Investigation Report of the Gods

Chapter 55: Assistant Application

“What kind of trash are we recruiting nowadays?”

In another interrogation room, opposite Zhang Zhiguo, the Investigator Mr. Strange Bird held a cigar in hand and had already dropped all pretenses, as if being questioned by Zhang Zhiguo was something utterly disgraceful.

Clearly, just moments ago when the mission was confirmed to have failed, he had still maintained a smile and superficial grace before Han Su.

But now, knowing that all his actions had been laid bare before Zhang Zhiguo without any concealment, he completely revealed his frustration:

“What about those death row inmates?”

“I’ve said it before—we should have asked Secretary No. 5 to take action, raise Qinggang City’s sentencing standards, produce more death row inmates, and pull them all into the Disaster Management Bureau…”

“……”

“The death row inmates have already been used up.”

Opposite him, Zhang Zhiguo’s face also darkened as he replied coldly, “In just three years, Qinggang City’s death row inmates were no longer sufficient. Even with harsher penalties, it’s still not enough. If you really want more, you’d have to import them from other cities.”

“But the other cities aren’t willing to give us any either—they don’t have enough themselves.”

“Now, all operational personnel are recruited through proper channels. Their lives are lives too—not to mention that the operatives in the D1D2 Workgroup are all reserve Investigators!”

“Heh, now you want to talk about the value of life. Back when we were throwing our lives at the grotesques, why was it always only about the outcome?”

Mr. Strange Bird’s expression grew even darker: “I’ve been chasing that door for so long, and finally pinpointed its location. But because of that operative’s mistake, it all went down the drain. Who do I hold responsible?”

“The mission’s failure is, naturally, your responsibility.”

Zhang Zhiguo looked at him coldly and said, “I already know it was you who targeted the wrong door.”

“If you hadn’t been so eager to claim credit and rushed in before the support team arrived, we would have had a better chance to lock onto that door properly. There wouldn’t have been any mistake.”

“Also, do you realize the risk of teaching the Encrypted Text spell to operatives so recklessly and forcing them to recite it? You didn’t even assess their mental condition beforehand!”

“The Disaster Management Bureau can tolerate some errors from you all, but it cannot tolerate your blatant disregard for basic rules.”

“Since I’ve come here, I will keep a close watch on this.”

“……”

Facing Zhang Zhiguo’s fury, Mr. Strange Bird was momentarily stunned.

Suddenly, he let out a laugh, leaned back, propped his legs up on the interrogation room table, and said with a grin:

“Old Zhang, you’re still so naïve, huh?”

“Have you forgotten how you missed that promotion and ended up getting stuck in this cold, forgotten place?”

Zhang Zhiguo’s face turned ashen upon hearing that.

But Mr. Strange Bird kept laughing, “You’ve been dealing with these things for so long, and you still don’t get it? In our line of work, human life is just a number.”

“Now you keep mumbling about the value of life—try that again when the Tides come?”

“When the Disaster Management Bureau was first founded, wasn’t the phrase ‘stop the infiltration at all costs’ part of the original charter?”

“Besides, am I the only one doing things this way in the Bureau? That guy who values human life even less than I do—didn’t he already get promoted?”

“……”

Zhang Zhiguo knew who he meant, and his tone turned heavier: “Don’t mention that person!”

“And don’t try to emulate him.”

“He indeed pays less attention to the rules, and the operatives under him are infamous for high casualties—but he’s not like you.”

“Every single operative who dies under his command has a justified explanation in the reports, even those D7s.”

“More importantly, he has never failed a single mission he took on!”

“……”

That remark pierced the fury buried in Mr. Strange Bird’s heart. His expression grew sinister, but he sneered, “Old Zhang, Old Zhang, I heard you used to be with the Public Security Bureau. You were always unpopular there—now that you’re in the Disaster Management Bureau, are you going to walk the same old path again?”

On the other side, Zhang Zhiguo’s expression was dark as water, and in his eyes, there seemed to be a gleam of sharpness.

Meeting that gaze, Mr. Strange Bird finally felt a bit uneasy and lowered his legs. Still sneering, he said, “I won’t say anything more.”

“Transfer that guy to my team.”

“Do I still have an assistant slot left? Perfect, I can personally train him properly.”

“……”

Zhang Zhiguo had long been waiting for him to say that.

Each Investigator was allowed to assign two operatives under their command as personal assistants.

To a certain extent, it was akin to being students—trained and mentored hand-in-hand.

Originally, Mr. Strange Bird had two under his command, but one had already died.

The remaining one was currently serving as his assistant. However, this new request was clearly not for actual training.

Zhang Zhiguo only shot him a cold glance and said, “You can’t have him.”

Mr. Strange Bird’s expression instantly turned cold and menacing. “If you won’t approve it, you think I can’t just go over your head and apply directly to someone higher?”

Zhang Zhiguo listened, his expression deepening. Suddenly, he said, “That little girl codenamed ‘Crow’—do you really not know who she is?”

Mr. Strange Bird’s face twitched slightly. “Who?”

Zhang Zhiguo let out a cold snort. “To operatives, you’re someone they can’t afford to offend. But don’t forget, in the Disaster Management Bureau, there are plenty of people you can’t afford to offend either.”

“For example, that one who likes wearing a red trench coat.”

He noticed Mr. Strange Bird’s face had already slightly changed, so he softened his tone and continued, “You forced her niece—could also be called her student—to act as bait, and even forced her to recite the plague-attracting incantation in a plague-ridden zone…”

“Guess what she’ll do once she finds out?”

“……”

Mr. Strange Bird’s expression was now extremely uncomfortable. He waved a hand and said, “I didn’t know her identity. Nothing happened anyway. Just give me that guy—at worst, I’ll take better care of that girl in the future.”

Zhang Zhiguo slowly shook his head. “Sure, you could argue that you acted out of ignorance, but think about it—since when has the one in the red trench coat ever been reasonable?”

“……”

Mr. Strange Bird looked extremely unpleasant now. Suddenly he slapped the table and said, “Old Zhang, are you trying to screw me over?”

“She owes me a favor.”

Zhang Zhiguo ignored his words and only spoke slowly: “In that case, I could help persuade her—pretend this never happened.”

“Of course, I could also persuade her the other way.”

“……”

Mr. Strange Bird’s breathing instantly grew heavier. But seeing the cold, unyielding look on Zhang Zhiguo’s face, even with his pent-up anger, he couldn’t let it out.

“Stop causing me trouble. As you said, being transferred to this post already has me in a foul mood.”

Zhang Zhiguo slowly withdrew the sharpness in his gaze and continued, “This matter ends here.”

“However…”

He suddenly changed tone, “Of course, you can still submit your application to have that operative transferred under your command…”

……

……

“In the Disaster Management Bureau, sometimes the only standard for judging a person is their value.”

In another interrogation room, Secretary Cui Qiao sat on the table, rubbing her temples as she looked down at Han Su and said, “You made it into D2, so your value is naturally higher than those in the later groups.”

“Also, his report is very unfavorable toward you. If you hadn’t reported him in advance—and if the operatives around you hadn’t confirmed his violations during the operation to support your report—you’d have a much harder time getting out of this mess.”

“But regardless, you’ve made Mr. Strange Bird lose face badly. You’ve completely offended him. Even if Director Zhang is protecting you, you need to be extra careful now.”

“There are rumors… they say he’s been deeply affected due to too much contact with some grotesques. His mind…”

Cui Qiao tapped her own head and whispered, “isn’t quite right anymore.”

“This is one of the side effects of delving too deeply into the mysterious. It just hasn’t been officially acknowledged by the Disaster Management Bureau. After all, anyone who can skillfully master and utilize mysterious powers is already valuable.”

“Of course, the price he pays is a lower personal rating. An irrational person becoming an independent Investigator is almost impossible.”

“Turning a fool into a smart person and making a madman rational are both extremely difficult tasks. That’s also the problem Director Zhang is facing now.”

Han Su merely sneered inwardly. Grotesques?

He was being kidnapped by monsters every half month—had he ever said a word about it?

Still, because of this, he had come to understand the dangers of the operative’s job.

Investigators had the authority to sacrifice operatives reasonably during investigations and suppression of grotesques and surreal phenomena.

Of course, the Disaster Management Bureau would also investigate those Investigator actions afterward to regulate them. But even if problems were found, at most, it would result in a fine or a lowered rating.

Only when it dropped low enough would their license be revoked and their Investigator qualification stripped.

He was grumbling inwardly when he suddenly thought of something that concerned him: “When he faced those grotesques earlier, he did something and suddenly vanished—like he turned invisible. What kind of ability is that?”

“One of the most basic Mysterious Power Trainings in the Disaster Management Bureau.”

Cui Qiao replied, “Pretty much every person who becomes an Investigator receives that kind of training… and you’re still worrying about that now?”

Han Su said, “I’m just curious. When will I be able to receive that kind of training?”

“Training?”

Cui Qiao looked at him curiously and shook her head. “You’re far from that.”

“Unless you accumulate enough experience and the Bureau decides to train you as a full Investigator—or if you rise from the operative position and catch the attention of an Investigator who transfers you over as a close assistant, then has you trained by them.”

“But both of those are a long way off for you.”

“……”

Han Su listened, his heart pounding with anticipation. “So you’re saying there’s still a chance for me to start that training as soon as possible?”

“All I need is to be transferred under an Investigator as their assistant?”