Chapter 18 – Ruan Shu

“I’m fucking exhausted lately,” Wu Ailang said, sprawled on the ground in the shape of a “大,” his eyes tightly shut, looking utterly spent.

Snow Wolf was also lying on its back beside Wu Ailang, all four paws up in the air, lacking any hint of the majesty expected of a spirit beast.

Several interns in the office frowned at Wu Ailang.

It had been a week since this field operations intern had been hanging around the Records Department!

Wu Ailang hadn’t disrupted the field operations team’s work; instead, he’d swapped shifts with his colleagues there so that all his working hours were at night. During the day, he was off-duty, free to go wherever he pleased. Even Ling Rui couldn’t do anything about Wu Ailang’s antics.

Zhao Yu had complained to Ling Rui twice. Initially, Ling Rui had personally come to haul Wu Ailang back. But Wu Ailang had thick skin; he’d just be dragged back, then turn around and run back to the Records Department with Snow Wolf in tow.

Recently, the bureau had issued a new task: to investigate all cases related to abnormal incidents involving text. Ling Rui didn’t have the time to babysit Wu Ailang every day. After catching him twice, he gave up.

When Zhao Yu tried to hold Ling Rui accountable again, Ling Rui deflected, saying, “Off-duty time is personal time. Where someone chooses to spend it is their freedom. Even as his direct superior, I can’t dictate where he rests during his off-duty hours, right? The Records Department is under your jurisdiction. As the head of the department, it’s your responsibility to drive out any outsiders to prevent leaks of confidential information, isn’t it?”

Zhao Yu was at a loss. Hadn’t he tried to chase Wu Ailang away? But this intern was shameless.

As soon as Zhao Yu showed any intention of chasing him off, Wu Ailang would cling to his desk leg and fake sobbing, claiming he was just an ordinary Spiritbond Master without any background. He hadn’t even learned all the college curriculum, let alone extracurricular knowledge. He heard the Records Department was where ordinary Spiritbond Masters could receive further education, making it his dream internship position. Unfortunately, fate had assigned him to the field operations team, preventing him from learning at the Records Department. Now, he merely wanted to be a peripheral listener in the Records Department and begged Teacher Zhao to give him, this pitiful student, a chance.

With such a heartfelt plea, what could Zhao Yu do? His heart softened, and he relented.

Who knew that Wu Ailang didn’t study at the Records Department either. Every day, he found a spot to complain about being tired, and whenever Zhao Yu lectured on extracurricular knowledge, Wu Ailang’s snores could be heard.

After they got more familiar, Wu Ailang became even more outrageous. He complained that the chairs were too small and uncomfortable for sleeping. Taking advantage of his immunity to cold after bonding with Snow Wolf, he lay on the floor to sleep, mumbling about bringing a cushion next time because the floor was too hard.

Yun Xiguang also felt that this human and wolf duo were behaving too disgracefully. He tried to gently remind them, but as soon as he expressed the sentiment that they shouldn’t disturb others’ work, the pair looked at him with teary eyes as if he was abandoning them.

Remembering that the kitchen explosion had been blamed on Snow Wolf and paid for by Wu Ailang, Yun Xiguang felt uneasy and couldn’t bring himself to be harsh with Wu Ailang.

As for the other four interns, when Ji Sisi complained about Snow Wolf shedding fur, Wu Ailang whipped up a gust of cold wind indoors, gathering all the loose fur together. He made it clear that they cleaned up after their own shed fur, but the cold wind left the interns shivering.

Lian Gu and Xue Lan’s spirit beasts were both oceanic types – a tortoise and a Dragonfish respectively. Yet these two harbored a dream for something fluffy. They negotiated with Wu Ailang, offering to share the room with him if they could occasionally pet Snow Wolf.

As the chief mount of the Phoenix Venerable, Snow Wolf naturally didn’t wish to be touched by those sea-drenched oceanic spirit beasts. However, since it desired to be constantly at the Phoenix Venerable’s side, it had no choice but to compromise, sacrificing its pride and allowing them to pet it.

Ruan Shu, the remaining intern, had a quiet disposition. He spent his days inputting records or diligently studying, completely indifferent to the presence of another person in the office.

Thus, Wu Ailang, relying on his “thick-skinned human, shameless wolf, double shamelessness, invincible together” skills, became the sixth intern in the Records Department.

The moment Zhao Yu entered and saw Wu Ailang and Snow Wolf’s appearance, his eyebrows twitched in anger.

He was just about to say, “At least find a corner and hide behind a desk or chair so others don’t see and laugh,” when a white shadow flew over his head. White Tiger landed on all fours beside Snow Wolf, nudging it affectionately.

Zhao Yu: “…”

White Tiger’s strange behavior was also one of the reasons he couldn’t chase Wu Ailang away.

Ever since the reporting day, White Tiger had started acting weird.

First, it had meowed like a cat upon reporting, then returned home restless, plagued by nightmares of endless fire. Zhao Yu had endured seven consecutive nights of nightmares alongside White Tiger, making him look even older than his years.

Initially, Zhao Yu thought Yun Xiguang had done something to White Tiger. But later encounters with Yun Xiguang saw White Tiger behave normally, instead favoring Wu Ailang’s spirit beast.

In terms of strength, the Snow Wolf and White Tiger were evenly matched. In a real fight, it all came down to the Spiritbond Master’s combat experience and harmony with their spirit beast. As an A-grade Spiritbond Master, Zhao Yu far surpassed Wu Ailang in power. He couldn’t fathom why White Tiger was trying to curry favor with Snow Wolf.

When Zhao Yu privately asked White Tiger, it sealed its emotions, refusing to tell him, giving him a “this is for your own good” look.

White Tiger’s abnormal behavior led Zhao Yu to speculate that it wasn’t Yun Xiguang who had made White Tiger meow on reporting day, but Snow Wolf.

This Snow Wolf must possess some unique ability to influence other spirit beasts’ minds without the aid of a Spiritbond Master.

Zhao Yu decided that if White Tiger continued acting this way after a few more days, he would report the matter to Li Zheng. He’d ask Director Li to seek help from the Spiritbond Master Association to save White Tiger from the abyss of insanity.

Pretending not to see White Tiger’s pitiful state, Zhao Yu cleared his throat. Seeing all the interns looking at him, he instructed, “There’s a new task from the bureau. They require our full cooperation. We need to sift through all case files related to text, language, and sound. Not a single detail can be overlooked. This is a large workload, so I need your help in screening the non-confidential records. I’ll take you to the archives room. Let’s all put in some overtime tonight and try to complete this task today.”

Given the urgency of the bureau’s task, the interns wouldn’t refuse. Even Wu Ailang, barely keeping his eyes open from exhaustion, volunteered to assist, yawning as he followed everyone into the archives room.

The archives room was located in the basement of the bureau’s office building, occupying the entire basement. It was renovated in a “回” character structure.

The outer perimeter of the “回” housed regular archives, which the interns could peruse under Zhao Yu’s supervision but couldn’t take away. Inside the “回” was a five-meter-thick alloy wall, rumored to withstand missile strikes. There was also said to be a boundary set by a Heaven-grade Spiritbond Master. This area contained classified archives, which even Zhao Yu lacked clearance to read.

The moment Yun Xiguang stepped inside, he spotted the massive iron door leading to the inner sanctum, and his heart constricted.

His parents’ relevant records were hidden behind that iron door.

Yun Xiguang had endured for years, and now he was closer to the truth of the case than ever before. He stared at the iron door, unable to suppress the impulse within him, wanting to ask Zhao Yu who was responsible for screening the archives inside.

Just as he was about to speak, the usually silent Ruan Shu asked, “Head Zhao, who will screen the classified archives inside? When will they do it? If we’re working overtime, will the person in charge of the classified archives also work overtime?”

How did someone else voice the very question on his mind? Yun Xiguang looked at Ruan Shu in confusion.

Classified archives were a sensitive topic. Everyone knew they couldn’t inquire about them. That was why Yun Xiguang had forcibly restrained himself.

Ruan Shu seemed like a man of propriety. Why was he breaking the rules now?

Zhao Yu’s expression darkened as he coldly rebuked, “This is confidential information. It’s not our place to ask. How dare you probe into it? Since it’s your first offense, I won’t pursue it. But if you do it again, I’ll consider you a spy and hand you over to the Youying Spiritbond Academy, the Spiritbond Master Association, and the bureau’s Investigation Team for a joint investigation into your identity and background.”

Zhao Yu was dead serious. Even though Ruan Shu had merely asked out of curiosity, it had aroused Zhao Yu’s suspicion.

Yun Xiguang secretly rejoiced that he hadn’t voiced his question. Otherwise, he would have surely become the bureau’s focus, and even if he avoided a joint investigation, he wouldn’t have been able to conceal the secret of the Heavenly Fire burning within him.

Faced with Zhao Yu’s warning, Ruan Shu maintained his polite, yet somewhat aloof demeanor. His gaze remained fixed on the heavy alloy door, unwilling to look away.

“Ruan Shu!” Zhao Yu warned sternly once more.

But Ruan Shu placed his index finger against his lips and whispered softly, “Shh — “

He rested his hand on the nearby filing cabinet, tapping its surface rhythmically with his fingers, producing a rhythmic “tap-tap-tap” sound.

The sound was similar to keyboard clicks, the clacking of an old typewriter, or the rapid tapping of a pen tip against a table.

Watching his movements, Yun Xiguang suddenly felt a bizarre and terrifying sensation. Something seemed to be happening.

“What are you doing?” Zhao Yu shouted.

Ruan Shu ignored him, continuing to tap the filing cabinet while shaking his head slightly. “Not enough, not enough.”

“Find a place to hide,” Zhao Yu said solemnly.

As soon as he spoke, White Tiger leapt onto Zhao Yu, merging with him.

Zhao Yu’s upper body was covered in fur, his palms transforming into tiger claws. Instantly, they extended several meters long as he swiped forcefully at Ruan Shu.

This swipe was delivered with seventy percent of Zhao Yu’s strength. If Ruan Shu took the hit, he’d be half-dead.

Unexpectedly, the moment the tiger claws touched Ruan Shu, he shook his head smilingly. “Not enough, not enough.”

Then, he vanished into thin air.

“Where is he?! Ruan Shu!!!” Zhao Yu bellowed.

He wasn’t just yelling out of rage. By calling Ruan Shu’s name, the sound would specifically target him, inflicting heavy mental damage. No matter where Ruan Shu hid, he would reveal a weakness.

But after that yell, Ruan Shu remained invisible.

Instead, the “tap-tap-tap” sounds multiplied, echoing throughout the archives room.

Yun Xiguang watched the bookcase Ruan Shu had tapped, wondering why he suddenly recalled how his parents’ names had vanished from various documents.

He randomly pulled out a case record and opened it, his expression subtly changing.

“Head Zhao, take a look at this.” Yun Xiguang handed the case record to Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu took it and saw that the once densely handwritten case record was now blank, without a single word remaining.