Chapter 85: New Recruitment

Yang Xiao's shock lasted until the two of them arrived at a coffee shop and sat down; they chose a relatively secluded spot, making it easier to talk.

Kuang Hongyi, dressed in casual clothes, looked at Yang Xiao and smiled: "Brother Chu, why aren't you saying anything? You weren't like this before."

Yang Xiao hesitated for a moment, his expression serious as he lowered his voice: "Stealing a police car is a serious crime."

This sentence made Kuang Hongyi laugh: "No, Brother Chu, why won't you believe me? I really am a police officer, but every profession has its specialty; it's not the kind you think."

Speaking of this, Kuang Hongyi's expression turned solemn, and his voice lowered accordingly: "We specialize in handling that kind of matter. The official name is the Patrol and Defense Office, and there is another name you might be more familiar with: the Emergency Hazard Control Bureau."

Following the direction of Kuang Hongyi's finger, through the glass window, the police SUV parked outside had a conspicuous logo stuck to the door, with the seven characters for Emergency Hazard Control Bureau written below it.

"Let me introduce myself. I am an investigator from the Rong City Anping District Patrol and Defense Office. My surname is Zhao. You can call me Brother Zhao from now on, and I'll call you Brother Yang."

Once these words were out, Yang Xiao understood seven or eight tenths of the situation; this person must have thoroughly investigated his background. "Brother Zhao, I believe you. Please, tell me what exactly the Nightmare World is all about."

There were too many questions to ask, and for the moment, Yang Xiao could only pick the most basic ones to start with. As for the question about the opera robe, he wasn't prepared to bring it up yet; he needed to probe further.

But Kuang Hongyi seemed to see through his little trick and slowly shook his head: "Brother Yang, this question is classified. I have no authority to disclose it to you."

Yang Xiao immediately switched to a few other questions, but Kuang Hongyi still politely refused them one by one. If he wouldn't say this and wouldn't say that, wouldn't today be a wasted trip? Yang Xiao also saw that there was more to Kuang Hongyi's words than met the ear, so he simply laid his cards on the table: "Brother Zhao, what would it take for you to tell me?"

"This information is kept confidential from outsiders, but if Brother Yang is willing to join us, then you'd be one of our own. If you're one of our own, everything is easy to talk about." Kuang Hongyi smiled: "If I tell you, it wouldn't be considered a breach of discipline, don't you think?"

Yang Xiao finally understood; Kuang Hongyi thought he was decent and wanted to recruit him. He had to be cautious about this issue, so after a moment of silence, he said: "Brother Zhao, as a newcomer, I don't really understand the ropes here. Why don't you tell me: what are the benefits of joining you? And, um... if I refuse, you won't make things difficult for me, will you?"

How could Kuang Hongyi not know what Yang Xiao was calculating? This was a person who wouldn't release the hawk until he saw the rabbit. "Heh heh, Brother Yang, let me give you a brief explanation first. First of all, our Patrol and Defense Office is an official organization backed by the state. You don't need me to tell you that it's good to lean against a big tree for shade. Under the same conditions, we can obtain intelligence more accurately and in greater quantity than those civilian Apostles..."

"Civilian... Apostles?" Yang Xiao seized on the key point. "What do you mean by Apostles?"

"Apostles are people like us." Kuang Hongyi leaned forward, looking at Yang Xiao with deep meaning. "Brother Yang, you don't think you'll only experience the nightmare once, do you? To tell you the truth, for the rest of your life, you will receive a Ghost Script at regular intervals and enter the Nightmare World again. Of course, by then, a brand-new nightmare will be waiting for you."

"Don't ask stupid questions like how to end the nightmare, because I don't know either. This is my 4th time entering the Nightmare World; if I hadn't met you, it would have been my last." Kuang Hongyi leaned back against the chair and sighed slowly.

"In short, joining us means getting official help—and I mean comprehensive help. This is very attractive to anyone who wants to survive in the Nightmare World for a long time. You will be like me, becoming a member of the official Apostles. An official status will provide us with a lot of convenience while avoiding many unnecessary troubles. Also, I'll mention that the salary and various benefits within the department are quite good."

"Of course, if you refuse, it's no big deal. You just need to find the local Patrol and Defense Office to register. Once all the reviews are passed and it's confirmed there are no problems, you can continue your life. As long as you don't break the law, everyone will live in peace."

"However, if you want to obtain intelligence or other help from the authorities, that's basically impossible. We don't even have enough of some good things for our own people." Kuang Hongyi explained very sincerely.

"Then, after joining, what are our duties?" Yang Xiao asked.

"Just as the name suggests, emergency hazard control. However, we only handle cases related to supernatural events; ordinary criminal cases are not within our purview."

"You know that a supernatural event occurred at the Fengmen Town Old Factory Site before, right?" Kuang Hongyi asked.

Yang Xiao nodded and said truthfully: "I know a little, but not very clearly."

"About 8 or 9 people went missing there in total, and that's just the ones with a traceable record. Before I went, I used internal authorization to pull up all the strange disappearance cases related to the Fengmen Town Old Factory from the last 20 years, which allowed me to analyze a lot of useful information. Otherwise, how do you think I dared to wander in there alone?"

Kuang Hongyi pulled out a cigarette, but when he looked up and happened to see a 'No Smoking' sign hanging on the wall directly in front of him, he awkwardly put it back.

Yang Xiao captured some key information from Kuang Hongyi's words: "You mean you knew long ago that supernatural events were happening at the abandoned factory in Fengmen Town?"

"That's right," Kuang Hongyi replied.

"Then why didn't you send someone to solve it?" Yang Xiao thought quite simply; perhaps if the supernatural event were solved, they wouldn't be targeted by the Ghost Scripts anymore.

At this, Kuang Hongyi waved his hand, gave Yang Xiao a complicated look, and his tone deepened: "Brother Yang, things aren't that simple. It's very complicated, and I can't explain it to you in a short while."

It seemed that continuing further would touch upon the core of the issue. Before Yang Xiao expressed his stance, Kuang Hongyi did not intend to reveal too much intelligence.

"Brother Yang, have you considered it?" Kuang Hongyi returned to the main topic.

Actually, Yang Xiao was already tempted. After all, he was a novice, and joining an official organization would count as having a backer. But before that, there was one very important question he needed to confirm. He spoke up, feeling a bit embarrassed: "Brother Zhao, I wonder what the salary for your department is..."

"For a newcomer, it's about a little over twenty thousand, after tax, if I remember correctly." Kuang Hongyi gave an answer after a brief thought. "Don't look down on it; there are bonuses every time you go on a mission."

Yang Xiao sat up straight: "Serving the country is my bounden duty!"