Chapter 78: Confidentiality Agreement

Inside the room, Shen He sat on the bed in silence for a while. Once he had regained his composure, he picked up his phone, opened an app, and ordered a courier to buy some basic household medicine for him. After all, these medicines weren’t prescription drugs; anyone could buy them at a pharmacy.

He then got up and went to the bathroom to wash up. Afterward, he took out the violet-gold gourd and drank a mouthful of the stone milk, feeling the energy coursing through his body, which lifted his spirits considerably.

Standing in the room, he thought for a moment. Since the first daily task required performing a certain action a hundred times, it seemed that any action would do. Shen He glanced around, then dropped to the floor and began doing push-ups. He also kept an eye on the progress of the first daily task. Seeing the progress bar fill up with every repetition, his eyes lit up. At this rate, that one free attribute point was practically a gift—an easy score.

Shen He sped up, and with his current physical condition, doing a hundred standard push-ups was no challenge. In less than two minutes, the progress bar was full.

[Congratulations, player. Daily Task One ‘A Hundred Times! A Hundred Times!’ is complete.]
[Task reward has been issued.]
[…]

Looking at the extra free attribute point on his panel, Shen He didn’t hesitate to assign it to stamina. Now, his stamina attribute had broken through to 18.3, and his other stats were also close to 17. Thanks to the stone milk he had collected, he had been able to grow so quickly; otherwise, he’d have had to hunt down more mutated monsters. Given the system’s usual temperament, he couldn’t just look for an anthill or slaughterhouse to boost his stats. Even though this was an early-stage system, it wouldn’t be that outrageously buggy.

He checked the time, then sat on the sofa for a few minutes until he heard a knock at the door. Shen He opened it to find a young courier standing outside. Upon seeing Shen He, the courier rattled off quickly, “If you need anything, just say the word—I’ll get it done. Citywide errands at your service, number 10086. Here are the household medicines you ordered; please check them.”

Shen He took the medicine, gave it a cursory inspection, and immediately a string of small words floated before his eyes.

[Congratulations, player. Daily Task Two ‘Collect Some Household Medicine’ is complete.]
[Reward has been issued.]
[Current available points: 300]
[…]

Shen He nodded and said to the courier, “Thank you. Everything’s here.” The courier smiled and replied, “If you could leave a good review, I’d appreciate it. Have a nice day! I’ll be on my way.” He gave Shen He a slight bow before turning to leave.

Shen He put the medicines away in his room, then stepped out to get some breakfast, hoping to comfort his wounded soul. He couldn’t help but notice how the system had deliberately highlighted his point total, rounding it off to a neat integer. He suspected this prematurely activated system might be a stickler for order—there was no other explanation for its antics.

Arriving at a breakfast shop, Shen He ordered two portions. As the saying goes, “Eat well at breakfast, eat your fill at lunch, eat less at dinner.” Eating less in the morning felt just right.

After finishing breakfast and paying the bill, he loaded yesterday’s purchases into the trunk of his car. Just then, his phone rang—it was Chen Zhao.

On the other end, Chen Zhao lowered his voice and said, “It’s settled. Come to the South City Branch to sign the confidentiality agreement, then you’ll join the rescue operation.” Shen He’s eyes lit up. “Alright, I’ll head over now.”

He got in his car, started the engine, and drove toward the South City Branch—a place he knew like the back of his hand. In just half an hour, he was pulling into the branch’s courtyard. The guard didn’t even ask him to sign in, simply waved him through.

Chen Zhao and the plump director were waiting at the entrance. When Shen He parked, Chen Zhao jogged over. “No need to turn off the engine. Just sign the document—it won’t take long. After that, we’ll drive straight to the airport.”

Shen He was taken aback. “The airport?” Chen Zhao led him inside, explaining as they walked, “Yes. A specially coordinated helicopter will take you to the rendezvous point. There will be a short briefing and training, and you’ll likely take part in the rescue this afternoon.”

Shen He clicked his tongue. “They didn’t seem in a hurry when the expedition first went missing. Now suddenly it’s urgent.” Chen Zhao shrugged helplessly. “Can’t be helped. The province wants exclusive rights, so some procedures can’t be skipped.”

With that, the two entered the building. Director Pan greeted him. “We meet again, Mr. Shen. How’s that dagger working for you?”

Shen He cast him a sidelong glance. “What dagger? Wasn’t it reported lost?”

Director Pan sighed. “Alright, consider it a gift. In my hands, it’s just a collectible. In yours, it’s much more useful.”

Chen Zhao scratched his head. “Glad you’ve come around, Director.” Pan shot him a glare, then led them to a secluded meeting room, where several confidentiality agreements were already laid out.

Director Pan said, “Mr. Shen, please read the confidentiality clauses carefully. If you have no objections, sign them, and then Xiao Chen will take you to the airport.”

Shen He sat down unceremoniously and read through the agreement. The clauses were clear—no ambiguity at all. As official documents, they were nothing if not professional. In essence, everything he experienced, saw, or heard during this period was strictly confidential, and leaking any of it would be considered treason, with severe consequences.

Of course, Shen He had no intention of sharing any of it, so this was of little concern to him. After signing the agreements, both Director Pan and Chen Zhao visibly relaxed.

Director Pan checked the documents, nodded, and said, “Alright, Xiao Chen, take Mr. Shen to the airport. The special team and aircraft are ready and waiting.”

Chen Zhao, clearly excited, replied, “Yes, Director Pan!” He quickly led Shen He outside, got into the driver’s seat of Shen He’s car, and, once Shen He was seated, drove out of the South City Branch.

Chen Zhao asked, “Do you want the car at your place, or should we leave it at the branch?” Shen He replied, “Just leave it at the branch. I doubt any thieves would dare steal from you guys.” Chen Zhao chuckled and drove toward the airport, which was at least thirty minutes away from the branch—not too far. Shen He even found himself wondering what kind of special aircraft he would be taking, since there were quite a few types of helicopters, after all.