“Hmm?”

With the emergency alert flashing across the screen came a chorus of beeping sounds. Numerous phones simultaneously popped up with a message:

【A4‑class Emergency Task: Pursue and apprehend the dangerous individual Song Chu‑shi, who has infiltrated Qinggang City.】

【……】

The word used was "infiltrated", and one could even sense Miss Ai’s emotions through it.

Doctor and the others all turned their gazes to Han Su. Among these operational personnel, only Han Su had received this message.

The rest were all operatives, yet seemed to be excluded from this type of dangerous mission.

The entire dining hall suddenly fell silent. In the next moment, a few scattered diners abruptly pushed aside their trays and ran toward their rest rooms in great strides, rushing to retrieve their equipment and carry out the task.

Even the Monster Investigator froze for a moment, staring at the phone screen with a shifting expression.

At this point, never mind bringing Han Su along—even he himself had to carry out the task. Of course, he could slack off, but he couldn’t pretend not to see this mission.

This type of A‑class task would be followed by a specialized debriefing. If one appeared too indifferent, they could face severe punishment.

“Let’s go!”

He gritted his teeth and turned back to the training room. The assistant beside the dining table looked as if granted amnesty, not sparing Han Su another glance, and ran toward the training room.

The armed security personnel around them said nothing and turned to leave. They were only responsible for internal security within the base; tasks outside were not their concern.

“Song Chu‑shi not only didn’t leave, he actually came into the city?”

Among the countless figures moving about in panic and urgency, Han Su also found this development unexpected.

Looking at the man in the surveillance footage, he was holding a bowl of Small Wontons and eating earnestly. Whether or not he had noticed the camera filming him, he even looked up at the lens. The spoon with the wontons hung mid‑air, as if wanting to say something to the person behind the lens.

Song Chu‑shi…

The person he most wanted to see, aside from mastering that Invisibility Spell.

What was this man doing?

Craving a taste of those Egg Yolk Wontons?

Or was it…

Looking at Song Chu‑shi’s eyes, a strange feeling stirred within Han Su, as though the man was speaking to him directly.

He carefully studied the screen and confirmed that Song Chu‑shi was currently at the Small Wonton shop where they had once shared a meal.

Even the dishes he ordered were the same as last time—one bowl of Small Wontons, two small side dishes. From the surveillance footage taken from above, although he appeared to be alone, he had ordered two bowls of wontons and even set out two pairs of chopsticks.

A strange thought jumped into Han Su’s mind: “Is he… inviting me?”

Struck by this notion, Han Su suddenly felt a rush of excitement!

Although he had accepted the task of apprehending him, the real purpose was just to prevent the Monster Investigator from losing it. He wasn’t truly participating. Zhang Zhiguo had even sternly warned him not to privately contact Song Chu‑shi again.

But if he didn’t contact Song Chu‑shi, then who else could he ask to resolve those lingering doubts in his heart?

In the silence, watching the now increasingly empty dining hall, he suddenly stood up.

Miss Crow had been watching him all along. At this moment, she spoke: “I’ll go too.”

Han Su was slightly startled: “You?”

Hei Hu, who was beside them, also lifted his head: “You’re going? Need any help?”

Han Su’s gaze swept over Miss Crow and Hei Hu. After a brief pause, he simply laughed and said, “Then shall we all go for a little adventure?”

Doctor slowly pushed his glasses with his index finger and smiled, “Normally, we shouldn’t go. But since you, as the Investigator’s assistant, have extended an invitation, it’s a different matter.”

“Besides…”

He paused, looking at the man on the screen eating wontons, and lightly nodded: “This man is interesting. Following along to broaden our horizons doesn’t sound too bad.”

“……”

“……”

As the entire Qinggang Disaster Management Bureau braced as if facing a great enemy, Song Chu‑shi, one bite at a time, finished the bowl of Small Wontons in front of him.

“Now this is real food…”

He let out a sigh of complete satisfaction, stood up to pay the bill, and before the first batch of armed vehicles could arrive at the Small Wonton shop, he picked up the Silver Suitcase and exited the store, turning into a surveillance‑free alley.

"Done eating. Time for business."

"……"

On the surface, Qinggang City remained as bustling and enchanting as ever. But underneath, layers upon layers of dark tides had begun to rise.

Countless vehicles filled with fully armed personnel drove out from various hidden bases across the city, like arrows on a flat surface, pointing straight at the small shop where Song Chu‑shi had eaten his Small Wontons.

One after another, people dressed in standard black trench coats and carrying Silver Briefcases either dashed across the rooftops of high-rises or moved with eerie strides through dim, deserted alleyways, silently closing in on that area.

This city seemed to have come alive.

It was mobilizing all available forces, just to encircle this man who was eating Small Wontons.

But just about sixty seconds before the encirclement was complete, Song Chu‑shi had already exited the wonton shop and slipped into a taxi parked by the roadside.

As he got in, he muttered to himself, “So, his current superior’s codename is something like Monster?”

“What’s this person’s current task?”

"……"

The driver up front gave him a strange look in the rearview mirror, thinking he was on a call, although he didn’t see any Bluetooth earpiece on him.

He only heard the man fall silent for a moment, then nod slightly: “B‑class task?”

"……What a coincidence? Interesting indeed."

“Send me the data.”

A mechanical whirring came from the briefcase in his hand. Moments later, a sheet of paper slid out from the case’s seam. Song Chu‑shi pulled it out, skimmed it briefly, and furrowed his brows: “The current level of Qinggang’s Investigators is this low?”

“The infiltration by the Mysterious Organization has reached this extent, and yet they still haven’t found anything?”

"……"

As he spoke, he carefully read over the document a few more times. Once he set the page down, he had already formed an understanding. He spoke to the driver, who had been listening intently: “Take me to Baishui Street, please.”

“Baishui Street?”

The driver perked up with interest and said warmly, “Young man, you heading there to get a foot massage or hit up a karaoke bar?”

“I’m a native of Qinggang, let me tell you—if you’re looking to unwind, I could take you somewhere else instead. Baishui Street isn’t what it used to be. Strict crackdowns lately, not lively at all.”

"……"

Song Chu‑shi slightly frowned, pulled out a banknote and handed it over. “Apologies, sir. This bill is for you to talk a little less and just make sure I get there in ten minutes.”

The driver took the money, adjusted his seat and fastened his seatbelt as he replied, “It’s not about the money, young man, but I’m telling you—Baishui Street’s dead nowadays. How about I take you somewhere else for a look…”

Song Chu‑shi drew a gun from his pocket, flipped off the safety, and pointed it at the back of the driver’s head. “Drive.”

The driver was stunned. Then, with a "whoosh", the taxi sped off.

Just as this taxi, like it had a fire under its tail, raced past the intersection, less than two seconds later, an armored vehicle shot into the junction, stopping dead center. A team of fully armed personnel leapt off, weapons at the ready.

Soon after, several more armored vehicles appeared at various points in the area. Personnel of different types emerged from the vehicles or stepped out from the shadows.

Among them, a woman in a red trench coat and a pair of heeled riding boots over ten centimeters tall led a team swiftly to the wonton shop entrance.

She had originally been pursuing Song Chu‑shi outside Qinggang, but upon hearing that he had entered the city, her expression clearly turned to frustration.

Striding into the shop, she looked around at the now empty seats and the untouched bowls and chopsticks still on one of the tables. Her brows immediately furrowed.

Grabbing a walkie‑talkie, she spoke as she walked out: “He’s already gone.”

“Confirmed departure time no more than five minutes ago.”

“Now, immediately connect Miss Ai to all city surveillance cameras, take control of the traffic signals, and deploy all idle Investigators to the observation zones—standby at all times.”

“When we locate this man’s movements, I want those people to be at my side the moment it happens.”

“Also…”

She paused and added, “Request authorization from above—to unlock one lock for Miss Ai. Just one. Song Chu‑shi is extremely dangerous. Miss Ai should be granted more authority to deal with him properly.”

"……"

The voice on the walkie‑talkie suddenly became distorted. The woman in the red coat frowned slightly.

She turned to leave without making further arrangements. Her assistant next to her reminded: “Miss Li, aren’t we sealing off the city? What if he tries to leave…”

“Seal off the city?”

The woman in red glanced at her assistant, sneered, and looked on with disdain. “First, Qinggang is massive. Do you really think you can keep someone from getting out?”

“Second, you already know he’s inside the city, yet you want to lock it down…”

“You planning to trap the tiger inside the cage along with yourself and the city’s citizens?”

"……"

As she spoke, she waved her hand and tossed the walkie‑talkie away. Under the night of Qinggang, countless surveillance systems activated, and streams of data blanketed the population.