Once the affection level is maxed out, the rivalry begins!

"Bai Ze, I'm sorry to have kept you here for so long."

Leticia sat up straight, twirling her pen as she spoke.

To Bai Ze's surprise, she was the one who led the conversation, unlike the man in the suit.

"It's alright. Are you... an official agency specifically responsible for handling these kinds of incidents?"

He deliberately asked the question in a flat tone, while his legs trembled slightly, acting out the image of an ordinary high school boy who was nervous but stubbornly trying to hide it.

This was thanks to a bad habit he picked up while chatting with Lu Xingyao in junior high school. He would occasionally imagine how he should use his everyday identity as a disguise if he needed to run a mysterious organization hidden behind the scenes.

"That's half right. We cooperate with the governments of various countries, but we are not subordinate to them."

She smiled, her blonde hair, tied in pigtails, falling naturally, making her look like a child deliberately imitating an adult's mature tone of voice.

"You must be shocked too, not only by the existence of the anomaly, but also by the fact that your childhood friend is hiding her identity."

She cast a sympathetic look at you, "But for security reasons, we still have to erase your memory of this matter."

"If it's necessary, I can accept it."

Bai Ze wondered what his answer would be if he didn't have awakened his abilities. "But I want to see Xiao Wan again. Is she awake now?"

Leticia hesitated for a moment before nodding. "She's in the medical ward of this building, but I'd like to know what you want to say to her?"

"I complained that she didn't tell me the truth, scolded her for not taking care of her own safety... and finally praised her for her dazzling attitude in fighting to protect the masses, which I admire very much."

Bai Ze fluently gave his mental outline—this was originally his true feeling under another circumstance.

"...Bai Ze."

Leticia suddenly grabbed his hand and shook it up and down as if she had met a kindred spirit. "I really like you! You're absolutely right!"

She wore black leather gloves on both hands, and the coolness seeped through her skin.

"Uh, thank you for the compliment?" Bai Ze stared at the smiling girl, puzzled.

"The witch's figure soaring through the air is both cool and powerful, just like a magical girl! No wonder he's her childhood friend; he captured the essence perfectly!"

No, no, no, I didn't mention anything about magical girls at all.

He really wanted to complain.

Leticia shook hands more vigorously: "Moreover, the victims we've dealt with before either strongly resisted memory erasure or showed fear and excessive hostility towards us. Being able to communicate calmly in the face of unusual events shows you already possess the basic qualities of a field agent for the Bureau of Disaster Management!"

"Leticia, you don't want this..."

The middle-aged man in a suit, who had been standing in the corner of the room with his arms crossed, asked in confusion.

"Would you like to join the Bureau of Spirit Disasters and become one of us?"

The blonde girl pulled out a remote control from under the long table and pressed it. Bai Ze guessed that the one-way glass blackboard suddenly became transparent, and then a white screen slowly descended from the ceiling.

The projector installed in the upper right corner of the room started operating, projecting a series of salary documents and promotional materials onto the screen:

"...Such extraordinary dangers are unfolding around the world right now, and you could be next, unless you make the most important decision of your life... *Insert stirring musical clip* Spiritual Disaster Containment Bureau!"

"You're insane! If the War Witch finds out you recruited him to deal with the anomaly, we're all dead!"

The man in the suit clutched his head in frustration, shouting, "This violates more than one containment safety regulation!"

"That's right, so if you want to join, you'll have to keep it a secret from the witch for now."

Leticia said seriously, "I know she wants you to always be in a safe cradle, and from the perspective of maintaining the stability of the Witch, this is indeed the opinion of the Bureau of Spirit Disasters."

"But now the enemy may have already reached your side, so I think it would be beneficial for Bai Ze to have some self-defense capabilities."

She took Bai Ze's hand and cupped her palms together to envelop it as if in prayer.

"More importantly—I fully support your relationship."

"What's your standpoint in saying this?!" Bai Ze finally couldn't help but retort.

"That's not important, Bai Ze. Think about it: if you're always isolated outside the realm of anomalies, the only thing you and the witch will have in common is your daily life. You won't be able to see the other world that she can see—that's not good for your long-lasting and genuine friendship."

The blonde girl said firmly, "If you agree to join, I swear I will personally train you and protect you with my life."

—Although what she said was a jumbled mess, upon closer reflection, would there be any downside to becoming an outer member of the Spirit Disaster Bureau as Bai Ze?

As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest place. Wouldn't it be better to hide the existence of the Eternal Serpent by keeping it in the dark?

Moreover, he can use this channel to learn more about the Bureau of Spirit Disasters, and even collect information on anomalies to enhance his own strength, and find ways to solve the witch transformation and deal with the major event at the end of the month.

So Bai Ze tentatively asked, "I can join, but will my regular studies be interrupted?"

"No need. You're just an outermost member. The Bureau of Spirit Disasters recruits similar individuals from all walks of life. There's no need to give up your daily life—besides, the Witch would never agree to that."

Leticia finally loosened her grip. "We just need to do some training in our spare time to give you a basic understanding of anomalies, so you won't be completely clueless next time you encounter a similar incident."

The man in the suit in the corner pulled out a cigarette with a look of despair, lit it with trembling hands, and said, "I know the decision is yours, but I strongly oppose it. Don't let me get splattered with blood if something happens."

"Don't worry, it won't affect you."

Leticia pointed at him, "Look, Bai Ze, that timid uncle is called Zheng Yue. He usually works as a driver to transport people to the scene."

"As for me, you can just call me Rhea."

She pressed her hand to her chest as she introduced herself, "That's what my friends call me. I'm an executor from the Bureau of Spirit Disasters stationed in Fuyumi City—but because of the Witch's presence, my combat power is negligible."

The girl gave a somewhat bitter smile.

"Welcome to the Bureau of Spiritual Disasters, Bai Ze."

She took off her gloves and handed over her right hand.

Bai Ze took her slender fingers in his hand, and a distinct warmth, different from that of artificial leather, gently spread out.

"Let's go, I'll take you to see the witch."

She stood up and assumed the posture of leading the way.

Bai Ze then noticed the other person's unusually petite figure—not to mention compared to Lin Tingwan, who was considered tall among girls, even compared to her junior classmates who were already petite, she was still considered to be a child among children.

How old is she exactly?

Ignoring this seemingly unimportant question for the moment, Bai Ze followed her out of the interrogation room, through the maze of corridors, and soon arrived at a door with a sign that read "Infirmary".