Chapter 4: The World Beneath the Surface

4 The World Beneath the Surface

Clutching the mindset of "live well if I can survive, and if I can't, at least scam a death benefit," Hearing Li Ang walked into the gloomy, haunted-house-like Cleansing Bureau, and following the crumpled directional signs along the corridor, once again found the innermost large office, and forcefully knocked on that familiar big door.

"Is anyone there? I'm here to apply for the job!"

"Creak."

Accompanied by the grating sound of metal door hinges turning, the dark, heavy door was pushed open from inside, but the person who came out was not that red-haired female interviewer, but rather... a black goat standing upright on its two hind legs?

"What are you looking at? Never seen a demon before?"

Seeming offended by Hearing Li Ang's utterly shocked gaze, the black goat, with a cigarette dangling from its mouth, skillfully blew a smoke ring, then, curling its lips covered in suspicious white foam, glared furiously at Hearing Li Ang and said viciously:

"I'm really impressed, were your balls crushed by someone? We amplified the evil thoughts in your heart by a full seven times, and you still managed to hold back without stabbing that fat bastard?"

"???"

A demon? A goat standing upright? You amplified my evil thoughts? So I wasn't actually losing control just now?

A string of question marks, big and small, frantically poured into Hearing Li Ang's brain, but before he could open his mouth to press further, a giant empty wine bottle came spinning out from inside the door, and slammed onto the back of the black goat's head with a bang.

After taking this critical hit, the utterly arrogant black goat didn't even grunt, was knocked Heavy on the Interface on the spot, and its short-haired body fell stiffly forward, plunging into Hearing Li Ang's arms with a thud.

"Sizzle!"

【Encountered an incomprehensible special existence, the anomalous badge "Materialist Soul (Crimson)" has been activated, your cognitive boundary has been expanded, and you have obtained partial information about this existence】

Accompanied by a familiar piercing buzz, the crimson strange badge flashed and vanished, and in the empty space above the black goat's head, a large amount of strange text suddenly materialized.

【Name: Demon's Antlers (Fallen, Erudition, Whisper)】

【Appearance: Two pitch-black antlers with spiral patterns; after using a Welsh county rock goat as a sacrifice and correctly completing the erosion ritual, the sacrifice will transform into a black goat that likes to smoke, is accustomed to walking upright on its two hind legs, and calls itself a demon】

【Abilities: Evil Thought Amplification, Vast Knowledge, Occult Knowledge】

【Cost: One pack of "Gao Te" brand cigarettes, or one sinful soul】

【File: Cleansing Bureau Sixth Branch Director Olivia captured and reported it during the Aslan Campaign, then applied to use it herself.

Please note, after this erosion item was applied for, although it did not cause any deaths, it has a large number of indirect injury records; over five years it caused more than forty employees of the Road Administration Department to be injured and resign】

【Evaluation: Has the terrifying ability to easily provoke a war, but its main body is extremely weak, no different from an ordinary goat, and is very afraid of male humans from Welsh county】

【Corruption Value: 0.1】

In less than 0.01 seconds, after bizarrely recording all the content, Hearing Li Ang, holding the black goat and looking at the crimson badge that had dimmed again on the virtual interface, couldn't help but be stunned.

Evil Thought Amplification? Corruption Value?

Before Hearing Li Ang could digest this strange information, yesterday's red-haired female interviewer walked out carrying an equally giant wine bottle.

"Why are you here again?"

After taking a big swig of ale, looking at Hearing Li Ang with bloodshot eyes before her, the red-haired female interviewer couldn't help but furrow her brows, and questioned with an unfriendly expression:

"Didn't I already make it perfectly clear to you? A normal person like you simply isn't suited to join the Cleansing Bureau, you should still go..."

"Please wait a moment!"

Seeing that the other party meant to send him away, Hearing Li Ang, not wanting to let go of this last life-saving straw, hurriedly spoke up to explain:

"I'm not normal! No! What I mean is,

I actually have some special abilities beyond the scope of ordinary people, they might be exactly what you need!"

Special abilities beyond the scope of ordinary people?

After hearing Hearing Li Ang's words, the red-haired woman's willow-leaf brows couldn't help but lift slightly, a hint of disdain flashed through her eyes, then she crossed her arms over her chest and said noncommittally:

"Alright then, let's hear it."

Let's hear it... since he was preparing to join this place to scam a death benefit, he definitely had to demonstrate his own value first, but how was he supposed to explain this "badge" thing?

After quickly taking stock of his own situation, Hearing Li Ang's eyes shifted slightly, and he decisively concealed the existence of the "badge," and instead began to explain:

"My observational ability is very special! I can distinguish some particular things, and if there's direct contact, I can also immediately obtain some related intelligence!"

How could that be...

Hearing this, the red-haired woman couldn't help but shake her head inwardly.

Although there are indeed many people born carrying "anomalies," this kind of forcibly obtained intelligence ability is ninety-nine percent likely to be the most troublesome "concept-type" anomaly, which only takes effect when one's own "rank" is stably higher than the target's.

So if he could really do it, then his basic rank must be terrifyingly high, at the very least on the same level as an evil god from another plane, but would something of that level come to our Cleansing Bureau to apply for a job?

However, although she didn't believe Hearing Li Ang's words, the red-haired woman didn't directly refute him, but instead tilted her chin toward the unconscious black goat, and said with a calm expression:

"There, it's a 'particular thing,' and you could say you've had contact with it, so now start talking, let me see exactly what's so special about you."

Phew...

After hearing the "test question" given by the red-haired woman, Hearing Li Ang couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

What he feared most right now was her not giving him a chance and directly kicking him out. Now that he had the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities, as long as the "badge" didn't malfunction, this job should be in the bag. After all, no matter what organization it is, intelligence should be something very valuable.

Also, if this so-called Cleansing Bureau Place Great Value On intelligence abilities, then even if he wasn't given an important position, he probably wouldn't be used as cannon fodder, and might even get some special treatment, lasting a few more rounds in that terrifying monthly death rate.

Although when he walked in here, he had already prepared to trade his life for a death benefit, if he could live well, then who would want to die?

Clutching the hope of perhaps living a few more years, Hearing Li Ang steadied himself, and answered selectively:

"The true body of this goat is actually that pair of goat horns on its head, its ability is to amplify the evil thoughts in others' hearts, and it also possesses quite a bit of occult knowledge.

Additionally, it likes 'Gao Te' brand cigarettes and sinful souls, currently belongs to someone named Olivia, and over the past few years has caused a large number of Road Administration officials to be injured and resign, and is afraid of male humans from Welsh county..."

As Hearing Li Ang relayed the intelligence obtained from the badge sentence by sentence, the red-haired woman's originally dismissive expression gradually grew serious, and finally she narrowed her eyes and began to size up the thin, half-grown man before her repeatedly.

The ability being Evil Thought Amplification and liking Gao Te cigarettes were forgivable, those weren't difficult to obtain; the matter of the stupid goat causing Road Administration employees to be injured was also explainable, just read more newspapers and you might find out; but the fact that the stupid goat's true body was its horns, and her own name, were definitely not intelligence an ordinary person could obtain.

Moreover, the fact that the stupid goat was afraid of men from Welsh county was something even she was hearing for the first time.

So if what this guy said was true, the "rank" of the "anomaly" he was born with must be terrifyingly high. Even if it didn't reach the level of an evil god from another plane, it would at least have to be higher than this stupid goat, a great demon...

Thinking of this, the red-haired woman tipped her head back and drained the ale in her hand, then, holding the thick empty wine bottle, knocked heavily on the black goat's head.

"Ugh... what... damn it! Olivia... stinky woman! You hit me with a bottle again!"

Under the red-haired woman's glare, he swallowed back the half-spoken name, and the Hearing Hearing Heishanyang, who had been knocked awake, raised a hoof to shield its head and grumbled viciously:

"I used to be a pretty big demon, you know! Could you show me a little respect?"

"Heh, after all the rotten things you've done, you don't deserve my respect."

Tilting its head to rattle the empty bottle and draining the last bit of wine clinging to the inside, the red-haired woman pointed at the uneasy-looking Hearing Li Ang, squinted slightly, and said to the Hearing Hearing Heishanyang:

"This young fellow from Wales just gave me a bottle of good wine worth two silver wheels. From now on, you belong to him."

He came from Wales?!

Hearing the red-haired woman's words, the Hearing Hearing Heishanyang couldn't help trembling all over. It looked Hearing Li Ang over with a mix of shock and fear, then quickly realized she was probably talking nonsense, so it immediately crossed its arms over its chest and snorted with utter contempt:

"Hah, don't fool me. It's only two months till year's end, and headquarters will definitely send someone for the annual review. Even you wouldn't dare mess around at a time like this!"

"That's right, I am lying to you."

The red-haired woman nodded, candidly admitting the Hearing Hearing Heishanyang's judgment was correct, then curled up the corners of her lips slightly and asked with great interest:

"But… you seem very afraid of men from Wales?"

Damn it! How did she figure that out?!

Just as the Hearing Hearing Heishanyang's eyes darted about, trying to figure out how to cover up its "weakness," the red-haired woman, having verified whether the intel was true, let out a light laugh, turned around, and extended her fair right hand toward Hearing Li Ang, smiling warmly and amiably:

"Very good. It seems you really are the kind of person we need. From this moment on, you are a member of our Maiden Cleanup Bureau."

Phew… that wasn't easy!

Hearing that he had been hired, the nervous-looking Hearing Li Ang couldn't help letting out a long breath. The taut expression on his face eased a little, but then…

Wait? Something seems off?

After mulling over the red-haired woman's words again, Hearing Li Ang couldn't help widening his eyes in shock.

Say that again? What the hell kind of bureau are you people???