“Hehe, that’s him, the survivor of the kidnapping case ten years ago.”

Since the speaker had already brought it up, his tone turned grim: “Back then, Song Chu‑shi betrayed the Research Institute because his younger sister also disappeared in that kidnapping case. And this execution member, hehe, he’s the sole survivor of that kidnapping case, isn’t he?”

“Song Chu‑shi launched an invasion on Qinggang, and during this process, this only survivor ended up joining the Disaster Management Bureau and even made a great contribution.”

“Looking further back, they had even met before.”

“With these suspicions alone, don’t even mention breaking protocol to grant him Mysterious Power Training or issuing him an Investigator license—even demoting him outright and locking him up in D7 group wouldn’t be out of line.”

“……”

It was as if a silent bomb had exploded in the air. No one reacted outwardly, but everyone stiffened internally.

In the oppressive atmosphere, Zhang Chiguo suddenly turned to look at him, his expression calm but with a trace of seriousness, and said, “Do you have evidence?”

The other was slightly taken aback. “Evidence?”

Zhang Chiguo nodded slightly and said, “What you said makes sense. Your suspicions aren’t unreasonable. So then, can you provide concrete evidence to back all of this up?”

Upon hearing this, the other scoffed, “I’m not even in charge of—”

Zhang Chiguo interrupted him, speaking earnestly, “I know it’s a bit much to ask for evidence right now, but if necessary, we can postpone this discussion and give you ample time to investigate the connection between him and Song Chu‑shi.”

“When you’ve found the evidence and it’s approved by Miss Ai, the Disaster Management Bureau will issue an official directive.”

“Then, I’ll personally lead the team to arrest him and lock him in D7 group. How does that sound?”

“……”

The entire conference room fell completely silent, and quite a few people even showed knowing smiles.

As expected, the one who jumps out first always gets shot. The first to expose this matter was bound to take the fall.

If he truly wasn’t satisfied, then go ahead and investigate. But never mind how dangerous investigating Song Chu‑shi might be—just investigating this kid alone would mean challenging Miss Ai’s evaluation of the report.

How was that any different from shouldering a heap of thankless trouble?

What stood out, however, was Zhang Chiguo himself. This man had always been stiff and unlikable, but now, that rigid demeanor seemed to carry a sharper edge.

Like a rock that had grown thorns.

Amid this awkwardness, a figure next to the raspy voice suddenly spoke coldly: “No need to make it so complicated. That kidnapping case from ten years ago was already concluded—it was just a kid spouting nonsense.”

“If he was so unreliable back then, what qualifications does he have now for us to issue him an Investigator license?”

“He shouldn’t have even entered the Operations Department. He should’ve been hypnotized or wiped clean. Even if he was let in, he shouldn’t have been assigned to the unregulated D1D2 Workgroup. He should’ve—”

“……”

Before he could finish, Zhang Chiguo calmly cut him off, saying, “His entry into the Disaster Management Bureau’s Operations Department followed all the rules and provisions set by the Bureau. No one gave him special treatment, and no green light was shown.”

“In other words, we have no grounds to dismiss him.”

“On the contrary, those under the Disaster Management Bureau’s control are all unruly individuals constantly treading the edge of life and death. For such people to willingly exert themselves, adhering to the rules is the minimum standard we must mutually uphold.”

“We can approve hypnosis or carry out special cleansings, but before doing any of that, we must ensure that our actions can be justified by the Disaster Management Bureau’s internal policies.”

“This time, he resolved the spread of the Spiritual Plague as an executioner and received an S‑Level evaluation from Miss Ai. His mentor has already died, and by protocol, one of his assistants should inherit his Investigator license.”

“Comparatively, Monster Investigator’s other assistant only received a B+ rating overall.”

“Between B‑Level and S‑Level, is that such a hard choice?”

“……”

These high-ground, righteous words clearly left the raspy voice displeased, and he sneered, “And just because he was contaminated when he was a child—that’s still not enough?”

“No.”

Zhang Chiguo turned to look at him and said, “The conclusion back then was that it was a child lying, so he merely lied ten years ago. He wasn’t mystically contaminated.”

“You—”

The other was suddenly choked up, wanting to say something but suddenly felt a sense of panic and couldn’t bring himself to continue.

And as they continued their discussion, the distinguished figure sitting at the head remained silently listening. In the projection, only his blurred silhouette could be seen, his expression unreadable, making his thoughts impossible to guess.

However, beside that figure, a previously well-seated black shadow suddenly spoke softly: “Since that incident from back then has been concluded, I believe there’s no need to continue discussing it.”

Upon hearing that person speak, everyone in the conference room sat up slightly straighter, including Zhang Chiguo and Red Trench Coat.

It was well known that there were three seats beside the high-ranking figure, but these seats were usually inactive. During each meeting, corresponding projections would appear, yet the individuals in those three seats rarely spoke and often didn’t even show up.

Thus, their shadows remained fixed there, symbolizing their authority.

This time, however, one of those three shadows suddenly spoke up, which meant the person wasn’t just present at the meeting—they intended to express their opinion.

“I’ve already reviewed the relevant documents and the report he wrote.”

The black shadow said, “It’s quite bizarre, and there are many coincidences. Frankly, as an Execution Member, he shouldn’t even have had the authority to participate in those two tasks, and yet he did—almost as if he exploited a loophole.”

Hearing this, Zhang Chiguo’s expression slightly tensed.

He also understood the situation and found it strange. He also knew that if accountability were pursued for exploiting the loophole, he wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility.

Yet at that moment, the black shadow suddenly chuckled and said, “But so what if he exploited a loophole? If he could exploit one, that means we had a loophole to begin with. In the end, how we handle everything must still fall under the word ‘rules’.”

“In my opinion, those who need to be dealt with should be dealt with, and those who deserve rewards shouldn’t be denied.”

“Even if some people feel uneasy about him, the more uneasy they are, the higher he should be placed—so he can be seen more clearly, right?”

Saying this, he chuckled and added, “Of course, I’m merely making a suggestion. The professional decisions are still up to all of you.”

The conference room fell into a silence so deafening it almost roared: you might as well just make the decision yourself...

“I also support giving him appropriate promotion and rewards according to standard procedures.”

At that moment, another figure spoke with a smile. The voice sounded rather young and said, “Just because his background is special, and Song Chu‑shi had contact with him, we could use him to lure out that dangerous individual.”

“What’s more, now is the time we should be vigilant.”

“Because of the Tides, we’ve already given the Investigators too much authority. But frankly, quite a few Investigators have obtained tremendous power, and yet the results they’ve delivered are disappointing.”

“In that case, those who have truly demonstrated their value must receive appropriate rewards.”

“Otherwise, how do we expect to stand against the Tides?”

“……”

“……”

Throughout the entire meeting, only this person’s words were the harshest.

Everyone understood that when they previously mentioned Monster Investigator entangling Song Chu‑shi, preventing him from achieving his goal, that was merely said for appearances.

In truth, that guy concealed the matter, hogged the credit, took an entire week to complete a B‑Level task—many people died in the process—and still didn’t finish it. It was ultimately the Execution Member who resolved the incident.

Not to mention, that guy even tried to steal credit from the Execution Member in front of everyone, only to be directly called out.

Though the higher-ups didn’t explicitly criticize it, it was clear they used this opportunity to indirectly censure the Investigators.

The matter seemed on the verge of being settled when the raspy-voiced individual still appeared unwilling to concede, stubbornly resisting, saying, “Even if we ignore the suspicions surrounding him, this task can be considered completed by him.”

“But at most, how many days has he even been in the Disaster Management Bureau?”

“He’s far too inexperienced.”

“There were surely coincidences involved in this incident too. Other Execution Members all spend one or two years at the front lines. Promoting him this soon—won’t that stir too much resentment?”

“……”

“Inexperience?”

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Chiguo suddenly raised his head to look at him and, in a rare moment, let out a cold chuckle. “Heh, how many days has the entire Disaster Management Bureau even been established?”

“If we’re talking about experience, which current Investigator actually has any?”

“……”

With that one sentence, the man was completely shut down, his eyes practically blazing with fury.

“Hehe, the Disaster Management Bureau really needs to improve its efficiency. Such a simple issue, and yet it’s taken this long to discuss?”

At this moment, the high-ranking figure above finally spoke with a smile and said, “How about this?”

“It’s true he earned merit, and Miss Ai’s evaluation is beyond question. The matter has already been concluded—so let it be. However, the Investigator License is indeed important and shouldn’t be issued so lightly.”

“So, why not give him another chance to prove himself?”

“……”

“……”

[Task Report Accepted!]

Meanwhile, although Han Su was quite confident that his report was eloquently written, strictly phrased, and appropriately padded, he still felt a bit nervous—this was his first time submitting a formal investigation report, after all.

Fortunately, Miss Ai’s response came quickly:

[Dear Butcher, your initial rating is being upgraded. Please keep up the good work!]

[…]

“How did it get upgraded?”

Han Su frowned at the vague feedback. “They couldn’t at least clarify? Are they going to suddenly bump me up to A+ or something?”