The magnifying glass swept across the paper, and lines of text began to appear before the middle-aged man’s eyes. His voice drew out in an unusually bizarre intonation.
"Write~~"
This sound imdiately reminded Feng Xue of a certain old-school comic skit about "putting out fires with a copper hat," but this gentleman didn’t need a scribe. Instead, he picked up a pen and began writing rapidly.
Feng Xue didn’t attempt to approach him, as he noticed that from the mont this gentleman pulled out the magnifying glass, all the staff with a distinct military disposition tensed up. Their readiness to spring into combat at the slightest hint of motion made him understand just how important this middle-aged man, or the magnifying glass in his hand, truly was.
In fact, it wasn’t much different from what Feng Xue had anticipated. Although the item numbered 22 was rely a treasure, in so sense it was one of the most important magic items in the entire Yan Country Kaidan Counterasure Bureau.
As an identification item, its effect was actually quite average, but its greatest advantage was in being able to detect or even amplify "flaws."
Magic items were useful indeed, but the negative effects inherent in them were the truly troubleso part, especially when so items’ negative impacts didn’t take effect imdiately. Their influence was subtle and gradual. By the ti soone beca aware, it might already be too late.
For instance, at the branch in Shanghai, there was once a magic item known as the "Wealth Secret Manual." Simply carrying it promised riches, but over ti, the Kaidan Counterasure Bureau discovered that as the item was worn longer, its wearer gradually lost their humanity.
There were many such side effects, so much so that nowadays when the Kaidan Counterasure Bureau obtained an apparition, it would be sent first to headquarters. Only after being identified by the item numbered 22 would the appropriate containnt, storage, and use protocols be established.
One might say that this excursion with item 22 from the capital was in itself a highly risky affair, yet the Kaidan Counterasure Bureau understood they couldn’t ask the "instructor" to visit headquarters.
After registering the basic details of the paper, the middle-aged man sighed with relief. Carefully securing the magnifying glass, he then signaled for the staff to lock the paper inside a safe.
"Mr. Feng, the handover is complete. The basic functions are as you described. Here is the receipt." The middle-aged man solemnly produced a receipt resembling a pawn ticket. After Feng Xue confird it wasn’t an apparition or an apparition derivative, he nodded and took it, saying:
"When will the event begin?"
"Tentatively tomorrow morning. Here is the Counterasure Bureau’s contact information. If there are any details you wish to add, you can contact directly." The man handed over a business card without a title. Feng Xue accepted it with a smile, pocketing it without a glance.
Several cars left in a hurry, as quietly as they had appeared. Finally, Liu Qi breathed a sigh of relief, anxiously and curiously gazing at the departing vehicles with a hint of trepidation:
"Master, what did they take away? The legendary state-destroying strategy?"
"Don’t ask about what you shouldn’t. When you’ve mastered your skills, what you need to know, you’ll naturally know." Feng Xue rolled his eyes, picked up his small quilt, and wrapped himself up as if to say, "I’m going to sleep, don’t bother ."
Liu Qi could only sigh at his master’s "superior deanor," then retreat beneath the bridge pier, utilizing his inner strength to ward off the cold, all the while imagining how his master might reveal a miracle to the world.
...
"What do you all think he plans to do to ’reveal a miracle’?" It wasn’t just Liu Qi. At that mont, the Kaidan Counterasure Bureau Headquarters, as well as the two major branches in Xijing and Rong City, and the Luzhou office, were all contemplating this question.
"Is there even a need to guess? By the riverside, in a busy traffic area, yet it can’t cause human casualties, and he requested an ambulance from us. Of course, it’s the old tradition of using qinggong to cross the river! Maybe even lifting a car with one hand while crossing." Liu Yingqiang, as a martial art enthusiast, naturally offered an answer. Martial arts novels, throughout history, always loved using this as a thod for swagger.
In essence, to prove soone’s martial prowess, aside from having them really fight or showcasing special effects with a wave of the hand, qinggong was the most expressively potent.
Balancing a white elephant across the river on a reed, treading snow without a trace while bearing a thousand pounds, iron palms lifting a cauldron while skipping on water...
Whether in ancient tales or modern comics and novels, having a person move on water while bearing a load was a visually powerful demonstration of strength.
Everyone found nothing wrong with Liu Yingqiang’s explanation, though as ti ticked on, a series of staff mbers still grew nervous.
...
"Arrest, arrest, arrest..."
At dawn, Feng Xue lifted a sleepless Liu Qi, who had spent the whole night thinking wildly, starting their usual martial arts practice by the river. As daylight gradually broke, more pedestrians appeared just like any other day. Many were drawn to Feng Xue’s unrestrained temperant, capturing photos and posting them on social dia. But at this mont, soone noticed sothing slightly amiss—
The usually smooth national highway was now congested, though it wasn’t yet the peak of rush hour.
"It’s happening, it’s happening, it’s happening, it’s happening..."
"Arrest, arrest, arrest, arrest..."
Sirens from police cars and fire engines echoed simultaneously, as a few interview vehicles were faintly visible. The bridge was so jamd that police, firefighters, and reporters had no choice but to proceed on foot.
"I am reporter Li Li. I am now standing on the bridge on National Highway xxx. Just ten minutes ago, there was a traffic accident right here. A dump truck overturned, causing a roadblock. Police and firefighters have now arrived on the scene. Fortunately, it seems there were no casualties. However, due to vehicular congestion, it might be a while before the path is cleared..."
The news reporter stood on the crowded pedestrian path. Besides the office workers hurrying to work, there were many onlookers attracted by the event.
With the proliferation of smartphones, people snapping whatever they see on the road have beco more common, leading to bizarre instances where reporters get interviewed in return.
However, as there were no fatalities involved, there wasn’t much to capture at the accident scene. After recording the overturned dump truck and the scattered sandstone, the onlookers with phones were ready to disperse. The reporter also seized the opportunity as the crowd slowly dissipated to signal the caraman to start filming the surrounding environnt.
And it was at this mont that an exceptionally photogenic figure entered the fra.
Though he appeared to be a beggar, a peculiar temperant exuded from him, rendering any lens that fell upon him unable to shift away.
At this mont, by the beggar’s side stood an ambulance emitting the sound "vroom, vroom, vroom..." parked at the end of the blocked road.
The beggar spoke to the driver about sothing, and then, with the driver looking incredulous, he walked towards the riverbank, lugging an amusingly large orca pillow.
What was he going to do?
Many who noticed this scene were struck by curiosity, leading to a paradigm-shifting performance.
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