It was said that in every trade, a master would appear

. However, I had never expected that a humble otherworldly merchant like me would be noticed and favored by our motherland one day. 

One

 afternoon, I was having some small dishes in my antique shop as usual. Sitting by the door, I enjoyed sipping 

from a

 tumbler of wine while watching the snowflakes flutte

r 

outside. The pride of a knight in ancient 

times

 arose in my heart. 

Suddenly, from 

the other

 end of the antique street, an off-road vehicle rumbled toward my shop! 

I took a glance 

at the

 off-road vehicle’s number plate. I caught a glimpse of the red word

, 

“Military.” I was amazed! 

Why would a military car appear in a place like this? Did some fool steal 

a

 national treasure? 

With that thought, I scurried around my shop to put away some counterfeit items on the shelves. 

If

 they were suddenly 

in

 the mood to visit my shop, those toys shouldn’t be in sight… 

Antique businesses were

 a mix 

of

 genuine and fake. 

If some of the 

things stocked in your shop 

weren’t fake

, you were a good businessman already. Only a fool would sell 

only

 real antiques. 

The joy of collecting antiques 

laid

 in the skill 

of

 distinguishing between the real and the fake antiques. 

H

aving said that, it would be better to 

stay

 low-key. Who knew what those military men had in their bags? 

After putting away all the counterfeits, I 

was in a

 good mood. Feeling so excited, I put on 

a

 thick puffer jacket and was about to leave my shop to 

check out

 the fun. Unexpectedly, that off-road vehicle didn’t seem to stop by any shop along the way. It directly 

drove

 to my shop. 

“Oh 

shoot...

”

When I had finally confirmed that they 

had come

 for me, I shuddered. I had collected the Sky Piercer, which was a 

national

 treasure. If they had investigated me and

 charged 

me, I would be jailed for a few years. 

Indeed, the off-road vehicle pulled to a full stop in front of

my antique shop. The door opened, and two middle-aged men in straight military uniforms got out of the car. 

One of them wore thick, gold-rimmed glasses, while the other was holding something that looked like a document. As soon as they got out of the car, they smiled at me. 

It didn

’t seem

 they 

had

 come to look for something illegal. I 

let out a sigh,

 then 

said

 gingerly

, “

Good afternoon

. A

re you looking for me?” 

The bespectacled man nodded. 

“Mr. Zhang, 

let’s

 go inside to talk.” 

He calmly

 walked into my 

shop

 and took my seat. From his posture, 

it seemed he was a

 big 

shot

 of the military force. 

He smiled

 and gave 

me an assessing look. The other middle-aged man, who 

held

 the document, 

spoke

 first. “May I 

introduce you to

 the Team Leader of the Special Operation Team from the Ministry of State Security, Jiang Shan. I’m his secretary, Xiao Quan.” 

I was bewildered. I had never thought that 

an

 official at the ministry level would come to find me one day. I wondered if it was an opportunity or a 

calamity

. 

Secretary Xiao Quan started to read from the document in his hand. “Zhang Jiulin, a citizen of Wuhan. Works in the antique business. Throughout five years, he has helped the Police Bureau solve many otherworldly item

 cases

. From a hidden branch of the Zhang family in Jiangbei. Not a long time ago, he married Yin Xinyue, an actress. For his grudge, he beheaded Xiang Zuanzhen, a consecrator-level 

elder

 of the Longquan Villa…” 

Before Xiao Quan had finished his reading, I 

was

 already sweat

ing

. 

He

 was 

reading my profile in 

great detail

!

Those people from the State Security Bureau had investigated me meticulously. They even knew that I had decapitated Xiang Zuanzhen in an act of revenge for the little Daoist boy. 

It seemed they 

had studied me for quite a long time. If it 

was

 about my antique business, I could reject them. 

However,

 I did commit a murder crime. Once they made it a case, I couldn’t 

come clean

 even if I jumped into the Yellow River… 

I couldn’t stay calm anymore

. In a trembling voice, I asked, 

“What do you want

, 

after all?” 

“In our State Security Ministry, we have two 

sets

 of laws. One is 

called 

national law, and the other is called human relations.

”

 Xiao Quan closed his document. “We knew you killed a man, but we didn’t do anything to you because we care about human relations. If you don’t know human relations, then tomorrow, this document will be submitted to the Police Bureau.” 

“Phew……”

I exhaled. It turned out they didn’t want to capture me. They just needed my help. Still, they wanted to scare me first! 

Xiao Quan had successfully scared me. I had a strong personality, but I didn’t want to go against the state departments. 

I helplessly

 looked at Jiang Shan. Xiao Quan was just a trivial secretary. The one with the real power was Jiang Shan. 

Jiang Shan pushed 

his 

gold-rimmed glasses up his nos

e. H

is countenance 

turned

 complicated. “Mr. Zhang, I lead the best Special Operation Team in this country. 

T

his time, we

’ve encountered something 

beyond our estimation. I would like to ask you to help us.” 

“Please do tell.” I nodded politely, but I was 

cursing the

 eighteen generations of his family. 

Do I even have the right to reject him?

“Good

. O

ur country needs good citizens like you.” As he got my consent, Jiang Shan smiled and tore 

the

 document. Then, he got into the ca

r and left

. Secretary Xiao Quan stayed to explain the case to me. 

“It happened just recently. Many national researchers were killed, and their deaths were horrible. Some 

were

 beheaded

 while others were

 chopped off at the waist. Some 

were even

 chopped into eight pieces. When 

their bodies

 were found, their blood and flesh were scattered

 all over

 the floor. Since they were

 more or less

 all involved in weapo

n 

research and 

its 

development, the effect of these cases is really bad

.

 The Police Bureau didn’t dare to investigate this case, so it’s be

en 

transferred to the Special Operation Team of the Ministry of State Security.

After we started an in-depth investigation, we found that most of the researchers were killed after midnight. From the forensic reports, we know they were cut sharply and resolutely by 

a

 cold weapon. Except for that, the Special Operation Team hasn’t 

found

 any other clues. There 

were

 no 

fingerprints

 or 

footprints

 at the crime scenes. Even the cameras didn’t show any suspect 

going close to

 them.

” 

He continued, 

“The members of our Special Operation Team have experienced many strange and mysterious events, so they soon connected these cases to a paranormal case. They assume that those researchers were killed by an evil spirit. After all, they were killed before they could even make a sound to call for help. What kind of human being has such power?” 

“Your superior believes in this sort of paranormal 

activity

?” I couldn’t help but ask. 

“

Haha...

”

Xiao Quan understood my worries. He smiled

 and comforted 

me. “Don’t worry. As we have come to you, it means our country needs talent

ed people

 like you. Don’t be afraid. Just do what you need to do!” 

It

 didn’t look like he was lying to me. Moreover, I didn’t 

have any other

 choice. I had to agree with him. 

Xiao Quan urged me to pack up. I didn’t know what plan they had for me, so I didn’t ask Li Mazi to go with me. I sent him and Yin Xinyue a text message 

and told

 them I had to go on a business trip for a few days. They shouldn’t be worried about me. 

At

 night, Xiao Quan’s team 

traveled

 fast. 

Along

 the way, more and more off-road cars joined our formation. 

They gradually

 formed a small convoy like a proper unified military operation. I had unknowingly enjoyed the 

same treatment as those important

 people. I felt somewhat proud.  

We arrived in Haidian District in 

Beijing the

 next morning. Jiang Shan’s Special Operation Team was stationed on Qinghe street. Soldiers were patrolling everywhere. It was the first time I 

had access

 to a highly secured area. I felt a little nervous. 

Jiang Shan took me to the cafeteria first. He seemed to realize my thought

 and nodded with a smile. 

“The capital always has strict guards. You’ll get used to it.” 

After we 

ate

 a simple breakfast, Jiang Shan left

, leaving 

Xiao Quan

 behind

 to 

help 

me 

with this

 case. I then learned that the Special Operation Team 

also had other cases to 

solve for the time being. Jiang Shan was able to come to my shop yesterday, but it was just 

to

meet

 me

. 

Xiao Quan took out the profiles of the deceased and gave 

them to me

 to read. After reading, I was shocked. Most of them were the inventors who had greatly contributed to our country’s military weapons, devices, and equipment. 

“Are you sure 

this is

 the work of 

an evil

 spirit?” I asked skeptically. People who worked as weapon researchers and developers were similar to the blacksmiths in ancient times. They naturally 

had thick

 Yang ener

gies. L

ittle ghosts and evil spirits didn’t dare to 

go

 close to them.

Speaking of this situation, even if there 

was

 a super bold spirit, why would it only kill the weapon researchers?