After getting off, Huangfu Jun looked up to see a vast expanse of lush green—a primeval forest untouched by modern civilization.
She took out the special business card Bai Lin had given her. The text denoting the person's name read: "Yaojing Construction Industry Co., Ltd., Chairman: Yao Jing."
As Huangfu Jun blinked, the text suddenly changed, becoming directions: when, where, under which tree to turn left or right.
Huangfu Jun breathed a sigh of relief. The Monster Bureau's business card was indeed extraordinary. Following the instructions, she easily found the entrance to the forest.
A sign stood at the entrance: "Entry for Yaojing Company Employees."
Huangfu Jun stepped into the forest. Layers of green receded, and a cluster of ancient-style buildings gradually appeared before her.
Huangfu Jun held her breath, stunned by the strange and beautiful scenery.
Countless rose vines intertwined to form a huge flower arch. Even the courtyard walls were covered with fiery red roses, as passionate as flames. A gentle breeze passed, filling the air with fragrance and scattering petals.
Behind the arch was a bluestone path lined with tall locust trees. Though it was midsummer, the crowns were still covered with white locust flowers, exuding a quiet elegance compared to the intense roses outside.
Further ahead was a Chinese-style office building.
Bright, eye-blinding gold bricks and glazed tiles, antique red wood window frames, frosted glass windows—extremely elegant and serene.
Looking at the tall golden company sign on the rose wall: "Yaojing Construction Engineering Co., Ltd."
Huangfu Jun couldn't help but purse her lips.
Bai Lin was supposed to be her guide, but now that she had entered the Monster Bureau, she didn't know when he would appear.
She tentatively called out in her brainwaves: [Bai Lin-gege, are you there?]
The mission that had appeared on the business card that night was to find this company called Yaojing Construction Industry.
If she couldn't find the Monster Bureau, the mission would fail. But now that she had found it successfully, the mission must be complete.
Huangfu Jun continued: [I've completed the trial required on the card. Can you now unlock the background introduction about the demon world?]
After a few seconds, the cold yet pleasant male voice sounded faintly: [It's not entirely as you imagine. On this Lanxing, there exists another layer of space, which we call the First World. The time-space you are in is the Second World.]
[The rulers of the First World are far higher-order beings than all life in the Second World. They have their own operational rules and laws.]
[With laws, there are those who obey and those who break them. Though few in number, they cannot be ignored. To maintain order, lawbreakers are deprived of their right to live in the First World and exiled to the Second World—the world you inhabit.]
[Life forms exiled to the Second World are too powerful; they can easily cause great destruction here. For example, a massive battle among all exiles once severely damaged the entire planet. Although Lanxing barely recovered, the dominant species at the time, the dinosaurs, went completely extinct.]
Huangfu Jun: ...
Huangfu Jun: ???
Huangfu Jun: !!!
Huangfu Jun: So high-end, huh? Rulers of the First World, so awesome, ahead of the Second World, heh, keep boasting.
Bai Lin's voice continued: [That impact also affected the First World. The First World specially sent an envoy to collectively imprison and supervise the exiles in the Second World.]
Huangfu Jun, cradling her shattered scientific worldview, said sarcastically: [Wow~ The most awesome rulers of the First World~ I understand that being looked down upon by the First World is our fate. But such awesome rulers can still be affected by our Second World? So contradictory~]
Bai Lin: [Though life forms are advanced, the foundation of their living space is not controlled by them.]
Huangfu Jun suddenly understood the mystery and nodded: [Oh~ I see. So they're powerful, but not that powerful; they still have to obey our natural laws. A strong dragon cannot crush a local snake; a tiger falls to the plains.]
Then she thought of something and asked: [So you lawbreaking ruler... people—oh, they're called exiles, right? Because their abilities far exceed ours in the Second World, humans have historically regarded them as demons and monsters?]
Bai Lin: [Some have also been called gods by humans.]
Huangfu Jun scoffed.
Bai Lin neither confirmed nor denied: [The unit I work for is the special 'prison' set up by the envoy for the exiles. Prisons have guards. For ease of management, the envoy selected 77 compliant ones from among the exiles and established 77 prisons across the globe.]
Huangfu Jun's gaze instantly turned cold.
She realized that what followed was the important part related to her.
As if guessing her thoughts, Bai Lin couldn't help but laugh twice before continuing: [Awakened ability users like you, who come to it halfway, are called half-demons—a taboo and a bug. My role is to guide and supervise your entry into the Monster Bureau worksite, i.e., the Monster Bureau prison, for unified management, so that others don't snatch you away.]
Huangfu Jun raised an eyebrow: [Who are 'others'? Besides entering the Monster Bureau prison, where else can I go?]
Bai Lin: [The Supervision Bureau, the Hua Kingdom Half-Demon Supervision Bureau. All half-demons are managed by the Half-Demon Supervision Bureau. But you are an anomaly, a bug; I am responsible for your supervision and management.]
Huangfu Jun frowned deeply. She didn't want to be caught by some inexplicable system that suddenly appeared.
Huangfu Jun: [But that Half-Demon Supervision Bureau sounds like the proper place for half-demons, doesn't it?]
Bai Lin: [To them, you are also an anomaly. If you enter the Supervision Bureau, you'll only become a dissected experiment. Are you sure you want to go?]
Huangfu Jun: [A leader as wise and mighty as Bai Lin-gege is nowhere else to be found. I won't go.]
Bai Lin, far away, smiled.
Huangfu Jun blinked her watery eyes: [After entering the Monster Bureau, what tasks will Bai Lin-gege give me?]
[I am your superior, it's true, but I won't manage you. You have to walk your own path.]
[Oh.] Huangfu Jun pursed her lips and shifted the topic: [Bai Lin-gege, what exactly is your position in the Monster Bureau?]
Bai Lin paused for a moment before slowly answering: [The strongest god of slaughter in the demon world.]
Huangfu Jun nodded: [Mm.]
His strength indeed seemed formidable.
Bai Lin: [The first war god of the Hua Kingdom's Monster Bureau.]
Huangfu Jun nodded: [Mm.]
Bai Lin: [The only legendary great demon not bound by Monster Bureau rules.]
The corner of Huangfu Jun's mouth twitched: [Th-this strong?]
Something seemed slightly off.
Bai Lin: [To me, rules are meant to be broken.]
Bai Lin continued: [The only surviving ancient great god-level demon in the current demon world.]
Huangfu Jun: [...]
Bai Lin: [Finally, I am your benefactor, as vast as a mountain, whose grace you can never repay even with utmost gratitude and devotion—Lord Bai Lin.]
Huangfu Jun: [...]
Since he was boasting so much, she might as well follow his logic and dig a pit for him~
[Bai Lin-gege is so powerful; he surely won't let my colleagues bully me. Bullying me is equivalent to slapping Bai Lin-gege's face!]
Bai Lin: ...