Cao Junmin was a man who paid great attention to appearance. Perhaps because of his humble origins, he was more demanding of himself in his words and deeds than true aristocrats.

At almost any time, his hair was combed neatly, his clothes were neatly ironed, and his face was filled with a gentle smile of an academic.

He maintained this habit for decades and never lost his composure in front of others.

Now, he sat in front of his own luxurious desk, rubbing his face back and forth uncontrollably with his hands.

His hair was messy, his face was swollen, and he was in a low mood. He no longer had the elegance he once had.

On the desk was a thick stack of papers, which were the investigation reports on last night's assassination. It took a lot of effort to collect and organize them, but they were of no use now.

Soon, he no longer had to worry about these things.

He was dismissed from his post and was about to leave the center of power in the empire.

The assassinations of the Minister of War and the Earl were not something that could be easily brushed aside. Someone had to take the blame.

Cao Junmin, who came from a humble background, had lost his backing, and was still the head of the Public Security Department, became the best candidate.

The head of the Public Security Agency failed to maintain the security of Kyoto, which led to the assassination of two important officials of the Empire in their own government. He had to accept the interrogation and resigned.

Cao Junmin didn't understand how he had ended up in this situation. He didn't know why he had been so unlucky these days. He had spent countless amounts of money and almost given up everything to curry favor with the people who supported him, but they all fell one after another.

His career had finally come to an end.

There were the sounds of footsteps walking back and forth outside the office door.

At this moment, many of his trusted personnel in the Sheriff's Office were under investigation. Apart from his office, the entire Sheriff's Office was filled with officers sent by the Royal Guard to investigate and take over.

"Xiao Ji, how did things turn out like this?" Cao Junmin rubbed his swollen eyes and looked up to ask Ni Ji who was standing in front of him.

Like him, Ni Ji has been running around from last night until now, taking over various affairs without a moment's rest.

But he stood there, legs apart, back straight, eyes bright, without a trace of fatigue on his face.

Being young is good, Cao Junmin thought. He had been working all night and busy for so long. He didn't look tired at all. He was still handsome, straight and energetic.

No wonder the minister fell in love with her at first sight.

As this thought flashed through his mind, he intuitively caught something.

He had carefully investigated Jiang Yimei's preferences and knew that she had some hidden hobbies that were unknown to others. He knew that she liked strong and handsome sentinels like Ni Ji.

He deliberately recommended Ni Ji in front of Jiang Yimei.

What did the arrogant Minister of War say at that time?

"He's a good boy, he should be rewarded. Bring him to play with me often."

That's why he took Ni Ji to the Jiang family's dinner last night. When they went there, he certainly hinted slightly, but Ni Ji didn't show any obvious resistance, and even dressed up to cooperate.

Cao Junmin's heart began to pound.

His mind flashed through all the things that had happened in the past few days since Ni Ji came back.

People died and accidents happened one after another. None of them seemed to be related to Ni Ji. However, there were always some clues that made him, Ni Ji's direct superior, feel that something was wrong.

Cao Junmin raised his head in surprise and couldn't help but look at the student standing not far from him.

Ni Ji changed out of the clothes he wore to the banquet and put on a black sentry uniform with the silver epaulettes of the Public Security Department on his shoulders. He had a cold look on his face and his back was straight.

He is a sentinel, a sharp knife, a ferocious weapon, ready to be thrown into the battlefield at any time. He can never be a flower at a banquet that can be picked by anyone.

Ni Ji can be said to be the student who grew up under Cao Junmin's watch. In fact, he understands this student better than anyone else.

Would he really be? A gentle, docile man who could kneel down?

Cao Junmin knew what Ni Ji had done last night. On the desk was a thick stack of report pages with Ni Ji's name on it. There were witness testimonies and the signatures of investigators, clearly recording that Ni Ji was not alone last night.

Among the list of so many sentries who could not produce evidence, Ni Ji was obviously innocent.

But once the flame of doubt is born, it is difficult to suppress it.

For some reason, Cao Junmin wanted to ask again.

"Xiao...Xiao Ji." Cao Junmin's dry lips trembled, and he asked vaguely, "Where did you go last night?"

Ni Ji looked at him, and the look in his eyes was the same as it had been these days, not particularly humble, but also somewhat gentle.

"Teacher, what do you want to ask?" Ni Ji's tone was very calm. "I followed you into the venue and came out with you. I have written about the time I was away in the report."

Cao Junmin's mind exploded.

It's him.

He knew this man and should have known what a dangerous guy he was.

He caused me trouble several times back then, and no matter what I did I could not convince him. At one point I was so angry that I almost died.

How could I have been deceived by his lowered head these days?

Ni Ji's words were spoken lightly, but they woke him up.

He knew he couldn't ask any more questions. Even if Ni Ji really did something, he could only pretend he didn't know and hope that it would never be discovered by others.

He was the one who transferred Ni Ji's military position back from the northern border, he was the one who brought him to the Earl's Mansion, and he was also the one who introduced him to Jiang Yimei.

Earl's Mansion!

The more Cao Junmin thought about it, the more frightened he became. He remembered that when the Earl got into trouble, Ni Ji was not actually in front of him.

He wrote the testimony himself, proving that he, Ni Ji, and Tan Shu were together. If these things were really related to Ni Ji, then he would not be able to clear himself of the crime. Even Tan Shu, the only person who could testify, was dead.

Cao Junmin looked up at Ni Ji in surprise with some snacks.

Ni Ji was a very tall man with a calm look. He stood in front of the table and calmly looked down at himself slumped in the chair.

"Teacher, what are you thinking about? I am a student promoted by you. If you have anything to do, you can ask me to do it." said the sentinel captain who had just returned from the North.

His tone was calm, without a trace of panic as if someone had discovered his whereabouts.

Cao Junmin's heart trembled. He was a very sensitive person and he understood the hidden threat in Ni Ji's words.

He knew why Ni Ji was not afraid of him.

If Ni Ji is arrested, as long as he insists that he was instructed by his superior Cao Junmin, he will not be able to clear himself.

Who would believe that a sentinel who had just returned from the North would do such a terrible thing without any instructions?

Cao Junmin felt a sense of suffocation and fear as if someone was strangling his throat.

The best way is to know nothing and not think about anything.

At least for now, nothing extra can be done.

He? How dare he? Cao Junmin's back was covered in cold sweat.

Memories of the past come alive.

He really dares, Cao Junmin thought to himself, he has been such a person who dares to do anything since he was a child.

Back then, when he was still a student, he had no one to rely on and his body had not yet fully grown, but he dared to disobey the orders of his "principal". He could not be made to compromise by beatings, punishments, or exile.

His unruly nature had never yielded to reality and had never been truly broken by anyone.

Now, the young boy has grown up, becoming taller, stronger, calmer and more adept at disguise.

He disguised his strong and proud character under a gentle appearance, returned here, and performed an astonishing act.

It is even easy to force yourself to shrink, compromise and not dare to resist in his shadow.

For the first time, Cao Junmin felt that he was old and his heart was broken.

After a lifetime of toiling and giving up everything to build a high-rise building, it is nothing but an illusory castle in the sky, which will collapse in a moment.

Finally he lowered his head.

"You can go out now." The old principal waved his hand behind the desk. "By the way, Officer Luther from the Royal Guard has some tasks to hand over and has asked you to do it. Go and meet him."

Before Ni Ji left, he looked back one last time.

Behind the desk, the usually tall figure seemed to be hunched in an instant.

He remembered when he had just entered Sentinel Academy.

At that time, he was still a young child, and the principal was just a teacher in the school who took special care of these children from poor backgrounds.

As a young boy at that time, he was grateful to his teacher and wanted to use what he had learned to win honor for his teacher and school.

But as time passed, the teacher became the principal, then the head of the Public Security Bureau, and abandoned his original heart on the road to promotion.

And am I the same? No longer the boy I was in school?

***

Luther, the commander of the Royal Guard, Ni Ji once met this real power holder in the imperial military at the Earl's mansion.

This officer had a conspicuous scar on the corner of his left eye, which made his handsome face look serious at all times.

With the economic power of the nobles in the White Tower, everyone has the ability to heal all old wounds in the treatment room. But in this aristocratic circle where everyone pays attention to appearance, he let the scar remain on his face forever.

The commander's fierce face is almost his personal trademark, making people unforgettable.

Sitting in the command center of the Public Security Bureau, Luther, who took over the work of the Public Security Bureau, did not seem to be very concerned about the stabbing case of Jiang Yimei, nor did he care much about the handover process of the Public Security Bureau.

He handed over all matters to the clerical staff around him, and sat there studying a map of the contaminated area with his adjutant wearing glasses.

When he saw Ni Ji coming in, he turned around and waved to Ni Ji.

"Just in time. I was just about to find someone to call you."

Ni Ji stood at the door and performed a standard sentry salute.

The commander sat down on the table, put on his boots, and picked up a sentinel file from the table.

Ni Ji's profile.

"I've seen your file. You've been to the contaminated area 380 times, and you're called the Ice Blade by the sentinels in the North." Luther sat there, flipping through the thick resume. "I heard that you helped Cao Junmin get the ancient energy stone from the No. 5 contaminated area last time. It's a pity for someone like you to stay in the Public Security Department to deal with petty thefts."

Ni Ji stood with his hands behind his back in the standard military posture of a sentry, showing neither excessive excitement nor appearing humble or nervous.

In front of a commander who was several levels higher than him, when the highest authority in the Royal Guard showed his interest in him.

He just stood there quietly, waiting for what Luther was going to say next.

Luther closed his stack of resumes, pointed at him with his resume folder, and looked at the adjutant beside him with an inquiring look, "Ji Xuan, what do you think?"

Adjutant Ji Xuan pushed his glasses and said, "I also think he is good and has a stable personality."

Luther jumped down from the table, took a big step forward, put his arm around Ni Ji's shoulders and walked back.

"It's like this, our special operations team is very short of manpower right now. We want you to join."

Ni Ji's eyes moved slightly.

In the capital of the Empire, any department beginning with the word "Te" is directly under the Queen's command. They have special powers and mysterious functions.

For example, the Special Operations Division of the Guard Branch, the Special Research Division of the Scientific Research Department Branch, the Special Investigation Division of the Police Security Branch, and so on.

They are all ordinary people and it is a department that is difficult to join.

"What do you mean? Be straightforward." Luther held his shoulder tightly. "The treatment will not be unfair to you, but the risks are definitely not small either."

"Of course, it is my honor to be favored by the commander." Ni Ji replied.

Luther smiled and put his big hand on the map on the table. "Very good. I like straightforward people."

Ni Ji's eyes followed his hand and fell on the map. Soon, a trace of doubt appeared on his face.

"Golden tree?"

"That's right," Adjutant Ji Xuan raised his head and said, "According to Her Majesty the Queen's order, we are preparing to explore the Golden Tree contaminated area."

Ni Ji frowned slightly: "Contaminated Area 77."

Contaminated Area 77, also known as the Golden Tree, is a contaminated area that was created not too long ago but is extremely dangerous.

Regardless of day or night, almost all exploration teams that entered the cave never returned. The few sentinels that were lucky enough to escape also fell into a state of insanity without exception.

Those sentinels who managed to escape from the contaminated area would only repeat three words over and over again after returning: "Golden tree, golden tree, golden tree..."

"It's the Golden Tree in Area 77. We plan to take it down." Luther tapped the drawings and documents on the table with his fingers. "No one has successfully conquered this contaminated area yet. But it has been spreading. We plan to gather elite sentinels like you who have rich experience in entering and leaving contaminated areas to discuss a plan to conquer it."

All of them were action-oriented people, and they quickly started discussing the drawings and materials. Just when the atmosphere of the "discussion" was in full swing, Ni Ji's personal terminal flickered slightly.

Ni Ji lowered his head slightly and took a look. It was an avatar that he had added for a long time but had never lit up on his terminal.

The avatar was set by Ni Ji herself privately.

A tiny moon.

Ni Ji's fluent speech paused when faced with the new map and complex information, and he put his wrist behind his back.

"You can handle it first, it's okay." Ji Xuan glanced at him and said, "We will be here for a long time. It's a good time to take a break."

"A guide, a personal terminal that was added at the banquet yesterday." Ni Ji pulled his wrist back, his expression calm and relaxed, and he looked at Ji Xuan without the slightest avoidance.

Seeing the portrait that suddenly popped up, his heartbeat slowed down a bit, but he quickly suppressed his emotions.

He would never be like last time when he was completely unprepared in facing Tan Shu's questions and let everyone see through his flaws at a glance.

Ni Ji even smiled at the sharp adjutant, "She asked me a little question, so I gave her a reply."

The tall and handsome sentry stood by the window, replying to a message from a girl he just met last night. His beautiful eyebrows relaxed, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly with a smile, looking relaxed and happy.

The orderlies brought in tea, and Luther and Ji Xuan picked up their cups and took a rest.

Ji Xuan nodded to Luther, indicating that he really accepted it.

There were some things he hadn't said until he saw the sentry standing by the window chatting with the girl. Only then did he feel relieved and decided to choose this person to participate.

Ji Xuan doesn't like people who are too serious and flawless.

People like that always seem to have some hidden purpose in their hearts, which makes him feel difficult to grasp.

Ni Ji, who would open the screen in front of the guide and chat with the girl in front of others, left a more vivid impression on him than the cold sentinel in the legend.

Instead, it made him feel a little more relieved.