I set you up on a blind date, and you've managed to overcome all the weirdness?

"Please pass on a message to Commander Chen: I need to rest at a place arranged by my family for the next few days."

"I'll ask him for the bonus when I get back."

After saying that, before Lao Zhao could ask any more questions, Lin Yan hung up the phone and casually removed the battery.

On the other side, Lao Zhao, holding up his headset, turned to look at Chen Feng behind him with a helpless expression.

Chen Feng snorted coldly.

"Family members...?"

"Hmph, no wonder this kid dared to venture into that dangerous place alone."

Chen Feng waved his hand and gave a new instruction to his adjutant beside him:

"Let's bring the search team back. That kid is safer here than he is with us."

After a while, as if remembering something, he said again:

"Also, lower the surveillance level to the lowest possible level, and only conduct long-distance perimeter monitoring."

"Yes, sir!" The adjutant acknowledged the order and left.

……

Ten days later, the Bureau of Folklore.

Lin Yan strolled out from the Luckin Coffee shop next door, holding a cup of coffee.

Unlike the aloofness he felt when he first joined the company, the atmosphere in the department today can be described as gentle and welcoming.

"Good morning, Special Envoy Lin!"

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Old Chen happened to be passing by. He changed his usual irritability and immediately stopped, giving Lin Yan a proper salute.

"Brother Chen, don't call me 'special envoy,' it's too formal. I'm still just that lowly Karami from Group Seven, who's just scraping by."

Lin Yan smiled and waved his hand, then forcefully stuffed two of the steamed buns he had just bought into Old Chen's hands.

"How could that be? Brother Lin, you're practically a living saint in our bureau now."

"The time at the heavy machinery factory, and this time at the air-raid shelter, if you hadn't volunteered to take the blame, the brothers would have been on the verge of death several times over."

Next to him, Xiao Zhou from Group Two came over and chuckled.

"Why are you all crammed into the aisle? Don't you have reports to write?"

Old Zhao walked out of the office with his pipe in his mouth, pretending to disperse the crowd, but the smile on his face betrayed him.

He pulled out his chair for Lin Yan to sit down, then lowered his voice and asked mysteriously in a volume only the two of them could hear:

"Kid, I heard that old devil Chen Feng gave you a bonus last night? Eight figures?"

Lin Yan took a sip of coffee and gave Old Zhao a smile that was best left unsaid:

"Team Leader Zhao, I'm just an ordinary person who abides by the law. I can submit a written application for those things."

"Whatever you say goes." Old Zhao rolled his eyes.

"Alright, stop pretending to be innocent after getting the benefit."

"Qinghan is waiting for you in the secret vault. The provincial bureau has allocated these things, so hurry up and collect them. If you're too late, those jealous people might complain to headquarters and try to steal them."

Lin Yan put down his coffee and got up to walk towards the secret vault.

The bonus is just a bonus for him now, since money isn't the key thing he needs right now.

Chen Feng had been keeping the reward a secret for three days, which had made Chen Feng very curious.

Lin Yan arrived at the door of the secret vault on the second basement level, where Su Qinghan was already waiting.

Seeing Lin Yan approach, she turned around expressionlessly and verified her identity using the fingerprint and iris scanner.

With a beep, the door slowly opened to both sides.

Su Qinghan walked ahead, leading Lin Yan through the long passage.

They walked in silence. This was Lin Yan's first time in the secret vault. The surroundings were pitch black, with only a faint light on both sides of the passage, making it impossible to see the layout of the surroundings.

Why does it have to be so mysterious just because it's called the Secret Vault... Lin Yan was speechless.

The two eventually stopped in front of a metal wall.

Even though there was nothing on the wall, Lin Yan inexplicably felt like he was being watched.

Suddenly I felt a burning sensation in my chest, and then the feeling disappeared.

Just as Lin Yan was about to look down to see if there was something wrong with Saya's mark, Su Qinghan suddenly turned around.

She took a metal nameplate from the folder in her hand.

Upon closer inspection, Lin Yan realized that the nameplate was neither gold nor iron, and besides the two characters "Lin Yan," there was only a red engraving.

"Take this."

Su Qinghan suddenly became solemn, but since she was usually expressionless, Lin Yan wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.

"Lin Yan, you must complete the oath before accepting this plaque."

"This is a hurdle that the task force and every core executive must overcome before facing the abyss."

Lin Yan immediately sensed something was wrong. An oath? What oath? Wasn't he supposed to be here to receive a reward?

Could the feeling that someone was spying on me just now be related to this oath?

Lin Yan was lost in thought, while Su Qinghan didn't urge him, just kept staring at him.

Feeling uneasy under Su Qinghan's gaze, he could only extend his right hand, clench his fist, and place it next to his temple.

This is his experience of joining the Communist Youth League in junior high school.

"How should I pronounce it?" Lin Yan asked.

"I'll say a sentence, and you repeat it after me."

Su Qinghan's gaze was fixed on Lin Yan's eyes, as if trying to see right through him:

"My first statement is: I will gaze into the abyss, but I will never be lost in it."

Lin Yan took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind of all distractions, and then repeated:

"I will gaze into the abyss, but I will never succumb to it."

"My second point is that I will tame madness, but I must hold fast to the bottom line of reason."

"I will wield madness, but I must hold fast to the bottom line of reason."

"The third sentence." Su Qinghan held up the nameplate, but the side with Lin Yan's name was facing Lin Yan.

"I will turn my sword against the enemy, and never abandon the lights of the homes behind me. If I ever break this promise..."

"I am willing to endure the cleansing, until my bones are gone and all karma is extinguished."

Lin Yan's heart tightened. The last sentence was filled with a chilling aura, but he did not hesitate and dared not hesitate, and read it aloud.

The voice just fell.

The nameplate floated up on its own and drifted to Lin Yan's side.

Lin Yan reached out for help, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his palm.

Fresh blood seeped from his fingertips, instantly absorbed by the red mark.

After the engravings were filled, the nameplate trembled slightly before finally falling silent.

"Contract established. Welcome to the team, Special Envoy Lin."

The solemnity around Su Qinghan dissipated, and she returned to her usual calm and composed state.

Lin Yan tossed the nameplate around in his hand, feigning nonchalance, and said:

"Beautiful Su, is that all for the oath? Is there anything special about this sign?"

Su Qinghan was operating the tablet when she casually explained:

"It can verify whether your oath is a lie, and it is also proof that you have joined the Cleansing Department."

"The Cleansing Department is an independent authority separate from the various task forces."

"Every member of the cleaning department enjoys immunity from judgment."

"They're like a pack of mad dogs."

"Specially responsible for apprehending field agents who have been in contact with bizarre events for a long time, have a tendency to be assimilated by the bizarre, or who are hiding or containing high-risk anomalous items."

"Once you're targeted by the Cleansing Department, whether it's isolation and interrogation, memory erasure, or on-the-spot execution, no approval from the local branch is required."

At this point, Su Qinghan glanced at Lin Yan:

"As long as you do not break your oath, no department or individual within the entire folk system, except for the Cleansing Department, has the right to interfere with your freedom."