Chapter 196: Barnacle Team

Li Mingyue hung her head, her gaze fixed on the ground a few inches in front of her toes.

“I understand, Master. There’s one more thing I’d like to ask you.”

Cao Ye lifted his eyelids to glance at her.

“Speak.”

“Miss Mihua.”

Li Mingyue paused.

“She’s joined the Witch Association. Do we need to take action?”

The Witch Association. The Mutual Aid Association.

The Anomaly Administration Bureau had only recently caught wind of these two names.

The Mutual Aid Association primarily used the internet to recruit followers—and the Anomaly Administration Bureau held the government’s highest level of network authority.

Besides, the Mutual Aid Association’s following was growing by the day, making it difficult for them to go unnoticed.

Cao Ye pressed his cigarette butt into the ashtray, twisting it.

“Do nothing. You have only one mission—to uncover the power of the Eye of Hela.”

Li Mingyue pressed her lips together, her expression tinged with shame.

“I… I’ve been trying to uncover the power of the Eye of Hela.”

“But I… I-I don’t know how.”

Cultivation required talent.

Cultivation geniuses like Yang Xiao and Helian were exceedingly rare in this world.

And Li Mingyue was a complete idiot when it came to Cultivation.

Cao Ye said nothing. He pulled open a drawer, took out a broken Bronze Plate, and placed it on the desk.

“I’ll point you in the right direction,” he said.

“Take a couple pounds of cat food, bring this, and go find that Old Cat in the archives.”

Li Mingyue took two steps forward and carefully picked up the Bronze Plate.

It was heavy in her hands.

This was an artifact, and an extremely ancient one at that.

She looked up, hesitation in her eyes.

“You want me to bribe Prince Bright Lamp into teaching me?”

The Old Cat in the archives had a temper even more peculiar than his age.

‘Getting that old master to help me develop the Eye of Hela… it won’t be that easy.’

Cao Ye pointed at the Bronze Plate.

“Experts have authenticated it. It might be an imperial edict personally written by Emperor Qin Shi Huang.”

“Doesn’t that old coot love antiques? He’s especially obsessed with the Qin Dynasty.”

Li Mingyue looked down at the Bronze Plate in her hands.

The characters on its surface had been worn away by time, leaving only a few faint, broken strokes visible.

‘If this really is a piece of calligraphy from Emperor Qin Shi Huang…’

‘It’s priceless!’

Her fingers tightened, and she held the Bronze Plate protectively against her chest. “I understand, Master.”

Cao Ye waved his hand dismissively.

Li Mingyue nodded and turned to leave the office.

Before the sound of the door closing had fully faded, another figure walked in.

Buzz cut, uniform, and a confident stride that seemed to stir the air.

It was Whale Bird, head of the Anomaly Administration Bureau’s ace combat unit—the Blue Whale Brigade.

Cao Ye flicked a cigarette out of his pack.

Whale Bird reached out, caught it steadily, and lit it with practiced ease.

Cao Ye lit one for himself as well.

“Is the Barnacle Team all set?”

Whale Bird pulled out a chair and sat down.

“Just about.”

“Basically all Extraordinary Creatures that have appeared in the Xia Kingdom are now under the Barnacle Team’s surveillance.”

“We’ve also identified all the members of the Witch Association.”

“Jin Meiting, Zhang Shi’ai, Li Yaolin, Zhang Lina, the Evil Jade Flood Dragon, Xu Wei, and Su Yubo.”

He paused, then lowered his voice.

“According to feedback from SkyEye and on-the-ground reconnaissance by our Investigators, Zhang Lina has recently been frequenting an unsanctioned S&M club.”

‘An S&M club?’

‘Are all Witches this uninhibited?’

Cao Ye exhaled a puff of smoke.

“What about the others?”

Whale Bird was silent for a few seconds.

“SkyEye feedback placed them in Liancheng.”

“But by the time our Investigators got to Liancheng, SkyEye said they were in the Imperial Capital.”

He frowned.

“Their team has a top-tier hacker who is using virtual AI technology to interfere with SkyEye’s judgment.”

“But give me a little more time, and I’ll be able to lock down their position.”

Cao Ye took a drag from his cigarette, his expression unreadable.

“They like to move as a group.”

“Have Barnacle latch onto Zhang Lina, and the others will naturally surface.”

Whale Bird nodded and continued his report.

“Prince Heng is in the Changbai Mountains.”

“Our surveillance agents are disguised as local mountaineers, operating in shifts throughout the Changbai Mountain Area to search for him.”

“Princess Qilin is currently at the Dream Island Resort in Peng City. Our agent is embedded, disguised as a tourist.”

“As for the Taiping State Preceptor and Empress Dowager Taiping—”

He paused for a moment and looked up at Cao Ye.

“They’ve already left the country. They’re in Meiqi Country.”

“Without official authorization from their government, our Investigators’ search will be very slow.”

Whale Bird mulled it over for a moment, a trace of hesitation in his voice.

“Director, there’s… a suspicious point here.”

Cao Ye raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“The Barnacle Team was just formed.”

Whale Bird chose his words carefully.

“The two core figures of Taiping Dao left the Xia Kingdom at this exact moment. I suspect…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but the implication was clear.

‘I suspect someone in the Bureau is secretly colluding with Taiping Dao.’

‘They tipped them off in advance, allowing them to evade Barnacle’s surveillance.’

Whale Bird stared at Cao Ye.

“Director, don’t forget—Zhao Pengcheng was a mole that Taiping Dao planted right here among us.”

“We have to be on guard against inside traitors.”

Cao Ye scoffed.

“Only you and I know about the Barnacle unit.”

“And every member of Barnacle has a clean background.”

He tapped his ash into the ashtray.

“Don’t waste energy suspecting our own people.”

Whale Bird frowned in thought for a moment, then finally managed a smile.

“Maybe I really am just being paranoid. After all, that business with Zhao Pengcheng… it was a harsh lesson.”

“Since you have it under control, Director, I’ll continue my report.”

Cao Ye nodded.

Whale Bird cleared his throat.

“Regarding the Taboo Association, we still don’t have conclusive evidence identifying all its members.”

“Well… Zhong Shu is one.”

“After the Black God incident, Zhong Shu vanished into thin air. We’re still looking for him.”

“Also, Bai Juzhi’s will mentioned that Xia Li, the president of World Dream Group, is a suspected member of the Taboo Association.”

“Recently, Xia Li has personally taken the helm of World Dream’s newly established Divine Peptide Biotechnology Company.”

“The Barnacle Team is already preparing to infiltrate their ranks.”

Cao Ye asked, “What about Dusk?”

“On Nationalist Era Charm Street, we’ve rented several storefronts.”

Whale Bird said,

“Some Investigators have reported that they can’t remember what Dusk looks like.”

“Recording equipment also fails to capture his image—this is likely one of Dusk’s abilities.”

“However, the Investigators who participated in the Black God incident say that they’ll recognize Dusk the moment they see him again.”

“That’s why the Barnacle members we have stationed on Nationalist Era Charm Street are all veterans who have seen Dusk before.”

Whale Bird paused, his tone taking on a complex note.

“It’s just…”

Cao Ye frowned. “Just what?”

Whale Bird sighed.

“The Investigators in the Bureau… they rather admire Dusk.”

“I’m worried this attitude will affect the mission.”

Cao Ye’s frown deepened. “Admire?”

Whale Bird nodded.

“There are rumors circulating in the Bureau that Dusk is the Human Emperor, the protector of the Xia Kingdom.”

“In the eyes of many of the younger agents, he’s the Guardian God of the Xia Kingdom.”

As he said this, his voice couldn’t help but carry a hint of reverence for the title “Human Emperor.”

Cao Ye chuckled.

“Is that so?” He let the cigarette hang from the corner of his mouth and narrowed his eyes.

“Never mind them, even I admire Dusk quite a bit.”

“The Human Emperor… for all we know, by some set of rules, we’re all his subjects.”

Whale Bird was stunned for a second, then he grinned, showing his teeth.

“I don’t believe that for a second. If you really admired Dusk so much, would you have someone developing Cloud-Dispelling Bullets?”

This was a secret known only to Cao Ye and Whale Bird—based on a combination of Bai Juzhi’s will and Dusk’s observed behavior, Dusk could only act in the rain.

Dispelling the rain clouds might cause considerable harm to Dusk.

The smile vanished from Cao Ye’s face.

“As a man, I admire Dusk.”

He stubbed out his cigarette.

“But as the Director of the Anomaly Administration Bureau, I must do everything in my power to control all anomalous incidents and all anomalous individuals.”

“Even if the Jade Emperor himself showed up, I’d have to find a way to deal with him.”

Whale Bird fell silent.

Cao Ye scoffed.

“You think I’m defying the will of the world?”

“Even if it means defying the heavens, this is the duty of the Anomaly Administration Bureau’s Director.”

“No.”

Whale Bird muttered under his breath.

“The Human Emperor… might be even more powerful than the Jade Emperor.”

Cao Ye’s expression darkened. “Get out.”

「Early morning. The South Sea.」

Sunlight slanted through the window, casting the intricate patterns of the grille as shadows on the floor and bathing the old antique shop in a tranquil, warm glow.

Jiang Chaosheng stretched lazily as he came down from upstairs.

He sat down at the tea table and poured himself a cup of tea.

As he reached for the cup, his fingers touched the side—it was cold.

He frowned and drew his hand back.

Ever since he had taken over Antique Shop Zero, someone had always been there to take care of these little things.

First, it was Jin Meiting, and later, Evil Crow.

After Helian arrived, Evil Crow had shared many of the chores with her.

Now, Jin Meiting was gone, Evil Crow had left, and Helian was away at school.

Jiang Chaosheng gazed at the light outside the door and murmured softly,

“There are no more dumplings in the fridge.”

He loved dumplings.

His late mother used to say that eating dumplings would keep your ears from freezing.

Jiang Chaosheng stood up, stepped over the threshold, and walked out into the sunlight.

Anxiang Street was now called Nationalist Era Charm Street.

The street was bustling with people coming and going.

Tourists from out of town held up their cameras, snapping photos at all the popular spots.

Young couples huddled together, whispering to each other.

There were also many young women in qipaos, waving round fans and posing like ladies from the Nationalist era for photoshoots and short videos.

Compared to the desolate “Ghost Street” it once was, Jiang Chaosheng much preferred this new, lively atmosphere.

He caught a delicious scent.

Looking up, he saw that a handmade dumpling shop had opened on the street at some point.

“So there are dumplings after all.”

Jiang Chaosheng walked inside.

The shop was mostly empty—on a trendy pedestrian street like this, not many tourists were willing to sit down for a meal of dumplings.

A young man came up to greet him. “Sir, what kind would you like?”

Jiang Chaosheng looked at the menu on the wall.

“Cabbage, a large order, with vinegar.”

The young man acknowledged the order and hurried toward the kitchen, his voice filled with unconcealable excitement.

“We’ve got a customer! Cabbage dumplings, large order, with vinegar!”

Jiang Chaosheng could hear the excitement in his voice.

‘Perhaps it’s a new shop, and they’ve been waiting for their first customer for a long time.’

Just then, the shadow on his wrist crept silently up from his cuff, climbing onto his shoulder to whisper in his ear,

“Master, Anxiang Street has been rather abnormal these past two days.”

“A lot of shops have been put up for sale, and they’ve all been sold in a very short time.”

“Many new shops have opened, and this dumpling place is one of them.”

“I suspect the owners of all these shops belong to the same faction.”

Jiang Chaosheng gave a slight nod.

‘No wonder.’

‘A dumpling shop would have a hard time surviving on a pedestrian street like this.’

‘If the previous owner went out of business, a new owner wouldn’t be foolish enough to take over and keep selling dumplings—unless the new owner doesn’t care whether the shop makes money or not.’

‘So, they’re from the Anomaly Administration Bureau.’

Jiang Chaosheng’s gaze drifted to the bustling crowd outside the window, the corner of his lip curling into a faint, almost imperceptible arc.

“Understood.”