Chapter 52: The Overseer
Duan Ke stood stiffly on the spot, looking at the suspended central database not far away, incredibly nervous.
Blue electronic screens flickered incessantly in the void. On nearly forty giant panels, new locations and identity information of monsters were constantly loading.
Densely packed small characters jumped like TV static. Under such surveillance, monster traces in City A and even the whole country had nowhere to hide; all crimes were instantly located.
Duan Ke knew the monster he was looking for must also be within the surveillance range of this system.
Even if the data might be incomplete, the Bureau definitely knew much more than he did. He needed to use the Bureau to find the opponent’s weakness, then actively create an opportunity to counterattack.
The opportunity was right before his eyes; he had to grab it.
This! Is! Too! Weird! Right?!
Duan Ke didn’t dare step forward to find data immediately. Body tense, tail erect, eyes full of the alertness of a small beast, he stared dead at the camera in the corner of the room.
The faint red light on the camera was like someone’s eye, staring until he broke into a cold sweat, instinctively wanting to bolt out the door.
Is this a trap by the Inquisitor?
Would that person be so kind??
It was too absurd. Duan Ke absolutely couldn’t believe it; he couldn’t convince himself.
The Inquisitor caught a stealing monster on the spot, but didn’t use torture or kill him. Instead, he put a toy-like eye mask on him and personally carried him into the Archives??
Such a plot was too bizarre; posting it on the demon realm forum would get him mocked for having a spoiled brain.
The scenario of the Inquisitor indulging a monster could absolutely not happen in reality.
Who didn’t know he viewed monsters as thorns in his side? Him actively helping a monster steal data—was that possible??
And isn’t the Archives the core restricted area of the Bureau? Can just anyone be carried in?? And with permissions unlocked??
Everything seemed so unreasonable. Duan Ke wasn’t pleasantly surprised at all; he was terrified.
Unless the Inquisitor’s brain was broken, Duan Ke couldn’t figure out why he did this.
Pinching his tail, Duan Ke pondered. Could it be I unconsciously used charm magic, causing the Inquisitor to temporarily lose his mind and obey me?
Doesn’t seem right either. Humans under charm magic wouldn’t act like this.
The things that person said just now were dripping with badness! Not a hint of confusion.
Duan Ke couldn’t figure it out at all; his heart felt stifled.
If it were normal times, he would definitely stand there until he figured it out; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, dreaming of that cold scent on the Inquisitor.
But the situation now was too special; time was tight.
Regardless of the Inquisitor’s purpose, Duan Ke had to hurry up and get the data to leave the Bureau.
The longer he stayed, the more dangerous it became.
Duan Ke sighed, stopped staring at the camera, turned with mixed feelings, and walked toward the screens.
He thought to himself, Luckily I pestered my boyfriend to feed me a few extra times last night; my stomach isn’t empty yet.
Anyway, being fed so strong by my boyfriend, the Bureau can’t do much to me. If that Inquisitor dares to come back halfway, I’ll fight him head-on; I might not necessarily lose.
Thinking this, Duan Ke wasted no more time hesitating and braced himself to walk in front of the large screen.
Over forty sections were displayed by category, vast data organized methodically. Some entries had a [Lock] icon behind them, appearing to require authorization to open.
He definitely had zero authorization. The Inquisitor couldn’t be so dizzy as to leave his doors wide open for him.
Duan Ke felt unsure but wanted to try anyway.
He quickly found the [S-Class Monster Information] block and entered [Mirror Demon] in the search box.
The blue electronic light illuminated Duan Ke’s delicate side profile; his brows never unknitted. The tail behind him kept swaying, ready to deal with a surprise attack from behind at any time.
Perhaps the description [Mirror Demon] was too vague; a large swathe of data came up. From S-rank to C-rank, there were nearly a hundred. Reading them all would take hours.
Fortunately, Duan Ke had fought that guy and knew he was at least an A.
There were only 5 A-rank Mirror Demons. Duan Ke finished reading quickly, but none matched the one he encountered.
Then it can only be this S-rank one, right?
Duan Ke bit the tip of his tongue nervously and opened the file very quickly. But the more he read, the tighter his frown became, not a hint of a smile on his lips, unusually silent.
Still completely wrong. This file doesn’t match the monster that attacked me at all.
“How is that possible? Is it not in the database…”
Duan Ke muttered, exiting the search box. He entered it repeatedly a few times, even checking the B-ranks below, but still didn’t find the one he wanted.
Duan Ke was overly nervous, paying no attention to his current state, unaware that his crestfallen expression was being transmitted completely through the screen’s camera to the other end.
A display screen next to him dinged without warning, scaring Duan Ke into jumping on the spot. He stared at the screen as if facing a formidable enemy, only to see a small envelope jumping twice in the upper right corner.
It had stopped jumping, but when Duan Ke stared silently at the screen for five seconds without making a move, it hopped on the screen again.
Duan Ke: “…”
Why does this thing feel too intelligent? Is someone controlling it from behind?
The feeling of likely being watched secretly was terrible; Duan Ke had trouble breathing. But he had no choice. He extended his tail and poked the envelope extremely quickly, holding his breath waiting for the machine’s next move.
A line of words popped up on the machine.
[S-Rank Dream Demon, Data Updated.]
A monster file appeared on the screen. This data was the most detailed version, attached with photos, as if afraid the viewer wouldn’t know which one it was, feeding the information right to his mouth.
Duan Ke watched, his eyes lighting up, the dejection in his eyes vanishing completely. He leaned close to the screen, licking his lips excitedly, the tail behind him swaying back and forth.
This is too lucky! The Bureau updating data right at this time!
Duan Ke had a good memory. He scanned the data ten lines at a glance, basically getting the gist. The little guy very cautiously closed the file and deleted the browsing history, lest that bad person see it again.
Having obtained what he wanted, Duan Ke should have left directly.
But he turned to look at the closed door behind him, then up at the silent monitor, feeling very conflicted.
It’s a pity to just leave like this. I haven’t seen any gossip yet.
All monster data is in here. Isn’t it much more interesting than the demon realm forum? I can search for anyone’s gossip, and the tea is guaranteed authentic—no need to worry about being scammed.
Duan Ke clutched the hem of his clothes, thoughts jumping back and forth.
Facts proved that the gossipy nature of succubus was unstoppable, just like their natural love for alcohol. Duan Ke thought, I’ll just take a look, without noticing his devil horns quietly popping out.
He licked his sharp teeth and reached out to knock on the screen, tap tap.
“Can I look some more?”
The screen didn’t speak. Duan Ke knocked twice again, tap tap.
The screen naturally made no sound.
Duan Ke frankly took it as a default yes, humming. He opened the search box and typed furiously.
For some reason, those lock symbols seemed to exist in name only. Duan Ke tried clicking a locked file, and it opened smoothly. The color temperature even automatically adjusted to eye-protection mode, much smarter than his own phone.
Should I say, as expected of the Bureau’s core machine? So considerate!
Duan Ke read with satisfaction; he even found a stool to sit on while reading. After the Progenitor Succubus arrogantly read through the Bureau’s secrets, he finally reluctantly closed the database, ready to leave.
It was almost 2:00 AM; Duan Ke missed his boyfriend a bit.
He hadn’t kissed his boyfriend all day and was maliciously frightened by the Inquisitor. It could be said to be the most aggrieved day since they started dating; he needed his boyfriend to comfort him well.
Duan Ke walked to the door and found that opening it required a face scan or a card. Resentfully, he walked toward the window, intending to turn into a ball and squeeze through the edge to see if he could get out.
The window edge was only as thick as a wrist. Even though Duan Ke Ball was soft enough, it was very difficult.
He managed to poke half his body out and was squirming with difficulty trying to squeeze the other half of the ball out. While squeezing, a white light flashed through Duan Ke Ball’s mind. He hurriedly stuffed himself back into the room, falling to the ground with a splat.
Right! How could I forget such an important thing!!!!
Duan Ke Ball didn’t even waste time turning back into human form, flying up and down to the screen. He extended his short front claws to type rapidly, staring dead at the screen, heart beating so fast it almost hurt.
[Summary of Supervision Tasks Above A-Rank]
Duan Ke managed to find this in the vast sea of data, his heart skipping a beat. This was a summary folder; the cover showed exactly Xu Jue’s file. The succubus’s photo was placed in the Bureau’s supervision archives, yet he himself was unaware.
Duan Ke’s claws trembled with tension. He tapped Xu Jue’s file. But it failed; it wouldn’t open. A line of small text appeared on the screen.
[This task has been approved]
Approved… is it because the Bureau thinks he is no longer a threat?
This line gave Duan Ke immense hope. He knew he was now an S-rank monster; the Bureau would inevitably send someone to monitor him, just like Ji Qing monitored Xu Jue.
I haven’t found the person monitoring me after searching for so long. Does it mean… this person has already ended the mission, deeming me non-threatening?
If that were true, it would be great. He and Qin Huai would be safe, no longer monitored by the Bureau.
Duan Ke was incredibly nervous, holding his two claws in front of him, praying silently. He took a few deep breaths, shaking claws as he entered his name in the search box.
His data quickly appeared on the screen; the familiar student ID photo was in the file column.
Duan Ke didn’t have time to care how his photo was leaked; none of that mattered. He tapped the screen with trembling hands, only to despairingly find that his supervision task could be opened.
Which bastard thinks I’m threatening???
Duan Ke was so anxious he almost cried. The whole ball threw itself on the screen, gnashing teeth in anger.
Shaking his wings, he scrolled quickly through the data, skipping the completely unimportant parts, and found the “Person in Charge” column.
Duan Ke Ball looked closely, a thunderclap exploding in his brain.
His ears began to buzz; he couldn’t hear anything. He clung weakly to the screen, confirming what he saw again and again.
The whole world seemed to have only these few lines left, playing on a loop in his brain.
[Person in Charge: The Inquisitor]
[*Special Note: Approved by the Inquisitor, this monster is a priority surveillance target. Until this surveillance mission is completed, the agent cannot be changed.]
On the other side, Lin Jiangli’s office.
Kicked out of his workstation, Lin Jiangli looked numb. Sporting huge dark circles, he looked at his leader with a “life is meaningless” expression.
Qin Huai dressed rigorously usually, but tonight he was fully armed. Gloves, hat, epaulets, military boots—nothing was missing. He was so exquisite he could join a ceremonial guard the next second.
Even if you accidentally get discovered by your wife, you have to expose yourself in the most perfect posture, right? Okay, fine.
Lin Jiangli had nothing to say, lying on the table playing dead.
The office door slammed open with a bang, and a disheveled figure stormed in, fuming with rage.
Ji Qing’s mouth was half-open, a stream of colorful language ready to spew out.
But seeing Qin Huai, the profanities in his throat were all swallowed back, nearly choking him to death. Ji Qing exchanged a glance with Lin Jiangli, both seeing profound sympathy in each other’s eyes.
Lin Jiangli pushed a chair over to Ji Qing, letting him sit down lest he faint from anger.
Qin Huai could certainly hear, but ignored them completely. He lowered his eyes to look at the control center, occasionally cooperating with Duan Ke’s operations, helping him adjust the interface to be easier to read.
Correcting wrong steps in time, opening necessary permissions one by one, timing it perfectly so Duan Ke wouldn’t notice.
“Sir, can you return my permissions?”
Lin Jiangli said, “I originally had ten minutes left to finish processing the data and get off the night shift, but I’ve been delayed for half an hour.”
“He hasn’t finished reading yet.”
Qin Huai adjusted the page again, turning on eye protection mode. “I’ll leave when he’s played enough.”
Great, the Bureau has become a playground for a big monster.
They aren’t even married yet. If they get married, won’t Duan Ke ride on top of the Bureau’s head?
Lin Jiangli suddenly felt he had been blind when choosing this post five years ago, secretly worrying about his career prospects.
His phone vibrated a few times. It was Ji Qing, sitting aside, gnashing his teeth and sending him messages.
[Give it a rest, are you as miserable as me??]
Ji Qing typed furiously in the distance.
[S-rank intrusion warning, called directly to my phone! In the middle of the night! I finally took a day off this month, are you kidding me??]
Lin Jiangli looked back, seeing Ji Qing’s face green with anger, having to secretly send messages to insult the leader. It was suffocatingly frustrating.
So miserable, a born workhorse. Lin Jiangli sighed and typed a reply.
[You think you’re the only one scared? I drew my gun, walked out into the corridor, and saw Qin Huai carrying someone straight into the Archives.]
[He’s not even acting anymore. I think he’s done for. Shouldn’t have assigned him this mission back then…]
The two vented furiously in the chat box for thousands of words before finally feeling a bit relieved.
Qin Huai stood up and straightened his clothes. “He finished reading; I’ll head back first. Remember to turn off his warning in the system tomorrow.”
“…” Lin Jiangli had nothing to say to a love-brain, nodding weakly.
Lin Jiangli returned to his workstation and glanced at the monitor.
Duan Ke had turned into a ball for some reason, struggling to climb out the window. He was about to succeed in his prison break.
Qin Huai had also walked to the door, ready to change clothes and go home to hug his boyfriend.
Carrying Duan Ke just now had hooked him badly. The person was right there, yet he couldn’t kiss him; it was truly too aggrieved.
The first time he saw Duan Ke at the Bureau, he wanted to carry him into the office and do some not-very-good things.
Either pinning him against the office door or on that wide desk. Serious places were always suitable for doing thrilling things.
Qin Huai thought with lowered eyes, the tip of his tongue grinding casually against his canine tooth.
The little guy’s scared look was simply too tempting.
He could always arouse the rough and wicked desire deep in Qin Huai’s bones, exciting Qin Huai to the extreme, raising a near-destructive desire for control.
Want to see him cry, want to see him tremble, knowing only to call my name. When bullied until uncomfortable and unable to take it in, he would only cover his stomach and aggrievedly beg the abuser for a kiss.
But interrogating directly would scare the kid, so Qin Huai forcibly held back.
Anyway, the days are long, and the office is always there.
After defeating the enemy and confessing, they could play whatever they wanted, anytime; it was very easy.
“Hey… your boyfriend went back to read data again,” Lin Jiangli said. “Open it for him?”
Qin Huai paused in his steps, raising an eyebrow.
Why is he so concerned about other people’s data? Reading it so many times.
He inexplicably started getting jealous of the database, his tone turning sour.
“Open the permissions for him. Whatever he wants to see, open it,” Qin Huai said.
Lin Jiangli knew he would say that, holding his forehead speechlessly.
Colonel Lin simply turned off the system interception, no longer stopping Duan Ke from reading data.
He was staring at the monitor boredly, but when he saw clearly which file Duan Ke was reading, his brain went numb, and his hand movements froze completely.
“Shit… Qin Huai.”
Lin Jiangli’s voice was strained. “Did you forget to cancel the mission?? Your boyfriend is reading…”
The tall figure at the door realized something, freezing in place.
〓 Author’s Note 〓 Identity reveal in the next chapter (Devil’s whisper). Qin Huai across the screen looks calm, but actually, he has been charmed by Wifey to the point of not knowing heaven from earth [Lop-eared Rabbit Head]. Duan Ke in his own eyes: Mature and cautious Succubus King [Sunglasses]. Qin Huai’s eyes: Kitten extending claws [Cat Paw] [Cat Paw].
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