"Name?"
"Huai Shi."
"Age?"
"Seventeen... Wait a minute, does the Astronomical Society also recruit Cowherds?"
In the silent office, the youth scratching his chin behind the desk looked baffled at the emotionless inquirer opposite him. "I mean, Uncle, you've asked and investigated, and I've even eliminated a menace for the Astronomical Society, right? Why am I being treated like a traitor?"
"Routine investigation, please cooperate."
For the umpteenth time, the inquirer uttered these words, then followed up with, "Can you describe your fight with Red Gloves again?"
"Forgot, can't remember." Huai Shi rolled his eyes. "Maybe a bald, caped Peppa Pig Hero passing by killed him with a slap? Really, I just walked in and saw him hitting Red Gloves..."
"Oh, a bald, caped Peppa Pig Hero... How is that different from what you said last time?"
"I can't remember!"
"Then, can you explain how you, as a newly Sublimated individual, managed to kill Red Gloves, a Third Stage? According to our previous investigation, you seemed to have been a student specialized in music and haven't even fought before."
Huai Shi rolled his eyes again. "I have natural super strength!"
"Next question…"
Two hours later, the inquirer calmly organized the thick stack of records at hand and stood up to say goodbye as if it were routine. "Thank you for your cooperation, and thank you for the contributions you've made to the world."
After shaking hands formally, he turned and left.
Huai Shi stood at the door, completely dumbfounded.
"Finally done? I'm saying, isn't the Astronomical Society out of their minds, sending someone to repeatedly ask the same questions these past few days?"
Ai Qing, who was reading, was unbothered. "Normal procedure. It's about Green Day; there has to be a thorough record. They are all documentation officers. It's their job to record whatever you say, no matter what, and then archive it."
"Is such superficial recording really useful?"
"It's just following protocol," Ai Qing said calmly. "If nobody wanted to cause trouble during the process, it should be fine."
"Hmm?" Huai Shi looked over. "Cause trouble?"
"Standard operation. Sit down."
Ai Qing sipped her coffee, served by a female attendant, unperturbed. "Where there are people, there's conflict. The position of Inspector is so important; it's always more wolves than meat. Being held by a cripple who's a few months shy of twenty, everyone's going to feel disgruntled. If stirring up some trouble could free up a position, I wouldn't mind stirring things up myself."
"..."
Huai Shi inhaled sharply. "The Astronomical Society really is in deep waters."
"One last reminder—"
Finally, Ai Qing looked up, glancing at the tag on Huai Shi's chest. "It's not 'you guys,' it's 'us'—of course, I don't mean for you to develop a sense of collective pride, but if I get into trouble, you won't fare well either."
"Ah, I get it. You mean we're all in the same boat, right?"
Huai Shi sighed. Over the past several days, he had almost gotten used to Ai Qing's way of speaking, but why couldn't he hear a single positive word from her?
If he himself was a Negative Energy Producer, then Ai Qing could definitely run a factory—her output was on a completely different level. How on earth did this woman manage to live up to now?
"Of course, by strength," Ai Qing replied without lifting her head.
Huai Shi was startled, then felt a chill run down his spine. Could this woman read minds too?
"I'm not a Sublimator, so I don't have those weird abilities. If I were you, I wouldn't wear all my questions on my face."
"Uh..."
Huai Shi subconsciously touched his face. "Is there something written on my face?"
"Yes." Ai Qing looked up from her book once more, giving him a pitying glance. "It vividly exemplifies the essence of humanity."
"Eh? Is it 'pigeon' or 'repeater'?" Huai Shi asked, curious.
"..."
Ai Qing didn't even want to bother with him anymore.
Under Huai Shi's relentless noise assault, she finally showed a hint of impatience, closed her book, and sincerely doubted her sanity for recruiting this person as her Secretary.
"What are you really trying to do?"
She raised her finger to pinch the bridge of her nose and narrowed her eyes. "If you've finished your report and have nothing to do, why don't you check out the Xinhai Top Ten Haunted Houses list spread by those busybodies online? That way, we won't have more bored people like you exploring Haunted Houses and driving themselves crazy."
"Don't even bring that up!"
Huai Shi banged the table, enraged. "That ranking is crap! The first place is my house! How did my house become a Haunted House? Just because it's a bit rundown and poor? If I had the money, would the door still be unrepaired? These past two days, I've chased away four groups of nutjobs wanting to take pictures!"
"..."
Ai Qing was at a loss for words. "So what are you really trying to say?"
"This... I just wanted to consult..." Huai Shi suddenly became shy, rubbing his hands together and squeezing out a flattering smile. "Boss, can you give me an advance on my salary?"
"..."
Ai Qing took a deep breath, resisting the urge to slam her book on this fool's face. "Didn't I already advance you over twenty thousand?"
"Gone." Huai Shi held back tears, glancing out the window at the dead raven on the tree, recalling the unbearable past. "In short, it's a long story. School is about to start, I'm almost four thousand in debt on my credit, not to mention tuition. I can't even afford to eat. Boss, can you maybe advance me some salary to get through the year?"