A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

"Boss."

A veteran investigator codenamed Mandrill spoke in a deep voice.

"We brothers have witnessed the skills of this Brother Ji... He's truly impressive."

"But I'm a little unsure about going on missions together in the future. What if he... can't distinguish friend from foe?"

This question voiced the hidden worries in everyone's hearts.

The reputation of heretical practitioners has never been associated with "law" or "control."

Deputy Director Liu dropped his joking expression and said seriously:

"I can tell you this, and it's one of the core reasons why the General Administration finally approved the quota."

His gaze swept over every face in the car:

"Ji Zuodao is an anomaly that those three old monsters forced out using their methods."

"His roots are evil, his methods are evil, but his character... at least in defining 'his own people' and 'mission objectives,' has been honed to an exceptionally clear level by those three old guys."

"You could even say they have an almost cold-blooded professional ethic."

"You can understand it as him elevating the two things of double-crossing and fulfilling the commission to a certain... principle level."

"and……"

Deputy Director Liu tapped on the screen, showing Ji Zuodao retrieving those large black veins.

"His needs are very clear, and also... very singular. Some of the 'garbage' that the department will have trouble dealing with in the future, and that doesn't require too many rules, will just happen to meet his needs."

"It's a mutually beneficial partnership. As long as we don't cross the line, he's more law-abiding than many self-proclaimed upright people."

Everyone remained silent, processing what he had said.

Using "garbage" to feed a terrifying heretical practitioner, in exchange for its efficient disposal of even more troublesome "garbage"...

This line of thinking is dark, realistic, and also very 749 (a derogatory term implying extreme skepticism).

The atmosphere inside the command vehicle became somewhat tense for a moment.

"father."

Liu Ming tried to restrain himself, but he couldn't suppress his curiosity, which was about to burst out of his head. He lowered his voice and leaned closer to ask.

"Could you please give my son a clue... just who are those three people behind Brother Ji?"

"Is it...is it one of those long-vanished villains on our internal wanted list?"

It's no wonder Liu Ming thought that way.

Since its establishment, the 749 Bureau has carried out countless overt and covert purges against heretical practitioners.

Those heretical practitioners were either completely eradicated or reduced to a few remaining, barely clinging to life and posing no threat whatsoever.

And so, anyone who showed their face would inevitably end up on the wanted list.

The policy is "either don't do it, or do it drastically," fundamentally cutting off the soil for the proliferation and growth of heretical cultivation practices.

The evil technique that Ji Zuodao displayed today is complete, sophisticated, and incredibly powerful. It is definitely not something that those stray dogs who are hiding and running away could teach.

His lineage is probably incredibly powerful, yet it doesn't match the names of the infamous villains on the wanted list.

Deputy Director Liu glanced at a few people, then looked at the team members around him who were also listening intently, chuckled, and lowered his voice, as if sharing some long-forgotten secret:

"Wanted list? You're overthinking it. Those three... their names aren't on the list."

He tapped his temple, his expression somewhat strange, a mixture of admiration, helplessness, and a hint of apprehension.

"Let me put it this way, those three old monsters are incredibly shrewd, and their eyesight is sharp. You know about our ancestors during the War of Resistance against Japan, right?"

"It's not just ordinary people fighting; we Qi cultivators also have our own battlefields, and they are incredibly fierce."

"Those three fought from the very beginning of the war until its end. From north to south, they fought countless tough, fierce, and insidious battles."

"The allies and enemies around me have come and gone, but in the end... hey, only the three of them are left standing intact."

Liu Ming and several veteran team members gasped in shock.

Surviving such a long, meat-grinding war is itself the most terrifying proof of strength and luck.

"And then?"

Liu Ming asked eagerly.

"And then? After the war was over, peace was restored, and it was time to reward those who had contributed."

Deputy Director Liu curled his lip.

"Guess what? Those three old devils didn't even look at the merit book, and they didn't take a single penny of the reward. They just slipped away! They found some godforsaken corner and hid up, going into complete seclusion."

"Those in higher positions certainly know their importance, and they're also having a headache. They send people to find them, plead with them politely, and promise them high-ranking positions and generous salaries. Guess what they said?"

Deputy Director Liu mimicked a tone that was both reckless and extremely cunning:

"Although the three of us brothers have done a lot of despicable things in the past, it's true that we've shed blood and made contributions for the Han Dynasty, isn't it? We don't want anything else, we just want to ask the organization for one thing."

"Just pretend you don't know about our old, trivial grievances, and don't worry about the little merits we've made."

"Let's even out our merits and demerits, and call it even! From now on, you can pretend we don't exist, and we'll never cause you any trouble, how about that?"

The car was silent, except for Deputy Director Liu's slightly hoarse voice continuing:

"What can the higher-ups do when they put their heads together behind closed doors?"

"If these three gentlemen are really determined to hide and cause trouble, or if they are pushed to the limit, no one dares to imagine the consequences."

"They voluntarily offered to offset their merits and demerits, exiling themselves in exchange for absolute peace; this may be the best outcome."

"And so, that's settled. As long as they don't cause any major chaos that angers the people, 749 will be treated as if they don't exist."

"Of course, it's impossible to completely ignore it."

Deputy Director Liu took a sip of tea.

"So, some unwritten rules came about. During holidays, some 'gifts' would always be sent to their secluded mountain pass in a private capacity."

Firstly, to see if the person is still there; secondly... to seek some peace of mind.

And occasionally, they'll throw something out, or... like this time, they'll throw out a person.

Liu Ming was stunned and muttered, "Holy crap... can it be like this?"

That's roughly the idea.

Deputy Director Liu sighed, his gaze complex as he looked at Ji Zuodao, who was swiftly cleaning up the scene on the screen.

"So, this kid is their last disciple, their only link to this new era."

"It was also something they handed over to the higher-ups as... 'collateral' or 'work'."

The root of his evil nature lies with them; the rules of "limited cooperation" and "clear boundaries" were also inscribed by them.

"Using him carries both risks and opportunities, but not using him... for some people and some things, our orthodox methods may not be as clean and efficient as his unorthodox methods."

He patted his son on the shoulder and spoke earnestly:

"This kid is a gold nugget, but also a hot potato. If you handle him well, he's an invincible demon sword; if you handle him poorly... he'll be a hole that pierces the sky."

"Fortunately, it seems that the kid is quite satisfied with his new job."

Everyone looked at the screen again.

In the scene, Ji Zuodao is carefully erasing the last traces of the battle.

He seemed to be humming an off-key tune, looking quite content with his "get off work over and done with a good haul".

They suddenly realized that in certain shady, gray areas, perhaps...

The method of using evil to fight evil is actually feasible.

This new, wicked colleague, though his style was completely out of place with 749.

But it may well become the most unique key to solving many "difficult problems" in the future.