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

Ji Zuodao's thoughts took a turn, and he began to understand.

Good heavens, Director Lin is clearly planning to fleece everyone!

Using a chronic plague, they silently destroyed the very roots of their bloodline.

They then used the names of "Special Audit Office" and "Law Study" to firmly grasp the direct heirs of each family.

Use the 749 method to thoroughly cleanse yourself from head to toe, inside and out.

In a few years, these privileged young men from aristocratic families will be educated (or misled) into people who spout communism but whose hearts are entirely devoted to the Party.

Each of them is ideologically patriotic and has a firm stance; their loyalty to 749 is probably even greater than their loyalty to their ancestral hall.

By then, when the seven aristocratic families have no successors and their bloodlines have withered away.

These carefully groomed "direct descendants" can then rightfully take over the family's power.

The family is still the same family, and the brand is still the same brand.

But the interior has long since taken the shape of 749.

Yin damage.

That's fucking insidious.

This is no longer a simple case of double-crossing or making an example of someone.

This is about taming monkeys into guard dogs and, incidentally, changing the ownership of the monkey kennel!

Ji Zuodao stroked his chin, and that little bit of doubt in his heart resurfaced.

Weird.

Based on his previous observations, although Director Lin was capable in handling affairs, he generally maintained a sense of propriety and left room for maneuver.

Even when it comes to the crude business of double-crossing, there's a sense of reluctance, a "avoid taking this step if possible" attitude.

How come they don't even blink when it comes to the ultimate ruthless tricks like eating offspring, which are designed to wipe out one's lineage and steal from one another?

His ruthlessness, his deep scheming, and his far-reaching plans... he's a true veteran among veterans!

This style, this flavor...

Why do they suddenly have that unique, bandit-like, "if you can take action, don't talk nonsense, and if you do take action, go for the kill" attitude of the 749th Bureau of Jinghai? No, I mean, their efficient and pragmatic style?

Ji Zuodao's eyes darted around, and an absurd thought flashed through his mind uncontrollably.

Could it be...?

This is probably related to Director Lin's frequent contact with Ji Zuodao.

Ji Zuodao was amused by his own association and almost burst out laughing.

He quickly suppressed this overly narcissistic thought.

How is that possible?

Director Lin is a provincial leader, a master of the Divine Power Realm, with an iron will and a methodical approach to his actions. How could a mere outsider investigator like him easily corrupt him?

He's definitely overthinking it.

You're definitely overthinking it.

Ji Zuodao stayed in Caiyun for two more days, thoroughly understanding the benefits involved.

This trip was originally just to take down a group of evil cultivators, but unexpectedly, the chain reaction led to the downfall of the Zhou family, a family of Qi cultivators.

The harvest... was naturally too abundant to be true.

Two floors? That's too small.

This time, the harvest is probably not enough to build even half of Tiananmen Square.

However, building a grand "Memorial Hall for Comrade Ji Zuodao's Outstanding Contributions" with an accompanying garden would be more than enough.

However, this worldly, glittering joy was overshadowed by a simple yet solemn ceremony that afternoon.

That was the farewell ceremony for the fallen investigator.

His name is Chen Mo, and as his name suggests, he is a quiet and reserved middle-aged man.

His file was clean and simple, and his resume contained no earth-shattering achievements, just like countless other unsung names in Bureau 749.

Until his last breath, with an almost instinctive alertness, he caught a faint whisper of the "murder contest" and desperately sent back the message that would ultimately stir up the entire Caiyun storm.

He himself remained forever on that route of communication.

As the veteran investigator from the bureau sorted through Chen Mo's meager belongings, he sighed to Ji Zuodao, who was helping him:

"Little Chen... has a hard life. A few years ago, his wife and children were killed by a group of wandering evil practitioners. Since then, he's become a bit obsessed with taking on the most dangerous cases, the ones most likely to involve evil practitioners."

"The director initially didn't want to approve his volunteering to go undercover, as it was too risky. But he stood motionless outside the director's office all night."

Ji Zuodao listened quietly without interrupting, and gently placed the old notebooks with frayed edges into the special keepsake box.

On the notebook's title page, a line of words was neatly written in fountain pen, the ink penetrating the paper:

"Some people always have to walk in the dark for the light to shine rightfully."

The farewell ceremony was held in a simple and solemn mourning hall inside the bureau.

There was no public announcement, no media coverage, only some colleagues from within the 749 Bureau, and a few of Chen Mosheng's only friends who had come from out of town.

The funeral hall was decorated very simply, even somewhat desolate.

A passport photo of Chen Mosheng hangs in the very center.

The man in the photo has an ordinary face, calm eyes, and not much of a smile on his lips, just a slight purse, conveying a sense of weariness and determination after bearing heavy burdens for a long time.

Below the photo, surrounded by black silk, is an urn draped with the flag of Bureau 749.

The silver emblem on the flag shimmered with a cold, sacred luster under the stark white light.

In front of the urn, there were no mountains of lavish offerings, only three things:

A 749 Bureau badge with slightly worn edges.

A newly published edition of "Compilation of Amendments and Judicial Interpretations to the Criminal Law of the Great Han Dynasty" has many sticky notes tucked between its pages.

A plate of local jujubes, washed clean and still glistening with water droplets—

The old investigator choked up as he said that Chen Mo loved this kind of food when he was alive—sweet with a hint of sourness, cheap, and it kept well.

Director Lin stood at the front, not wearing his signature black trench coat, but in a dark-colored casual suit that was perfectly pressed without a single wrinkle.

He didn't bring his speech notes; he just stared quietly at the ordinary face in the photo, remaining silent for a long time.

Only suppressed breathing and the howling wind outside the window could be heard in the mourning hall.

"Comrade Chen Mo lost his father at a young age and was raised by his widowed mother. After reaching adulthood, he joined the police force and was selected to join the 749th Division due to his outstanding abilities."

"Seven years ago, his wife and their only daughter, who was only five years old, were tragically killed in a vicious incident in which a heretical sect sought revenge against society."

"After that, Comrade Chen Mo devoted all his energy to the front line of the fight against evil cults and crimes. He often said, 'I lost my home, but I can't let other people's homes be lost too.'"

"When he volunteered for this undercover mission, he told me: 'Chief, I know the smell of those beasts best. Let me go, it's the most suitable for me. Even if I don't come back... I have nothing left to lose.'"

Director Lin's voice was not loud, and even a little hoarse, but every word struck the hearts of everyone present clearly.

"According to regulations, the last message he sent back before his sacrifice cannot even be recorded as a meritorious service on his own."

"Because it's too vague, lacking specific time, place, and people, with only keywords like 'large number,' 'gathering,' and 'competition,' it's more like an intuitive warning based on experience."

"According to the procedure, this kind of information needs to be verified at each level and confirmed by multiple parties. It is very likely that it will be filtered out as invalid information at some stage."

"But he didn't know what that message would ultimately become!"