By two o’clock in the afternoon, in Lianjiang City’s Ministry of State Security, more than two hundred people were squeezed inside the main hall of the building. Most of the crowd were teenagers.
Li Qingxuan was also bewildered. She replied, “I doubt they require so many people in the civilian department in theory, do they? However, this is just an interview. I suppose they are only going to select one in ten people or even one in a hundred people.”
“Even so, how did we get selected in the first place?” Ren Suo questioned. “We hadn’t applied for a transfer nor been through any interview. This opportunity basically just fell from the skies and appeared out of nowhere. If not for the fact that it was Director Ye who called us, I would have thought this was some marketing trap.”
“Indeed,” Li Qingxuan agreed.
A cheery and enthusiastic young man beside them who overheard their conversation chipped in and said in agreement, “I have just joined the tax bureau too, and now, I have also received the news that I could be transferred to the Ministry of State Security…Could this really be just like what the rumor said?”
“What rumor?” Ren Suo and Li Qingxuan asked.
“Do you guys not know?” the young man asked. He seemed to be proud of showcasing his knowledge—especially to the young woman Li Qingxuan. He lowered his voice and said in a mysterious tone, “These days, it is indeed hard to tell if something is true on the internet, and if there were any slightly popular rumors that appear, they would be suppressed immediately.”
“However, there’s someone in my family who is in the loop, and I can confirm that some of the rumors going around on the internet are true,” the young man explained. He looked at Li Qingxuan and continued, “Pleased to meet you, I am Xie Qiansi.”
Li Qingxuan glanced at Ren Suo. Instinctively, Ren Suo put his arm around Xie Qiansi’s shoulder and said warmly, “You are called Qiansi? We are really fated then!”
“What fate?” asked Xie Qiansi.
“My name is Ren Suo, and you are Xie Qiansi. Together we are called Suo Qiansi, which means we must have an earth-shattering fate to have met.”
“Is…is this how it goes?” a puzzled Xie Qiansi said.
At this point, Li Qingxuan covered her mouth as she smiled. She said, “Hello, I am Li Qingxuan. What were you saying about the rumors just now?”
Her question captured Xie Qiansi’s attention. He said, “I can’t go into the details, but I’m sure you guys must have read some news articles about the Extraordinaires in the past few months?”
Li Qingxuan pondered for a while and nodded her head. She said, “Two months ago, there were supposedly two people performing a fire and ice show on West Street. They wielded ice and breathed fire and seemed to be real Extraordinaires who were performing without any props. It spread like wildfire in my chat groups back then.”
Li Qingxuan continued, “It was easy to shoot fire, but to make ice on the spot…No one saw them with niters they could make ice with. However, they were only popular for a few days, and they disappeared even before the New Year. When I went to take a look on the first day of the New Year, they were no longer there.”
“I vaguely recall reading similar news articles, but I’ve forgotten the details,” she added.
Ren Suo said, “Extraordinary abilities…For example, the hitman from [The Hitman: The Bloody Banquet] two days ago?”
Xie Qiansi nodded his head. He said, “I don’t have proof that they all took place, and you guys may not even believe what I’m going to say. Regardless, [The Hitman: The Bloody Banquet] definitely took place in real life. Even up till now, that video was still being circulated around the entire internet, and the Blackthorn Tower in Fog City still remained under renovation. The higher-ups seemed to be trying to suppress any related information, but…”
He shrugged his shoulders as he continued, “Do you think they are people with unimaginable black magic or people with…abilities from other dimensions?”
Li Qingxuan asked, “Regardless of which, what has this got to do with us?”
“Oh, you would be surprised.” Xie Qiansi explained, “If I am right, what we are about to join is the newly-established Branch 18 of the Ministry of State Security. You guys would have had seen the people from the agency.”
“Who?” a slightly surprised Li Qingxuan asked.
Ren Suo, on the other hand, was composed. He said, “The guys clad in black vests during the health examination?”
“They are called the black cats by other departments,” Xie Qiansi said. He laughed as he continued, “We all received the interview opportunity suddenly after we had gone for the health examination. Clearly, our opportunity arose from the health examination, but our physical conditions are all just slightly better than average people, at the very most.”
“What kind of job do you guys think does not consider your intellectual abilities, skills, physical abilities, but instead some specific potential in your body?” Xie Qiansi asked.
Looking at Ren Suo and Li Qingxuan focused in thought, Xie Qiansi took out his phone and said, “Let’s add each other on WeChat. It would be easier for us to contact one another in the future.”
After Ren Suo added Xie Qiansi as a good friend on WeChat, he was immediately added to a group chat that had a meaningful name.
[The Future Leaders of Xuan Nation]
“More people are added to the group again?”
“Is it a pretty girl?”
“Yet another person has been talked into this by our Great Master Xie.”
Xie Qiansi said to Li Qingxuan, “Having connections is the most important when joining any organization. Even in the Ministry of State Security, establishing good connections with other people is crucial. Even if any of us fails the interview, we may not necessarily return to our previous post, since we are likely to be ‘talented’ people. At that time, it could be beneficial for both of us to remain in contact and help each other out…”
“You are truly one Great Master Xie,” Ren Suo interrupted. “Did you create this group?”
“Of course!” an extremely proud Xie Qiansi exclaimed.
“What happens if I send inappropriate videos in the group then, will you be responsible?” Ren Suo asked in a seemingly serious tone.
Xie Qiansi’s face froze. He said, “In that case, I’ll have no choice but to kick you out…”
“My young brother, the most important thing in an organization is to have good relations with others. If you kick someone out of the group just like that, they would be offended!” Ren Suo said solemnly as he slapped Xie Qiansi’s back lightly.
Xie Qiansi rolled his eyes. Who wouldn’t have known Ren Suo was just trying to stop him from hitting on Li Qingxuan? Without any hesitation, he turned around and walked towards another beautiful lady.
Li Qingxuan looked at Ren Suo and nodded her head in approval. She smiled and said, “Thanks.”
“No worries.” Ren Suo waved his hand and said, “I just can’t stand people who are so pretentious and so full of themselves…Eh?”
Not far from them, Xie Qiansi was now introducing himself to a young lady with an extremely cute and rounded face. He said, “I am Xie Qiansi. Do you know any insider information about this interview?”
The cute young girl shook her head and replied softly, “I don’t know…I am Qiao Muyi…”
The cute and young girl, who had a soft and shy voice, was definitely Xie Qiansi’s ideal type. Just as he took a step forward and was about to show off his wide connections and good interaction skills, a hand grabbed his shoulder and held him back.
The next moment, a man whom Xie Qiansi did not know was called ‘Ren Suo’ or ‘Renso’ came up to them and put a hand on Qiao Muyi’s shoulder.
“We have such amazing fate! I am Ren Suo, and you are Qiao Muyi. Together we are called Suo Muyi, which means we have an earth-shattering fate to have met.”
Qiao Muyi stared blankly at Ren Suo and blinked her eyes.
Xie Qiansi’s blood started to boil. This idiot did not even bother changing the way he introduced himself!
Ren Suo continued to smile happily, until a voice in his head said, “A key has been found.”
“The key is in a foreign state. Starting to retrieve the key.”
“The key has already been formed. 9658 seconds required to retrieve the key, do not remove physical contact. 9657, 9656, 9655…”
Ren Suo was bewildered. Over 900 seconds; that was equivalent to more than two hours! How could he find an excuse to maintain physical contact with Qiao Muyi for such a long time?
Ren Suo had noticed earlier that Qiao Muyi caused his heart to palpitate vigorously. He knew immediately that she must be yet another key! He had thought that he would not be able to retrieve any key from Qiao Muyi, like what happened with Li Dan in the black vest.
To his surprise, he was able to retrieve a key from Qiao Muyi. However, the time required was too long and simply impossible, unless he knocked her out and dragged her into a dark house to steal the key!
At this moment, five large buses arrived in front of the Ministry of State Security building and traffic piled up instantly. Ren Suo looked over curiously and thought to himself that the Ministry seemed to be organizing a tour.
A few men clad in black vests alighted from the coach buses. Ren Suo spotted Li Dan among them, and their leader who looked fierce and tough walked to the entrance of the building. He bellowed at the top of his voice, “Be quiet! I am You Jilong, and I am in charge of your interviews! I will now be taking attendance. When your name is called, take out your identity card, come forward and stand in a line!”
The entire hall of people on the first level quietened down. Suddenly, in the now quiet hall, someone in the crowd asked, “Are you going to shoot all of us dead?”
