Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 470 Quick Start Guide

Lu Chongming followed Zhang Xue to the road where Dashi and Song Cheng died mysteriously.

That road is a relatively important freight route, and it's not feasible to have it blocked for an extended period of time just for the sake of an investigation. Therefore, the blockade was lifted and the road reopened before noon.

Aside from conducting on-site inspections and going through the motions, Zhang Xue and Lu Chongming didn't do much else; they mostly just reviewed the summarized reports.

But it was equally uninformative. Lu Chongming already knew who the murderer was. After reading it once, he learned more than he did from the report, except for clarifying the course of events.

Zhang Xue didn't seem to care much about investigating the two subordinates who clearly had shady pasts.

As for the Black Sparrow Agency, since they had been caught on surveillance footage, the Bureau of Investigation naturally came knocking on their door. The Black Sparrow Agency readily accepted the investigation.

However, aside from being fined for disturbing the peace and damaging public property in the middle of the night, it was ultimately confirmed that he was not involved in this incident.

The surveillance footage showed that they left the road normally within ten minutes, and had no motive whatsoever. Furthermore, based on the available information, the entire agency was not even worth a fight against the two captains. Therefore, the above conclusion could only be drawn in the end.

Zhang Xue treated everyone to lunch, and she and Lu Chongming found a less crowded restaurant to eat at.

For various reasons, the two remained quite silent on the way.

Just as the steaming hot dishes were served, a thunderstorm began to fall outside the window.

"Why is it raining non-stop even though it's February..." Lu Chongming said, looking out the window.

"Maybe it's the dead crying in heaven."

Zhang Xue looked away and noticed Lu Chongming staring at her with a strange look: "What kind of look is that?"

"Sorry, the CEO who just had a bit of an artsy vibe felt a little unfamiliar to me."

What kind of image do I have in your eyes?

Despite his advanced age, he frequently goes on tantrums in the office, often acting like a giant baby. Only during intense work sessions can he offer a sense of security to his abstract, introspective CEO.

After thinking it over in his mind, Lu Chongming said seriously, "He is a very reliable person."

"Nonsense, I don't even think I'm reliable myself." Zhang Xue rolled her eyes at him.

After the pleasantries were over, Zhang Xue suddenly made a startling statement: "Most of the people dealing with the older batch of people in the bureau are likely the other side's people. I personally lean towards the other side being people who work in offices."

"The affairs team?" Lu Chongming subconsciously lowered his voice.

"Don't be afraid, there are no surveillance cameras here, and I just checked everyone around to make sure no one is watching or eavesdropping," Zhang Xue reminded her.

It turns out she was just confirming this.

“If it’s the action team, we can easily narrow down the scope if we’re determined to investigate. Especially considering how much their influence has increased in the months following the earthquake, there’s so much to manage. And the action team, Xiao Lu, you know, is the busiest of them all.”

"In comparison, the administrative team, which can go to get off work and leave work normally every day, has much more comfortable conditions in the bureau than those of us who only show up for work."

“But it’s also difficult to investigate the administrative team. There are quite a few people there, and many of them are just ordinary civil servants whose lives are all the same, making it hard to find any problems. What they do after get off work is even more difficult to investigate in detail,” Lu Chongming said, frowning.

"What you said makes sense, but it's not as difficult as you think." Zhang Xue's manner of speaking while quickly picking up food was both elegant and pathetic.

“Our processing bureau used to be a garbage dump, with numerous factions and a complex web of interests that were impossible to untangle.”

Is this something to be proud of?

"Indeed, it was terrible. But that was then. Now, after the Longevity Society incident and the subsequent cleanup, a large number of faction leaders have been arrested, and many people have been transferred from other departments to the affairs team. With my help, it's like a new broom sweeping clean. They can be considered my people for now. I can eliminate a large number of people based on their work during this period."

Hearing Zhang Xue's words, Lu Chongming opened his mouth in astonishment: "So, Chief, you really were doing something..."

"You're getting more and more impolite, kid."

"This is my way of showing you respect."

Zhang Xue casually pulled out a USB drive from somewhere and handed it to Lu Chongming while quickly picking up food.

Lu Chongming took it and put it away nonchalantly.

"What is this?" he asked. "The Processing Bureau was also deeply infiltrated by the Longevity Society before, so they discovered a lot of information, both good and bad. After the earthquake, we also conducted a post-disaster investigation into the Longevity Society, destroying some secret strongholds and some remnants. However, some strongholds are hidden quite well, and the investigation was put on hold due to other increasingly busy matters. This contains relevant materials, including other strongholds that may exist but have not yet been discovered. Those strongholds may be hiding internal intelligence of the Processing Bureau that we don't even know about," Zhang Xue explained.

Lu Chongming swallowed hard, never expecting that the clues within the Bureau itself would one day require him to seek them from the deceased organization that had infiltrated the Bureau: "Would there be any clues related to the other party inside?"

That Longevity Society is still able to shine here.

“I don’t know, but…” Zhang Xue’s lips curled up, “The electronic file of this document was destroyed by an external hacker attack about two months ago when the post-incident investigation was coming to an end. Of course, the hacker attacked our entire processing bureau at that time, this was just affected.”

Lu Chongming's eyes widened.

Just affected?

If he were an outsider, he would probably think that way, but if he had that awareness, it would be hard not to think in that direction.

If that hacking attack was orchestrated by someone to eliminate all traces...

This information may contain clues that directly expose the other party!
“It’s a pity I was careful and made a backup back then, but I didn’t tell the others in the bureau about it. To be honest, the action team is very unreliable now, and I don’t even have a confidant. Many of the subordinates I trusted died in the earthquake…” Zhang Xue felt guilty again when she talked about this.

But it's too late anyway.

Having been the chief for so many years, how could he not have any close confidants...?

Lu Chongming no longer wanted to say anything.

The duality of gods and demons is fully embodied in Chief Zhang Xue.

"Anyway, be discreet... Although that's what I wanted to say, I'm sure the other side has been paying attention to you, Xiao Lu, since last night. Be careful," Zhang Xue reminded her.

"I understand." Lu Chongming nodded.

Suddenly, his phone rang. A call came in, and his contacts showed "mysterious unknown caller." It was really hard to guess.

"Hey? Xiao Lu, come home right away in a bit." Zheng Fan said abruptly and then hung up.

Lu Chongming was speechless.

Just as Zhang Xue was about to say something, her phone rang.

She looked over and was taken aback: "Huh? Why is he calling..."

He answered the phone: "Hello? Is this a telecom scam?"

"Yes, this is Bai Shi. Quickly send me 500 yuan so I can have a meal on Jiangwen Street. Why are prices so high here now? It wasn't like this back then..."

"Wow, is it really you? I thought you were dead!" Zhang Xue exclaimed, both surprised and astonished. "And please don't slander Senior Bai Shi; he's not a piece of trash like you."

"Well, you didn't become the decent person he expected, otherwise I wouldn't have come here."

"...You've come to Jiangwen Street?"

"Let's stay for just a short while and meet up."

Zhang Xue agreed.

"Xiao Lu, I'm sorry, I suddenly have an appointment with an acquaintance. You also seem to have something to do, so let's stop here for now." Zhang Xue quickly stood up, looking a little anxious.

"Okay, take care, Chief." Lu Chongming also stood up, and although he was a little curious, he still politely said goodbye.

Despite saying that, Lu Chongming still stayed and finished off the leftover food on the table.

During this time, he happened to recall when he won against Che Rufeng in the early morning. Although it was Che Rufeng's system that killed him, the system's rule was that the winner was the one with the most kills. So, Lu Chongming had also hunted down a system and unlocked something new.

[Captain Jin Qunhou's Hybrid Factors: Contains all the factors Captain Jin Qunhou has absorbed in the past. A quick-start package for the new captain. Use with caution.]

[Captain Jin Qunhou said: It's not that the foundation is unstable; the truth is that we're not strong enough.]

"What is this thing again..."

(End of this chapter)