Chapter 34 Chapter 34
It is rare for a case that occurred in City X to be assigned to the Monster Bureau in City A across most of China.
According to the management system of the Monster Bureau, the Monster Bureau Headquarters located in Beijing is the highest institution in this system, in charge of all affairs.
Below the General Administration are the four major demon bureaus located in the four directions, and then there are smaller demon bureaus with offices stationed in certain places.
According to the principle of territorial jurisdiction, the case in City X should be handled by the City X Monster Bureau, one of the four major monster bureaus, rather than the City A Monster Bureau, which is thousands of miles away.
"However, the demon bureau over there seems to be on strike." Xiao Du solved Ning Su's doubt with just one sentence.
"You know, we can't pay the wages."
The Yao Bureau is also a government department. Whether it is the salaries and benefits of the staff or the usual office expenses and project funds, they are all paid from the local finances, which is undoubtedly a considerable burden.
For inland cities with weaker economic levels, it is not old news that with the real estate downturn in recent years, the government's finances are difficult to balance and salaries cannot be paid.
"…Is it so difficult?" Ning Su was stunned by this reason.
Of course, having said that, although there was a strike, this case still involved the personal safety of the artists, and the Yao Bureau quickly ended the strike and returned to normal work procedures.
"This kind of case involves the public and public opinion, and everyone knows the severity of the case."
According to Xiao Duko, the two missing artists happened to be guests filming a travel-themed lifestyle variety show.
This variety show is quite popular. If it is broadcast, it will obviously bring a lot of tourists to the local area.
In view of its ability to boost the economy, the local government is very concerned about this case.
Positive publicity can certainly bring popularity, but on the contrary, if the disappearance of the guests becomes a big deal and affects the local image, it may be a different matter.
This is also the reason why the X City Monster Bureau quickly contacted the A City Monster Bureau and requested external assistance once they learned that the matter was related to Ning Su.
"You are a celebrity in our system." Xiao Du said meaningfully when Ning Su asked how the X City Monster Bureau, which was thousands of miles away, knew about him.
Ning Su: “?”
What does this mean?
"Don't you know that the news that you beat up the bureau's staff monsters on your first day here has already spread throughout the major monster bureaus."
It was precisely because of this reputation that the X City Monster Bureau immediately identified the anomaly when it took over the case.
Otherwise, the relevant departments may have to spend time to determine whether this case is related to the monster.
Ning Su: “…”
He really thanked me.
As an ordinary employee, Ning Su doesn't have any special feelings about business trips. When he was still an idol, he traveled all over the country all year round and never had a chance to stop.
In comparison, it was his business trip that made other staff members in the bureau particularly envious.
"I haven't left City A in all these years."
"Me too."
After the "power exchange" when Ning Su joined the company, although the staff were envious and jealous of Ning Su's ability to go on paid business trips, they only complained a little and did not dare to say anything sour.
"Alas, if people are compared with people, they will die; if monsters are compared with monsters, they will be thrown away!" The compiled monsters sighed.
Ning Su ignored these comments. Since the case was quite urgent, he did not delay too much. He went home to put the rice cakes away, said hello to the ginseng spirit, packed two sets of clothes, and turned around to go to work.
"I've booked your tickets. Xiao Du and I can't go this time, so we have to rely on you."
When we arrived at the bureau, Director Tan gave us earnest instructions.
In terms of age, Ning Su is not young, and he has been in the complicated entertainment industry before. But for some reason, Director Tan always feels uneasy about Ning Su going out alone to perform missions.
Perhaps, to some extent, Director Tan really treats Ning Su as a cub.
"Don't worry, I can do it."
Director Tan drove Ning Su all the way to the airport. When he arrived at the airport, Ning Su realized that he was not the only one in his group.
"Director." After receiving the notice, Xiang Yu, who was already waiting at the airport, looked a little embarrassed.
While greeting Director Tan, this man who was once defeated by Ning Su glanced cautiously at Ning Su beside him.
Only after discovering that Ning Su had no extra reaction did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Noticing this little reaction, the girl standing next to Xiang Yu looked extremely happy, as if she had eaten a melon.
"This is Yuxi," Director Tan introduced.
"Hello." This was the first time Ning Su met this new colleague, and he extended his hand with some confusion.
Unexpectedly, this colleague did not return the handshake. Instead, he held his face and exclaimed, "Wow!": "So handsome."
The next second, the other party took out a beautifully bound book from his bag and handed it to Ning Su: "Hello, I'm your fan, can you sign an autograph for me?"
Ning Su: “?”
Seeing that the painting style of this new colleague was not normal, Ning Su was puzzled, but he did not lose face. He picked up the pen and signed for this colleague named Yuxi.
During the signing process, he unexpectedly discovered that the other party seemed to be a real fan of his - both the notebook and the signed pen were actually peripheral products from when he was still in STUN.
If I remember correctly, not many of these peripherals were sold at that time.
"Thank you, boss." Yu Xi took the hot signature and smiled with satisfaction, then shook hands with Ning Su belatedly, and then showed an expression that could be called happiness.
Director Tan and Xiang Yu beside them were both confused.
Fortunately, although my colleagues were a little off the mark, Director Tan was still reliable. He gave a brief introduction to the arrangements for this business trip.
In this operation, Ning Su is naturally the key figure and leader.
But Director Tan persuaded Director Lu to assign him an assistant: "You have had 'communications' with Xiang Yu before, and you are quite familiar with each other. Let him accompany you on this business trip and help you."
When Director Tan was explaining the task to Xiang Yu, he was very clear: "Xiao Ning is new here after all, and he is not familiar with the Monster Bureau or the case handling. You should help him more."
"If there are any blind monsters, try to stop them."
After hearing this, Xiang Yu just nodded, but complained silently in his heart: You are really overthinking it.
Who is so blind as to dare to offend this person? I wonder if he has a long life.
But no matter what, Xiang Yu also figured out his goal - although he was experienced and capable, he was indeed Ning Su's bag-carrying assistant on this business trip.
Thinking of this, Xiang Yu felt secretly sad.
Xiang Yu has been in the Monster Bureau for so many years and has handled countless cases, but why is it that no leader takes him seriously?
Who understands the feeling of no one caring about you?
After briefly introducing Xiang Yu's task assignment, Director Tan finally introduced another colleague who was somewhat confusing.
"I'm Yuxi, helping you with external liaison." Dissatisfied with Director Tan's procrastination, Yuxi raised his hand and introduced himself.
"External liaison?" Ning Su was a little confused.
"Yes." Yuxi said confidently, "One of you is a star, and the other is traveling far away for the first time. Do you want to communicate with others on your own?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Su and Xiang Yu immediately shook their heads.
To some extent, they are all introverts.
Although he still had doubts about the team positioning of his new colleague, the time for plane check-in was approaching. Ning Su said goodbye to Director Tan and left with Xiang Yu following Yu Xi.
They did not go through the normal boarding process, but instead went through security in a separate room.
"You are monsters. This is the monster boarding procedure." As if seeing Ning Su's curiosity, the airport staff whispered.
After examining Ning Su and the other two with special instruments, the staff member coughed and seemed a little embarrassed.
Then, in Ning Su's somewhat surprised eyes, he took out a piece of paper.
"Hi, can you give me an autograph?"
Ning Su: “?”
Although he didn't understand why his popularity suddenly became so high, Ning Su still signed an autograph for the other party and wrote two words of blessing as requested.
"She used rock paper to sign. She's really not pretending at all." After completing the inspection procedure, Ning Su walked out the door and only heard Yuxi mumbling to herself.
"What is rock paper?" Ning Su found that although he had entered the demon world for several months, he was indeed not as good as other little demons in terms of common sense.
"It's paper made from a special kind of rock that's rich in goblin. If nothing goes wrong, it can be preserved for more than a thousand years."
"Yeah?"
Seeing that Ning Su was confused and still didn't understand the staff member's intentions, Yu Xi simply said, "She probably isn't your fan."
"This signature is for sale."
"You are a great demon, and your life span will be very long. Besides, you are so famous now."
"After a few dozen or even a hundred years, your reputation will rise to a new level. Not to mention your signature, even the chance to meet you will be sold at a sky-high price by the little demons."
When saying this, Yuxi couldn't help but use honorifics.
Ning Su: “…”
I didn’t expect that there are fans in the demon world waiting to buy shares!
Although he knew that his signature had become someone else's collector's item without his knowledge, Ning Su was not as angry as Yuxi had imagined.
In fact, compared with the thoughts of the little demons, the human fan circle that Ning Su had come into contact with before was more complicated.
After all, for Ning Su, who is an unknown person, no matter what the other party is coming for, their support is real.
If I had to care about everything, I would have been troubled to death long ago.
However, having said that, after Yuxi's reminder, Ning Su also realized that he had retired from the circle for a long time, and he would probably be more cautious when signing again in the future.
Putting this aside, the rest of the process for Ning Su and his group went quite smoothly. After security check, they successfully boarded the plane.
Their location is on the wing.
At the same time, when boarding the plane, Yuxi also received a piece of paper handed to him by the aircraft staff.
"What is this?" Xiang Yu asked.
"Your physical data."
It turned out that in the previous inspection, the weight of Ning Su and Xiang Yu had been measured by instruments. Yuxi's next job would be to use his magical powers to adjust the weight of the two monsters to a safe value that the aircraft could accept.
"Is it really necessary to go through so much trouble?" Xiang Yu smacked his lips.
As he said this, he glanced at the weight on the paper. He weighed several hundred kilograms, while Ning Su next to him weighed ten times as much as him.
"I'm not usually so particular when riding in a car." As a demon, Xiang Yu is not incapable of enjoying life. He is used to taking taxis and subways on weekdays.
"Can flying in the air be the same as being on the ground?"
Yuxi sneered and said unconvincedly, "What if you see some sky monster on the plane and it gets excited and turns into its original form? Then all the humans on the plane will be in trouble with you."
Xiang Yu: "..."
After imagining this scene, Xiang Yu shut up.
Ning Su thought about Yuxi's logic and was a little curious: "Is it so troublesome for every monster to take a plane?"
Facing his idol, Yuxi immediately lowered his voice and said softly, "That's not the case. Although ordinary little demons also go through the special security check channel, they don't have to adjust their weight like you do."
If we have to be strict about it, some experienced but heavy monsters who have experience in taking advantage of opportunities don't need to do this.
Many monsters have learned to control their own weight, and as long as it falls within the normal human range, that's enough.
But it was Ning Su and Xiang Yu's first time, and they were anxious to seize the opportunity, so the Demon Bureau sent Yu Xi to help.
"Once you master this technique, you will be free." Yuxi explained, "This time, I will serve you first."
As Yuxi finished speaking, Ning Su felt a light bubble appear out of nowhere, and then gently wrapped himself and Xiangyu in it.
Because of this bubble, Ning Su felt that he had become much lighter. At the same time, this bubble seemed to have some calming and soothing effect. In short, staying in this transparent bubble, the flow of demonic power in his body also slowed down a lot.
"Thank you." Realizing that Yuxi's magical power was not only for regulating weight, but also had other auxiliary effects, Ning Su expressed his gratitude.
Yuxi bowed with a smile.
In the following trips, there were fewer accidents. When Ning Su was in his last job, flying was a common thing, so he was not surprised at all.
In comparison, Xiang Yu was much more excited. He sat by the window and screamed when the plane took off. When the plane entered the stratosphere, he stared out the window intently.
Ning Su, who originally thought that Yuxi's bubbles were a bit unnecessary, was now completely convinced.
Monsters are indeed different from each other.
After a four-hour flight, it was already six o'clock in the afternoon when the plane landed.
Arriving at the airport in City X, Yuxi once again demonstrated his strong social skills.
The other party directly contacted the staff of the X City Monster Bureau and communicated the location to pick them up.
Ning Su once again felt the benefits of having an organized and efficient colleague.
After waiting at the designated location for a while, they finally got the X City Monster Bureau staff member who would come to receive them. However, when they got in the car, they saw someone nearby holding up a "gun and a cannon" and taking pictures.
"What are you doing?" Xiang Yu asked curiously.
"They are star-chasers, right?" The staff member from the X City Monster Bureau who came to pick them up was a human. When he heard Xiang Yu's question, he didn't feel confused and answered frankly.
Compared with City A, City X, far to the northwest, is considered a hub of entertainment and fashion, and there aren't so many star-chasing parties at the airport.
However, thanks to a recent show filmed in City X, City X has become famous in the fan circle before the variety show even aired.
These days, fans waiting at the airport are all hoping to run into their idols.
But who would have thought that while a good show was being filmed, the guests participating in the show disappeared.
Thinking of this, everyone in the car fell silent.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. I'll take you there first." The staff from City X realized that the atmosphere in the car was a bit bad and took the initiative to adjust it.
Ning Su and others naturally would not refuse.
The car was quiet for the rest of the journey - as the car sped along the road, Ning Su took the opportunity to see the scenery outside the window.
This is a city with completely different beautiful scenery from City A. It is sunset now. Looking out from the car window, a huge red sun is hanging low in the sky. In the distance, there are endless sand dunes.
Whether it is the wide and straight road or the rough-shaped houses in the distance, they all give Ningsu a sense of grandeur.
...And the style of the X City Monster Bureau is indeed grand and majestic.
After taking them to a location on the edge of the city, the human worker handed over the shift to his colleague.
The new demon colleague greeted them, smiled innocently, then picked up the car and carried it on his back.
"Hello!"
Ning Su couldn't sit still anymore.
"Ah, don't worry, it's because this car is an old one and it runs too slowly." The staff member was anxious to send them over.
“…That’s not the case!”
After a while, Ning Su and Xiang Yu both got out of the car, leaving only Yu Xi as the only demon sitting in the car. The first two ran away with the staff of the X City Demon Bureau.
"We can run, too."
"Oh." The staff member was a little slow to react. It was not until he ran almost ten kilometers that he realized and turned his head to the side. "You guys are running so fast!"
The reason why it was chosen to pick up the monsters was because its load-bearing capacity and speed were among the best in the monster bureau in City X.
But what was unexpected was that these two monsters from other monster bureaus could actually catch up with it.
"It's a piece of cake!" Xiang Yu said while gritting his teeth and gasping.
——Of course, this sentence would be more convincing if I didn’t breathe.
In order to save time, the three monsters ran quickly. If someone were to look from the satellite at this moment, they would probably be able to see three traces of rapid movement.
The further out of the city you go, the more desolate the surroundings become. After running for a while, Ning Su felt that the number of vehicles on the road had dropped dramatically, and at this point, there was not a single person on the road.
At the same time, he once again experienced the desolation of the desert. Unconsciously, the barren rocks on both sides turned into fine sand.
At first glance, all you see is yellow.
"Are they filming the show here?" When the staff from the X City Monster Bureau stopped, Ning Su also stopped and asked.
"Yes, in front."
After walking a few steps forward and following the guidance of the staff, Ning Su saw a group of buildings standing on a sand dune.
Next to this building, there is an unexpected stretch of green.
"……This is?"
"A hotel built by humans." the other party introduced.
In order to match the hotel's facilities, the green space was naturally created.
"Wow." Ning Su couldn't help but sigh.
It obviously cost a lot of money to build this project here. With such a residence, it's no wonder that they had to come here during the recording of this program.
Living here is like living in the midst of heaven and earth.
"They humans say that you can see the stars and the moon here." As he said this, the demon scratched his head.
What’s so good about the stars and the moon?
The monsters in City X didn't understand, but Ning Su and Xiang Yu did - in City A, they had to rely on luck to absorb the moonlight at night.
The weather is bad, so I'm afraid I won't get any results from practicing all night.
On the contrary, standing in the desert of City X, even though it was not yet night, just by standing under the sky, one could already feel the power of the stars and moonlight scattered in the sky.
After traveling thousands of miles, they finally arrived at the place of business trip. The three Ningsu monsters did not rest but followed the organized monsters of City X to meet their leader.
"I'm here." The director of the X City Monster Bureau who was stationed at the crime scene was named Lin. Upon seeing Ning Su, he hurriedly greeted him.
"Go and find out the situation yourself first, I'll tell you later." After saying this, Director Lin left.
Before Ning Su could figure out why, he heard a quarrel breaking out on the other side.
The producers of the variety show were arguing with the police, and the monsters from the Monster Bureau were trying to mediate.
As they were pulling, the monsters in the Monster Bureau also started to quarrel. For a while, there was a constant fight all around.
Ning Su: “…”
Since the argument lasted longer than expected, Ning Su did not wait for Director Lin to synchronize the case situation, but went to find someone to find out more.
Yuxi's social skills came in handy again at this time. She quickly became acquainted with a staff member of the program crew. In the name of official foreign aid, she learned from the other party everything that had happened from last night to today.
It turned out that after the program crew discovered that the program was missing last night, they quickly reported the case to the police.
However, because the area was too remote, the police did not arrive until this morning. They did not know what they found, so they called in another group of people to take over.
To this day, there has been no progress.
"This guest has been missing for 24 hours!" The program crew was also devastated.
Both of these guests are well-known in the circle, and their agents also arrived today, and they are determined to produce some results.
As a result, the artist's management team put pressure on the program crew, and the program crew had to repeatedly ask the police. As the conflict escalated, the two sides finally started quarreling.
But no matter how much we argue, we are all adults and we still need to solve problems after the emotional breakdown.
Director Lin called Ning Su again at this time.
"Do you have any ideas?" Director Lin was the only guest who escaped disappearance because of "Ocean Soul", and he could only look forward to this foreign aid.
"Are you sure this was done by a demon?"
Director Lin nodded: "We have detected evil spirits."
"What's the method of committing the crime?" Ning Su asked, "How did the monster take people away?"
"It's not clear yet." Director Lin looked a little embarrassed.
In fact, with the decline of the Demon Bureau, they have only been able to handle some simple small cases in recent years. This major case is the first time.
Ning Su nodded and said nothing.
"Who are the two artists who were taken away? What do they have in common?"
Director Lin had no choice but to say that he needed to check.
After talking with Director Lin, Ning Su walked out of the other party's tent. At this time, the sky was completely dark, and a huge moon hung in the sky.
Ning Su stood in the moonlight for a while and found that the moonlight was like running water, pouring down continuously. He couldn't help but sigh with happiness.
However, Ning Su had not finished his work and had no time to hang around outside, so he turned and went to the tent area of the program crew.
If he wanted to know more details, he could not rely on Director Lin's second-hand information, but should ask himself.
Fortunately, he was lucky. After explaining the reason, he met the artist who survived last night.
From this artist, he learned the specific time when the crime happened last night.
After saying this, the artist said with some emotion: "It's so dangerous here, I didn't expect you to come here."
What was even more unexpected was that Ning Su would become a public official.
Although he had envied Ning Su's good luck a few days ago, after experiencing these accidents, he was left with only relief and gratitude.
Ning Su smiled at him, said a few words of comfort, and walked out of the tent.
At this time, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.
Twenty-four hours had passed since the incident. The production crew was worried about another incident, so they all hid in the tent. Only a few staff members from the Monster Bureau were still working outside.
Ning Su didn't want to go back to rest so soon, so he chose a higher sand dune and stood on it to look out.
The sand dunes sparkled under the shining moonlight.
At this moment, the wind suddenly blew on the sand dunes.
In this strong wind, Ning Su unexpectedly saw several black shadows rolling in the wind. Upon closer inspection, he found that they were balls of grass.
Tumbleweed?
The name of a plant that often appears in the Gobi Desert appeared in Ning Su's mind.
However, when he was about to walk closer to take a closer look, the tumbleweeds suddenly stopped in mid-air, and then rolled away in the opposite direction against the wind.
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