Chapter 151: Forced Out
The previous two times Wang Lan discovered traces of the Demon Clan, he reeled in big fish, making the Law Enforcement Department's eyes turn red with envy, just like rabbits.
It wasn't easy for Wang Lan to find traces of the Demon Clan again, so why was it only small fry this time? Nearly all the experts from the Law Enforcement Department had come out, initially expecting a tough fight.
Suzhou City's Tianjian Bureau had seven departments, with only three related to combat. The heads of each department were of Galaxy Stage strength, but the capabilities of their subordinates varied greatly.
The strongest was undoubtedly the Action Department, the main combat branch of the Tianjian Bureau, boasting four Galaxy Stage experts. The strength of its two squad leaders even surpassed Li Weixin's by a significant margin.
Below the Action Department was the Intelligence Department. It had fewer people, but all were elites. Wang Qianfeng was the only Galaxy Stage expert, but the Intelligence Department's function was to gather intelligence, a convergence point for all things strange and extraordinary.
The Law Enforcement Department, despite its formidable name, wasn't actually that strong. It managed internal discipline, monitored the behavior of internal personnel, and was also responsible for ideological indoctrination and re-education.
The Law Enforcement Department had fewer than one hundred members, and all its most capable personnel were brought out today.
"Report! The battle is over. Twenty Demon Clan spies eliminated. Zero casualties on our side. Awaiting instructions!"
"Control the area. Maintain alert."
"Yes, sir!"
"This doesn't make sense..." He MingXue still felt somewhat dissatisfied. "Such a concealed base, so hard to find... And there are only these small fries? It's unreasonable..."
Following He MingXue, Wang Lan entered the Demon Clan's base. Apart from those on guard, the rest of the Law Enforcement Department were meticulously searching for dangers and clues.
Wang Lan arrived at the server Xiao Ai had pinpointed. Although Xiao Ai had already infiltrated it, Wang Lan had the program uninstall all its tool plugins to reduce the risk of exposure. To crack the server's password, Wang Lan had to do it himself.
Wang Lan's typing speed was like lightning. Xu Shiyun could only hear a rapid clatter from the keyboard, unable to even see the fingers move. Symbols typed by Wang Lan instantly flooded the computer screen before him.
When it came to computer technology, Xu Shiyun was clueless. But, clueless as he was, he still liked to make small talk.
"Wang Lan, do you have to use a Star Martial Skill just to type?"
"No way! This is just normal typing speed, okay?"
"Oh, come on! How can normal typing speed be this fast? My hands don't move this fast even when I'm... attending to my wife," Xu Shiyun said, making his crude remark without any inhibition, completely ignoring whether others were present.
"You old lecher, don't disturb Wang Lan while he's cracking the password," Zhang Yeqiu said, shooting him a sideways glance as she looked up.
The potency of Xu Shiyun's crude remarks lay in their suggestiveness, leaving the rest to the imagination. The problem was, once the imagination kicked in, it was hard to stop. As soon as Zhang Yeqiu finished speaking, her pretty face turned beet red.
"Tsk, it's your mind that's dirty. I was talking about finger massage techniques. Look, your sister is perfectly calm, not thinking anything inappropriate at all."
Zhang Xiaoxue's eyes were fixed on Wang Lan's screen, staring intently.
Zhang Xiaoxue was an Ice Attribute Star Martial Warrior with a naturally cool temperament, rarely showing strong emotional fluctuations. But at that moment, Zhang Yeqiu was surprised to see a rich range of expressions on her sister's face.
"Xiaoxue, I almost forgot you're also proficient with computers. Can Wang Lan handle it? Do you want to give it a try?"
"If Wang Lan can't handle it, then I definitely can't. He's a master, an absolute master," Zhang Xiaoxue said, regaining her composure and sighing in admiration.
"Got it!"
Instantly, a TXT page popped up, filled with computer language code.
One glance would make anyone's head spin.
"This is the backup information for the game young Zhang Jixi played. These numbers, which look like gibberish, are actually chat messages Zhang Jixi sent through the game. They must be transmitting instructions. Look around, see if there are any books that stand out—something they obviously wouldn't read."
"Let's all look together!"
The four of them scattered, quickly rummaging through boxes and cabinets.
"Found one! Here's a novel titled 'Soldier's Legend'."
"Bring it here."
Wang Lan quickly used the previously deciphered method, cross-referencing the numbers with the book's content.
"Before the twelfth, produce fifty bottles of Demonic Transformation Potion."
"Deliver them to the greenbelt beneath the Canyuan Road overpass in the New District."
"..."
The next dozen or so messages were all requests to produce Demonic Transformation Potions. After analyzing these, Wang Lan shot to his feet.
"Director He!"
"Huh?" He MingXue had just walked in when he suddenly heard Wang Lan call out to him loudly.
"Director He, this is a base where the Demon Clan manufactures Demonic Transformation Potions! Everyone, keep looking; there must be more evidence!"
"Really? That's great!"
They had thought they'd only caught some small fry, but finding a manufacturing base for Demonic Transformation Potions was a completely different matter. The Demonic Transformation Potion was the crowning achievement in this series of accomplishments.
"Assessment complete. Law Enforcement Department operation concluded." Suddenly, a voice rang out. Just as He MingXue's face lit up with ecstasy, Wang Qianfeng walked in, his face wreathed in a smile as wide as a chrysanthemum.
"Wang, what are you doing here? What's this about an assessment being over?" He MingXue asked, his expression slightly unnatural.
"See for yourself." Wang Qianfeng held the order paper right in front of He MingXue. He MingXue glanced down at it, and his face immediately turned pitch black.
With the establishment of the Shadow Guard Office, his Law Enforcement Department would be reorganized. The Law Enforcement Department would retain its Law Enforcement Branch, while the Shadow Guard Office would immediately begin recruitment and expansion.
The Shadow Guard Office was primarily responsible for covert operations—tasks not suitable for public exposure, such as assassinations, surveillance, and eliminating internal destabilizing elements.
Most importantly, the identities of Shadow Guard Office personnel were highly secret. Everyone had both a public and a covert identity. The personnel for the Shadow Guard Office would mainly be drawn from various departments within the Tianjian Bureau.
They could come from the Intelligence Department, the Action Department, the Internal Affairs Department, or even the Medical Department. Facing the cunning Demon Clan and preparing for potentially drastic future changes, the Tianjian Bureau was implementing a higher level of strategic preparedness.
Upon seeing this order, a smile spread across He MingXue's face. Deep down, he was already plotting his next move. Wang Qianfeng, you poached two of my people! I'm not just getting them back; I'm going to poach your two precious talents as well! Poaching is a game anyone can play!
But just as a hint of triumph appeared on his face, his expression suddenly changed.
What did that old scoundrel Wang Qianfeng just say? Mission complete, assessment over? Does that mean from now on, any discoveries aren't part of the Law Enforcement Department's tasks? Is that old scoundrel trying to steal the credit?
A pair of eyes filled with murderous intent coldly stared at Wang Qianfeng.
"He Lao'er, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Wang, let's have a word on the side."
"No need. The mission is more important. Finding the Demonic Transformation Potion production workshop is urgent."
"No, no, no, those are trivial matters. Let my subordinates handle them... Let's discuss something important..."
"Is there anything more important than the Demonic Transformation Potion?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Giving you a good thrashing!"
"He MingXue... what are you doing? This is a breach of discipline! Believe it or not, I'll file a complaint against you!"
"I am the head of the Law Enforcement Department. I accept your complaint. But for now, take this!"
Finding the Demon Clan's Demonic Transformation Potion production workshop wasn't difficult for the experts of the Tianjian Bureau. If necessary, they could simply use Earth Attribute Star Martial Skills to flip the entire area upside down.
One hundred meters underground, Zhang Yeqiu was the first to discover a hidden chamber. It took the combined efforts of seven Earth Attribute Star Martial Warriors to excavate this secret chamber from deep underground.
Looking at the three expensive manufacturing devices before him, along with some semi-finished Demonic Transformation Potions, a smile spread across Wang Qianfeng's face. However, the grin inadvertently tugged at the bruise on the corner of his mouth, causing a twinge of pain.
*"Mission to uncover Demonic Transformation Potion production base complete. Reward: 50,000 experience points, 1,000 skill points."*
As the prompt echoed in his mind, Wang Lan immediately knew something was wrong.
Showing off occasionally feels great, but constantly doing it... that's just asking for trouble. My last breakthrough was just yesterday! After destroying the elite spy group, I leveled up, and my experience for Star Shine Level 6 increased by about thirty percent, around seventeen or eighteen thousand points. To advance from Star Shine Level 6 to Star Shine Level 7 requires sixty thousand experience points. A direct reward of fifty thousand naturally means I'm leveling up again. The problem isn't leveling up; it's leveling up again after just one day! What normal person could handle this kind of provocation?
In an instant, Wang Lan moved. His figure flashed as he tried to escape.
"Wang Lan, what are you doing?" Wang Qianfeng was startled by Wang Lan's sudden action.
"Director Wang, I... I really need to use the restroom!"
"Cut it out. Holding it in for a bit won't kill you," Xu Shiyun said, an irrepressible smile on his face as he slung an arm around Wang Lan's shoulder. "We've really hit the jackpot this time. I wonder how big the reward from headquarters will be. Who knows, maybe even my rank will get a boost..."
A ripple of Star Energy Fluctuation spread out.
Xu Shiyun's voice abruptly stopped.
Staring with wide, ghost-seeing eyes, he watched the Star Energy Fluctuation emanating from Wang Lan.
It was a familiar scene, a truly flamboyant display. But... damn it, it had only been one day!
And naturally, Wang Qianfeng witnessed this entire scene.
Yesterday, Wang Lan broke through while unconscious from overexertion; I saw the whole thing. At the time, I could still rationalize it as potential activation triggered by using a super S-rank Star Martial Skill, the Phoenix Form... Even though that explanation was flimsy even to myself, at least it was an excuse, right? But this... this is just too much! Breaking through every day? Can't you be a little reasonable?
At this moment, the corner of Wang Qianfeng's mouth, already bruised, throbbed with pain. It twitched uncontrollably, and he couldn't stop the frequent spasms.
"Huh? Wang Lan is breaking through?" For Zhang Yeqiu and the others, who were interacting with Wang Lan for the first time, it was a shock. Only Wang Qianfeng and Xu Shiyun knew that Wang Lan had just broken through the previous day.
Even so, Wang Lan breaking through without any warning was already astonishing.
People had heard of killing someone at the slightest disagreement, but never of breaking through at the slightest disagreement.
"Um..." Wang Lan turned his head stiffly, forcing a strained smile at Xu Shiyun, whose excited expression was twisting, on the verge of becoming maniacal.
"Xu, please don't get too excited..."
"Wang Lan, you're breaking through again? Every single day? If I don't give you a good thrashing today, I won't find peace of mind!" Xu Shiyun declared, raising his palm high, aiming a punch straight for Wang Lan's forehead.
"Wait, Xu, listen to my explanation!"
"Do you even need to explain?"
"Yes, I do! I'm really innocent. I told you just now, I had to go urgently. You know how it is, when nature calls, you can't just hold it in. With you stopping me like that, the pressure of my... urgency... just broke through my Star Power shackles. It was all because I was forced to hold it in!"
"Go to hell—!"