Chapter 165: Rules and Revelations

Although he was back at the company, Lu Xin found there wasn’t much for him to do.

Brother Zhang and Sister Li were handling the project he was responsible for quite well. He’d fallen behind significantly, and while he could catch up quickly, jumping in recklessly while they had a steady workflow might just disrupt their rhythm.

Micromanaging subordinates was a major taboo in the workplace, especially for someone in a leading role.

Lu Xin understood this well.

Since he wasn’t intervening in the work, he tried getting along with his colleagues, but their enthusiasm made Lu Xin a bit uncomfortable.

Now, wherever he went, his colleagues were overly friendly. They let him get water first, take his boxed meal first, even asked him first which female colleague he liked when chatting. They even offered him cigarettes first and complimented his good-looking ZIPPO.

But Lu Xin didn’t like the hint of apprehension mixed with this enthusiasm.

He didn’t like how his colleagues seemed to avoid him, so he ended up avoiding them as much as possible.

With nothing else to do, he started thinking about how to write his mission report.

Chen Jing had given him three days off, which meant the work report was due in three days.

That was the annoying part. The mission itself was exhilarating, but agonizing over the report afterward was a real headache.

…

…

After some serious thought, Lu Xin decided he needed to be clear about what he could and couldn’t say.

Reports, whether work summaries or mission debriefs, were written for the leadership.

And anything meant for the leadership had to be truthful.

So, following this line of thought, he began recounting how he and Gecko left the city, tracked the Knight Orders to Blackwater Town, captured their Puppet-type ability user Chen Zhong there, and then interrogated Chen Zhong to find clues about Qin Ran’s hiding place.

Then, to track Qin Ran, they entered Happy Town.

Due to the target’s fierce resistance, he had no choice but to eliminate him, which unfortunately alerted the town’s Queen.

That Queen was terrifying but surprisingly reasonable. In the end, he left with the suitcase, completely unscathed…

Done!

Lu Xin was very satisfied with this work report!

The report focused on the results, mainly explaining what he had accomplished.

As for the specific process, Lu Xin felt it wasn’t that important, so he glossed over it.

It wasn’t like he had to detail every single step!

When writing monthly work summaries, you wouldn’t include the details of how you had to grovel before a client…

The leaders at this company had said many times during meetings: they wanted results!

…

…

Taking just over a day, Lu Xin finished writing a detailed work report and sent it to Han Bing first.

Han Bing had previously mentioned that he could show her the work report first, and she would offer guidance.

Soon after he emailed Han Bing from a computer connected to the High-wall City’s local network, her call came through. Her voice was soft and gentle, “I’ve already read your report. I didn’t expect you to finish it so quickly, and it’s very detailed…”

Lu Xin actually felt a little nervous and quickly asked, “How is it?”

“It’s very well written!”

Han Bing sounded sincere when she praised him. “I’ll help polish it a bit more before submitting it.”

“That’s good, that’s good. Thanks for the trouble…”

Lu Xin breathed a sigh of relief. Before Han Bing could say ‘It’s no trouble,’ he quickly added, “But there’s something else…”

Han Bing quickly replied, “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

Lu Xin nodded. Seeing no other colleagues around the stairwell, he lowered his voice, “Do you know about the ‘Second Stage’?”

“Second Stage?”

Han Bing paused for a moment, then asked, “Do you mean the Second Stage for ability users?”

Lu Xin nodded. “I think so.”

Han Bing fell silent for a moment, as if consulting some files. When her voice returned, it sounded very calm:

“I know the concept. It’s part of the research on ability development.”

“However, I only know the term itself. The specific descriptions and explanations are highly classified, and my current clearance level doesn’t allow direct access. But if Mr. Lone Soldier wants to know more, I’ll apply for access as soon as possible.”

…

*This girl is just too kind…*

Lu Xin thought gratefully, then said, “Thank you, but there’s no rush. I’ll wait for your call.”

“You don’t have to thank me, it’s what I should do…”

“Still, thank you…”

…

After hanging up, Lu Xin let out another sigh of relief. He could relax now.

The mission report was submitted. All that remained was waiting for the corresponding payment to be approved and for Han Bing to tell him about the ‘Second Stage’ concept. He’d actually seen the term once before in some documents, but without any detailed explanation.

Lu Xin hadn’t cared much about it before, but now he needed to understand.

Figuring out what was actually happening to him had always been a personal wish.

That’s why he was genuinely curious about that ‘File 003’.

But Mom rarely asked him for anything. Since she said he should wait until the Second Stage to look at it, that’s what he would do.

He just hoped he could reach it quickly, if his abilities allowed.

…

…

“He asked about the concept of the Second Stage?”

However, Lu Xin had no idea that as he started to relax, tension was mounting elsewhere.

In Professor Bai’s office at the Qinggang Main City Research Institute, Chen Jing was assisting the professor with his research. On a nearby screen was Minister Shen’s stern face; judging by the background, he seemed to be inspecting something outside the city.

A nearby phone on speaker connected to Mr. Su, who was also very concerned about this matter.

“Yes.”

Chen Jing nodded. “The specific details about the Second Stage are highly classified, but the concept itself isn’t a secret.”

“Many people in the Special Cleaning Department know about it, so it’s normal that he’s heard of it.”

…

“The point isn’t whether he knows the concept, but figuring out his real motive.”

Minister Shen said sternly, “I’ve read his mission report. He’s a slippery one. He reported everything he did clearly, even minor details like firing three shots in Blackwater Town and paying a three-thousand-yuan fine…”

“Writing in such detail… Was he worried we wouldn’t even believe that?”

“Hmph. So clear about the trivial matters, but almost no mention of how he actually accomplished the important parts.”

“For example, regarding the withdrawal from Happy Town, he only mentioned the awakening of the mysterious creature codenamed ‘Queen’, and then said he got out…”

“What? Is he trying to tell us this mysterious creature is friendly, that you can just reason with it and walk away unharmed?”

…

The more he spoke, the more dissatisfied he became, almost laughing out of frustration.

As someone with a military background, this was the most unprofessional mission report he had ever seen.

“He’s only willing to tell us *what* he can do, not *how*…”

Finally, Minister Shen concluded, “He’s definitely hiding a lot!”

“Anyone can see that.”

Professor Bai looked up at the camera then, smiling. “Have you seen the report Gecko submitted?”

“Yes, I have.”

Minister Shen nodded. “Claims he knows nothing, and his expense report is even more outrageous than Mr. Lone Soldier’s.”

Professor Bai chuckled. “And what does that tell us?”

Minister Shen frowned. “That he’s dishonest?”

“No!”

Professor Bai shook his head. “It shows they are both cautious.”

Before Minister Shen could reply, he continued with a smile, “In this post-cataclysm world, given that they possess abilities beyond ordinary people, some caution is reasonable. This caution is also proof they’re like us. After all, our eagerness to understand their thoughts and their reluctance to be understood by us stem from the same fundamental place.”

Minister Shen frowned slightly but didn’t reply.

Instead, Mr. Su’s laughter came from the phone. “Well said, Old Bai…”

Then he asked, somewhat uncertainly, “Do you think we can trust him?”

“Trust isn’t the point!”

Professor Bai glanced at Chen Jing with a smile. “I don’t have a strong gambler’s instinct; I don’t just place bets impulsively.”

“But we need to understand that no one in this world can truly trust anyone else completely. Yet, we need cooperation to survive. That’s why rules were created. Rules exist to provide a foundation upon which we can base mutual trust.”

…

On the screen, Minister Shen’s frown deepened.

Mr. Su’s voice went silent for a moment before asking, “So, Old Bai, you mean…”

“Follow the rules!”

Professor Bai smiled. “Based on this report and his past behavior, my view of Mr. Lone Soldier has changed somewhat. He’s someone willing to abide by the rules—like paying the fine for firing his gun in Blackwater Town… Honestly, in this post-cataclysm world, an ability user willing to follow rules is a stroke of luck for ordinary people. It’s something worth celebrating…”

“And when dealing with someone who is willing to follow the rules…”

Professor Bai paused here, then said, “The most dangerous thing is special privilege!”

“Mr. Lone Soldier has the leverage to demand special privileges from us, but he hasn’t. And the worst thing we could do…”

His voice grew serious as he looked at the camera, “…is treat him outside the established rules!”

…

…

Mr. Su’s voice came through the phone again, “So, everything according to the rules?”

Professor Bai nodded. “According to the rules.”

Minister Shen didn’t object. After a while, he said, “Regarding the matter of the Second Stage…”

“That too, according to the rules!”

Professor Bai smiled. “My proposal is this: we don’t refuse his request outright, nor do we bypass regulations to grant it immediately.”

“After all, either refusing him outright or giving him an immediate green light would constitute exercising special privilege—a violation of the rules.”

…

Professor Bai’s words left Chen Jing in the office, Minister Shen on the screen, and Mr. Su on the phone somewhat baffled. They understood every word he said, yet they found his perspective difficult to grasp.

After a moment, Minister Shen asked in a low voice, “So, if he meets the requirements, we approve him for the Second Stage?”

“If the rules allow it, then of course, we approve.”

Professor Bai frowned briefly, then relaxed. “Otherwise, what’s the point of having rules in the first place?”