Recruitment

Without the neighbor next door, the apartment building was much quieter than usual.

After lunch, Yue Shi lay quietly in bed, basking in the golden autumn sunshine, and took a pleasant afternoon nap.

After an unknown amount of time, in a state between sleep and wakefulness, he suddenly felt as if something was watching him.

Yue Shi's sleepiness vanished instantly. He got up and cautiously checked his surroundings.

He found nothing, and that feeling of being watched disappeared as he woke up.

“Just scaring myself? Or have I been targeted by something nasty?” Yue Shi rubbed his chin, not ignoring the matter.

Perhaps it was a lingering effect from escaping the laboratory, but he could never be too cautious.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Yue Shi was surprised. Given his simple social circle in this city, he had no idea who would be knocking.

“Is anyone there?” A familiar voice came from outside.

Yue Shi opened the door to see a man in a leather jacket with slightly messy hair. It was Ling Xun, the transcendent from the Investigation Bureau he had met that morning.

“Can I come in for a bit?”

“Please, come in.” Yue Shi smiled politely and stepped aside to let him enter.

Ling Xun made himself at home on the sofa. Yue Shi got drinks and fruit from the fridge and asked, “What brings you here?”

“Thanks for what happened this morning,” Ling Xun said gratefully as he reached for an orange.

“No need to be polite.” Yue Shi paused. “You didn't come all this way just to say thanks, did you? If you have something to say, feel free to be direct.”

Ling Xun gently peeled the orange, a fresh citrus scent bursting forth. “After I got back, I looked up your records.”

“Yue Shi, 25 years old, a special employee of the Tulip Security Company...”

At this point, Ling Xun stopped, his gaze probing. “You're not a local, are you? I couldn't find any record of you living in Amber City before. Why did you come here?”

“For some personal reasons that aren't convenient to disclose. I used to live in the Chaos Zone outside the city. After awakening my supernatural powers, I moved back into the city,” Yue Shi said dismissively.

He didn't mind telling a half-truth about his background. Given the Investigation Bureau's methods, they would eventually find something suspicious anyway. It was better to proactively mix truth with lies.

After the arrival of the supernatural, many of humanity's original living areas were contaminated. The concept of nations vanished during the turmoil. Existing large cities were developed from former shelters, while many refugees struggled outside the cities, forming chaotic lands that were difficult for the Federation to manage.

Hearing Yue Shi mention the Chaos Zone, Ling Xun seemed to understand immediately. For those from the Chaos Zone, gaps in their records were normal. Many people there didn't even have proper names.

Considering Yue Shi was a transcendent and had helped him, Ling Xun didn't want to keep prying into his privacy and secrets.

Changing the subject, Ling Xun got straight to the point. “Alright, let's talk business. I'm here on behalf of the Investigation Bureau to invite you to join us.”

Yue Shi raised an eyebrow. “Your reason? As far as I know, a significant number of transcendents in Amber City are lone wolves who haven't joined any organization. Why invite me specifically?”

Ling Xun smiled. “If I remember correctly, you possess two supernatural abilities, don't you?”

“Is that rare?” Yue Shi asked in return.

Ling Xun nodded. “I can tell you're a newcomer who just recently became a transcendent. You lack understanding in this area.”

“Most transcendents only have one ability. Those who awaken two are very few. Those with three or more are as rare as phoenix feathers.”

“For the Investigation Bureau, such people are scarce talents. Their very existence is valuable.”

Yue Shi lowered his eyes and asked half-jokingly, “I won't be dragged off for some mysterious human experimentation, will I?”

“Of course not!” Ling Xun denied it flatly.

“Joining the Investigation Bureau is a form of protection for special transcendents like you. Many private organizations are quite interested in those with multiple supernatural powers. Falling into their hands is where the real danger lies.”

Seeing Yue Shi's hesitation, Ling Xun didn't push. “You don't have to give me an answer right away. After all, this is no small matter. It's normal to take time to consider it.”

“Contact me anytime once you've made up your mind. Compared to those low-tier private organizations, if you perform well in the Investigation Bureau, you'll get many opportunities for promotion and a much brighter future.”

“I'll think about it seriously,” Yue Shi said expressionlessly.

If there was profit to be made, joining the Investigation Bureau was an option. However, before that, he wanted to ask the lone wolves who hadn't joined why they chose not to. Did the Investigation Bureau hide some dark secrets?

He hadn't expected Ling Xun to come so quickly—met in the morning, recruited in the afternoon.

Ling Xun slowly peeled the white pith from the orange segments and spoke again, asking briefly about the situation with Cai Zetao next door.

Regarding that, Yue Shi had little to say. He had only moved in half a month ago and wasn't familiar with any of his neighbors, other than knowing the one next door often made noise.

Ling Xun said, “After a preliminary interrogation, we've confirmed that Cai Zetao was originally just an ordinary person. For some reason, he wanted to pursue supernatural power and become a transcendent.”

“As a result, he was accidentally contaminated by something supernatural and almost caused a major disaster. Fortunately, it was discovered in time. He'll need to be kept under observation in isolation.”

“However, the source of contamination that caused Cai Zetao's mutation hasn't been found yet, and there are still no clues regarding that heart left by the trash can. You should be extra careful lately. If you run into danger, you can contact me directly.”

“Alright, I won't be shy about it then,” Yue Shi replied with a smile.

After a few more minutes of small talk, Ling Xun checked the time and politely stood up to leave.