Star Odyssey

Chapter 2610: Acting Bureau Director

Lu Yin removed the sunglasses and stared at the older man in shock. "Under my command? Isn't that a bit too sudden? After all, I’ve only just joined."

Xu Wuji scoffed. "The rest of them are just trash that can barely capture any spies, even after all these years. With the help of your Spiral Domain, you’ll be able to capture as many spies as we could hope for. Of course you're going to be the one in charge."

"Uh, Senior? Could you give me a moment? There’s still something that I need to say to Yun Yun," Lu Yin requested.

Xu Wuji glanced at Lu Yin, looked at Yun Yun, and then gave Lu Yin a knowing smile. "Got it! No rush at all."

With that, the man vanished, already stepping into outer space.

After Xu Wuji left, Yun Yun spoke up in a bitter tone. "Big Brother Xuan Qi, you shouldn't have accepted Senior's invitation. Capturing spies as a part of the Bureau isn't easy, and it will also force you to offend a great many people. The Bureau has a bad reputation in the Sixverse Association."

"I stayed behind because I wanted to ask you about that. Once I’m part of the Bureau, the people there definitely won't tell me the truth," Lu Yin said.

Yun Yun sighed and then proceeded to share everything that she knew about the Bureau with Xuan Qi.

Lu Yin quickly learned about the difficulties that the Bureau faced. Things were even worse than what he had expected.

The Bureau was fundamentally different from Humility's Gate. While both organizations were devoted to capturing spies, Humility's Gate had been established with the support of the Lu family. After the Lu family was exiled, the four ruling powers had taken over the Perennial World, but all of their Progenitors were stuck in the Dominion Realm to face Aeternus’s powerhouses and maintain a level of stability for the rear battlefield. This had allowed Humility's Gate, with Mu Xie running it, to essentially do as they pleased. Apart from the Liu family, the Nong family, and a small number of other powerful organizations, the majority of the Perennial World was helpless against Humility’s Gate. Suspected spies and Redbacks were captured, and no one could resist.

On the other hand, the Bureau had Progenitor-level powerhouses overseeing the organization’s activities throughout the Sixverse Association. A single Progenitor powerhouse was far from enough to do everything that the Bureau needed in each universe. Xu Wuji led the Bureau in the Voidforce Universe, but even with his support, the bureau was not able to act as they wished in the Voidforce Universe. There were too many interests tangled together, and Aeternus had also made it a point to nurture many important figures, like Yun Wu. If not for Lu Yin coincidentally Possessing the woman and accessing her memories, who would have ever imagined that such a person was a spy for Aeternus? Even after the woman was exposed, Xu Wuji had not been able to take Yun Wu away, and he had instead needed to repay the favor that he owed the Cloudview clan.

This perfectly represented the differences between the Bureau and Humility's Gate. While Mu Xie also owed the Lu family a debt, with Mu Xie's character, he would still capture anyone suspected of being a spy, regardless of the debts owed. On top of that, Lu Yin’s senior brother was incredibly powerful, to the point where even someone like Bai Wangyuan did not want to offend Mu Xie.

In contrast, Xu Wuji’s debt to the Cloudview clan had impacted his actions.

That was also just the first problem. Another was that many spies had not voluntarily defected to Aeternus, but were instead controlled by Cheng Kong's Fantasy Bubbles. This made things extremely difficult; even if these people were captured, it was a complicated matter to deal with them. Most spies were not ordinary people, and they always had many connections with various people and organizations. It was often impossible to execute such people, but allowing them to live made it difficult to convince the public that the situation was being properly handled. This left the Bureau with its hands tied even when spies were captured. As long as the spy refused to admit that they had willingly joined Aeternus and instead claimed to be controlled by Cheng Kong, the Bureau was rendered completely helpless.

This was the current situation in the Bureau. Firstly, finding undercover agents wasn't easy, whether they could be captured was another problem, and dealing with them after they were arrested was yet another issue. With the difficulties piling up one after another, the Bureau tended toward inaction. The original intention of the Bureau’s founding was to capture undercover agents and corpse kings. Hence, doing nothing wasn't the solution, as they would then receive a slew of complaints. For example, Xu Lie went to question the Bureau after they were ambushed while she was showing Lu Yin around. She demanded to know why they hadn’t detected the traces of the two corpse kings before the ambush.

As for the organizations that were connected to the spies who claimed to be controlled by Cheng Kong, they would also be upset with the Bureau. After all, even if the suspect was truly under Cheng Kong’s control, the matter would still be recorded, which would essentially ruin the person’s life. This meant that, no matter what the Bureau did, they would be seen poorly and offend everyone.

For all of these reasons, most people in the Sixverse Association thought that being a part of the Bureau was a thankless job.

“Big Brother Xuan Qi, reach out to Senior Xu Wuwei and ask him to help you get out of joining the Bureau,” Yun Yun suggested.

Lu Yin replied, “Leaving the Bureau now would unquestionably offend Senior Xu Wuji.”

Yun Yun felt rather frustrated. “If you stay in the Bureau for too long, your reputation will be ruined.”

Lu Yin sank into contemplation. His reputation would be ruined? This was not wrong, and Lu Yin was quickly realizing that the Bureau’s situation was far worse than what he had imagined.

At this moment, Yun Yun’s communication crystal trembled. She answered the incoming call, only to quickly lower her hand. “My aunt cannot explain why or how she became a spy. That leaves only one explanation.”

“That she’s being controlled by Cheng Kong?” Lu Yin concluded.

Yun Yun nodded. “I can’t say if she’s being honest or not, as all spies that are captured say the same thing. If my aunt really was controlled by Cheng Kong, then it means that she was not acting of her own will. Even Senior Xu Wuji would have a difficult time handling this situation. For now, her crimes will be recorded, and she will be incarcerated. She will only ever be released if a means of undoing the control is discovered—only then will she be allowed to atone for her crimes.”

Cheng Kong really did make things incredibly difficult for the Bureau. Lu Yin was just thankful that Cheng Kong's influence had not crept into the Perennial World, as that would render Humility's Gate nearly as useless as the Bureau. Even if Senior Brother Mu Xie feared no one, the various branches of Humility's Gate were different, and the people who joined Humility's Gate were all from different families.

"Yun Yun, I understand what you're saying, but for now, there’s no way I can leave the Bureau," Lu Yin explained before bidding the woman farewell and leaving the Cloudview clan.

Yun Yun sighed, her emotions in turmoil. She could not understand if she was more upset about Xuan Qi joining the Bureau or Yun Wu being revealed as a spy.

Too much had happened in a single day for the young woman to process.

In outer space, just beyond the Cloudview clan's territory, Xu Wuji watched Xuan Qi approach with open interest. "Did that girl tell you everything? What do you think about joining us now?”

Lu Yin felt rather curious about something. “Senior, why did you accept leading the Bureau in this universe?"

"Is that strange?" Xu Wuji arched a brow.

Lu Yin replied, "Given the current state of the Bureau, and seeing as how you are not someone who enjoys seeking out trouble, why would you accept such a position?"

Xu Wuji took off his sunglasses and asked, "If I answer your question, will you feel at peace about joining the bureau?"

Lu Yin grinned at the man. "Whether or not you answer, this junior will still join the Bureau."

"Oh? Now that is an odd answer," Xu Wuji reacted with surprise.

Lu Yin sighed. "Someone needs to do the job, and if I can help in digging up spies, why wouldn't I?"

"Spies that you painstakingly work to catch may or may not receive the punishment that you believe they deserve. Can you accept that?" Xu Wuji challenged.

Lu Yin replied, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Xu Wuji laughed and put his glasses back on. "To tell you the truth, it was only due to bad luck that I became the bureau head here. It's not because I have some grand ambition or some inspiring story—I just happened to lose a random draw."

Lu Yin blinked. The answer was unexpected, but it also made quite a bit of sense.

"What do you think? Disappointed?" Xu Wuji jested.

Showing a bitter smile, Lu Yin replied, "Just a bit. It feels as though there's no one we can rely on."

Xu Wuji immediately reassured Xuan Qi. "You don’t need to worry about that. Even if I'm not enthusiastic about my position, I will definitely do whatever needs to be done and carry the responsibilities I should. You don't need to worry, so just boldly search for spies, regardless of their rank or background. If anyone tries to stop you, just use my name: Xu Wuji."

Lu Yin pressed a bit, "What if I arrest someone with a very important background?"

"Could they be more important than me?" Xu Wuji glared at Lu Yin. "Be confident!"

Lu Yin laughed. "This junior understands. You can rest assured, Senior."

Xu Wuji was satisfied with Lu Yin’s response. "Kid, you should act boldly and domineeringly! As long as you can verify that someone is a spy and have proof, I can help you capture them, even if they’re Lord Xu's son..."

The man’s neck suddenly jerked back. He probably should not have said that much, so he quickly added, "Of course, Lord Xu doesn't have a son.

“Come, I’ll take you to our headquarters."

With Xu Wuji leading the way, the two moved quickly, and they traveled through the void to soon arrive at a dark-red region.

Even the outer space in this region was a deep shade of red, and all of the nearby stars and planets were dark red. This was not scorching red, but more like a uniform color.

"This is the headquarters of my branch of the Bureau. It’s known as the Red Zone. The place is nothing special, just an astral phenomena that leaves everything here completely red. It was Ghost Three's idea to use this place. Apparently, it looks a bit intimidating," Xu Wuji explained as he led Lu Yin into the Red Zone.

Lu Yin soon laid eyes on the “headquarters” of the Bureau on a certain planet. The headquarters looked more like a rundown city. Despite the dilapidated state, the architectural style was quite ostentatious, and even the shortest building was a hundred meters tall. The tallest building was a bell tower that was so high that it pierced the atmosphere and stretched out into outer space.

Clang!

The loud sound that rang out startled Lu Yin. It had come from the bell tower.

The ringing was so loud that it created ripples in the void, like a rock striking a lake surface, and they spread out in every direction.

Lu Yin was astonished. This was his first time hearing such a loud bell.

"What do you think? It’s a pretty impressive bell, isn't it? Whenever someone arrives, that bell will ring.”

“Don't believe everything that you hear about my Bureau. We actually do catch a number of spies every year, but publicly arresting spies that were deliberately trained by Aeternus tends to trigger too many conflicts of interest, which is why it's so hard for us to publicize anything. However, spies that are recruited by other spies always eventually reveal themselves," Xu Wuji said.

Lu Yin nodded. "That bell certainly is loud."

"This city wasn't originally on this planet. It was once home to a race of giants, but they were unlucky enough to be wiped out by the Aeternus. So, I simply moved their city here. It looks pretty intimidating."

Xu Wuji led Lu Yin into the city.

Lu Yin paid particular attention to the city’s gate, as it had the words "Bureau" written on it in large characters.

"The Voidforce Universe’s Bureau has 3,600 registered members, and they’re split into five different teams, each consisting of 100 people. The team captains are Boss Guan, Ghost Three, Ning Ran, Skinner, and Old Dian.”

"The operation teams are led by Boss Guan and Skinner.”

"The search teams are led by Lao Dian and Gui San.”

"And the interrogation team is led by Ning Ran.”

"The rest of the members belong to the Bureau itself, and they are under my oversight. They are tasked with receiving information, distributing resources, assigning tasks..."

Lu Yin sat at the very top of the bell tower and silently listened to a middle-aged man deliver a report. This man oversaw all of the Bureau’s operations, and he was known as the Bureau Manager. Xu Wuji had just informed the man that the Bureau was being temporarily placed under Xuan Qi’s supervision.

There were cracks in the wall, and through them, it was possible to look out into the city. The city had once gone through a genocide, and bloodstains could still be seen everywhere, including within the moat. While the structures appeared strong and imposing, they were barely remaining upright and would most likely shatter from a single touch.

When the Bureau Manager finished his report, he just stared at Lu Yin, his face emotionless. "Mister Xuan Qi, do you have any further questions?"

Lu Yin asked, "So, all of the bureau’s operations are handled by just the five teams, right? I'd like to meet them."

The Bureau Manager raised his hand and made a call with his communication crystal.