I Start with a Mysterious Island

The man with the neck tattoo had just returned to his lookout post when he spotted a group of people at the foot of the mountain, stealthily making their way toward their underground factory.

The discovery sent a jolt through him. He immediately grabbed the small binoculars hanging around his neck and peered into the distance.

Through the small binoculars, his eyes—altered by a Superpower to see clearly in dim light—got a perfectly clear view of the group sneaking toward them.

The people were all in uniform—the uniform of his organization’s sworn enemies.

The man with the neck tattoo recognized them at a glance. They were Investigators from the Superpower Administration Bureau.

’Damn it! The Superpower Administration Bureau found our underground factory.’

The instant the thought crossed his mind, the man with the neck tattoo spun around and bolted for the entrance to the underground factory.

...

"What did you say? Investigators from the Superpower Administration Bureau are here?" Zhao Manduo’s expression froze in alarm upon hearing the report from the tattooed lookout, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

"Yes, Mr. Zhao! We have to get out of here now! If we wait any longer, we won’t be able to escape once those Investigators arrive," the man with the neck tattoo said anxiously.

"It’s over! The Investigators are here!"

"Damn it, how did those Investigators find this place?"

"What do we do now?"

The underlings present were all in a panic, chattering fearfully with no idea what to do.

"All of you, shut up!" Zhao Manduo bellowed. The underlings instantly fell silent. Then, they heard Zhao Manduo speak.

"Everyone, grab whatever you can carry. We’re following the pre-arranged escape plan. Follow me to the secret tunnel!"

As Zhao Manduo gave the order to escape, his underlings scrambled into action.

...

THUMP THUMP THUMP...

A series of footsteps echoed from the factory entrance as a dozen or so men and women in Investigator uniforms walked into the underground facility.

Leading them was a female Investigator with a neck-length bob, a pretty face, fair skin, and an athletic build. She carried herself with a commanding, gallant air.

She led her team into the Canglan Society’s underground factory, only to find the place in disarray and completely empty of any of its members. Her delicate brows furrowed in response.

"Jing, looks like the Canglan Society people already fled," a rookie, who had only been an Investigator for a few days, whispered to his team leader.

Wang Jing said to her companions, "Everyone, pair up and spread out. Report to me immediately if you find anyone from the Canglan Society."

"Yes, ma’am." The Investigators immediately formed pairs and fanned out, beginning a thorough sweep of the huge underground factory.

"Damn it. A step too late," Wang Jing muttered as her companions split up to search the underground factory. She then began her own search of the facility.

Half an hour later, the Investigators discovered a hidden tunnel in a remote corner of the underground factory.

The members of the Canglan Society had clearly escaped through this secret tunnel.

The Investigators had initially planned to pursue the Canglan Society members through the tunnel.

But after advancing a few dozen meters into the tunnel, they found it had been destroyed, making it impossible for them to follow the fleeing Canglan Society members.

’Sigh... what a shame. We were just one step away from catching those bastards.’

Realizing that the pursuit was hopeless, the Investigators on the raid all felt extremely frustrated.

"We may not have caught any Canglan Society members this time, but this wasn’t a total loss.

All this equipment and the Joyful Powder Fruit they couldn’t take with them represent a significant loss for them.

Let’s pack up what the Canglan Society left behind. We’re heading back." As the commander of the operation, Wang Jing offered these words of comfort to her somewhat dejected team.

Just as the Investigators were about to start packing up the Joyful Powder Fruit and equipment the Canglan Society members had left behind, two other Investigators entered the factory, escorting three burly men in black tank tops.

"What’s the story with these three?" Wang Jing asked her colleague.

An Investigator with a buzz cut pointed first to the two men squatting on the ground with their hands on their heads, then to the one who was grinning foolishly, clearly out of his mind. He explained,

"We were searching outside and found these two digging a pit. They tried to run the second they saw us, so we arrested them.

We interrogated them a bit and, what do you know, all three are members of the Canglan Society.

And the two who were digging the pit? They were getting ready to bury this guy who’d been using Happy Powder."

The Investigators, who had been dejected about the Canglan Society members getting away, hadn’t expected such a surprising catch. For a moment, they couldn’t help but laugh.

"How could this happen? Mr. Zhao, you took everyone and left... why didn’t you send someone to tell us?!!!" The two Canglan Society members in charge of digging the grave were on the verge of tears.

"Alright, let’s hurry up and pack up the scene. We’ll take these three captured Canglan Society members back to the Bureau.

With these three, we should be able to get some leads on this underground factory."

Wang Jing instructed her team. The Investigators then began to collect all the black Joyful Powder Fruit and ground Happy Powder that the Canglan Society had left behind.

A few moments later, the team of Investigators left the Canglan Society’s underground factory.

At the foot of the mountain, several Superpower Administration Bureau vehicles were parked. When the Investigators came down from the mountain, they immediately loaded the confiscated goods from the raid into the vehicles.

RUMBLE... The vehicles started up one by one, and the convoy of Investigators began to leave the abandoned industrial park.

Wang Jing sat in the front passenger seat, rubbing the bridge of her nose. This business trip had been long enough. Even for a Cultivator like her, the prolonged, high-intensity work had left her feeling mentally and physically exhausted.

DRING DRING DRING...

Her phone suddenly rang in her pocket. Wang Jing, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them. She pulled the phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen, seeing that it was a call from her younger sister.

"Hello?"

"Sis, are you busy?" Having just finished a shower, Wang Ling had returned to her bedroom and suddenly realized it had been a while since she’d contacted her sister, so she made the call.

"Just finished," Wang Jing said.

"You’ve been on this business trip for a while. When are you coming back?" Wang Ling asked.

"This mission is almost wrapped up. I should be able to return to Rongcheng in a day or two..." Wang Jing told her sister, then asked, "How are Mom and Dad? Have they been okay?"

"Oh, them? They’re the same as always, eating well and enjoying their food. They just mention you from time to time, wondering when you’re coming home," Wang Ling said.

"Make sure you tell them I should be back in Rongcheng in a day or two, so they don’t have to worry."

"Okay."

After Wang Jing ended the call with her sister, the Investigator who was driving said with some reluctance, "Jing, you’re heading back to Rongcheng soon!"

"Yeah. Tonight was my last operation here. I’ll wrap things up over the next day or two and then head back to Rongcheng," Wang Jing said with a nod.

"Jing, I’ll talk to everyone later. We should throw you a farewell party."

"Oh, you don’t have to do that."

"We have to, we have to..."

Wang Jing, who wasn’t fond of big gatherings, had meant it when she said they didn’t need to throw a party.

’But,’ she thought, ’my companions, the people I’ve worked with day in and day out, would never agree to that.’ So, she didn’t insist on forgoing the farewell party.

"Jing, under your leadership, we’ve busted several Canglan Society underground factories in a row. With an achievement that big, a promotion should be a sure thing once you get back to Rongcheng, right?"

"A promotion? I haven’t really thought about it. Compared to getting promoted to a desk job planning raids, I much prefer being on the front lines with everyone, taking down the bad guys."

...