Chapter Fifty-Seven: Work Has Arrived

“Captain Fu, it’s been two days—are we still not going to act?”
In Fu Ying’s private office, the warm-hearted man voiced his dissatisfaction, while Qi Chen quietly enjoyed the fruit provided by logistics beside him.
This pear is really quite good—crisp and fragrant.
“What are you so anxious about?” Fu Ying replied, reviewing documents at her desk without even lifting her head. “Did you forget what I told you a few days ago? Wait.”
“How much longer do we have to wait? If we keep waiting, we’ll become more and more passive!” The warm-hearted man’s emotions were running high, and Qi Chen felt somewhat puzzled by his reaction.
After knowing him for so long, the warm-hearted man’s image had never been like this in Qi Chen’s mind.
“In another two days, Elder Li will be leaving the city for the intercity negotiation meeting,” the warm-hearted man said, walking up to Fu Ying’s desk and leaning forward with both hands pressed against its surface. “According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, the enemy is certain to target Elder Li!”
“They’re definitely waiting for him to leave. Something will happen then!”
“So what?” Fu Ying closed the file and looked up, her expression calm as she gazed at the warm-hearted man. “What can you do about it?
“Are you planning to run around like a headless chicken, creating vulnerabilities for the enemy?”
The warm-hearted man’s face reddened, words stuck in his throat, unsure how to continue.
“The enemy is hidden; we are exposed,” Fu Ying took a sip from her water cup. “We should base our plans on the intelligence we already have and make more cautious decisions.
“You needn’t worry about Elder Li. I’ve already made arrangements. Four teams of uncanny operatives will accompany him out of the city, along with a special operations squad. The Alliance will also provide their own security personnel. Stop fretting.”
“But shouldn’t we at least have something to do…” The warm-hearted man’s tone softened, though he stubbornly pressed on. “If we don’t investigate those rats, I feel uneasy. Based on the conversation Qi Chen overheard, they’ve already planted several uncanny weapons in No. 3 City. If something happens, how many innocents will suffer?”
“Have you considered your own safety—and Face’s?”
Qi Chen’s attention was suddenly drawn.
“You two are definitely being watched now,” Fu Ying set her cup down. “And you still want to go out?”
The warm-hearted man didn’t answer; instead, he looked at Qi Chen. “Kid, what do you think?”
“I think… we really ought to do something…” Qi Chen replied honestly. He felt uneasy receiving such a high salary without working.
The office fell silent. Fu Ying wore an inscrutable smile, silently observing the two eager-to-work men.
“Ring ring ring!”
The phone on the desk suddenly rang, urgent and sharp. Fu Ying picked it up, listened for a moment, answered simply, and hung up.
“You wanted work, didn’t you? Go, then.”
...
...
When there was nothing to do, Qi Chen felt uneasy and empty, but when work arrived, he realized he preferred leisure after all.
He hadn’t expected that simply mentioning it to Fu Ying would actually trigger an uncanny event.
Was this his uncanny ability?
“Mission details: Investigate the Ansheng Inn in XC District.
“Mission summary: The innkeeper has requested help, claiming supernatural phenomena have occurred in his inn, and several people have gone missing, including five guests and the innkeeper’s husband.
“Preliminary investigation by the Intelligence Analysis Department suggests uncanny phenomena are likely present in the inn. Estimated spiritual intensity: E level. Threat level: community-grade.”
Inside the armored vehicle, Qi Chen and the warm-hearted man read through the mission report together, gaining a preliminary understanding of their upcoming task.
“Looks like a fairly routine uncanny incident,” the warm-hearted man quickly got into gear. “According to the detailed report from the Analysis Department and the innkeeper’s account, the strange events began only a few days ago.
“It’s possible a new uncanny entity has formed inside.”
Qi Chen nodded, studying the assessment report in his hands.
It seemed this inn’s situation was similar to his first encounter with the blood-red high heels. The innkeeper even claimed to have seen a humanoid uncanny silhouette at night, which was among the most common types.
Humanoid uncanny entities closely resemble the ghost concept Qi Chen was familiar with. Generally, their trigger mechanism is simple—entering their domain means becoming their prey.
Moreover, humanoid uncanny entities seem to harbor the purest malice toward humans among all uncanny types. For example, the Confessional Guillotine and the Sorrowful Firefly don’t exclusively target humans; any creature that triggers their mechanism will be affected.
However, humanoid uncanny entities usually only hunt humans within their domain. Sometimes, you’d find the human dead, but the pet still alive.
To ordinary people, these uncanny entities are cruel, bloody, and hopeless. But for uncanny operatives, there’s only one word: act.
Just get it done.
“Let’s get out. We’ll go to the inn and have a proper talk with the owner.”
The armored vehicle arrived at the entrance of Ansheng Inn. Qi Chen stepped out, habitually surveying the environment.
It was a simple street, located in a rather remote section of XC District, with hardly any shops along the road. Their destination, Ansheng Inn, looked from the outside much like the small motels near train stations in his previous life.
The shopfront was entirely unadorned; even the lighted sign above the door was half broken, so only the characters for “Sheng Inn” glowed.
In the Age of Mist, the hotel business was hardly thriving. Most people had their own fixed residences, and with the demand for leaving the city nearly nonexistent, inns existed mainly for certain special groups.
Such as commuters who worked at opposite ends of the city, or those involved in gray industries.
Small, shabby inns like Ansheng were about average for the sector.
Inside, there was a front desk, a corridor on the first floor with about ten rooms, and stairs beside the desk leading to the second floor, where there were a few more rooms.
“You two wait here at the entrance, check the area and see if you can glean anything,” the warm-hearted man instructed the special operations squad leader accompanying them, then entered the inn with Qi Chen.
Whoa!
As soon as they entered, Qi Chen couldn’t help but frown, his nostrils flaring at the pungent air.
An acrid, unpleasant smell filled the space. Glancing around, he saw several large bags of garbage piled up in a corner near the entrance.
He’d never seen such filth even on the street—who would willingly stay in a hotel like this?
“Where’s the owner?” Qi Chen asked, pinching his nose, and looked at the warm-hearted man, who was also glancing around.
“Just call out,” the warm-hearted man, obviously uncomfortable with the smell, raised his voice and shouted:
“Owner, where are you? Department of Administration inspection!”
His voice echoed, and moments later, urgent footsteps sounded on the stairs beside the front desk.
From the sound, that must be the owner…