Lin Chen's gaze was fixed tightly on the wall painting, suddenly deeply captivated by an image, where next to a man who resembled himself, there was actually another figure hidden.

This figure was very concealed, almost blending into the surrounding scenery; without Tianyan, Lin Chen would not have been able to find her.

It was a woman, a woman who looked almost exactly like Zhao Xiaohua.

If one could say his appearance in that ancient painting was a coincidence, the simultaneous appearance of Zhao Xiaohua and himself in a painting depicting ancient relics was even more inconceivable.

"What's the matter, have you discovered something?" Wang Chao asked, seeing Lin Chen staring blankly at the painting.

Lin Chen steadied his mind and smiled faintly, "No, I think this deity might have just been a look-alike!"

Wang Chao sighed regretfully and said, "Lin Chen, the top echelons of our nation take this matter very seriously. It's not just us searching for this secret; other nations have also dispatched their elite forces. Whichever country discovers it first will have their military and national strength leap ahead by at least a decade compared to others. Lin Chen, I hope you'll accept our invitation whether it's for your own sake or for the sake of our nation, and join Bureau 118."

Lin Chen pondered for a moment and didn't answer immediately but said, "Give me some time to think about it, I'll get in touch with you later."

Seeing Lin Chen had not rejected him outright, a look of excitement appeared on Wang Chao's face.

"Good, I'll wait for your decision. From now on, Shi Tong will be your contact," Wang Chao said cheerfully.

"Why choose me as the contact person?" Wu Shitong asked reluctantly.

Today had been too embarrassing; Wu Shitong really did not want to deal with this jerk anymore.

"Obey orders, follow commands," Wang Chao said coldly to Wu Shitong.

"Yes!" Although Wu Shitong was reluctant, having sworn an oath when she joined Bureau 118 to unconditionally obey the organization's commands, she had no choice but to nod and reluctantly accept.

The car drove on the highway, and Wu Shitong had already changed out of her police uniform, wearing a white dress.

Compared to her commanding presence before, Wu Shitong now looked more like an ethereal goddess.

Her gaze was somewhat icy as she drove, watching the road ahead in silence.

"Shi Tong, why did you join Bureau 118?" Lin Chen asked with a smile, breaking the awkward silence.

Wu Shitong spoke in a cold voice, "My father was in Bureau 118. He disappeared with an exploration team while searching for relics ten years ago. I joined Bureau 118 to find him."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lin Chen said, taken aback by her words.

"To find the ancient relics, 52 of our predecessors have already sacrificed their lives, and I believe many more from Bureau 118 will perish in the search. But we have no regrets, because this is our belief, for our nation, for our people, even if it means death, I have no regrets," Wu Shitong said with a cold tone.

"Ancient relics!" Lin Chen's mind was constantly filled with that eerie painting. He had once discussed it with the Popularity System, but regarding the relics, the Popularity System only gave him six words, "The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed."

Lin Chen fell into contemplation. If even the Popularity System considered it a heavenly secret, then could we, mere mortals, uncover its mysteries?

"Lin Chen, you're different from us; you have Tianyan. With great power comes great responsibility, and I believe you don't want other nations to discover the ancient relics first. So, I hope you will join us." The car stopped at the roadside, and Wu Shitong looked earnestly at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen nodded, got out of the car, then suddenly stopped, turned around and smiled, "Tell Director Wang that I am willing to join Bureau 118, but on one condition: I remain a free man, not bound by your rules. If agreed, you can find me anytime."

Upon hearing Lin Chen's words, a smile appeared on Wu Shitong's face, "Then you are now a member of Bureau 118, because I am the leader of this special operations team, so I have the authority to accept your condition."

"Oh!" Lin Chen was momentarily taken aback, his gaze sweeping across Wu Shitong's face.

"As a team member, may I make a small suggestion?" Lin Chen asked earnestly.

"What suggestion?" Wu Shitong looked at Lin Chen with curiosity.

"If there's an illness, it must be cured. If you ever make up your mind, you can find me anytime." Lin Chen said with a beaming smile.

Wu Shitong's face instantly darkened, "Fuck off!"

As she spoke, she no longer wanted to see this jerk again and sped away from Lin Chen.

If Lin Chen hadn't dodged quickly, he likely would have been hit half to death by this crazy girl.

"Damn, is she trying to murder her husband?" Lin Chen cursed, watching her car disappear among the traffic.

Wu Shitong's face turned livid, finally realizing that Lin Chen was someone who should never be shown a friendly face, for a bit of sunshine made him shine too brightly.

At that moment, her hand involuntarily touched her chest.

Suddenly, her expression drastically changed, and she hurriedly pulled the car over to the side of the road.

In an old house in Capital City, an elderly man was browsing through a yellowed ancient book.

The elderly man, named Meng Gufei, was a renowned archaeologist in China.

Suddenly, a figure unexpectedly appeared in the room.

Meng Gufei's face changed abruptly as he looked at the person, "You, who are you?"

The man in black approached the elder with a ferocious smile, "You entered an ancient relic ten years ago, right? You are the only survivor. What did you see inside?"

Meng Gufei stared intensely at the young man, "How do you know about that, who exactly are you?"

"Forget it, I hate complications the most. Since you refuse to talk, just die then." As his words fell, the man in black's hand was already pressing on Meng Gufei's crown.

Electricity surged, and Meng Gufei's body slumped helplessly to the floor.

"Xiao Ba, can't we keep a live witness for interrogation? Extracting memories from a corpse is exhausting," a young man walked in, complaining.

"You extract the memories, I'll keep watch at the door," Xiao Ba's voice remained cold as he walked toward the door.

Xiao Si rubbed his temples, "Working on a mission with this kind of guy is simply a nightmare."

As he spoke, Xiao Si's hand pressed on Meng Gufei's crown; amazingly, a golden halo appeared around his palm, and Meng Gufei's memories were miraculously extracted.