Chapter Eighty: Duty

The meeting lasted for over an hour, and it wasn’t until one o’clock in the morning that the two headquarters personnel from the capital finally departed.

They listened attentively and reviewed the combat records from Dongyuan City, gaining a thorough understanding of the role played by the powered exoskeleton armor in the operation.

Next, they heard the specialists responsible for the transformation project discuss the challenges of mass-producing the armor, with particular emphasis on Zhou Shu’s opinions.

It surprised them that Zhou Shu, only eighteen years old, had contributed so significantly to this endeavor.

Yet, with the testimony of seasoned experts and the entire leadership of Dongyuan City, they had no choice but to accept the facts; moreover, Zhou Shu spoke with remarkable authority when introducing the exoskeleton.

Having fully grasped the significance of the powered exoskeleton, they finally conveyed the opinions of the Demon Suppression Bureau headquarters and the upper echelons: namely, that branches across the country should cooperate with the authorities in publicizing their efforts.

Dongyuan City held a special status—not only boasting the world’s sole flawless victory, but also possessing the futuristic powered exoskeleton armor. Thus, Dongyuan would become a focal point in the campaign, and resources would be allocated accordingly.

Since the city had performed so exceptionally, it was only right that the populace—and indeed the world—should know.

As for the Demon Suppression Bureau and the Exorcists, such unique entities, every nation had the idea to bring their superpowered organizations and individuals into the public eye to stabilize morale after such abrupt attacks. The same was true for Daqin.

As is well known, only magic can defeat magic, and only “monsters” can vanquish monsters.

To prevent the public from viewing superpowered individuals as monsters, Daqin intended to emphasize their ancient origins.

With names like “Demon Suppression Bureau” and “Exorcist,” which evoke a sense of tradition, anyone familiar with tales of immortals or the supernatural could guess their purpose.

Building on these foundations, the authorities would guide public perception toward historical and mythological connections, making acceptance easier.

Furthermore, the Bureau would be linked to the military, and Exorcists to special forces. The Daqin army is revered by the people; tying these entities to it would increase their acceptance.

To lessen the “alien” and “inhuman” facets of superpowered individuals, the authorities would add the powered exoskeleton armor—the “super soldier”—to the publicity mix.

This way, defeating monsters would not be the sole domain of monsters; human ingenuity would play a vital role.

As long as hope was not placed entirely in the hands of a rare few, ordinary people equipped with mass-produced exoskeleton armor could become “super soldiers” against monsters.

The combination of these three elements would enable the public to accept superpowered individuals and stabilize society disturbed by monsters.

This was the preliminary decision; details were still under discussion. However, tomorrow would see the announcement of the Demon Suppression Bureau’s existence, along with Dongyuan’s achievements, to reassure the populace and display strength.

After going public, Dongyuan would surely face pressure, but the headquarters planned to send several more Exorcists to reinforce the city’s Bureau.

After these matters were settled, Zhou Shu began his report on the situation encountered that afternoon—the two “Observers” in the building next to Alpha Corporation.

The foreign man's corpse had been recovered, but since he was killed by a 12.7mm tungsten-core armor-piercing round to the head, his face was unrecognizable for the moment.

As for the woman who “flitted about,” others had only seen a fleeting figure; her appearance was unknown.

The Bureau checked the surveillance system in that building, but found no trace of them; no one could fathom how they managed to get up there.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shu, the initial discoverer, raised his hand. “If you had mentioned it earlier, I could actually provide clear images of their faces.”

The group was momentarily stunned, and a headquarters staffer exclaimed, “That’s right! You’re a superpowered sniper—your scope must be a digital imaging scope, right? How did we not think of that!”

“Uh, actually not,” Zhou Shu explained. “Due to the nature of my superpower, I use a purely optical scope.”

This time, it was the headquarters personnel who were taken aback, but the others from Dongyuan’s Bureau seemed to recall something. The Director smiled warmly, “Indeed, Zhou Shu can provide their portraits, but his extraordinary achievements in other areas made us forget his primary skill.”

The technical team suddenly realized.

“Oh, right, we were so focused on the surveillance footage, we forgot Zhou Shu’s actual specialty.”

“We’re getting old—our minds are stuck on convenient technology, but we forgot humanity’s traditional talents.”

“What do you mean?” The headquarters staff asked, bewildered.

The Director looked at the two from headquarters with pride. “Zhou Shu is not only the chief in charge of the ‘super soldier’ exoskeleton project and an exceptionally skilled superpowered sniper, but he’s also an art student at Dongyuan No. 1 High School, ranking among the top in the Jizhou art exams, and passed the Imperial Polytechnic’s art test.”

“He saw those two through his scope; he should be able to sketch their likenesses.”

As the most outstanding member in the history of Dongyuan’s Demon Suppression Bureau, the Director remembered Zhou Shu’s profile with exceptional clarity.

After all, each new accomplishment Zhou Shu earned reflected credit on the Director as well.

As the introduction proceeded, Wang Kailun handed Zhou Shu a tablet and a stylus.

Though Zhou Shu had started with pencil and paper, the times had changed, and his skill with digital tools was equally impressive.

As Zhou Shu began sketching rapidly, the others fell silent.

If they could obtain accurate images, it would be invaluable.

One of the two “Observers” was dead and the other escaped. Though the Bureau had yet to identify the man, the examination of his body confirmed he was a Level Two Mutant, and a formidable one at that.

His physical strength was extraordinary, and the residual maximum luminescence exceeded 250.

He was fortunate—killed unprepared by a 12.7mm tungsten-core armor-piercing round to the head.

The technical department simulated the scenario; if the man had been alert, they weren’t sure Zhou Shu’s slow-motion sniping could have succeeded.

Yet, the man probably never expected Zhou Shu to possess the “Vigilance” ability—if watched for an extended period or sensed malice, Zhou Shu would become aware.

Neither “Observer” expected the sniper, whose attention seemed focused on the company entrance, to suddenly fire in the opposite direction.

There’s nothing more to say—Zhou Shu’s two superpowers, combined with tungsten-core rounds, were simply unmatched.

Precisely because of this, everyone felt the kill had been a stroke of luck.

Level Two Mutants are no minor threat; whether they evolve independently or are cultivated, they have devoured many humans and are bona fide man-eating monsters.

Upon reaching the second stage, they can transform between “human” and “monster” forms, retaining their rationality after transforming—making them far more dangerous than ordinary mutants when hiding among people.

Generally, monsters defined domestically as Level Two or internationally as Grade B Mutants are the small leaders of monster organizations; their appearance at such a sensitive time and place hinted at a conspiracy.

Zhou Shu did not draw a portrait but a full-body sketch, capturing the key features with remarkable precision. No sooner had he revealed them than someone recognized the faces.

“The one shot in the head is Fast-Mellen, a bronze-level leader of the international ‘Evolution’ organization in Daqin, responsible for the northern region. I can’t believe he showed up here.”

“He’s a wanted criminal on the Bureau’s kill list, and Zhou Shu took him out directly—what a coincidence~”

“I know the woman, too. She’s Bai Huayue, a member of the domestic illegal organization ‘Ascension Society,’ also on the kill list…”

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