Chapter 22: Ministerial Meeting

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The conference room on the third floor of the Bureau of Control is reserved exclusively for staff at the ministerial level or above for work discussions. At this moment, however, the vast room holds only three people—and a woman’s severed head resting on a tray.

At the center of the long conference table sits an old man with the presence of a lion. Draped in a military uniform adorned with medals and leaning on an iron-lion-headed cane, his expression is one of majestic, hidden lethality.

At the far right end of the table, a white-haired man with dark sunglasses and surgical stitches covering his face plays with his phone, smiling. His feet are propped up on the table, as if he were attending a casual social gathering rather than a ministerial briefing.

At the far left end, Shangguan Yan sits with a constant, plastered smile. Dressed in a standard employee uniform with her hands folded into a steeple, she appears to be the most unremarkable person in the room.

"The three of you have already reviewed the materials, haven't you?" the beautiful head on the tray asks.

"I heard that the curse energy of the House of Blood Demon has indeed dissipated and the structure of the anomalous space has shown signs of collapse. So, the anomaly is resolved, isn't it? Is there really anything left to discuss?" the young white-haired man says with a laugh.

"Professor Shang, things are not as simple as you think. Let me summarize the situation regarding the House of Blood Demon once more," the head on the table continues.

"The current situation is that although the anomalous phenomena of the 'House of Blood Demon' have been eliminated, the investigation team searched the entire premises after entering and found no trace of Edward. Yet, Edward’s life-lamp here at the Bureau remains lit. This implies that Edward, who disappeared inside the house ten years ago, is still alive but no longer inside that building. This is one of the key issues we need to discuss today."

The Colonel rubs the iron-lion ring on his finger and asks in a low voice, "What about the personnel involved in this mission?"

"They are on the third page of the documents in your hands," Lin Yanxue replies.

Shang Liang flips through the pages casually and lets out a mocking laugh. "The strongest combatant is only a Grade 3 Fixer, and one sent out by the Minister of the Second Department using private privileges. It’s a miracle that this configuration could resolve the Blood Demon incident. Looking at the mission parameters alone, I see no sign that the higher-ups placed any importance on this operation."

"In truth, the higher-ups never intended to resolve the House of Blood Demon issue this time; the original purpose was merely observation. Everything that happened was the result of a series of minor accidents. Fortunately, judging by the final outcome, the matter is indeed resolved, and the villa has returned to normal."

At this, Lin Yanxue sighs with relief. Based on the latest deciphered content from *The Dorian Gray Notes*, the potential threat of the House of Blood Demon far exceeded the Bureau's initial projections. Resolving this anomaly by pure happenstance was nothing short of dumb luck.

"Where is this sole survivor, Xia Shou, mentioned in the report?" the Colonel asks sternly.

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"He is still in detention. According to his testimony, after the Beastmaster handed him the relic, he went into the depths of the house alone, while Xia Shou stayed in the foyer. It wasn't until an hour later, when the foyer door opened on its own, that he was able to leave the House of Blood Demon safely. Oh, and this survivor is a subordinate of Minister Shangguan; he appears to be a newcomer who joined today, with an anomaly rating of only Level 1," Lin Yanxue explains.

"His performance this time was excellent," the smile on Shangguan Yan’s face remains as fixed as a mask.

The Colonel frowns, asking with stern caution, "Why send a Level 1 employee to participate in such a high-risk mission?"

"I apologize, but this matter involves a non-disclosure agreement, so I cannot say more. I can only reveal that the application was approved by the Deputy Director," Shangguan Yan replies with a smile.

Shang Liang pushes his sunglasses onto his forehead and stares at Shangguan Yan, joking half-heartedly, "Minister Shangguan really is quite the social butterfly."

"Not at all. If I could, I would love to maintain a childlike heart until I’m thirty, just like Professor Shang Liang," Shangguan Yan laughs.

"Hahaha! I can teach you, but there’s a tuition fee."

Seeing the topic veering off course, Lin Yanxue quickly steers it back. "Although this approval involves a confidentiality agreement, Xia Shou’s personal file is complete and contains no omissions. Do the two of you have any thoughts on the outcome of this incident?"

"While I cannot make a 100% definitive conclusion, it is impossible for a team of that caliber to conquer this anomaly," the Colonel says, setting down the documents. This is his final answer.

Shang Liang raises a hand in agreement. "Under normal circumstances, it’s impossible to succeed. Of course, one cannot rule out the possibility of someone having a sudden, extraordinary burst of potential; after all, similar things have happened in the Bureau’s history. If I must explain this result, it could only be that the Grade 3 Fixer had a sudden awakening of potential and killed the Blood Demon. Besides, so many people died in that house, yet only the Beastmaster’s body was found. The process is self-evident, isn't it?"

After a pause, Shang Liang looks up at Shangguan Yan across the table. "But more than that, I’m curious why Minister Shangguan chose to send this person as support?"

Shangguan Yan shrugs with a smile, indicating she has nothing to say.

Shang Liang turns his gaze toward Lin Yanxue.

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"Looking at me won't help; my clearance is no higher than yours. Let’s get back to the point. If these were the only suspicious aspects, we wouldn’t have summoned you here. There are several other strange things regarding this operation that deserve attention. First, the Analysis Department's initial judgment, like yours, was that this mission was doomed to fail. They believed that if anyone managed to emerge from the house, they were undoubtedly a Blood Demon parasite. Therefore, to contain the parasite, the higher-ups arranged for 678 and the Execution Squad to handle it. However, on the scene, after 678 attempted to attack Xia Shou, it stopped halfway, abandoned the plan, and to this day, 678 has provided the Bureau with no explanation."

"That guy isn't the type of lizard to act without reason, is it? I feel it’s actually quite reasonable," Shang Liang muses, rubbing his chin.

Lin Yanxue continues, "Furthermore, the Execution Squad members who attacked Xia Shou had their hands severed, yet no one on the scene perceived anything anomalous about the event. Their memory of the incident was 'axiomatized'; when questioned, they could not provide any reasonable explanation."

The Colonel immediately presses, "What about the footage from the scene?"

"We let people watch it, but the staff who viewed the recording also concluded that the severing of the Execution Squad’s arms was a matter-of-course, self-evident, and normal phenomenon," Lin Yanxue replies.

"Even their thinking has been axiomatized? This is clearly an anti-meme. Let me see that footage," Shang Liang says, suddenly intrigued.

"Professor Shang, don't be too confident. Mo Yunxi just watched it, and she also felt there was nothing abnormal," Lin Yanxue warns.

Shang Liang freezes at these words and mutters, "In other words, the anomaly level of this anti-meme is higher than Mo Yunxi’s."

"Correct. Additionally, according to a clue provided by a certain Minister, before entering the House of Blood Demon, the Beastmaster actually intended to devour Xia Shou to increase his odds of defeating the Blood Demon. But in the end, not only did he not eat Xia Shou, he even handed the relic over to him."

With that, Lin Yanxue finishes her report. The people in the room fall into a long, heavy silence.