Chapter 470: Unsettling Shifts at the Company

This time, not only were the support team members unprofessional, but many of the procedures were skipped as well.

Lu Xin recalled that when he first joined a special pollution cleanup, Gecko had walked him through the entire standard process.

From accepting the mission, sharing the mission materials, coordinating with the intel specialists, to executing the task, summoning the support team, wrapping up the operation, undergoing the logic assessment, writing the mission report, and most importantly, calculating the payment—the process was crystal clear.

But now, after finishing a mission, all he had to do was inform Han Bing, and someone else would take over…

They aren’t even rushing him for the mission report.

No one mentioned the logic assessment process, either.

And the most crucial part is…

…why didn’t they even address the payment?

…Could it be they’re letting him off the hook?

…

Lu Xin really wanted to ask, but his status had changed—officially a Level 4 Special Talent (practically Level 5)—so he had to maintain his dignity and couldn’t be seen chasing after payments all the time, as if he were broke.

Of course, he really was short on cash…

But since he’d be heading to Main City soon, he could nudge them privately later!

So he obediently returned home and went to work the next day as if nothing had happened.

On his first day back, everything in the company was normal, although there was a faint buzz of some news circulating.

The next day, however, the office was in noticeable disarray, and many people were giving him strange looks.

On the third day, barely after starting work, Director Liu eagerly knocked on his office door.

“Um… Little Lu…”

The Director, half-seated on a small stool beside Lu Xin’s desk, was sweating profusely.

He asked cautiously, “Where did our company’s Vice President go?”

“Huh?”

Lu Xin looked at Director Liu, puzzled.

Director Liu, clearly alarmed, straightened his hunched posture a bit and said, “That’s not really what I came to ask.”

“Lately, the Group’s higher-ups have been making inquiries, calling the CEO, but he hasn’t been answering.”

“I figured since you left the company with Vice President Xiao that day, you might know…”

“If you don’t know, then never mind…”

“…”

As he was about to leave,

Lu Xin quickly waved him back, “Sit down.”

“Oh!”

The Director settled back down, hands resting on his knees as he listened intently.

“The way the Director treats his employees these days is really improving…” Lu Xin thought to himself.

He had also deduced where Vice President Xiao had recently gone.

After the Gao Yan incident, although he’d been sure that neither the Pollution Source nor the contaminated individual had any lingering issues,

by protocol, Vice President Xiao and Gao Yan had to be quarantined for testing until it was confirmed they were fine.

They might even have their memories wiped.

Normally, the tests would be done quickly—around a day.

But now, probably because Qinggang was busy, it could easily take two or three days.

After all, it was the Director who mentioned it, which reminded him of the whole ordeal.

No wonder it had been so eerily quiet lately.

Usually, with the current Vice President in the company and a future CEO sitting just next door, even a game of Tetris wouldn’t bring any peace.

…

After a moment’s thought, he smiled and said, “He’s fine. He’s probably lying in a hospital somewhere these days.”

He mentioned “a hospital” because Lu Xin didn’t know exactly where he was quarantined.

If he wanted to find out, he’d have to make another call—not worth it.

Besides, according to the procedures, Vice President Xiao should be allowed to contact his family.

That means the CEO should already know where he’s being held.

Normally, the CEO would notify the company’s higher-ups, but after that dinner—when, as Vice President Xiao hinted, the CEO was deeply shaken by what his young wife did, resulting in Xiao’s imprisonment—he’s been focused on recuperating and out of touch with external matters.

Perhaps it’s precisely because he wasn’t in the right state of mind that he forgot to notify the higher-ups.

“A hospital?”

The Director’s voice wavered at the mention, his nerves on edge.

He discreetly peeked at the outstanding employee, wondering what all this meant.

What is going on here?

When he first met Vice President Xiao, he had heard that Xiao once shot his own secretary into a hospital with a single bullet.

A few days later, rumors spread that Xiao’s stepmother being imprisoned was directly linked to him.

Now, having just returned from visiting family, has he sent Vice President Xiao to the hospital again?

Then, doesn’t that mean…

…could it be that in a few days the entire company will belong to him?

…

“What’s wrong?”

Lu Xin sensed the Director’s unease and turned to see him offering a perfectly standard smile.

The Director’s heart was pounding as he hurriedly waved his hand, “It’s nothing, nothing. A hospital is a good place—staying there isn’t so bad…”

“Really?”

Lu Xin smiled back, his grin widening.

Then he leaned back against his chair and said, “Actually, I have a bit of an issue I wanted to discuss with you. Ever since I got back from visiting family, you haven’t assigned any work to me, and it’s quite frustrating.”

“Ah…”

Director Liu was momentarily startled, noticing how Lu Xin’s smile seemed to twist in his vision like a growing demon.

“I understand, I understand. I’ll assign you something right away…”

The Director practically scurried out of the office, his arms covered in a layer of sweat-induced goosebumps.

“Better to keep busy…”

Lu Xin watched him leave, secretly thinking that playing Tetris all day wasn’t a solution.

If this continued, he’d be collecting his salary with a guilty conscience…

What he didn’t know was that after returning to his office, Director Liu had grabbed a few tissues to wipe the sweat from his face and sat dazed for a while before finally mustering the courage to call in his secretary, Xiao Zhang.

“Quick, check what the most lucrative projects in the company are…”

“…”

Xiao Zhang looked completely puzzled, “It’s not time for settlement yet—why are we looking at these now?”

“For…”

The Director feebly waved his hand and discreetly pointed next door, “Send them over to Supervisor Lu. All the profits go to him.”

“Huh?”

The secretary was stunned.

These projects were the Director’s main source of income—he had kept her on through these ventures.

“Actually, I have a few other channels to make money too; I just haven’t told you…”

Director Liu wiped his sweat nervously and whispered, “You have no idea—he’s openly asking me for favors now…”

“He immediately complained that I wasn’t assigning work to him. Isn’t he after the profits?”

“I used to offend him, so I really can’t afford to upset him anymore…”

“Hurry, send the most profitable projects over to him!”

“…”

“…”

“What the heck?”

“Are all these projects really being handed over to me?”

“…”

Upon seeing several thick project files, Lu Xin’s eyes went momentarily vacant.

Either no work was assigned, or they suddenly dumped four or five projects on him at once.

The company sure knew how to put him to work.

A faint resentment welled up in his heart…

This sudden flurry made him feel like the old days when he was being exploited relentlessly before he even got his gun.

But he was never one to shirk work. Since the company handed him these projects, he would handle them well—after all, he had managed projects on his own before and was now a competent supervisor.

Yet, working day and night like this—and sneaking in reports for the Special Cleaning Department in his spare time—was exhausting.

Just as his frustration peaked, Vice President Xiao returned to the company, looking refreshed and carrying several bags of items.

Not only did he return to the office, but he also brought along a bundle of items.

He cheerfully distributed some local specialties to the employees, explaining that he had taken a trip a few days ago.

This left everyone—who knew he’d actually been hospitalized—exchanging bewildered looks.

Someone awkwardly remarked, “Vice President Xiao had a good time,” as he hastily pocketed the gifts.

He then divided the gifts from a small case among the employees, while Vice President Xiao had his team move boxes of various sizes into Lu Xin’s office.

After closing the door, he looked at Lu Xin hesitantly, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

“You’re back?”

Lu Xin felt something was off and cautiously asked.

“Yeah, I’m back…”

Vice President Xiao quickly reassured him, then lowered his voice, “Brother Lu, you don’t hold it against me, right?”

Lu Xin looked at him strangely, “Why would I blame you?”

“Well, about that Gao Yan incident—didn’t I yell at you back then?”

Vice President Xiao looked nervous; halfway through his sentence, his face flushed red.

“Huh?”

Lu Xin recalled that he had once stomped his foot and said, “You went too far.”

Was that an insult?

“You were affected by it—I don’t see why I should blame you.”

After replying offhandedly, Lu Xin noticed the surprise in Vice President Xiao’s eyes.

He hadn’t had his memory wiped.

Those affected by special pollution incidents usually have their memories erased,

to prevent leaks that could cause panic.

Moreover, some incidents are linked to memory.

As long as those memories remain, there’s a risk of renewed contamination.

In the old days, Qinggang enforced memory erasure very strictly.

Of course, there were cases where memory wasn’t wiped.

Vice President Xiao, harmed by his stepmother, didn’t have his memory erased, so he always remembered his connection to the Special Department.

But while that time he was merely affected, this time he was directly contaminated—and still, his memory wasn’t wiped.

This indicates that some protocols in the Special Cleaning Department have changed?

…

…

“Oh dear, they did tell me it was a form of contamination and advised me not to worry about it.”

“But I still feel really bad about it…”

“…”

Seeing that Lu Xin really wasn’t blaming him, Vice President Xiao immediately brightened up.

He pulled a small stool over and sat next to Lu Xin, laughing:

“Brother Lu, I’ve already realized how dangerous this situation was. Luckily, you were there to help me—not just me, but also Gao Yan, his father, and that friend Mr. Li. They’ve all apologized to each other!”

“Gao Yan asked me about your identity—should I tell him?”

“He’s very grateful; he bought a lot of gifts to thank you. He asked me to pass them on…”

“…”

Seeing Vice President Xiao so elated, Lu Xin only offered a polite smile.

He had already figured out his identity that very day—did he really need to ask?

But apparently they’d uncovered that he was an investigative gunman for extramarital affairs?

This misunderstanding ran deep.

He shook his head helplessly and mentioned that the Gao family had also sent gifts, instinctively wanting to refuse.

After all, the Special Cleaning Department had never accepted gifts after a mission; he couldn’t set a precedent.

Maintaining his integrity at work was essential.

In old movies, countless people ended up falling from grace—all starting with a small red packet…

“Tell them I’m only doing my job—there’s no need to thank me. And it’s best if you forget about this matter; don’t come bothering me over work. As for the gifts—they’re too generous; we never…”

Just as he was speaking, Vice President Xiao picked up a small box and handed it over:

“Brother Lu, look—Gao Yan really spared no expense this time…”

“This watch must be worth at least 200,000…”

“…”

“Wow…”

Lu Xin’s hand clutching the mouse trembled slightly as he turned calmly, his eyes fixed on Vice President Xiao’s face.

It was gentle and composed.