I became Superman

Jiajinshan, Southwest Headquarters.

Nestled among rolling mountains are a cluster of low, military-style bungalows—this is the headquarters of the Southwest Inspector General.

The headquarters' above-ground buildings consist only of some helipads and dormitories for maintenance personnel; the actual headquarters of the imperial inspectors are buried deep underground.

Apart from the Imperial Inspectorate Headquarters in Shenjing, the other four headquarters share the same architectural layout. From the ground down, there are the legendary eighteen levels of hell, each level housing some outcasts who have been punished by the empire but have not been executed.

Some of these outcasts are very young but have great potential. The empire values ​​their talent and is reluctant to execute them directly, so they are temporarily imprisoned.

Others are of great importance and have containment value.

In the eighteen levels of hell, the deeper you go, the greater the threat posed by the alien beings you encounter.

Take the elevator in the middle to the bottom, and suddenly a beautiful landscape of mountains and rivers will appear before your eyes.

There are several small hills piled up here, and a thatched house is built in the valley, with a large flower garden in front of the house.

Minglou was tending to his beloved flowers.

These flowers were planted by him when he lived in seclusion, and they have multiplied ever since.

Later, he was discovered by the empire and became the guardian deity of the Southwest Inspectorate Headquarters, whereupon he transplanted those flowers here.

He disliked worldly affairs and spent most of his time in seclusion here, tending to his flowers.

No one can come here to disturb him without his permission.

Except for one person…

Why are you giving me that cold look? It's like I owe you money.

Minglou looked at Minglong, who had a cold expression, with a strange look on his face.

This guy doesn't like staying here. He's usually out handling business, so it's rare to see him. Today, he actually came here on his own initiative, but he's been keeping a cold face the whole time. It's really hard to understand.

Minglong said, "Huang Hong has already set off, and that guy who seems to be a god has come with him. We need to decide what to do with him."

"what!"

Minglou said, "Oh right, it seems that's true. Come to think of it, didn't I entrust everything to you? Why are you asking me?"

Minglong sneered, "Full authority?"

"The Empire has never regarded me as an independent individual. What right do I have to make decisions on my own? I can handle small matters on a daily basis, but I can't handle matters involving the gods with full authority."

"oops!"

Minglou laughed and said, "We're all one, aren't we? When have I ever rejected your opinion? You can handle it however you want. If the Empire blames you later, just push the blame onto me."

Minglong smiled and said, "That's good. I've already drafted a plan, but I need your cooperation."

"What method?"

Minglong said, "Take him in and observe his behavior."

Minglou was taken aback and said, "Isn't it a bit too serious? I've read Huang Hong's report. He played a decisive role in handling the Shanyin Village incident, saving hundreds of people, and he also took the initiative to contact the Empire at the Southwest Headquarters."

"He meant well, how can we just take him in?"

"bona fide?"

Minglong scoffed, "The Empire doesn't care whether god-level anomalies are benevolent or not; the Empire only cares about the threat they might pose."

"This guy is very powerful. If we can't reach an agreement and he wants to leave, we may not be able to keep him here."

Minglou asked curiously, "How did you know?"

Minglong said, "These days I have reviewed the reports from Chengdu. Many of the previously reported anomalies could not be identified. For example, the mysterious expert who killed the vampire and destroyed the park, the expert who suddenly appeared in the sky above Chengdu and was detected by the city defense department, and the expert who suddenly cut through the clouds in the sky above Chengdu that day."

"We haven't been able to find the person responsible for these things. Since someone who seems to be a god appeared there, I think there's no one else to blame."

"This is a very powerful individual, not weak even among the gods. If we don't take him in, the responsibility will be immense if he gets lost."

Minglou hesitated for a moment and said, "After all, they came with sincerity. It would be too impolite of us to do this. Moreover, if we directly take them in, even if they originally intended to cooperate with the Empire, it might actually provoke hostility."

"That's too domineering."

Minglong sneered, "Domineering is the way the empire has always been. Isn't this how the empire has treated the God of Freedom all these years?"

"As for the so-called hostility, once he knows the power of the Empire and the truth of this world, he will understand the Empire and understand us."

Minglou pondered for a while before finally nodding and saying, "Alright, but I need to talk to him first. You can prepare for containment, but you'll have to wait for my orders."

"Order."

Minglong snorted coldly and said, "You've finally shown your true colors."

Minglou's expression immediately fell, and he said, "Alright, don't be angry with me."

……

Zhou Ming hadn't expected that the Southwest Headquarters was so close to Chengdu; it was located at Jiajin Mountain, about 700 to 800 kilometers west of Chengdu.

"Why not set up headquarters in Chengdu? Is it to deliberately avoid big cities?"

He asked curiously.

Huang Hong laughed and said, "When it was established, Chengdu was not a big city yet."

"The Five Headquarters were personally established by the founding emperor of the New Han Empire, and they are older than most of the empire's organizational structure."

That's incredible! That means it's been five or six hundred years... wait...

Zhou Ming asked in surprise, "Was the founding emperor also an anomaly?"

Huang Hong was even more surprised and said, "The new Han emperor is the strongest god in history. Isn't this common knowledge in this otherworldly world?"

Zhou Ming felt somewhat relieved.

It turned out to be the case.

No wonder this strange new Han Empire has never heard of the so-called three-hundred-year cycle law, which lasts for five or six hundred years, experiencing various changes in the world and social upheavals, yet the imperial family remains as stable as a mountain.

If that's the case, what about the dynasties before the New Han Empire? Were there no outcasts back then?

While Zhou Ming was pondering, the plane had already landed on the tarmac.

Several people were waiting for them on the tarmac.

The one leading the group was an elderly woman with silver-white hair but a strong demeanor, dressed in a comfortable blue Taoist robe.

Zhou Ming didn't find this kind of decoration strange.

The modern Han people of this world have not experienced a cultural break, and many of them will wear traditional or modified traditional clothing in their spare time.

The loose and comfortable Taoist robe is a favorite casual wear among many upper-class people.

Behind the old woman was a girl of about twenty years old. As soon as the helicopter landed, she stared intently at the swordsman inside, her face full of joy.

Huang Hong was the first to get off the plane, followed by Zhou Ming, and Jian Hao was the last to get off.

Huang Hong introduced, "Mr. Zhou, this is my direct superior, Mr. Zhi Maoying."

Zhi Maoying smiled subtly at Zhou Ming and said, "Welcome, Mr. Zhou. His Majesty Minglou has been waiting for you for quite some time. Shall we go over now?"

Zhou Ming laughed and said, "You're so old, there's no need for honorifics. It sounds really awkward to me. Let's go over there. I'm also looking forward to meeting you, Lord Minglou."