The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

The green-haired woman's face was filled with coldness.

That once languid and nonchalant oval face now seemed to be covered by a thin layer of ice, and even her vibrant green hair appeared somewhat dull under the cold white office lights.

She originally thought that if the investigation bureau was involved, it would at most mean that someone had broken the rules and taken advantage of the situation regarding the dark domain's resources.

If they find out, at worst they'll be fined and locked up for a few days; it won't cause any major trouble.

But she really didn't expect that things were far more serious than she imagined!

Someone actually dared to be so bold as to accept an energy stone that carried the aura of a zombie species!

Energy stones mined normally will not carry the aura of the Corpse Race.

Anyone with a basic understanding of the Dark Domain knows this.

The energy stone ore formed in the Dark Domain is exceptionally stable and requires a specific process to mine and refine. Only when it is extracted from the mountain and solidified will it be imbued with trace amounts of the miner's aura.

This is inevitable.

Due to the species differences between humans and zombies, the aura that humans collect from energy stones dissipates quickly, within one or two days to three to five days. By the time the energy stones reach the market, the residual aura has long since vanished.

However, if the corpse species were the ones mining, the situation would be completely different.

The aura of the corpse species and the energy fluctuations of humans belong to two completely different systems. Their aura is like a stubborn, indelible stain to the energy stone.

Once contaminated, the unique aura of the corpse species on the energy stone will linger for a long time!

Therefore, there is only one possibility for the energy stones that carry the aura of the Corpse Species: those energy stones were mined by the Corpse Species and flowed directly from the Corpse Species!

But things haven't gotten to the worst point yet.

The green-haired woman quickly made a decision in her mind.

Perhaps those energy stones bearing the aura of the Corpse Race were acquired from someone else; it's hard to say.

As long as there is no direct transaction relationship with the Corpse Clan, there is still hope.

After all, accidentally receiving a batch of energy stones from the Corpse Clan from someone else is a completely different matter from directly trading energy stones from the Corpse Clan.

Although the former's involvement in the circulation of corpse-type energy stones is also a serious crime, it is still better than the latter's fate of openly becoming a traitor and betraying humanity!

The green-haired woman took a deep breath, her tone icy.

"Tell me, who gave you the energy stone?"

The assistant in the black suit also knew the seriousness of the situation. His face was as white as paper, his forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and his lips were trembling slightly.

He took a deep breath and said, his voice trembling slightly:

"They...they wanted me to do them a favor, but I refused...so they threatened me with my family..."

At this point, the assistant stopped talking, his gaze lowered to the ground, not daring to look Lin Manteng in the eye.

The green-haired woman knew what he was worried about.

With another gentle wave of her right hand, a pale green semi-circular light membrane spread out from her palm, silently enveloping the two of them upside down within it.

"Don't be afraid, no one else can hear our conversation now."

Her voice softened a bit.

"I'll personally pick up your family later. Wherever they are, I'll go there myself and take them to a safe place."

"You should know my reputation."

She then paused, giving her assistant some time to process what she had said.

"Next."

"What do they want you to do? And who else is involved, or might be involved?"

"Take your time."

"Don't miss a single one."

After receiving assurances from the green-haired woman, the assistant gradually calmed down.

He swallowed hard. "They want me to use the company's channels to spread a special ritual that supposedly enhances the efficiency of energy cultivation to those untrained individuals with special abilities..."

The assistant's voice was still a little weak, but much steadyer than before: "They said this ritual has been modified so that there won't be any obvious side effects; it just speeds up the cultivation process a bit..."

"As for who was involved..."

At this point, the assistant revealed an ugly expression that was a mixture of fear and helplessness.

"Li Liepiao, the vice president of the Dayun City branch, as well as the ministers and deputy ministers of various departments, may have been involved."

"The vice president said that if I disagreed, or if he told anyone about it, he would kill my whole family..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Manteng, the president of the New Leaf Organization's branch in Dayun City, remained expressionless.

She murmured, "Special ritual... Li Liebiao..."

The assistant continued.

"I didn't accept it directly, but I didn't dare to refuse either... I could only say that I would consider it for a while and postpone it for now."

His voice began to tremble.

"But the very next day, they placed those energy stones, which carried the aura of the Corpse Species, directly in my house."

"It wasn't sent by mail or delivered by someone; it was placed directly on the coffee table in my living room, right in the middle."

He closed his eyes briefly.

"Then they called me and said that I was already their accomplice, and if the investigation bureau found out, I wouldn't be able to escape."

His voice grew softer and softer.

"I've told you everything... President, you must save my family!"

"They are very likely already..."

Just then.

There was a knock on the office door.

Three times.

Not too light, not too heavy; not too fast, not too slow.

The green-haired woman frowned.

With a slight movement of her right hand, she removed the pale green light membrane. Then, with a thought, she manipulated the thick vine to loosen from her assistant and slowly retract back into the floor.

She took a deep breath, reached out and smoothed her hair, restoring her usual lazy and nonchalant expression.

Then she spoke, her voice returning to its lazy tone: "Come in."

The door was pushed open.

A tall, bald man in a black suit walked in first.

His head gleamed under the light, revealing a rugged face with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and full lips.

"President, it's been a long time." The bald man's voice was deep and resonant.

Then, a group of people walked in behind him.

The New Leaf Organization has various department heads stationed in Dayun City: Finance Department, Human Resources Department, External Relations Department, Security Department, etc.

They came in one by one and stood on either side of the bald man.

"Good afternoon, President."

They greeted each other in unison, their voices loud and clear.

The green-haired woman narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze sweeping across everyone's faces.

"Why aren't you all going out for lunch? Why are you all crowding around here?"

Her gaze lingered on each person's face for less than half a second, then she gave a deep look at the bald man at the front.

"And you, the vice president, what brings you here today?" Her tone was even more indifferent. "Aren't you usually so busy you barely have time to breathe, too lazy even to attend regular meetings?"

He didn't answer the green-haired woman's question directly, but instead glanced at his assistant, who was pale and trembling slightly.

"President, this may be the last time I call you President." His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

"You should check your phone now." He raised his wrist, glanced at the time on his watch, then looked up. "The notification should have reached your email by now."

The green-haired woman frowned slightly.

"Li Liebiao, what do you mean?" Her voice turned cold.

The bald man smiled slightly.

"Ms. Lin, please address me as the president."

At that moment, the green-haired woman's phone vibrated slightly.

Her gaze shifted from Li Liebiao's face to the cell phone on the desk.

The phone screen lit up briefly, and a notification banner for a new email slid down from the top of the screen.

She reached for her phone and glanced at it.

Then, her pupils contracted sharply.

The screen displays:

New Leaf Headquarters Personnel Appointment and Removal Notice

Regional branches and directly affiliated departments:

Following deliberation and discussion at the headquarters' executive meeting, the following notice is hereby issued regarding the adjustment of the positions of the principal leaders of the Dayan City Branch:

1. Ms. Lin Manteng is relieved of her post as president of the Dayun City branch and will be transferred back to headquarters for further work.

II. Mr. Li Liebiao is appointed as the President of the Dayun City Branch, responsible for the overall work of the branch. His original responsibilities will be adjusted by headquarters based on actual circumstances.

III. This personnel adjustment shall take effect from the date of issuance of this notice. All relevant units are requested to comply and ensure a smooth transition.

Hereby notified.

New Leaf Headquarters

Lin Manteng stared at those lines of text for about two seconds.

In two seconds, her expression underwent a complete transformation from shock to anger and then back to calm.

Recalling what her assistant had said earlier, a terrifying thought flashed through her mind—could it be that headquarters also…

She didn't continue thinking about it because the idea was too terrifying for her to bear.

But she knew she had to make a choice, and she had to be quick.

She took a deep breath, suppressing all the emotional turmoil in her heart, and looked up at Li Liebiao, even managing a slight smile on her lips.

"Congratulations, Chairman Li!"

His tone was so sincere that it didn't seem like he was being sarcastic.

Upon hearing this, the bald man feigned modesty and shook his head, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips: "It's all thanks to the headquarters' cultivation—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

Suddenly, a thick vine shot out from the floor—not one, but three—bursting out simultaneously from three different angles.

With a loud thud as it burst from the ground, the vines shot towards Li Liebiao and the others.

Li Liebiao and the others were also startled and quickly retreated to avoid the danger.

Taking this opportunity, Lin Manteng summoned another vine to lift her assistant up, and then...

The tempered glass shattered with a muffled "bang," breaking into countless tiny fragments that flew outwards.

Without any hesitation, Lin Manteng turned around and smashed the French windows cleanly and decisively.

She grabbed the vine with one hand and, together with her assistant, jumped from a height of more than ten stories.

The wind whistled past her ears. Her long green hair danced wildly in the wind, like a battle flag fluttering in the breeze.

Her suit jacket was blown open by the airflow, revealing a white silk shirt and a tight waistline underneath.

Her expression grew extremely grave as she plummeted: if even headquarters was in trouble, they would certainly not let her off the hook, given that she already knew some of the inside story.

She knows too much: energy stones, the aura of corpses, special rituals, Li Lie Biao, and those forces that may have already infiltrated the headquarters' upper echelons.

All of these factors combined cannot be summarized by a simple personnel adjustment.

Her only option now is to run.

This wasn't an escape; it was a mission to deliver a message.

She knew that the only one who could save her now was the Investigation Bureau!