Chapter Ninety-Four: Five Questions of Divine Evolution

More than half an hour later, Lin Heng and Jiang Chao'an returned to the provincial bureau.

A conference room had been specially prepared in the bureau's building for the meeting.

Earlier, Jiang Chao'an had met Yang Luo in a quiet teahouse. But now, when he met Lin Heng, it was in a conference room at the provincial bureau. Different people were received in different ways, and Jiang Chao'an's choice was perfectly appropriate.

Inside the conference room, the first thing Lin Heng asked Jiang Chao'an was:

"When did you find me?"

"Right around the time you had just gotten home, Officer Lin.

"All the cameras in the city are linked to the network. As soon as a key person appears on camera, an alert is triggered and the information is sent to the intelligence center."

"I see."

Lin Heng fell silent for a moment.

"So you were following me the whole time after that?"

"Officer Lin, your movements were extremely fast, and tracking you was quite troublesome. So before you even set out from home, I had already arranged with the funeral parlor to leave a gap for you to slip through. That way, we could wait nearby in peace for your arrival."

At those words, a flicker of surprise passed through Lin Heng's eyes. This man's wit and judgment slightly startled him.

"I've always heard that only the elite among the elite can be selected for Section Nine in the imperial capital. Seeing it now, the rumors were true."

Lin Heng offered a faint word of praise.

"Officer Lin flatters me. Even in the most elite organization, there are still networks of connections. Besides... with your mind, even if it weren't for your present transformation, you could still have joined Section Nine and secured a place there.

"After all, you are the one who, working alone and relying on two days of interviews and investigation, pieced together the truth behind the August 12 major case from all those clues."

Yet when Lin Heng heard that praise, there was no smile on his face.

On the contrary, a trace of worry suddenly flitted across his brow.

"So the higher-ups have already confirmed that Yang Luo is the culprit behind all of this?"

His words carried a deeper meaning, as though he were trying to verify something.

But the smile on Jiang Chao'an's face had also faded considerably.

He did not answer directly. Instead, he asked Lin Heng a question of his own.

"...Officer Lin, have you also become one of the chosen by the Divine Hall?"

...So even the Divine Hall had been exposed?

There was only one possible source for this intelligence.

Lin Heng suddenly felt his eyes sting. A hard-to-name disappointment welled up in his chest.

Not because they already knew this information, but because what it meant that they knew it...

Lin Heng lowered his head slightly, his eyes fixed tightly on the smooth surface of the conference table, and a hoarse voice came from his throat:

"Yes."

"Then you should currently be at the stage where you have just absorbed the Divine Elixir, awakened your supernatural power, and begun your physical transformation?"

Jiang Chao'an continued.

Lin Heng stared blankly at the table and answered:

"Yes."

"And the being who granted you that supernatural power was?"

"He is one of the Divine Hall's members. He calls himself the Gray Shadow Envoy."

"...The Gray Shadow Envoy?"

"It's shaped like a gray hound, with fur that is entirely dark gray. Perhaps that's where the name comes from."

"Is that so? Then regarding the Divine Hall... is there anything else Officer Lin has learned?"

"The Divine Hall is an organization established in chaos by some supreme existence. That being's power is very similar to the gods imagined by humankind, and its name is the Lord of the Divine Hall.

"According to the information it left behind, the structure of the Divine Hall currently has three ranks: first, the Hall Lord; second, the Envoys; third, the Disciples.

"Among them, the Hall Lord is the strongest and the founder of the Divine Hall. The supernatural power comes from it. But it is currently in the chaos beyond the heavens and has not yet returned to this world.

"Below the Hall Lord are the Envoys. The Envoys are presently on Earth, but as far as I know, the two Envoys known so far are both nonhuman. One is the Gray Shadow Envoy I just mentioned, and the other resembles a black hawk and is called the Black Moon Envoy. The Envoys are responsible for receiving the Divine Elixir bestowed by the Hall Lord and choosing suitable candidates to lead them into the supernatural world.

"Below them are the Disciples. Disciples are humans brought into the supernatural world by the Envoys through the Divine Elixir. They are members of the Divine Hall. However, it seems there are no strict rules or precepts aimed at the Disciples. In a sense, even after becoming a Disciple, one still remains without taboo."

As Lin Heng spoke, Jiang Chao'an's expression grew very serious. Although everything sounded absurd, like some kind of fantastical setting, he still picked up an official conference notebook and recorded every single word without omission. He also placed several recording devices nearby to capture Lin Heng's account simultaneously.

"I see..."

Jiang Chao'an murmured to himself, looking at what he had just written down, and his expression became even more solemn.

"Thank you for bringing us this information, Officer Lin. We will not forget your contribution to the country."

He extended his hand toward Lin Heng again, and Lin Heng silently shook it.

"But I still have a few questions."

Jiang Chao'an flipped back through his notes to the earlier pages and asked,

"First, you just mentioned that supernatural beings enter the supernatural realm through the Divine Elixir. What exactly is the Divine Elixir? How does it turn someone into a supernatural being? Does it have any side effects?"

"From what I know, the Divine Elixir is a red crystalline substance. It only needs to come into contact with the human body, and before long it will be absorbed into the person and become part of them. Then the individual's level of life will make a leap forward, and their physical condition in every respect will surpass the limits of ordinary humans, even the limits of life itself... As for side effects, I don't know yet."

"Second, what does the phrase 'The old days will soon return, and the gods will ultimately come back' mean?"

Lin Heng looked at the page Jiang Chao'an had opened. That should have been something he had recorded a few days earlier. He paused, then answered:

"That is information left behind by the Lord of the Divine Hall. It is said that in the not-too-distant future, the true forms of the gods will descend upon the earth. It will not only be the Lord of the Divine Hall; other deities of the same rank will also arrive. At that time, the entire world will completely enter the supernatural age."

"How far is the not-too-distant future? Which deities of the same rank? What does it mean for the world to completely enter the supernatural age?"

Jiang Chao'an pressed him very carefully, but Lin Heng only shook his head and answered with difficulty:

"I only know very general information. In the inheritance left behind by the Lord of the Divine Hall, many things are ambiguous."

Jiang Chao'an did not dwell on the matter, but instead turned the page to the next question.

"Third, in the information left behind by the Lord of the Divine Hall, is there any related material about the deity called the Revered God of Suyuan and Yuming?"

The name sounded highly foreign to Lin Heng, and it made him frown in confusion for a moment.

"No... no, I've never heard of such a name."

Jiang Chao'an nodded to indicate that he understood, though his face showed little disappointment. He continued to the next question.

"Then, fourth, regarding how to contact those two Envoys, and how to obtain the Divine Elixir from them, do you have any relevant leads, Officer Lin?"

Those words plunged Lin Heng into deep thought at once.

His gaze no longer rested on the tabletop. Slowly lifting his head, for reasons unknown, his eyes flashed with a blade-like sharpness.

"...What do you mean by that?"

Jiang Chao'an actually met his gaze without the slightest fear.

"I mean, is there any possible way for us to conduct some kind of transaction with those Envoys, or even with the Lord of the Divine Hall itself, so as to obtain the Divine Elixir that can lead ordinary people into the supernatural realm?"

Lin Heng stared at him.

After a long while, he finally shook his head slowly.

"I don't know of any such means, and I don't know how the Divine Elixir can be obtained."

"All right."

Jiang Chao'an smiled with complete composure.

"Next comes the final question.

"Officer Lin, you are one of the people who has had the deepest contact with the Divine Hall in this world. In your opinion, what attitude does the Divine Hall, and the deity standing behind it, ultimately hold toward humanity?"

I went to watch the match today, and after coming back I kept writing until now, so I'm exhausted.

I'll finish the remaining update tomorrow at noon. Three updates tomorrow.

End of chapter.