Chapter 56.3 – Temporary worker (3/3)

Translator: Xena

“…Let’s get in the car.”

Having said that, he explained, “Let’s discuss the contract matters in the car. I just don’t feel safe in any establishments like those cafes.” 

After all, what they were to discuss wasn’t something they could share in public. If someone with ulterior motives overheard them, that would be a problem.

Either they’d be dismissed as lunatics—which would be the better outcome because it would draw some muttered criticism from strangers at most—or they’d attract the monsters’ attention, which would expose their entire plan.

Not to mention… Cheng Li still had other matters he wanted to get to the bottom of.

Jian Xie seemed to know what he was thinking and said indifferently, “Actually, I have something personal to ask you.” 

Upon hearing this, Cheng Li paused for a moment before opening the car door and climbing into the driver’s seat.

Jian Xie paused for a moment before also taking a seat in the passenger seat.

No sooner had he settled into his seat than Cheng Li handed him a sealed leather pouch.

As soon as he unwrapped it, a thick stack of papers came into view. He pulled them all out and held them in his hands.

The cover still bore a badge reminiscent of an environmental organization, which at first glance could be quite misleading.

Flipping to the first page, the classification assessment results on the top line immediately caught his eye. At the same time, an employee ID card fell out, which was apparently intended for him, though he hadn’t joined the Bureau yet.

It seemed the administration was quite confident.

Jian Xie didn’t bother to look at the ID; instead, his attention was drawn to the line of text before him.

To his knowledge, the highest rank for investigators was Special A-level, while the lowest was C-level. However, what puzzled him was that the letters before him were—

Jian Xie frowned.

Seeing him staring intently at the appraisal on the first page of the contract, Cheng Li couldn’t help but show a hint of concern.

Although he was the recommender, he lacked the authority and qualifications to view the other party’s autumn recruitment results. Moreover, he believed that opening them early to peek was something only people of poor character would do. So, the envelope was exactly as it had been when he received it—sealed and untouched.

He didn’t know why Jian Xie had frozen in place.

What’s up? Not satisfied?” Cheng Li couldn’t help but ask, “Is the level not quite up to par?”  

Jian Xie simply remained silent.

Damn it.

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became.

Cheng Li himself wasn’t well-liked within the Bureau, so it was entirely possible that those he’d offended might make life difficult for his recommended candidate. After all, some investigators have serious character flaws to begin with, and many were prone to extremes. Take that green-haired one, for instance; his conduct was truly appalling. 

Reportedly, his recommendee was an A-level candidate, which had him gloating for days, but Jian Xie was clearly far superior to that guy.

Did they actually give him a B-level?

“If that’s the case, we won’t be signing the contract today either.” Cheng Li slammed the steering wheel, furious. “It’s okay. I’ll get justice for you.” 

“It was quite unexpected.” Jian Xie’s expression was complex. “But it’s not what you think.” 

Cheng Li said, “Let me see.” 

Seeing his insistence and his determination not to let him suffer any injustice, Jian Xie could only pull out the page of paper and hand it to him.

“Does this rank exist?” He asked. 

Cheng Li immediately took the paper. The moment he saw clearly, instantly, he was: “…”

Damn.

A massive S-level stabbed his eyes with brutal force.

“S-S-level?”

He froze in place, so stunned that he nearly bit his tongue while speaking.

He had never heard of any investigator being of this caliber!

This is beyond common sense, right??

Is this teen before him truly human?

Exceeding A-level—

That means, for those troublesome Special A-level monsters, Jian Xie was like a nuclear bomb.

Just by crushing them with his level, he could solve them right there…

Additionally, it was important to note that the Bureau’s fall recruitment process has a strict requirement: once a new hire was assessed at a level higher than B, their performance must be documented and reported to higher authorities. Only when the approval rate from the department heads and core members exceeded 80% could the new hire’s final grade be definitively confirmed.

What did this imply?

At least nearly four-fifths of the higher ups believe that Jian Xie truly deserved the S-level!

No wonder the Bureau was so lenient toward Cheng Li and even agreed to draft a special temporary contract based on Jian Xie’s suggestions. It turned out he was the one benefiting from it all along…

Cheng Li was in a daze.

His self-esteem was hurt.

Seeing Cheng Li’s face change color repeatedly before finally slumping over the steering wheel, completely withdrawn into himself, Jian Xie understood everything.

It seemed he really was special.

If he’d known the surveillance camera was always pointed at him, he wouldn’t have acted so conspicuously.

Jian Xie had originally intended to operate independently of the Bureau, and take on occasional side gigs at most. After all, what was more irritating than monsters was having to guard against other people. However, he never imagined he’d become the newcomer everyone would be watching… Now he finally understood why he’d been suddenly asked to leave early.

After a moment of silence, Jian Xie flipped to the contract at the back.

Although the document was thick, it contained surprisingly little useful information. Nevertheless, within about ten minutes, he had read through it almost word for word.

Similar to his previous thoughts, it shouldn’t interfere with his studies.

Overall, there were a few unexpected demands he hadn’t anticipated…

——Only accept special covert assignments from the [Investigation Department].

Furthermore, the mission details must be kept strictly confidential from everyone. Even his closest confidants were not permitted to disclose any information whatsoever.

He was not required to assist investigators who failed to complete their tasks. Even if the instruments detecting residual energy reached Special A-level, the call would not be transferred to him.

For instance, during that incident with the Special A-level monster at the subway station, if he hadn’t been on-site, the Bureau wouldn’t have assigned him the mission.

Only the most urgent and critical missions would be assigned directly to him. He was required to operate solo at all times, undergo one-on-one training, and never reveal his true capabilities to other investigators who hadn’t been entrusted with the same level of responsibility. Furthermore, it was best to avoid forming deep connections with other members of the Bureau.

But he possessed S-level privileges to access classified files, and at the same time, the [Weapons Department] would custom-build weapons for him.

All these clauses could be summarized in simpler terms—

The trump card of the Bureau.

The last page of the document bore the signature of the person who drafted the contract.

Director of the Investigation Department, Zhang Yimu.

Having sensed instability within the Bureau and realizing something had infiltrated its ranks, they decided to cultivate a rookie like him. As insurance, perhaps?

……Pretty bold.

Jian Xie caught a glimpse of the black mist in the backseat through the rearview mirror.

Though It’s face was obscured by mist, he could still sense Qin Zhuo’s lack of enthusiasm. He had no interest whatsoever in the investigator’s affairs.

He was surrounded by the most terrifying and indescribable things in the world. If it weren’t for It’s sudden interest in him, the Bureau and its investigators would have ceased to exist long ago. Reality itself might well have descended into another hell.

A moment later, Cheng Li finally came to his senses.

Seeing Jian Xie lost in thought, he spoke weakly, “Setting aside the issue of levels for now… The contract was likely finalized entirely by Director Zhang. I suppose it wouldn’t be a problem if it were her, right?”  

After all, she was a legendary figure who joined the Investigation Department as an ordinary person.

Despite never having recruited ordinary people into the department over the years, and despite having investigators of vastly different personalities under her command and having no Insight herself whatsoever, none of this affected her judgment in the slightest. Years of accumulated prestige meant everyone held her in high regard.

“What’s your decision?”

Jian Xie: “……”

Though the responsibilities placed on this temporary worker were somewhat heavy, given the arrangement of working alone and not fitting in with a group, it could be considered a case of different paths leading to the same destination.

Jian Xie sighed. “Give me a pen.”