Chapter 34 – Use Job Titles While Working
Standing before the sky-piercing Countermeasures Bureau building, Lin Xi hesitated.
As one of the bank robbers and a Special-Grade Disaster, entering this building… wasn’t that the equivalent of a criminal brazenly strolling into a police station?
Shi Yu’s voice crackled through her earpiece with an order:
“What are you dazing off for? Contact Xia Xun.”
“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet.”
Lin Xi was indeed getting cold feet, but she refused to admit it.
“Stop rushing me!” she snapped. “I’m the one risking my life to go in there! Tell me, is there any chance they have sensors that can detect my identity as a witch? If they do, won’t I be walking straight into a trap?”
Shi Yu offered some “heartwarming” reassurance:
“Cut the crap! Do you think everyone inside has a superpower like mine that can see through a person’s true nature? Worst-case scenario, if you really do get caught, just burn a hole straight through the Countermeasures Bureau building and make a run for it.”
“Heh,” Lin Xi sneered. “Easy for you to say. If I manage to escape from in there, the first person I’m killing is you. Since I’d already be exposed by then, I might as well go all out-settling every grudge and paying back every debt of blood.”
“Hehe, keep dreaming,” Shi Yu chuckled. “The moment you’re exposed, I’m cutting our connection and running as fast as I can.”
Lin Xi: “…”
What kind of teammate was this?
“Sigh-“
“I hope I’m just being paranoid.”
Lin Xi picked up her phone and contacted Xia Xun.
“Hello? Miss Xia Xun, do you have a moment? I’m right outside the building. If you’re busy, I’ll just be on my way.” Lin Xi secretly hoped she was busy.
But Xia Xun replied instantly: “I’m free! I’m free!”
“Miss Lin Xi, I see you! I’ll come down to get you right now.”
Lin Xi looked up at the towering skyscraper, wondering which floor Xia Xun was on…
Wait, what?!
Lin Xi watched, dumbfounded, as Xia Xun appeared at a high-floor window and then… jumped?!
As she plummeted, Xia Xun gracefully raised her hand. The moisture in the air seemed to answer her call, rushing and gathering toward her palm.
In an instant, a biting chill swept through the air. Visible to the naked eye, wisps of water vapor froze into ice, stretching and winding downward from the window.
A crystal-clear, shimmering path of ice was born!
The path resembled a slide carved from ice crystals, reflecting the sunlight with a dreamlike radiance.
Xia Xun tapped her toes lightly and slid rapidly down the icy track.
As she descended, ice shavings fell like a flurry of tiny crystal bells.
In the blink of an eye, Xia Xun reached the ground, landing gracefully with one knee slightly bent.
The moment she stood up, the ice path dissolved into countless droplets of vapor, forming a rainbow bridge under the sunlight.
Elegant!
Lin Xi was utterly shocked. This manga-style entrance was the height of elegance!
“I’m sorry, Miss Lin Xi, I kept you waiting,” Xia Xun said.
“No, no, no, I just got here. Miss Xia Xun, do you usually leave the building like that?”
“No, I just wanted to come down and meet you as quickly as possible, so… was it a bit too abrupt?”
“Not at all. If anything, it was incredibly gorgeous and elegant. You truly are a dreamlike Magical Girl, Miss Xia Xun!”
“Ah…” Faced with such a direct compliment from Lin Xi, Xia Xun’s face flushed slightly. “We-we should head inside!”
“Right!” Since Xia Xun was being so friendly, Lin Xi felt half the weight lift off her heart.
“Not bad, Perverted Witch. Keep it up and win over Xia Xun’s trust!”
Win over? Lin Xi disagreed with Shi Yu’s phrasing; her praise had been entirely sincere.
Shi Yu issued a new instruction:
“Next, find an opportunity to talk to Xia Xun about the Jinrui Bank bank robbery case. At the same time, keep an eye on the layout of the building.”
What’s the rush? Lin Xi thought to herself. Wouldn’t bringing up the bank robbery case so abruptly just draw suspicion to herself?
She really wanted to ask Shi Yu what the point of noting the building’s layout was.
Surely ZERO wasn’t planning to storm the Countermeasures Bureau building, right?
As Xia Xun led her into the building, Lin Xi lagged behind by a couple of steps to whisper an emergency report to Shi Yu.
“I have to go through a security gate. I need to cut the connection; I’m taking the earpiece out.”
If it were detected, it would be impossible to explain.
Without waiting for Shi Yu’s reply, Lin Xi quickly removed the earpiece, switched it off, and shoved it into her pocket.
Once she passed through the security gate, Lin Xi had no intention of putting the earpiece back on.
She couldn’t be bothered to act as Shi Yu’s puppet on strings.
“This place is huge…” Lin Xi could only manage to memorize the general layout.
Xia Xun said, “It is. Actually, this place is more like an ordinary corporate building. Eighty percent of the people working here are just normal people.”
Following Xia Xun, their path was entirely unobstructed.
Xia Xun held high-level clearance, but more than that, everyone they encountered greeted her with respect and friendliness.
Was she some kind of overbearing female CEO? No, Xia Xun wasn’t overbearing at all. It was just that as one of Z City’s Three Great Guardians, the people in the Countermeasures Bureau showed her genuine, heartfelt respect.
Xia Xun was definitely part of the Countermeasures Bureau’s upper management. In contrast, Lin Xi thought miserably, she was currently just a low-level cog in the machine at ZERO, getting bullied by Shi Yu every single day…
If only the Countermeasures Bureau were interested in recruiting a witch. Lin Xi would accept in a heartbeat and sell Shi Yu out in the next.
“Miss Lin Xi, this way.” Xia Xun led Lin Xi to an office and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” a voice called from inside.
Xia Xun led Lin Xi into the office. “Hello, Director Gao.”
“Oh!” Director Gao sprang up from his soft, comfortable chair. “Xun, really, why call me ‘Director’? It’s so formal.”
“Our Captain said that we should use official titles while at work.”
“Hmph!” Director Gao adjusted his glasses. “I’ll have to have a word with Zhao Xing later and criticize him for that.”
“Please, sit,” Director Gao gestured for Xia Xun to take a seat before asking, “And who is this?”
Xia Xun introduced Lin Xi to Director Gao and explained the reason for their visit.
She then introduced him to Lin Xi.
“Uncle Gao is in charge of issuing certificates and prize money.”
Once the introductions were over, Director Gao showered Lin Xi with praise, calling her courageous, a brilliant young talent, and someone with a keen eye for disasters… He made her sound like a saint.
Lin Xi thanked him with a smile, knowing full well that she was only receiving this treatment because of Xia Xun.
Thanks to Xia Xun’s presence, Director Gao processed the matter with lightning speed once he understood the situation.
Lin Xi was awarded the “Z City Good Citizen” honorary certificate and a five-thousand-yuan cash prize.
“Miss Lin Xi, would you like to take a photo together?” Xia Xun asked.
Holding her honorary certificate, Lin Xi nodded.
“Alright, look at the camera. Cheese!” Director Gao personally took the photo for them.
“Thank you, Director Gao.”
“Hmm? You should be like Xun and call me Uncle Gao.”
“Then… Uncle Gao, thank you!”
After finishing their business, Director Gao personally saw Xia Xun and Lin Xi out of the office.
Lin Xi remarked, “Miss Xia Xun, is Uncle Gao really your uncle? He’s so kind.”
Xia Xun shook her head. “No. Actually, he was the one who came up with the rule that ‘official titles must be used at work.’ He just chooses to forget it when it comes to me.”
“Eh? Really? Didn’t you say the rule was set by your Captain?”
Xia Xun gave a slight smile. “I said that in front of him on purpose.”
Lin Xi: “…”
Wow, so Miss Xia Xun has a bit of a devious side too?!
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