When Barton's leather-gloved hand clasped Lin Jie's palm, the atmosphere in the underground safe house underwent a fundamental transformation.

Marcus's iron tower-like frame relaxed completely, his gaze toward Lin Jie still filled with curiosity, but all hostility had vanished.

Lin Jie had not only cleared himself of suspicion, but more importantly, he had successfully presented an incredibly valuable "resume" to the massive mysterious organization known as I.A.R.C.

"Now that the misunderstanding has been clarified, according to regulations, I should return Cartographer Karl's belongings to the Association." Lin Jie didn't greedily hoard the diary and pistol for himself, but instead, with an extremely straightforward attitude, proactively placed these two priceless items on the long table.

This decisive action clearly raised Barton's favorable impression of him yet again.

Privately concealing Association assets was a serious offense, and Lin Jie's voluntary return undoubtedly represented a clear gesture of goodwill.

Barton picked up the thick German diary, gently stroking the familiar cover with his fingertips, a flicker of remembrance for his departed comrade flashing in his eyes.

He then picked up the Webley Revolver, carefully examined it, and looked up at Lin Jie.

"Mr. Lin, according to Association regulations, returning the remains is indeed a necessary procedure. However," Barton's tone shifted, a shrewd smile curling at the corner of his mouth, "there's another rule: any 'external collaborator' who provides crucial intelligence to the Association or makes decisive contributions in high-risk UMA hunting operations is entitled to receive corresponding equivalent rewards."

He slowly pushed the revolver back toward Lin Jie.

"This gun was Karl's sidearm, and his first 'Grotesque Armament.' We call it 'Serene Heart.'"

"Embedded in its grip is the hearing bone of a deep-sea UMA from the Norwegian Sea. Its characteristic is resisting most low-level mental impacts and fear auras while slightly enhancing the bearer's reaction speed. I believe you've already experienced its effects firsthand."

Barton paused briefly before continuing, "During the Mist Walker hunting operation, you uncovered its disguise, discovered its fatal weakness, and prevented potentially greater casualties for the Association."

"Your merit is worthy of this weapon. So from now on, it belongs to you. This is your deserved trophy."

Lin Jie's heart skipped a beat.

He hadn't expected the other party to so readily gift him such a powerful Grotesque Armament.

The so-called "handover" had merely been a gesture, a test.

If he had shown even the slightest greed or hesitation earlier, the other party's evaluation of him would likely have immediately dropped a grade.

He didn't refuse further, calmly accepting this revolver that held such profound significance for him.

"Then I graciously accept."

"As for this diary," Barton held the notebook in his hand, showing no intention of returning it, "its strategic value is too high and must be recovered and stored by the Association. However, as compensation, the Association will provide you with its 'translation service.'"

"What do you mean?" Lin Jie asked.

"It means we'll keep the original copy of this diary, but the Association's linguistics department will translate all the German content word for word into English and provide you with a complete copy. Of course," Barton added, "we might apply some... obfuscation to portions involving the Association's highest secrets."

"But all the knowledge about UMAs and Mr. Karl's hunting experience will be accessible to you. For you, this should hold far greater value than possessing an original text you can't read, correct?"

Lin Jie's eyes lit up.

This was an unexpected windfall!

His biggest headache had been the German language problem, and now I.A.R.C. was willing to use its organizational resources to solve this major difficulty for him.

Trading a temporarily unreadable "dragon-slaying technique" for a detailed "English instruction manual" - this deal was incredibly profitable!

"I have no objections." Lin Jie immediately nodded in agreement.

Barton smiled with satisfaction, knowing he had successfully demonstrated I.A.R.C.'s sincerity and capabilities to this immensely promising "Interpreter" through two irresistible gifts.

"Excellent." Barton carefully stored the diary, then retrieved a transmitter modified from a telegraph machine from his coat.

"Please wait a moment. I need to report everything that happened tonight, along with my assessment of your value, to Geneva Headquarters. This concerns your future positioning within the Association and the resource permissions you'll receive. This is important."

After speaking, he began skillfully tapping out codes, streams of invisible messages rapidly transmitting through a secret global network toward the mysterious organization's headquarters located in the world's neutral center.

The basement fell into silence once more.

Marcus studied Lin Jie with curiosity - this Easterner had delivered too many shocks tonight.

Meanwhile, Lin Jie sat quietly in his chair, wiping his recovered "Serene Heart," patiently awaiting the verdict crossing oceans.

These brief few minutes would completely determine his future destiny.

Time passed second by second.

Considerable discussion and assessment seemed to be happening on the transmitter's end.

Finally, after a series of rapid "beep-beep" sounds, Barton stopped tapping. He looked up, his face wearing a complex expression mixing expected confirmation with some surprise.

"Headquarters' reply has arrived." Barton's gaze lingered on Lin Jie for a moment. "Their reaction is more... intense than I anticipated."

"First, the report on Cartographer Karl's death in service has been confirmed. Headquarters expresses regret for your experience and formally revokes the 'pursuit order' against you. You are now free and a friend of the Association."

Lin Jie let out a long sigh of relief - the heaviest stone weighing on his heart had finally been lifted.

"Second, Headquarters has given the highest possible evaluation of your rare 'Retrospective Sensing' ability and your exceptional tactical analysis mind." Barton's tone became serious. "They believe the value of 'talents' like yours is immeasurable in certain specific missions."

Hearing this, Lin Jie's heartbeat accelerated again.

Beside them, Marcus showed an expression of disbelief.

He couldn't imagine that this seemingly physically weak young man could be assessed by Headquarters as more important than battle-hardened hunters like himself.

Barton cleared his throat and continued, "Based on this value assessment, Geneva Headquarters has customized a special cooperation agreement for you through an emergency meeting. This is extremely rare in Association history."

He retrieved a parchment document sealed with wax from a locked filing cabinet and pushed it toward Lin Jie.

"You can choose to become an official Association member, starting from the lowest sixth-level Investigator rank, receiving training and promotions step by step. You'll receive a stable salary, safe shelter, and all resources available to newcomers. This is the safest option."

"Or..." Barton's eyes gleamed with unusual light. "You can choose to sign this 'Freelance Hunter Agreement.'"

"Signing this agreement means you're not an official Association employee. You don't need to follow most of the Association's internal red tape, you don't need to accept fixed assignments - you'll have a high degree of operational freedom."

"You can view the Association as a... platform. You can use this platform to accept various commissions posted by the Association, or utilize the Association's intelligence network to investigate events that interest you."

"Each time you complete a commission, you'll receive corresponding bounties and points. Points will be the sole standard for increasing your 'authority level' within the Association."

"Higher levels mean access to more classified intelligence, authorization to use higher-level resources, and even the right to commission the Association's 'Armament Artisans' to create custom Grotesque Armaments exclusively for you."

"Simply put," Barton summarized, "this agreement positions you as a powerful 'contracted enforcer' or 'problem-solving specialist.'"

"But this carries higher risks because the Association won't provide any direct combat support when you're executing unofficial commissions. However, correspondingly, your earnings will have no upper limit. Everything depends on your own capabilities."

The basement grew so quiet they could hear each other's breathing.

Lin Jie looked at the agreement before him, emanating the scent of ink, his fingers trembling slightly.

This wasn't just a contract - it was a ticket to an entirely new life.

Freedom, or security?