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Chapter 150 S-Class Wanderer

There was an eerie silence in the office.

Everyone was still immersed in the scene they had just witnessed. They had known for a long time that the other side of the intrusion point connected to another world, but due to regulations, the vast majority of them had not crossed the boundary to take a look.

Honglian was one of the few people in the branch who had crossed the intrusion point, but the differences between worlds are huge. Most of the worlds she saw were similar to Earth, otherwise the organization wouldn't have built World Window in the city.

Therefore, what she saw and heard naturally became everyone's impression of the other world: it was somewhat different, but basically still the familiar Earth.

However, this film presents a completely different alien world.

Not only have things changed, but people have also become different.

If such a world were allowed to erode the Earth, what would become of all living beings?
It wasn't until the curtains were opened and the bright sunlight shone on everyone that people recovered from their shock.

"What kind of hellish world is this..." Wang Baihu felt a chill run down his spine.

"Is that person kneeling... a photographer?" Koji asked timidly.

“That’s right.” Xiao Kanong nodded. “This is the No.9 intrusion point. The recorder was an executive member of the agency’s headquarters. At the time, in order to find him, the agency sent out more than ten capable agents, but almost all of them were wiped out. The only one who managed to return risked his life to bring back this videotape.”

Looking out at the bright and clean office buildings, Honglian suddenly felt that Jiangcheng was so peaceful and tranquil, and the setbacks and difficulties she had encountered before suddenly seemed insignificant.

Fortunately, such intrusion points were not within their jurisdiction.

Wait a minute... so what the boss meant by "wanderer" is probably—

“Now you know how dangerous this man was, right?” Xiao Kanong’s words confirmed her thoughts. “Headquarters experts speculate that there is a powerful creature in World 9 that can change people’s minds and turn them into its servants. That photographer went too far and became an empty shell who lost himself.”

"You suspect that this man is also a servant of that creature?" Honglian asked.

"This possibility cannot be ruled out."

“But he seemed quite normal…and he even had a female companion with him, unlike those worshippers in the video.”

“Let me put it another way, maybe you’ll understand better.” Xiao Kanong smirked. “Powerful beings are called gods by the world, and those who worship them are called believers. Believers are naturally divided into levels, because gods need both intelligent people who can do things for them, and also ignorant praisers and blind fanatics. Doesn’t that make him seem both normal and suspicious?”

There is some truth to what was said.

Honglian nodded and offered no further objections.

"After analysis, headquarters believes that he is a wanderer from another world who has been to a world similar to No. 9 and has now drifted here. The reason is simple: even for elite agents of the organization, entering such a world is extremely dangerous. If he were an ordinary person who awakened on Earth, it would be very difficult for him to come back alive."

“Wanderers are different. They may travel to multiple worlds in their lifetime and gain powerful abilities from other worlds. This power is not only destructive force, but also the adaptability, regularity, and flexibility that it brings can help wanderers escape danger.”

"So wanderers are usually very difficult to deal with. But that's not what makes them so terrifying. Having seen so many different worlds, they rarely consider one place their home, which makes them even more reckless in their actions. The fact that they unleashed such terrifying power in front of thousands of people also proves their indifference to life."

Xiao Kanon finished speaking in one breath.

Zhang Yingzi sighed, "I guess... the higher-ups want us to go all out?"

“Bingo, headquarters has classified him as an S-class Wanderer and ordered us to capture him with all our might, regardless of life or death.” Xiao Kanong spread his hands. “You should all be familiar with the rules for fighting Wanderers, right? Capturing him alive would be ideal, but most of the time it’s a luxury. So for your own safety, please do your best the moment you meet him.”

“The problem is that we need to find him first,” Zhang Yingzi said.

“Even if we find them, we might not be able to defeat them,” Wang Baihu whispered in a voice only Honglian could hear. “If I sacrifice myself, my family will be heartbroken.”

Honglian rolled her eyes. "Alright, if we encounter any major risks in the future, I will do my best to protect you."

“Sister Honglian, you’re so kind… I’ll never argue with you again about who’s the best operator in the group,” Wang Baihu said, moved. “Even if we find them, we might not be able to win.” Surprisingly, Xiao Kanong echoed Wang Baihu’s sentiment. “If everyone is present and works together, we naturally have a chance of winning. But the actual situation can change in an instant. Once we find them, we have to act quickly, which will undoubtedly be full of variables.”

"The same principle applies to finding people. The intelligence team and the execution team combined don't even have more than twenty people. Plus, you guys have time off in lieu, annual leave, personal leave, sick leave... The headquarters branch is practically teetering on the brink of collapse."

A collective, embarrassed laugh rippled through the crowd.

The benefits offered by the government agencies are quite generous.

Two days off per week, five social insurances and one housing fund, and high welfare and high salary... it's no worse than top private companies.

Although everyone's ideals are lofty, lofty ideals can't put food on the table. Why not take advantage of the opportunities to exploit the government?
"This TV station incident presents a rare opportunity. Some people are trying to get ahead of us in terms of security and defense for those with abilities, but everyone can see clearly that money alone is completely useless in this matter." Xiao Kanong tapped the whiteboard. "We recently conducted public awareness campaigns in public squares and offered free ability tests, which garnered positive feedback. Therefore, I have decided to officially launch an external recruitment plan, and we expect to more than double the size of the Jiangcheng branch within the next year!"

Our boss had mentioned this idea before, so no one was too surprised.

But when it comes to actually implementing it, they still have a lot of concerns.

“Captain Xiao, we joined the Dimensional Agency to protect this world…” said an executive member. Honglian remembered his name was “Xiao” and he loved anime. “Now that the agency is recruiting, it will inevitably announce the benefits. Such high benefits will probably attract a lot of people who are only after profit.”

Colleagues chimed in.

Wang Baihu nodded repeatedly, "That's right, we can't lose our faith in the organization!"

They certainly have the right and confidence to say this... Before entering the organization, no one knows what the treatment is like inside. Many operators join because they or their families have been harmed by ability users and don't want such tragedies to happen again.

Taking advantage of government agencies is another matter entirely.

However, if outsiders are told in advance that there are opportunities to get something for nothing, the situation is completely different.

Xiao Kanong laughed, "I'm glad you're all so concerned about the future of the Limited Agency. Don't worry, Wang Qianduan already discussed this with me privately. His suggestion was to divide the operators into two categories: permanent and outsourced. You are all permanent operators, while the new recruits are outsourced operators, with different treatment and salaries. This way, it will be more flexible to operate."

"Then...we won't be demoted to outsourced staff, will we?" Koji asked anxiously.

"No, how could I be so heartless to long-term employees?" Xiao Kanong waved his hand. "The positions are for life, with no resignation, and there are no cold performance appraisals, because everyone's beliefs are priceless."

Honglian immediately raised her hand, "I also have a suggestion."

Xiao Kanong smiled, his eyes narrowing. "No, you can't cancel the clocking-in system. And cameras will be installed in the smoking room... After all, you have to set a good example for the younger generation, right?"

……

During their lunch break, Honglian, Wang Baihu, and Xiaojiu left the office building, intending to have lunch at a restaurant on the street.

"How did he know I wanted to turn off the time clock?" she asked, puzzled. "Could this person have mind-reading abilities?"

"I guess it's because you have too many late records that he noticed it." Wang Baihu, unusually, didn't take the opportunity to attack her.

"Is Sister Honglian often late?" Xiaojiu asked.

"It's alright, is two or three times a week a lot? There's traffic jam in the city every morning!" she complained. "...Hmm? Why aren't you guys saying anything?"

Just then, the three of them noticed a commotion at the park entrance. A middle-aged woman was pleading with a security guard, who kept pushing her away while impatiently berating her. Several busybodies in suits were pointing and whispering among themselves.

"Ah... trouble is coming," Wang Baihu muttered.

As soon as he finished speaking, Honglian had already walked over there.

(End of this chapter)