Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Tour of the Bureau

Since he’d managed to get the original documents back from Yu Xiuli, Lin Jianyuan escaped the misery of working overtime on his last day.

For some reason, Yu Xiuli was nowhere to be seen all afternoon.

Out of sight, out of mind.

What a relief!

At last, Lin Jianyuan got his wish—he slapped his resignation letter right in Jiang Chen’s face.

Jiang Chen had been happily playing Candy Crush in his office.

Lin Jianyuan’s sudden ambush made Jiang Chen furious. He jumped up and shouted, “Lin Jianyuan! You—”

Before he could finish, he saw the three words on the paper that slid off his face.

Resignation letter.

Jiang Chen’s expression flipped in an instant. He forced a smile and said, “Oh, Lin Jianyuan, why are you quitting? Look at this mess, oh dear…”

Lin Jianyuan replied, “So should I stay, then?”

Jiang Chen snatched up the phone and called headquarters. “Yes, right now, approve it immediately… What do you mean a month’s notice? Lin Jianyuan is our branch’s best employee! Whatever he wants, make it top priority! Yes! I said so! Right now! Do it!”

With Lin Jianyuan quitting, Jiang Chen was so happy he could have danced.

To be honest, in a feel-good novel, the boss shouldn’t get off this easy.

But none of that mattered anymore.

The company didn’t matter. Whether the idiot boss was happy didn’t matter.

What mattered was Lin Jianyuan and his partner, and the life ahead of them.

And so, just like that, with a light heart—

His last day at this crappy job was finally over.

“So, goodbye, everyone!”

Lin Jianyuan waved at his coworkers with a smile. “Let’s grab a meal sometime!”

His partner stood at his side, beaming.

Lin Jianyuan left work in high spirits, holding his wife’s duodenum in his hand.

Behind him, his coworkers watched him go, teary-eyed as if at a funeral.

“How can this go on? Yuan-ge’s condition is getting worse!” Pei Shuo said, eyes red. “And he lives alone. What if something happens to him at home?”

Everyone fell silent.

Because they all knew it was a real possibility…

If Lin Jianyuan were just acting crazy, that would be one thing.

But now he was eating air!

If he were actually eating air, maybe it’d be fine—but that’s nonsense!

You can’t go without food! How many days has it been since Lin Jianyuan ate? Can his body even take it?

And who knows if he’s really eating air at home!

What if he starts eating frogs or rats or something even worse?

What do we do?

The more they imagined it, the more tragic it seemed.

They started talking about taking turns to cook for Lin Jianyuan at his place.

No one could relax with Lin Jianyuan living like this!

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

The subway at rush hour.

Today, Lin Jianyuan left work on time, so he hit the evening rush.

The train was packed, people crammed in like sardines, barely able to breathe.

But Lin Jianyuan was in a great mood.

Because he was shielding his wife in his arms.

He stood in the corner, gripping the overhead strap, using his body to carve out a little space for his wife.

Most humans couldn’t see Aberrants.

So they’d bump into his wife without knowing.

She was so small, soft and delicate—how could she stand being jostled?

What if she got hurt?

So Lin Jianyuan braced himself against the press of bodies behind him.

He carved out a pocket of air in the corner of the car, just for her.

His partner leaned against the window, watching the train pull in and out of stations, the tunnel outside turning pitch black.

Suddenly, there was a rumble.

Light flared before their eyes.

The ad screens in the tunnel had come to life.

“Wow,” his partner said in surprise. “The ads are chasing the train!”

“No, it’s not the ads chasing the train,” Lin Jianyuan explained with a smile. “The tunnel’s lined with LED columns that light up in sequence, so your eyes think the ads are moving with the train.”

His partner: “.”

His partner: “I don’t get it.”

Lin Jianyuan laughed.

His partner said, “But you’re amazing. How do you know everything?”

Lin Jianyuan beamed.

Yes! My wife!

You’re going to spoil me into a puddle!

Lin Jianyuan was secretly over the moon.

He felt ten feet tall, holding up the sky for his wife in the crowded subway.

They went home, happy.

Stopped for groceries, happy.

Came home to cook, still happy.

Then Shi Shaoning called.

“Are you off work yet?”

Shi Shaoning’s voice was so gloomy it could have dripped water.

“Time to clock in. Report to the Bureau.”

Lin Jianyuan: “…”

Did you even hear yourself?

Just answering the phone made Lin Jianyuan shiver, as if black, icy water was seeping into his ear.

And with those words, so bleak and funereal—

It was hard not to suspect Shi Shaoning had been worked into an Aberrant himself.

It was rush hour, traffic was a nightmare—of course Shi Shaoning wasn’t coming to pick him up.

Lin Jianyuan got the Bureau’s address from Shi Shaoning, checked the route with his wife, then teleported straight there.

Wait, hang on.

His wife could teleport—how did he forget that again?

He’d taken the subway for the sake of ritual on his last day. No need for that after work!

But squeezing onto the subway with his wife meant he could hold him close, like a kitten snuggled up to him—

Heh heh heh.

Totally worth it!

The Bureau was out in the suburbs, in the middle of nowhere.

Fields and weeds surrounded it, wild and untended.

It was the perfect place for shady business.

“No food delivery out here,” Lin Jianyuan said, shaking his head.

His partner said, “I can bring you food.”

“I didn’t mean for me,” Lin Jianyuan laughed, giving his partner’s gallbladder a playful squeeze. “I’m just wondering how everyone else eats out here. There must be a cafeteria, right?”

“There is.”

A voice as dead as the grave answered, thick with gloom.

Lin Jianyuan jumped and turned around.

Sure enough, Shi Shaoning stood behind them, looking like a ghost.

Fake ghost: sucks your soul with a kiss.

Real ghost: can’t get off work, radiates resentment, eye bags so dark they could kill a man, eyes like twin bottomless pits.

Lin Jianyuan: “…”

He silently pulled out a box of heart pills and CoQ10.

“Just bought these,” Lin Jianyuan said sympathetically. “Try some.”

“Already did,” Shi Shaoning replied, voice like a raincloud. “Let’s go.”

His ghostly aura was overwhelming.

Even a madman would fall in line.

The entrance to the Bureau was hidden, layered with security checks.

Inside, the path led straight underground.

It opened up into a vast subterranean space.

Lin Jianyuan had guessed the Bureau was underground before he arrived.

Otherwise, a place this big would never stay secret—urban explorers and vloggers would be all over it.

He’d imagined something like a bagua or an octopus: a central plaza, corridors branching out in all directions.

But reality was far less imaginative.

The Bureau’s headquarters was just an office building—underground.

That’s right.

It was just an office building.

Only, it was buried below ground.

When Shi Shaoning led them to the elevators, Lin Jianyuan’s mood plummeted.

Because.

Here.

To take the elevator.

You had to wait in line!

“A place this high-tech should have express elevators!” Lin Jianyuan exclaimed. “Why are they so slow? How can you save the world if you’re stuck waiting for the elevator?”

“There are express elevators, just not here,” Shi Shaoning replied flatly. “Resources are limited. Only use them when necessary. We’re here. Get in.”

Lin Jianyuan sighed.

He was truly traumatized by elevators.

But then he remembered he’d only be working four days a month—so what if the elevator was slow?

They all started filing into the elevator.

His partner suddenly asked, “Is [Chichu] here too?”

Shi Shaoning glanced up at him.

His partner said, “I think it’s trying to escape.”

Everyone: “?!”

Shi Shaoning started, reaching out to stop the elevator.

In a flash, a fleshy red shadow swept over everything.

The lights dimmed, and the walls seemed to ripple with silent, tentacled anemones.

A second later, his partner smiled.

“Put it back. Still in the same cell.”

The building-wide alarm went off, a beat too late.

A second later, it stopped.

Everyone’s wrist terminals started blaring.

The message was the same for everyone:

[Chichu] attempted to escape but was slapped back by unknown red tentacles.

His partner stayed gentle as ever, but now radiated an eerie, overwhelming presence.

Only then did Lin Jianyuan truly realize—his wife was S-class.

The Bureau staff around them all looked stunned.

“New colleague.”

Shi Shaoning looked exasperated, as if saying “show-off again,” and muttered, “Everyone, say hello.”

“Hello, everyone,” his partner said warmly. “I’m the new S-class Aberrant, Xie Yu.”

Everyone: “…”

After a stunned pause, they each managed a polite “Hello.”

Lin Jianyuan practically vibrated with joy.

Yes! My wife is so cool!

She had such a badass side!

He couldn’t take it. She surprised him every day.

After giving the whole Bureau a taste of S-class awe, Lin Jianyuan and the others continued their tour.

The Bureau’s design was hardcore, Shi Shaoning explained. Security was tight, with elite fighters on guard around the clock.

Most Aberrants who got in, never got out.

Lin Jianyuan teased, “Didn’t one almost escape just now? If it weren’t for my wife…”

“That one was S-class too,” Shi Shaoning said. “I said ‘most’ because the last escapee was also S-class. Delirium.”

Lin Jianyuan: “…My apologies.”

Wait a second?

A thought struck Lin Jianyuan. He turned to his wife in shock.

“That was S-class too? But you didn’t even move, and you shoved it back in its cell?”

“I did move,” his partner said sweetly, him appendix swaying. “Just a little.”

Beep.

Shi Shaoning’s terminal beeped.

He glanced at it and said, “Right. That little movement blew out 217 sensors.”

Well done.

Maybe don’t do that again.

“So that’s how powerful S-class is…” Lin Jianyuan could hardly imagine it.

“Yup~” his partner said with a smile. “I’m amazing.”

Lin Jianyuan’s heart melted.

Shi Shaoning, suddenly force-fed this display of affection: “?”

Shi Shaoning cut them off, deadpan: “We’re here.”

Lin Jianyuan looked up, smiling.

A massive…

A massive office spread out before him.

Rows of open-plan desks, staff bustling everywhere.

The whole place was lit up like midday under fluorescent lights.

A huge screen displayed a fake window view, pretending there were real windows.

But in reality, it was just a big, black box.

Lin Jianyuan: “……………………”

His smile vanished.

What the hell is this?

Is this Xwei? Xdong? XXbaba?

Or maybe Xpaper XXgames?

Why did it feel like a tech giant where no one ever went home?

PTSD kicked in—Lin Jianyuan nearly bolted, but Shi Shaoning said, “This is Administration. There are many departments—Tech, PR, and so on.”

Lin Jianyuan asked cautiously, “I’m not stationed here, right…?”

“You’re in Field Ops. Same as me. Come on, let’s keep moving.”

Lin Jianyuan finally relaxed.

Then they arrived at another massive…

A massive recreation center!

Hot springs, spa, gym equipment.

Juice bar, buffets, traditional massages.

Ah! Wasn’t this exactly what he’d imagined—

Big company perks!

He couldn’t take it. Did Field Ops really get treated this well?

Life had beaten Lin Jianyuan down so much, he started to doubt himself.

He asked carefully, “So, my actual workload every month…”

“If an Aberrant appears, you’ll be called in. Be ready to go at any time.”

Lin Jianyuan: “Okay.”

“But usually, assignments go to the nearest field agent.”

Lin Jianyuan: “Got it.”

So it’s basically like food delivery.

Shi Shaoning, half-dead, added, “Except for me. Because I have a senior title.”

Lin Jianyuan: “Oh.”

A senior title should come with special perks…

“I get dragged in no matter where I am or how far. Because. I have. A senior title.”

Lin Jianyuan: “…”

So the perk is… even more overtime?

Lin Jianyuan said quickly, “Got it, got it, I understand.”

Shi Shaoning gave him a look. “Understand what?”

Lin Jianyuan glanced around, lowered his voice, and whispered, “With great power comes great responsibility. Never get promoted unless you have to.”

“Hmph. I never said that.”

Shi Shaoning snorted.

But the corners of his mouth twitched up.

The two wage slaves shared a silent understanding.

Shi Shaoning said, “Let’s keep going. There’s one last area you need to see: the Containment Zone.”