I Get It

The person in front had reddened eyes and was restrained and polite, with the expression of a caring father dedicated to his child's love.

It made some on-duty officers feel moved and reminded them of their own sons or parents, lamenting the universal woes of parenthood.

"From an emotional standpoint, I support it."

Qi Yuan lowered his head to look at them, realizing they had misunderstood his meaning, and hastened to add the latter half of the sentence.

"But this matter is not under my jurisdiction."

The gratitude or delight that had just emerged on their faces froze.

Qi Yuan shook his head slightly. He had only chosen to use a gentler tone to avoid appearing unreasonable in refusing outright, but little did he know it would be mistaken for consent.

He didn't know if these reclusive clans had some mental issue, always preoccupied with who was the clan head and whose fist carried more weight.

What use did they have approaching him so early in the morning, when the responsibilities of each department were already clear?

He wasn't in charge of this area and lacked the authority.

While he sympathized with them, impacting others' normal work would be inappropriate.

The officers following Qi Yuan sighed in resignation.

Here goes Qi Squad again, they thought, unsure why he had to be so mischievous.

"Young man, you mustn't..."

The Ma Family Patriarch's expression soured. After being turned down by Qi Yuan, he could have simply said, "Let's disperse, everyone, and not put Director Qi in a difficult position." But Qi Yuan's giving them hope only to refuse and play with them - what was the difference?

But when he met Qi Yuan's calm gaze, the Ma Family Patriarch fell silent, unable to utter a word.

It wasn't a mischievous look of playing with them, but a serene gaze that seemed to see through everything.

Rumors had it that the Golden Eyes could discern one's heart and manipulate others at will.

He had initially thought Qi Yuan was merely more intelligent than his peers, hence the acclaim from others.

Little did he expect to have underestimated him...

His plan to take advantage of this opportunity and gain some insider information from the officers was dashed. The Ma Family Patriarch felt regretful.

If he remained obstinate after Qi Yuan's warning, the situation would not look good.

The Ma Family Patriarch quickly understood all this and instead asked on behalf of the others,

"If any survivors or remains are discovered during the investigation, could you inform us?"

The logistics officer, aware that his superior would be visiting the reclusive clans soon, didn't want to sour relations and quickly stepped forward to say,

"That's only natural."

The Ma Family Patriarch stared directly at Qi Yuan, awaiting his response.

"Yes, we will."

Qi Yuan had no choice but to repeat the logistics officer's words under the patriarch's gaze.

Indeed, the Golden Eyes had seen through his intentions.

The Ma Family Patriarch understood.

As long as they didn't enter the fusion realm, his request would be granted.

This indirectly confirmed the great importance of the matter above.

"Thank you."

Having received a definite response, he turned to reassure the family members behind him.

The logistics officer was truly astonished at how easily Qi Yuan had made the Ma Family Patriarch yield. He had heard complaints from his superiors and colleagues before.

While these clans wouldn't create a ruckus, they would masterfully evade and deflect by exploiting the fact that officials had to operate by the rules, always setting traps with their words or adeptly brushing things off.

Never would they simply give up after a short exchange, completely contrary to their usual style.

He carefully analyzed the exchange between Qi Yuan and the Ma Family Patriarch and discovered the reason.

Qi Squad had refused the patriarch's request for a reason, and had warned him not to harbor futile hopes through his playful manner, hence the patriarch's retreat in the face of difficulty.

The logistics officer clenched his fist. His sympathy had ultimately been misplaced.

No wonder Qi Squad had toyed with the patriarch - that cold-hearted old man!

"Well done, Qi Squad!" he said, giving Qi Yuan a thumbs-up.

His voice drew the attention of the others.

Qi Yuan frowned in confusion.

Seeing Qi Yuan's frown, the logistics officer quickly pondered the reason and suddenly realized.

"I understand."

Although Qi Squad also had no respect for that old man, the basic courtesy was still due on the surface - see through but don't call out.

Seeing his startled and presumptuous demeanor, Qi Yuan's frown deepened.

Convinced of his conjecture, the logistics officer apologized, "My mistake."

He then returned to the team.

His teammates gathered around, curious about what had happened, but he remained tight-lipped.

It wasn't until they had taken a helicopter to Jidu and Director Yu had pulled Qi Yuan aside for a chat that the logistics officer finally spoke to his friends with an air of mystery,

"Let me tell you, but you must not spread it further."

"Do I seem like someone who can't keep a secret?" his friend reassured him, thumping his chest.

"It was like this..."

"Uh-huh." His friend nodded along with the narration, then slapped his thigh. "I see, the patriarch was already in such a sorry state, yet Qi Squad still had to toy with him. No wonder."

"Indeed, Qi Squad was even willing to damage his reputation for this cause. We had underestimated the situation."

"Who says it's not?" agreed the friend, and the two nodded vigorously before exchanging a glance.

Wait, neither of them had said that last bit. Then who did?

They turned to see a group of people eavesdropping, ears perked.

Noticing they'd been discovered, the group grinned sheepishly, not the slightest bit abashed.

The two friends clenched their fists.

These scoundrels!

They had let their guard down!

...

At Qi's Villa in Jidu,

Qi Yuan lounged on the sofa in his room, browsing forums.

After spending some time abroad, he missed the leisurely days of being a slacker at home.

Conveniently, Director Yu had told him that a delegation from Buddha Country would be arriving soon, so he should refrain from going out during this period.

Judging from Director Yu's bright smile, this delegation was likely less than enthusiastic about the visit.

Thus, Qi Yuan had naturally ended up spending several days holed up at home and in the headquarters' data room.

He glanced at a post on his phone and clicked into it.

[Does anyone know if the floating fusion realm in our sky is real or fake?]

[One look and I can tell it's real, pure NT]

[Sweating soybean.JPG]

[If it really was floating in the sky, even if Dragon Country doesn't publicize it, other countries' satellites would capture it and make a huge fuss about it. I don't know what you're thinking to believe this.]

[Dude, that news is outdated. We've discovered a new world now, we're about to move to a different world to live in. Woohoo!]

The last comment sparked a chaotic discussion below.

[You're NT-ing, it's the discovery of the Underworld]

[Huh? Isn't it the discovery of a fusion realm leading to a parallel space-time?]

[Is the one above for real?]

[Caught an honest person]

Qi Yuan couldn't help but admire the public relations efforts of the logistics team, who had completely controlled the narrative.

The fusion realm codenamed "Moon" had been concealed by the state using anomalous objects, and a research team had been dispatched to take up long-term residence there.

There was also a research institute in Jidu dedicated to analyzing this realm. Director Yu had told him that if he wanted to learn more, he could approach the institute, as long as he didn't disrupt their work.