Xue Jing sat on the bus, idly scrolling through his phone.
This was a new phone he had bought; his old one had been completely damaged due to an electromagnetic pulse at the Rui Zhu Hotel.
He opened a current affairs news app.
[The U19 regional preliminaries have concluded, with dark horse contestant Li Chengxuan from Golden Wind Dojo dominating in the Maple City division, boldly claiming to defeat ten...]
[Recent frequent occurrences of boundary quakes in various regions, experts: A new Intersecting Boundaries may soon emerge.]
[Six boundary quakes occurred in three days in South City's Unfinished District, the highest magnitude being 5.6, which may trigger a 'weak overlap'. Residents, please be cautious...]
"Unfinished District..."
Seeing this news, Xue Jing's thoughts drifted back to the cockroach-like shadow he had glimpsed from afar, which seemed like an illusion.
"Wonder if White Crow has made any progress."
Xue Jing shook his head.
The bus slowly came to a stop. Xue Jing got off and headed straight for Qing University Library, making his way to the seventh floor.
In the old attic, a young girl was sitting alone on a wooden chair, silently flipping through a book, as if she were a Bound Spirit forever tethered to this place, unable to leave.
Her long ponytail swayed gently; her beautiful face wore an eternally peaceful expression, and her graceful figure and proper posture painted a serene and elegant scene in the aged attic.
Upon seeing Xue Jing arrive, Wu Youqing glanced at him with her pale purple eyes, then pointed at the seat opposite her.
"You're here, take a seat."
Xue Jing stepped forward, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
There were two cups of hot tea on the wooden table. Xue Jing picked up the one in front of him and took a sip.
A strange sweetness...
"BOSS, can't we drink something better?"
Xue Jing shook his head.
Wu Youqing also picked up her tea cup and took a gentle sip.
"This is your favorite tea, made with water from a Divine Relic."
She chuckled.
"I'll choose Coke, thanks." Xue Jing stood up, went to the wall, pulled open a hidden compartment, and took out a can of Coke from inside.
With a pop, he opened it and guzzled it down, the fizzy drink's crisp refreshment coursing through his body.
When he returned to his seat, Wu Youqing finally said,
"White Crow must have contacted you by now."
Xue Jing's hand holding the Coke paused slightly.
Then he nodded, "Yes, just now. They invited me to join White Crow, but I declined."
Wu Youqing hummed in acknowledgment.
"If it were any other division within the agency, it might be alright... but White Crow is not a good place to be. You made the right choice by not joining."
Xue Jing curiously asked, "Why do you say that?"
Wu Youqing set her tea cup on the table.
"Do you know the meaning behind 'White Crow'?"
Xue Jing shook his head.
"Crows are usually considered ominous creatures, harbingers of death and disaster."
Wu Youqing spoke softly.
"The White Crow, contrasting with the crow's color, is seen as a symbol of rebirth, a benevolent bird that brings good fortune; a beautiful wish is entrusted in this name."
"The reason for this name is because the work of White Crow involves a very high mortality rate..."
"They are responsible for investigating all abnormal events related to Intersecting Boundaries, often entering dangerous Intersecting Boundaries to carry out various tasks, and if a new Intersecting Boundary appears, it is also White Crow that is responsible for the preliminary exploration."
"Those who join White Crow and live safely for three years are already considered elites; there are almost none who survive ten years. In the more than sixty years since White Crow was established, you can count on two hands the number of people who have retired safely."
Xue Jing grimaced, "That is indeed dangerous..."
It seemed he would have to carefully consider if White Crow approached him for work in the future...
He couldn't just agree for the chance to touch a Divine Relic.
The revival effect of Twin Lifes could only be activated once in a short period...
"By the way BOSS, what exactly is this 'agency'?"
Xue Jing asked.
This 'agency', with a name too long for him to remember, and one under which even an impressive-sounding organization like White Crow was a subordinate's subordinate.
How immense might the agency itself be?
After a moment of thought, Wu Youqing said, "It might be good for you to understand a bit about it."
"The Emergency Management Special Agency for Abnormal Disasters, is a special organization established by Zhuxia after the start of the New Calendar, aimed at tackling various unusual disasters, and it has a history of over two hundred years."
"In dealing with unconventional events, unconventional methods must be adopted; that was the founding intent."
"Therefore, upon its establishment, the organization was granted an incredibly unbelievable range of authority and freedom."
"It possesses an autonomous system, unaffected by all domestic judicial bodies, prosecutorial organs, adjudicative bodies, administrative bodies, military agencies; it operates independently of the five major agencies and is thus also known colloquially as 'The Sixth Agency.'
Wu Youqing paused, then continued,
"Simply put, you can think of it as 'a state within a state.'
"For instance, if you joined White Crow Task Force, you would be a member of the agency. At that time, if you suddenly lost your mind and went on a killing spree in Qingcheng, or even madly detonated a nuclear bomb..."
"Even if you committed crimes of that magnitude, you would not be subject to the laws of Zhuxia, and theoretically, the rest of Zhuxia's governmental units would have no grounds to arrest you or impose any penalties on you."
"Theoretically, the only body that could handle and judge you would be the internal court of The Sixth Agency."
Wu Youqing smiled.
"Of course, that's just theoretically..."
Xue Jing was somewhat dumbfounded.