“Lin Xun, congratulations!”

“Congrats on the promotion.”

“That’s the headquarters, you know. It’s a place I don’t even dare to dream of.”

“Cheers!”

In the hotel’s private room, everyone raised their glasses together. Among them were not only Apostles from the Intelligence Division, but also Wang Zong and Lu Caiyi from the Armed Division.

“Lin Xun, I remember I was the one who brought you into the organization at the start. It’s only been a few short months, and now you’re being transferred to the Yun Capital City headquarters…”

Ye Xiaoqi’s cheeks were flushed from drinking. She patted Lin Xun’s shoulder with feeling.

Publicly, the female superior only announced that Lin Xun was being transferred to take up a post at the Yun Capital City headquarters, without making public his entry into the Apostle Committee.

After all, leaping directly from a local team member to a Councilor was too astonishing a jump. Without having rendered colossal merit, it would be hard to explain the reasoning.

Even just announcing he was being transferred to Yun Capital City headquarters was enough to make colleagues both envious and amazed that he was rocketing straight up the ladder.

Everyone offered blessings to him, who would be transferred to Yun Capital City the next day, and the celebration lasted late into the night before dispersing.

After taking a leak, Wang Zong was about to leave the hotel and head home when he glanced back and noticed that only Lu Caiyi remained in the private room.

The girl in white stared blankly at the wine glass on the table in a daze.

As someone who had been around, he knew at a glance what was going on.

That kid Lin Xun had gone undercover to become the Twelfth Disciple and was about to join the Apostle Committee and be promoted to Councilor. His battlefield in the future would be far broader.

He might go to Yun Capital City, or somewhere else, but he definitely wouldn’t stay in Wen City.

That brat and Yiyi had always kept things ambiguous and still hadn’t defined their relationship.

The two of them had stayed in Wen City and it was like that already. Once transferred far away with a vast distance between them, would there still be a chance to continue?

“Yiyi…”

“Team Leader Wang!”

Wang Zong was about to offer some comfort when the girl cut him off.

“Team Leader Wang, could you write me a letter of recommendation?”

“I… I want to go to Yun Capital City and join Kunlun.”

Wang Zong was dumbfounded.

Kunlun was a high-level combat organization under the Apostle Committee. Shangguan Yu, who had once teamed up with them to tackle the Easter Egg Bookmark, was a Kunlun roving enforcer.

Compared to the Heavenly Punishment Units in the provincial capitals, Kunlun’s level was higher, belonging to a top-tier combat institution.

It was the very front line of the war with the New World, and also the organization with the highest mortality rate within the official system.

For promotion to Councilor, accumulating experience locally was far inferior to joining Kunlun.

So long as you could survive in Kunlun, you would never lack merits for promotion. There were no shortage of Councilors who had been promoted out of Kunlun.

With Lu Caiyi’s strength, she indeed had the qualifications to join Kunlun, it was just… too dangerous.

Kunlun’s mortality rate had always remained high, and too many Apostles had fallen there.

Wang Zong had always treated Lu Caiyi like a beloved niece, even grooming her as his successor.

After he retired, he planned to recommend her to the organization. The position of Armed Division Team Leader in Wen City was definitely going to be handed to Lu Caiyi.

A delicate young girl, with a good Armed Division Team Leader position waiting, why go to that man-eating battlefield?

Yiyi must be doing this to keep up with that brat’s footsteps…

She definitely wanted his support right now, but how could he rest assured letting her join Kunlun?

Wang Zong’s loyalty to the organization was beyond question. If the organization required him to join Kunlun, he would rush to Yun Capital City tonight without a second word.

But upon hearing that Lu Caiyi wanted to join Kunlun, his first reaction was absolutely not.

He very much wanted to refuse. As Lu Caiyi’s superior and the Armed Division’s Team Leader, so long as he didn’t recommend her to the organization, then even if Lu Caiyi persisted to the end, the odds of her getting into Kunlun would be extremely slim.

Wang Zong opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the girl’s gaze was so resolute. In it were hope and even a plea.

He grabbed the bottle of red wine on the table, tilted his head back, and downed it.

Wang Zong wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth and waved a hand as if conceding, “Go, then. Go.”

“Thank you, Team Leader!”

After sending off the cheering girl, Wang Zong stayed alone in the private room, downing one bottle after another.

“Brat, if you dare let Yiyi down, I’ll risk my life to… damn, even if I risk my life, I might not beat him.”

Having been filled with a belly full of alcohol, Lin Xun bid farewell to his colleagues and also declined his female superior’s offer to see him off.

He was about to hail a cab home when he happened to run into Lu Caiyi downstairs at the hotel.

In his memory, he seemed to have already watched Lu Caiyi leave. Only when Little White appeared before him again did Lin Xun realize he really had had too much to drink.

Lu Caiyi froze and couldn’t help asking, “Were you waiting for me?”

“Of course. Little White, why are you so slow? I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”

A stiff-mouthed duck would never admit he was drunk, so he replied glibly.

“Just waiting on you. Once I get you safely into a car, I can go home with peace of mind… hic.”

Right then, a taxi happened by. Lin Xun flagged it down and stuffed Little White inside without further ado.

He felt the girl seemed to want to say something to him, but dizzy from drink, he didn’t pay it much mind.

Only after watching the taxi disappear did Lin Xun slap his forehead, realizing that on the eve of parting he should have given the girl a… promise?

“Forget it. Next time. It’s not like I won’t be back in Wen City.”

The next day, Lin Xun and his female superior took a scheduled flight and arrived in Yun Capital City.

Staring at the towering building before him, he thought back to the shabby three-story building of the Intelligence Division and couldn’t help sighing that headquarters truly was headquarters, rich and imposing.

The Apostle Security Council’s public-facing name was the General Administration of Security Agency Affairs. Security was tight all around. It was the sort of place ordinary people would take one look at and detour around from far away.

According to Li Xingyue, after joining the Apostle Committee, he would still have to continue his undercover life. It was just that the one in charge of him would no longer be Li Xingyue but a big shot at headquarters.

After helping him settle his entry into the Council, the female superior would return to Wen City and continue managing the Intelligence Division.

Lin Xun was very curious who that big shot was, but the female superior deliberately kept him in suspense, saying he would know once they met.

Passing through layers of security, the two entered the headquarters building smoothly.

Lin Xun looked at the people coming and going and found they were all elite types in suits, nothing like the dress freedom of the Wen City Intelligence Division.

His female superior at his side was still in a formal suit and skirt, very fitting for the scene. Only he was dressed casually, which made him a bit conspicuous.

Li Xingyue seemed extremely familiar with headquarters. She led him into the elevator and swiped a card straight to the fifteenth floor.

After arriving on the fifteenth floor, they got into another elevator, swiped again, and reached the top floor, the twenty-fifth.

Lin Xun began to get a feel for it. If the new boss worked on the top floor of headquarters, he had to be a boss among bosses.

He just didn’t know whether this new superior would be easy to get along with.

Li Xingyue treated him extremely well. If Lu Caiyi was the Armed Division’s group favorite, then Lin Xun was the Intelligence Division’s treasured darling.

If he suddenly had to switch to a strict and harsh superior, Lin Xun figured it would be hard to get used to.

They came to an office. The secretary at the door greeted Li Xingyue with great familiarity.

The secretary knocked lightly. After a middle-aged man’s voice replied from inside, the secretary opened the door and invited them in.

Behind the desk were two sets of redwood bookcases, and between them hung a bright red flag.

A sturdily built man in a black Zhongshan suit was staring at him with a burning gaze.

The middle-aged man was rather handsome and his expression was fairly gentle, but somehow he gave off a subtle sense of distance.

It was like you knew this person was cultivated and easygoing and bore you no hostility, but that was an affable bearing formed by long years in high positions, the natural compassion of one above for those below.

His true majesty was revealed to those enemies you had to look up to.

As the middle-aged man sized him up, Lin Xun was also observing his new superior.

He was surprised to find that this new superior’s features faintly resembled Li Xingyue’s.

“Could it be… this is my other future father-in-law, no, my female superior’s father?”

Lin Xun mused inwardly.

“You must be Lin Xun. Xingyue has told me about you many times… truly a promising young talent.”

The middle-aged man stood, shook his hand, and smiled as warmly as a spring breeze. “I am Li Long.”

“We are very pleased to have you join us. The Council is in need of energetic young people like you.”

Holding his new superior’s hand, Lin Xun hadn’t figured out what was going on. He could only produce the standard response of a civil-service monkey and said vaguely.

“Thank you for the leadership’s regard. It is my honor to join the organization and the Council. Only by being diligent and conscientious and working hard can I live up to the leadership’s care, the organization’s expectations, and the people’s trust…”

At the side, Li Xingyue couldn’t help curling her lips and interrupting him. “Lin Xun, it’s rare to see you this solemn. Let me do a formal introduction.”

“This is the Council’s Vice-Chairman, Li Long. He is my uncle.”

“And this is my capable right hand, a member of the Intelligence Division… no, from now on we should say Senior Councilor, Councilor Lin Xun.”

Lin Xun’s eyes widened.

The Apostle Committee’s Vice-Chairman was actually his female superior’s uncle. And it looked like a real uncle at that.

No wonder Ye Xiaoqi had once told him that his female superior’s backing was tough as iron, with a background that would scare someone.

There were three heads of the Council in total, one Chairman and two Vice-Chairmen. They were the Council’s highest leaders and also the highest leaders of the official Apostles.

The three were not honorific figureheads like Honorary Chairmen, but real power figures holding the right to veto any proposal from the Council with a single vote.

“Xingyue, I’m very satisfied with Councilor Lin Xun. Your eye is quite good.”

Li Long smiled slightly at the female superior, with a hint of deeper meaning.

Not knowing what she recalled, Li Xingyue’s expression turned a touch unnatural. She promptly changed the subject and explained to Lin Xun the matters of joining the Council.

As for being selected as a Senior Councilor, his time in the organization was too short and his qualifications insufficient, but those were not big issues.

The only and most fatal issue was that his identity was special.

The New World had just promoted a Twelfth Disciple, and the official Council then suddenly had an additional Senior Councilor from nowhere. It would easily arouse suspicion.

In response, the official final decision was to grant him the identity and benefits of a Senior Councilor, but not to announce the addition of a new Senior Councilor. There would be no record of him in the Councilor files.

While he remained undercover, he could not participate in formal Council sessions, nor could he propose or vote.

Only after he completed his mission and returned to the organization could the officials make his identity public and grant him a formal Senior Councilor status.

Such measures were the officials taking responsibility for the safety of undercover members and also the greatest protection for him.

His file would be transferred to Kunlun, the combat arm under the Apostle Committee, where he would become an ordinary roving enforcer.

When the New World’s Rectification Society assigned him a pasture, Lin Xun could proceed to herd his lambs in that pasture.

Lin Xun had no objection to this. As a former wage earner, he always hated meetings. Not having to attend boring Council sessions suited him just fine.

After settling the relevant matters, his superior from now on would be Li Long. He and Li Long would maintain a single direct line of contact, and he would report confidential intelligence obtained in his capacity as a Disciple.

The organization also arranged a private residence and a dedicated car for him.

In the evening, Lin Xun took his female superior to the airport to say goodbye to the person who had taken such good care of him.

Before leaving, Li Xingyue gave him a frank hug and indicated they should keep in touch often.

“Work hard. Who knows, one day I’ll be promoted to headquarters and once again become your superior.”

Her words still seemed to echo at his ear, but the beauty was already thirty thousand feet above the ground, flying toward that city over one thousand kilometers away.

Lin Xun returned to the residence arranged for him by the organization.

He declined the housekeeper and maid who would have tended his daily life and moved in alone to a small villa slightly removed from the city center.

From the outside, the two-and-a-half-story villa with a small courtyard looked unremarkable, but opening the door gave one a refreshing sense of brightness.

The new Chinese-style decor was simple and elegant. Far from seeming plain, it had a quiet sense of luxury.

Lin Xun was not picky about where he lived. A rental was still living, and a small villa was still living. It was just that suddenly switching to a large place and looking at a big house made him inevitably feel a bit empty.

The nearest buildings in the villa district were hundreds of meters away, and there was abundant greenery to shield privacy.

According to the secretary who arranged his move, this was official property belonging to the Apostle Security Council and could be completely trusted.

Lin Xun thought it over and still cautiously drew the curtains. He carefully inspected the villa from top to bottom. Only after confirming there were no hidden surveillance or bugging devices did he relax.

It wasn’t that he distrusted Li Long and the organization. He was just worried there might be bad people among the masses.

Very soon, the Valkyrie, Nine-Tailed Fox, Snow Woman, and Nurarihyon were released from their spirit orbs.

Having grown used to living in a rental, they found themselves in a new place and were inevitably curious, poking here and prodding there.

“Valkyrie, time to cook dinner. The ingredients are in the fridge in the kitchen.”

“Snow Woman, mm, go tidy up a few bedrooms…”

“Nurarihyon, stop looking. The computer isn’t here. It’s in the study.”

“Nine-Tailed Fox… are we still playing the game of where you hide your tails?”

The familiar warmth returned the moment he saw his summoned beings.

“This new life doesn’t seem bad either. I just wonder where the Rectification Society will assign my pasture.”

After enjoying the dinner cooked by the Valkyrie, Lin Xun finally decided to get down to business.

“It’s time to start a new chapter.”

The Book of Salvation, activate.

In the library, he clicked the massive tome floating at the very center.

[Do you wish to open the next chapter and embark on the next salvation journey?]

[You may randomly enter a fifth-difficulty chapter.]

[In view of achieving a rating of D or above in the previous chapter, you may randomly enter a sixth difficulty chapter.]

[In view of achieving a rating of B or above in the previous chapter, you may randomly enter a sixth difficulty chapter (Nightmare).]

[In view of achieving an SS rating in the previous chapter, you may randomly enter a sixth difficulty chapter (Hell).]

With Lin Xun’s temperament, unless he got stuck at a certain difficulty, only then would he remain at that difficulty, repeatedly running the instance to improve his strength.

Otherwise, he would only advance bravely and keep challenging higher difficulties.

[You have chosen the sixth difficulty chapter (Hell).]

[You have entered an apocalyptic chapter.]

[Chapter 76,324,956]

“The same familiar recipe, the same familiar taste…”

Lin Xun didn’t know up to which difficulty he could advance before encountering a desperate dead end that forced him out of the chapter.

But he had a hunch that even if he hit a wall, it definitely wouldn’t be at the sixth difficulty.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep