Chapter 173 - 133 Chi Xiao Knight

Chapter 173: Chapter 133 Chi Xiao KnightThe structure of the Sword Bureau is simple, it consists of three main departments: the Intelligence Information Department, the Special Operations Department, and the Comprehensive Management Department. The first two departments are the most important. One is responsible for intelligence gathering and analysis, the other for conducting field operations. The Special Operations Department is made up of several Sword Teams, each team consisting of eight to ten members, led by a Chunjun Swordsman, while the other members are Yuchang Swordsmen. Yuchang, Chunjun, Chi Xiao, and Xuanyuan. A Swordsman’s rank is tied to their salary and benefits, with higher-ranked Swordsmen enjoying greater privileges and naturally better compensation. Min Chongwu had been in the Sword Bureau for nearly ten years, starting as a common Yuchang Swordsman, becoming a Super Mutant, proved his skills by competently completing many missions, and was promoted to Chunjun Swordsman only three years ago. But Ji Xinghuo did nothing and was directly made a Chi Xiao Knight. This made him somewhat resentful. Zhou Yishang’s gaze became severe, "Did you not hear me clearly, do you need me to repeat it?" "I heard it clearly," Min Chongwu’s neck shrank in, thinking that the stern Director Zhou had returned, he quickly said, "I’ll take Xinghuo over right away and make sure to complete the task Director Zhou has assigned." "Go ahead." Ji Xinghuo stood up to say goodbye to Zhou Yishang and then walked out of the office with Min Chongwu. When they were far enough away from the office, after several layers of walls, Min Chongwu turned to Ji Xinghuo and spoke in a low voice, "What is with that letter you had, that Director Zhou holds you in such high regard and even promoted you to a Chi Xiao Knight?" His face was filled with envy. "Honestly, I don’t know myself," Ji Xinghuo responded. "Forget it if you don’t want to say." Min Chongwu clearly didn’t believe it, then he explained, "I have nothing personal against you, after all, you are a top competitor on the celestial ladder, and you have partaken in battles against Legendary opponents, which qualifies you to be a Chi Xiao Knight. But others might not think this way, they definitely won’t accept Director Zhou’s arrangement, so be extra careful yourself." "I’ve always been low-profile," Ji Xinghuo nodded in understanding. "Ah..." Min Chongwu suddenly sighed, "I worked hard for ten years, struggling to get promoted to Chunjun Swordsman, and yet I’m still a level below you." "Hasn’t Captain Min climbed the ladder?" Ji Xinghuo asked. "Climbing the ladder is not that easy," Min Chongwu responded irritably, "Besides, we are the Sword Bureau, an anti-spy and intelligence gathering agency. If a Swordsman becomes too famous, it hinders operations." Ji Xinghuo nodded. Min Chongwu reminded him again, "Now that you’re somewhat of a celebrity, make sure to conceal your identity when you go on missions to avoid being recognized." As they spoke, they arrived at the Human Resources section of the Comprehensive Management Department. The head of Human Resources had already received a notification from Zhou Yishang, and promptly processed Ji Xinghuo’s promotion, handing him a new Swordsman handbook. The benefits for a Chi Xiao Knight were astoundingly high. Firstly, the salary was raised to one hundred thousand Ya Yuan per month, with various welfare stipends included, just the wages alone could exceed two million a year. Ji Xinghuo, now worth over a billion, no longer valued money. He was more concerned about the privileges of a Chi Xiao Knight. The security clearance increased by three levels, to query his own citizen records, it required an application from officials at least at the level of the Director of the Sword Bureau. Online, he could directly access the information of citizens ranked lower than himself. Institutions and locations under the jurisdiction of the Asia-Pacific Community, whether domestic or abroad, within his authority, could be accessed freely including the right to conduct investigations. He was legally allowed to carry firearms and weapons in public places. The Sword Bureau’s eleven global branches, all covert locations, offices, and safe houses were immediately available for his use. When necessary, he could call upon up to three Sword Teams for backup. Chi Xiao Knights did not need to be on standby. Only when there was a task from a superior, would a Chi Xiao Knight take action. Only the Director and three Deputy Directors of the Sword Bureau were authorized to issue orders to a Chi Xiao Knight, who ranked just half a level below the thirteen Branch Directors. Additionally, there were many other rights and benefits, such as access to the Sword Bureau’s intranet, free use of cultivation equipment and resources, and priority in purchasing officially made superpower equipment. The freedom of a Chi Xiao Knight was very high. Of course, all these rights and treatments came at a cost. The missions of a Chi Xiao Knight were typically the most dangerous kind, involving infiltrating enemy countries, undercover operations, assassinations, penetrations, counter-terrorism, intercepting powerful foes, and handling situations that ordinary Swordsmen couldn’t resolve, sometimes even facing Legendary Level enemies. The total number of Chi Xiao Knights in the Sword Bureau was unclear to Min Chongwu. He had only seen a dozen or so. However, he guessed that the number of Chi Xiao Knights wouldn’t be particularly high, definitely not exceeding a hundred, many like him were Super Mutants. As for the highest-ranked Xuanyuan Swordsmen, they were as elusive as the Divine Dragon. The identity of each Xuanyuan Swordsman was top-secret. Min Chongwu took Ji Xinghuo to the Equipment Department, where he had a software installed on his cellphone for internal communication within the Sword Bureau. "Divine Melody." Ji Xinghuo looked at the name of the app, it was disguised as a music player, with all functions working normally. But after verifying face and password, it would switch to another interface. "Interesting." Ji Xinghuo put away his phone, after understanding the other details about Chi Xiao Knights from Min Chongwu, and said, "I’ve just returned from the Star Realm, I need to see my family. After this New Year’s holiday, I’ll return to the bureau to report for duty and participate in special agent training and firearms courses." "You are a Chi Xiao Knight, you are free to act and don’t need to report to me," Min Chongwu said helplessly. "Just please let Director Zhou know." Min Chongwu nodded his head, then suddenly added, "You’re not going to run off again this time, are you?" Although Ji Xinghuo was now a Chi Xiao Knight and had no motive to flee back to the Star Realm, and even if he left, Director Zhou wouldn’t really do anything to him, the fact that Ji Xinghuo had run away last time was just as incomprehensible, and to this day, no reasonable explanation had been given. If Ji Xinghuo were to disappear again in a few days, it would be quite the joke. "Hahahaha..." Ji Xinghuo burst into laughter, his voice tinged with a hint of embarrassment, "Don’t worry, if I want to go to the Star Realm in the future, I will definitely inform Director Zhou." "That’s good." Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Min Chongwu arranged a Sky Fighter for Ji Xinghuo and sent him out of the base. A moment later. The Sky Fighter landed on the helipad atop a tall building, Ji Xinghuo stepped out of the hatch, and the fighter immediately took off again. He looked around, he was in the southern district of Chang’an, not far from his second brother Zhong Ming’s residence. Skyscrapers towered around him, neon lights flickered, and traffic flowed rapidly. Having spent the past year in the Star Realm, returning to the long absent buzzing city, familiar feelings surged back to him immediately. Ji Xinghuo stood on top of the building, eyes closed, and mapped the magnetic fields within two kilometers in his mind. Sounds, airflow, vibrations. He had a grasp on all the movements in the vicinity. This feeling, much like when he was in the forest of the Star Realm, showed no significant difference; both environments were complex and full of information, and he was the hunter lurking within. Ji Xinghuo descended from the building since Zhong Ming’s home was nearby, and he decided to walk. As he walked, pedestrians occasionally cast curious glances at him. Today was New Year’s Day, and he was dressed in ceramic-steel armor, carrying a bow, longsword, and a dagger at his waist, looking as if he had just returned from the Star Realm, which certainly surprised people. Ji Xinghuo walked confidently in the cold wind, after all, no one knew him, and carrying weapons wasn’t illegal. Soon, he arrived at the base of Zhong Ming’s apartment building. The magnetic field sensor had already scanned his second brother’s home on the ninetieth floor, and besides Zhong Ming, the other three siblings were all there. The family had a tradition of gathering for a meal at one of their homes on the first day of the New Year holiday each year. This year, it was Zhong Ming’s turn. This was a high-end apartment building with strict security and access control. Ji Xinghuo was about to call his second brother to open the door when he was directly recognized by the facial recognition at the access control and the door opened. "The Sword Bureau’s efficiency is really high." "I already have access permissions for domestic sites so quickly!" Ji Xinghuo experienced a rare privilege and suddenly thought, being a Chi Xiao Knight is really great. He took the elevator upstairs and reached the door. He pressed the doorbell. The magnetic field sensor showed that the four siblings who had been lazily lounging on the couch, watching TV shows or browsing their phones while chatting and snacking, all paused for a moment. On Zhong Ming’s phone screen was the external surveillance image, he took one look and saw Ji Xinghuo greeting the camera. He sprung up in surprise and exclaimed, "Xinghuo is back!" Lights flared on his skin as he performed a Fiery Flame Dash to the door and opened it. "Xinghuo!" After opening the door, Zhong Ming’s view flashed and he didn’t see Ji Xinghuo, only to turn around and find Ji Xinghuo had already entered and was standing in the room. Suddenly, a figure appeared in everyone else’s view. "Xinghuo!" "Third brother!" Liangqiu Feiyan was the most excited, almost throwing herself on Ji Xinghuo like a koala clinging tightly, and joyfully exclaimed, "Third brother, you’re finally back! Wow, you don’t know how long I’ve waited, just now I was saying you should come back for New Year’s Day!" Ji Xinghuo, feeling her curvaceous figure, couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed and laughed, "You’ve graduated from university, how are you still like you were when you were little." "Hehe..." Liangqiu Feiyan then realized something was amiss, and somewhat embarrassedly let go, but still stayed close. Ji Xinghuo looked at everyone. "Big sister, second brother, little brother." The siblings hadn’t changed much, all in their twenties, a year and a half wasn’t long, and they were still in the prime of their youth. As the eldest sister, Ye Dongyun, seeing Ji Xinghuo return unharmed, expressed her relief, "We were worried about you for a long time, it’s good you’re back." "Yes, yes, second brother even went to the Star Realm a few times looking for you, but just couldn’t find you," Liangqiu Feiyan suddenly said. "Second brother." Ji Xinghuo felt touched in his heart. Zhong Ming walked over smiling, "I also only realized when I went to Olympia myself how huge it is. Trying to find one person there is almost like looking for a needle in the ocean." He sized up Ji Xinghuo with curiosity in his eyes, "Xinghuo, what rank are you now? That move just now was a Flash Step, wasn’t it? The distance was so far; I almost didn’t catch it. It feels even faster than the Advanced Flying Steps at our club!" Instantly, a look of anticipation appeared on everyone’s faces.