INHA Chapter 5

The Imperial Observatory was an institution in ancient times responsible for weather prediction, divination, fortune-telling, and reportedly also dealing with anomalies and supernatural events.

But this was only a rumor.

In modern times, the weather prediction function has been replaced by modern technology.

Logically, the Imperial Observatory should have disappeared.

However, the Imperial Observatory transitioned from the public eye to a hidden organization, primarily responsible for managing abnormal creatures, researching new types of magical artifacts, and sealing resentful spirits.

After finishing a supernatural event, Captain Tian Ze of the Fourth Division Eighth Squad receives a message from his subordinate Zhao Liu.

【Captain, Zhang Wu and I just resolved a resentful spirit incident. We encountered a talented individual with high spiritual energy. If it weren’t for him finding the source of the evil, Zhang Wu and I might have had to pay a hefty price to complete the mission smoothly.】

Tian Ze immediately sat up straight and replied to Zhao Liu: 【Bring him to the branch.】

【Understood.】

Zhao Liu tapped his watch screen, and the semi-transparent light screen instantly disappeared. “The captain said to bring you to the bureau. If you pass the first test, you can become one of us.”

Xu Dongyou pursed his lips and asked, “What if I don’t pass?”

Zhang Wu laughed loudly, “You can sense the source of the evil. In our bureau, that makes you a talent. How could you not pass?”

The source of the evil?

Another term Xu Dongyou had never heard before.

Noticing the puzzled expression on Xu Dongyou’s face, Zhao Liu briefly explained, “It’s the chewing gum you saw. That is the source of the evil.”

Xu Dongyou vaguely had an epiphany: because Hou Mingjun stepped on that chewing gum, which got stuck to his shoe, the resentful spirit was drawn to the place on the fourth floor where the gum was placed every day.

Xu Dongyou thought of another important question and asked the two, “What would happen if the resentful spirit reached the fourth floor?”

“If we hadn’t found the chewing gum in time, the resentful spirit would have definitely killed your friend. At that point, neither Zhao Liu nor I could have stopped it,” Zhang Wu said, sighing as if remembering something.

Xu Dongyou exhaled, feeling a bit frightened.

At this moment, Zhao Liu stood up and said, “We’ll explain more details once we get to the branch.”

Xu Dongyou also stood up, “Okay.”

Zhang Wu took out his car keys and walked to a van parked in the far corner of the garage. Opening the door, he said to Zhao Liu and Xu Dongyou behind him, “Get in.”

Xu Dongyou: “…”

Standing beside him, Zhao Liu calmly explained, “The van has a lot of space, which is perfect for people like us who are always on missions. It’s convenient for carrying more useful things.”

Xu Dongyou snapped back to reality, feeling complicated as he got into the van. His eyes lingered briefly on the torn seat with exposed foam padding before he sat down nonchalantly.

The van started slowly.

Through the window, Xu Dongyou saw the bustling city and the endless stream of traffic. It was the same as every other day. But he now had a different feeling.

Turns out, this world hid unknown truths that ordinary people were unaware of.

The vibration of his phone brought Xu Dongyou’s drifting thoughts back. He took out his phone and saw a message from Hou Mingjun.

【What’s going on over there, Dongyou?】

Xu Dongyou sniffed and quickly typed on his phone. He felt his nasal congestion worsen as he lowered his head.

【I might be a bit late getting to your place. Please tell Auntie for me. I have something to handle with them. I’ll talk to you tonight.】

The reply came quickly, asking him to be careful.

After driving for about half an hour, the surrounding buildings became increasingly sparse and dilapidated, and the area seemed deserted.

The van continued to make turns left and right, moving forward.

To prevent Xu Dongyou from worrying, the calm and meticulous Zhao Liu began to explain, “It’s easier for us to work in less populated areas. If any resentful spirits appear, ordinary people would be affected. So it’s for safety reasons. We’ll pass through a small alley soon, which is the surface station of the branch.”

Xu Dongyou nodded slightly, trying to hide his nervousness.

The van continued moving forward and soon turned into the parking lot of a three-story office building.

In front of them was a large parking lot with cars of various makes and models. Two or three people had just gotten out of their cars and were limping into the building.

After parking, the three of them headed to the first-floor lobby. By the entrance hung a wooden sign with a few flamboyant calligraphy characters: “Fengnian Street Handling Bureau.”

Xu Dongyou held his breath and looked around. The lobby appeared no different from that of an ordinary office building.

Except for some people whose clothing and appearance were quite unusual.

For instance, a person not far away had green hair and a flamboyant outfit, as if trying to wear all the colors of the rainbow at once.

The people who had limped out of their cars earlier were now filling out forms at the reception desk.

Xu Dongyou couldn’t help but sneeze and sniffle. It seemed that in just this half-hour, his cold symptoms had worsened a bit.

Zhang Wu and Zhao Liu stood waiting for a while. Suddenly, Zhang Wu waved towards a direction, “Captain, we’re over here!”

Xu Dongyou instinctively looked over.

A man in a plain jacket with a rugged demeanor walked over with large strides. He heavily patted Zhang Wu on the back, his voice booming, “Good lad, you really made our Eighth Squad proud.”

Zhang Wu yelped in pain and quickly dodged, “Captain, if you keep hitting me, I’ll really cough up blood.”

“This bit of pain is nothing. A real man bleeds but doesn’t cry,” Tian Ze snorted, his aura intimidating.

Xu Dongyou felt inexplicably scared.

But unexpectedly, this somewhat frightening captain turned to Xu Dongyou, his expression immediately softening, though still somewhat imposing. He smiled warmly, “Don’t be afraid. You’re the one this brat said has such high spiritual energy that you can see the source of the evil, right?”

“Hello,” Xu Dongyou greeted somewhat nervously.

“Don’t be afraid. I don’t bite. Come, fill out a form and we’ll check your spiritual energy level,” Tian Ze said, while Zhang Wu quickly ran over with a form and pen.

Tian Ze handed the form and pen to Xu Dongyou, “Here, fill this out. Everyone joining the bureau fills this in.”

As he spoke, Tian Ze naturally placed the pen in Xu Dongyou’s hand, “If you pass, you’ll be a member of our squad. I’ll take good care of you.”

Xu Dongyou: “…”

He felt like the captain was more eager for him to join than he was.

But until now, Xu Dongyou still didn’t know what this place actually did. He wanted to understand more before making a decision.

“Captain, Zhang Wu and I haven’t had a chance to explain what our bureau does,” the ever-observant Zhao Liu, who had remained silent, noticed Xu Dongyou’s hesitation and spoke up.

Tian Ze immediately glared at Zhao Liu and Zhang Wu, then turned back to Xu Dongyou with a smiling face, “Our bureau might look like an ordinary office on the surface, but it has a real name, Imperial Observatory. However, times have changed, and now it’s called the Anomaly Handling Bureau.”

Imperial Observatory? Anomaly Handling Bureau?

Xu Dongyou, feeling a bit foggy—perhaps due to his worsening cold—took a moment to process before asking, “Huh?”

Tian Ze continued, “Simply put, our bureau is responsible for handling all abnormal incidents, as well as other tasks that you won’t know about until you join. You need to become a member to find out more.”

“Think carefully about whether you want to join the bureau. Honestly, with your natural spiritual abilities, it would be a real waste for you to live an ordinary life,” Tian Ze said, clearly reluctant to miss out on such a promising talent. After hesitating, he revealed even more sensitive information.

“Moreover, as your spiritual power grows, resentful spirits might come after you.”

Instinctively, Xu Dongyou turned his head. Zhang Wu and Zhao Liu remained silent, seemingly confirming that Tian Ze was not lying.

Xu Dongyou was unsure of what to choose, but he understood that this decision was crucial.

Focusing his attention, Xu Dongyou forcibly heightened his senses. At that moment, he felt a throbbing pain in his head, as if his blood vessels and nerves were pulsating. But he could vaguely sense a friendly aura emanating from the three men.

There also seemed to be other obscure energies swirling around the building. Xu Dongyou dared not explore further, nor did he have the capacity to continue forcing his senses open.

Feeling like his brain might explode, he quickly shut down all heightened senses and returned to normal.

This effort left Xu Dongyou’s face pale, though his cheeks and nose remained flushed from the cold. This prevented Zhang Wu and Tian Ze from noticing anything amiss.

Only Zhao Liu noticed, handing Xu Dongyou a cup of water. “Have some water.”

Xu Dongyou softly thanked Zhao Liu and couldn’t help but cough a few more times. Fortunately, after drinking several big gulps of water, he felt much better.

To be honest, he didn’t know anyone here and was unfamiliar with the place. If he could really join this so-called Anomaly Handling Bureau…

Then becoming a team member with these people seemed like a good choice.

Xu Dongyou sniffed and made his decision known, “I’ve made up my mind. I want to join the Anomaly Handling Bureau.”

“Then hurry up and fill out the form,” Tian Ze said, smiling so broadly that his molars were visible. He quickly handed the pen back to Xu Dongyou, adding insincerely, “No rush, take your time.”

Zhang Wu struggled to hold back his laughter and handed Tian Ze a cup of water, “Captain, have some water.”

Xu Dongyou carefully examined the form. It was short; asking for his name (with a note that a pseudonym was acceptable), gender, age, and a description of his special abilities and strengths.

Xu Dongyou thought for a moment and hesitantly asked, “Is it better to use my real name or a fake name here?”

Zhang Wu chimed in, “I use a fake name because my real name is too ugly. Zhao Liu’s name is also fake, but our captain uses his real name. It mostly depends on you. Some people don’t like others knowing their real name, so they just use a codename.”

Tian Ze concluded, “Actually, it’s fine to use a fake name. When you officially become a member, there will be an investigation team that verifies your identity, and your real name will be registered.”

Xu Dongyou then looked at Zhao Liu.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Liu succinctly said, “Either way is fine.”

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