Chapter 55 I Saw the Ultimate of the Universe

Chapter 55 I've Seen the Ultimate Truth of the Universe

When Shi Shaoning received the call, Lin Jianyuan and his wife had already finished dinner.

But Shi Shaoning hadn't eaten yet.

He had a bit of a stomach ache.

By the time he answered the call, requested authorization from his superiors, filed for approval, recorded and archived the conversation, initiated a video conference inviting all relevant leadership, and confirmed that the leaders were present with their video and microphones working properly...

After going through this entire process (which had been simplified due to the urgency of the situation), he finally got through and heard Lin Jianyuan's opening line: "Hey, buddy, eaten yet?"

His stomach hurt even worse.

Shi Shaoning suppressed the urge to crush his service weapon and calmly said, "Not yet. What's up?"

"Haha, it's just that, you know. At your, uh, your Bureau, what's your position? Do you have any pull?"

Shi Shaoning: "?"

Lin Jianyuan: "Do me a favor? Can you get a message to the higher-ups for me?"

Shi Shaoning raised his hand. A subordinate nearby immediately turned a laptop around, the screen displaying a multi-person video conference with leaders at all levels.

All cameras and microphones were focused on him.

Shi Shaoning said, "Shoot."

Lin Jianyuan: "Can you call off the operation? Let us go?"

Shi Shaoning: "Give me a reason."

Lin Jianyuan: "I'll buy you a drink next time."

Subordinate: "..."

Leaders: "..."

Shi Shaoning stroked his chin and started thinking it over.

Everyone: "."

Why are you actually considering it, damn it?!

"Not completely out of the question," Shi Shaoning finished thinking fast and said, "Anyway, I don't want to work this damn job anymore. I was just thinking of quitting."

Lin Jianyuan was delighted: "Really, buddy? Congrats on escaping the rat race! We definitely have to go out for drinks to celebrate!"

Shi Shaoning said cheerfully: "Sure, sure. Then I'll put in my resignation first."

Everyone: "Hey!"

For a moment, it was hard to tell whether Shi Shaoning was joking or if this was also part of his tactics!

Is it a tactic?

It must be a tactic!

Don't smile so genuinely, damn it!

The leaders in the video conference were panicking.

One after another, they started chattering away.

The subordinate was sweating bullets and silently muted the leaders' official pronouncements in the meeting.

He knew Captain Shi all too well.

Given Captain Shi's personality, at a time like this, you absolutely must not jump out to morally lecture or reprimand him!

Quitting might have just been something he said to vent!

If the leaders started talking, he might really walk out right then and there!

He needs to be handled with kid gloves!

Their Captain Shi must be coaxed into working!

The higher-ups were sounding off in the online meeting room.

The subordinate, after secretly muting them, braced for consequences.

But he accidentally made eye contact with the Bureau Chief beside him.

As the top official of the local management Bureau, the Chief had of course arrived on the scene immediately to oversee the situation.

He had also noticed the subordinate's quick thinking right away.

However, he didn't reprimand him, nor was he the least bit angry or suspicious.

He just silently turned his back, his gaze thoughtful as he surveyed the dilapidated building surrounded by a massive military force.

His hands clasped behind his back, he quietly gave the subordinate two thumbs up.

Well done!

You get me!

The subordinate was profoundly grateful.

Instantly, he threw himself into his work with renewed vigor.

...Meanwhile, on the other end, Shi Shaoning was already discussing with Lin Jianyuan whether to drink beer or *baijiu* that evening.

"Beer," Lin Jianyuan said without hesitation. "*Baijiu* gives you bad breath. I'm afraid my wife will be grossed out by me."

Shi Shaoning: "Sure, how much should I bring? A case per person?"

"Whoa, are you trying to kill me?" Lin Jianyuan laughed heartily. On the other end of the phone, he seemed to be turning to speak to someone else. "Honey, do you want to drink? Hehehe, I know you've never had alcohol. How about some sparkling fruit wine?"

Lin Jianyuan turned back to Shi Shaoning and continued, "Bring two bottles of sparkling fruit wine too."

Shi Shaoning: "What flavor? Any preferences?"

"What flavor? Let me ask." On the other end, Lin Jianyuan turned away again.

After a moment, he turned back. "Strawberry and cantaloupe. Also bring two non-alcoholic versions. My wife has never had alcohol before, so we don't know if she has alcohol allergies."

Shi Shaoning: "Got it."

He lowered his head and jotted it down in his phone memo.

Leaders in the online conference room: "#@T!%@^!！~！！！"

The bureau chief and his subordinate at the scene: "..."

The two exchanged a glance and secretly wiped sweat.

Wait, is this right?

Is this really... still a tactic?

Why does it feel like Shi Shaoning is about to take off his gear and go buy alcohol and drinks any second now!

Both the bureau chief and the subordinate started sweating bullets.

After Shi Shaoning and Lin Jianyuan finished discussing what dishes to pair with drinks, and under the desperate, pleading gazes of the bureau chief and the subordinate, Shi Shaoning finally steered the conversation back on track.

"By the way. What are you planning to do next?" Shi Shaoning asked. "Mainly regarding your wife. You’re an ordinary person, so it doesn’t matter much for you. Actually, you could just come out now. But your wife can’t."

Lin Jianyuan: "But my wife listens to me."

Shi Shaoning: "Then you shouldn’t come out either. If you come out, you’ll be taken hostage."

Lin Jianyuan: "Right, I thought so too. That’s how it always goes in web novels."

Everyone: "………………"

Hey!!!

Now even the subordinate and the bureau chief were losing their composure. The bureau chief couldn’t help but say sternly, "Shi Shaoning, we are a national department. We would never do something like threatening civilians to deal with an anomaly. You should still be mindful of your words and their impact."

Shi Shaoning glared at him and shoved his phone over: "Then you handle this negotiation. I’m clocking out."

The bureau chief quickly waved his hands: "No, no, no, you go ahead, keep going."

Shi Shaoning held back an eye-roll only for the sake of his image. He turned back to continue negotiating with Lin Jianyuan.

"You heard that, right?" Shi Shaoning said helplessly. "If this matter with you isn’t resolved, I can’t get off work."

Lin Jianyuan: "Why? Don’t you have shifts? You’ve been besieging for 8 hours already. How come no one’s come to relieve you?"

Shi Shaoning: "No shifts. Because I’m more familiar with you, even if someone else takes over the front line, I can’t leave. I have to stay nearby, ready to step in and help persuade you at any time."

Lin Jianyuan sighed: "Your unit is really…"

Shi Shaoning sneered: "A pile of dog shit."

Leaders in the online conference room: "&&！@#……！%%！#%！！@……！#%……！%#%！！!"

The curses were filthy, but they were all muted.

The bureau chief and subordinate on the scene: "."

Frantically wiping sweat.

"Alright, buddy, you’ve got it tough too," Lin Jianyuan sighed sympathetically, his tone turning serious. "Honestly, what will it take for you to let my wife go?"

Shi Shaoning was equally serious: "Impossible. It’s an anomaly. Class S anomalies possess the ability to cause physical destruction. In principle, once they appear, they must be contained. If containment is impossible, they must be immediately neutralized."

Lin Jianyuan was a bit displeased: "Neutralized? It’s not a bacterium. And you can’t even defeat it."

"Lin Jianyuan, no more jokes," Shi Shaoning said gravely. "I don’t know how you’ve managed to stay rational in the presence of a Class S, but you need to understand what a Class S anomaly means for ordinary civilians. Do you know that all residents within a 5-kilometer radius of your home have been evacuated? Even if a Class S anomaly doesn’t actively attack, its mere existence, its presence before humans, can cause severe mental contamination."

Lin Jianyuan stayed silent.

Shi Shaoning continued, "Some contamination is irreversible. The brain can suffer severe damage. That’s why Class S anomalies must be contained or neutralized. Even after neutralization, the remains must be retrieved and processed. Class S anomalies continue to spread pollutants even after death. They’re like nuclear waste. Understand?"

"What nuclear waste? That’s such an ugly way to put it!" Lin Jianyuan suddenly grew angry. "I’m trying to negotiate with you! Can’t you give me a solution? There’s no way I’m letting my wife die!"

"Unfortunately," Shi Shaoning said, "in this negotiation, you actually have no say."

Lin Jianyuan laughed in anger: "But my wife listens to me. Have you forgotten that you just got beaten up by my wife this morning?"

"Then you might not know about the conviction of us management bureau members either," Shi Shaoning said calmly. "Though we usually complain about work, when it really comes down to it, we charge forward without hesitation."

I will defend to the death.

Behind us is our homeland.

Lin Jianyuan fell silent.

After a moment, he smiled bitterly: "You were just talking about resigning earlier. Buddy, shouldn’t slap yourself in the face like that."

Shi Shaoning also smiled bitterly: "If I could resign, I would’ve done it long ago."

Lin Jianyuan was puzzled: "Why can’t you resign? Does your unit enforce mandatory service? Is it like military duty?"

Shi Shaoning: "No. Mainly because of the permanent position."

Lin Jianyuan: "？？？！！!"

On the other end of the phone, in the old, run-down place unseen, Lin Jianyuan’s pupils shook with shock.

Shi Shaoning keenly picked up on Lin Jianyuan’s emotional fluctuation and smiled: "So, interested?"

"Really? What year did you join?" Lin Jianyuan suddenly grew cautious. "Do you still get permanent positions if you join now?"

Shi Shaoning: "About 5 years ago. Back then, everyone who joined got a permanent position. Not sure about now—positions are really tight these days. You want in? I can ask for you."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the online conference room.

The muted leaders were frantically repeating one word.

After watching their lip movements for a while, the superior and subordinate figured out that the word was: "Give him the position! Give him the position!"

Shi Shaoning said decisively: "You’ll get the position. I screen-recorded it. The higher-ups said they’ll give you the position."

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

The other end of the phone fell into an odd silence.

Shi Shaoning pressed his advantage: "As for your wife, neutralization isn’t necessarily the only option."

Lin Jianyuan immediately asked: "What do you mean?"

Shi Shaoning: "It can also come work at the management bureau. That counts as a form of containment too."

Lin Jianyuan: "Huh?"

Lin Jianyuan immediately followed up: "Then does my wife get an official post?"

Shi Shaoning turned to look at the screen.

The bureau chief, beaded with sweat, explained: "Well, Comrade Lin, the situation is like this..."

Both Shi Shaoning and Lin Jianyuan exploded in anger simultaneously: "Cut the nonsense! Get to the point!!!"

The bureau chief quickly blurted out: "Can't do it! It's not even human! How can it get an official post? It doesn't even have an ID card!"

Lin Jianyuan: "Just issue one!"

Shi Shaoning directly switched the call to speakerphone and echoed: "Right, issue one! The law doesn't say..."

He paused here, a bit unsure: "Does the law specify that only humans can get ID cards?"

A subordinate quickly searched online and passed the computer screen over.

Shi Shaoning frowned: "Oh, the law does indeed specify that only citizens can get ID cards."

Lin Jianyuan: "Then what's the definition of a citizen? Does it specify it has to be human?"

Shi Shaoning: "It does. Citizens must be natural persons—'human beings'; non-humans aren't eligible."

Lin Jianyuan skeptically: "Really? Then why does Mazu have an ID card?"

With a glance from Shi Shaoning, the subordinate frantically looked up information again.

One second later, the screen changed.

Shi Shaoning squinted at the screen: "Oh, Mazu's ID card is a virtual ID, used for travel by car, boat, or plane. It can only be used for transportation; it has no other functions."

Lin Jianyuan, dejected: "Oh, I see."

The next second, he started throwing a fit again: "Can't you make an exception for my wife, since she's like this?!"

"Right!" Shi Shaoning chimed in, "Is this such a big deal?! We're already giving an official post! Can't we specially approve an ID card for the anomaly?!"

Subordinate: "..."

Superior: "..."

The leaders in the video conference: "..."

Lin Jianyuan had lost his mind.

Shi Shaoning had lost his mind too.

The key point was, the world had also lost its mind.

Because the highest authorities, way up the chain, actually agreed in the end!

The negotiation was successful.

Lin Jianyuan and "Evil Domain" were immediately hired by the bureau, given official posts and ID cards. The Global Management Bureau would no longer pursue "Evil Domain."

In exchange, Lin Jianyuan and his family member "Evil Domain" must comply with all the bureau's rules and regulations. Strict attendance, participation in performance evaluations, and no violation of rules.

And just like that, everything was sorted!

City A was at peace again.

Lin Jianyuan got his official post.

His wife got an ID card and an official post!

Perfect!

No time to waste! "Immediately" meant immediately.

Lin Jianyuan zipped over with his wife, instantly teleporting to the temporary command post outside the residential area.

The command post staff: "What the—?!"

"We're here, we're here." Lin Jianyuan took his household register and ID card, politely handing them to the Chief. "Chief, my wife and I are here to process our onboarding."

Standing beside him was his gentle, digestive-system wife.

The corners of her mouth slightly raised.

A shy smile.

Behind her, a massive, faintly visible meat-red shadow loomed.

The pollutant detection gauge on a nearby instrument teetered between life and death.

The command post staff: "..."

The people in the video conference: "..."

Hold on, you're rushing it!

The authorities already agreed, so what's the big hurry?

Are you afraid the organization will go back on its word?!!!