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

Deputy Director Liu arrived quickly and thoughtfully brought several large boxes of supplies.

In addition to basic toiletries, there were also brand new black stand-up collar trench coats—the standard casual attire for the 749 Bureau when on official business.

He even thoughtfully prepared several small bags for his female colleagues' personal belongings, placing them on top of the suitcase.

This seemingly carefree deputy director is actually quite meticulous in some ways.

"Deputy Director Liu, that's impressive, you even thought of that?"

A female investigator took the small box, glanced at the thoughtfully packaged portions inside, and joked with a smile.

Deputy Director Liu didn't speak, but simply handed her another trench coat and said in a hoarse voice:

"Hurry up and change. Look at your ragged clothes, you look like you've fled a famine... You're embarrassing our department."

He handed out clothes one by one, his fingers trembling slightly.

Upon seeing the group of familiar faces, dressed in tattered clothes and weathered, yet none of them missing, the deputy director's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

An older investigator, missing a front tooth, took the trench coat, grinned, and said through a lisp, "Little Liu, how old are you to still be pissing like that?"

Deputy Director Liu punched him hard in the shoulder, laughing and cursing, "Get lost! You've got no teeth and you're still talking nonsense!"

it is more than words.

The brothers didn't stand on ceremony and took advantage of the shower room at the military base to give themselves a thorough wash from head to toe.

The sound of hot water rinsing was mixed with suppressed, exhilarating, and even slightly choked breathing.

"Damn... that felt so fucking good..." came a muffled roar from the other side of the partition, accompanied by the sound of running water. "I haven't had a really good shower in three years!"

"Save some hot water! There are other people behind you!"

"Screw you! Let me charge a little longer! This feeling...it's like I've come back to life!"

The cafeteria was steaming hot.

Four dishes and one soup per person, with unlimited white rice.

A group of people in black trench coats sat around a long table. No one spoke; the only sounds were the clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the chewing of food.

While they were eating, a young investigator suddenly put down his chopsticks, buried his face in his hands, and his shoulders trembled.

Someone next to him patted him on the back and handed him a piece of paper.

"Why are you crying?" the man's voice was hoarse. "You're out now, you should be happy."

"I...I am..." The young investigator wiped his face, tears and snot streaming down his face. "This rice...it smells so good..."

A low chuckle, equally hoarse.

Deputy Director Liu wanted to arrange a convoy to pick them up, but everyone refused.

What kind of vehicle should we take?

They wanted to step on the hard, flat asphalt road with their bare feet.

I just want to look up and see the real, flowing blue sky above me, and those fluffy, soft, freely drifting clouds.

I just want to hear the street vendors' shouts with their Beijing-Haikou accents, the impatient horns of electric bikes, and a slightly off-key pop song drifting from some shop.

The hustle and bustle of the city, which used to be so noisy that it made people frown, now sounds more pleasant than celestial music and more comforting than a spring breeze.

And so, a hundred or so people, all dressed in crisp black trench coats, walked silently yet with an imposing presence onto the winter streets of Jinghai.

The sun was shining brightly, warming my skin and dispelling the damp chill that had seeped into my bones.

Zhang Yucheng and Deputy Director Liu walked side by side at the front, their pace slow, as if they were taking a leisurely stroll.

Ji Zuodao followed half a step behind.

Deputy Director Liu originally wanted to push him to the front. In his words, this guy deserved the most credit for the brothers' success in getting out of trouble, so it was only right that he should be at the front to receive the honors.

But Ji Zuodao shook his head like a rattle drum, his feet rooted to the spot, refusing to move forward no matter what.

"The leader goes first, the subordinates follow—that's the rule! Walking ahead of the leader? That's outrageous!"

He grinned, speaking with conviction, and added a reckless remark:

"Unless there's a minefield ahead that I need to clear—then I'll be the first one there without hesitation!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yucheng couldn't help but burst into laughter and patted Deputy Director Liu on the shoulder:

"Old Liu, forget it, let him be. That kid... he's slippery."

Deputy Director Liu shook his head and let him be.

This group of about a hundred people in black trench coats walking on the streets of Jinghai in winter was quite intimidating.

Ordinary citizens, unaware of the situation, thought it was a large company organizing an end-of-year team building event, or a film crew shooting a gangster movie. They all turned their heads, whispered among themselves, and their eyes were full of curiosity.

But those who frequented the Jinghai cultivation circle, or those with some special connections, felt a chill run down their spines when they saw all those black stand-up collar uniforms!

The attire, the presence, the number of people...

Good guy!

More than one hundred investigators from Bureau 749!!

Judging by this direction... are they planning to raid somewhere?! Or has some foolish sect caused another major incident?!

Especially when they saw the young figure at the front of the line, wearing a black trench coat, hands in his pockets, and walking with a somewhat nonchalant gait—

Ji Zuodao!

That living Yama who single-handedly took on the Hehuan Sect and whose combined punches almost made the visiting monks beg for food!

Sure enough it was him!

With him leading the way, it's definitely going to do something "big"! The kind that leaves no stone unturned and bloody!

Some seasoned veterans with sharper eyes and better access to information carefully scanned the group, their hearts filled with even more turmoil!

Those faces... many of them were veteran investigators from Bureau 749 who were once active in the Jinghai area but later mysteriously disappeared!

Didn't they say that they, along with the bureau chief, were stuck in that godforsaken place?!

Looking further ahead...

When I saw the middle-aged man at the front, with a refined appearance, who, despite wearing a black trench coat instead of a crane-feather cloak, still exuded composure and was chatting and laughing quietly with Deputy Director Liu…

These seasoned veterans felt a sudden darkness before their eyes, and their calves started to cramp.

Zhang... Zhang Yucheng?!

Zhang Dajuzuo?!

He's back?!

The Venus, who once reigned supreme in Jinghai and made all sorts of demons and monsters cower in fear, has returned!

After a brief silence, countless clandestine communications spread rapidly through Jinghai's underground network, their contents largely the same, all conveying a sense of desperate panic:

"Holy crap! Zhang Yucheng is back!"

"With the Living Yama leading the way and Director Zhang commanding the central army... whose life is this lineup trying to take?!"

"In Jinghai, having Ji Zuodao around is already enough to keep people up at night... and now Zhang Yucheng is back... Damn it, is this any way to live?!"

"No, no, the situation is too tense; we can't stay in Jinghai!"

"Hurry, pack your valuables and run! If we're too late, we might not even have any buckets left!"

The black-clad crowd moved forward silently.

In the group, a young investigator suddenly whispered to his colleague, "There's a candied hawthorn vendor over there..."

His companion glanced at him and said, "What? Want some? Do you have any money in your pocket?"

"no……"

The young man's eyes seemed a bit unfocused.

"I just thought that candied hawthorn was really red."

His companion paused, looking at the string of bright red candied hawthorns, glistening in the winter sun.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

"Hmm, really red."

The black-clad crowd slowly blended into the long street of Jinghai on a winter afternoon.

Ahead lies the warm sun, fireworks, and the bustling yet heartwarming world.

This is the home they have finally returned to.