Chapter 117: Truly a Lucky Find

To the surprise of Li Changqing and Lan Qiqi, they each carried three additional badges. The two of them had effortlessly obtained five badges in total.

The badges were small, made of iron, each inscribed with a unique code—likely used to record which monsters had been slain.

After acquiring the badges, they hurried toward the exit of the Taming Forest, where the outskirts were considerably safer.

The three-day assessment period soon came to an end.

At the entrance to the Taming Forest, Hu Xiong, Sima Xi, and other members from their respective bureaus gathered.

By evening, everyone waited in the square as people began to emerge one after another.

Some were joyful; others were anxious.

Those who saw all their bureau members come out safely were filled with happiness.

Meanwhile, some waited anxiously, worried as their comrades had yet to appear.

Hu Xiong’s expression was naturally anxious, while Sima Xi seemed a bit more relaxed.

Two young men from their bureau had already emerged safely, though neither had managed to hunt any monsters.

Despite the disappointment, at least their lives were unharmed.

After all, with the forest’s monsters going berserk this time, casualties were inevitable; survival itself was commendable.

“Weren’t you with Lan Qiqi?” Sima Xi asked the two men.

They shook their heads. “Three days ago, when we reached the Taming Forest entrance, Miss Lan went off alone. But we saw her follow Li Changqing from the Thirty-Six Bureau.”

“Li Changqing,” Hu Xiong breathed a sigh of relief. Lan Qiqi was a formidable witch; at least she had someone to watch over her.

At this moment, Hu Xiong cared only about whether Li Changqing was alive. As for whether he and Lan Qiqi spent three days alone together and what might have happened, he was indifferent.

“Three badges,” a sudden exclamation came from the crowd, drawing Hu Xiong and Sima Xi’s attention.

It was Rodin Xun, the dark sorcerer from before.

“He apparently entered the Taming Forest alone,” someone remarked.

“And managed to obtain three badges,” another said.

Some frowned. “He’s already a powerful dark sorcerer. Slaying three monsters isn’t surprising.”

Hu Xiong and Sima Xi exchanged a glance.

Even if they themselves had entered, it would have been difficult to hunt three monsters in three days.

After fighting a monster, it took a long time to recover spiritual or dark energy.

At that moment, staff from the Investigation Bureau approached Rodin Xun, took the badges from his hand, glanced at them, and recorded the details.

Inside the gate, Li Changqing and Lan Qiqi also emerged together.

“Changqing,” Hu Xiong and Sima Xi hurried forward.

“You brat, I thought you’d died inside,” Hu Xiong said with relief, then asked, “Did you get any badges?”

“Yes,” Li Changqing nodded, glancing at Lan Qiqi beside him.

Sima Xi inquired with concern, “Did anything happen to you this time?”

“No, Brother Changqing is amazing—he even hunted four monsters,” Lan Qiqi said with a bright smile toward Li Changqing.

Li Changqing’s forehead darkened.

Out of the five badges, Lan Qiqi claimed just one, attributing the other four entirely to Li Changqing.

He felt something was off; Lan Qiqi was not one for modesty.

“I’ll report it—I hunted one monster!” Lan Qiqi quickly called out to a nearby staff member.

A worker in a black Investigation Bureau uniform holding a notebook came over.

“One badge,” the staff member nodded, asked Lan Qiqi’s name, and recorded it.

Lan Qiqi then pointed to the staff member and said, “This is my companion—he’s the impressive one who killed four monsters.”

Having many badges indicated outstanding achievement and guaranteed special attention from the bureau’s higher-ups.

Lan Qiqi had joined with secret motives and naturally wished to avoid drawing the eerie upper echelon’s scrutiny.

Those nearby, hearing this, all looked toward Li Changqing.

Four badges?

Even dark sorcerer Rodin Xun had only three.

The staff member looked at Li Changqing with eager anticipation.

Hu Xiong was surprised—could this kid really have obtained so many badges?

In past assessments, earning two badges was excellent; three, like Rodin Xun’s, was rare.

Four, however...

No, Hu Xiong shook his head, knowing Li Changqing well enough to doubt such a feat. There had to be some trick.

“Hello, this badge is mine,” Li Changqing said, producing four badges and handing them to the staff member. Then he added thoughtfully, “I found these three. I came across three monsters fighting each other until they mutually destroyed themselves, so I picked up these three badges.”

“You’re modest,” the staff member smiled faintly. “Monsters rarely fight each other in the Taming Forest, and these three badges correspond to monsters from different zones.”

The initial digits on each badge indicated the forest’s partition.

Many eyes turned curiously to Li Changqing, whispering among themselves.

“Who is this guy?”

“Seems like someone from the Thirty-Six Bureau.”

“Four badges? Impressive.”

“And humble too—found them? I struggled to get one and nearly lost my life. Never saw anyone find one lying around.”

“He must have caught the bureau’s upper echelon’s attention.”

“Yeah, definitely a key focus.”

“Jealous~”

Listening to their whispers and glances, Li Changqing finally understood why Lan Qiqi had refused the badges.

Being a key focus was good news for ordinary people but a deadly problem for him.

Damn.

He looked at Lan Qiqi, who stood with her hands behind her back, avoiding his gaze and looking elsewhere.

Hu Xiong believed Li Changqing’s story about finding the badges and laughed heartily, patting him on the shoulder. “Even if you found them, it’s by skill—you’re not disgraced.”

“Really found them...” Li Changqing couldn’t help but explain.

Hu Xiong chuckled.

“Let’s head back. After the numbers are tallied, the Chief Director will meet with you.”

Everyone boarded a bus and slowly headed toward the Investigation Bureau headquarters.

Li Changqing, Hu Xiong, Lan Qiqi, and others sat in the back row.

Lan Qiqi spoke softly, “By the way, inside the Taming Forest, we encountered a very strong Tortoise Demon that killed many people...”

Hu Xiong and Sima Xi exchanged a look.

Sima Xi asked in surprise, “You met it? And survived?”

Hu Xiong was shocked as well; they had actually lived through that encounter.

“Eh, you knew about it?” Lan Qiqi asked in puzzlement.