Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 452 Top-Tier Bulls and Horses

February.

Lately, even though it's winter, it seems like it's been raining more frequently.

Since the earthquake, the weather in the capital had been much calmer. But now it seems to be getting grumpy again. The researchers from the Society monitoring the Water World haven't noticed anything unusual.

I just felt a suffocating sadness welling up inside me for no apparent reason.

Listening to the sound of rain outside the window, Zheng Fan sat on the windowsill and gently stroked the toast lying on his lap. None of the three little ones liked getting wet, so they were especially well-behaved when it rained heavily.

Since Lu Chongming left, they've lost a little brother who used to take them out to play often. Although they've returned to their normal lives, they still feel a bit empty.

Fortunately, Zheng Fan hasn't been running around lately and has been staying at the firm with them.

"Mr. Illusion, Subway Zero is beginning to leave behind its history of earthquake impacts," Lin Yilin, who was spying on others' information from behind a desk, said.

"Finally out of the earthquake's impact?" Zheng Fan turned around.

A while ago, Zheng Fan and Lin Yilin often went to explore Subway Zero in the middle of the night, but because the dungeon hadn't refreshed for too long, Zheng Fan gradually got tired of it and went less often.

"If there's a version update, what will the next version be?"

"Probably, it's Waterworld Impact," Lin Yilin said, holding a steaming cup of coffee and looking at the screen.

Zheng Fan looked out the window again: "Does this have anything to do with it?"

"Not at the moment. It's probably just a coincidence. The Water World might be having some unpredictable friction with the White World again recently," Lin Yilin said.

Zheng recalled the person in the rain he encountered when he first boarded the Zero subway line.

I paid a little attention to what it said.

I feel like there are more and more things calling it "tree" lately.

Then, he brought up another matter: "Jiang Si plans to return to Dadu this month."

"Oh, so you're finally planning to come back." Lin Yilin wasn't surprised; this was something she had Zheng Fan remind Jiang Si about not long ago. February is a special month.

This month has significantly fewer days than other months, and the specific reasons are largely the same as those in Zheng Fan's past world.

The dark and red worlds, who love to cause trouble at the end of the month, won't let this special month pass them by.

February in Dadu this year only has 28 days. After the 28th, there will be a three-day period of abnormal overlap, during which the black world and the red world will cover each other together.

Moreover, the affected area is larger than in a typical month.

Because of February, most of the New Year celebrations are not celebrated during Christmas, New Year's Day, or the Spring Festival, but are instead held in early March.

Only by getting through the end of February peacefully can one celebrate the arrival of the New Year with a clear conscience.

For most of the city, which has just begun to recover from the impact of the earthquake, it will still be a severe challenge.

As for its connection to Jiang Si's return, it's simply a matter of taking advantage of the chaos to sneak back without attracting unnecessary attention due to the ceremony.

“If it’s decided, I’ll also help update the ceremony,” Lin Yilin said.

"sorry to bother you."

"No trouble at all. I'll be able to react immediately if she makes any moves after returning to Dadu."

Why are you reacting to her movements?

"It has its uses," Lin Yilin said with a hint of mystery.

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something: "By the way, how is that zombie she kept on Jiangwen Street doing now?"

"Ah, I haven't even had time to go and see, it should be fine, right?" Zheng Fan had almost forgotten about it when he mentioned it.

"Recently, tainted creatures have been appearing frequently, and many of the updated entries on the 'Young Genius Ranking' are related to tainted creatures," Lin Yilin reminded.

"Does the 'Young Genius Ranking' also include geniuses from other races?" Zheng Fan switched to a fantasy accent.

Don't worry about the specific accent.

After the joke was over, Zheng Fan put the toast aside, stood up and said, "But it's still better to go and confirm, and we can go there now anyway."

Although it was very uncomfortable to use Cheng Fei's body, it was still a machine after all. After Lu Chongming brought the person there, Zheng Fan could be transferred there.

"Okay, have a safe trip," Lin Yilin said dismissively, waving her hand.

……

What can a new person who joins the Jiangwen Subdistrict Office accomplish in a month?
In the past, those at the grassroots level could only obediently run errands and do dirty and tiring work, to cover up or even act as a shield for certain shady deals by their superiors, and naturally become members of the numerous factions within the organization.

Fight against criminals outside, and fight against colleagues inside. Guard against betrayal by subordinates, and guard against being harmed by superiors.

It sounds incredible, but this is how Jiangwen Street used to be.

But today is different from the past.

After being cleaned up following the earthquake, the Jiangwen Subdistrict Office has returned to its original state when it was first established: simple, unpretentious, and where the capable prevail.

As long as you have enough achievements, you can be promoted to the top.

Six months ago, if someone said a newcomer could become a team leader in a month, they would be laughed at, not just in Jiangwen Street, but in any other street.

but now……

It's actually quite exaggerated.

What kind of beast is this! Even if he had accumulated achievements and had a certain network of connections before coming here, it's still too much to be treated like a beast in just one month.

If the achievements are not fabricated, then the ratio of work to rest time in a month is probably beyond imagination.

Furthermore, he possesses exceptional individual skills. The requirements for a squad leader within the Bureau aren't actually that high; with teammates accumulating achievements, talented individuals with outstanding command abilities won't be overlooked. However, to become a squad leader in just one month requires not only personal effort but also a team that isn't all incompetent.

Therefore, his personal abilities must at least be up to par.

Diligent, capable, and competent—such a person is worth cherishing anywhere, let alone in Jiangwen Subdistrict. The chief of the Jiangwen Subdistrict's management office particularly favors this kind of animal.

Lu Chongming is the rising star and super captain who has been the most popular person in the past month.

"Chief, here are the reports on the three gang fights, five superpowered group crimes, two cases directly related to hallucinations, and one case involving suspected internal strife among system holders that dragged me into it."

Lu Chongming sent all the electronic documents to the chief, whose dark circles looked like he might die at any moment, and reported it.

"Ahhhhh! Why?!"

Then the chief suddenly clutched his head, looked up at the sky, and screamed loudly in the office: "I just came back from a field trip, why do I still have to check reports?! Why am I still working overtime day and night when I should have retired early?!"

Lu Chongming remained calm.

got used to.

On average, every two days, this chief, named Zhang Xue, would suddenly have a seizure while reviewing documents at night or while on fieldwork in the early morning.

Very normal.

Given the current situation in Jiangwen Street, anyone who comes here will go crazy.

If it weren't for the infinite energy core within his body steadily supplying him with life energy, Lu Chongming's mental state wouldn't be much better than Chief Zhang Xue's.

But despite all the joking around, Lu Chongming still admired Chief Zhang Xue.

Because he is very capable and even though he complains a lot, he completes his work meticulously and flawlessly.

It can only be said that the person who put her back in this position truly recognizes Zhang Xue's work ability.

If we keep an eye on her and prevent her from giving up, then her abilities will blossom and bear fruit, just like her current madness.

Zhang Xue acted like a bipolar patient; one minute she was screaming, and the next she suddenly calmed down and asked Lu Chongming in front of her with a cold expression, "Little Lu, do you want to be the chief?"

"I want to, but my achievements and abilities aren't enough yet." Lu Chongming was very honest. If he could become the chief now, he would immediately slap Chunbai Xuehui... no, he would discuss with them about saving his mother.

It's true that you can become a team leader by working hard, but becoming the chief is a long way off.

Especially in terms of the hard requirement of strength, even if he had unlimited life energy and was invincible, Lu Chongming still couldn't defeat Chief Zhang Xue.

“You’re so honest. Both shrewd and honest. Recently, our processing bureau has been hiring a lot of people and constantly expanding its scale, which has added a lot of impurities. If we don’t keep a close eye on the processing, it’s very likely that it will turn back into the old ways in the future. Do you know that the position of director here is still vacant? Guess where the previous director went.” Zhang Xue chatted with Lu Chongming while checking the documents and reports.

"Sacrificed?"

"He's been taken in. He's sentenced to death, but he's been transferred to some shady people in the society for research. There are some disgusting guys in the society who like to use people who were originally in high positions but have fallen from grace for experiments." Zhang Xue casually said something that sounded rather chilling.

"...I see." That's quite a twisted sense of humor.

"It's rare that you have some free time tonight, so I won't keep you any longer. Go back and get some rest, you busy person. I hope you can become my deputy soon and help me share some of the workload," Zhang Xue said, waving her hand.

"Thank you for your appreciation." Lu Chongming said thank you and then left.

He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after leaving the office.

He barely rested for the past month, and the constant replenishment of his body kept his mind in a state of high alert and prevented him from getting hurt. However, mental fatigue was still unavoidable.

He had just been promoted to team leader a few days ago, which was a big step in his career, so he finally got some time to rest on this day.

After taking off his uniform, he greeted many people he knew along the way before leaving the processing station.

His place wasn't far from the processing bureau; it was Zhao Ge and the others who helped him find it. The processing bureau originally offered room and board, but Lu Chongming chose to stay with Zhao Ge and the others for convenience. However, he hadn't actually gone back much in the past month.

It was a newly built tower apartment building, which must have been expensive. Zhao Ge and the others didn't take any money from Lu Chongming, which touched him deeply.

He went upstairs and arrived at his still somewhat unfamiliar front door. The door lock was very smart, using both fingerprint and facial recognition...

Lu Chongming stared at the facial recognition screen in front of him, his pupils suddenly contracting.

There are two boxes in the recognition screen, one of which is behind you on your left!
He quickly turned around and threw a punch.

His arm was blocked halfway through, and then a cold light flashed, and a katana severed his arm!
"Tsk!" Lu Chongming was used to this kind of pain. Ignoring his severed arm, he pulled out a gun, and the energy core in his body output electrical energy, which was directly guided into the gun and fired forward.

Caught off guard, the opponent was struck by several bursts of light, and their body stiffened.

Lu Chongming flicked his gun, which transformed into a white longsword, crackling with lightning, and was about to give chase...

boom!
His door was violently pushed open, slamming into Lu Chongming who was standing right in front of it, and slamming him against the wall.

Lu Chongming: "..."

Attacker: ?
Zheng Fan, now carrying Cheng Fei's body, jumped out joyfully with his arms outstretched: "Surprise!"

After a while of cold wind blowing, he looked around in confusion: "Where is everyone?"

A cold glint immediately shot towards Zheng Fan's neck.

Whoosh!
But all he saw was a blur, and he stabbed at empty air. The next moment, an arm pierced through the attacker's chest. Zheng Fan casually reached out and ripped out the attacker's heart, then tossed it aside like trash.

The door slowly slid open, and Lu Chongming staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

"Hey Lu, you're here! Hiding behind the door to surprise me? That's interesting."

Lu Chongming looked at the "Cheng Fei" in front of him with a kind smile, but he could only force a stiff smile in return.

My head hurts so much...

(End of this chapter)