Chapter 68 Special Training

Unexpectedly, right after we casually took away the already processed computer mainframe, the Bureau Chief received a phone call from that altered voice he hadn't heard in a long time.

The voice on the phone said, "Your proposal has been approved, but the organization wants me to remind you not to act before reporting next time."

The Bureau Chief replied, "I honestly cannot understand why the organization chose her. That little girl is fine and all, but she is far too extreme in her methods. I'm afraid she might grow weary of the training if it goes on too long."

The voice on the phone responded, "The organization has already investigated her background, and our training program will be adjusted to her specific circumstances at any time. Looking at this girl's learning process, I can tell her potential is immense, and she will play a significant role in this upcoming operation. Therefore, you must supervise her training every step of the way, keep a constant eye on her condition, and choose her instructors with utmost care. In short, she must be trained well, yet she must not suffer any accidents. Otherwise, the responsibility will fall squarely on your shoulders. By the way, how is that brat doing lately? I imagine he is about to suffer quite a bit."

The Bureau Chief said, "It is about time he went through some hardships. That kid has had things far too easy these past few years. This time, we need to properly deflate his arrogance, and besides, this is a test for him. As for An Mingshan, I know what needs to be done, and I will ensure she passes through the training safe and sound. Once this is all over, that kid will have to properly thank her."

The voice on the phone asked, "By the way, I need you to come up with a codename for this operation."

The Bureau Chief asked, "Whose idea is this?"

The voice on the phone answered, "Naturally, it's the organization's."

The Bureau Chief said, "I bet it's your idea, and since you couldn't come up with one, you're using the organization's name to make me do it."

The voice on the phone insisted, "It really is the organization's idea."

The Bureau Chief sighed, "Fine, fine, I'll come up with one for you. Let me think—the objective of this operation is to coordinate with the Linfen police to dismantle a cult organization there, and since it will take a long time and is close to the New Year, let's use time as the codename. Let's call it... Operation Year-End."

The voice on the phone retorted, "Do you take me for a fool? If it were that simple, would I have needed you to think of it? Forget it, leave it to the youngsters. We're both old and useless now."

The Bureau Chief asked, "Who will be participating in this mission?"

The voice on the phone replied, "The targets of this mission are extremely dangerous, involving numerous suspects with a certain level of armed force who also practice dark arts. Therefore, Su Wei and Liu Shan will lead the Spirit Exorcism Corps, Lü Donghua will lead the medical team, and they will deploy jointly with the local SWAT forces. By the way, you and I are going too, just in case."

The Bureau Chief asked, "If I leave, what will happen to the Paranormal Bureau?"

The voice on the phone said, "Then you won't go. Stay behind to command the headquarters; we need someone in command anyway."

The Bureau Chief asked, "And what about those two little rascals?"

The voice on the phone instructed, "The higher-ups want them to infiltrate the enemy from within, just like before."

The Bureau Chief worried, "This is far too dangerous. What if something goes wrong?"

The voice on the phone reassured, "Our people will remain stationed with the SWAT forces and will set out to back them up at any moment should anything happen."

The Bureau Chief asked, "Then the mission..."

The voice on the phone said, "Specifics will be given to you after that girl finishes her training. That's all, hanging up now."

The Bureau Chief said, "Very well." After hanging up, he muttered, "May the heavens bless them to complete their mission smoothly."

The day after An Mingshan left, at Suiyi Residence.

An Mingshan was picked up by a military truck early in the morning, leaving all the housework to me. I was completely doomed. After hooking the computer mainframe back up, I calculated that not only did I have to fold the blankets, sweep the floor, mop, wash the dishes, do the laundry, hang up clothes, and clean the windows, but I also had to cook for myself! Yet I knew none of these chores. Furthermore, I made quite a few comedic blunders while trying to cook—I originally wanted to steam some rice, but because I used too little water, it all turned into charred crust at the bottom of the pot. Having no other choice, I had to accept my bad luck, dump all the food out, and go out to eat at a restaurant.

Only then did I realize how exhausting it was for An Mingshan to take care of me day in and day out. But I knew going on like this was not a solution, so I started searching the internet for cooking tutorials and began learning how to take care of myself.

I had always been like this since I was a child: there was hardly anything I couldn't learn if I set my mind to it, otherwise I wouldn't have achieved what I had today.

For a full five months, I learned how to look after myself entirely on my own, completely through self-study. Because An Mingshan had previously forbidden anyone from helping me, not a single one of my "friends" came to wait on me, and even when I tried to hire a housekeeping service online, Lü Donghua used hacker software to ruin it.

Just like that, I spent five months living a life where the only company I had was myself and a handful of customers.

Five months later, the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, eight o'clock in the morning, Suiyi Residence.

I sat at the doorway, waiting for An Mingshan to return, and it took a full three hours before she finally arrived.

An Mingshan stepped out of the vehicle, and I found it hard to accept her current appearance all at once: she was dressed entirely in black and wore a pair of dark sunglasses; her long hair was gone, replaced by a neat and efficient short haircut; instead of her previous mincing steps, she now walked with the swiftness of the wind; and her speech was concise, entirely devoid of her former girlish coquettry.

I remarked, "Damn, what's with the Matrix look? By the way, can I borrow those sunglasses so I can act all cool for a bit?"

An Mingshan snapped, "Cut the crap, pack your things, we're leaving tonight!" With that, she headed upstairs, and I followed her into my room.

Looking around the space, An Mingshan said, "Hmm... you've kept it fairly neat. It seems my method was the right one. You don't need to pack clothes, just bring enough money."

I asked, "And what about you?"

An Mingshan replied, "Talk less, do more." Without another word, she produced two combination-lock suitcases from somewhere, saying, "Watch closely, the combination is this." She quickly spun the dials, paused for just five seconds, and asked, "Did you memorize it?"

I looked at her and said, "No."

An Mingshan suddenly said with a flash of anger, "Say that again!"

I quickly stammered, "I memorized it, I memorized it."

An Mingshan said, "That's more like it. Check and make sure—are your identification documents and gun still here? We must keep our weapons on us at all times."

I said, "They're here... wait a minute, what do you mean by 'we'?"

I didn't expect An Mingshan to suddenly pull out a handgun and two identification booklets, saying, "I earned these through my own ability; my previous ID as the section chief's assistant has already been revoked. This mission is extremely dangerous, and the organization requires us to infiltrate the enemy and uncover their situation."

I snatched the two booklets, opening them to find a firearm license and an investigator's credentials from the Paranormal Bureau Headquarters.

An Mingshan warned, "Also, they are all desperate criminals armed with weapons, and they practice dark arts, so you must not lower your guard!"

I reassured her, "Don't worry, a decapitation strike? I've been through plenty of missions like this; I have all the experience in the world."

An Mingshan packed some clothes and went downstairs. I followed her down and saw her filling another case with numerous ritual implements, most of which were left over from our last trip to P Village and hadn't been used in a long time. An Mingshan sorted out the usable ones, replaced items like yellow paper and cinnabar with fresh ones, and prepared a Bagua mirror and an inked line marker.

Once everything was ready, she announced, "It's only noon, go cook, I'm hungry!"

I protested, "What did you say? You want me? To cook for you?"

An Mingshan asked, "Didn't you learn how?"

I replied, "The moment you came back, I happily forgot all about it."

An Mingshan said, "You forgot the moment I came back? Fine then, I'm leaving."

I quickly yielded, "Hold on, don't be like that. For some reason, it suddenly came back to me." With that, I had no choice but to trudge into the kitchen to cook.

Reader's Corner.

Question: Mr. Author, what is your view on digital currency?

Answer: Digital currency is the digitalized form of currency, and is essentially the same as cash. At the same time, digital coins and cryptocurrencies all fall under the category of digital currencies.

Digital currency is operated by designated operating institutions and exchanged with the public. Based on a generalized account system, it supports loose coupling functions with bank accounts, is equivalent to paper banknotes and coins, possesses value characteristics and legal tender status, and supports controllable anonymity.

Compared with virtual currencies like Bitcoin, digital currency is legal tender, equal in value to statutory currency, and boasts the highest efficacy and security. Bitcoin, on the other hand, is a virtual asset without any value foundation, enjoys no sovereign credit guarantee, and cannot guarantee value stability. This is the fundamental difference between central bank digital currency and crypto-assets like Bitcoin.

Furthermore, digital currency helps efficiently meet the public's demand for statutory currency in the digital economy, enhances the convenience, security, and anti-counterfeiting level of retail payments, and boosts the accelerated development of China's digital economy. Therefore, while providing payment convenience, digital currency also promotes the nation's developmental progress.