Chapter 407: 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 Cleanup Bureau, followed the crumpled signs along the corridor, found the innermost office once again, and knocked hard on that familiar big door.

"Is anyone there? I'm here for the interview!"

"Creak—"

Along with the rusty turning of the metal door hinges, 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?"

Apparently 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 flipped its lips, which were covered in suspicious white foam, and glared furiously at Hearing Li Ang as it spat viciously:

"I'm really impressed now—were your balls crushed by someone? I amplified the evil thoughts in your heart by a full seven times, and you still managed to hold back and not stab that fat bastard?"

"???"

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

A string of question marks, big and small, flooded crazily into Hearing Li Ang's head, 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 smug-faced black goat didn't even grunt, was knocked into rolling its eyes on the spot, and its short-haired body fell stiffly forward, plunging into Hearing Li Ang's arms with a thud.

"Zzzt!"

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

Accompanied by the 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, Erudite, Whisper)】

【Appearance: A pair of jet-black antlers with spiral patterns. After using a Welsh County rock goat as a sacrifice and correctly completing the corruption ritual, the sacrifice will transform into a black goat that likes to smoke, is accustomed to walking upright on two hind legs, and calls itself a demon.】

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

【Price: A pack of "Gao Te" brand cigarettes, or a sinful soul】

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

Please note: although this anomalous object has not caused any deaths since being claimed, it has numerous indirect injury records. Over five years, it caused more than forty employees of the Road Administration Department to be injured and resign.】

【Evaluation: Possesses the terrifying ability to easily provoke a war, but its main body is extremely frail—no different from an ordinary goat—and it greatly fears male humans originating from Welsh County.】

【Corruption Value: 0.1】

In less than 0.01 seconds, after bizarrely memorizing all the content, Hearing Li Ang, holding the black goat and watching the crimson badge on the virtual interface dim once again, couldn't help but be stunned.

Evil Thought Amplification? Corruption Value?

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

"Why are you back again?"

After taking a big swig of ale, the red-haired female interviewer looked at Hearing Li Ang, whose eyes were bloodshot, and couldn't help frowning as she questioned him with an unfriendly expression:

"Didn't I make it perfectly clear to you? A normal person like you simply isn't suited to join the Cleanup Bureau. You should just go..."

"Please wait a moment!"

Seeing that the other party was about to chase him away, Hearing Li Ang, unwilling 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. Maybe they're exactly what you need!"

Special abilities beyond the scope of ordinary people?

Hearing Hearing Li Ang's words, the red-haired woman's willow-leaf eyebrows couldn't help but rise slightly, a look of disdain flashing through her eyes. She then crossed her arms over her chest and said noncommittally:

"Fine then, let's hear it."

Let's hear it... Since he was planning to join here to scam a death benefit, he definitely had to show some 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," instead opening his mouth to explain:

"My observational ability is very special! I can distinguish certain special things, and if I make direct contact, I can immediately obtain some related intelligence!"

Impossible...

Hearing Hearing Li Ang's words, the red-haired woman couldn't help but shake her head inwardly. Although many people are indeed born carrying "anomalies," this kind of ability to forcibly obtain intelligence 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, his base rank would probably be terrifyingly high—at the very least on par with evil gods from other planes. But would something of that level come to our Cleanup Bureau looking for a job?

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

"There, it's a 'special thing,' and you've already made contact. So go ahead and tell me now—let me see exactly what's so special about you."

Phew...

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

Right now, what he feared most was her not giving him a chance and chasing him away directly. Now that he'd gotten 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 Cleanup Bureau truly places great value on intelligence abilities, then even if he wasn't highly valued, he probably wouldn't be used as cannon fodder. He might even get some special treatment and survive a few more rounds in that terrifying monthly death toll.

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

Clutching the hope that he might live a few more years, Hearing Li Ang steadied himself and answered selectively:

"The true form of this goat is actually that pair of antlers 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. It currently belongs to someone named Olivia. Over the past few years, it has caused numerous officials of the Road Administration Bureau to be injured and resign, and it fears male humans originating from Welsh County..."

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

The abilities being Evil Thought Amplification and liking Gao Te cigarettes were forgivable—those weren't hard to obtain. The fact that the stupid goat had injured Road Administration Bureau employees was also explainable; just reading more newspapers might reveal it. But the stupid goat's true form being its antlers, and her own name—those were absolutely not intelligence an ordinary person could obtain.

Furthermore, the fact that the stupid goat fears men from Welsh County was something even she was hearing for the first time.

So if this guy was telling the truth, the "rank" of the anomaly he was born with was probably 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 it heavily against the black goat's head.

"Ugh... where am I... damn it! Oli... stinky woman! You hit me with a bottle again!"

Under the red-haired woman's glare, the black goat, which had been knocked awake, swallowed back the half-spoken name, then extended a hoof to protect its head and complained viciously:

"I used to be a great demon, you know! Could you show me slight respect?"

"Heh, after all the crap you've pulled, you don't deserve my respect."

Tilting her head back and shaking the empty wine bottle, the red-haired woman drained the last bit of wine clinging to the bottle's wall, then pointed at the visibly uneasy Hearing Li Ang and said to Hearing Heishanyang with narrowed eyes:

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

He came from Wales County?!

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

"Hah, quit trying to fool me. The year-end review is only two months away, and headquarters will definitely send someone. Even you wouldn't dare cause trouble at a time like this!"

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

The red-haired woman nodded, frankly admitting Hearing Heishanyang's judgment, then slightly curled her lips and asked with great interest:

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

Damn it! How did she figure that out?!

Just as Hearing Heishanyang's eyes darted about, racking her brain for how to cover up her "weakness," the red-haired woman—who had finished verifying whether the intel was true—let out a light laugh, turned around, extended her Bai Xi right hand toward Hearing Li Ang, and said with a friendly smile:

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

Phew… that wasn't easy!

Hearing the news that he had been hired, the visibly nervous Hearing Li Ang couldn't help letting out a long breath; the taut expression on his face also relaxed slightly. However…

Wait? Something seems off?

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

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

(End of chapter)