Chapter 55

Chapter 55: I Saw the End of the Universe

When Shi Shaoning got the call, Lin Jianyuan and his wife had already finished dinner.

But Shi Shaoning hadn’t eaten yet.

His stomach hurt.

By the time he’d answered the phone, reported to his superiors, gotten approval, started the recording, sent out online meeting invites, and checked every leader’s camera and mic...

After running through this whole (already streamlined for the emergency) process, he finally got through, only to hear Lin Jianyuan greet him with, “Hey, bro, have you eaten?”

His stomach twisted harder.

Shi Shaoning fought the urge to crush his issued sidearm and said coolly, “No. Get to the point.”

“Ah, haha, so, um, what’s your position in your, uh, your bureau? Do you have any pull?”

Shi Shaoning: “?”

Lin Jianyuan: “Can you do me a favor? Can you pass a message up the chain for me?”

Shi Shaoning raised a hand. A subordinate nearby spun a laptop toward him, screen full of top brass in a video conference.

Every camera and mic zeroed in on him.

Shi Shaoning said, “Go ahead.”

Lin Jianyuan: “Can you stop the assault? Let us go?”

Shi Shaoning: “Give me one good reason.”

Lin Jianyuan: “I’ll buy you a drink next time.”

Subordinate: “...”

Leaders: “...”

Shi Shaoning stroked his chin, thinking it over.

Everyone: .

Wait, you’re actually considering this?

“Not impossible.” Shi Shaoning finished weighing it up in a heartbeat. “Honestly, I don’t want this crappy job anyway. I was thinking of quitting.”

Lin Jianyuan burst out laughing. “For real? Congrats on escaping hell, man! We gotta celebrate!”

Shi Shaoning grinned. “Alright, alright. I’ll go hand in my resignation.”

Everyone: Hey!

For a moment, no one could tell if Shi Shaoning was joking or if this was just another tactic.

Is this a tactic?

It must be, right?

Stop smiling like you mean it!

The leaders in the video conference started to panic.

Mouths opened, everyone started talking over each other.

The subordinate, trembling, quietly muted all the leaders’ official-sounding speeches.

He knew Shi Shaoning too well.

With Shi’s personality, the last thing you wanted now was to jump in and lecture him.

He was probably just venting about quitting!

But if the bosses started scolding him, he might actually walk out.

You had to coax him!

Their dear Captain Shi only worked if you kept him in a good mood!

The higher-ups kept ranting in the online meeting.

The subordinate, having muted them, braced himself for death.

But then he accidentally met the director’s eyes.

The director, as the top official on site, had come to oversee things personally.

And he’d noticed the subordinate’s little trick right away.

But he didn’t scold him, or show a hint of anger or doubt.

He simply turned away, gazing silently at the battered old building ringed by a hundred thousand troops.

Behind his back, he quietly gave the subordinate two thumbs up.

Good!

You get me!

The subordinate was deeply moved.

He threw himself into his overtime with renewed vigor.

Meanwhile, Shi Shaoning and Lin Jianyuan were already debating what to drink that night, beer or baijiu.

“Beer,” Lin Jianyuan said without hesitation. “Baijiu makes your breath stink. My wife would hate it.”

Shi Shaoning: “Alright, how much? A case each?”

“Damn, you trying to kill me?” Lin Jianyuan laughed, then seemed to turn and talk to someone else. “Honey, you want some? Heh, I know you’ve never had any. How about some sparkling fruit wine?”

Lin Jianyuan turned back. “Bring two bottles of sparkling fruit wine, too.”

Shi Shaoning: “Any flavor? Special requests?”

“Let me ask,” Lin Jianyuan said, turning away again.

A moment later, he turned back. “Strawberry and cantaloupe. And two non-alcoholic, just in case. My wife’s never had alcohol, don’t know if he’s allergic.”

Shi Shaoning: “Got it.”

He jotted it down in his phone’s notes.

The director and subordinates at command: “...”

They exchanged a glance and wiped sweat from their brows.

Wait, is this really happening?

Is this still a negotiation tactic?

Why does it feel like Shi Shaoning’s about to ditch his gear and run out for drinks?

Both director and subordinate started sweating bullets.

After hashing out what snacks to have with their drinks, and under the desperate stares of the director and his team, Shi Shaoning finally steered the conversation back on track.

“Right. So what’s your plan?” Shi Shaoning asked. “Mainly about your wife. You’re a regular guy, you’d be fine. You could walk out now. But he can’t.”

Lin Jianyuan: “But my wife listens to me.”

Shi Shaoning: “Then you’d better stay put. If you come out, you’ll just get taken hostage.”

Lin Jianyuan: “Yeah, that’s what I thought. That’s how it goes in all the webnovels.”

Everyone: ……………

Hey!!!

Now even the director and subordinates lost their cool. The director couldn’t help but say sternly, “Shi Shaoning, we’re a state agency. We would never threaten an Aberrant with civilians. Please watch your words.”

Shi Shaoning shot him a glare and shoved the phone at him. “Then you take over. I’m off the clock.”

The director waved his hands frantically. “No, no, you go on, please.”

Shi Shaoning resisted the urge to roll his eyes, out of professional pride, and turned back to Lin Jianyuan.

“You heard that,” Shi Shaoning said helplessly. “If you don’t resolve this, I can’t clock out.”

Lin Jianyuan: “Why? Don’t you guys work in shifts? You’ve been at this siege for eight hours. Isn’t anyone coming to relieve you?”

Shi Shaoning: “No shifts. Since I know you, even if someone else takes point, I still have to stick around to help talk you down.”

Lin Jianyuan sighed. “Your agency is really...”

Shi Shaoning snorted. “A pile of dogshit.”

Leaders in the online meeting: “&&!@#...!%%!#%!!@...!#%...!%#%!!!”

They cursed up a storm, but were all still muted.

Director and subordinates on site: “.”

Wiping sweat like mad.

“Alright, man, you’ve got it rough,” Lin Jianyuan said, sighing in sympathy. His tone turned serious. “For real, what would it take for you to let my wife go?”

Shi Shaoning matched his seriousness. “Impossible. He’s an Aberrant. S-class Aberrants can physically destroy the world. By protocol, they must be contained the moment they appear. If containment fails, termination is mandatory.”

Lin Jianyuan bristled. “Termination? He’s not a germ. And you can’t beat him anyway.”

“Lin Jianyuan, I’m not joking.” Shi Shaoning’s voice was grave. “I don’t know how you’re staying sane around an S-class, but do you understand what they mean for ordinary people? Everyone within five kilometers of your place has been evacuated. Even if an S-class Aberrant doesn’t attack, just being seen by humans causes massive psychological contamination.”

Lin Jianyuan fell silent.

Shi Shaoning went on. “Some contamination can’t be undone. Brains get irreparably damaged. That’s why S-class Aberrants must be contained or terminated. Even after death, their remains have to be sealed away. S-class spreads contamination even after they’re dead. Like nuclear waste. Do you get it?”

“Nuclear waste? That’s harsh!” Lin Jianyuan snapped. “I’m trying to work with you here! Can’t you give me an option? I’m not letting my wife die, no matter what!”

“I’m sorry,” Shi Shaoning said. “You don’t actually have a say in this negotiation.”

Lin Jianyuan gave a bitter laugh. “But my wife listens to me. Did you forget he beat you up earlier today?”

“Maybe you don’t know what we believe in, those of us in the Bureau.”

Shi Shaoning said quietly, “We complain about the job, sure. But when it comes down to it, we never back down.”

I swear to defend, even to the death.

Home is what stands behind me.

Lin Jianyuan went quiet.

After a moment, he gave a wry smile. “You were just talking about quitting, man. Don’t contradict yourself.”

Shi Shaoning smiled bitterly. “If I could quit, I would’ve done it ages ago.”

Lin Jianyuan was puzzled. “Why can’t you? Is your job mandatory, like the military?”

Shi Shaoning: “No. It’s the permanent post.”

Lin Jianyuan: “???!!!”

On the other end, out of sight, Lin Jianyuan’s eyes went wide.

Shi Shaoning picked up on it and grinned. “Interested?”

“Really? What year did you join?” Lin Jianyuan suddenly got cautious. “Do they still offer permanent posts now?”

Shi Shaoning: “Five years ago. Back then, everyone got a post. Now, not so sure. It’s tight. You want in? I can ask.”

He turned to look at the online meeting.

The muted leaders mouthed the same word over and over.

After a few seconds, the director and subordinates realized they were saying: “Give him a post! Give him a post!”

Shi Shaoning said decisively, “You get a post. I’ve got it on video. The higher-ups say yes.”

Lin Jianyuan: “...”

A strange silence fell on the other end.

Shi Shaoning pressed on. “As for your wife, he doesn’t have to be terminated.”

Lin Jianyuan: “What do you mean?”

Shi Shaoning: “He can work for the Bureau, too. That counts as containment.”

Lin Jianyuan: “?”

Lin Jianyuan: “Does my wife get a post too?”

Shi Shaoning turned to the screen.

The director was sweating buckets. “Well, Comrade Lin, here’s the thing...”

Shi Shaoning and Lin Jianyuan both snapped, “Cut the crap! Get to the point!”

The director blurted out, “We can’t! He’s not human! How can we give him a post? He doesn’t even have an ID!”

Lin Jianyuan: “Get him one!”

Shi Shaoning put the call on speaker and chimed in, “Yeah, get him one! The law doesn’t say...”

He paused, suddenly unsure. “Does the law say you have to be human to get an ID?”

A subordinate quickly Googled it and handed over the screen.

Shi Shaoning frowned. “Yeah, it’s in the law. Only citizens can get IDs.”

Lin Jianyuan: “What’s the definition of citizen? Does it say you have to be human?”

Shi Shaoning: “It does. Citizens have to be natural persons. Non-humans don’t qualify.”

Lin Jianyuan was skeptical. “Seriously? Then why does Mazu have an ID?”

Shi Shaoning shot a look at his subordinate, who started searching again.

A second later, the screen changed.

Shi Shaoning squinted at the screen. “Oh, Mazu’s ID is a virtual one, just for travel. It’s only good for transport, nothing else.”

Lin Jianyuan sounded disappointed. “I see.”

But the next second, he started up again. “Given his situation, can’t you just make an exception for my wife?”

“Exactly!” Shi Shaoning backed him up. “We’re already giving out posts! What’s a special ID for an Aberrant?”

Subordinate: “...”

Director: “...”

Leaders in the online meeting: “...”

Lin Jianyuan had lost it.

Shi Shaoning too.

And the world itself had gone mad.

Because the highest of the high-ups actually agreed!

Negotiations succeeded.

Lin Jianyuan and [Xie Yu] were immediately hired by the Bureau, given posts, given IDs. The global Bureau would no longer pursue [Xie Yu].

In exchange, Lin Jianyuan and his family [Xie Yu] had to follow all Bureau rules, clock in and out, do performance reviews, and never break protocol.

And just like that, everything was resolved.

City A found peace.

Lin Jianyuan got his permanent post.

His wife got an ID and a post!

Perfect!

No time to waste. Immediate meant immediate.

Lin Jianyuan grabbed his wife and teleported straight to the temporary command post outside their complex.

Everyone at command: “?!!!”

“We’re here, we’re here.” Lin Jianyuan handed over his household register and ID, polite as could be. “Director, my wife and I are here to start onboarding.”

His gentle, digestive-system wife stood at his side.

His lips curled in a shy smile.

He blushed, bashful.

A massive, fleshy red shadow loomed behind him.

The contamination meter’s needle hovered at the edge of the danger zone.

Everyone at command: “...”

Everyone in the video call: “...”

Wait, isn’t this a bit much?

The organization already said yes, why are you in such a rush?

What, are you afraid they’ll change their minds?