[{"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-36":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},2285872,4472,"Chapter 36: Who Is the Demon (Combined)","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-36",36,"\u003Cp>36 Who Is the Demon (Combined)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the black goat’s curses, Li Ang, reeking of sweat and sourness, carried the bundled Witch’s Broom through the crowd to the entrance of Char Waterworks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he did not rush inside to begin his investigation; instead, he carefully observed his surroundings, circling the company’s outer wall several times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, in a shadowed alley, Li Ang found a large group of people in tattered clothes, their behavior “suspicious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening quietly to their conversations, he did not directly question them; instead, he slipped in unnoticed, feigning righteous fury as he railed against the water company’s shamelessness, stirring Gongming  among most of them, who soon joined in angry curses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having carefully memorized the grievances these wounded men voiced and gathered sufficient information, Li Ang finally picked up the broom and walked back to the main entrance of the water company, striding in with head held high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Li Ang had circled the water company, the gate guard had already spotted this suspiciously poor young man; now that he finally entered, the guard immediately blocked his path without a word, glaring menacingly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know this is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Police Department.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After flashing his credentials at the beefy guard, Li Ang glanced at the man’s suddenly tense expression and demanded coldly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m here to investigate. Take me to your security department manager.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah? Yes, yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recognizing official identification and rank was a “required course” for employees of large corporations; after confirming the document bore complete seals and was clearly authentic,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the once-alert giant guard instantly became obedient. Without another word, he led Li Ang straight to the security department’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The security manager, after examining the Clearance Bureau’s credentials, likewise did not… or rather, dared not question Li Ang’s identity, and instead smiled politely as he inquired about his purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the manager’s cautious demeanor, Li Ang suspected that if he merely stiffened his face and declared the mission classified, the man would not ask further, but simply muddy the waters and let him pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple: Clearance Bureau credentials were genuinely effective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the Kingdom’s five-tier civil service system—Executive, Executive, Civil, Assistant, and Shu —Li Ang’s Assistant-level position ranked fourth, sounding unimpressive, but it had already entered the mid-tier of the civil bureaucracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If converted directly to the Kingdom’s military, it equated to a junior officer commanding a two-hundred-man company; if posted outside the capital, he even had the standing to compete for deputy positions in regional power departments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Added to that, Li Ang was only sixteen or seventeen, and bore a surname that carried considerable weight—he might as well have had “Don’t Mess With Me” written across his face. Faced with such a troublesome guest, the security manager naturally dared not block him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, even if Char Waterworks had deep connections, it was unlikely to defend a lowly manager if provoked; any retaliation would fall squarely on the manager himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Li Ang’s unnaturally youthful face, the security manager—around thirty, always smiling—slightly twisted his lips, a faint look of condescension slipping into his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dared not directly block him, but if this “Level-3 Incident Handler” came with ill intent and sought to pry into sensitive matters, there were plenty of ways to stall him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, it’s really not a big deal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reaching into his shopping bag and patting the black goat’s head, Li Ang watched the manager’s soul flicker between compliance and resistance, then softened his expression into a gentle smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lately, the number of people causing trouble at your company has been excessive. The Bureau worries you won’t be able to calm their emotions,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>leading them to storm the waterworks. That’s why I’ve been sent to check the situation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Li Ang was here about the water supply, the manager’s heart dropped. He immediately dropped his smile, his face darkening:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… it’s not that we can’t talk about it, but the company has strict rules for us…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bro, I’m not playing games with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interrupting the manager’s evasion, Li Ang pulled out a soft-pack of “Gao Te” cigarettes, tapped the bottom expertly to eject one, then mimicked the hearty grin of a shady merchant—and, amid the black goat’s mental curses of anguish—smiled and offered the cigarette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just tell me straight: what’s the real situation with the public water pipes? I want one answer—can you even contain this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… we can definitely contain it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eyeing the premium cigarette pack—three silver wheels per pack—the manager swallowed his longing and laughed nervously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But it’ll take a little more time. And the final outcome depends on the compensation plan…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’d better tell me the truth!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the manager’s soul begin to fray under pressure, Li Ang narrowed his eyes and suddenly raised his voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw how chaotic it was outside when I arrived!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, you chased away the people blocking your gate, but the graffiti on the walls—‘Pay our medicine money or come drink feces’—hasn’t even been scrubbed off! Do you think I’m blind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… I’m sorry, I’m just the security manager. I truly don’t know how many people are affected or how compensation should be handled!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t know—but once you take me inside, you can help me find out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… even though you’re from the Police Department, these matters are company secrets. As security manager, I can’t just…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I came to you specifically because you’re the security manager!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ang stepped forward half a pace, locking eyes with the flustered manager, lowering his voice to a soothing tone:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought you’d realize this without me reminding you, but you seem utterly unaware?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bro, use your head! If things really spiral out of control and rioters storm the waterworks, will the higher-ups let you open the gates? Or will they order you to lead men to block them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If your men draw blood during the standoff—or if a few patients, too poor to afford treatment, die while demanding money—do you think this incident will end with you, the security manager, being blamed for acting on your own?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing Li Ang’s hypothetical, the manager’s expression shifted slightly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m just following regulations… and… this… it might not escalate anyway. The company wouldn’t…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop saying ‘this’ and ‘that’! A company that pumps feces directly into public water pipes to save costs—do you think it cares about your life?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glancing at the manager’s wildly unstable soul flame, Li Ang judged his psychological defenses had cracked. He seized the manager’s hand and forcibly shoved the entire cigarette pack into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, one by one, he pried open the manager’s fingers, pressed his palm shut around the pack, leaned in closer, and whispered softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think carefully. This isn’t hard. There are only two possible outcomes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First: I conduct a thorough investigation, and you cooperate fully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If something happens later, the Police Department can prepare in advance, contain the situation early, and you might even earn credit for timely reporting and full cooperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second: you deliberately conceal Char Waterworks’ situation and delay my investigation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a major incident erupts, the Bureau loses face, I take the fall, and you’re saddled with the blame for sparking violent conflict—fired from the company, your entire family cast into the slums to scavenge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having subtly confined the manager’s thinking to a binary choice, Li Ang watched the man drenched in sweat. Though his own heart pounded at 160 beats per minute, his voice remained calm and unhurried:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bro, have you ever been to the capital’s slums? Have you seen how people live there?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you don’t know, let me tell you: they wear rags scavenged from trash, even wrap themselves in stolen funeral shrouds from mortuary companies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They fight crows and stray cats for garbage, spend all day digging through toxic alchemical waste, just to find scraps of metal worth half a copper wheel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And every winter, after a heavy snowfall, the next day’s garbage piles from the Road Department’s cleaning trucks gain a few more skeletons too brittle for dogs to chew…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bro, think hard: if you choose this path, will you and your family become one of them this year?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having painted the manager’s bleak future, Li Ang observed the man’s soul blazing with thick black flames—judging the moment ripe—he abruptly pulled his hand back, stepping half a dozen paces away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait! Wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The manager’s soul, its gray-white defense already thinner than an eggshell, was completely burned through by the surging black flames below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ang’s sudden withdrawal felt like the final barrier between the manager and the slums being ripped away. Pale-faced, the manager instinctively lunged forward, grabbing Li Ang’s arm in desperation, stammering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-you… I can take you to some… some less important places… but you can’t betray me! If you betray me, I… I… I…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, you can rest easy on that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After rechecking the manager’s soul state and confirming he was fully “broken,” Li Ang smiled, outwardly calm as an old dog, though his heart raced at 160 bpm, and asked directly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What benefit would I gain from betraying you, a lowly security manager?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To make you lash out and stab me? To let the higher-ups know I used improper methods to extract information? Or to give Char Waterworks grounds to complain about me stealing secrets?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relax. I’m no fool. Why would I do something with zero benefit and nothing but trouble?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the young man smiling warmly at him, the manager felt his vision blur—suddenly, he saw two sharp, black-fogged ram horns swirling above Li Ang’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shuddering violently, he dared not look again at this smiling young demon. He quickly turned away, hunching his back, and led Li Ang toward the records room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tsk tsk tsk… Hatred, betrayal, envy, fear… you’re impressive, kid!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the manager’s soul nearly charred black, the black goat widened his eyes, marveling inside Li Ang’s mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You only spoke a few sentences—how did his soul turn so black? Are you hiding another anomaly? But we didn’t sense anything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This isn’t an anomaly’s effect. It’s the result of observation and judgment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pulling a small bottle of cheap bulk liquor from the bag holding the goat’s head, Li Ang swallowed a large gulp despite the stinging odor, activating the [Drunkard Martyr] badge. As his fear and tension gradually faded, he pressed his hand against the black goat’s forehead and explained calmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ema told me: never underestimate the value of intelligence. Careful observation, calm thinking, cautious judgment—these are why she’s survived six years in the Clearance Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I entered, I studied the injuries of those protesting. All were struck on fleshy areas—proof the security team was ordered to hold back. The one most likely to give such orders? The security manager, the first to be sacrificed if things go wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this, I realized: though he’s part of the water company, his interests aren’t fully aligned with theirs. If I target his fears and sever his interests from the company’s, he’ll become our ally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn… forget all that—have you already learned to communicate through souls? You’re truly a born demon!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the thoughts transmitted through his fingers, the black goat felt a twinge of envy toward Li Ang’s “demon” talent and retorted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re just guessing! You just met him—how do you know he didn’t order light blows out of compassion? And how do you know what he fears?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he had compassion, he wouldn’t have struck them himself. And after driving them from the gate, he kept chasing unarmed people with weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for what he fears… his collar is clean, his pants have sharp creases, his desk holds a family photo, and a polo stick sits in the corner—he’s a man with stable life, happy family, and leisure to pursue hobbies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling the man in the photo, smiling warmly as he hugged his wife and child, then contrasting it with the battered protesters in the alley, Li Ang shook his head, expression complex:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“People like him fear most the shattering of their peaceful lives and the fall from their social class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if I link the consequences of non-cooperation directly to those fears, and constantly interrupt him, denying him time to think—he’ll slowly break.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it! You’re… compared to you, I’m just a fake demon!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After pondering with his not-so-sharp mind and finding no obvious flaw, the Black Goat let out a frustrated click of his tongue, feeling he was a worthless demon—but soon, he perked up again, grinning eagerly as he begged:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>★co\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Li Ang, Li Ang! When you betray him later, can you take us along?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Hehe, because of your own weakness and cowardice, you couldn’t resist the demon’s temptation and got cast down from peaceful earth into hell… This is just too fascinating! I’m growing fonder of you by the minute!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Why aren’t you answering?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After waiting a long while without Li Ang’s reply, the Black Goat blinked in surprise, then snapped angrily:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'You’re not going soft on him because he has a wife and kids, are you? Damn it! Can you wake up? He’s a lackey of the Hydro Company! He led the beatings of people demanding compensation!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Kid! You wanted to punish evil and uphold justice, right? Then go ahead! Once you’ve investigated the Hydro Company’s crimes, turn around and expose him—betray him hard!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Then crush his skull under your shoe sole, sneer at him, and tell him why you did it—let him rot in his own personal hell and taste true despair!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Let’s see how things develop...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After slightly shaking his head, Li Ang sighed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'You can see his soul too, can’t you? He’s not a kind-hearted good man, but his soul’s darkness isn’t much greater than an average person’s—it hovers at roughly the same level, even carries a hint of warmth.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'If later we find he’s done many dirty deeds for the Hydro Company, I won’t hesitate to sell him out—but to destroy him and his whole family’s life without even knowing his name? I think that’s just a bit too hasty... What’s wrong with you?!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Ang saw the sudden surge of dark flame in his soul vision and felt the Black Goat’s soul erupt with fierce longing, he was about to ask further when the Black Goat’s hysterical scream pierced his mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Heart! Our heart!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Forget about hasty or not—turn back right now! Someone in that house just touched our heart!'\u003C\u002Fp>",2412,"2026-06-20T03:18:28.556Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","dc687bd5b1be43348a04522c8cc40c01ce9583c5ceafe61e74398d97f3bda706","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-37","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-35",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-the-cleanup-crew-cover.jpg"]