55. Partner (Thanks to the Station Master for becoming a Supreme Patron)

The Coordination Bureau.

Wearing glasses, Qin Lan was sitting behind her desk reviewing documents when suddenly a figure materialized in front of the door.

"The Yin-Yang Twins have already arrived in East New State," Qin Luan said, looking at her younger sister. "And they captured a few demon worshippers this morning. That's thanks to the intelligence your interrogation team dug up."

"What do you think of Marr?" Qin Lan raised her head. "I've never seen you so eager to recruit a newcomer. Didn't you usually want me to observe them for a while first?"

Qin Luan shook her head.

"You know we don't have the time."

Qin Lan fell silent because she knew those words were true.

Ever since their maternal grandfather passed away, they had lost their pillar of support within the Federation. Voices of doubt and opposition surged from all directions, and had it not been for Qin Luan's matchless power, she probably would have been stripped of her position long ago.

Qin Luan continued:

"Marr lacks passion, but you can't expect every other esper you meet to be filled with ideals and unconditionally believe your words. Giving them what they want is the right approach.

"And the reason I am meeting him in person is because his abilities are quite useful for what I am currently trying to do."

Qin Lan asked:

"What do you want to do?"

Qin Luan replied:

"Stop the Great Collapse.

"Although I make it sound as though the world is about to end at any moment, the truth is that as long as it is handled properly, it won't actually happen. Memory erasure can delay the speed at which certain facts are exposed.

"Some truths possess terrifyingly dangerous power."

"When do you plan to tell him about this?" Qin Lan asked with curiosity.

Qin Luan said:

"After you resolve the issue in East New State. During this time, you can also take the opportunity to observe whether he has any other issues. If everything goes smoothly...

"You will bring Marr and little Hu to find me."

Qin Lan asked in astonishment:

"Why? What about East New State then?"

"There will be other members to take over your work," Qin Luan said, a trace of fatigue surfacing on her face. "Xiao Lan, I need your help..."

Qin Lan had not expected her elder sister to ever reveal such an expression. After a brief pause, she immediately said:

"Alright."

***

Qin Luan watched her flash a pleased smile, then explained:

"Recently, those Federation politicians keep trying to make trouble for me to pad their political achievements. And no matter how many times I repeat it, they simply don't take this matter to heart. I lack a fully trusted assistant by my side.

"Still, these are the costs we are destined to bear."

Saying this, Qin Luan's projection turned its head and squinted into the distance:

"It's getting late, and I have other work to attend to on my end. You should go interrogate the cultists they captured first."

With that, Qin Luan walked toward the left, as if going to greet some guests.

Qin Lan took off her glasses, glanced at the illuminated screen of her phone, rose, pushed open the office door, and walked out.

The Yin-Yang Twins had already arrived downstairs, and Marr had arrived fifteen minutes ago.

Just as she descended the stairs, she saw a boy and a girl sitting with proper posture on a bench opposite Marr, both of them staring with curious eyes at the calm-looking man across from them.

"Ms. Qin," Marr stood up. "Do I have work today?"

Qin Lan walked up to him first and said:

"Yes, and your official contract has been approved. You can take a look."

She handed the documents from her arms to Marr.

This contract was basically identical to the one he had seen last time, except that all the clauses restricting employees had vanished, and it even emphasized that Marr could resign at any time.

Furthermore, during his employment, should he be persecuted by other hostile factions or espers, the Coordination Bureau had the obligation and responsibility to ensure the safety of its staff, and he was also granted access to use the database to look up various detailed records.

After checking repeatedly and confirming there were no issues, Marr casually signed his name.

"These two are the reinforcements sent from above," Qin Lan looked at the two pretty and delicate children, introducing them to Marr. "Would you like to state your names?"

Hearing this, a blush appeared on the girl's face, and she timidly shrank back.

The boy, however, said with an utterly innocent expression:

"I am Wang Yang, and this is my twin sister, Wang Yin."

Qin Lan reminded him:

"Both of them are over fifty years old. Be careful; these two fellows love nothing more than playing children to tease the uninformed."

The boy said with some grievance:

"We simply retain our youthful innocence."

Having been exposed, the girl jumped down from the bench with her expression unchanged:

"We were dispatched by the Divine Firmament Walker. We will be searching for those hellish cultists in East New State during this period. We'll toss anyone we catch straight into your prison. Be sure to give us a call if there is any new news."

***

The boy looked at Marr and said:

"The Divine Firmament Walker thinks very highly of your potential."

Having said that, these two high-tier espers, who appeared to be children, simultaneously stepped backward and vanished without a trace the moment they bumped into the wall.

The Divine Firmament Walker they spoke of was her elder sister. These seemingly gentle Tier IV espers were actually extremely untamable at their core, holding deep respect solely for Qin Luan, which was why their attitude toward Qin Lan was also passable.

And the reason Qin Luan had sent these two trusted confidants to East New State, besides the fact that the man in the black robe was indeed difficult to deal with, was undoubtedly because her younger sister happened to be in this city.

"Normally, it's best not to get close to them casually," Qin Lan told Marr as they walked down the stairs. "Although they seem quite friendly toward you, the Yin-Yang Twins frequently go berserk for no apparent reason."

"Berserk?" Marr asked with doubt.

"Mhm," she nodded. "The Yin-Yang Twins are somewhat like a certain kind of vengeful spirit. They died several decades ago, and for some unknown reason, they ended up in this current state. If anyone dares to inquire about their past or the cause of their death...

"They will pursue the offender relentlessly until death, and the Yin-Yang Twins are accustomed to torturing their opponents to death. I have witnessed that scene with my own eyes; it is hard to imagine just how cruel and terrifying they truly are."

Marr asked curiously:

"Have they done this before?"

Qin Lan recalled:

"Several times. We only found out about this because my older sister once asked about it. At that time, they lunged at my sister like two mindless beasts.

"In reality, they were indeed stripped of all reason at that moment.

"After all, had they been in their right minds, they could never have dared to bare their fangs at my sister."

Marr could hear the deep sense of pride she felt toward her older sister.

Qin Lan and Marr arrived once again at the underground prison, where Hu Weifeng was already waiting for them.

The young man flashed a smile at them:

"Mr. Marr, welcome to the Coordination Bureau. By the way, did the boss tell you?"

Qin Lan shook her head.

Hu Weifeng looked at him happily and said:

"We will be jointly responsible for this incident, which means we might well be partners for the next few months."