Novel

**Bureau of Paranormal Investigation** (民调局异闻录, *Mín diào jú yì wén lù*), is a Chinese novel written by Er Dong Shui Shou and of the genres of action, adventure, fantasy, mystery and supernatural. The novel was published by Beijing Yanshan Publishing House in June 2013, with a total of six books: **Wu Zu Of The Miao Land**, **The Ghost Opera Of Qinghe**, **The Ghost Ship Of The Blood Sea**, **The Train Of The Departed Spirit**, **The Demonic Spirit Of Las Vegas** and **The Boundless Underworld**. There are also **Bureau of Paranormal Investigation: The Sequel** and **Come Back From Death's Door** as an interlude.

The novel is currently being translated into English on Novel Updates

## Plot

"The world in which we all exist .. I can tell you its story. One flower in the world, one leaf - everything is unchanged. What is the world of The B.P.I? Who knows ... Through my eyes, I will tell you stories wandering on the border of reality and illusion.

This world is everywhere, but most of it is unknown. There is a mysterious department here, hidden from the eyes of the general public. It employs people who are well versed in magical techniques. And, of course, there are a lot of stories about those who have long since freed themselves from the shackles of reincarnation, but still wander among the mortal world. For ordinary people, they are invisible and imperceptible, but they are truly a strong shield. For the evil spirits, they are like a hated, eradicating guard. For those like themselves, they are just people of flesh and blood, with their own hatred and love, joy and sadness, existing in this big world and concealing no less huge peace in their souls. They are like a drop in the ocean, but very important. "

In the task of catching drug lords in the Yunnan border, a special forces team accidentally enters the caves of the ancient Dian Kingdom, and intruded on ancient rituals. The squad was almost completely annihilated. Only Shen La and the anti-drug police Sun Desheng survived, as they were rescued by a mysterious white-haired man named Wu Mian. After this incident, the two men accidentally entered the "Bureau of Paranormal Investigation" and gradually became entangled in more supernatural events, revealing the veil of another world.

### Other Plot

The world in which we all exist .. I can tell you its story

One flower in the world, one leaf - everything is unchanged. What is the world of The B.P.I? Who knows ... Through my eyes, I will tell you stories wandering on the border of reality and illusion.

I know such a fat man, Its target lies in its stomach, but he has been pretending to be stupid to cover up his world. This may be related to his previous work experience. In his world, not one would ever trust him. But in my world, he is my most trusted partner. In the world of The B.P.I, perhaps one day he will achieve more achievements than any of us.

There is another fat man. The B.P.I used to be his world. He managed this world impenetrably. The world was created by him, but he understands that one day, the world will collapse. Before that day comes, he will find a more suitable master for the world, but is it really right to do so?

When you give up the world for a woman, you are Yang Xiao. When you want to create a world for a friend in order to keep your promise, you are Yang Jun. When you can control the world of others, you are Wu Rendi.

There is such a person, he has an older brother who was born five minutes earlier than him. He once dreamed of having the same world as his older brother. But on one day, the world collapsed. How should I go the back road? Who can tell him...

I used to be curious about Wu Rendi's world. It seems that I can often see his shadow in my world. In the world of The B.P.I, he is like a god. Why is there such a person? This unscientific……

There are countless intersecting worlds here... Xiao Heshang's world, Po Jun's world, Qiu Bu Lao's world, Hugo's world... This is the world I want to talk about.

## Books

### Book 1: Wu Zu Of The Miao Land

It tells the story of a scorched corpse with fangs found in Daxing'anling after the fire in 1987. The officers and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army subdued it after paying a huge price.

Shen La's third uncle, Shen Yuanchao was responsible for escorting it back to Beijing. During the transportation, the scorched corpse was resurrected again. When it was critical, A mysterious white-haired man appeared and easily defeated the burning corpse. More than a decade later, Shen La, who was born with Ghost Eye, joined the army and was elected to the Special Forces. In a mission to chase and suppress drug lords, he strayed into a mysterious cave on the Yunnan border; the ancient sacrificial corpses in the cave were resurrected and launched a frantic attack on the Shen La's team. At this time, the mysterious white-haired man reappeared and rescued Shen La and others.

### book 2: The Ghost Opera Of Qinghe

The former special soldier Shen La, who was born with Ghost Eye, was transferred to a mysterious organization called the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation by chance. From then on, a series of bizarre and exciting supernatural adventures began.

Shen La's grandfather celebrated his 70th birthday, and he held a birthday banquet for seven consecutive days, but during these seven days, the villagers died bizarrely one by one. What is the reason for this? At the bottom of the inconspicuous Daqing River, there were big golden ingots everywhere, which attracted the villagers in the surrounding villages to go crazy.

### book 3: The Ghost Ship Of The Blood Sea

It tells the story of a Ghost Ship in the Ming Dynasty that was missing for 600 years and reappeared in the waters of our country, The ship is full of gold, It is said that any creature that boarded the Ghost Ship will only have one result, is death. Who is the owner of this Ming Dynasty Ghost Ship? Why does it appear every 20 years?

There was a strange wolf disaster in the Tianshan Mountains. Behind the wolf disaster, the Religious Affairs Committee appeared, And characters appeared among them that caused even The B.P.I's Chief Gao Liang to have a headache, on the stage.

### book 4: The Train Of The Departed Spirit

Tells about the fourteenth day of the seventh lunar month, the Zhongyuan Festival. A scrapped train from the 1960s is full of special passengers. Where is it going? What horrible things will happen before the train reaches the end?

An unnamed island in the south of Liaoning was holding a grand wedding, but the bride’s relatives died unexpectedly one by one. Did the god of death come here to reaper souls. Is it murder? Or a curse? The sin and unforgettable hatred of forty years ago broke out at this moment.

### book 5: The The Demonic Spirit Of Las Vegas

Tells about the American casino Las Vegas. suddenly, news of Tianli Diagram that had disappeared for many years came out. Shen La and his party rushed to the United States, can they bring Tianli Diagram back to The B.P.I? The ancient church in the desert on the outskirts of Las Vegas had unexpected incidents. The priest died bizarrely, The cause of death is hard to find. The policemen who went to investigate and guard the church also died unexpectedly. This caused the entire Las Vegas to become aware of the strange cases. What is behind it? Why does the US FBI treat Shen La and the others in a stubborn attitude? And can Shen La and others find out the truth?

### book 6: The Boundless Underworld

Telling about who is the another white-haired man on the fifth floor of the building of The B.P.I? What is the reason that caused him to fight with Wu Rendi for thousands of years, and is endless.

The ancient tombs of the Qing Dynasty discovered in a farm on the outskirts of Tianjin, where archaeological workers were killed one after another, what kind of horrible monster was causing The B.P.I to be dispatched? The black hand hidden behind The B.P.I made another attack and planned successive attacks. Many of the staff of The B.P.I suffered one after another. Even the chief Gao Liang was not spared. The B.P.I suffered the biggest crisis since its establishment. Can Fatty Sun, who has been promoted to chief, turn the tide?

## Arcs

### The Dead Man's Pond In Yunnan

In the process of hunting down a drug lord, Shen La's Special Forces Team gets lost in the Miao people's altar and finds the Dead Man's Pond. Lin Huo is a Miao man who has a deep relationship with Wu Mian more than two thousand years ago. The strange, bloodthirsty corpse began attacking Shen La's team. At a critical moment, Wu Rendi who came to settle grievances with Lin Huo two thousand years ago appears, and saved everyone from danger. After this event, Shen La and Sun Desheng are taken to The B.P.I.

### The Mausoleum Of The Ancient State Of Zhi

The B.P.I receives the news of the disappearance of the archaeological team during the discovery of mysterious relics recently discovered in the desert, and the first and second chambers are sent to investigate the matter. During the investigation, for some ridiculous reason, Shen La, Sun Desheng, Hao Wenming, and Po Jun are stuck in The Mausoleum Of The Ancient State Of Zhi. While searching for a way out, the team encounters many mysterious puzzles, and finds Qiu Bulao, who was also stuck in the shrine. Finally, they find the long-arrived Wu Rendi who has solved all the puzzles, and the archaeological team is rescued.

### The 15-Storey Building

In the Qilin City, A number of second room's investigators who came to investigate the matter fell into a coma one after another. Shen La, Sun Desheng, and Pu Jun were sent to investigate Wang Ziheng, the deputy director of the second room, however Wang Ziheng left a team and was awakened by an attack from the killer that left him in a coma with several serious injuries. Wu Rendi later personally went to investigate the incident, much to the surprise of the team. With the help of Wu Rendi, Shen La and Sun Desheng track down the killer, arriving at the The 15-Storey Building that has been infested with ghosts for over ten years. They were surprised to find out that the real killer was Yang Xiao who had been accompanying them for a long time.

### The Ghost Opera Of Qinghe

Shen La's hometown put on a big show for centenarians to celebrate their birthdays, and Shen La went back to see his family with Sun Desheng. Unexpectedly, while singing the Opera Of Qinghe, many people died strangely. Shen La met his grandfather's friend, Xiao Heshang, an early veteran of The B.P.I, and gets to know each other's identities. During an investigation, a large amount of gold and silver is discovered in Qinghe, which attracts people's greed, and causes more victims. At the end, Shen La, Sun Desheng, Xiao Heshang, and the head of the police station, Xiong Ba, descend into the cave. After many setbacks, they encountered another veteran of The B.P.I Xiao Sanda, but unexpectedly, Xiao Sanda had already become a demon.

### Xiao Sanda's Memories

In order to know the whereabouts of Tianli Diagram, Wu Rendi implanted part of Xiao Sanda's soul fragments into Shen La's body. Shen La, who was in a coma, saw the Chi Xiao incident decades ago through Xiao Sanda's memory, and saw several veterans fighting side by side during the special operation period.

### The Exorcism In Hong Kong

Shen La and Sun Desheng brought out three Night Pearls from The Mausoleum Of The Ancient State Of Zhi, but they were bought at a low price by Hong Kong businessman Ma Xiaolin because they didn't understand the market. Unexpectedly, Ma Xiaolin was in bad luck ever since. Shen La, Sun Desheng and Xiao Heshang took the opportunity to re-settle the account with Ma Xiaolin as exorcism masters.

### Vermilion Bird Girls School

There are constantly missing female students at Vermilion Bird Girls' School. Everyone from The B.P.I entered the school as students and teachers to investigate. And unexpectedly, everyone's Ghost Eye was sealed, including Yang Xiao. In order to prevent further accidents, Wu Rendi decided to gather all the students together for protection. And unexpectedly that night, Wu Rendi's descendant, Shao Yiyi, was caught under everyone's eyes. After everyone saved Shao Yiyi, they found that everyone was in a coma, and there was a hole in the ground. Everyone went to a hole to investigate, only to find out that there was a connection with Yang Xiao and the culprit, meanwhile, Shen La learned a big secret about Wu Rendi.

### Xiao Sanda's Memories (2)

Shen La, who was in a coma in the underground palace, once again returned to the memory of Xiao Sanda decades ago, and saw the whole process of the "Nanshan Cemetery", which was the secret of The B.P.I. And find out what the Tianli Diagram was.

### The Ghost Ship Of The South China Sea

In the South China Sea, there is a mysterious Ghost Ship that appears every 20 years. The B.P.I goes out to find a The Ghost Ship, but finds nothing. The large group returned to The B.P.I with equipment, leaving only Shen La, Sun Desheng, Pu Jun, Hao Wenming, and Xiao Heshang to deal with the matter of a Ghost Ship. Unexpectedly, their boat was attacked by bloody sea's worms. When they were about to sink, a Ghost Ship in the thick fog seemed to save them. After Money Rat jumps on the Ghost Ship, everyone decides to board the Ghost Ship to see what's on board, and they meet Yang Jun and his master, two other white-haired men.

### Reincarnation Storm

Wu Rendi promised to reincarnate Yang Xiao's wife, but someone had to block Yinsi Haunted who came to interfere and enter the Scattered Ghosts. Yang Xiao, who was lonely, only find the familiar Shen La and Sun Desheng to help. But in addition to Yinsi Haunted and Scattered Ghosts, there is a mysterious figure who came to destroy and wanted to put everyone to death.

### The Wolf's Infestation In Tianshan

The Demonic Wolves has appeared in the Tian Shan area, and the figures of the former enemies of The B.P.I Huang Ran, Meng Qiqi, and Zhang Zhiyan also appeared nearby. True and false are indistinguishable in the Demon Mound, the Demonic Wolf Pack, the ferocious Yin Bai, the tomb thief lurking in the dark, and the scheming Religious Affairs Committee. Amidst perilous crises, a battle of wits and courage has begun.

### The Train Of The Departed Spirit

The B.P.I planned to secretly send the ghosts collected in recent years to the underworld on the day of worshipping the stove. Min Tianyuan, the chairman of the Religious Affairs Committee, came to the door and hoped to cooperate. On the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, a modified train full of ghosts drove on the road to the gate of ghosts. Unexpectedly, someone secretly sabotaged in many ways, the train had repeated accidents, and the fourth room director Lin Feng was seriously injured. After the ghost gate was opened, Hao Zhengyi, the twin brother of Hao Wenming, who had been missing for many years, appeared and said that he had become the chairman of the Religious Affairs Committee, which dealt a huge blow to Hao Wenming.

### The Transaction In Hong Kong

Min Tianyuan suggested exchanging huge sums of money with The B.P.I for Huang Ran, who was arrested by The B.P.I. The two sides agreed that the Jin Blind would act as an intermediary in Hong Kong, outside the sphere of influence of both parties. Coincidentally, The place of this exchange was in the home of Ma Xiaolin, who had cheated Shen La and Sun Desheng many times.

### The Isolated Island's Grievances

Shen La's cousin got married, Sun Desheng, Xiao Heshang, Yang Jun and Hugo attended the wedding together with Shen La's family. Unexpectedly, Hao Zhengyi and Ya also appeared here. Accidents occurred frequently on the island where the wedding was held, and the bride’s family members died unexpectedly one after another. The two parties finally decided to abandon their previous suspicions and cooperate temporarily. After several investigations, a piece of blood and tears from decades ago surfaced.

### Seize The Treasure In American

After Sun Desheng was accidentally promoted to the deputy chief of The B.P.I, Jin Blind and Ma Xiaolin brought news that Tianli Diagram appeared in the United States. Gao Liang sent Sun Desheng and Shen La abroad to retrieve him, and asked Mengqiqi for help. Li Qimu, the owner of the second part of Tianli Diagram, is a descendant of Li Jianghe, the veteran of the Religious Affairs Committee. Sun Desheng discovered that he was still trading with Huang Ran. The two met on a narrow road, but unexpectedly, an accident happened to the church where the Tianli Diagram was stored. Everyone was taken by the Government United States. At the same time, the ghost of The B.P.I, who has lurked in the dark and murdered everyone many times, also appeared again.

### Lin Feng The Traitor

A large number of Chi Xiao appeared in Menban Mountain as a disaster, and The B.P.I did its best to deal with it. In the cave sheltered from the rain, Shen La once again used Xiao Sanda's memory to return to that years, and the inner ghost lurking in The B.P.I is clearly revealed.

### The Master

During the battle with Lin Feng on Menban Mountain and in the moment of life and death, Shen La ate the Longevity Pill given by Wu Rendi, and fell into a coma for two years after falling off a cliff. After gaining longevity in a coma, Wu Rendi repelled the Yinsi for him, and giving him his source of strength, the "Seed". After awakening, Wu Rendi introduced Guang Ren, another white-haired man who had been imprisoned by him, to become Shen La's Master. With Guang Ren's help, Shen La gradually perfected the method of growing Seed strength. At the same time, he also obtained two ancient artifacts from the Wu Rendi's warehouse, the Two Swords of Sin and Punishment that was originally the property of Guang Ren.

### The Battle Of Life And Death

Lin Feng continued to create false news to draw the main force of The B.P.I on the outside, While he and Hao Zhengyi entangled a large number of evil spirits to counterattack The B.P.I. Gao Liang and Shen La, who stayed behind at The B.P.I, launched a life-and-death battle with them to defend The B.P.I, With the Seed and Two Swords, their Shen La abilities have been further improved and become the main force in this battle.

### End

After Lin Feng escaped, the B.P.I split into three chases. Shen La and Yang Xiao found Lin Feng on the sea and met two contemporaries of Wu Rendi, Gui Bugui and Ren San. Hao Zhengyi and Lin Feng fell into The Boundless Underworld. After that, a video left by Gao Liang told them the truth.

## Name

There are different translations of the name of the novel, but the English name from the Donghua is used as the official name. Although it is not the most appropriate name for the name of the novel. Below is an explanation of the most appropriate name for the novel.

**民调局** (*Mín diào jú*) literally translates to **Polling Bureau**, but **民调局** is actually an abbreviation of **民俗事物调查研究局** (*Mínsú shìwù diàochá yánjiū jú*), which literally translates to **Bureau of Investigation and Research on Folklore Affairs**, or **Bureau of Paranormal Investigation**: abbreviated as The **B.P.I**, The official  from the Donghua.

**异闻录** (*yì wén lù*) literally translates to **Strange Record**, but the most appropriate translation for **异闻录** found is **Revelations**.

Hence, the most appropriate name for the novel is **The Revelations Of B.P.I**.

## Trivia

* According to the timeline of events in the novel, the main event begins in mid-2007, and ends in the fall of 2011.

## References

https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%B0%91%E8%B0%83%E5%B1%80%E5%BC%82%E9%97%BB%E5%BD%95/6145225