Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 579 367. Qingʼs Familyʼs Pawn ahead of the Horses

”Sir, where are you going?” Sun Chu Ci was completely baffled as he watched the middle-aged man sprint away, his bulky frame jiggling with each step.

Anxiety, unease, humility.

Just from the manʼs manner of running, Sun Chu Ci could ascertain his psychological state.

But he couldnʼt figure out why.

At that moment, as if remembering something, the middle-aged man turned back to Sun Chu Ci and said, ”Donʼt call me ʼsirʼ anymore.”

After that, he continued running towards the pickup truck.

Sun Chu Ci was even more confused.

The immigration officer, who had been so arrogant and demanding mere moments ago, was now in a panic just from scanning Qing Chenʼs electronic identity marker.

Sun Chu Ci started to follow him and saw the middle-aged man had reached the pickup truck and was standing next to the vehicle Qing Chen was in, his face all smiles, as if he was being extra cautious.

It suddenly occurred to him that the world is like a bunch of monkeys climbing a tree: looking up, all you see are bottoms; looking down, all smiles.

Unless Qing Chenʼs identity was particularly special, why else would the immigration officers lower themselves to such an extent?

The middle-aged man said to Qing Chen with a flattering smile, ”Hello, sir, I didnʼt expect to see you in this group of Wilderness Hunters. You should have gone through the priority lane. Do you want me to arrange a car for you?”

Qing Chen looked at him calmly and said indifferently, ”Secret mission, keep it quiet.”

The middle-aged man quickly nodded, ”Ah, right, got it, I understand.”

Even Qing Chen himself didnʼt understand what was happening.

Although he was to be the ”Imperial Instructor” of the Li Family and an instructor at Liʼs Martial Hall, such details shouldnʼt appear on his electronic identity indicator.

The only explanation was that even though he hadnʼt formally reported in, the Qingʼs shadow had already included his identity information in the Federal Central Intelligence Bureauʼs system.

Otherwise, why would the man address him as ”sir” straight away?

No, he had to look at what exactly was displayed on the identity recognition information; only then could he know what identity the Qingʼs shadow had arranged for him.

Qing Chen had the feeling that upon entering City No. 10, everything would fall into the arrangements of that Mr. Shadow.

At this moment, Tuan Zi and others were watching Qing Chen and the middle-aged officer with bated breath, feeling as if the world had suddenly become magical.

How did the teenager who wanted to hitchhike in the wilderness suddenly become a ”sir”?

They had dealt with the immigration bureau before. When Wilderness Hunters entered and left the city, they would face very strict inspections if they didnʼt pay the protection fee.

The officers would even accuse them of hiding psychoactive drugs in their tires and then slash all the tires.

They would open up the hood of the vehicle, and during the inspection, ʼaccidentallyʼ damage some of the external coolant hoses of the engine, and sometimes even dismantle the water tank, and so on.

It didnʼt matter if the broken vehicles blocked the tunnel—the immigration bureauʼs people would considerately call a tow truck to take your car to the repair shop, but the repair costs and towing fees would naturally come out of your own pocket.

When facing the immigration officers, the Wilderness Hunters had a natural class disadvantage; the officers could pretty much do whatever they pleased.

Thatʼs why the Wilderness Hunters would usually refer to these officers as the ”Immigration Bureau Lords.”

And now, in front of Qing Chen, these so-called lords were bending over backward, their faces practically begging for favour.

Tuan Ziʼs gaze towards Qing Chen changed, but Qing Chen remained calm, showing no sign of anything unusual.

Qing Chen glanced at the middle-aged man, ”Whatʼs your name?”

The middle-aged man said, ”My name is Li Menglin, and Iʼm the captain of the seventh team of the immigration bureau.”

Qing Chen nodded, ”Havenʼt you learned the confidentiality regulations? How could you come over and greet me like this? What if the vehicles queuing behind saw? Give me your identity recognition device.”

Saying so, he took the device directly from the manʼs hands.

The LCD screen displayed his ID photo, electronic identity number, and occupational information...

Qing Chen saw, right there under the occupation column, it was written clearly: Federal Central Intelligence Bureau Supervisor...

Qing Chen was puzzled.

Firstly, other Shadow Candidates were placed in Intelligence Department Three, so why was he placed in Intelligence Department One?

Furthermore, other Shadow Candidates joined as Trainee Inspectors, yet he was appointed directly as an Inspector, skipping the ʼtraineeʼ part.

However, Qing Chen still didnʼt quite understand the workings of the Federation, so he couldnʼt make a judgment right away.

He handed the identity recognition device back to Li Menglin: ”Be more careful next time.”

”Of course, of course, take care,” Li Menglin bowed several times, only straightening up after confirming that the three pickup trucks had driven off.

It was only then that a soldier, armed to the teeth, dared to approach, ”Whatʼs the matter, sir? Why were you so polite to that young man?”

Li Menglin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and realized that at some point, his back had become wet with perspiration.

He said to the soldier, ”What do you know, heʼs from Intelligence Department One. Those Living Hades arenʼt something we can afford to mess with. Moreover, he became an Inspector at such a young age, he must be some big shot from the Qingʼs Family.”

The soldier was momentarily stunned, ”A Shadow Candidate?”

Li Menglin shook his head, ”No, Shadow Candidates all go to Intelligence Department Three, and theyʼre all Trainee Inspectors. To rise from a Trainee Inspector to an Inspector takes at least a year of gilding, and the authority of a Trainee Inspector is completely different from that of an Inspector. But the most critical point is, the Qingʼs Family would never send a Shadow Candidate to be a disposable pawn in Intelligence Department One.”

”Disposable pawn?” the soldier asked confused.

”You guys donʼt know about these things,” Li Menglin thought for a moment and then gossiped, ”Intelligence Department Two is managed by the Li Family, Intelligence Department Three by the Qingʼs Family, Intelligence Department Four by the Chen Clan, Intelligence Department Six by Jindai, and Intelligence Department Seven by Deer Island. Only Intelligence Department One and Intelligence Department Five are rather unique.”

”Is there really such a thing?” the soldier said, puzzled.

Li Menglin boasted, ”What could you grunts possibly know?”

”So whatʼs special about Intelligence Department One and Intelligence Department Five?” the soldier asked, knowing his superior wanted to flaunt his knowledge, he immediately played along.

Li Menglin replied, ”Letʼs talk about Intelligence Department Five first. Thatʼs all forensic medicine, so normally nobody pays attention to it. Intelligence Department One, on the other hand, is quite peculiar; people from every consortium are there, competing for power and profit, like rearing venomous insects. Intelligence Department One holds more power than the other departments; their authority takes precedence, but the internal strife is also the fiercest, and few people end well.”

According to the regulations of the Federal Central Intelligence Bureau, Intelligence Department One has the authority to pull files from the other departments, and if they were to confront openly, they even have the right to take prisoners directly from the hands of others.

Watching the three pickup trucks disappear into the distance, Li Menglin suddenly wondered if this young Inspector was rushing back from outside to help a certain Shadow Candidate secure victory in this round?

As per the usual practice in the Shadow struggle of previous years, there were only four rounds. Although the last two rounds took the longest, by the third round, it was generally clear who was all bark and no bite and who was pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger.

After this round, factions within the Qingʼs Family would begin to take sides.

Li Menglin said to the soldier, ”Remember this Wilderness Hunterʼs ID number, 0291, add it to our white list. Donʼt dock their pay this time. Also, let them pass directly in the future and donʼt charge them any processing fees.”

...

...

After the three pickup trucks entered the urban area, Sun Chu Ci received a message on his cell phone: 85,000 yuan was deposited into his account as a bounty reward, exempt from personal income tax collection.

Sun Chu Ci was speechless, thinking his earnings would be deducted this time, but to his surprise, they were paid in full.

There was silence in the truck, the usually lively Tuan Zi kept quiet, and the carʼs intercom was also constantly silent.

Qing Chen smiled at Sun Chu Ci, ”Which part of City No. 10 do you guys live in?”

Sun Chu Ci hesitated, not knowing how to properly interact with such a prominent figure from the Inner World, he cautiously replied, ”We live in Ningbi North Street, in District Five...”

Qing Chen recalled the map of City No. 10 he had seen before, instantly pinpointing the location of Ningbi North Street like a navigation system.

He said, ”The place where I live is just two blocks away from you. If you need anything, you can call me.”

Sun Chu Ci was taken aback, ”Donʼt you live in the Upper Three District?”

”Donʼt address me with ʼYouʼ,” Qing Chen said with a laugh, ”Thereʼs no need for that between us. Anyway, I really appreciate you guys giving me a ride.”

The house that Old Master Li Xiurui bought for him initially, had two sets located in the third district.

However, Qing Chen chose not to live in the Upper Three District, preferring to keep a lower profile.

The Upper Three District of City No. 10 was filled with social elites, especially with many celebrity actors. Staying there could quite possibly lead to being unwittingly photographed by the paparazzi.

Therefore, he rented a house in advance on the edge of District Five, which was only a twenty-minute drive to the Federal Central Intelligence Bureau, which was quite convenient.

”By the way,” Qing Chen turned to Sun Chu Ci, ”Are you guys university students in the Outer World? Tuan Zi asked me quite a few questions earlier; it seems like you are all good students.”

Sun Chu Ci hesitated for a moment before honestly sharing the truth, ”We are all students from Zheng City University in the Outer World. However, getting into university in our Outer World is easier than in the Inner World, so being a university student isnʼt something to brag about.”

Tuan Zi added from the side, ”Sun Chu Ci is the president of the student union at our Zheng City University.”

Sun Chu Ci shook his head, ”It doesnʼt really mean much.”

Up to this point, these students still considered Qing Chen a native of the Inner World and hadnʼt realized that he was also a Time Traveler.

Qing Chen asked, ”By the way, is there a well-known Time Traveler Organization in Zheng City of the Outer World?”

Sun Chu Ci thought for a moment before answering, ”There are two or three that are famous internally, but the Time Travelers in Zheng City fight amongst themselves quite a bit, so they arenʼt very well-known among all Time Traveler organizations.”

”Oh,” Qing Chen nodded, ”What about the Time Traveler Organizations in other places, any particularly famous ones?”

Sun Chu Ci thought and then said, ”Kunlun, Kyushu, Matrix, Daylight, Red Leaves... These are considered relatively famous. Daylight is quite close to our Zheng City, and Iʼve heard that organization is quite formidable.”

Qing Chen was startled; had Daylightʼs reputation spread to Zheng City?

...

Thank you to Huajiao has a little numb and angel_奏心 for becoming new allies of this book. Bosses are generous; I wish you donʼt get bitten while brushing your cat!