These men were momentarily stunned upon seeing Wu Rendi and Yang Xiao. It seemed whoever had informed them to come hadn't mentioned that Wu Rendi and Yang Xiao would also be present. Xiong Wanyi and Ximen Lian took it in stride, but the others didn't hide their displeasure upon seeing Yang Xiao—after all, some of them had their souls extracted by him back in Qilin City.
Noticing Director Wu was present, they all came over to greet him. Wu Rendi, never one for pleasantries, got straight to the point. "Qiu Bulao sent you?"
Xiong Wanyi replied with a cheerful grin, "Not quite. Director Qiu isn't at the Bureau. It was Director Gao who sent us. He said something might happen here and that we were needed to clean up afterward. We were supposed to arrive after sunrise, but we got here a little early. Didn't expect to see you here as well."
The moment Yang Xiao heard that Qiu Bulao wasn't at the Bureau, a muscle near his eye twitched involuntarily. Wu Rendi, however, showed no particular reaction. He simply turned and pointed at the rotted skeleton, saying to Xiong Wanyi and the others, "You don't need to worry about anything else. Just take that back to Gao Liang."
Xiong Wanyi and Ximen Lian acknowledged the order, then came over to greet Sun Fatty and me. Xiong Wanyi chuckled and said, "Lazi, Sun Fatty, you two are going places. When did you join Sixth Division and start following Director Wu?"
Then he leaned in closer and lowered his voice, "Be a pal and tell me—what the hell happened here? What kind of big event would bring Director Wu out personally?"
Naturally, that wasn't something I could tell them, so I just smiled and stayed silent. Sun Fatty, on the other hand, let out a laugh and started spouting nonsense. "Come on, Xiong 'Whatever-You-Are,' some things aren't meant to be asked. What can I say—maybe Director Wu has achieved enlightenment and came here to transcend mortality?"
Xiong Wanyi's eyes instantly widened. "I knew Director Wu wasn't an ordinary man! When is he ascending to the heavens? Is he turning into an immortal through feathering, or through self-sacrifice?"
Ximen Lian kicked him from behind. "Feathering? Self-sacrifice? You can't tell Sun Fatty is full of crap? You actually believe that?"
Xiong Wanyi shot back, "We're talking about Wu Rendi—Director Wu! If you told me he was a celestial being in disguise, I'd believe it! Fatty, what are you smirking at? Were you serious or not?"
Sun Fatty curled his lip. "Believe it or don't, up to you…"
(Note: In traditional Chinese mythology, mortals could become immortals through cultivation. Some historical figures, such as Laozi, were said to have achieved immortality.)
After Xiong Wanyi and Ximen Lian arrived, there wasn't much left for Sun Fatty and me to do. I wanted to ask Wu Rendi more about the Earth Bead, but he had already stepped out the main entrance and wiped away the footprints he'd left behind. The sky was beginning to lighten. The Second Division was well-practiced in cleanup operations—everything went smoothly. Before long, the rotted bones were sealed in a black plastic bag.
I had also planned to ask Yang Xiao about the Heavenly Principle Diagram and the Human-Ghost Unification Technique, but he had been whispering to Wu Rendi the entire time. Director Wu's face showed no emotion. When the remains were packed and ready, he said, "Yang Xiao stays. The rest of you, return to the Bureau."
As he spoke, he glanced at Yang Xiao. Suddenly, the beaker in his hand vanished into thin air—then instantly reappeared in Yang Xiao's hand. It was as if the two had rehearsed it. The moment the beaker disappeared, Yang Xiao's hand was already extended, as if plucking it out of thin air.
After spending enough time at the Bureau, things like this no longer surprised me. Still, Xiong Wanyi leaned over and whispered, "Lazi, what did Director Wu just hand over to Yang Xiao? Looked a hell of a lot like horse dung."
Even though I knew he was joking, I still gave him a look and said, "Have you ever seen horse dung that… elegant?"
It seemed the Earth Bead was quite a rare object. Xiong Wanyi had been at the Bureau for several years and still didn't recognize it.
There's no need to detail how we got back to the Bureau. As soon as Wu Rendi returned, he went straight to Gao Liang's office. No one knew what they talked about, but Director Wu didn't come out for the rest of the day. Word from the night shift was that the lights in the Director's office stayed on until four in the morning.
The next morning, when I saw Director Gao at work, he looked as calm as ever. Wu Rendi, on the other hand, had disappeared.
A little over a month had passed since our return from Qilin City. Winter had arrived, and both Sun Fatty and I didn't have much to do. According to Hao Wenming, it was the slow season.
With nothing else to occupy me, I developed a routine. After checking in at First Division each morning, I went straight to the archives and spent the entire day there. Even I didn't understand why I was so drawn to those dull documents. It was like an addiction—I couldn't stop once I started reading.
Each day, I'd only leave reluctantly when Ouyang Bias-Left came to kick me out. (The archive had a strict rule—investigators weren't allowed to stay overnight unless special circumstances warranted it.)
During this time, Xiao Heshang would still drop by First Division from time to time. Because of his special status, no one dared to mess with him—except for Sun Fatty. Oddly enough, that made Xiao Heshang all the more inclined to hang around him.
They were a terrible match—one acted like a carefree rogue, the other was a shameless old fox. Put them together, and trouble was inevitable.
One time, Sun Fatty accidentally let it slip that back when he was undercover, he spent his days and nights indulging himself at "Everyday Heaven." Xiao Heshang's eyes lit up and pressed him for details.
Sun Fatty got annoyed and snapped, "It's just Everyday Heaven, right? I'll take you there tonight. Wouldn't want you to die with regrets." Feeling that just the two of them wasn't enough backup, they roped me in too.
Coincidentally, Fifth Division was busy with their quarterly data audit at the time (during which idle investigators from other divisions weren't allowed in), and I was feeling restless. Sun Fatty was paying, and it was Everyday Heaven—how could I say no?
Finally, night fell and the city lights lit up. The three of us drove to Everyday Heaven. But contrary to our expectations, the place was dead quiet.
When we got closer, we saw that the main entrance had been sealed off. Upon asking around, we found out the place had gotten into trouble. That very afternoon, a large team from the police department had raided it and shut the whole place down.
We weren't the only disappointed ones. A group of out-of-towners had arrived just before us, only to learn the same news. One of them, clearly upset, said angrily to Xiao Heshang, "Can't even visit a brothel anymore—what kind of country is this?!"
Xiao Heshang was left utterly baffled by the comment.
With Everyday Heaven no longer an option, we had no choice but to find a big restaurant and gorge ourselves instead. Xiao Heshang must've needed to blow off some steam, because when it came to ordering, he didn't even look at the dishes—just the prices. The more expensive, the better.
Sun Fatty kept sucking in cold air through his teeth. "Master Xiao, let's get something straight—I'm not stingy, but you don't have to order like it's your last meal. After we eat this, what—you planning to die or something? I'm paying for dinner, not for your funeral. Look on the bright side—missing out on Everyday Heaven might just be good for your soul."
Just as Xiao Heshang was about to retort, all three of our phones rang at once. His call was from Gao Liang's secretary. Mine and Sun Fatty's were from Hao Wenming and Po Jun.
All three calls said the same thing:Report to the Bureau immediately.
It looked like something major had happened, so we rushed straight back. As soon as we returned to the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation, we headed straight for the conference room. It was already packed. I glanced around—except for Wu Rendi and Yang Xiao from Division Six, everyone was there. Even Yang Jun, who rarely showed his face, had made an appearance. His full head of white hair stood out sharply. At first glance, I mistook him for Wu Rendi.
When the three of us entered, Gao Liang gave a perfunctory cough—the signal that the meeting was officially starting. As per usual, it began with a slideshow. The screen first showed a snow-covered plain—location unidentifiable. Amidst the endless white, a few gray dots could be faintly seen. The next slide zoomed in to reveal what those gray specks were: wolves. To be precise, hundreds of them.
The rest of the slides were all of the same wolf pack, just in different settings—in the snowy plains, a mountain valley, a forest. One photo showed them by a hot spring, gathered in a circle drinking water. Before long, the slideshow ended, and murmurs began to stir in the room. Most people seemed puzzled by what they'd just seen. Gao Liang coughed again, and the room quieted down noticeably.
After surveying the room, Director Gao began to speak slowly. "These photos are from satellite imagery taken a week ago. The location is a segment of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang. According to experts, the wolves pictured are Xinjiang gray wolves. Not long ago, the Selikti Ranch near the photo site was attacked several times by these wolves, resulting in the loss of over 600 head of livestock. Fortunately, no human casualties were reported."
"Hold on a second," Xiao Heshang interrupted before Gao Liang could continue. "Now wolf attacks fall under our jurisdiction too?" Gao Liang glanced at him and sighed, helplessly. "Next time you have a differing opinion, let me finish before you speak." He paused, then went on, "There wasn't anything especially unusual about the earlier photos—the key lies in the ones that come next." As he finished, the lights dimmed again, and another set of images appeared on the screen.
The first group of new photos still showed the wolves, seemingly nothing out of the ordinary. But at the edge of each frame, three human figures could be seen faintly. In every subsequent image, these three were always present—keeping their distance from the pack. A few clearer shots revealed that the figures were two men and one woman. If that still wasn't enough to raise suspicion, the final slide made Director Nicolas Hugo leap to his feet, pointing at the image and exclaiming, "Fenrir! My God, that's the demon wolf Fenrir!"
The photo showed the wolves gathered around the same hot spring from earlier. They were split into two neat rows, leaving an open space in the center where a massive white wolf—almost bear-sized—lay. The three human figures stood even farther away than before, observing the giant wolf through binoculars.
Gao Liang waved his hand to signal Hugo to sit down, then had the final group of slides brought up. There were only two images: frontal portraits of a man and a woman. The man was slightly plump, wore glasses, and had messy hair. Though he smiled, he looked as if he were stealing glances at someone. The woman had a well-proportioned build and also wore glasses, but her face was expressionless—as if someone had annoyed her just before the photo was taken.
When the slideshow ended and the lights came back on, I noticed that besides Hugo, the faces of Qiu Bulao and his deputy Wang Ziheng also looked grim.
Gao Liang lit a cigarette, took a puff, and picked up the two final slides. "These two are old acquaintances. Qiu Bulao, Wang Ziheng—don't you have anything to say?"
Judging by Gao Liang's tone, he seemed more concerned about these two than the so-called demon wolf Fenrir. Qiu Bulao and Wang Ziheng both looked visibly awkward when they saw the photos. Gao Liang shot them a glance and tossed the slides onto Hao Wenming's desk. "Hao Wenming, why don't you handle the introduction?"
Caught off guard, Director Hao hesitated for a moment. He looked at Qiu Bulao and Wang Ziheng, then reluctantly loaded the slides into the projector. The screen showed the plump man again. Hao Wenming cleared his throat and began: "Zhang Zhiyan. Overseas Chinese from Australia. Age… thirty. On the surface, he runs a major Chinese restaurant chain in Australia…" He was quickly cut off by Gao Liang.
"Get to the point. Start from Zhang Dongtian. Leave out the fluff."
Though visibly embarrassed, Director Hao had long grown used to Gao Liang's blunt style. Composing himself, he continued, "Zhang Zhiyan's grandfather, Zhang Dongtian, was one of the founders of the Religious Affairs Commission during the Republican era. The Commission relocated to Taiwan in 1949. Over the years, many of its core members grew disillusioned and left, scattering across the world. Zhang Dongtian was among them, as was another key figure—Meng Shiyi."
Switching to the next slide, the projector now showed the cold-faced woman. Hao Wenming explained, "Meng Qiqi is the grandniece of Meng Shiyi. She's twenty-five, also an overseas Chinese, residing in France. She works at the Louvre in Paris, in the department responsible for restoration of non-displayed artifacts. Meng Shiyi never married—his only surviving family are his nephew Meng Changling and his grandniece, Meng Qiqi."
At this point, Hao Wenming's expression turned a little strange. His eyes flicked toward Qiu Bulao and Wang Ziheng. When he spoke again, his tone was hesitant. "Zhang Zhiyan and Meng Qiqi… about two years ago—" He didn't even get to finish before Qiu Bulao interrupted, "Let me take it from here. After all, it was our Division Two that lost track of them in the first place." Seeing that Gao Liang didn't object, Qiu Bulao paused briefly before continuing.
"At least two years ago, Zhang Zhiyan and Meng Qiqi came to the mainland. They had somehow acquired a tomb distribution map from the Warring States period, drawn by Ruan Liulang—the most notorious tomb robber of the Republican era."
He stopped, recalling the situation, his face tinged with red. "By coincidence, the tomb they were looking for had just been discovered, and an archaeology team was already excavating it. Suspecting that the tomb might contain something the Bureau needed, we infiltrated the dig team. Late one night, we snuck into the tomb's underground chambers without alerting the archaeologists. When we reached the main chamber… we found the man and woman already there."
"All exits had been sealed off by our people. There was no way they should've gotten in. Thinking they were grave robbers, we engaged them immediately." At this, Qiu Bulao's flush deepened. "Let's just say… we got the worst of it."
The moment he finished, Director Gao let out a cold snort.
Pojun, who was sitting next to me, leaned in and whispered, "They brought the whole damn tomb down. Qiu Bulao and Wang Ziheng were buried alive under the rubble. Luckily, some of Division Two's people stayed topside. They teamed up with the archaeologists to dig them out. But by then, Zhang Zhiyan and Meng Qiqi were long gone—and nobody knows what they took from the tomb. Every major news outlet swarmed the site. Director Gao had to go to extraordinary lengths to suppress the story. If not, the Bureau would've been basking in the media spotlight by now."
Back in the meeting, Qiu Bulao continued, "Later, after an investigation, we were finally able to confirm their identities. But they haven't shown up on the mainland since. We thought we'd seen the last of them. Didn't expect they'd dare to come back!" His last words were laced with barely contained fury.
Ximen Lian, one of Qiu Bulao's investigators, stepped in to change the subject, noticing his superior's rising temper. "Weren't there three people in the photo? Who's the third?"
Director Gao's secretary replied, "That photo was a bit blurry. We're still working on enhancing it."
"Excuse me, may I speak?" Director Nicolas Hugo could no longer hold back. He stepped forward dramatically. "It seems you've all forgotten the most important question—why are these people here?" As he spoke, he brought up the slide of the giant white wolf again.
Staring at it, Hugo said, "I don't know what this creature is called in China. But in Europe, we call wolves like this Fenrir—the demon wolf. Legend has it that their ancestor was the son of the evil god Loki, and Fenrir once swallowed Odin, king of the Norse gods, whole. There have even been cases of Fenrir bites causing people to transform into werewolves. For God's sake, be prepared!"
"Director Hugo, as you said, this is China, not Northern Europe. We also have legends of animals becoming demons," Gao Liang replied calmly, eyes narrowed. "And we have our own methods of dealing with them. Besides, myths and legends need not be taken too literally. This wolf does seem to possess some demonic traits, but here, demons defy the natural order and are bound to be punished by Heaven. Or in your words—it will be punished by God." Gao Liang was clearly more courteous toward Hugo than most of the other directors (Wu Rendi being the only exception).
Hugo only shook his head. His position at the Bureau was somewhat unique—technically, he was an exchange officer. (The Bureau's former Director of Division Three had taken a post in rotation among several major European religious districts.) Given his theological background, Hugo often seemed a bit out of sync with the rest of the Bureau.
At that moment, the fax machine on Gao Liang's desk came to life. A photo slowly emerged. He picked it up and glanced at it once—his face darkened immediately. Between clenched teeth, he spat out two words:
"Huang Ran."