Chapter 24: Born of Pure Blood and Noble Roots

"Who was that?" The man with glasses listened to the sound of the unit door being pushed open, frowning as he questioned his companion. A flicker of anger glimmered in his eyes. The other party was far too arrogant, nearly provoking him to lose his temper. Yet this person, knowing they were guards, spoke so boldly—clearly suspicious. Moreover, he sensed a latent danger emanating from the stranger.

"Seems to be someone from the Public Security Bureau," the woman replied, her brows knitted tightly. She remembered the man. That day, she had tried to block someone, only to be shoved into a room, where this man promptly drew his gun and fired several shots at her. Had it not been for pressing matters at the time, she would have taught him a lesson. Yet his demeanor now differed drastically from before. If not for the deep impression he left and her sharp memory, she might not have recognized him.

"Public Security Bureau?" The man’s brow furrowed even further. Since when had their people become so audacious?

"Let’s go up and take a look!" The woman spoke, and the two hurried upstairs. Upon reaching the target room, they found the entire space covered in a fine layer of dust.

The man inhaled deeply in the room. "It’s those things… The power level should be Grade Two. Looks like that man dealt with it!"

"He’s an Awakened," the woman remarked. Those things had varying strengths, but even the weakest were not easily subdued by ordinary people. Clearly, their adversary was Awakened—and not weak at that!

The power of those eerie entities varied. The lowest was Grade One, not particularly destructive, often referred to as fledglings. Grade Two, however, was significantly more dangerous, highly corrosive. Especially in densely populated areas, if one wasn’t eliminated in time, it could grow stronger and devour its surroundings. The most dangerous case they’d encountered had spread throughout an entire building, with all its residents consumed.

Even the weakest Grade Two was not easy to handle. Grade Three entities possessed formidable strength, capable of affecting large regions. Even the elite among the guards found them troublesome. Some powerful Grade Three entities required the combined efforts of numerous experts.

As for Grade Four... None had ever appeared in South Chu, but across the strait in Qichao, one had emerged once. Afterwards, a vast military exclusion zone was established, spanning over a hundred miles. It was said that the area originally housed a small town and several villages, but now their names could no longer be found online.

...

The two circled the room, deep suspicion swelling in their hearts.

Where was the corpse of the eerie entity?

They were no strangers to such creatures, having slain many themselves. Regardless of who struck the final blow, there always remained some remnant—limbs, fragments, or other traces. Yet here, there was nothing left. Apart from the damage to the floor, walls, and ceiling, not a single expected remnant could be found.

Only a layer of pale dust floated atop every object.

The man reached out and swept his hand across the cabinet, pinching the dust between his fingers—it felt just like powder. He sniffed again. "What is this?"

Receiving no answer, he took a small bottle from his pocket and collected some of the dust. Although its nature was unclear, he was certain it was connected to either the man or the eerie entity that had been here. He then pulled out his phone and recorded the entire scene.

...

As soon as Gu Changqing stepped outside, several colleagues surrounded him.

"Finally out!"

"What’s the situation upstairs?"

"It’s all sorted," Gu Changqing said with a cheerful smile.

"Really?" The others were visibly shaken. Cases like this had been rare before, but their frequency was increasing in the past half-year. Many had experienced them firsthand—at first, some skeptics had tried shooting, but to no avail, resulting in injuries and casualties. So they only handled containment, leaving the guards to deal with what lay within. Afterwards, they would clean up and manage the aftermath.

The traces left behind suggested those guards were like humanoid monsters.

Yet today, Gu Changqing had handled it himself... Even though he’d previously demonstrated unique abilities, hearing him say so now still shocked them.

Gu Changqing, still smiling, slung an arm around a colleague’s shoulders:

"Didn’t I just ask you to fetch a few mops?"

"If you don’t prepare mops for the guards, how are they supposed to clean up after themselves?"

"They’re here now—can’t let them make the trip for nothing..."

"Don’t forget next time!"

He patted his colleague twice, then released him and ambled toward the exit.

"I’ve got another case to investigate this afternoon, so I won’t be coming back. But if anything like this happens again, give me a call!"

Soon after Gu Changqing left, the two guards came downstairs, pulled someone aside, and asked, "Where’s the person who just left?"

"What’s his name?"

Once they had their answer, they departed.

A few remained to handle the aftermath, while the others returned to the precinct, where they found a crowd gathered around the hole in the wall, discussing it.

Back in the office, they had barely sat down when Captain Cao arrived, surveying the room before asking, "Where’s Gu Quan’an?"

"Tell me about the situation at the scene!"

"So, you’re saying those two guards followed Gu Quan’an out, and there was no sound between them? And they were inquiring about Gu Quan’an?"

"Call Gu Quan’an. Tell him to drop his current case and come back immediately!"

After hearing their report, Captain Cao gave his orders without hesitation.

...

In truth, the main headquarters of the Angang Public Security Bureau had long wanted to form its own special team, especially as the appearance of eerie entities had become increasingly frequent over the past half-year. The need was now urgent. They were constantly searching for suitable candidates, but most Awakened in South Chu had been absorbed by the guards, especially the experts, who were almost all with them.

Though some Awakened remained among the populace, they were either of little use or kept their whereabouts secret, unwilling to join official departments. Headquarters had paid a steep price to assemble even a rudimentary team.

Gu Changqing had not only demonstrated his abilities but was also one of their own—his roots and loyalty unquestioned. Compared to those recruited from outside, he was far more dependable, making him the ideal candidate for the team.

Neither the director nor Captain Cao wanted to see the bureau’s hard-won talent snatched away by the guards.

...

"What is it?" Gu Changqing answered the phone casually.

"Come back? No time! That’s all!"

He was about to hang up.

So what if it was the director?

At the other end, Captain Cao pressed his ear to the receiver, hearing Gu Changqing about to hang up, and quickly snatched the phone. "Gu Quan’an, wait!"

"Who the hell are you?" Gu Changqing said irritably.

"I’m Cao Xiong from Squad Two! The case can wait—come back for a moment, the director has something important to discuss with you. It’ll be very beneficial for you!"

"Let’s talk tomorrow!" Gu Changqing hung up directly, then snorted.

He had just demonstrated his abilities; he didn’t believe the bureau would dare do anything to him. Even a bit of arrogance was fine.

Listening to the dial tone from the other end, Captain Cao couldn’t contain his anger.

"Far too arrogant! Doesn’t care about anyone else!"

"Does he really think being Awakened means the bureau can’t do without him?"

"Just Awakened and already so cocky—who knows what he’ll be like in the future!"

Captain Cao nearly cursed, but seeing the rest of Squad Three watching him, he stormed off angrily to the director’s office.

But anger aside, if Gu Changqing wouldn’t come back, there was nothing he could do.

...

Gu Changqing had considered acquiring a pair of elephants or rhinoceroses, but it would take too long, and he didn’t want to waste time. Better to convert what he had on hand into power first.

He still had a guest waiting at home—and the Yu family of Yuanhe...

After circling for a while, he finally bought two Qian cattle and had them delivered to the warehouse.

Closing the door behind him, Gu Changqing took out the last two bottles of deep blue liquid from the wooden box.