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

(I ran into some work problems these past two days, which caused my update schedule to be a bit irregular. I apologize to everyone for that (╥_╥))

(As compensation, Lao Yue is releasing a short side story to make up for the delayed update. I hope all readers can calm down.˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚)

(There may be minor spoilers. If you don't like spoilers, you can skip this part without affecting your viewing of the subsequent plot. ๑•́ •̀๑)

. . .

August of the 114th year of the Gregorian calendar.

March is the beginning of spring, when everything comes back to life, with tender green leaves and touches of new red intertwined, and everything is so beautiful.

At this moment, in a bedroom.

The earth gradually awakens—a ray of dawn breaks the silence of the night.

The alarm clock rang precisely at six o'clock in the morning.

Lin Qi suddenly opened his eyes and sat up as if he had sprung from the bed. He glanced out the window and saw a line of orange-red light squeezing in from between the buildings on the horizon, looking very vibrant.

"Time to get up and go to work!"

Although he was using words like "going to work," the anticipation in his tone was so strong that even the early spring cuckoos outside his bedroom window could hear it.

Then she got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and went to the bathroom, all in one smooth motion.

After washing up, Lin Qi changed into a well-fitting black trench coat.

Then, he dried his hands, looked in the mirror, and solemnly took a silver badge in the shape of a longsword out of his pocket.

He held the silver badge in the shape of a longsword in his palm, weighed it in his hand, and then solemnly pinned it to his left breast.

After fastening it, he ran his fingers along the edge of the badge to make sure the clasp was secure before taking a half step back and looking himself over from head to toe.

After checking his clothes and making sure there was nothing wrong with them, he smiled at the smart young man in the mirror, his eyes reflecting the morning light streaming in from the window:

Good morning, Swordholder Lynch.

Finally, he pulled out the standard longsword with a silver casing from the side of the clothes rack.

The scabbard felt slightly cool to the touch and was quite heavy. He gripped the hilt tightly before pushing open the door and going out.

At six o'clock in the early spring morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten and the sun was just peeking out. There were not many people outside, and most residents were still soundly asleep.

There was a moist scent of grass and trees in the air, mixed with the aroma of porridge wafting from somewhere, softly brushing against the tip of one's nose.

Lin Qi couldn't help but sniff.

then.

cuckoo-

Hearing his stomach protesting, Lynch didn't hesitate and headed straight for the nearest breakfast shop.

"Aunt Wang, four meat buns, please."

The breakfast shop owner was bending over, pinching pleats on a bun. His fingers flew across the paper, twisting and pulling to create a round, white dough ball.

Hearing the sound, she looked up, saw the figure in front of her, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face:

"Butler Kobayashi, you're at work so early today?"

Lin Qi leaned against the counter, looking at the steamer sizzling out from the cracks, and said with a smile, "Yes, it's Monday today, Aunt Lin, you know that."

The breakfast shop owner, known as Aunt Lin, nodded in agreement: "That's right, it's Monday again, time for the Sword Monument to open."

As she spoke, Aunt Lin smiled and handed Lin Qi a bag of soft, warm meat buns that smelled delicious, adding, "Little Steward Lin, be careful on your journey!"

Lin Qi couldn't wait any longer and picked one out. He took a bite, and the hot juice made him gasp. He could only mumble, "I only lost Aunt Lin. It's almost time, I have to go!"

Then, Lin Qi tossed the silver-cased standard-issue longsword into the air, raised his right hand in a sword-finger gesture, and pointed it at the falling silver sword: "Rise!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the standard longsword trembled slightly, broke free from gravity, and hovered three feet off the ground.

Lin Qi lightly touched the ground with his toes and jumped up, landing steadily.

With a bag of steamed buns in his left hand and a bun in his mouth, Lin Qi could only wave goodbye to Aunt Lin with his right hand.

Then, the sword tilted, and the longsword, carrying Lin Qi, transformed into a silver streak of light, swooping past the rooftop.

Watching the silver streak disappear into the horizon, Aunt Lin was clearly used to it, simply shaking her head with a smile: "That child."

The silvery light traveled north until a majestic stone monument came into view.

The stone tablet is at least several hundred meters tall, its top hidden in a thin morning mist, making its boundaries indistinct.

As the silver light drew closer, the shape of the stone tablet became clearer and clearer.

The stone tablet stood upright, with five large black characters, "Abnormal Investigation Bureau," engraved on its grayish-white surface. The characters were deeply embedded in the stone, casting a deep shadow in the morning sunlight, giving it an inexplicable sense of solemnity.

Lynch slowed down and began to descend from a distance.

The airspace within the Bureau of Investigation's jurisdiction is classified as a Class B area. Only those holding a Class B or higher Sword Flying Permit are permitted to fly on swords over the Bureau of Investigation.

Unfortunately, Lin Qi only has a C-level sword-flying certificate, which does not meet the requirements for flying on a sword within the Bureau of Investigation's jurisdiction.

If you forcibly enter by flying on your sword, you will lose 12 points of flying sword credit the first time, and your flying sword certificate will be revoked the second time.

Lin Qi had no intention of retaking the sword-wielding certificate exam.

He swallowed the last bite of the bun, jumped off his longsword, crumpled the empty bag into a ball, and flicked it towards the trash can with the same technique he used to control his sword—the paper ball traced a short arc and landed precisely in the trash can twenty meters away.

Then he raised his finger and pointed at the longsword hanging in mid-air. The silver light suddenly disappeared, and the sword was firmly back in his palm.

After doing all that, he patted his trench coat, then gripped his longsword and strode toward the entrance of the Investigation Bureau.

Just then, a figure riding a sword flew over Lin Qi's head.

He looked up with a hint of envy, and a thought flashed through his mind: "To get a B-level sword mastery certificate, you need to at least master the fourth level of the Sword Manual."

"Hmm! No way! I also need to work hard and try to successfully cultivate to the fourth level next year, and then get a B certificate!"

"That way, we can fly on swords right here in the bureau!"

A person's face is scanned at the main entrance.

The instrument's detection light flashed briefly, then a slightly mechanical, sweet voice came from the speaker:

"Check-in successful!"

"Good morning! Swordholder YH-3047! Have a pleasant day at work!"

"Thanks," Lin Qi replied casually, stepped through the gate, and walked inside.

On the way, I also encountered many colleagues wearing black trench coats.

Good morning, Deacon Lin.

Good morning, Lao Lin!

Lin Qi smiled and nodded in response.

However, there was one difference between those colleagues and Lynch: those colleagues wore various colored badges shaped like torches on their chests.

We walked further inside.

Lynch quickly spotted his destination.

It was a square, and in the very center of the square, a long sword, pure white, stood upright.

The sword was about a hundred meters tall. It was impossible to tell what kind of stone it was made of. Its surface was as smooth as polished jade, but it also had a rough texture, as if the shape of the sword had grown out of the mountain rock itself.

The morning sun rises from behind it, gilding both sides of the sword with a golden edge, filling it with a serene and solemn aura.

Although it is only about a hundred meters tall, it inspires a sense of awe and reverence in everyone who sees this pure white stone sword.

Lin Qi was no exception. Upon seeing the pure white stone sword, his posture straightened unconsciously, his steps slowed, and his relaxed expression turned solemn.

That's the Sword Stele.

However, today seems to be a special day. Beneath the sword monument, which is shaped like a pure white longsword, quite a few black trench coats have been quietly stored.

However, none of these black trench coats wore any badges.

Clearly, this was a group of reservists who had just joined the Bureau of Investigation.

Looking at those young faces, Lin Qi couldn't help but recall the morning when he first stood before that pure white stone sword.