The modern world is like a sieve (3): 

The three subordinates, who had more or less figured out Si Qi’s personality, hid nearby and secretly laughed, finding him more and more likable the longer they watched him.

Who wouldn’t like someone who had good looks, a good temperament, was powerful, and could provide tremendous help to the country?

Not to mention, Si Qi was the one who actively sought them out and, upon their first meeting, offered such a great gift. The sentiment behind it was enough to move people to tears.

The leader sent by the state was named Zhou Song, in his forties. The way he looked at Si Qi was so gentle and kind, as if Si Qi were his long-lost son. He said to him, “I am very curious, with such great power, why would you choose to cooperate with us?”

Even if Si Qi did nothing at all and simply found a place to stay, he could still live a comfortable life.

Si Qi thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps because I like the atmosphere of your country, I like the way you care for the people… I feel you are good people, so I want to help you as much as I can.”

In the original host’s memory, a few months later conflicts would erupt worldwide between travelers and humans.

Among them, Hua Nation was the most decisive in its stance, doing its utmost to protect the people.

Even when facing the largest traveler faction in the world, the citizens of Hua Nation still lived the most secure lives compared to anyone else.

Zhou Song’s gaze softened, and in an earnest tone he said, “Thank you for your help. We will not fail your trust.”

Even though Si Qi did not take credit for anything, they would not neglect what should be done or expressed. This was what Si Qi deserved.

He invited Si Qi to sit in the conference room, side by side with Chu Feng across from Si Qi, and said, “I read the words you spoke to the police. You said that before long, a group of outsiders will arrive in our world and cause great destruction.”

Chu Feng had noticed this long ago and reported it to the state, drawing serious attention from the upper levels.

But Si Qi had only been in this world for two days, and he was already at the police station less than half an hour after his arrival. How did he know that soon, a large number of ‘outsiders’ would arrive here? What was the basis of his certainty?

Si Qi couldn’t say he had seen it in the original host’s memories, so he explained instead: “Do you know that when cultivators reach a certain level, they can ascend to the Immortal Realm?”

Since Zhou Song had been chosen to contact Si Qi, he had clearly studied a great deal in advance, cramming ‘cultivation basics.’ He nodded seriously and said, “We know.”

Though what he knew came only from fabricated novels…

Si Qi continued: “Ascension requires breaking through the world’s barrier into another world. And the barrier of your world has grown so weak that beings from any time and space could accidentally enter.”

Zhou Song straightened immediately, eyes sharp, expression grave: “Is what you say true?”

Si Qi’s tone was calm: “I have no reason to deceive you.”

Zhou Song’s expression grew solemn, not because of doubt toward Si Qi, but because of the meaning behind his words.

His face grew heavy: “Then doesn’t that mean that in the future, even for hundreds or thousands of years, we won’t be free from such troubles…”

Si Qi thought for a moment, then shook his head to comfort him: “The Heavenly Dao will repair itself. As long as we endure this period, similar events may not happen again.”

Zhou Song froze, then relief appeared in his eyes.

The higher-ups often considered more than the average person.

If a cultivator had appeared this time, what guarantee was there that demons, vengeful spirits, or zombies would not appear later?

If human hot weapons could handle them, that would be fine. But if the things crossing over brought entities humans could not resist—like viruses on the scale of smallpox or the Black Death—how many times could humanity withstand such blows?

Biological invasion was already a serious issue; even foreign plants or animals accidentally taking root locally could cause decades or centuries of negative consequences.

Not to mention when the creatures came from another world—who could know what trouble they might bring to those living here?

Even modern people crossing to the past, carrying viruses that had evolved for thousands of years, could easily wipe out countless ancient lives.

The future was bound to hold countless battles, and they had to prepare in advance for this crisis.

It was a fight they could not avoid or compromise on; they could only grit their teeth and move forward step by step.

Zhou Song raised one of their greatest concerns: “Chu Feng said your divination ability might allow you to learn in advance the whereabouts of these ‘guests from another world’?”

At the words “guests from another world,” Si Qi showed a trace of surprise, then let out a light laugh, pleased with humanity’s attitude toward the travelers.

The word “guest” spoke volumes, and that attitude was thanks in no small part to his influence.

Si Qi said: “They are beings even the Heavenly Dao cannot block. I cannot foresee through the Dao when they will arrive.”

Zhou Song followed the logic carefully and quickly understood.

Indeed, the travelers appeared because the Heavenly Dao—the world barrier—had weakened and allowed them to fall into this world.

If the Heavenly Dao could foresee who would come, it would simply repair the breach and block them instead of letting them through.

Zhou Song said regretfully, “I see, that is a pity…”

Si Qi: “However, once they do arrive in this world, I will be able to know immediately.”

Zhou Song brightened, delighted: “That is still very good!”

As long as their location could be known, it was far better than trying to search blindly only after trouble had appeared.

However…

Zhou Song asked guiltily: “I recall that divination is very draining. Wouldn’t this be too much of a burden on you…”

He wasn’t just being polite; he truly worried that someone who could contribute so much to the country might shorten his lifespan or suffer backlash from revealing too many secrets of Heaven—just like in the novels.

They would rather Si Qi take it easy and help within his limits. Only if Si Qi lived well could the nation develop securely.

Not all leaders were shortsighted like in some movies; real ones were far more prudent, or they could not run a country this large.

Si Qi thought for a moment but neither confirmed nor denied it.

He was not the original host. Things the host could not do, he might be able to, but lacking proof, he chose to answer cautiously: “I will be careful.”

Zhou Song spoke sincerely: “You are our partner now. Your safety is something we always care about as well. Please do not force yourself.”

His attitude pleased Si Qi greatly, and his impression of the government—or rather, the nation—grew even better. He was more satisfied with his decision and showed a faint smile as he said to Zhou Song: “Don’t worry.”

Catching Si Qi’s smile unprepared, Zhou Song’s pupils widened, nearly staring blankly, and his heartbeat quickened.

A moment later he snapped back, embarrassed: “Th-this… alright.”

It was truly sinful; he was already at his age… No, the young-looking cultivator before him was older than the founding of his nation—this was a true ancestor!

How could he harbor such thoughts toward an ancestor? Zhou Song instantly sobered, wiping away all fanciful ideas, looking at Si Qi as if he were a precious antique to be admired from afar but never profaned.

Si Qi: “…?”

After explaining the cause of otherworldly arrivals and setting strategies to prepare for future travelers, Zhou Song took a bundle of documents from his briefcase and said apologetically, “I know I just said we didn’t want you to overexert yourself, but now I must trouble you again…”

“These are records of major cases accumulated over the years, accounts of national heroes, and some important files with missing information. Please, if within your ability, help us find the real culprits and identify the heroes who made great contributions to our nation. Even if it takes a long time, as long as we can have an answer, it will be enough.”

Hearing this request, Si Qi was slightly moved.

Unlike the original host, who viewed mortals as ants, Si Qi didn’t feel belittled at being asked by mortal officials to use immortal arts to find criminals.

On the contrary, he found it gratifying that in facing someone like him, the state didn’t ask, “How can we secure eternal prosperity for our dynasty?” or “How can we make our elites live long and healthy lives?” Instead, their concern was solely about protecting the people and finding justice for the dead.

So after saying, “It’s fine,” he took the thick files. With one hand forming seals over the divination plate, and the other writing swift answers with a brush, Zhou Song trembled with excitement across from him, barely able to contain himself.

Taking each heavy page, stained with blood and tears, Zhou Song looked at Si Qi with growing respect and gratitude. He carefully stored the papers and said earnestly, “We will always remember the contributions you have made to us.”

Si Qi nodded lightly, his mind briefly flashing to that young man who had once stayed by the original host’s side, urging him to commit evil.

In truth, that youth’s crimes may have been even heavier than those recorded in the files.

But now, with Si Qi having replaced the host, no one was in contact with the young man. At most, he would remain a morally twisted ordinary person, not the cause of countless deaths as in the memories.

So Si Qi neither mentioned his name nor intended to meet him.

After carefully putting the documents back into his bag, Zhou Song bid farewell to Si Qi and Chu Feng, also asking Chu Feng to take good care of him.

Chu Feng, however, was never particularly warm toward anyone but Si Qi. He only nodded casually, leaving Zhou Song to worry whether he could really care for Si Qi properly—or whether he might even mistreat him.

To ordinary eyes, a mere mortal like Chu Feng couldn’t possibly harm someone like Si Qi, making Zhou Song’s worry seem baseless.

But to Zhou Song, Chu Feng was strangely uncanny.

Whatever he set his mind to, he could achieve. Otherwise, how could such an absurd-sounding department as the Bureau of Crossings have been casually established by him?

What’s more, all his subordinates were top talents—hackers, polymaths, historians, theologians, special forces elites—every kind of expert. Normally, each would be almost impossible to recruit, even by the state. Yet Chu Feng had easily gathered them within a month, and they all obeyed him without arrogance.

Zhou Song pondered, thinking perhaps he should report back and suggest that higher authorities remind Chu Feng to treat Si Qi better.

After all, this was a great benefactor of Hua Nation. Even if he could not be given many smiles, at least he must not be casually ordered about or slighted.

After leaving the Bureau of Crossings, Zhou Song personally handed the files over to the relevant departments. Their reaction was even more intense than Zhou Song’s earlier response, and they immediately made arrangements.

Police stations across the country quickly received “reliable intelligence” from higher authorities, stating that the culprit of such-and-such major case from a certain year was located in a certain place, and that the local police were to arrest the suspect at once.

These were all major cases that had remained unsolved for years or even decades. Solving them would definitely cause a nationwide sensation, so police departments everywhere took the matter extremely seriously.

Because this time the intelligence was so reliable, even including the suspect’s residence and appearance in detail, the arrests proceeded remarkably smoothly. In almost one night, more than a dozen old cases were cracked nationwide, leaving many professionals utterly dumbfounded, thinking to themselves: since when could this sort of thing be done wholesale?

Some wanted to investigate further and find out where this “reliable intelligence” came from, but any slight attempt drew warnings from above, scaring people into silence. No one dared to ask again, though they all remembered this bizarre event in their hearts.

Meanwhile, after meeting with Si Qi, Zhou Song stayed up all night compiling a report, and then met with the nation’s Great Elder.

The Great Elder took matters concerning the Bureau of Crossings very seriously. By almost the same afternoon that Si Qi appeared, all of his information—his actions after arriving, and his major contributions to the country’s scientific and technological progress—had been collected and laid on the Great Elder’s desk.

Zhou Song’s official purpose in finding Si Qi was to resolve those cases, but in truth he also carried a task from his superiors: to observe Si Qi’s character and determine whether he could be trusted.

Once his report was ready, Zhou Song stood before the Great Elder. After reading it, the elder said, “You give him a very high evaluation.”

Zhou Song, serious and composed, replied, “He is a figure of great personal charisma. In both virtue and temperament, he is very pure.”

“Analysts have reviewed all recordings of Si Qi’s appearances, studying his expressions and words. Their conclusion is that ‘he is initially probing us, but developing deeper goodwill.’ The reason is that he acknowledges our people-first approach and admires our fairness in handling matters.”

“At present, he is friendly toward us and has provided us with tremendous, almost unimaginable help.”

“My view is: as long as he does not cross our bottom line, we should win him over as much as possible, keeping him on our side. At the very least, we must not drive him to the opposing camp. That would be an extremely disastrous outcome.”

“He could be a powerful aid in times of crisis and a great boon to the rise of our nation.”

Every word Zhou Song spoke was weighty, showing his deep recognition of Si Qi. The Great Elder pondered for a moment, then pulled an envelope from his desk drawer and slid it toward Zhou Song.

“There is a letter here. Take a look.”

Zhou Song stepped forward, opened the letter, and began reading carefully.

At the very first line, he was so startled that he couldn’t help but look up at the elder.

The elder’s expression remained inscrutable, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts. Controlling his emotions, Zhou Song read on.

After about three minutes, he finished the last line, exhaling sharply in disbelief: “This, this is…”

“He claims to be a ‘reborn person.’” The elder’s expression showed no particular emotion.

Yet for someone who had lived so many years, what he had encountered in this one year was more incredible than in his entire previous life.

“This man says that this year, many enemies from other worlds will appear in the country. A cultivator named ‘Siqi,’ under the guidance of a human traitor called ‘Hanzhen,’ will form a ‘Traveler Alliance’ and openly oppose the nation.”

“Countless civilians will die as a result, and he himself was one of the innocent victims killed by the Traveler Alliance.”

“In his letter he wrote about many ‘beings from beyond’ that will threaten our country in the future, and methods to deal with them.”

“What do you think?”

Zhou Song’s eyes flickered as he quickly organized his thoughts, then answered, “I don’t believe this Siqi is the same Si Qi we know.”

“He would not massacre civilians or treat mortals as worthless.”

“Especially since his attitude toward us has been consistently friendly, helping us repeatedly. The cultivator described in the letter clearly disregards human life.”

The elder nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Zhou Song said, “The one who wrote this letter is very likely not part of the system. His information is obviously based on later media reports rather than firsthand intelligence. He was vague about times and places, and all his suggestions were subjective. Clearly, he is just an ordinary civilian, not a professional in any relevant field.”

After a pause, he added, “If he truly wrote this not to confuse us but because he was genuinely ‘reborn’ and wanted to warn us, then what he mentioned—‘zombies,’ ‘angels’—all deserve our attention and preemptive countermeasures.”

“Of course, the best outcome would be to find this man and question him in person. That would yield far more useful information than this letter.”

The elder replied evenly, “We already found him, but his mental state is not good. He is extremely disillusioned with the authorities and not suitable for direct contact.”

Zhou Song nodded in understanding. “If he really did come back after death, then such feelings are reasonable.”

No one who had lived through long disasters, died in despair, and then awoke again could maintain a healthy and optimistic outlook.

If the Traveler Alliance truly plunged Hua Nation into a living hell, with all sorts of monsters rampant, and the state failed even to protect his life, then his disappointment and desire to avoid trouble and protect only himself was entirely understandable.

That he took the risk to write a letter to the authorities, sharing something so absurd-sounding that almost no one would believe, was already remarkable.

Zhou Song asked, “Besides writing the letter, did he do anything else?”

The elder: “He resigned from his job, stockpiled food, exercised his body, and warned all his friends and relatives not to go outside…”

Until very recently, his mental state had been completely normal. Only in the two days before writing the letter did his behavior suddenly become strange, illogical, and abnormal.

It was precisely because of this strange, illogical behavior that the authorities believed he truly was reborn, and the letter was passed to the Great Elder.

Zhou Song thought of something: “We could use this clue to search nationwide for other reborn individuals…”

The elder: “So far, no second case has been found.”

Zhou Song understood immediately—searches had already been conducted.

Still, if a second reborn person were found, and he also claimed that Si Qi was the leader of the Traveler Alliance…

The elder put away the letter and said to Zhou Song, “The future can be changed, just as we are doing now. Whether or not Si Qi really would become the leader of the Traveler Alliance, as long as he stands with us, we must trust him.”

Hearing this, Zhou Song secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He understood why the elder said this, and smiled: “With Si Qi’s abilities, if he wanted to know our attitude, he could easily divine it in an instant.”

To betray Si Qi first? Impossible!

If they had not already established cooperation with Si Qi, the letter might have been a crucial warning, helping them prepare earlier. But since they had already become friends, suspicion and vigilance would only push Si Qi toward the opposite side.

It was precisely because of this letter that they had to draw Si Qi closer, to prevent that tragic future from “repeating.”

After all, he was a being powerful enough to contend openly with an entire nation.

How could they be foolish enough to make such a one their enemy?

The two spoke in secret in the office. Having understood the elder’s stance, Zhou Song continued his contacts with Si Qi with twice the enthusiasm.

When he next arrived at the Bureau of Crossings, Si Qi had just located a traveler who had long hidden in the country, though living in miserable obscurity.

The bureau’s historian was so excited he cried out: “I must go! I have to go! Even if it’s dangerous, I must!!”

“That’s a legendary emperor!!! A living history textbook!!!”