NOVEL NEXT Ch. 54
Chapter 54: Return to Base
“Mr. Strange Bird, how is it?”
Amid their silent standoff with slight smiles, chaotic and tense footsteps finally approached.
It was Investigator Strange Bird’s assistant, who had been stationed at the checkpoints and the requisitioned snack shop, along with other task force members: Doctor, Miss Crow, Hei Hu, and the others. They had all received word and hurried over.
Even from a distance, they sensed something was wrong. As they drew closer and saw those glaring corpses on the ground, their faces instantly changed.
By the door, Investigator Strange Bird and Han Su stood in positions that made everyone uncomfortable, a palpable tension crackling in the air.
Strange Bird’s assistant, reading the scene, guessed what might happen next. He immediately reached for his gun. Hei Hu, standing beside him, suddenly turned and cast a wary glance at him.
That brief look made the assistant’s heart skip a beat, and he took an involuntary step back.
“It’s fine.”
In the midst of that tense atmosphere, Investigator Strange Bird turned around with a smile and waved, saying, “Let’s head back to the Disaster Management Bureau.”
“The mission failed. We lost one operative and four civilians.”
“Inform Miss Ai to send people to clean up the scene.”
He smiled at Han Su, nodded, then turned and left the scene.
On the street, his designated vehicle was already waiting. He climbed straight into the back and the vehicle departed.
Once he was gone, Han Su felt the pressure around them ease. Miss Crow and the others gathered around. Many task force members were nearby—voices hushed, but their eyes filled with questions.
Han Su shook his head and said, “It’s nothing. We should head back too. I’m sure people at headquarters will want to question us.”
…
“Find out exactly who this ‘Butcher’ is and what he’s capable of.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Strange Bird sat in the back of a spacious armored vehicle. His expression twisted into malice, lips clamped tight. He ground his teeth and snarled, “Damn it. How does the current Disaster Management Bureau hire people like this?”
“Yes, yes…”
Faced with Mr. Strange Bird’s fury, his personal assistant and student trembled. He hurriedly agreed, then mustering courage, he whispered, “Mr. Strange Bird, during your last mission…”
“… you went through the wrong door?”
Investigator Strange Bird’s face darkened. He fixed the assistant with a cold glare.
The assistant shivered all over. He nearly spilled the whisky he was pouring. Flustered, he cupped the glass with both hands and offered it, explaining, “I mean… if headquarters finds out, this could be trouble. Why didn’t you…”
He hesitated, implying the massacre that had already occurred.
Strange Bird accepted the whisky. The ice clinked. He narrowed his eyes and paused thoughtfully:
Yes, why didn’t he finish the job cleanly?
On reflection, that man had stood there so calmly, every nerve taut, staring straight into his eyes. That had somehow kept Strange Bird from acting on that thought.
Killing him wouldn’t have been difficult.
Perhaps, he thought, it’s like facing a rat—you can stomp it dead regardless of size or ferocity. But when confronted with something truly fierce, you might hesitate, fearing it will bite you back.
“Leaving him alive doesn’t matter. Operatives naturally fear investigators.”
That complex thought flashed through his mind. Slowly he spoke: “But this is the third time we’ve failed to find that door. Bureau headquarters will want an explanation.”
“You know how to write the report, right?”
The assistant nodded repeatedly, took out his notebook, opened it on his knee, and said, “Yes, yes. I’ll write it now.”
…
In another vehicle, Han Su rode with Doctor, Miss Crow, and Hei Hu.
Other operatives tried to get in, but the low-pressure atmosphere inside kept them away.
The vehicle rocked along the road. After some time, Han Su turned to Doctor and asked, “You once said during the assessment that you memorized every execution protocol?”
Doctor calmly glanced at him and replied, “Not just the operatives’ protocols, but the investigative ones too.”
Han Su nodded, leaned in slightly, and said, “Then tell me: during this last mission, how many mistakes did that guy make?”
He looked at Miss Crow as he spoke. She had just sent a message warning him, Doctor, and Hei Hu. No doubt, she recognized it was a major error that could have posed unpredictable risk to the operatives, and that's why she issued the warning.
“No action plan was drafted. No request for technical team support in advance. No blockers set up as per regulations. No consideration given to civilians or the transmission chain…”
Missing — there were no new names or terms introduced in this segment.
Doctor immediately spoke: “He didn’t even show identification while carrying out a mission in a crowded area.”
“Are we listing every single mistake?”
Miss Crow suddenly added, “His most serious mistake was illegally teaching operatives the Encrypted Text incantation.”
“Even if someone who hasn’t achieved Spiritual Penetration recites such an incantation in a contaminated area, it’s extremely dangerous. Not to mention, that incantation was meant exclusively for members of D7.”
“But, why are you asking all this?”
After speaking all of that in one breath, she looked at Han Su and said, “Are you planning to report him to the bureau?”
“Of course not.”
Han Su shook his head and took out his phone, saying, “There’s no time to wait until we’re back at the bureau. I need to report him right now.”
As he spoke, he dialed a number, saying, “Uncle Zhang, I have something to report to you…”
Beside him, Miss Crow and Doctor: “…”
Hei Hu: “?”
…
…
When Han Su’s group and Investigator Strange Bird’s vehicle returned to the Disaster Management Bureau one after the other, they found the entire bureau in a state of high alert.
Two lines of fully armed security personnel stood guard at the gate with weapons in hand.
As soon as Han Su and the others got out of the vehicle, those two lines of armed personnel stepped forward. Their tone was polite but firm: “Mr. Butcher?”
“Please surrender your sidearm and standard-issue weapons. Come with us, we have some questions for you.”
Miss Crow, Doctor, and Hei Hu’s expressions all changed upon hearing that.
Not far away, Investigator Strange Bird and his assistant turned to look back, sneering coldly before striding toward the main building.
But before they could reach the stairs of the building, Zhang Zhiguo arrived with Secretary Cui Qiao and another team of armed personnel. With a courteous handshake, he said:
“Mr. Strange Bird, please come with us. We have some questions.”
“By the way, you can leave your briefcase with me for now.”
This sudden turn of events caused the faces of Investigator Strange Bird and his assistant to drastically change.
He immediately turned and glared fiercely at Han Su.
Within that fierce gaze was even a trace of disbelief: Damn it, an operative reporting an investigator?
By now, Han Su, under the protection of two security personnel, no longer felt the tension he had earlier when facing the investigator alone.
Seeing the malice in the other’s eyes, he simply returned it with an undisguised cold smile.
As both parties were escorted into the lobby under full armed guard, the entire Disaster Management Bureau stirred with commotion.
Han Su was brought into a fully metallic interrogation room. After sitting for a short while, someone opened the door and entered, followed by two other staff members with cold expressions.
The surveillance camera gently tilted downward, as if nodding—indicating that Miss Ai had now intervened in the interrogation.
Facing Secretary Cui’s gaze, Han Su felt somewhat helpless.
This time, he truly wasn’t to blame.
He only harbored a small doubt in his mind:
Everything that happened tonight—was it a deliberate move against him, or merely accidental?
If it was the former, that would be easier to handle. But if it was the latter…
Then in this Disaster Management Bureau, an operative’s life truly isn’t worth much, is it?
As for everything that happened tonight, he didn’t hide anything. He recounted the mission in full, without missing a word—especially the part where Investigator Strange Bird instructed them to recite the incantation and shot the D2-class operative. He described it in detail.
When Secretary Cui Qiao had first entered the room, her expression was tense and serious. But as she listened, she slowly relaxed, and by the end, her expression even seemed a bit helpless.
“That’s all?”
She looked at Han Su and asked, “You’re sure you haven’t left anything out?”
Han Su shook his head. “Absolutely nothing.”
“Then organize your report. Director Zhang is with the investigator discussing the incident. You go let him review what we’ve compiled.”
She gave brief instructions to the two staffers who had been questioning Han Su. Once they nodded and left with the records, she turned to Han Su and said, “You’ve caused a stir.”
“This isn’t my fault.”
“What does that have to do with you causing trouble?”
“…”
Han Su was momentarily stunned. Thinking it over, he had to admit, she had a point.
Seeing that he wasn’t arguing, Cui Qiao’s expression softened slightly. “Investigator Strange Bird has written a report blaming the entire incident on you. However, you probably won’t be in trouble.”
“His performance during this mission was too impatient. He made several fundamental errors.”
“If he had completed the task, no one would mention those mistakes. But since the mission failed, all of them become problems.”
“You’re safe.”
“…”
Han Su nodded and asked, “What about him?”
Cui Qiao paused, then gave a faint smile. “Of course, he won’t be in trouble either.”
Sensing Han Su’s subtle change in expression, she quickly added, “Although we lost one operative and a few innocent civilians were involved, he genuinely aimed to complete this B-class mission—he was tracking the source of a B-class anomaly.”
“Consider it a lesson learned.”
She looked calmly at Han Su and said, “In the Disaster Management Bureau, some investigators with the potential to earn merits are allowed a little leeway.”
Han Su, who had been about to curse, suddenly fell silent.
What else could he say?