I write obituaries for the gods.

Chapter 22 The Freak Squad

Soon, a printed standard contract was placed in front of Lin Chen.

Lin Chenzai carefully read every clause of the contract: no matter how you looked at it, it was a very normal employment contract, describing a job that seemed perfectly normal.

The official job title is "Rain City Investigation Bureau Rapid Response Section 1, Field Investigator," which is quite different from the kind of special agent or spy Lin Chen imagined.

It looks like a delivery person... no, it looks like a consumable item from a Cleveland novel.

Hmm... From delivery driver to field investigator, it's a perfect match for my major.

Lin Chen had almost forgotten his identity as an art student. In this era, perhaps this was the fate of art students.

Art is dead, art is dead...

However, the base salary is actually six thousand, and if you calculate the commission based on the tasks, you can easily earn over ten thousand by handling just a few cases.

Although this amount of money is still not enough in Yudu, the contract also mentions something called "investigator grading". Apparently, the higher the grade, the higher the base salary.

Hmm... let's not worry about that for now, as long as there's room for improvement.

"..."

After reading the terms and conditions several times, Lin Chen finally signed the contract.

"Is that all?" He looked up at Jiang Zhengge. "Am I a full member now?"

Jiang Zhengge nodded slightly:

"Yes."

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, making Lin Chen feel that something was amiss.

It felt like I'd been tricked into joining a pyramid scheme.

"Now I can give you a heads-up," Jiang Zhengge said, crossing his legs. "Ms. J from the foundation has confirmed your identity and that you're in our hands. She's been calling on our director to demand your release."

"And then?" Lin Chen's expression became slightly serious.

"My explanation is that you are dead, killed in the battle with Qingtian, a mutual destruction," Jiang Zhengge shrugged. "I've already arranged for your death certificate, and a funeral will be held soon. Your ashes will be placed in a cemetery."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute."

Lin Chen quickly interrupted:

"An urn? I'm not dead, what would be inside?"

"What do you want to put in there? Customization is supported," Jiang Zhengge smiled. "The last person who joined the company like this put a little yellow duck in there."

"...Are there other people who faked their deaths to get the job?"

"There are quite a few. This is part of the battle of wits," Jiang Zhengge nodded. "Don't you know? Our department has a great reputation."

"Everyone calls us the 'Freaks Squad'," Li Zhanyi said, sounding quite pleased. "Almost none of the people who got into our department came through the normal channels... Is Louis the only normal one so far? He's a top student, and the others all seem to have some kind of criminal record..."

"How can you call it a criminal record?" Jiang Zhengge corrected. "Everyone has a story to tell."

"Hey, you're quite cultured," Li Zhanyi chuckled.

Seeing the two of them inexplicably starting to sing in unison, Lin Chen gently wiped his face.

It doesn't matter anymore... at least from the result, his gamble was successful.

Lin Chen knew his place: he had killed Qingtian and possessed the "Mirage City," which was beyond the Bureau of Investigation's knowledge, making him a valuable pawn.

They can be used as fighting force, or they can be used as bargaining chips in exchanges with the Foundation.

Unbeknownst to him, he had become increasingly entangled in this power struggle...

However, after spending time together, Lin Chen had a good impression of both Jiang Zhengge and Li Zhanyi.

When he demonstrated his abilities earlier, Lin Chen used "Mirage City" to overhear some information. He knew that the pressure from above was immense.

Jiang Zhengge must have taken on a lot of pressure to save him in such a short time.

Anyway, we're safe now... for now.

"So, where will Huihui and I live?" Lin Chen asked. "We can't live in our old house anymore, right?"

"Of course you can't stay there. Ms. J is definitely going to go crazy and set up spies to find an opportunity to shoot you dead," Jiang Zhengge nodded. "Well... the new dormitory for the Investigation Bureau is still under construction, and there are no new houses available for the time being. Why don't you stay at my place for now?"

"Hmm... Is there enough room?" Lin Chen asked, somewhat surprised.

"Who do you think you are, kid?" Jiang Zhengge curled his lip. "I'm the head of the first section. Our building is a large single-level apartment, and we happen to have two extra empty rooms."

"A large, single-level apartment?"

Lin Chen was completely stunned.

Seeing his surprise, Li Zhanyi smiled faintly:

"Don't listen to his nonsense. What 'big apartment'? It's just a slightly larger three-bedroom apartment, and usually people share it. It's just that he's not popular, so nobody lives with him."

"Tsk, why am I the only one who's unpopular?" Jiang Zhengge frowned.

"I have no objection," Lin Chen said immediately. "I'll live with Section Chief Jiang."

This arrangement actually suits Lin Chen's wishes best: living with Section Chief Jiang will make the people from the foundation think twice before trying to harm him and Huihui.

The fact that Section Chief Jiang was able to withstand the pressure from above and protect himself suggests that his position in the Investigation Bureau may be far more than just that of a "section chief".

When you first enter the workplace, try to find a reliable mentor first and ensure your basic safety before thinking about anything else.

"See? This kid's got it all figured out." Jiang Zhengge shrugged.

Li Zhanyi was about to say something sarcastic when her phone rang.

She glanced at the information above, then looked up at Lin Chen opposite her:

"Huihui has arrived at the branch safely. Would you like to go see her?"

Lin Chen immediately stood up.

......

In the reception room of the Investigation Bureau, Lin Chen met Huihui.

The little girl sat on the sofa, looking a bit lost, while a staff member stood nearby with a water cup, asking her if she wanted some water.

"Megumin!"

Hearing Lin Chen's shout, Huihui turned her head sharply to look at him.

The moment she met Lin Chen's gaze, tears welled up in her eyes.

"elder brother..."

The little girl stood up, ran towards Lin Chen in a few steps, and threw herself into his arms.

"They said something happened to you... There are a lot of people dressed in black downstairs at your house, they're going to take me away..."

"It's alright, it's all over now," Lin Chen said softly, trying to comfort him.

He looked up at Jiang Zhengge beside him, who spread his hands:

"The foundation's people wanted to take Huihui away, and they were very aggressive. Fortunately, our people acted faster than them, but even so, some minor disputes still occurred."

"Thank you," Lin Chen said softly.

"No need to thank me, you should thank your colleagues in Section Two," Jiang Zhengge said with a smile. "Oh, and you should also thank your neighbors. A cook caused a scene in the courtyard with a group of people, and the foundation gave in because they were afraid of escalating the situation."

The cook...sounds like Brother Hao...

Lin Chen silently thanked Brother Hao in his heart, then looked at Huihui.

"Huihui, we can't go home for the time being. We'll be living in the new house for a long time to come, so you might have to make do."

Upon hearing this, Huihui's expression dimmed slightly, but she still nodded gently:

"Okay, brother, I'll listen to you."

She hesitated for a moment, then asked again:

"Brother, what happened? Those bad guys said...you've done something wrong..."

"I did what I was supposed to do," Lin Chen smiled at her, "that's all."

Lin Chen didn't want Huihui to get too involved. He understood that the more she knew about these things, the more dangerous it would be.

Huihui nodded gently, showing great understanding. She took Lin Chen's hand and whispered:

"Then, let's go home."

"Um."

Lin Chen rubbed Huihui's head, only then realizing that an unprecedented feeling of exhaustion welled up in his heart.

This day, which should have been ordinary, felt far too long.

"Let's go home," Lin Chen said softly.

......