At 2:30 PM, Ren Suo arrived at the Xianlin Sub-district Office in Quanliu District, Lianjiang City—his future workplace.
Yes, he was Ren Suo, a graduate from a national key university, and he had chosen to work at the sub-district office after graduation.
He had secured this position by passing the citywide civil service exam. Although, in reality, if his uncle hadn't had some connections in Lianjiang City, he might have been eliminated at the interview stage.
The sub-district office was the most basic functional unit of the Mysterious Country government with an official staffing scheme; essentially, it was a township government in disguise. Speaking of prospects, it wasn't that there were none. If one could become a leader in the sub-district office's Party Work Committee office, like a secretary, moving up wasn't impossible. However, it was more likely that if someone vacated such a position, the higher-ups would probably parachute someone in to fill the spot and pad their resume.
Ren Suo hadn't come to the sub-district office with any thoughts of becoming a "future successor of Mysterious Country." He just wanted to find a stable job with minimal responsibilities to coast through life. This also aligned with the expectations of his parents' generation, so he had spent his junior and senior years preparing for the exam.
Sub-district offices varied in workload; some were incredibly busy, while others merely required one to sip tea. Ren Suo's choice, the Xianlin Sub-district Office, after his investigation, seemed to belong to the latter category. It oversaw a middle-class community with property management companies and neighborhood committees, part of a new urban area built during Lianjiang City's developmental phase.
Sub-district offices governing old town areas and urban villages were constantly busy. These areas had no property management companies, and their water and electrical systems were decades-old "antiques." People constantly came in to report burst pipes or burnt-out fuses and ask what to do. A whole crowd of elderly men and women would also visit the office daily to chat, inquire about various matters, or even use their copying and printing services.
Then, the staff would tell them that the neighborhood committee was actually closer…
Ren Suo had thought his future at the Xianlin Sub-district Office would also consist of browsing the internet and drinking tea daily. Yet, before he even officially started, he was dragged in for a health check.
"Xiao Suo has arrived?" As soon as Ren Suo walked in, Director Ye Jiamin, who was talking with someone in the hall, immediately noticed him and waved him over. "Come here, let me introduce you. Little Xuan, Little Long, this is Ren Suo. Just like you, he's also a new recruit this year."
Director Ye said to Ren Suo, "This is Li Qingxuan, and this is Mo Zhaolong. Get along well. They're also recent university graduates; you young people should have common topics."
After they greeted each other, Director Ye continued, "We were just waiting for you. The others have already gone ahead to the Health Center on Yuexiu Street. Let's head there too now that everyone's here."
Since Yuexiu Street wasn't far from the Xianlin Sub-district Office, the three of them decided to chat casually as they walked. Director Ye, true to her role as the sub-district director, was in her forties and seemed kind and approachable. She skillfully guided the conversation to include everyone, "You young people, always playing games and watching dramas. You should exercise occasionally too. But once you start working here, rest assured, you won't lack for exercise."
Li Qingxuan feigned surprise. "Is the sub-district office that busy? I thought it was all about chatting with the grandpas and grandmas daily."
"There are times like that," Director Ye laughed. "But when it gets busy, we have to walk the streets and alleys. For instance, half a month ago, the city issued an order to inspect the resident population. Even if we delegate tasks to the various neighborhood committees, we still have to conduct personal inspections afterward to confirm the latest tenant and homeowner information."
"And for example, just five days ago, we were all mobilized to check on the surrounding residents. There was an alert about a… not a fugitive, but we had to go house-to-house to find a 17-year-old high school student—supposedly some leader's son who had run away from home…"
"Recently, there's been quite a bit of such work; we haven't had much time to idle."
It didn't take them twenty minutes to reach the Health Center on Yuexiu Street. A long queue had already formed there, with at least a thousand people. Ren Suo couldn't help but click his tongue. "Wow, so many people come out for a health check on a workday?"
"Yes, this is the second-to-last round," Director Ye said apologetically. "This was arranged very hastily; the entire district's checks had to be completed within a day. We scheduled four shifts to come in batches. I was so swamped I completely forgot to notify you."
"It's okay, no problem," they all said.
At the entrance, there was a desk where people could pick up forms. Behind it sat a lazy-looking young man wearing black body armor. When Ren Suo took a form, the youth was still engrossed in his phone, not even lifting his eyes.
For some reason, Ren Suo felt an inexplicable flutter in his chest and found himself staring at the young man for a long time. He only snapped out of it when Mo Zhaolong tapped him on the shoulder, and he quickly hurried to line up for the health check.
Even if I'm going to be moved, shouldn't it be by a handsome or enchanting man? What's there to be thrilled about with such an unremarkable guy?
"Brother," Mo Zhaolong came up to him with a smile. "Turns out…"
"No, no, no," Ren Suo shook his head repeatedly. "I'm as straight as they come."
"Every man thinks he's straight until he meets the right person," Mo Zhaolong urged. "Think of all the things we've liked and missed out on since childhood. Are you going to miss out on people too?"
"Beat it."
Men easily bond over such philosophical discussions, so Ren Suo and Mo Zhaolong ended up queuing for the health check together. They quickly passed through internal medicine, ophthalmology, and ENT screenings. The health center also had a blood-draw bus, where the line was massive. Consequently, they were among the last to get their blood drawn.
Mo Zhaolong was very talkative along the way, initiating chats about his university days and complaining about his dorm mates and teachers. This prompted Ren Suo to nod repeatedly and recall his own glorious youth. When Mo Zhaolong mentioned he also liked a very obscure Mysterious Country comic, "Sibray's Story Collection," Ren Suo felt he had truly met a good friend.
It's common to have shared interests, but finding someone with a shared yet obscure interest was like finding a needle in a haystack. Ren Suo had never been able to discuss this comic with anyone in real life, so meeting someone now felt as exciting as one snail finding another.
Just as it was nearly their turn for the blood draw, Ren Suo was still engrossed in their conversation. Suddenly, Mo Zhaolong's face paled, and he clutched his stomach. "Damn, my stomach hurts…"
"Ah? Then you should hurry to the restroom," Ren Suo said.
"But if I leave now, I'll have to queue all over again," Mo Zhaolong said, his face a mask of misery. "The last group of people has arrived too. I'd have to wait another hour…"
Mo Zhaolong looked at Ren Suo and asked, "Bro, could you do it for me?"
"Huh? You can help with this?" Ren Suo blinked. He had heard of helping with physical fitness tests, but never with an entire physical examination.
"Don't worry, they only take a little blood; it's no big deal," Mo Zhaolong said. "I had a physical half a month ago, and it was nothing, so I don't really care about this one. Actually, wasting an hour is more troublesome… How about this: I'll treat you to a meal later? Kebabs, BBQ, beer—my treat!"
Ren Suo thought about it and felt it didn't really matter. Plus, he could score a free meal. So, he took Mo Zhaolong's medical form and went to get the blood drawn.
He first completed his own blood draw, then took Mo Zhaolong's medical form to a different line for another draw. Many people were lined up there, crowded together. Ren Suo thought he could easily slip through unnoticed. However, just as he sat down, a Black Vest Youth walked over. "Didn't you just have your blood drawn?"
"…Ah?" Ren Suo hadn't expected the examination to be so strict. He scratched his head and smiled. "I'm just helping someone…"
"Helping who?" the Black Vest Youth frowned.
Ren Suo didn't think it was a big deal and waved the medical form in his hand. "A colleague. He suddenly had a stomachache and went to the bathroom, so he asked me to have his blood drawn for him. In that case, I'll call him over."
The Black Vest Youth said, "Then you take us to find him."
Only then did Ren Suo notice four men in black body armor standing behind the blood-draw station. They all looked tough and young, unlike doctors or regular staff members—more like soldiers.
Had he caused trouble? Ren Suo blinked. Turning his head, he spotted a familiar figure running toward the door. He immediately pointed and shouted, "Brother Long! Done with your crap? Where do you think you're going?!"
Ren Suo definitely hadn't planned on taking the fall for someone he had just met and immediately pointed him out.
The four men in black body armor immediately looked in that direction, but by then, the hall was overflowing with people, and they couldn't get through.
"Don't let him escape!"
The leading man in black body armor grabbed a corner of the wall, pulled himself up with one swift movement, and actually started walking up the wall. With another forceful push, he flew over the heads of the people in the hall, leaping several meters directly to the door!
"Running along the walls?"
"Are they arresting a criminal?"
"What criminal would be stupid enough to come to a place crowded with civil servants?"
"It must be that a criminal has shown up in a place crowded with civil servants…"
One of the civil servants blurted out the obvious. Ren Suo also squeezed through the crowd to see what was happening.
Mo Zhaolong was frantically running for the exit, but the health center was only so big, and he could only head toward the door. One of the men in black body armor yelled, "Netherfire, stop him!"
The Black Vest Youth sitting by the door, in charge of distributing medical forms, lazily stood up and pointed at Mo Zhaolong, saying, "Stop."
"Stop, my ass—"
Mo Zhaolong swung his fist and charged.
The Black Vest Youth casually gestured towards the main door. WITH A CREAK AND A GROAN, the two iron doors suddenly started closing rapidly. With no visible acceleration, he rushed forward and collided with Mo Zhaolong, sending him flying several meters with a punch!
It looked as if all his organs might have been displaced. Mo Zhaolong, knocked to the ground, groaned incessantly, unable to get up. The other men in black body armor immediately rushed over to restrain him.
"You forced my hand!"
Mo Zhaolong cursed loudly. Then the Great Hans in black body armor who were on him, for some unknown reason, all lost consciousness and collapsed. Not only that, but even those standing a bit closer to him also fell into a deep sleep, shocking the onlookers.
"A virus?"
"What kind of disease is so terrifying?"
"Hurry back, it could be airborne!"
The onlookers erupted in an uproar and scrambled back into the health center. Only Ren Suo remained on the first floor, hiding behind a pillar, staring blankly at Mo Zhaolong.
For some reason, now, Mo Zhaolong also gave him that heart-pounding feeling.