Chapter 32: The Investigation Bureau Comes Calling

Knock, knock, knock...

The door to Fang Xiu's home was being knocked on.

In his perception, he could clearly hear two people knocking on the door, and even heard them coming up the stairs.

Fang Xiu looked through the peephole and saw a man and a woman wearing work uniforms.

He opened the door without hesitation, not at all concerned that they might be supernatural beings.

Because supernatural beings cannot affect reality when they are not "seen," which means they cannot knock on doors.

Additionally, at this time of day, people wearing work uniforms coming to his door were likely from a special department.

After the door opened, Li Wenhao presented his Investigation Bureau ID and said, Fang Xiu, right? We are staff members of the Global Strange Phenomena Joint Investigation Strategic Defense, Attack, and Logistics Support Bureau. This is our ID."

Fang Xiu calmly examined their IDs and learned their names.

There was no surprise—with surveillance everywhere, special department personnel couldn't possibly fail to investigate him.

The only surprise was that the special department's name was incredibly long; someone with insufficient lung capacity couldn't even say it in one breath.

"Please come in."

Fang Xiu led the two inside. During this time, Shen Lingxue and the others kept sizing him up.

Fang Xiu was also sizing them up, or more accurately, trying to confirm whether they could see his wife.

At that moment, his wife was acting very happy, perhaps because there were so many people around.

She stood elegantly to the side and said gently, "Honey, we have guests at home."

Shen Lingxue and Li Wenhao's gaze remained fixed on Fang Xiu, as if they couldn't see his wife.

Couldn't they see her? Or had they already achieved the same level as him, able to ignore the supernatural?

Fang Xiu speculated in his heart.

As members of the special department, their abilities were certainly stronger than those of a novice spirit master like him, and they knew a lot about the supernatural. If even they couldn't see his wife, then it proved that he was the only one who was special.

Whether one could see the supernatural might have nothing to do with being a spirit master.

However, Fang Xiu hadn't reached a conclusion yet and needed to test further.

While Fang Xiu was speculating, Shen Lingxue and the others were also observing him.

They found Fang Xiu's demeanor peculiar.

He was too calm, far too calm. This wasn't the kind of reaction one would expect from someone who had survived a supernatural incident.

They had encountered many survivors of strange events before, and most of them were severely traumatized, even those who had become spirit masters. Their mental states were generally unstable.

When they saw the Investigation Bureau agents arrive, some chose to flee, while others desperately asked questions, eager to uncover the truth behind the strange events. But none of them were as calm as Fang Xiu.

After the three of them sat down in the living room, Shen Lingxue observed, "You don't seem surprised by our arrival. Did you know about the Investigation Bureau before?"

Fang Xiu shook his head. "No, but since there are strange phenomena in the world that haven't caused any disturbances, there must be some force behind the scenes maintaining social order. It's not hard to guess."

"It's indeed not hard to guess, but ordinary people who've experienced strange events don't remain as calm as you do," Shen Lingxue said with a hint of admiration.

"Your guess is correct. The Investigation Bureau is a special department dedicated to dealing with strange phenomena. It's the official organization of spirit masters. We're here today for two reasons: first, to investigate information related to the strange domain at Bai Liu Academy, and second, to determine whether you qualify to join the Investigation Bureau.

Although there are many freelance Spirit Masters in the civilian sector, only the Investigation Bureau holds absolute information, absolute governing power, and the vast resources required by Spirit Masters. Therefore, this is an opportunity for you.

Let's proceed with the first matter. Please share what you know about the mysterious domain of the Bai Liu Academy."

"Before answering your questions, I have a few questions I need you to address," Fang Xiu said calmly.

Shen Lingxue furrowed her brows: "I am the one asking the questions now."

At this point, Li Wenhao hurriedly interjected: "Investigator Shen, Fang Xiu has just experienced a bizarre incident and must have many questions. Let us address his concerns first to help him clarify his thoughts, which will make it easier for him to answer our questions later, right?"

Shen Lingxue nodded slightly in agreement.

Li Wenhao smiled at Fang Xiu: "Fang Xiu, feel free to ask any questions you have. After all, you're now a Spirit Tamer too, and some basic knowledge will eventually come to light. As long as it doesn't involve classified information, you can ask anything."

Fang Xiu glanced at the two of them, already forming his own judgment.

Shen Lingxue was likely a Spirit Tamer, while Li Wenhao was not. Those who had survived the bizarre incidents had different eyes and gave off a different aura.

This was a perception brought about by one's own spiritual nature.

It seemed that this was the configuration of the Investigation Bureau—one Spirit Tamer paired with one ordinary person?

The minds of Spirit Tamers were often corrupted by the bizarre, leading to eccentric and extreme personalities. Pairing them with an ordinary person for supervision could serve as a form of oversight.

The extent to which Shen Lingxue's mind has been twisted is unknown, but her current personality is cold and arrogant, strong-willed. It is unclear whether this is her true nature or the result of the strange phenomenon's influence.

However, Fang Xiu doesn't care about these things. He only wants to know the truth about the strange phenomenon.

"First question: What is the strange phenomenon?" Fang Xiu asked.

Li Wenhao smiled slightly: "This is a question that most people who have survived the Strange Domain ask, but I must regretfully inform you that the Investigation Bureau has not yet provided a clear definition of the Strange.

Where does the Strange come from? What is the Strange? What is its purpose? No one can provide a definitive answer at this time, at least not at my level.

The only thing I can tell you is that the appearance of the strange phenomenon is unpredictable; it mostly appears suddenly. Their current purpose seems to be to consume humans, more accurately, to consume human minds—you could also understand it as consuming human spiritual energy.

The preliminary definition of the strange phenomenon is a distorted mental entity that acts as a self-contained source of contamination. Their forms vary greatly; some have flesh and blood, some are soul-like entities, and some are even conceptual entities.

The only commonality is that all anomalies harbor extreme hostility toward humanity. They seem to strengthen themselves by devouring human souls, and each anomaly acts as a source of contamination, continuously emitting polluting radiation like radioactive material.

This radiation can contaminate human souls, trigger negative emotions, and distort the mind.

You must know that the power of a Spirit Tamer is the result of being contaminated by these entities."

"Second question: How are the power levels of Spirit Tamers categorized?"