Nightmare Fang
"Yan Zhiyuan! You must be present at the regular meeting next week! I won't go in your place anymore!"
Shen Buhui was sorting out some past documents when he heard this loud sound coming from the office next door.
"What's wrong?" "See, I told you, Deputy Lin will be furious today." "How did you know?" "Because today is the day when Minister Yan comes back to report on his work as usual." Several people next to him whispered to each other. Shen Buhui took a deep breath, put down the work at hand, stood up and walked into Lin Zhouze's office.
As expected, Yan Zhiyuan was inside, with a flattering smile on his face. "Oh, this is an extraordinary period. There are a lot more high-level tasks in the past six months than in the past. I'll do more this year, and it will be easier later." Seeing Shen Buhui come in, he quickly winked, signaling her to say a few words for him.
Lin Zhouze poked his head out from behind the large screen, his face flushed red, perhaps from anger. "You're so demanding, have you ever considered the people in the department? Who asked you to earn a certain number of points as a department director? Tell me, and I'll go find them!" He was clearly still furious.
Shen Buhui coughed lightly and reminded him, "Deputy Lin." He meant to ask him to be careful with his words. "Minister Yan's system task report for the past six months has come out, and this is the information on the new equipment approved by our Information Department. It will be officially put into use next month." The two documents were transmitted to Lin Zhouze.
The display screen flipped, and Lin Zhouze frowned and said, "Look for yourself, you have become even more reckless since I came here. How many ministerial meetings have you attended in the past two months? Every time I went in your place, I was looked down upon. Last time, I was directly called out for overstepping the bounds, and a few old guys scolded me for no reason." His voice became softer as he spoke, and he sounded quite aggrieved.
Yan Zhiyuan quickly apologized with a smile and glared at Shen Buhui, indicating that the situation was already urgent enough and that they shouldn't add fuel to the fire. Shen Buhui had been a mediator for so long, commonly known as a "peacemaker." Seeing that the atmosphere was almost settled, he said, "Because of Minister Yan's personal contribution growth, according to the calculations stipulated by the association, our Information Department is the first in District 8 to introduce new equipment, except for the A City Joint Training Base."
Seeing that Lin Zhouze's expression had softened a bit, she struck while the iron was hot: "With the new equipment, everyone's average workload and working hours can be reduced a lot. This is just the right time to squeeze out some time to participate in tasks and earn some points. We should be able to save up a lot before the end of the year."
Yan Zhiyuan praised her with his eyes, saying "well done", but he didn't dare to speak rashly, for fear of upsetting Lin Zhouze again, so he just quietly observed the other person's expression. Shen Buhui had long been accustomed to similar disputes between the two department heads. She continued to wait for Lin Zhouze to calm down as usual, while thinking about something in her heart.
In fact, when Lin Zhouze was first brought to the Information Department, Shen Buhui didn't think he could stay there for long. He had a face that didn't show any scheming, and his behavior was too frank and straightforward, just like his appearance. Many people like him had come here before, but they either couldn't fit in and chose to leave, or after assimilating, they tried their best to transfer to other departments for the purpose of promotion.
So even though Lin Zhouze was brought here by Yan Zhiyuan himself, Shen Buhui and other old colleagues in the Information Department did not take it too seriously, thinking that the original assistant would come back after a while.
What most people didn't expect was that Lin Zhouze not only adapted quickly but also seemed to enjoy his work more and more. His exceptional learning ability, superior intuition, and ability to summarize quickly became apparent. He effectively completed numerous tasks, and most remarkable of all, the results of any project he oversaw were virtually flawless.
Initially, Yan Zhiyuan had only asked him to assist with auxiliary tasks. After realizing this, he gradually assigned him tasks that required integrating extensive data and historical facts. Gradually, Lin Zhouze's tasks became increasingly complex, yet his level of completion remained high. Furthermore, his straightforward personality and unwavering convictions helped him cultivate strong interpersonal relationships throughout the department and even within related departments.
Just three months later, Lin Zhouze was elected, unanimously, as Deputy Director of the Information Department of District 8. From that day on, Yan Zhiyuan completely let himself go, pushing every possible task onto Lin Zhouze while he himself pursued high-paying assignments across the country. This situation intensified, and recently, he even had Lin Zhouze attend the branch's regular director meetings on his behalf.
It's no wonder Lin Zhouze was angry. Even Shen Buhui felt that Yan Zhiyuan had gone too far. After all, although the difference between the minister and the vice-minister was only one letter, their status in the association was worlds apart. Lin Zhouze attending the ministers' meeting on his behalf sounded like a lamb being driven into a pack of wolves.
"So what is the most important task you have next week? Can you spare two hours to attend the regular meeting in person?" Although Lin Zhouze was still angry, his tone had softened a lot and he still remembered to ask the most important thing.
Yan Zhiyuan sighed lightly and gave Shen Buhui a look. After Shen Buhui understood and found a reason to leave, Yan Zhiyuan frowned and said in a rather embarrassed tone: "This mission is indeed not easy to get out of, and to be honest, even the mission location has not been decided yet, I'm afraid it will be difficult."
Lin Zhouze immediately became worried: "What? Is it related to the fugitives?" Generally, the tasks issued by the association rarely have unknown locations. Once such a situation occurs, the task itself is likely to be of a higher risk type.
Yan Zhiyuan stroked the side of his face twice. "As you know, there have been more and more incidents in various places since the middle of the year. From civil brawls to social harm, and even some unusual natural disasters. Although people outside may not be aware of it, we all know it in our hearts."
"There's always some human involvement." He changed the subject. "A previously unresolved mission recently found a clue. The system automatically linked it to the original participants. They said they're on standby to restart it at any time. That's why I can't promise you anything."
Suddenly, Yan Zhiyuan raised his right hand, pressing his four fingers together to his forehead. "But I swear, I really don't plan on taking any more missions recently. I'm planning to take a break!" He looked at Lin Zhouze seriously, and after making sure that the other's anger had completely subsided, he smiled and said, "There's one more thing I want to tell you."
"Haven't you complained several times before, saying that the original accommodation you were assigned was far away and dirty, and you didn't have time to renovate it?"
Lin Zhouze curled his lips. "Yeah, I don't even know who lived there last time. I asked after I was transferred to the Information Department, and they said that after the initial assignment, you can only apply for a change using points. And you dumped so many things on me, I have no time for field missions!" He was getting angry again and was about to stand up when he heard Yan Zhiyuan say, "So I applied for you to move into my apartment. The process was so complicated, and it was only approved two days ago."
"You'll come with me later to enter your information into the apartment system."
Yan Zhiyuan's smile was shallow, but Lin Zhouze could see deep joy in his eyes. "From now on, Building 3, Floor 14 will be your address at the association." Lin Zhouze couldn't tell whether this was good news or bad news.
"Ah... then I have to work for you 24 hours a day?" Thinking about how busy he has been recently and how he can't openly talk back when being bullied, Lin Zhouze suddenly felt that the old residential area in the corner of the base was not so bad.
Yan Zhiyuan coaxed him, "No, I'm tired of working overtime myself. And I seldom stay overnight at the base when I'm on a mission, which is like you having an entire floor to yourself. And, you don't have to worry about earning points for field work in the future, which saves you a lot of trouble." Lin Zhouze's emotion was visibly evident, and his expression became firm as he finished the last sentence, "And the dormitories for psychics will have special meals and desserts, with no limit on quantity."
"Let's go now."
Two days after Lin Zhouze moved into the 14th floor of Building 3, Yan Zhiyuan received the exact content of the task and left the Area 8 base at night, leaving half a freezer full of desserts and snacks before leaving.
However, things always happen without warning.
The day after Lin Zhouze finished eating the snacks stored in the freezer, he planned to get some more after get off work, but he received the news that Yan Zhiyuan was escorted back to District 8 by the medical team of the headquarters.
Outside Conference Room No. 1, where the ministers usually held their regular meetings, Lin Zhouze paced anxiously, a chill running down his back. He'd been wondering what had happened to Yan Zhiyuan that had caused such a scene. So, when the recorder ushered him inside and saw those faces clearly, he froze in his tracks.
"Are you Yan Zhiyuan's deputy?" Lin Zhouze heard the man sitting next to Yan Zhiyuan ask this as soon as he put on the simultaneous interpreter handed to him by the recorder.
"...Yes, I'm the Deputy Director of the Information Department of the District 8 branch. May I ask..." Lin Zhouze was interrupted before he could finish his sentence. "Come over and sit across from me."
Conference Room 1 was arranged in a stepped layout, with 108 seats on nine levels, each one higher than the last. The speaker and Yan Zhiyuan were currently sitting on the second level, meaning Lin Zhouze, who had been asked to sit across from them, could only sit on the lowest level, the first level.
Lin Zhouze sat down nervously, looking up. Seven or eight pairs of eyes were staring at him, as if they were interrogating a criminal.
All the lights in the room were turned off, and Lin Zhouze was trapped in the darkness, immersed in a pair of sparkling eyes.
"From this moment on, nothing that happens in this space must be known to anyone else through your mouth. If you violate this agreement, you will lose the thing you are most proud of."
"Contractor: Lin Zhouze."
...
The room lit up again, but only three people remained: Lin Zhouze, Flovitch, and Yan Zhiyuan. Strangely, Yan Zhiyuan hadn't even glanced at Lin Zhouze since he entered the meeting room.
Frovitch said, "To make a long story short, he was the only one of the mission team to survive, but only this body survived. His mental barriers had collapsed, and his sea of consciousness had become a paste."
"Therefore, psychics couldn't directly obtain mission-related information from him. However, he previously confessed that he was the murderer who brutally killed those five teammates."
"Until the experimental center's research results on the captured fugitive are released, you will be responsible for his daily life. You have only one goal - to convince him to voluntarily seek admission to the association's 'Health Consultation Office'."
"He..." Lin Zhouze was interrupted again before he could finish his words. Frovich said with regret, "If you can't do this, he will most likely be executed by the Association in the near future. While it's a shame to execute such a young and talented psychic, there's nothing we can do about it. The decision of the decision-making committee cannot be changed."
"To you, this isn't a question; it's an order, a mission. Therefore, whatever assistance you need during this process, the association will provide it."
"That's all. Do you have any questions?" Flovitch supported his chin with one hand and looked down at the young boy whose expression changed constantly.
Lin Zhouze's heart rate soared, and his breathing became heavy. He looked at Yan Zhiyuan's calm, unperturbed face, staring intently, and asked, "Did he succeed in his mission?"
Flovitch raised an eyebrow. "It worked. He survived, so it worked."
"Okay, I get it." Lin Zhouze continued to stare at Yan Zhiyuan, but his eyes never met. Frovich asked him, "Aren't you afraid? What if that thing is contagious? What if he kills you too?"
“…”
"It is my honor to devote my life to the association's cause." Lin Zhouze looked at the current president of the association with a smile.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
