Ever since he had consumed Devotion to gain the precise shooting ability, no matter how Gu Liang manipulated the “Eye of Wishes,” it showed no reaction, and all his wishes vanished into oblivion.
This made him suspect that the Devotion was insufficient. However, he had no idea how to obtain more Devotion. He tried doing some good deeds and burning incense as offerings, but none of these earned affirmation from the God of Storms and Calamities. Consequently, his anxiety grew. It was the most frustrating situation to possess a treasure yet be unable to use it!
Now, the God of Storms and Calamities had taken the initiative to make a request. Such an opportunity was fleeting—how could he possibly let it slip away?
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Gu Liang swallowed his words about resigning and took a light breath before asking, “Officer, what can I do?”
The man in the black coat replied, “I’m Chief Officer Zhang Shouque of the Special Operations Bureau, directly in charge of seven operational teams. You’ll temporarily join the留守 team of the First Operational Team to analyze the collected intelligence and find clues for further investigation. Understood?”
(Note: The translation remains identical as the original text was already in English. The term “留守 team” appears to be a direct transliteration of Chinese terminology, which might refer to a “rear guard” or “standby team” in operational contexts. If further contextual clarification is needed for precise adaptation, please provide additional details.)
“Yes, Chief Officer Zhang,” Gu Liang saluted, his heart pounding with shock.
The person standing before him was actually the Chief Officer!
The Far East Police Department fully inherited the structure of Scotland Yard, with the Commissioner overseeing all department affairs, followed by four Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners collectively known as the Four Pillars. They respectively managed the Patrol Division, Criminal Division, Local Affairs Division, and Administrative Support Division. A series of Chief Officers assisted them, and the Chief Officers, the Four Pillars, and the Commissioner together formed the Chief Officers’ Council, the highest decision-making body.
Gu Liang had known about the Special Operations Bureau and imagined its uniqueness after learning it was directly subordinate to the Chief Officers’ Council. However, he had not expected it to nearly match the rank of the four major departments, each commanded by a Chief Officer.
The Special Operations Bureau must possess tremendous power… he mused.
Zhang Shouque took out a shoulder badge and handed it to Gu Liang. “This is your official police insignia. Don’t lose it.”
The biggest difference between a full officer and a probationary officer was the change from an armband to a shoulder badge. It was a sword-shaped symbol, still bearing the officer’s number, but without the officer’s name.
“Number 9527…” Gu Liang first glanced at the number on the badge before noticing with surprise that his sword-shaped symbol had three!
“Chief!” he exclaimed in shock.
This was a chief officer’s badge!
He hadn’t even earned the two sword-shaped symbols of a senior officer yet, and he had jumped straight to chief officer?
Had there been a mistake?
Zhang Shouque said calmly, “Joining the Special Operations Bureau, the lowest rank you can get is chief officer.”
As he spoke, he took out an armband and pinned it on himself. It bore his number and a staff wrapped in laurels, representing the Chief Officer.
He looked no older than forty, only about a decade older than Gu Liang. Yet he had already become a Chief Officer. Gu Liang still had six ranks to climb—Inspector, Senior Inspector, Chief Inspector, Superintendent, Senior Superintendent, and Chief Superintendent.
Thinking about this, Gu Liang felt that becoming a chief officer wasn’t so surprising after all, and he accepted it calmly.
“Ah, Chief Huang is just over forty and has struggled for nearly twenty years at New Scotland Yard to earn the rank of chief officer. Yet I, just newly promoted, have already reached the same level. Truly, comparing oneself to others can be disheartening,” Gu Liang sighed inwardly. All of this was because he possessed an extraordinary shooting ability, granted by the “Eye of Wishes,” which itself was a divine artifact from the God of Storms and Calamities.
What immense divine power, what boundless divine grace! Gu Liang decided from this day forward to worship the God of Storms and Calamities.
For ordinary people, even a small divine favor could drastically change their lives, allowing them to gradually ascend to the peak, just like himself.
At the very least, a chief officer’s salary of eighty silver coins would be enough for him to move to a better residence and even hire a servant to clean!
Zhang Shouque turned around, walked through a room hanging with inverted Buddhist banners, and entered the adjacent meeting room. Inside were dozens of men and women wearing armbands indicating ranks such as Inspector, Senior Inspector, and Chief Inspector. There were even two Superintendents and one Senior Superintendent. They were systematically reviewing the documents in front of them, making notes, passing them around, occasionally raising questions, and launching new searches. The atmosphere was quiet and orderly yet tense and busy.
Clap, clap, clap—Zhang Shouque clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention. He pointed at Gu Liang and said, “This is this year’s new recruit, Gu Liang. He’s good at shooting. Everyone, be a bit accommodating and don’t scare him too much.”
There was something strange about those words… Gu Liang thought, instinctively gripping the “Eye of Wishes,” which was disguised as a ring, and silently praying for the favor of the God of Storms and Calamities.
A woman wearing a Chief Inspector armband stood up. With shoulder-length straight hair, a waist-cinching purple dress, and a mature, charming appearance, she smiled slightly and said, “Little Gu, don’t be nervous. We’ve gained a lot of experience in helping new recruits adjust, so we won’t have as many cases as before where people ended up in the asylum. Of course, in our line of work, sometimes you really don’t know if you’ll live to see tomorrow. You need to be mentally prepared.”
Cases of ending up in the asylum? Not knowing if you’ll live to see tomorrow? Gu Liang sucked in a breath, feeling even more nervous. Fortunately, he had the protection of the God of Storms and Calamities!
“Lin Tong, don’t scare him. Take him to get his gear and assign him some documents,” Zhang Shouque said with a rare smile before turning to leave.
“Not bad nerves you’ve got there,” Lin Tong said, walking up to Gu Liang with a grin. “If you can’t even handle what I just said, you’d better transfer to the Criminal Division early. The cases here are always bloody, horrifying, and bizarre.”
If it weren’t for gaining Devotion and fulfilling wishes, I’d still prefer the Criminal Division… Gu Liang forced a smile and followed Lin Tong’s swaying figure to the Special Operations Bureau’s equipment department.
“This is your weapon,” Lin Tong said after chatting briefly with the department head, pulling out a briefcase containing a brand-new revolver. However, it was engraved with numerous runes exuding a faint aura of cultivation, and the silver-gray bullets were the same!
Seeing Gu Liang’s puzzled and curious expression, Lin Tong smiled. “Holy Spirit Revolver. It’s effective against vengeful spirits, evil deities, and other entities. Perfect for your specialty.”
“Is this what we use to investigate paranormal and cult cases?” Gu Liang took it, skillfully equipping himself.
Lin Tong smiled. “Members of the Special Operations Bureau are either gifted individuals who have become members of the Cultivation Society or true clerics blessed by the gods from the major temples. Only a few, like you, must rely on special weapons.”
The major temples? Like those who divided up the former dominion of the fallen God—temples of the Sun God, God of Knowledge, Guardian God, War God, and the God of Arcane Arts? Gu Liang suddenly understood.
As for himself, he was a unique priest of the God of Storms and Calamities!
Back in the meeting room, Gu Liang received a thick stack of documents and began flipping through them, noting key points and anomalies.
After a day of hard work, he finally understood the ins and outs of this cult case:
First, a series of suicide and murder cases had gradually emerged in other provinces of the Far East. The victims all wore smiles, had mutilated bodies, and bore remnants of inverted Buddhist symbols. The local police’s Special Operations Team reported the incidents to New Scotland Yard, drawing some attention. Initial investigations identified several members of the inverted Buddhist cult, but only one was successfully captured. The others either escaped or destroyed themselves.
From the captured member, the Special Operations Bureau learned of the “Buddha Palm” technique and the mustachioed practitioner who practiced it in reverse, possibly the one who had destroyed Far Eastern civilization and eliminated both the Buddhist and Daoist organizations. Thus, the case was elevated to an unprecedented level of importance, and stopping the revival of this demon god became imperative.
Now, Gu Liang’s job was to analyze intelligence gathered by other operational teams, investigate the interpersonal relationships of the inverted Buddhist cult or the victims, and thus uncover clues. It was high-pressure and extremely tedious work.
However, Gu Liang was instead energized because, as he read more documents, he noticed that the core of the “Eye of Wishes” became increasingly profound, clearly indicating that Devotion was beginning to accumulate, growing more and more.
Late into the night, after the remaining team members found places to rest briefly, Gu Liang excused himself, claiming he needed to handle some affairs at home, and slipped out of New Scotland Yard.
Back home, he retrieved the “Eye of Wishes” and his expression turned solemn:
“Almighty God of Storms and Calamities, your devoted follower requests the fulfillment of a wish.”
A deep, thunder-like voice responded, “Devotion has accumulated. Speak your wish.”
“I wish to obtain supernatural power like other priests,” Gu Liang said excitedly, filled with anticipation.
“Your devotion is insufficient to fulfill this wish…” the thunder-like voice remained emotionless.
Gu Liang was stunned. How was he supposed to know if his devotion was enough? There was no standard measurement…
This was practically an unfair transaction!
He dared not question the God of Storms and Calamities. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Then grant me the supernatural power available with my current level of devotion.”
“Devotion consumed. Wish fulfilled.” A silver-violet electric current erupted from the eye-shaped emblem, piercing into Gu Liang’s body, causing him to feel numb all over again. Then, he felt something enter him, opening up mysterious parts corresponding to his eyes, nose, and other senses. Inside his body, it seemed as if a universe connected to the outside world had formed, vaguely displaying a nebulous constellation pattern.
His ears, vision, and sense of smell were no longer the same. A profound Zen-like feeling overwhelmed him, and Gu Liang was deeply immersed in this sensory experience. After a long while, he finally remembered to ask, “Mighty God of Storms and Calamities, what supernatural power is this?”
“This is the crash course Virgo Cosmo,” the thunder-like voice replied without the slightest hint of amusement.
Virgo Cosmo? What was that? Gu Liang was utterly confused.
One more question: I’m a Capricorn!
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