Upon receiving permission, Si Junfang pushed open the office door and walked in.
It was a simply furnished office, about eighty square meters. The desk faced the door, with a large bookshelf to the left. Next to the bookshelf was a pear wood stand for displaying long swords. On the stand lay a scabbard of ancient design and a sharp long sword, about one meter fifty in length and two inches wide, exuding a cold glint.
Minister Lin Xiuquan sat in a leather chair behind the desk, looking at Si Junfang with a helpless expression.
"Why did you send the video to the group!" Si Junfang's imposing question greeted Lin Xiuquan as soon as she entered.
"I know I was wrong, give me some face!" Lin Xiuquan covered his face with one hand and said dejectedly.
"Are you a lonely and empty middle-aged person in the spiritual world? Showing off with videos whenever you feel like it!" Si Junfang looked at the long-haired middle-aged man before her with a mixture of exasperation and disappointment.
"Two years ago, it was because you showed off your lightning control ability on the app's social media that Lei Jun was snatched away by those from Kyoto. Now look at how far Lei Jun has grown, a prodigy of the capital, already a peak C-class lightning ability user, and a main force guarding the dark wormhole. Now that we've finally produced another genius, you're pulling this stunt again?"
Lin Xiuquan nodded. "I didn't consider it thoroughly."
"This time is different!" Si Junfang's expression turned serious. "Yu Zhibo can perceive the spiritual energy flow of dark creatures. His information must be classified as top secret. As the minister, you should know how significant this ability is to our Ningcheng, and even to the entire country."
"The more F-class dark creatures he exposes, the higher the survival rate of Ningcheng's newly awakened individuals. Have you considered this? Not to mention that if Kyoto finds out we have such an ability user, they will undoubtedly try to snatch him away at all costs. Even if his information is leaked to the Dark Organization, do you think those human scum in the Dark Organization would sit idly by and let such a person grow?"
The Dark Organization is an organization that rebels against humanity. Its members generally believe that humanity is doomed to defeat after the fusion of the dark world and Earth, so they betrayed humanity first, seeking a glimmer of hope for survival in the future.
Members of this organization are found all over the world. They are notorious for their mission of assassinating newly awakened humans, aiming to hasten the invasion of dark creatures and establish a new world.
Undoubtedly, if Yu Zhibo's abilities were known to them, he would be subjected to the organization's frenzied assassination attempts. This was what angered Si Junfang the most.
In a way, Yu Zhibo's importance was countless times greater than Lei Jun's.
Lin Xiuquan was good in all aspects, possessing great combat power and willingness to sacrifice for the country. However, his only flaw was his short-sightedness, like a gossip, constantly doing foolish things that made Si Junfang wish she could beat him up.
Lin Xiuquan remained silent, tossing a notice onto the desk, and sighed, "The director has already punished me."
Si Junfang opened it and read: "For Lin Xiuquan, Minister of the Investigation Department of the Ningcheng Sacred Branch, in violation of confidentiality regulations and unauthorized disclosure of team member personal information, causing significant impact within the department, a penalty of 1000 merit points is imposed as a disciplinary measure. Any further offense will result in the revocation of the ministerial position! Lin Wanjun."
The notice was signed by Lin Wanjun, the director of the Sacred Branch, with her official seal affixed.
"Excellent!" Si Junfang laughed with delight, then said to Lin Xiuquan, "Uncle, I suggest you quickly get rid of this habit of sending videos, or you'll eventually fall into trouble because of it."
"I understand," Lin Xiuquan shook his head helplessly. "Sometimes I find it strange. Whenever I see a talented junior appear, I can't help but want to show off. Sometimes I only realize it after showing off. Perhaps I'm getting old, or perhaps I don't deserve to be a minister at all."
After speaking, Lin Xiuquan showed regret on his face. He now realized how rash it was to have posted Yu Zhibo's video to the group.
"Just be more careful next time!" Seeing her elder, who cared for her, so dejected, Si Junfang felt a pang of sympathy.
"Don't worry, you don't need to be too concerned about Yu Zhibo's information. There are only 32 official members in the Investigation Department's group, and all of them have undergone sincerity tests, so their loyalty is definitely not an issue. Moreover, the team leader has already gone to implant mental restraints on them one by one. After all, she is our branch's only A-class powerhouse, so the restraints she places should be fine," Lin Xiuquan said.
"Mental restraints? It seems the director also values Little Fish quite a lot!" Si Junfang was somewhat surprised. Lin Wanjun was a genuine A-class powerhouse, specializing in mental cultivation, a pillar of the city, and a female awakened individual whom she greatly admired.
"After the video was sent, she used her group owner permissions to delete it and recalled all members who were on missions outside. They should have finished implanting the restraints by now, and then they'll likely come here. I suspect neither you nor I can escape this!" Lin Xiuquan's expression was apologetic. The commotion caused by his single video made him feel a bit guilty.
However, he also understood the director's actions. After all, Yu Zhibo's ability was too important. If such a person perished midway, it would be a huge loss to the nation.
Currently, the lowest spiritual energy detector developed by the National Supernatural Research Institute could only detect spiritual energy of 10 points or higher; anything below 10 points was undetectable.
F-class dark creatures, however, never exceeded ten points and could conceal their presence, blending seamlessly with their surroundings. Even A-class mental power users had to concentrate to find them. But A-class powerhouses were guardians of their regions, and they didn't have the time to search for these dark creatures one by one. It would be a huge waste of high-end combat power.
"When did it all begin?" Lin Xiuquan mused, feeling a sense of disorientation. Ever since he withdrew from the exploration team three years ago and returned from that world, he had felt himself becoming absent-minded from time to time. Sometimes he didn't think things through, only regretting them after acting, which earned him a reputation for being gossipy.
And it was during one of his absent-minded moments that a faint, almost imperceptible black glow flashed in his eyes before disappearing.
"You're just too tired, get some rest!" Si Junfang sighed. Lin Xiuquan was known as the Sword God of Ningcheng in his youth. His swordsmanship, combined with his wind-attribute ability, made him a renowned figure. He had also made significant contributions during the exploration team's ventures into that world. However, as he entered middle age, he had become somewhat mediocre.
"Let's not talk about rest for now. The director has arrived, shall we go down to greet her!" Lin Xiuquan waved his hand, stood up, and walked downstairs with Si Junfang.
Meanwhile, in the archives room, Yu Zhibo, Su Caiying, and Wang Ange stood before a woman.
"The Director?" Yu Zhibo looked at the woman before him, disbelief in his eyes.
The woman was around thirty years old, with lustrous black hair held in place by a hairpin. She wore a qipao, exuding a gentle and classical aura, as if she were a classical beauty stepping out of a painting.
Most importantly, Yu Zhibo could not sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from her.
If it weren't for her sudden appearance like a ghost, and the fact that Su Caiying and Wang Ange addressed her with immense admiration as "Director," Yu Zhibo would have thought she was just an ordinary person.
Ningcheng's strongest, and one of the nation's few A-class awakened individuals, stood before him, making him feel somewhat flustered.
"You must be Little Fish, you're very good! You can call me Aunt Lin." The woman smiled, looking at Yu Zhibo as if he were a treasure, her gaze filled with affection.
"Uh, hello Aunt Lin!"
"So how did that nickname get leaked!" Yu Zhibo grumbled inwardly.
"No one leaked it, I've been paying attention to this place all along." Lin Wanjun said with a kind smile, "I can hear your thoughts, you can ask me anything directly."
Yu Zhibo: ( deg;ーdeg;〃)
'The Director looks only eighteen, would it be too disrespectful to call her Aunt Lin!' Yu Zhibo thought quickly.
Lin Wanjun chuckled, "You little rascal, my real age is much older than I look. Stop with your probing little thoughts."
Yu Zhibo finally confirmed it. Telepathy really existed.
He immediately tried to control himself not to think too much, but his thoughts were like mischievous children. The more he tried to control them, the more one thought would inevitably emerge.
'I wonder if my Sharingan can block her prying?'
A thought uncontrollably arose from the depths of his heart, born from the feeling of his privacy being invaded.
"You can try!" Lin Wanjun said with a smile, "I also want to see your eyes."
The sixteen-year-old boy knew nothing of politeness. "You tell me to try, so I'll try."
With a thought, Yu Zhibo's scarlet Sharingan appeared.
"Oh?" Lin Wanjun uttered a soft exclamation, looking at his eyes with curiosity. "Your emotions are disrupted by a mysterious spiritual energy, and I can't seem to pry into your thoughts anymore. Very interesting eyes."
Yu Zhibo let out a long sigh of relief. After all, no one liked having their thoughts read.
Seeing his expression, Lin Wanjun chuckled. "If I'm not mistaken, your eyes can not only see through hidden spiritual energy flow but also create illusions, right?"
"How did you know?" Yu Zhibo's face showed surprise as he looked at Lin Wanjun, but soon, his eyes narrowed involuntarily.
Compared to Si Junfang's spiritual energy, this woman before him, as an A-class powerhouse, possessed spiritual energy that was immeasurably stronger. Her brow seemed to have a brilliant sun undergoing nuclear fusion, making Si Junfang's spiritual energy seem like a mere firefly in comparison.
Lowering his head, he dared not look further. Yu Zhibo then heard Lin Wanjun say, "Your eyes can absorb and control others' spiritual energy, so naturally, you can create illusions that you want others to see. What a remarkable ability."
By the end, her tone had turned into genuine praise.
"You flatter me!" Yu Zhibo scratched his head with a bashful smile. He always did this when he didn't know how to respond.
He didn't close his Sharingan. After all, the woman before him was too terrifying. Only by using the Sharingan to disrupt her prying into his thoughts could he gain a sliver of security.
Lin Wanjun glanced at Wang Ange and Su Caiying, and a silent, invisible spiritual energy emanated from her, planting mental restraints on the two women without a sound.
After implanting the mental restraints, if the two women had any thought of leaking Yu Zhibo's information, they would instantly forget what they intended to do. Only after the thought disappeared would they be able to recall it.
Having completed everything, Lin Wanjun then reached out and patted Yu Zhibo's head, encouraging him, "Grow well, Little Fish, I have high hopes for you!"
As Lin Wanjun's hand touched his head, a system notification immediately appeared in Yu Zhibo's mind: "Congratulations to the host for obtaining Spiritual Guardian, which can offset spiritual skill impacts above 600 Hz and below 1000 Hz three times."
"What a good person!" Yu Zhibo said emotionally, "Thank you for your encouragement, Aunt Lin. I will definitely work hard to grow and contribute my part to the country!"
As they were speaking, two people walked into the archives room. They were Si Junfang and Lin Xiuquan, who had rushed over from the eighth floor after sensing the director's presence.
"Director, hello!" Si Junfang and Lin Xiuquan greeted in unison.
"Mm!" Lin Wanjun first nodded kindly at Si Junfang, then looked at Lin Xiuquan with a hint of reprimand, asking, "You should both know why I'm here!"
"I apologize for the trouble, Director," Lin Xiuquan said with a guilty expression.
"In that case, relax your mental resistance and let me implant the restraint," Lin Wanjun said calmly.
Just as Lin Xiuquan was about to close his eyes, he suddenly turned his head and met a pair of scarlet eyes. He chuckled, "You brat, don't you know it's offensive to look at people like that with those eyes? Close them quickly."
"Uh, okay!"
Yu Zhibo smiled sheepishly and quickly closed his Sharingan. At the same time, he felt a bit puzzled. "This should be the minister, right? Strange, why does his mental energy seem to have a trace of blackness? No, there must be something wrong. I need to find an opportunity to look again later."
And just as he closed his Sharingan, Lin Wanjun was able to read his thoughts again. After understanding the content of his thoughts, her expression immediately turned extremely icy.