I write obituaries for the gods

Upon seeing the young woman, the receptionist waved and smiled.

"Spotted? The mission's over? What about Section Chief Jiang...?"

"I'm back to relieve you. I have classes tomorrow, and the section chief won't be back tonight."

"It seems this will be quite troublesome." The receptionist nodded.

"Thank goodness~"

The girl smiled at the receptionist, then looked up slightly and winked at Lin Chen:

"Sir, so what brings you to see Section Chief Jiang? Just tell me directly."

As she spoke, she took out her work ID and showed it to Lin Chen:

"Li Zhanyi, Rapid Response Section One, Rain City Abnormal Management Bureau," she introduced herself.

......

This was Lin Chen's first time entering the headquarters of the Investigation Bureau, or more precisely, the headquarters of the West City Branch.

Unlike the simple and serious atmosphere of the local police station, everything here seems to be bathed in a magical glow.

White doves flew beneath the pure white dome of the hall, carrying file bags, and flew into the passageways built specifically for them in the dome.

On either side of the hall, two rows of unusual entities dressed in suits stood, their faces pure white, like plastic, reflecting the changing light and shadows in the hall.

“Don’t look directly at them,” Li Zhanyi said. Lin Chen turned his head and found the girl looking back at him. “‘Police officers’ are not well-behaved children who follow the rules. Even among friendly abnormal entities, they are considered to be emotionally unstable.”

“They’re called ‘police officers’…” Lin Chen muttered.

"Yes, they are amazing."

Li Zhanyi walked up to a police officer, patted him on the shoulder with a smile, and then Lin Chen heard the guy yell "Ha!" and raise his baton—

"call!"

Li Zhanyi ran away with a grin, dodging the police officers' batons, then turned back and winked at Lin Chen:

"Two officers can harmlessly neutralize most Delta-level anomalies that have surfaced into reality. However, sometimes the police station will borrow some from us to handle cases. There was a madman who declared himself emperor in an urban village, establishing titles like emperor and prime minister. In the end, we sent two officers to deal with him."

"You won?" Lin Chen was captivated by the story the girl was telling.

"The rebels were completely wiped out, and they even arrested the emperor and took him to the police station. It was even reported in the newspapers! Don't you read the newspapers?"

Li Zhanyi led Lin Chen through the lobby and to the tall elevator shaft.

The girl pressed her work ID against the sensor, and it beeped.

"Alright, let's talk in the office. No one will eavesdrop there," Li Zhanyi turned around. "Judging from your expression, this is no small matter?"

"Hmm," Lin Chen said softly, "I suspect it is... never mind, we'll talk about it later..."

"Good~ You're already safety conscious, that's great." Li Zhanyi patted Lin Chen on the shoulder.

Seeing the girl's innocent smile, Lin Chen's tightly clenched heart relaxed a little.

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and stared at the ever-decreasing elevator floors on the monitor.

While waiting, Lin Chen inadvertently looked up at the top of the elevator shaft.

Once he saw it, he couldn't look away:

Beneath the dome and above the elevator entrance, an exquisitely framed oil painting hangs.

The oil painting depicts a hurricane sweeping across the sky, with gray cirrus clouds resembling the sky of the rain capital, like roaring beasts or raging gray flames.

Below the hurricane, a shattered city is crumbling, and a figure stands at the bottom of the composition, gazing up at the sky.

"How is it? Do you get a feeling from this painting?"

Li Zhanyi glanced at the stunned Lin Chen, and then they both looked up at the painting.

"Section Chief Jiang keeps saying this painting is improper to hang here, but I think it's quite nice, very artistic. It was a gift from the mayor to our unit, it's called..."

"Mirage City?"

Lin Chen could no longer hear what Li Zhanyi was saying.

In his eyes, the oil painting was distorting, with chaotic light and shadow flickering repeatedly, outlining a pure white city.

In a daze, he found himself standing alone in the center of that city, and the concept of time seemed to stretch out.

......

Chapter 5 Leave No One Alive

"Are you alright? You've been spacing out since just now..."

"Ok?"

In the office of the First Department, Lin Chen came back to his senses and shook his head at Li Zhanyi.

"It's nothing... I haven't been sleeping well lately..."

He rubbed his temples, trying to pull himself out of that illusion.

The painting transported Lin Chen to a white city, a place both real and surreal.

In the darkness, Lin Chen felt as if he had been "changed," but he didn't know in what way, nor did he dare to tell Li Zhanyi.

If the situation just now involved an abnormal event, based on Lin Chen's understanding, he would most likely be detained for a lot of tests, wasting a lot of time.

What he lacks most right now is time.

He knew that the foundation was likely already in action, and Huihui was in danger; he couldn't afford to mess things up at a time like this.

Li Zhanyi looked at Lin Chen with some suspicion. She picked up the coffee pot, poured a cup of coffee, and pushed it in front of Lin Chen.

"Alright, speak now. What do you want to see Section Chief Jiang about? Is it about the collapse of the Tiejiao Bridge? Do you have any information to report?"

"Yes."

Lin Chen picked up the coffee, hesitated for a moment, and then put it back.

"I suspect... the foundation wants to harm my sister."

......

After listening to Lin Chen's brief explanation of the situation, Li Zhanyi nodded thoughtfully.

"Oh...so you suspect the Foundation is targeting Megumin and might take drastic measures?"

“That’s right.” Lin Chen nodded.

“But if it’s just checking personal belongings, this procedure is fine,” Li Zhanyi tilted her head. “Or is there really something wrong with Huihui’s personal belongings?”

"Um..."

Lin Chen didn't rush to speak. When explaining the situation earlier, he didn't mention that "Huihui's phone recorded the scene," after all, he didn't completely trust the investigation bureau.

The reason Lin Chen went directly to the Investigation Bureau was because he remembered that Jiang Zhengge seemed to have shown a certain degree of hostility towards Qingtian at the scene that day.

This made Lin Chen think that the other party might know some secrets, and as an organization independent of the foundation, Jiang Zhengge might be able to help protect Huihui.

"What, you don't trust me? You're not going to tell me?"

Li Zhanyi gave a sly smile, which made Lin Chen quickly wave his hand:

"No, it's not so much a lack of trust, it's just..."

"It's okay, I understand what you mean."

Li Zhanyi stood up, pulled a form from the pile of documents beside her, and pushed it directly to Lin Chen:

"Fill in the address, and I'll have someone keep an eye on her. Tell your sister to stay home and not go out. If anything happens, we'll get involved."

This move surprised Lin Chen. He thought he might have to argue for a long time and finally ask the other party to help him find Section Chief Jiang, but the other party actually decided to help right away.

"So you've decided to help me just like that?" Lin Chen rubbed his temples.

"We definitely need to show this to the section chief, but since you are a family member of a victim in the Tekkaku Bridge incident, we have to help you no matter what."

As Li Zhanyi spoke, he took a lollipop out of his trench coat pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.

Lin Chen didn't sit idle either; he immediately picked up a pen and started filling out the form.

About five minutes later, Lin Chen finished filling out the form and felt the tension in his chest finally ease.

He picked up his coffee, took a sip, and then cast a grateful glance at Li Zhanyi, who was lying in the ergonomic chair staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Thank you, Ms. Li."

“You’re welcome,” Li Zhanyi immediately straightened up. “But let me remind you, if you really suspect that the Foundation is watching that girl, then you shouldn’t cause any more trouble. The Foundation is not a good thing… Oh no, I shouldn’t say things like that. Anyway, be careful and don’t mess around.”

"Okay, I will." Lin Chen stood up.

Just then, the office door was pushed open, and a clerk walked in, shouting:

"Zhanyi, the new special weapons have arrived. Come and help me unload the boxes."

"I just got back from my shift, Brother Wang... I still have three course assignments waiting for me!" Li Zhanyi said reluctantly. "Do I really have to carry them all?!"

"No, you have to help. There's a ton of stuff. Hurry up, we'll meet in the lobby in three minutes."

"Okay, okay, I got it."

Li Zhanyi mumbled a few words that Lin Chen couldn't hear, then gestured with his chin towards him:

"Let's go, I'll see you out."

So Lin Chen followed Li Zhanyi in the elevator back to the lobby.

Inside the hall, members of the Investigation Bureau were carrying long boxes, while the "police officers" stood motionless on both sides.

"Won't they help?" Lin Chen asked, genuinely curious.

"Their duty is to stand guard, so they just stand guard."

Li Zhanyi shrugged, looking miserable, then flashed a bright smile and waved at Lin Chen:

"Alright, Mr. Lin, I hope everything goes well for you. We'll never see each other again!"

Lin Chen was taken aback for a moment before realizing that the girl was wishing him well, so he waved back.

Goodbye, Miss Li.

As he walked out of the Investigation Bureau lobby, he could still hear Li Zhanyi complaining:

"What! A shotgun! I don't like using them, so why are you asking me to move one!"

......

Many memories of that day are now hazy. Lin Chen only remembers returning home, making dinner for Huihui, and then going to bed early.

Lying in bed, Lin Chen reviewed the day's events and pondered them repeatedly.

As he thought about it, that sense of unease welled up in his heart again: he didn't know how much authority Li Zhanyi had in the Investigation Bureau. What if she decided to help, but Jiang Zhengge disagreed, or what if her superiors disagreed?

Has the foundation actually found Huihui? If they have, are they already preparing to take action? What will they do? Create an accident? Or will they employ their specialty: a media campaign?

Under the covers, Lin Chen's fists clenched slightly.

He suddenly felt powerless: his aunt and uncle had been thrown into the sea and died by Qingtian like trash. Not only could he not reveal the truth, but he also had to worry about the Foundation harming Huihui.

He knew he could easily find a way to expose the truth; at worst, he would confront her head-on. But Huihui couldn't do that.

She has no parents, and Lin Chen doesn't want her to be in danger as well.

Raindrops pattered against the security window, pattering softly.

Finally, Lin Chen fell asleep amidst his complicated thoughts.

That night, he had a dream.

The details of the dream are now blurred, but Lin Chen only remembers that when he came to his senses, a pure white city was surrounding him.

"...!"

Lin Chen took a breath, the cool air mixed with rain filling his lungs.

He looked around: the city's outline had now been replaced by pure white lines, which rose and fell like the ebb and flow of ocean waves.

Seeing the scene before him, Lin Chen's eyes widened in shock.

He had seen this before: when he looked at the oil painting hanging in the Bureau of Investigation, the phantom of this white city had flashed before his eyes!

He remembered that at that time, Li Zhanyi said...