his current mood can be described as:

who I am? Where am I? What am I doing?

As a typical sideline unit in the imperial administrative hierarchy, the Imperial Religious Affairs Bureau is seen by many as a place with no presence whatsoever, rarely appearing in any media outlets throughout the year.

Basically, unless something major happens, such as a suicide attack by religious extremists, or a large-scale sacrificial ceremony held by the Xuanmen or Futu sects that invites officials to attend, the Imperial Religious Affairs Bureau will not be remembered.

While theoretically it has a coordinating and managing function over all religions within the empire, theory is one thing, practice is another. This function is more often manifested in cooperating with the police and the Special Crimes Bureau to combat emerging cults and religious extremists.

For the top figures of orthodox religions, such as the Celestial Master's Mansion of the Xuanmen Sect, the Great Zen Temple of the Futu Sect, the White Horse Temple, etc., these religious figures have close ties with various nobles, political and business tycoons, and even members of the royal family. The Imperial Religious Affairs Administration is also unwilling to provoke them easily, and more often than not, they maintain a harmonious atmosphere of mutual respect and camaraderie.

As for the invitation to the joint meeting from the Special Crime Investigation Bureau, due to the good secrecy, the Religious Affairs Bureau did not receive much information beforehand. They only knew that they were sending agents to a joint meeting with a high level of secrecy, and that military and police personnel would be present.

Therefore, the Religious Affairs Bureau naturally assumed that an incident related to religious extremists had occurred or was likely to occur somewhere, and based on past experience, dispatched a team led by Deputy Director Zhang Tao. However, Zhang Tao only discovered at the start of the meeting that everything was completely different from what he had imagined. If the attendees hadn't all been from official, legitimate law enforcement agencies, he might have even suspected they were conspiring to deceive him.

Behind those seemingly harmonious religious figures, there actually exists such a secret?!

Didn't see it!

In fact, Zhang Tao and other high-ranking officials within the State Administration for Religious Affairs share the same attitude towards religion: they agree with it but do not believe in it.

Don't be fooled by their amiable demeanor towards religious figures; deep down, they don't believe in these things. In their eyes, these are nothing but charlatans who deceive people, and their theories have long been proven by modern science to be riddled with flaws and utterly untenable.

This is also a prerequisite for the State Administration for Religious Affairs to select and appoint personnel; they themselves cannot be believers in any religion. After all, otherwise, the independence and fairness of the department cannot be guaranteed.

Even the supposed "Song Tianshi Manifestation" incident in Linzhou City, Jiangdong Province, was, in Zhang Tao's view, nothing more than a farce orchestrated by some members of the Xuanmen sect. After all, it was obvious who benefited the most from this incident.

He was used to seeing the true colors of these charlatans...

However, the videos he saw after the meeting began clearly showed him that his long-held beliefs were wrong, terribly wrong...

However, no matter how confused and conflicted he felt at the moment, he had to say something, after all, in many people's eyes, he was clearly a "professional".

Fortunately, he is, after all, a professionally trained bureaucrat, an academic type; he can get by for now...

After chuckling, Zhang Tao quickly racked his brains before carefully speaking, "To be honest, those videos I just saw really shocked me. First of all, I want to express my respect to my colleagues in the disciplined forces. It is because of your existence and dedication that the long-term stability of the empire has been safeguarded."

"As for religion, I do have some knowledge about it... As we all know, there is a strong culture of 'hermits' in traditional Eastern culture, especially the legendary masters who are often compared to dragons, with the saying that their heads are seen but their tails are never seen."

Zhang Tao picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and then said slowly, "As the saying goes, a dragon can be big or small, can rise or hide; when it is big, it stirs up clouds and mists, when it is small, it hides its form; when it rises, it soars through the universe, when it hides, it lies dormant within the waves."

"As we all know, among the religions in our country, the Xuanmen (Taoist) sect is the only one that originated from our native land. If we consider its establishment based on its clear organizational system, the generally accepted view is that it can be traced back to the Xia Dynasty 1900 years ago."

As he spoke, Zhang Tao picked up his teacup and took a sip. He glanced around and saw that everyone was listening intently to his story. Feeling reassured, he continued, "However, this view is actually controversial. According to some other experts, the true Xuanmen philosophy originated from the ancient Yi Jing and some ancient shamanistic cultures. Its origins can be traced back to the early days of our civilization."

"What is more intriguing is that, in the core of the esoteric classics we have seen so far, the core idea is 'to become an immortal and attain the Dao'."

"The character '仙' (xiān) is a combination of ideographic and phono-semantic characters. I wonder if anyone has noticed the seal script form of the character '仙'; its structure is quite interesting..."

"As we all know, Eastern characters are characterized by their pictographic and semantic nature, and their origins are generally derived from specific patterns. For the ancients, when creating characters, they rarely created characters for things that did not exist. However, some scholars believe that there are exceptions, such as the character '仙' (xian, immortal).