[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-the-cleanup-crew":3,"chapter-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-1":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm the Cleanup Crew!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":18,"prevChapterSlug":19,"totalChapters":20,"novelImage":21},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":12,"translator":16,"content_hash":17},2285837,4472,"Chapter 1: 1 Job Hunting Is Not Easy","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-1",1,"\u003Cp>1 Job Hunting Is Not Easy\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here to apply, right? What’s your name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ang… Leon Lane.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lane?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the familiar surname, the bored female interviewer behind the desk raised her eyebrows, lifting her gaze to the thin, pale-faced young man before her, asking with mild surprise:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lane… as in the Lionheart Duke’s Lane?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The job seeker seemed used to this question; he shook his head slightly and promptly explained with practiced ease:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The pronunciation is the same, but the Lionheart King’s surname comes from the golden lion ‘Lane’ on his family crest; mine comes from the ‘Lane’ in Lane County—my ancestors were likely commoners from there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh… I thought so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red-haired woman nodded in understanding, amused at her own overreaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That arrogant family, proud of their pure gold hair, had produced almost no other hair colors among their relatives—how could they have a descendant with black hair and black eyes? And one who had sunk so low as to come here applying for a job?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sizing up Leon’s attire—his old coat, cleanly washed but frayed at the edges, revealing the lining—the red-haired woman seemed to lose interest, lowering her head again while absentmindedly scribbling on a form with a feather pen:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then list your family status as commoner. Now, go through the rest: education level, religious belief, whether you’ve undergone cybernetic augmentation, if you have a micro-differential engine implanted under your skin, and what specific crime you committed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh? Wait—what specific crime?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon blinked in surprise, then asked hesitantly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excuse me, the last item you mentioned—does it refer to whether I have a criminal record?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Leon’s question, the red-haired woman frowned, then sharply rapped her knuckles twice on the desk, snapping:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Better be honest! This is the Cleanup Bureau, not a courtroom! If you hadn’t committed a capital crime, why would you come here to apply? Just tell me what you did—don’t try to dodge me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m just looking for a job—why’s this tied to the gallows?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmph, hiding things like this—clearly up to no good!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Leon, momentarily speechless, the red-haired woman snorted in disdain, then slammed her fist on the desk again, her face cold as she interrogated him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me reiterate one last time: this is the Cleanup Bureau, not a courtroom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I won’t and have no interest in judging you. I ask what crime you committed because we must report your name to lift the Kingdom’s wanted notice—so tell the truth, or you’ll only make trouble for yourself. Understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanted notice?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Repeating her words, Leon’s pupils shrank slightly as he realized the misunderstanding. He asked cautiously: “Excuse me… is this the First Cleanliness Bureau of the Capital?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cleanliness Bureau?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, it was the red-haired woman who froze. After a moment’s thought, she seemed to understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at his gaunt frame, worn from long-term malnutrition, the woman who had just moments ago shown disgust fell silent. Then she sat upright, pointed out the window, and lowered her voice, frowning:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re in the wrong place. This is the Sixth Anomaly Cleanup Bureau—an auxiliary unit under the Police Department. The Cleanliness Bureau you want is under the Road Administration, across the street—that building with the long line out front.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh oh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing he’d come to the wrong place, Leon let out a long breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holy shit, that was terrifying,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought I just wanted to be a street sweeper, but I had to be wanted before I could get hired—turns out this isn’t the Cleanliness Bureau I needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And by the way, weren’t they only hiring ten positions total? Why’s the queue at the Cleanliness Bureau so long? So many people after a street-sweeping job?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry to have disturbed you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After politely apologizing, Leon gazed again through the window at the long line across the street, then, almost against his will, turned to the red-haired woman and asked softly, eyes full of hope:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um… if you’re also short-staffed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not suitable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the light instantly dim in the sixteen- or seventeen-year-old’s eyes, the red-haired woman hesitated, then explained:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Cleanup Bureau pays well—higher than most municipal civil servants—but the death rate is about eight per thousand. Unless you’re truly desperate, you shouldn’t come here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eight per thousand?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the cold word “death rate,” Leon wasn’t frightened—in fact, a flicker of excitement lit his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come on, that’s barely one percent!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, maybe, but in this strange world of steam carriages rumbling through the streets, workers in furnace furnaces, mines, magic-infusion plants, and potion purification labs face annual base death rates near two percent—and those disabled or poisoned by machinery or vapors number several times higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given their average thirty-year “career span,” almost no worker survives a lifetime without illness or injury. A yearly death rate under one percent is practically…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I may not have made myself clear enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Leon’s interest, the red-haired woman shook her head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Cleanup Bureau’s death rate isn’t annual—it’s monthly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monthly? Eight per thousand per month—that’s nearly ten percent annually? This Anomaly Cleanup Bureau loses a tenth of its staff every year?!?!?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Leon’s stunned expression, the red-haired woman shook her head and waved him off:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood? Then leave. We only hire those who’ve committed capital crimes or who themselves carry controllable ‘anomalies.’ Someone like you—a normal person—couldn’t handle Cleanup Bureau work. This place isn’t for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then… I’m sorry to have troubled you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the red-haired woman’s gentle but unyielding refusal settled over him, Leon felt a sharp pain behind his eyes, followed by a piercing, deafening buzz.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Due to your twentieth job application failure, you have successfully activated the Iron Badge: “Unemployed Youth”】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Unemployed Youth: A young person temporarily unable to secure employment due to inadequate education, lack of experience, or economic hardship】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Wearing Effect: When your parents converse with peers their age, they will reliably trigger the special state “Evasive,” automatically avoiding any topic related to you】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Advanced Path: If you continue wearing this badge for over two months without securing employment, and live with your parents, it will automatically upgrade to the Bronze Badge: “Freeloader”】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Hidden Trait (no need to wear): When the “Unemployed Youth” badge is activated and your household assets are below 200 Gold Wheels, your chance of securing a romantic partner through matchmaking drops by 80%】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>",1054,"2026-06-20T03:18:28.556Z","Qwen3-Next 80B","ea492713d4a6e8327514e6ed285113dede6295f34ea0e615d840712f4202e2a1","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-2",null,1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-the-cleanup-crew-cover.jpg"]