The organization I founded has been exposed by the reborn!

Dawn Breakthrough Realm, Hub Plaza.

A silent ripple spread through the portal, and Qin Xinran strode out in her high heels.

"Sister Qin, you're here."

Zheng Qiang, who was talking to the newlyweds in the square, was the first to go to them.

"Hmm." Qin Xinran nodded, her gaze sweeping over the three unfamiliar faces standing next to Zheng Qiang.

Zheng Qiang immediately introduced the two parties.

"Sister Qin, these are the new members that the boss just brought back."

Zheng Qiang pointed to Shen Lesheng and the other two, introducing them one by one: "This is Shen Lesheng, who has awakened the A-level [Sand Control]; this is Zhou Tian, ​​who has awakened the S-level [Judgment Angel]; and the little girl next to him is Zhou Tian's younger sister, Zhou Zixin."

Then, Zheng Qiang turned his head to face Zhou Tian and Shen Lesheng:

"The three of you, this is Qin Xinran, Sister Qin. She has awakened the A-level [Shadow Overlord] and is also one of the first core members to join Dawn."

Upon hearing the name "Qin Xinran," both Shen Lesheng and Zhou Tian were startled.

As people from Yanjing, they had naturally seen the head of the Qin Group in various news and financial magazines.

To their surprise, the aloof and powerful female CEO with a net worth of billions was also a member of Dawn.

Shen Lesheng and Zhou Tian exchanged slightly tense greetings, saying politely, "President Qin."

"Sister, you are so beautiful."

Zhou Zixin, who was hiding behind Zhou Tian, ​​peeked out and looked at Qin Xinran, who had an outstanding temperament, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

Hearing the little girl's innocent voice, Qin Xinran's originally cold and beautiful face softened a bit.

She stepped forward and gently patted Zhou Zixin's head with her fair hand: "Little sister, you have such a sweet tongue."

Immediately, Qin Xinran looked at Shen Lesheng and Zhou Tian, ​​a hint of amazement appearing in her beautiful eyes.

One is an A-grade natural elemental type, and the other is an even rarer and more terrifying S-grade!

The new recruits who returned this time are all surprisingly powerful.

Without a doubt, Dawn's overall strength will experience another leap forward in a short period of time.

Qin Xinran nodded to the two of them, saying, "Welcome to Dawn. From now on, we'll be comrades fighting side by side."

After exchanging pleasantries, Qin Xinran's smile faded, and she looked at Zheng Qiang: "Where is the leader?"

The voice just fell.

"Buzz".

The space in front of them distorted slightly, and Su Yu, dressed in a black trench coat, appeared out of thin air in front of them.

"Leader." Qin Xinran immediately bowed her head in greeting.

"Boss!" Zheng Qiang and the others called out in unison.

Su Yu's gaze swept over the people present, and he asked calmly, "Is everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Zhou Tian took half a step forward, his eyes filled with concern for his younger sister, and his tone was hesitant and urgent: "Chief, Zixin has just recovered... I'm worried about leaving her here alone. Could I... stay and take care of her?"

Zhou Tian knew very well that this opportunity for practical training was extremely valuable, but he simply couldn't bear to leave his little sister behind.

Su Yu glanced at Zhou Tian, ​​then his gaze fell on Zhou Zixin behind him.

Although Wen Xiaoxiao had cured the little girl's illness, she had experienced a long day of fright and running around, and her face was full of undisguised fatigue. She really needed to rest.

However, Zhou Tian awakened the S-rank [Judgment Angel], which is the core spearhead for breaking through the current predicament in the future.

Today's live teaching session is indispensable; no one else can be missing, but he is indispensable.

"Then... Wen Xiaoxiao will stay."

Su Yu made a decisive decision and looked at the girl with pigtails beside him: "You're in medical logistics, so this kind of practical training against vengeful ghosts won't help you much. Take Zixin to the dormitory area to rest and take good care of her."

"Yes, boss! Mission accomplished!"

Wen Xiaoxiao agreed without hesitation.

She already adored this sensible little sister, so she immediately went up to her, took Zhou Zixin's hand, and coaxed her with a smile, "Don't be afraid, little Zixin. Big sister will take you to pick out the prettiest room, we'll have some dessert, and then have a nice long sleep!"

Zhou Zixin glanced at her brother, nodded sensibly, and obediently followed Wen Xiaoxiao toward the dormitory area at the back.

Seeing that his sister had been properly settled, Zhou Tian finally felt relieved. His gaze towards Su Yu was filled with even more gratitude, and he replied in a deep voice, "Thank you, Chief!"

With Wen Xiaoxiao and her companion gone, only Qin Xinran, Zheng Qiang, Feng Gang, Zhou Tian, ​​and Shen Lesheng remained in the square.

One S-rank, two A-ranks, three C-ranks, plus one Lord of Dawn.

Su Yu looked directly at the five people in front of him and said calmly, "The place I'm taking you to today is located in the western suburbs of Yanjing."

"The target is an abandoned old stage from a bygone era, codenamed 'Paper Opera Troupe.' The vengeful spirit is... Rank D."

Upon hearing the words "Level D," the eyes of Feng Gang, Qin Xinran, and Zheng Qiang suddenly darkened.

They had personally experienced the F-level Red Shoes and understood the strictness of the ghost's ranking system; with each level they crossed, their combat power increased exponentially.

I can't even imagine... how terrifying the combat power of a D-level vengeful ghost would be.

Although Shen Lesheng and Zhou Tian had just awakened, they had already gained an understanding of the levels of the bizarre through their previous exchanges, and their hearts sank a little.

Su Yu continued:

"Those are old grudges left deep in the stage, transformed into a rule-based vengeful ghost under the erosion of yin energy."

"Every night, the mournful sounds of gongs and drums and opera singing would resound again in front of the collapsed stage."

"As for how to deal with this vengeful ghost..."

Su Yu's gaze swept over the solemn-looking crowd, his tone calm yet brimming with powerful confidence: "This is precisely the purpose of taking you to practice today. Once we're there, I will personally demonstrate how to suppress... a D-level vengeful ghost."

Hearing Su Yu's words, everyone's expression turned solemn.

A live tutorial in front of a Class D vengeful ghost?

This requires an incredibly powerful and confident control over one's own strength!

"What you need to do is observe quietly from the sidelines. This will be crucial for you in dealing with vengeful spirits in the future."

At this point, Su Yu's tone softened slightly, "Of course, this lesson won't be a waste of time."

"After the mission is completed, each person will receive a [Black Iron Grade Equipment Exchange Coupon], which can be directly exchanged for a Black Iron Grade Extraordinary Equipment in the shop."

Upon hearing that there was readily available extraordinary equipment, the tense atmosphere immediately relaxed, and fervor appeared in everyone's eyes.

They had already seen the items in the points mall; any piece of equipment they picked out possessed characteristics that defied common sense.

……

"Remember to change your identity before you set off."

After Su Yu finished speaking, he took out a clown mask from the system space and put it on his face.

With a slight thought, the faint light on the mask flashed and disappeared.

His originally angular face, under the influence of the rules, underwent a subtle reorganization of his bone structure and flesh, instantly transforming into an ordinary face that would be impossible to spot in a crowd.

Upon hearing this, Qin Xinran and the other four did not hesitate at all and took out their respective clown masks and pressed them onto their faces.

A slight ripple spread out.

Qin Xinran's stunningly beautiful, icy CEO-like face was stripped of all her sharpness, transforming her into an ordinary woman with an unremarkable appearance; Feng Gang's fierce and menacing aura with a full head of baldness was concealed, making him appear as a kind-looking, robust middle-aged man; Zheng Qiang, Shen Lesheng, and Zhou Tian also lost their original features, becoming unremarkable passersby.

In just half a minute.

In less than half a minute, this squad with terrifying combat power was reduced to six ordinary people with no distinguishing features.

……

Leave the headquarters secret realm.

The group boarded a black seven-seater van parked outside the museum.

Su Yu sat in the driver's seat, acting as the driver.

Because only he knew the destination.

In his line of sight, a coordinate point emitting a faint yellow light was flashing continuously in the western suburbs of Yanjing.

With a roar of its engine, the van smoothly drove into the street.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was somewhat somber and quiet.

Zheng Qiang leaned back in the back seat, his eyes slightly closed.

As his abilities were activated, an invisible stream of data rapidly sifted through and filtered all kinds of information on the internet in his mind.

A moment later, Zheng Qiang opened his eyes, breaking the deathly silence in the carriage.

"I just searched the internet and found a few folk tales about old opera stages in several forums."

Zheng Qiang's voice sounded deep in the quiet carriage: "The post mentioned that during the Republic of China era, a strange and widely publicized unsolved case occurred on an old stage in the western suburbs of Yanjing."

"The once-popular 'Deyi Troupe' suddenly announced its closure after performing its last famous play. At first, everyone thought it was just a break, but little did they know that the closure would last for a whole month, and the more than 30 members never showed their faces again."

"Rumors were flying everywhere. It wasn't until a month later that a few daring theatergoers couldn't resist their curiosity and secretly climbed over the wall into the closed courtyard. They pushed open the dusty, moldy curtain behind the stage and were met with a chilling sight."

"The authorities arrived and sealed off the scene, but faced with the skinned and dismembered corpse and the missing figure, they could not find any clues. In the end, they could only hastily close the case and completely abandon the compound."

The people inside the carriage listened intently, holding their breath.

"More than thirty actors, their joints all pierced by thick iron wire and white bone, hung upside down on the roof beams like marionettes."

Zheng Qiang's voice was a little dry: "The most bizarre thing is... all the flesh on their bodies had been peeled off, leaving only a dry skin that was roughly sewn onto bamboo strips and paper frames. All the bones in the hands and feet of the dead were twisted in reverse into strange angles."

Old Feng got goosebumps all over, and touched his bald head: "Skinning, removing bones and sewing them onto a paper frame? This method... is too despicable and terrifying."

"That's not all."

Zheng Qiang's expression was solemn as he continued, "The forum post also mentioned a strange detail that cannot be explained by common sense—there was not a trace of shadow under the feet of any of the dead, as if the shadows had been forcibly 'cut' away."

Zhou Tian and Shen Lesheng exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

"Where is the troupe leader?" Qin Xinran asked the crucial question.

"The post said that the head of the 'Virtue and Art Troupe' was sitting upright in the center of the audience in a grand chair."

Zheng Qiang said in a low voice, "He was clutching a rusty bronze gong and a pair of large white bone scissors stained with blackened blood. His own skin had also been completely stripped off, and on his bloodied and mangled face, a strange smile was outlined with blood and cinnabar."

"From then on, that ruin became a desolate and forbidden area. Every midnight, the mournful sounds of gongs and drums and the shrill singing of opera would echo from in front of the collapsed stage."

At this point, Zheng Qiang analyzed, "Based on the descriptions of the ghost stories in these posts, I guess that the D-level vengeful ghost is most likely the opera troupe leader who died tragically on stage back then."

"However..." Zheng Qiang added, "These are ultimately just folk tales circulating on paranormal forums, their truth or falsehood is unknown, so just take them with a grain of salt."

After listening to Lao Zheng's sharing, the carriage was silent for a few seconds.

Qin Xinran's eyes narrowed slightly as she pondered, "The shadow disappeared... I am very sensitive to the origin of shadows. If that vengeful ghost's ability is truly related to 'shadows,' my ability might be able to sense it the moment it attempts to erode or cut through the shadow."

Zheng Qiang's expression was solemn as he looked at everyone in the car and earnestly instructed them: "The rule-based ghosts are extremely dangerous and unpredictable. Everyone must be on high alert and absolutely must not act rashly or make any unnecessary moves."

Old Feng rubbed his bald head and chimed in with deep agreement, "Old Zheng is right. We all need to be careful and absolutely cannot take any chances!"

"Understood!" Shen Lesheng and Zhou Tian replied in low voices, their eyes becoming extremely focused.

Su Yu gripped the steering wheel, his gaze calmly fixed on the dark road ahead, and did not participate in the discussion.

But listening to the conversations and reverence for the rules among the members behind him, he felt quite satisfied.

A qualified savior organization needs not only an invincible leader, but also a group of tactical backbone members who can grow rapidly and stand on their own.

……

The van sped westward through the bustling city.

It was sunset.

A blood-red setting sun hung obliquely on the horizon, its dark crimson afterglow staining half the sky like spilled ink, casting an eerie glow over the desolate wilderness on both sides of the road.

As vehicles venture deeper into the suburbs, the once-prosperous skyscrapers are gradually replaced by towering weeds and abandoned factories.

The setting sun cast its last rays, stretching countless long, twisted black shadows across the ground, like ghosts lurking in the shadows.

An hour later.

The van slowly came to a stop in front of an abandoned wasteland in the western suburbs.

The evening wind howled by, swirling up yellowed scraps of paper and withered grass.

Not far ahead, a dilapidated courtyard, shrouded in the blood-red glow of the setting sun, stood silently, its deathly stillness unsettling.

The vermilion wooden door of the courtyard had long since rotted and peeled off, revealing the moldy and blackened wood grain underneath.

Above the door frame, the dozen or so official yellow seals that were pasted in a crisscross pattern had long since faded and broken. They trembled constantly in the howling wind, making a crisp "clattering" sound, like the complaints of ghosts.

Separated by a towering wall that has mostly collapsed.

The crowd could vaguely see that in the very center of the courtyard stood a severely weathered old wooden stage with its upturned corners collapsed.

A tattered, moldy, blackened curtain covered the stage, exuding an indescribable eeriness and sinister atmosphere under the crimson sunset...