First-Year Internship—And You Went to Site 749 to Contain Monsters?!

Ye Li fled all the way toward the cliff behind the mountain, ambushed along the way by various 749 investigators. Countless killing blows grazed past him.

But in the end, all of them were intercepted by other Cultivators of Qi from Heishan Village who covered his escape, taking those life-or-death hits in his place.

One heart-wrenching cry after another—”Run!!” ”Run, damn it!!!”

It was enough to break anyone’s heart, bring tears to anyone’s eyes.

A 749 investigator struck someone dead with a palm, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and continued chasing in the direction Ye Li had fled.

As he ran, he cursed:

”I really don’t get it. You’re a bunch of bandits—what’s with all the tragic drama?”

”Acting like we’re the ones massacring innocents. Don’t you know what you’ve done?”

”My great-grandfather was killed by your dmn lot. Now you’re playing the victims? Disgusting, f**!!”Up ahead, the figure fleeing through the darkness twisted and turned, dodging like he had Sky-Eye vision, avoiding every trap laid out in advance.

The cliff drew nearer and nearer.

The wind rustled the leaves with a soft whooshing.

One step slammed down—pebbles shot out, tumbling over the cliff edge, no echo returning.

Ye Li turned to look back.

The investigator who’d been cursing earlier had already caught up: “Keep running. Go on.”

At this point, Ye Li had no road to heaven and no door to earth. He glanced once more at the bottomless abyss below, overwhelmed with emotion.

Blind Granny, I’ve really hit the end now. That rebirth you talked about in the face of death... where is it supposed to happen......

He turned.

Faced the 749 investigator walking slowly toward him.

Ye Li’s gaze was firm: “Even if I die, I won’t die by your hands!!!”

With that, he turned and leapt, plunging straight down the cliff.

The investigator’s heart jolted—he rushed forward, swiftly pulling out a controller in one hand and the Bureau-issued anti-Cultivator hand grenade in the other.

He yanked out the pin and jumped right after him, adjusting his body mid-air, silently counting in his mind—then flung the grenade with full force.

And then—BOOM!!!

The grenade exploded mid-air. As a silhouette disintegrated before him, the investigator hit the controller again.

From below came a barrage of explosions, layer after layer, and the fluctuation of formation plates triggering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The terrifying force sent stones tumbling down both sides of the cliff. The mountains shook. The massive noise woke up many villagers below.

Everyone had a different theory...

“Was that an earthquake in the mountains?” “Did a landslide hit?” “Did some ancient monster break free up there?”

Come morning, wild rumors would spread like wildfire, only to be reasonably explained away thanks to the public announcement of the village relocation project.

Back at the cliff—

The investigator who’d triggered the mid-air explosion now hung from the cliffside using a hook concealed in his sleeve.

Seeing everything that had happened, he muttered, “Good thing Special Agent Lu gave the heads-up in advance. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have guessed this brat would jump without hesitation.”

If he’d hesitated even a second longer, Ye Li would’ve vanished into the mist below, gone from sight.

The investigator climbed back up and disappeared into the dense forest.

By the time the battlefield was cleaned up, it was already five, almost six in the morning. Dawn was about to break.

Shi Lei walked over to report: “Special Agent Lu, I’ve already passed down the message. Around eight o’clock, the staff will head up the mountain to start the village relocation project.”

“Thanks for your hard work tonight. I understand your situation. Sometimes we really don’t have a choice. I’ll write everything truthfully in the report,” Lu Ding said.

Shi Lei lowered his eyes slightly, looking dejected.

Once the report went up, his days as Director were probably numbered…

Before he could even dwell on what punishment awaited him, Lu Ding continued speaking.

“But in the Special Agent On-Site Report section, I’ll write: Director of Kaoshan City 749 Substation, Shi Lei, cooperated actively with the mission.”

“Took the lead in the fight against the criminal forces of Dahei Mountain, setting an example.”

“Fought through injuries to buy me the crucial time to take down Ye Chengfeng. Yunhai 749 Special Investigator Lu Ding, requests the Bureau award him a third-class personal merit medal.”

Shi Lei jerked his head up.

He could hardly believe his ears.

Then he looked at Lu Ding’s face.

Immediately, he clutched his chest and hunched over like he was wounded, weakly saying, “Thank you, Special Agent.”

“At least act a little more convincingly,” Lu Ding said with a chuckle in his voice.

This Director Shi really wasn’t the worst.

As for the incident with Zhou Yun—it had basically just passed through his hands.

A formal investigator from the Yunhai Substation, and the Deputy Director of the same branch... the fact that he even knew some details was just others giving him face.

Lu Ding understood. But still, a complete cover-up wasn’t an option. The higher-ups weren’t blind. Lu Ding could omit things, and there wouldn’t be much issue. The Bureau probably wouldn’t push too hard.

Even so, it’s better not to get in the habit of covering things up—it ruins your credibility.

The best way to handle this: earn merit first, then address mistakes.

Lu Ding had seen his file—Shi Lei had been just shy of getting promoted.

So a third-class merit like this would give him a nice push.

Zhou Yun’s matter could drag him down one rank or get his badge revoked. But if merit comes first and mistakes after, chances are he’ll stay put, same as now.

Kaoshan City still needed an experienced, capable, and principled person to oversee things. No way Lu Ding would leave and have both the Director and Deputy Director replaced—it’d be chaos.

Wrecking the place and walking off? That’s not how you do things.

Shi Lei laughed beside him: “Yeah, that did come off a bit fake. Thank you for the guidance, Special Agent Lu.”

If Shi Lei had respected Lu Ding before for his talent and strength—

Now he was impressed by how Lu Ding handled things.

This was it—law with a touch of humanity.

By the time they wrapped up the Dahei Mountain incident, it was already afternoon.

Lu Ding didn’t waste any time. He declined Shi Lei’s farewell banquet and returned to Yunhai 749 with Qiu Wangshui and Zhou Yun, both still unconscious.

By the time the two of them finally stirred awake, the scene around them had completely changed.

In front of them stood Lu Ding and the staff of the 749 Investigation Court.

Seeing them, Qiu Wangshui immediately lost all fight in him. Zhou Yun’s eyes darted everywhere in panic.

“W-Where is this?”

Lu Ding ignored him and turned to leave. He was only responsible for catching people—not for giving legal lectures or arguing with them.

He didn’t even need to think about it. If he so much as answered, the guy would start with:

How’s my grandpa～ How’s my uncle～ What did you do to my so-and-so～

And if he was a real idiot,

He might even say: They used to be bandits, but they’ve changed now. They used to kill, but they don’t anymore.

Even if you threw all the evidence of their crimes in his face, he’d still give you a, “I don’t believe it!!”

All that “They were so kind to me, so simple and honest” kind of crap—it’s all fake.

That’s exactly why Lu Ding didn’t release their Qi suppression until they were back at Yunhai 749, and in front of the staff.

Once the report’s filed and the details are submitted,

It’s no longer Lu Ding’s business. There’ll be plenty of people to confront them—no need to waste his breath. Just lock ’em up.

He turned and headed to Logistics, where he saw Director Deng smiling.

The moment he spoke, it was: “Xiao Lu, you’re here? Have you eaten yet?”

A warm current brushed through Lu Ding’s heart. He told a little white lie: “Yeah, I ate. Have you?”

“You knew I was coming?”

The old man waved him over: “If anything’s leaving through me, of course I’d be told in advance.”

“I ate at noon. Come, I’ll show you.”

Of the three southern substations, there was no way Lu Ding would run to the others to redeem the True Interpretation.

So he still had to come back to Yunhai 749.

Inside the archives.

Lu Ding followed Old Deng to the second floor.

After verifying his ID, they entered.

Right away, they were greeted by rows of glass display cases, filled with all sorts of items—Buddhist prayer beads, calligraphy brushes, long swords,

Art books, scrolls, and even strange bones of unknown origin and species.

All of these—

Were secret arts from the True Interpretation.