Chapter 23
Chapter 23
The first-floor lobby of the office.
Ye Anran was writing furiously, copying the workplace rules ten times and composing a ten-thousand-word self-criticism. Dai Xingyu tapped away at his keyboard, responsible for writing the post-operation report. Yu Wei sat on the sofa, carefully polishing his palm-wide broadsword with a piece of velvet.
Light and shadow silently fell across them. The three quietly attended to their own tasks without exchanging a word or disturbing one another.
Only Ye Anran’s increasingly wild handwriting betrayed the frenzy in her heart.
Seriously, why was it her again?!
Why did she have to write a ten-thousand-word self-criticism and copy the workplace rules ten times too?!
Aside from when she first joined the Department and did not understand the rules, resulting in numerous self-criticisms and many rounds of copying the workplace rules, Ye Anran had since become so cautious that she rarely had any chance to make mistakes. Naturally, she was no longer punished either.
Who could have imagined that as soon as the rookie arrived, Ye Anran would be thrown straight back into her own rookie days and once again experience the terror of being relentlessly forced to copy rules?
Ye Anran no longer wanted to call Xie Qingling a little cutie. After participating in the entire battle, she had come to understand that this innocent-looking rookie, who seemed every inch the model student, was actually a complete madwoman.
Also, now that she thought about it, wasn’t the Director a demon too?
There had originally been only ten workplace rules, but after he took office, he had directly increased the number to fifty, multiplying the word count tenfold. Three hundred words had become three thousand.
Copying them once was enough to make someone want to die, let alone ten times…
At the thought of how many copies she still had left, not to mention her unfinished self-criticism, Ye Anran wanted to faint on the spot.
Clenching her teeth, she continued writing furiously.
Ye Anran’s handwriting sprawled across the page in a wild scrawl, perfectly illustrating both perfunctory effort and anger she dared not voice.
For a time, the only sounds in the lobby were the scratch of her pen and Dai Xingyu’s fingers striking the keyboard.
Suddenly, the keyboard fell silent. Dai Xingyu shifted his gaze from the computer screen to Ye Anran and said, “She’s awake.”
That “she” naturally referred to Xie Qingling.
Ye Anran capped her pen and sighed. “I’ll go check on her.”
As both the female Senior and the doctor on the team, the responsibility of looking after the patient naturally fell to Ye Anran.
—
Before Xie Qingling even made it down from the second floor, she saw Ye Anran’s face poking out from the stairwell.
“You’re awake.” Upon spotting Xie Qingling, Ye Anran quickly walked over and greeted her. “How do you feel?”
It was professional instinct. No matter how much Ye Anran wanted to say, her greatest concern was still Xie Qingling’s current physical condition.
“Much better.” Xie Qingling asked, “You were the one who took care of me yesterday, weren’t you?”
In truth, Xie Qingling already knew the answer without Ye Anran saying anything.
When she woke, the blood and grime had been cleaned from her body, and her clothes had been changed. As far as she knew, Ye Anran was the only woman on the team, so it naturally followed that all of this had been her handiwork.
Xie Qingling’s eyes curved into a beaming smile as she thanked her. “Thank you, Senior Anran.”
“…” She looked so well behaved.
Ye Anran pursed her lips, and much of her original urge to vent her dissatisfaction faded.
It was not as though Xie Qingling had deliberately gotten her assigned a self-criticism. Ye Anran was not entirely blameless either. If she specifically brought up the punishment, it would make her seem terribly petty.
As a Senior, of course she needed to establish a lofty image of magnanimity. Anything less would be humiliating.
After calculating the matter in her head, Ye Anran decided that for the sake of that lofty, imposing image of a Senior, she would silently endure the agony of writing her self-criticism and refrain from complaining to Xie Qingling.
And so, Ye Anran patted Xie Qingling’s shoulder and said with satisfaction, “Good. I specially blended that benzoin incense. It’s excellent for clearing the senses and mind, invigorating the blood, and promoting the flow of qi!”
Xie Qingling remembered the censer she had seen beside the bed when she woke.
It seemed the seal incense with its curling green smoke and faint medicinal fragrance had quite the provenance as well.
She had truly been very well cared for while she was unconscious.
Xie Qingling therefore acted even more obedient and honest as she asked Ye Anran, “I don’t have any clean clothes to change into. Is there anything here I can wear for now?”
She certainly could not wear her previous clothes again.
They had been slashed into tatters and soaked through with blood. Even if they had not been thrown away, they could no longer be used. How frightening would she look if other people saw her wearing them? They might even mistake her for some deranged serial killer.
Xie Qingling had discovered that her line of work was incredibly hard on clothes.
Could this part of her expenses be reimbursed?
The clothes she had worn to kill the Carrion Ghost were still new. She had barely worn them a few times.
Surely her entire salary would not end up going toward clothes… Xie Qingling was suddenly seized by the worry that she would soon be working herself deeper into debt.
Ye Anran looked her over from head to toe. It really would not be appropriate to have Xie Qingling meet everyone else in pajamas. She said, “Come with me.”
Together, the two reached the end of the second-floor corridor and opened the door set flush into the wall.
After Ye Anran scanned her fingerprint and opened the door, a dazzling array of items was revealed inside.
She led Xie Qingling to one of the cabinets, slid the door open, and said, “Here. Pick out your team uniform.”
A row of black outfits hung inside. Their designs differed, but their overall styles and materials were broadly similar.
They were black and close-fitting. The material looked something like leather, but not quite; it resembled fabric, but was not fabric. Elastic straps wrapped around every outfit, each fitted with clips that could hold equipment.
After sweeping her gaze over them, Xie Qingling found that the cut of each uniform clearly distinguished between men’s and women’s designs.
The curves of the women’s uniforms were obviously designed for women, and their lower halves came in either pants or skirts, though every option was black.
Ye Anran introduced them to Xie Qingling. “These clothes were specially manufactured by the Technology R&D Department. The material stretches extremely well, so the uniforms don’t come in different sizes. Most importantly, they’re highly resistant to stains. No matter what lands on them, you can’t see a thing.”
No wonder the other members of the Department always looked perfectly clean in their similar outfits, without a speck of grime on them. So that was why.
For ease of movement, Xie Qingling ultimately chose a black outfit with pants.
“All right.” Xie Qingling made her choice.
Ye Anran nodded. “Hurry and change. I’ll take you downstairs to meet your teammates. The Director told us to bond with you.”
“…Okay.”
Xie Qingling was already tall and well proportioned, with a narrow waist, long legs, and slender limbs. After putting on the uniform, she looked even taller.
Petite Ye Anran could not help clicking her tongue. “Must be nice to have long legs… No wonder you ran so fast with a ghost chasing you. Those legs really are something.”
Xie Qingling did not hear her clearly. “What did you say?”
“Nothing. Let’s go downstairs,” Ye Anran said.
Five minutes later, Xie Qingling and Ye Anran appeared before Yu Wei and Dai Xingyu.
Yu Wei had already met Xie Qingling.
When he saw her, Yu Wei stopped polishing his broadsword and raised his head to give her a glance. Then he nodded in greeting.
This was Dai Xingyu’s first time meeting Xie Qingling.
He held his laptop while his fingers continued tapping away at the keyboard, yet his eyes remained fixed on Xie Qingling. After looking her over several times, he broke into a brilliant grin so wide that his eyes nearly disappeared. “Hello, rookie. I’m Dai Xingyu, your Senior. I’m responsible for gathering and analyzing information for the Department, as well as assisting with cleanup and clearing the scene. You can call me Brother Xingyu.”
“…” Xie Qingling’s face took on a faint green cast.
She could call the stubbled Yu Wei Brother Yu – given his appearance, it would almost be rude not to. But calling Dai Xingyu Brother Xingyu… That was so cloying. So disgusting.
Besides, judging by Dai Xingyu’s baby face, was he even an adult?
Before Xie Qingling could finish agonizing over it, Ye Anran mercilessly exposed him. “Don’t listen to him! He’s only twenty-one, not even as old as you. What kind of older brother is he? Calling him little brother would be more like it!”
“Hello. You can just call me Qingling.” Xie Qingling breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly addressed Dai Xingyu.
Dai Xingyu cried out, “Sister Anran, why do you have to undermine me?! We finally got a rookie in the Department, and now you’ve completely ruined the fun!”
Xie Qingling remained silent, though one eyebrow rose slightly.
Ruined what fun?
Dai Xingyu sighed deeply. “I thought that with a rookie here, I wouldn’t be the youngest anymore. Who knew she’d be a year older than me? When will I ever escape my place at the very bottom of the food chain?!”
Ye Anran rolled her eyes. “What, you’re not convinced? That’s easy to settle. Fight her and find out. Seniority goes to the winner. Then we’ll see who’s the little brother and who’s the big sister.”
“You should be almost done with that post-operation report, right? You understand her abilities by now, don’t you?” Ye Anran looked ready to enjoy a good show.
Dai Xingyu’s fingers paused over the keyboard. He turned away and muttered under his breath, “What’s so impressive about bullying a ‘Groom’ like me?”
“If you can’t beat her, just say so. Why make excuses for yourself?”
Ye Anran turned and introduced him to Xie Qingling. “Dai Xingyu is an annoying little brother and also our Department’s ‘Groom.’ A Groom is essentially a scout. He’s responsible for gathering intelligence and opening the way. Grooms are extremely good at staying alive and escaping, but they have little offensive capability and are utterly useless in a fight. Under normal circumstances, the Director arranges for him to provide support from the rear.”
“Generally speaking, the most direct and commonly used ability of a Groom is sensing the presence of ghosts and monsters. They’re responsible for exploring areas we haven’t investigated yet. Everyone else needs tools or other methods to see ghosts – Ksitigarbha’s Killing Field, for example,” Ye Anran said. “That’s why we usually rely on a Groom to determine where ghosts have awakened. Every city’s Special Incident Response Department has Grooms on staff. Supernatural incidents aren’t as frequent in Future City, so our staffing is lighter. We only have one.”
Xie Qingling nodded. She thought that while she was not a Groom, she also seemed capable of detecting ghosts and monsters, even if she could not actually see them…
Dai Xingyu protested again, “What do you mean, annoying little brother…? Sister Anran, you’re undermining me again! I’m an Innate Spirit!”
“Yes, yes. Isn’t Groom one of the most common talents among Innate Spirits? Hurry up and finish your work. Be careful, or the Director will make you write a self-criticism when he gets back!”
Dai Xingyu fell completely silent. Still, the considerably louder clacking of his keyboard made his indignation perfectly clear.
“There’s no need to say much about my abilities. You already know them,” Ye Anran said. “Let’s talk about Old Yu instead.”
“Old Yu is the oldest employee in our Department. He used to be in the special forces. Although he’s an Acquired Spirit, his combat skills are exceptional. He’s generally responsible for dealing damage and killing monsters.”
Hearing himself mentioned, Yu Wei, who had remained silent until now, raised his head again and gave a mild smile. “The rookie is very capable. I think she can take over for me. I’m getting old and will be retiring soon, after all.”
Xie Qingling smiled. “I’ll be relying on your guidance from now on.”
There were only three people in the lobby, and Xie Qingling had met all of them.
Judging by their numbers, aside from Director Ling Fang, whom she had already met, there should be one more member she had yet to see.
Xie Qingling asked, “There’s still one person in our Department I haven’t met, right?”
Ye Anran said, “One more. His name is Shen Huaizhou. He went out on field duty with the Director today, so you won’t see him until tomorrow.”
“What kind of person is he? What can he do?” Xie Qingling pressed.
The moment she asked, all three people in the lobby stopped what they were doing. They exchanged knowing glances, their expressions turning slightly peculiar.
Ye Anran looked conflicted. “Well… once you meet him tomorrow, you’ll understand.”