[{"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-24":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm the Cleanup Crew!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2285860,4472,"Chapter 24","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-24",24,"\u003Cp>24 Coffee and Pastries (Combined)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sss… it’s gotten a bit cold…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the sky was just beginning to lighten, the hardworking worker Li Ang got up and walked to work, yawning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the chilly autumn wind hit him full in the face and his mind cleared slightly, Li Ang instinctively hunched his shoulders, wrapped Anna’s knitted scarf around his neck one more time, and unconsciously recalled last night’s events…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never answered Melanie’s question, instead mumbling something vague like “you’ll understand when you’re older,” barely fending her off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he explained it to Melanie, at her young age she wouldn’t fully grasp it; but as for news about the Cleanup Bureau and anomalies—those “other world” matters—the less ordinary people knew, the less likely they were to stumble into trouble, so naturally, it was better to keep it hidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Melanie’s question ended there, it wasn’t entirely meaningless—it at least answered one small mystery for Li Ang: what exactly had the Director lost?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the information provided by [Materialist Soul], a person possessing the anomaly [Forgetful Love] must lose one of the three: parental love, filial love, or romantic love.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by appearances now, she had likely lost the love of her children; and from her behavior yesterday, she clearly adored children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the veteran’s alley where he lived wasn’t a slum, but neither was it a good location—surrounded by noisy, filthy companies and a prison housing many hardened criminals, the population was already sparse, and children even more so, making candy shops nonexistent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the milk candies wrapped in colored paper she bought for Melanie and the others could only be found at a department store four or five streets away; yet she was willing to walk that far to buy sweets for two children she’d just met—she certainly wasn’t someone who disliked children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm… for someone who particularly loves children, not being able to have any of their own is one thing—but if they did have children, only to be constantly forgotten by them, that might truly be cruel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaking his head with a touch of sympathy, Li Ang was about to quicken his pace toward the Cleanup Bureau to pick up Black Goat and visit the nurse suspected of possessing an anomaly—when a sweet, caramelized aroma halted him in his tracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cart with benches and tables, a large tin boiler with a copper spout, a charcoal stove glowing red-hot, a few low tables and stools assembled from sawn wood planks…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the scent of coffee filling his nostrils, a small, cozy space—securely wrapped in old canvas, shielded from the autumn chill, radiating gentle warmth—suddenly came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A coffee stall…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the warm little stall, so inviting against the gray, frigid morning, Li Ang stopped, hesitated, then finally surrendered to the tempting sweetness, hunched his shoulders, stepped inside the tent, and sat at a table near the back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, one coffee, two thin slices of bread.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled out a cup with a broken handle, swiftly scooped in coffee grounds, wrapped his hand in a cloth, twisted open the steaming copper spout to pour hot water, pinched the stirrer between three fingers, swirled it twice—then placed a steaming black liquid before Li Ang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Customer, would you like butter on your ‘two thin’ slices? I’ve also got ham slices here—fried fresh this morning, still hot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… how much for the ham? Expensive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not expensive at all! Very cheap!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wiping his hands on his sooty apron, the boss—apparently in his early fifties—smiled warmly and raised a blackened finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One copper wheel without ham, two copper wheels with it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two copper wheels… one slice of ham costs an extra copper wheel? Are you kidding? I could buy a whole ham at the department store for less than one silver wheel!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ang stared blankly at the coffee stall boss, who looked innocent but was clearly a master con artist, and muttered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Skip the ham—just butter the bread… and make sure you spread it thick!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skip the ham, just spread butter on the bread… make sure to spread it thickly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Failed upsell, but the boss showed no disappointment—his face remained cheerful as he pulled out a long loaf of bread, sliced off two paper-thin pieces with swift strokes, dipped a brush too small for polishing shoes into butter, and laid the slices on the stone slab over the charcoal fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sales pitch for the extra item failed, but the boss’s hearty face showed no disappointment—instead, he chuckled and pulled out a long loaf of toast, sliced off two paper-thin pieces with swift strokes, dipped a brush too small for polishing shoes into the butter twice, and laid the slices on the stone slab above the charcoal grill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching those bread slices—so thin they’d be considered too skimpy even for Lanx beef noodle soup—Li Ang inwardly groaned, realizing he’d stumbled upon a true expert at fleecing customers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since he’d already come, and couldn’t bear to leave the stove’s fierce warmth, he said nothing, instead lifted the steaming coffee and took a cautious sip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mmm… so good… feels like I’ve come back to life…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his hands warmed from the cup and his empty stomach was soothed by the coffee, Li Ang sighed contentedly, eyes half-closed, while the shrewd boss promptly delivered the “Lanx bread slices.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Customer, your order is ready. Total: one copper wheel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the nearly translucent bread slices on the small plate, Li Ang paid reluctantly, but couldn’t help muttering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, your bread-slicing skills are so sharp—must make you a fortune?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, just enough to get by.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably used to customers like Li Ang making sarcastic remarks, the boss didn’t take offense—instead, he grinned and pointed behind him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at my stove—burns only the finest charcoal, constantly replenished, so no matter when you come, the coffee’s always piping hot. That charcoal’s a cost, you know!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was true… but with your nerve to charge a copper wheel for one slice of ham, plus your Lanx-master-level bread-slicing, the extra charcoal cost? You probably doubled it back in profit—no way you’re losing money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me be honest with you—customers like you who commute to the municipal district care less about savings and more about real, tangible warmth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hoping to turn Li Ang into a regular, and sensing his indifference, the boss gestured toward the opposite street and explained patiently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My coffee may not be sweet or strong, but the temperature? Best in the city. My fire burns hottest—heat even radiates beyond the tent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To keep your hands from burning while warming them, I use thick ceramic mugs, not those thin iron ones you can only hold for a second before dropping—guaranteeing you leave warm from head to toe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, why do you think so many stalls line this street, yet mine draws the most customers? Because I’m not just selling coffee—I’m selling warmth on a cold morning. Isn’t that the truth?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, by the way—don’t tell anyone what I just told you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly realizing he’d revealed too many “trade secrets,” the boss—with his innocent face—quickly waved his hands, looking embarrassed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This little coffee stall? I plan to pass it on to my daughter. No matter how she fares out there, she’ll always have a livelihood at home. If others learn these tricks, she’ll be in trouble!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This little coffee stall? I plan to pass it on to my daughter one day—so no matter how hard life treats her outside, she’ll always have a way to make a living at home. If others learn all these tricks, she’ll be in trouble!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I believe you, you liar! A man this sharp wouldn’t just blurt out all this to a stranger!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For starters, your coffee isn’t sweet at all—but I followed the sweet scent here, so your pot must have some secret ingredient. If I tried copying you, I’d go bankrupt in a week!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmph… but come to think of it, though he’s stingy as hell, he’s clearly put in a lot of thought—so yeah, he deserves every copper wheel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Convinced by the coffee stall boss’s value-added business philosophy, Li Ang gave him a thumbs-up, then quickly finished his bread and coffee and hurried off toward the Cleanup Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after he left, a girl with a doll-like face, dressed in a professional suit, followed the trail of sweet aroma straight to the stall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the boss’s innocent face, her big watery eyes lit up; she dashed over, grabbed his arm, and scolded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dad! You just got better—why are you sneaking out to set up again? Mom’s furious!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph! What’s she got to be mad about? I’m just running a stall!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing his daughter’s words, the previously gentle boss twisted his nose, transformed into a stubborn old man, and snapped back:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? You look down on my little stall? I’ll tell you—if not for this coffee cart, we’d have starved to death long ago! Do you think we’d be where we are now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one looks down on your stall! But why today of all days?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching her father suddenly throw a tantrum, the girl sighed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our gas company’s pipe burst—we just paid out a huge sum, and now the water company’s had an accident too. We’re in trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mom’s angry because you’re wandering off now, instead of focusing on fixing the company’s problems, and you’re out here setting up a stall at dawn…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s there to fix? Earn what you can, pay what you owe! Why overthink it? And now you’re telling me I can’t even work two hours a day? If the company collapses, can’t I just switch jobs?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coffee stall boss grew even angrier, puffing out his cheeks:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, I told you from the start—we shouldn’t have touched municipal projects!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, they pay fast and steady, with big annual payouts—but the real power? Not in our hands. We can only suggest, never decide. Is that acceptable?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew from day one—given how those bastards operate, something was bound to go wrong! Better to stick with our department store—risky, slim profits, but at least we control everything. If something breaks, we fix it ourselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But your mom’s stubborn! She insisted our family name would make them behave, so she pushed us right into it—I couldn’t stop her!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And look what happened? Those bastards saved a few bucks on filtration and dumped raw sewage straight into the public water pipes! Now the whole capital’s running out of diarrhea medicine! They ‘behave’? *** They’ve lost all shame!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After grumbling a few more curses, seeing the sun rise and the temperature climb, and noticing customers had dwindled, the coffee stall boss shut the stove, smothered the coals, packed up the tent, and pushed the cart away with his daughter, still grumbling:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s the gas pipe situation? Did you apologize properly and pay compensation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We did! One family didn’t want it—they said they weren’t badly hurt, just cover the bandage costs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s their choice not to accept, but our company caused the damage—we must pay properly… by the way, what’s their surname?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t quite remember… ah! Lyon! Yes! Li Ang Lyon—he’s a kind man, poor but always smiling, and incredibly gentle with his sister!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can’t quite remember the surname… ah! Ryan! Yes! Leon Ryan! He’s a good man—poor, but always smiling gently, and especially tender with his sister!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re asking about our new recruit? His name is Li Ang, Li Ang Lyon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides the coffee stall father and daughter, two others were also discussing Li Ang’s situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides the coffee stall father and daughter, two other people were also discussing Leon’s situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the familiar surname, the petite woman in the golden mirror blinked, bit into her sponge cake, and asked curiously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From the Lion Duke’s family? You hate nobility—why did you take him into your Virgin Bureau?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just the same surname—it’s two different words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After briefly explaining Li Ang’s surname, the red-haired Director frowned as she watched the woman in the mirror, now chewing on a puff pastry:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you asking about him? Trying to poach him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I might be.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, the petite woman in black-and-white pinafore picked up a nut cake ring, licked the sweet almond powder off it, then grinned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I read your report—he’s got a [Forced Intelligence Acquisition] ability ranked higher than a great demon. Use it right, it’s incredibly powerful. Which director wouldn’t covet that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reviewed your filed report—this is a [Forced Information Acquisition] ability ranked higher than a Great Demon. Use it well, and it’s extraordinary—who wouldn’t covet such power?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching her friend’s eyes narrow suddenly, the petite woman gobbled the cake ring, then grabbed a small oil-baked pancake, spread strawberry jam on it, and explained:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But don’t worry—I’m not here to steal him. I want to make a small deal with him… did you extract the anomaly from the hospital director?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that’s it… you’re after that anomaly that absorbs patients.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glancing at the lion carving on the golden mirror, now scraping at a dung ball, the red-haired Director paused, then her eyes flickered with understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Lion Bureau’s jurisdiction lies a port occupied by an uncontrolled contaminant; nearby villages—over ten thousand residents—have been forcibly infected with an incurable plague. If that contaminant dies, they all die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Lion Bureau acted fast enough to seal the port and prevent greater disaster, they had no way to deal with the contaminant holding ten thousand people hostage—and couldn’t afford to deploy their trump cards for a mid-level incident, so they’d left it alone for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now things were different: the hospital director Li Ang killed had the ability to absorb patients—perfectly counter to the contaminant’s power. And per Cleanup Bureau rules, the one who completes a cleanup task has priority to claim the extracted anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So her sudden contact via [Celestial Mirror] wasn’t to reconnect with her friend—it was to warn him not to compete with her for the anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So her sudden contact with him today via the Celestial Sphere Mirror was not to reconnect with her friend, but to warn him in advance not to compete with her for this anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After glancing at her good friend, who was once again eating custard pudding in the golden mirror, the Red-haired Woman blinked her charming fox-like eyes and said with a troubled expression:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… I understand how important this item is to you, but Li Ang witnessed the power of an uncontrolled infection during the cleanup—he’s very interested in this anomaly. So…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tsk! Don’t waste my time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing her best friend’s nature all too well, Beverly on the other side of the golden mirror rolled her eyes, took another bite of her coconut bun, and snapped back:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just spit it out—how much money are you borrowing this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, it’s not about money at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Red-haired Woman waved her hand, smiling sweetly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ang is just a brand-new recruit. He went through hell to complete his first mission, and finally earned his very first anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To take away such a meaningful item with just a word—wouldn’t you feel guilty if you didn’t give him something better in return?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Beverly, staring into her friend’s scheming fox eyes through the mirror, stiffened slightly—suddenly, the orange cream pie in her mouth lost its flavor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After wolfing down her snack in three bites, Beverly summoned the authority befitting the Director of the Lion Cleanup Bureau, slammed her hand hard on the table, and glared with lion-like fury:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spit it out! What do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want you to trade him the Witch’s Broom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft! Dream on!”\u003C\u002Fp>",2604,"2026-06-20T03:18:28.556Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1dbefe909881d78f39fe206c7af70cd7993bacdda755451feb28b4f3e550de8c","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-25","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-23",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-the-cleanup-crew-cover.jpg"]