Chapter 33: The First Day—Keep a Low Profile
Gao Wenxin gazed at the young man before her.
He was tall and robust, his features strikingly handsome with a hint of refinement, and his uninhibited, spirited demeanor made him exceptionally charismatic.
His abilities were impressive, his potential immense, and he was a product of the security system’s own training.
Gao Wenxin pondered for a moment.
She had heard of Gu Qing’an shattering a wall with a single punch, which meant his physical body had been strengthened—likely connected to his ability to devour the flesh and blood of anomalous entities.
Yet, compared to his capacity to consume such beings, she was more concerned about something else.
“What effect do those resentful spirits have on you?”
Gu Changqing’s arm was coiled by a blood serpent; as his internal energy circulated, the faces of suffering faded away.
He finally looked up, spread his hands, and smiled. “Actually, I can’t hear them.”
In reality, he could, but these faint spectral resentments were easily suppressed with a mere thought.
Gao Wenxin nodded. “If you ever feel anything’s amiss, inform me at once. With the entire security system behind us, headquarters has plenty of special items to assist you.”
“Our department is called Resonance, much like the mythical Resonance Bird. It’s our duty to purge those anomalous entities and deal with out-of-control Awakened individuals.”
“Once you join, your police rank will automatically be raised by one level, making you a senior officer. Salary matches that of other senior officers, but most of our income comes from various allowances.”
“A senior officer’s monthly salary is twelve thousand, but our total monthly allowances reach forty thousand. Depending on mission completion, there’s also a bonus—altogether around one hundred thousand per month.”
“In addition, you’ll receive a bottle of Qi Pills each month, which supports Awakened individuals in their cultivation. These are quite rare.”
“Qi Pills?” Gu Changqing raised an eyebrow, sensing something intriguing.
Was this ‘Qi’ the same as the energy used in cultivation? If so, it piqued his interest.
Especially since the script of this world matched another he knew. And that bead… The connection between these worlds ran deep.
“That’s right, it’s Qi. Current research suggests that awakening is a manifestation of personal aptitude triggered by changes in this world. You can review the internal materials later.”
“After joining, everyone can apply for a first-grade spiritual gear, but I can specially approve you for a second-grade one.”
Gao Wenxin smiled at this point. “Talented people are favored wherever they go. Besides, you’re one of our own—I have high hopes for you!”
“Director Gao, I’m starting to like you already!” Gu Changqing laughed heartily.
He was very interested in the security bureau’s equipment, curious if it could threaten a cultivator.
“You’ll like me even more in the future,” Gao Wenxin replied, her laughter ringing brightly.
“We’ve only assembled a small team so far—nine members. The captain is Li Tiefeng. Four rookies are training with the first squad; I’d like you to lead the second squad.”
“Any questions?”
“Change my name in the records to Gu Changqing,” Gu Changqing said directly.
“Gu Changqing… Evergreen through the ages… Such grand ambition?” Gao Wenxin teased. “That’s a minor matter, I’ll have Li Yue handle it. No need to make another trip to the southern bureau.”
After all, changing a name meant updating social security cards, driver’s licenses, and the like.
“I’ll introduce you to the others, then Li Yue will take you to logistics. You can also get some materials from her.”
The two called for Li Yue, chatting as they walked downstairs to the training hall, which was spacious—over a thousand square meters—with a dozen people practicing inside.
One man, about 1.75 meters tall and sturdily built, was sparring—this was Li Tiefeng.
Noticing new arrivals, everyone paused to look.
The director Gao Wenxin was accompanied by a tall young man, about twenty years old, hands in his pockets, watching everyone with a half-smile.
“A new recruit? So handsome!” Several female members’ eyes sparkled.
“Director!” Li Tiefeng approached, sizing up Gu Changqing.
“Captain Li, this is Gu Changqing from the southern bureau,” Gao Wenxin introduced.
“He’ll be the captain of the second squad.”
“Li Tiefeng, we’ll be colleagues soon,” Li Tiefeng said with a smile.
“Zhuo Zhipeng, Tan Li, Shi Qun, Qiao Wenxia, come over—this is your captain!” Li Tiefeng called out.
Three men and one woman—the oldest was Zhuo Zhipeng, nearly thirty, with a sincere, slightly rustic look.
Tan Li and Shi Qun, both about twenty-two or twenty-three, one wore glasses and seemed scholarly, the other appeared frivolous.
Qiao Wenxia was a woman, about the same age as Tan Li and Shi Qun, tall and slender, her style and bearing suggested a wealthy background. Her eyes lit up at Gu Changqing as she introduced herself with a charming smile.
“Hello, Captain! I’m Qiao Wenxia, twenty-two, just joined Resonance half a month ago. My ability is metal transformation…”
This metal transformation differed from manipulating the five elements; she could convert any object she touched into a specific metal, but only briefly, and it had little offensive power.
Gu Changqing nodded slightly—Gao Wenxin had already briefed him on their abilities.
“Captain, I wonder who’s stronger, you or Captain Li. We’ve never seen Captain Li go all out…”
“You all want to know how powerful a captain really is, right? With a benchmark, we’ll be more motivated!” Shi Qun, the young man, spoke up, his expression mischievous.
He’d been with Resonance for a month and admired Captain Li, but this newly parachuted captain… Handsome as he was, was he just superficial? Shi Qun immediately concocted a scheme, hoping to stir up trouble and test Gu Changqing’s strength.
His words sparked excitement in some, concern in others.
Gao Wenxin crossed her arms, her figure more prominent, watching Gu Changqing with interest to see how he’d respond.
Gu Changqing smiled, glanced at Shi Qun, and in the blink of an eye, appeared before him and kicked out.
Boom!
No one expected Gu Changqing to make a move so suddenly, least of all Shi Qun, who was sent flying over ten meters and crashed to the ground.
He lay there for a long while, unable to get up.
“I don’t appreciate people playing clever tricks!” Gu Changqing said cheerfully. “This one’s for the first squad—otherwise, his family might need to claim death benefits!”
Everyone was stunned. Though Shi Qun had indeed been out of line, he’d been here a month and was familiar with the others.
Gu Changqing had just arrived, and then he attacked so abruptly.
Many glanced at Gu Changqing with changed expressions.
“Our first squad is full!” Li Tiefeng frowned and spoke up, clearly uninterested.
Some rookies stared at him in surprise.
Li Tiefeng genuinely wanted to know Gu Changqing’s strength, but if he wished to compete, he’d do so privately.
Shi Qun’s attempt to stir things up could easily lead to grudges. A reckless teammate was not welcome.
“All right, you’ve met everyone! Continue your training with Captain Li!” Gu Changqing was unconcerned with others’ opinions, turning to greet Gao Wenxin and then heading to logistics with Li Yue.
After Gu Changqing left, Zhuo Zhipeng, Tan Li, and Qiao Wenxia exchanged glances. “This new captain is a bit fierce!”
“He’s so impressive! Shi Qun was in the wrong—didn’t you see Captain Li didn’t want him? Shi Qun’s cleverness just offended both captains!” Qiao Wenxia defended Gu Changqing.
“True enough…” Zhuo Zhipeng and Tan Li sighed, unsure what to make of their new captain.
He certainly seemed tough.
Others went to check on Shi Qun and found four of his ribs broken, the man unconscious. They gasped and hurried him off to medical.
…
“Who’d have guessed you were so fierce…” Li Yue commented as they walked, eyeing Gu Changqing with amazement—she’d thought he seemed gentle on the way over.
“First day here, got to keep a low profile!” Gu Changqing said with a smile, though his eyes flashed with a hint of menace.
Stirring up trouble? Trying to give him a hard time? Did they think he was an idiot?
“That’s low profile?” Li Yue replied skeptically, her face twitching.
“By the way, I’ll give you the Awakened’s dossier. Review it and hand it back later.”
A short while later, Gu Changqing sat in logistics, with three files before him—one on Awakened individuals, one on anomalous entities, and the last on spiritual gear.