Inside the villa, An Jianyou seated the guests from the Investigation Bureau, but her expression remained stony, showing no warmth at all.
How could she possibly be warm? She was incredibly, unbelievably nervous! If it weren't for her habit of maintaining a calm and composed demeanor in the face of the uncanny, she might have faltered right now.
She hoped these people from the Investigation Bureau would leave soon.
At this moment, the first round of probing had begun. Her mentor had said she could reveal some information, and the Investigation Bureau had come knocking directly, making concealment impossible. An Jianyou decided to lay it all out, "That's right, I am a member of the Xin Huo organization."
Just as expected!
She was part of an organization!
Before coming, Jiang Tingqiu hadn't been 100% certain. There was also a possibility that An Jianyou was an awakened individual operating solo... though the probability was extremely low. Even if An Jianyou were a lone awakened person, this visit wouldn't be in vain; they could at least gain an ally.
Naturally, he hoped An Jianyou was part of an organization, and his spirits immediately lifted.
Given the abilities An Jianyou had displayed, her standing within the organization was likely not low.
"Xin Huo? We from the Investigation Bureau have some understanding of your organization."
The speaker was Second-level Investigator Yu Su.
She had short hair and a decisive, efficient demeanor. However, her words carried hidden traps, subtly probing.
She had, of course, never heard the name Xin Huo before, but that didn't stop her from using existing information to feign familiarity and lure information out of this young lady, An Jianyou.
Even if she couldn't trick her, she could at least gain some initiative and not be completely overshadowed by Miss An.
Yu Su thought this, and then continued, mentioning a black-clad expert skilled with a saber.
While maintaining her impassive expression, An Jianyou was inwardly surprised.
Based on Yu Su's description, she immediately thought of the person she had seen from afar that day, a powerful individual who had severed a terrifying behemoth with a saber.
Indeed, it was someone from our organization!
Our Xin Huo is truly formidable!
I never expected the Investigation Bureau to know other seniors from our Xin Huo... That makes sense. Our Xin Huo has a long heritage. Although we operate with extreme secrecy, over time it's impossible to remain completely unknown. Departments like the Investigation Bureau would naturally learn some things.
And they seem to respect us too, truly befitting our organization!
An Jianyou thought gleefully.
She replied casually, completely oblivious to Yu Su's verbal traps. Aside from information she couldn't disclose, she revealed most of it truthfully.
But...
Yu Su fell silent. This young lady, An Jianyou, though youthful, was incredibly sharp-minded. Her repeated attempts to probe were all like stones sinking into the sea, yielding either information that was clearly false or nothing at all.
Her lips were sealed tight, her words a watertight defense.
Is this the kind of person from that organization!
Yu Su admitted she had underestimated them, not just in terms of strength, but in all aspects, they were not to be trifled with.
If that was the case, they should get straight to the point.
Their purpose for visiting wasn't necessarily to uncover the organization's secrets. Obtaining the organization's name was already a gain.
The fundamental purpose was still...
Yu Su's expression turned more serious. "Miss An, our visit this time is primarily due to some developments in the southern suburbs. We wish to hire..."
Southern suburbs?
Hearing this, a single word immediately popped into An Jianyou's mind: "Are you referring to the Gate of the Uncanny in the southern suburbs?"
Yu Su: ???
Jiang Tingqiu: ???
Although the names were different, the investigators immediately made the connection to the Gate of Hell.
She knew about it too?
No, Xin Huo also knew that a Gate of Hell was about to open there?
They had eradicated the uncanny in the southern graveyard, witnessed it firsthand, and cross-referenced information from various sources to conclude that a Gate of Hell was about to appear. How did Xin Huo know?
An Jianyou was unaware of their astonishment, but this information was what her mentor had instructed her to reveal.
She said, "Our mentor stated that the Gate of the Uncanny will open in approximately 44 hours. The mentor also hopes the Investigation Bureau can make more preparations to prevent the disaster from spreading."
Jiang Tingqiu and the others were stunned.
Good heavens, not only the precise location and event, but even the time was known. Did Xin Huo possess such accurate intelligence!
A deadline of forty-four hours! Was this true?
If it were false, then all the preceding intelligence aligned perfectly, and it had all come true. Considering Xin Huo's previous precise and rapid methods of exorcism... it might not be false.
But if it were true, to be accurate within an hour, that was too terrifying!
Xin Huo's mystery and power continued to grow in the minds of the investigators, leaving them in awe.
By the time they left Miss An's villa, Jiang Tingqiu and the others' heads were still buzzing. The shock in their hearts overshadowed the joy of easily securing an ally.
They immediately reported back.
Of course, there was still joy. Not only Miss An, but the black-clad swordsman also had a high probability of being present.
And their cost was not much.
Miss An agreed so readily, it almost seemed as if...
"As if Xin Huo was asking the Investigation Bureau for assistance."
Jiang Tingqiu muttered, and suddenly the clues in his mind connected, causing him to punch his fist into his palm. "I understand! No wonder Miss An deliberately exposed herself two days ago. She wanted to use this opportunity to meet us and deliver Xin Huo's warning!"
This explained everything!
Just as he had predicted, Miss An had deliberately lured them there. The entire rhythm of the conversation seemed to be under Miss An's control.
This was no mere inexperienced university student!
If Miss An was like this, then who was her mentor, whom she respected so dearly?
...
"Phew, phew~"
Meanwhile, inside the villa.
As the door closed and the curtains were drawn, An Jianyou plopped onto a chair, loosened her collar, and gasped for breath, her pretty face no longer able to maintain its composure.
It was so terrifying, boohoo!
She had been on high alert the entire time, afraid of saying a single wrong word. Fortunately, she had persevered. Had she said everything her mentor had instructed her to?
An Jianyou recalled and found that the people from the Investigation Bureau were quite easy to talk to.
If they had been aggressive, she might not have been able to hold on.
Hmm... Perhaps it wasn't that the Investigation Bureau was friendly. If she put herself in their shoes, upon discovering a wild awakened individual, wouldn't they have to investigate thoroughly, register them, or even control and incorporate them?
The reason they hadn't was not because the Investigation Bureau was friendly, but because of her identity.
It was because she was from Xin Huo that she received different treatment.
An Jianyou felt incredibly fortunate and proud to be part of Xin Huo.
She secretly encouraged herself to work hard and shed her newbie status as soon as possible to become a reliable warrior.
Charge forward~!
...
In a seemingly ordinary residential unit in Taiping Residential Area, Fang You turned off the synchronized view and also breathed a sigh of relief.
Stable!
No, couldn't jinx it. This was like saying "I'm stable, but not entirely stable."
"The Investigation Bureau seems to have discovered the situation there earlier. They appear a bit more reliable than imagined, and there's even reinforcements from the provincial bureau."
To conquer the Gate of Hell and prevent the disaster, Fang You wished for it to be as easy as possible.
This time, on the surface, the Investigation Bureau had enlisted Xin Huo's help, but in reality, he had used the Investigation Bureau to significantly reduce the difficulty of this 'Gate of the Uncanny' mission.
And he got some free items.
He also managed to upgrade the Investigation Bureau's 'reputation' from neutral to friendly.
This was a triple win; he had won three times.