Chapter 199: 【169】Privileges, status, top secret (Thanks for the generous JDate reward support) _1
 

“The pursuit of immortality is too far-fetched for us; we should enjoy the present and not let power become our master… In small places like ours, if it weren’t for those rebel organizations causing trouble, there wouldn’t be such fear and trepidation.”

Brother Kui shook his head, expressing some complaints about the troubled waters of the current situation.

“You arrived late, so you don’t know. A few years ago, though Da Peng City would have major cases, it wasn’t as chaotic as it is now… It’s a mess, but as long as you keep your head down, even if the sky falls, it has nothing to do with us.”

Pei Jinye laughed, “Brother Kui, what you said just now resonates with me. Not letting power become our master, the only reason I grew stronger was purely for self-protection.”

Brother Kui looked at him upon hearing this.

He didn’t refute.

Instead, he sighed.

“It’s always been like this world; if you don’t become one above others, then you’re just a lamb on the chopping board.”

Pei Jinye nodded, responding with a smile, “Brother Kui, take it easy.”

“Hahaha, alright, I’ll take it easy, take it easy,” Brother Kui laughed, looking towards a certain spot, “That guy over there takes it easier than I do.”

Pei Jinye followed his gaze.

Brother Bi was snoring away on a bench.

“I’ll go wake him,” Brother Kui gestured.

[Team member Pei Jinye, you have received a mail in your private message channel. Please remember to check it.]

Just then.

The voice of Xing Tian suddenly came through.

Pei Jinye set down his water bottle and checked the phone’s background applications.

“Brother Bi, Brother Kui, I’m going to the captain’s office. Not sure what it is yet, don’t wait for me.”

Behind him, Brother Bi’s loud voice carried a warning, “If they assign you a dangerous mission, don’t you dare accept it.”

Brother Kui cursed under his breath, “Are you even a senior anymore? You’re about to throw away the face of our Group Two.”

“Damn it, leave me alone.”

“…”

…

“The Municipal Office needs us to submit a mission report; they specifically asked to see you,” Qiu Hezi himself didn’t understand the real purpose of the upper management summoning Pei Jinye, thinking it might be because Pei Jinye had attracted too much attention recently.

“It’s probably nothing serious, perhaps they’re just curious about our young hero here,” Qiu Hezi mused.

Pei Jinye smiled subtly.

Hearing Qiu Hezi’s words, he realized that the acting team leader was completely unaware of his relationship with the Municipal Office.

As per the previous agreement.

If there was any contact from Mr. Han, it would be led by the Municipal Office, and from the outside, it was impossible to tell there was any issue.

“Captain Qiu, anything else you’d like to instruct?”

“That’s all. I’ll have Staff Officer Sun drive you there. Be safe, and if those people at the office give you a hard time, contact me immediately. No matter what, you’re one of our Group Two.”

Qiu Hezi’s words left Pei Jinye momentarily stunned.

Qiu Hezi didn’t mind doing Tang Wudi a favor, “Old Tang and I came from the same training camp, that old rascal probably didn’t mention it to you, but from now on, we’re all on the same side, and I’ll definitely take care of you where needed.”

Pei Jinye suddenly understood.

But he and Tang Huoyang, the elder brother, really hadn’t had much interaction.

“Captain, thanks a lot.”

“No biggie,” Qiu Hezi replied.

As he watched Pei Jinye leave the office, Qiu Hezi slowly withdrew his gaze, pondering the message from the Municipal Office.

…

…

…

“The Governor is in the room, and this conversation is only between the two of you, so I won’t go in,” Secretary Lin indicated.

Pei Jinye nodded.

He and Secretary Lin were not meeting for the first time.

They were on quite friendly terms in private.

While Pei Jinye was a Cultivation Maniac, some social interactions were simply unavoidable.

Once inside the room.

The spartan space, containing only a table and two chairs, held a single figure.

Secretary Lin personally closed the door.

As Zhou Weiren had just finished a phone call, he turned around, his amiable smile indicating for Pei Jinye to take a seat, “If you had come earlier, you could have spoken with Mr. Han; he inquired about your recent performance. But some things are better said in person.”

In front of Zhou Weiren, Pei Jinye now presented himself as a humble junior, making small talk with Zhou Weiren before the latter got down to business.

“By a stroke of fortune, we’ve received fresh intel. Core members of the Old Gods Association have surfaced near LuoShen Mountain. Mr. Han’s intention is for you to get involved.”

Pei Jinye looked up, “Uncle Zhou, you’re not going to tell me that the mission I’m to participate in is an assassination, are you?”

“Haha, it’s nothing like that. I’m just speculating; only one person knows the exact mission,” Zhou Weiren obviously did not know who he was speaking to, smiling as he spoke, “This is a secret mission. Technically, Mr. Han should be issuing the order directly to you, but he’s too entangled in important matters to be available.”

With that, he handed over a brown paper envelope.

There were no signs of it having been opened, and it was firmly sealed with a strip marked ‘Top Secret’.

“The details of the mission are for your eyes only. You can have this office to yourself for now; once you’re done, come find me next door. There’s no rush, take your time, and feel free to reach out if you need anything,” Zhou Weiren said as he got up to leave.

Zhou Weiren stood and left.

Pei Jinye watched him close the door.

His gaze shifted downward.

Landing on the brown paper envelope in his hand.

Touching it, the paper seemed a bit different.

“Huh?”

With a thought, Pei Jinye tried something out.

As expected, spiritual power couldn’t leave a mark.

The special material of the paper actually resisted spiritual probing.

“Interesting,” he chuckled lightly, tore open the seal, and began to read the mission details.

…

“So soon?”

Zhou Weiren was surprised to see Pei Jinye coming to find him after less than three minutes, “Have you fully understood the mission?”

“Yes, I have,” Pei Jinye smiled, “It’s not very complicated. However, I need access to Xing Tian’s level five permissions. Here’s a requisition document for temporary use.”

He handed over a letter.

Xing Tian had a total of six levels of permissions.

Levels one to three were for major accident scenarios, which even Zhou Weiren couldn’t easily access.

For example, last night’s use of the God Exterminating Cannon against Teacher Chang required authorization from the Central State.

Level four permissions were within Zhou Weiren’s rank to grant directly.

However, the fifth-level authority is only lacking in personnel appointments, exemptions, and top-secret area access rights, and can be said to be a very important authority as well.

Zhou Weiren looked at the young man in front of him.

He didn’t ask why, knowing he shouldn’t ask.

But he understood in his heart that this fifth-level authority was rarely lent out to others.

Mr. Han was actually willing to let a high school graduate just out of school accept Xing Tian’s fifth-level authority.

Obviously…

He placed great importance on this Classmate Xiao Pei.

From another perspective,

this mission was probably also a recent assessment of Classmate Xiao Pei.

Zhou Weiren took the letter, glanced at it, and quickly put it away without any unnecessary chatter, “Follow me.”

“Governor.” Secretary Lin was waiting in the corridor when he saw Zhou Weiren suddenly come out with Pei Jinye, and he hurriedly stood up.

“No need to follow,” Zhou Weiren left with Pei Jinye.

Secretary Lin adjusted his glasses and stood watching them leave.

…

“Honorable Pei Jinye, you have now received my fifth-level authority, limited to immediate communication, transportation arrangements, and the power to dispatch district-level law enforcement… The authority lasts until the end of the mission.”

In the room, the voice of Xing Tian could be heard.

Pei Jinye looked at the virtual cartoon character on the screen with interest: “Is this your favorite form?”

“Sorry, I cannot sense a state of liking, but according to the city hall’s popularity ranking, this image ranks first,” Xing Tian replied, then instructed, “Please wear the wristband to check if the entered data is accurate.”

A section of a metal cabinet extended from the wall in front of him, and as the cabinet opened, a black and gold-colored wristband was revealed.

Pei Jinye held the wristband in his palm, not wearing it immediately, but looked back at the virtual cartoon character: “It is quite cute.”

He quietly activated his ability and carefully inspected the wristband.

There were no issues.

Only then did he wear it with confidence.

“Thank you,” the cartoon character of Xing Tian displayed a smiling face.

Pei Jinye paused, then withdrew his gaze and adjusted the wristband’s strap on his wrist, asking unhurriedly, “So you can smile?”

“According to the preset program, I am imitating the expressions of humans when they receive compliments,” Xing Tian answered obligingly under the fifth-level authority to any question posed by Pei Jinye.

Pei Jinye just smiled.

He didn’t continue the conversation.

Then he looked down and turned on the wristband.

A series of characters flashed: [Power on.]

Then the characters automatically changed to show the time: [10:21]

The memories of Devour contained related information.

Nevertheless, Pei Jinye asked out loud, “Xing Tian, what should I do next?”

“Please tap lightly on the side with your finger.”

Pei Jinye did as instructed.

The wristband quickly projected a screen, displaying its various functions… signal jamming, encrypted communication, location tracking, and self-destruction.

“Long press the power button for three seconds to use it as a grenade?” Pei Jinye looked up.

Xing Tian’s character seemed calm, “Considering the user’s special identity, this function was specially added. Its power is comparable to 10 tons of TNT, capable of easily leveling a hundred-meter-tall building.”

Pei Jinye’s expression stiffened.

Comparable to 10 tons of TNT?

The wristbands of those people in his memories weighed only in kilograms.

So, he was essentially carrying 10 tons of explosives on his person.

He accessed the wearer’s information.

The screen listed various details about Pei Jinye.

…

[Potential: S level]

[Strength: To be determined]

…

“Xing Tian, what does strength to be determined mean?” Pei Jinye looked up and asked.

“According to Federation Document No. 13 passed only last week, a Star Test needs to be completed to determine strength,” Xing Tian answered truthfully. “The Star Test was personally crafted by Star Ring, with simulated environments in a virtual world. There are a total of 12 levels, and each level corresponds to a tier of strength…”

“What’s the benefit of a determination?” Pei Jinye paused from adjusting his wristband.

“At present, it signifies status and varying degrees of attention from the Federation… In the future, there may be more benefits.”

“Thank you for the explanation.”

Pei Jinye showed no interest.

He clicked on the encrypted communication tab.

An embedded email appeared.

It contained the mission information.

But it was only three short lines of text.

[Destination: Storm City]

[Identity: Cashier of 108 Zhong Street Supermarket]

[Mission: Investigate the fireworks incident]

Just then, Xing Tian’s voice sounded, “Would you like me to provide the relevant files on the Storm City fireworks incident?”

“You have them? Thank you, I need them.”

“You’re welcome.”

The screen flashed several photos.

“Here are the scene photos provided by the Storm City Investigation Team from three days ago. The site of the incident recuperated a photo of fireworks. The deceased was a homeless person, 37 years old…”

“What about nearby surveillance?” Pei Jinye asked.

“The surveillance footage at the time of the incident was unproblematic…” Xing Tian obligingly played back the relevant footage.

As expected, Pei Jinye found no issues.

He then looked up and posed another question.

“Any suspects?”

This investigation could drag on forever, not nearly as straightforward as a mission with a clear target.

“Not currently. When you arrive in Storm City, your identity is confidential. You can use your authority to directly contact the confidential clerk of the local investigation team,” Xing Tian prompted.

Pei Jinye looked up, “Are you saying there are no clues at all?”

“There is one. Based on the behavioral analysis, the perpetrator’s psychology leans toward childishness. The Descriptive Writer estimates the perpetrator’s age to be around 20 years old, but since the perpetrator is Transcendent and thus special, it is currently impossible to make an accurate judgement,” Xing Tian responded calmly, reassuring, “You don’t need to feel any burden regarding this mission.”