I adopted a child demon from the Gap, and I'm a special agent for the Bureau of Supernatural Ab

This was the feeling of being watched, the feeling that something was observing him from the depths of darkness. That kind of gaze, whose source was impossible to pinpoint, was enough to send chills down the spine of a martial artist with keen senses. And at this moment, what he was experiencing was an intense feeling of being watched.

"who!"

With a furious roar, Li Cheng's figure vanished from his spot. The next second, the ground exploded, and Li Cheng pounced on a wall like a tiger, punching it so hard that the entire wall shattered.

The cold feeling of being watched vanished silently.

However, Li Cheng failed to find his opponent's rhythm.

Did they escape?

Li Cheng was somewhat unsure.

But without a doubt, he was no longer the relaxed man he had been when the mission was about to end. Because of this eerie gaze whose origins remained unknown, Li Cheng had begun to be wary and thoughtful.

……

In a world shrouded in darkness, a graceful figure is surrounded by countless indifferent gazes.

"That's right, that person has traces of that power on his body."

She spoke softly, her voice carrying an unusual languidness and charm.

"What a pity, he's too vigilant. He was able to detect my gaze and retaliate. Given that I can't use my strength too obviously right now, it's really difficult to sneak him away."

However, this will not be an obstacle.

Her purple eyes held a confident and determined gaze.

She will fully unravel all those strange sensations, strange connections, and strange memories that appeared but no longer appeared—all of which she was unable to understand.

…………

Thank you to reader Qizhi for the blade, thank you very much.

Thank you to reader Tang Mu-Di Xie for the monthly ticket.

Thank you to readers Jianjianjianjianjianjianjianjianjian, Yingjiangover, Ketayat, Zhuoyuedewuli, Kekongdetuzi, Datuzi, and ZuidaoyaowangEX for their recommendation votes.

I had some things to do today, sorry there will only be one update...

Section 270, Chapter 8: Counterattack and Retaliation

On the morning of the third day after the "hunting operation" in the abandoned port, just after eight o'clock, Li Cheng was summoned to headquarters by an urgent communication.

Zi slept in as usual, but what was a little strange was that unlike her usual lazy sleeping posture, this time she seemed to be really tired and was lying quietly in bed sleeping.

Without disturbing her, Li Cheng carefully got out of bed to wash up, and then quickly headed to headquarters.

When he arrived, the entire sixth team had already gathered in the conference room, and the person in charge of the operation, Akira Akai, was standing in the room with a cold expression on his face.

"The leader of the direct subordinate squad, Ghost Fist, submitted a report to me an hour ago."

Akai Akira spoke calmly, but for some reason, Li Cheng had a bad feeling. Soon, this feeling became a reality, leaving him dumbfounded and frozen in place.

According to the report submitted by the direct subordinate squad, the sixth group's disobedience to orders, interference with combat operations, and even its attempt to order the direct subordinate squad were the root causes of the heavy casualties in the entire operation.

The incident of the direct subordinate team acting rashly at a critical moment was distorted into the sixth group sabotaging the direct subordinate team's work. The original rescue by the sixth group was transformed into a description of them not cooperating with the direct subordinate team's actions when intelligence was problematic, only setting out to rescue the direct subordinate team when they were in trouble, and deliberately being negligent during the rescue process, resulting in the deaths of several members of the direct subordinate team.

These are only part of the story. Throughout the report, the direct subordinate team is portrayed as the victim, while the sixth team, who was supposed to come to the rescue, is depicted as a despicable individual who deliberately kept quiet despite knowing the intelligence was wrong, insidiously framing the direct subordinate team and ultimately taking all the credit for themselves. The report also shifts blame for the deaths of several members of the team and the injuries to the officers onto the sixth team.

"Not only that, I also have a complaint from the human rights association here, because you killed almost all the enemies in the operation. The Japanese human rights association considers this a massacre. Your group has even been labeled as 'devil on earth'."

Akira Akai put down the report from the squad leader, Oniken, and turned on the computer next to him. It immediately displayed many bloody photos, all of which were of opponents killed by Squad Six in the battle the night before last.

“These photos were originally confidential on-site photos, but someone sneaked into the scene, secretly took them, and spread them on the internet. Now your sixth group is a hot topic on Japanese online searches.”

Akira Akai slowly browsed through various discussions and news articles, and all of them ultimately pointed to the Sixth Division itself in a rather malicious manner.

It was absolutely a barrage of criticism.

They were fighting for the peace of more people by stopping the underground arms trade, and they were the ones who were attacked; if they hadn't been strong enough, they might have lost their lives too. But in the descriptions of various media outlets, it was completely turned into the Sixth Group brutally killing gang members and terrorists who outnumbered them several times over.

Li Cheng had carried Ghost Fist to the hidden spot, and yet this had happened. Li Cheng was understandably upset; all he wanted to do was find Ghost Fist in the ward and get a good talking to about what the guy was thinking.

However, considering that it was always Kiritsugu Emiya who handled these matters, and that he always did a good job, Li Cheng decided not to say anything. He looked around and found that everyone else was indeed daydreaming and not paying attention to what their leader was saying. Only Kiritsugu Emiya was listening attentively with a frown on his face.

Soon after finishing his report and discussing the media impact, Akira Akai stopped, seemingly waiting for the reaction of the sixth group.

What is the attitude of the higher-ups now?

After a moment of silence, Kiritsugu Emiya looked in Akira Akai's direction and asked.

Akira Akai didn't waste any words and said directly:

"Judging from the current situation, it is naturally very disadvantageous for you."

"The directly subordinate teams have always been a source of publicity for headquarters. Now that they have suffered such huge losses and have triggered such enormous public pressure, we have no choice but to do something."

"Furthermore, it's not just the direct command team that's putting pressure on us now; the police officers seem to be lobbying as well, and some of them already believe that the casualties were caused by your mistakes."

"Furthermore, the audio recordings of your conversations during the operation were taken away yesterday by the higher-ups of your close subordinates. It's impossible to change the status quo with them."

Did they really manage to do that?

Li Cheng was somewhat puzzled.

They were the ones who risked their lives to rescue them. Putting everything else aside, Li Cheng did indeed encounter several formidable A-level experts. If it weren't for the fact that his realm power could alter his body's regeneration speed to heal him, he might still be lying in the hospital right now.

In the end, these guys who were rescued actually turned around and bit us.

However, it seems that Akai Akira, the new high-ranking official, is on their side. Thinking about it carefully, the fact that he came up with the idea of ​​putting the Sixth Group in charge of direct squad support work shows that this man clearly understands the Sixth Group's strength and style, so making this choice is understandable.

What does the direct subordinate team want?

Kiritsugu Emiya asked another question.

"They probably want to disband Group Six, and if possible, they'd also like to put you all in jail."

Akira Akai leaned against the wall and said with his arms crossed.

"However, that should be impossible. Everyone has witnessed the contributions of the Sixth Group to the Tokyo Special District. No one would be stupid enough to kick you out."

"If nothing unexpected happens, you will be suspended from your duties for a long time, until the impact of the incident has completely subsided. I think... it will probably be at least two months?"

Suspending him from his post, wouldn't that just be the same as before?

Li Cheng recalled that a few months ago, before he first met Zi, the Sixth Group had attracted media criticism for wiping out a group of underage murderers during their arrest. As a result, they were suspended from duty until the storm passed.

The sixth group was clearly very experienced in handling this kind of suspension, having done it many times before and being quite adept at it.

"So, there's no difference?"

Thinking this, Li Cheng asked Akai Akira a question.

No, this time is different.

Unexpectedly, Akira Akai shook his head solemnly.

“In the past, your suspensions were actually due to the higher-ups protecting you. But this time it involves internal power struggles. I will try my best to protect you, but some symbolic punishment is definitely unavoidable.”

"After all, you did go a little too far in some aspects this time."

As he finished speaking, Akai Akira glanced at the edge of the sixth group, at the believers who had been quietly observing.

Ah, that's true.

The media's attack focused on the brutal and bloody scene, resembling a B-movie, with mutilated corpses, most of whom were the disciples of a female disciple of a greatsword assassin with a skull face whose name could not be revealed.

The believers' sharp threads, which appeared out of nowhere, created more than 90% of the mutilated corpses at the scene that night. In battle, this horrific and bloody method is very helpful in weakening the enemy's will and ability to resist, but in civilized society, it is still too terrible.

"After all this talk, what exactly is the punishment?"

Ryougi Shiki took a few steps forward, somewhat impatiently, and stared directly at Akai Akira, asking bluntly. This posture, which was technically blatantly defiant, didn't elicit any reaction from Akai Akira. He simply nodded, thought for a moment, and then spoke:

"It should be an unpaid suspension. Also, even if you are brought back later, your salaries will be reduced. As for bonuses, you haven't received any since you joined the company, so I won't mention that."

Unpaid leave means I won't be receiving my salary this time? Two months without pay? Well, that shouldn't be a problem, since I've saved a lot of money before.

This punishment meant nothing to Li Cheng, so he breathed a sigh of relief. But for some, it was a harsh reality that could not be ignored.

"W-What?!"

Rin's eyes widened, and her body went limp, almost causing her to fall to the ground.

"Unpaid...unpaid suspension...does that mean I won't receive a single penny from the action team for at least the next two months?!"

"It's a lie, it must be a lie, right? Haha, haha..."

Has the blow been so great that you've started self-hypnosis?

“That’s right, that’s the reality, Ms. Tohsaka. For the next two months, you won’t receive a single penny of salary from the action team.”

Without mercy or compassion, Akai Akira shattered Rin's last illusions.

"Do not!!!"

Inside the conference room of the headquarters building, a young girl's desperate cry echoed.

At the same time, in Li Cheng's home, Zi, who was curled up in the kotatsu, opened her eyes.

"Clearly, I was the one who messed everything up, and I was the one who was saved, yet in the end, I chose to repay kindness with enmity."

She chuckled softly twice, lifted herself from the kotatsu, her long, soft, golden hair cascading down, and her purple eyes seemed to radiate light.

"Jealousy? Resentment? Being so incompetent while the other shines so brightly—this dark and twisted thinking...human beings are indeed so complex, huh~"

Smiling, she slowly stood up.

"However, since they've made a move against Cheng, we can't just stand by and do nothing."

Through the gap in his right eye, Li Cheng, who had already walked out of the headquarters building, was still comforting Rin Tohsaka, who was so desperate that she had turned completely ashen.

"You really do seem indifferent. Well, to avoid causing trouble for Cheng, I'll teach you a lesson. Heh heh, I'm definitely not doing this just to have some fun."

…………

Thank you to reader Lei9 for the monthly pass.

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It's almost 80 words!