Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

"Now you have two choices." Bai Xingzhou held up two fingers: "First, join the Special Affairs Bureau. Once you're on their side, many investigations will naturally come to an end."

"Second, become a key suspect for the Secret Service and be subject to 24-hour surveillance."

Lin Ran leaned back on the sofa, a half-smile playing on his lips: "What if I'm not willing?"

"The New Sea Special Intelligence Bureau has two Transcendent Realm experts in charge, and the Kyoto headquarters has one Martial Saint and three Martial Venerables."

Bai Xingzhou's tone remained calm, but his words clearly carried an air of intimidation.

He didn't know why he mentioned the Martial Saint, but deep down he felt that two Transcendent Realm experts might not be able to suppress Lin Ran.

If the red-haired Taoist from yesterday was indeed related to the Lin family, then it would be even more necessary for him to bring up the Martial Saint.

Lin Ran was silent for a moment, then suddenly put on a smiling face: "Oh dear, look at you, it's not that serious."

He waved his hand, his tone sincere: "I'm just a beginner in the Innate Realm, why would I need to get involved with anything like the Profound Realm or Martial Saint? You're exaggerating."

Bai Xingzhou glanced at him meaningfully: "You know perfectly well what level you're at."

The study fell silent again. Lin Ran and Bai Xingzhou looked at each other for a moment, their minds wavering.

Joining the Secret Service will definitely bring a lot of trouble.

If I don't join the Secret Service, I'll be in a lot of trouble right now.

After much deliberation, Lin Ran decided to get through this hurdle first.

He shifted his position to find a more comfortable one and slowly said, "Okay, I can join the Special Affairs Bureau, but I have one condition."

Bai Xingzhou raised an eyebrow slightly: "Tell me about it."

"I don't like being constrained. I don't usually want to report to the Special Affairs Bureau. You can call me if there's a mission to deal with mutated creatures, but otherwise I prefer to be free."

Lin Ran looked at Bai Xingzhou: "Is this request unreasonable?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xingzhou frowned slightly: "You really dare to speak up."

"Is it difficult?" Lin Ran asked, feigning confusion.

Bai Xingzhou shook his head: "I don't have that authority."

"Then you should just report it to your superiors." Lin Ran shrugged, looking indifferent.

"If you can agree to my conditions, I'll join the Secret Service. If you can't, then you can monitor me; it won't affect me anyway."

Bai Xingzhou stared at him for a moment, then raised his hand and activated the holographic bracelet: "I'll ask for instructions now."

"No need to be in such a hurry..."

Before Lin Ran could finish speaking, the video call was already connected.

A light screen popped up on the bracelet, and Bai Zhenyue's face appeared on the screen.

He sat in his office, a half-stack of documents piled on his desk, glanced at the video, and asked, "What is it?"

Bai Xingzhou briefly and concisely reiterated Lin Ran's conditions in a calm tone.

There was a moment of silence in the light screen, then Bai Zhenyue let out a helpless laugh: "Heh... this kid really dares to speak up."

Bai Xingzhou glanced at Lin Ran and nodded at the light screen: "Your reaction is exactly the same as mine."

Bai Zhenyue, on the other end of the video call, pondered for a moment, tapped his fingers twice on the table, and then decisively said, "Say yes!"

"You really agreed?" Bai Xingzhou asked, confirming.

Bai Zhenyue nodded: "Instead of wasting manpower monitoring him 24 hours a day, it's better to let him become an investigator himself."

"Even if we have a more relaxed schedule, we still have to go on missions." Bai Zhenyue said meaningfully, "As long as we can go on missions, we're one of our own."

Bai Xingzhou immediately understood, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly: "Okay, I understand."

The communication was disconnected, and the light screen disappeared.

Lin Ran was speechless: "Are you trying to hide my secret plot from me like this?"

There is nothing that cannot be told to others.

Bai Xingzhou retrieved the documents from the table and took out a black ID folder from the innermost part of his briefcase, placing it in front of Lin Ran.

The cover features the Secret Service emblem in the center, with a single-horned mythical beast standing tall, surrounded by cloud patterns, its eyes wide open, exuding a majestic and awe-inspiring presence.

"You know the situation. Congratulations on joining the Special Operations Bureau."

Lin Ran's lips twitched slightly, sensing that something was amiss.

He picked up the document holder and opened it; inside was a freshly printed identity card.

Name: Lin Ran, ID: XH-007-9527, Position: Trainee Investigator, Trainee Period: One Year.

"You've even prepared your documents?" Lin Ran asked, puzzled. "Are you sure you can get your hands on me?"

"Don't worry about the details," Bai Xingzhou said casually.

Lin Ran rummaged through the document holder: "Trainee investigator, you have to do an internship for a year?"

"Those who make significant contributions can be promoted to full-fledged employees ahead of schedule."

"And the compensation?"

"The annual salary during the probationary period is 300,000 yuan, and the annual salary after becoming a full-time employee is 1 million yuan. There are extra subsidies for missions, and generous compensation for those who die in the line of duty."

"Only 300,000?" Lin Ran placed the document folder on the table.

As for mission subsidies and death benefits, what do those have to do with him?

It's only a few hundred thousand; who would actually risk their life for that?

Bai Xingzhou scoffed: "You, the young master of the prestigious Lin family, would be short of money?"

"You've misunderstood." Lin Ran shook his head. "I just think it's not enough."

"A single Tier 3 crystal core costs 200,000, and 300,000 isn't even enough to buy two. Shouldn't our Special Affairs Bureau's salary standards be updated to reflect the times?"

Bai Xingzhou was speechless for a moment before finally saying, "Paying wages is only to ensure basic living conditions; the bureau also provides other benefits."

"For example?" Lin Ran raised an eyebrow.

"For example, the crystal cores you mentioned. Unlike the city defense army, the Special Affairs Bureau does not require crystal cores to be handed over. Everyone can keep the crystal cores they receive as their own spoils of war."

Bai Xingzhou lowered his voice: "This is a huge sum of money!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ran's eyes lit up.

If I don't have to hand over the crystal cores, wouldn't I be able to take off if I went on a mission to some secret realm?

He reached out and slipped the document holder into the Nine Heavens Pendant with a smooth, effortless motion: "Alright, I've given you the documents and agreed to your terms. You can leave now."

Bai Xingzhou shook his head: "We can't leave yet."

"Is there anything else?"

Bai Xingzhou then took out a folded paper document from his briefcase and handed it to Lin Ran.

The back of the paper was printed with the Secret Service's official letterhead in red and black, and contained only two lines of text.

Lin Ran is hereby appointed as the patrol commissioner of the East District, responsible for the daily patrol of the 30-kilometer coastline of the East District.

Effective immediately.

Lin Ran glanced at it: "We just agreed that we didn't have to go to work."

"No need to clock in, but this is a task." Bai Xingzhou shrugged.

"Patrolling the coastline?" Lin Ran stared at Bai Xingzhou, feeling that this guy might know something.

I've been using invisibility and earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic/escaping technique) every day, so I shouldn't have been discovered by anyone, right?

"Routine patrol mission, once a day." Bai Xingzhou said calmly.

"The coastline has been rather turbulent lately, with high-level mutated sea beasts frequently appearing. Since you enjoy going to the seaside, this task is perfect for you."

Lin Ran's heart skipped a beat. Could the so-called high-level mutated sea beasts be those two giant octopuses?

Upon closer examination, patrolling the coastline wouldn't do him any harm, so why not?

So he put the official documents away in his storage space: "I'll just treat it as a walk on the beach."

"That won't do!" Bai Xingzhou shook his head: "A detailed report must be submitted every day, including patrol routes, abnormal situations, handling measures, and follow-up recommendations."

Lin Ran frowned deeply: "Is it that troublesome?"

He already regretted it before even starting work.

Bai Xingzhou glanced at him and said helplessly, "You've already had it very easy, don't act like you're being smug!"

Heaven help me, Lin Ran genuinely found it troublesome, but unfortunately Bai Xingzhou couldn't understand.

The two people are not on the same wavelength, so forcing communication is pointless.

So Lin Ran waved his hand: "Alright, I'll handle it accordingly."

Bai Xingzhou's lips twitched slightly. He took a deep breath, tidied his briefcase, and turned to walk towards the study door.

He suddenly stopped when his hand touched the doorknob and turned his head to the side.

"That red-haired guy, he better not show his face again!"