"I really don't know what's up with the new hires these days... they leave technical positions to become 'Jackal Wolf.'" Gloss lamented.
"Come on, Gloss, people must have their own reasons for doing this. Jackal Wolf in the C Department earns as much in a few days as technical staff do working hard for several months."
"You said it, but that's A-grade! How many employees at Cosmic Heavy Industries is rated A overall? Not to mention specializing in debt collection — such high-risk work..."
Jackal Wolf must be what the security department calls debt collectors; she wasn't clear on the internal employee grade divisions.
Xiaoyou listened closely to the conversation between the two.
Ever since entering the security department, to minimize unnecessary trouble and gather more intel, she had flipped her employee card's information side inward against her chest.
With a slight arch of her brows, she turned Xu Nian's employee card over to double-check.
Overall quality rating: A.
She silently observed the employee badges of the pair in front of her.
Both were B-grade employees.
From their conversation, it seemed that A-grade employees held an essential position in the company, as rare as pandas.
Xiaoyou casually found a place to sit. Seeing the Newton's Cradle decor on the table, she picked up a ball and watched it swing in collision.
The two continued their discussion behind her.
"Besides, Theroux, no one in our Lion Group has ever been promoted to A-grade. Every time the company transfers talent, they're snatched away by other groups."
"Oh, that reminds me; I checked the files a few days ago, and it seems the company transferred an A-grade employee from Zone Nine to our Lion Group."
Theroux slapped his forehead as if recalling something.
"Zone Nine is under the government security jurisdiction, right? Transferring an A-grade employee here? You must be dreaming after drinking too much Su Leshuang." Gloss sneered.
"No, no, I really saw it! I even confirmed it; they were assigned to our group, though I've forgotten their name..."
Xiaoyou's lips curled into a smile from her position on the table.
If she could, she would love to see what kind of expression they'd have upon realizing she's the A-grade employee.
Theroux furrowed his brow deep in thought. Just then, a phone rang accompanied by a lively ringtone.
"Su Leshuang, plump grains full of Vitamin C, bringing you a unique drinking experience~"
"Hello?"
Theroux stopped thinking, answered the phone, and his expression became serious.
"What, really!"
"What's up?" Gloss asked.
"Nothing, just a damned debt-gambling scum with modified firearms causing trouble. I'm heading there."
Theroux said, donned a jacket, and headed out.
"Stay safe, come back early," Gloss waved.
"Don't say things like that before someone leaves; it's bad luck."
"I wish you wouldn't come back; that way, I'd be promoted to group leader. But honestly, does anyone care about themselves in this city?"
Watching the bald man walk away, Gloss opened her narrowed eyes and finally glared at the bored Xiaoyou lying on the table, her throat moved slightly.
She thought about it but refrained from advising the girl, casually mentioning instead:
"There's a new hire meeting at 3 PM, just a simple training session. Make sure to come, or the department manager will give you a hard time."
"Okay." Xiaoyou replied.
Soon after, the girl left too, leaving the expansive empty office with Xiaoyou alone.
She glanced around and walked to a small blackboard.
On the blackboard, numerous names and photos were recorded, along with their networks, frequent haunts, etc. She guessed this was the security department's 'clients.'
Her gaze shifted slightly, drawn to a photo.
She reached up, removed the photo, and examined the figure in the image, lost in thought.
A Deerman in formal attire stood there, behind him, numerous robust Lionmen in suits.
Logically, among the Animal Race, carnivores naturally suppress herbivores; under biological instincts, herbivores tremble and shake when faced with carnivores, which is normal.
No exception in the company either; hierarchies often have carnivores above herbivores.
But looking at the photo, was this Deerman the leader of those Lions?
A pride of Lions would gaze at their prey in awe, interesting indeed.
Even more intriguing is this Deerman's straight posture among carnivores, and his proud and composed expression.
From his appearance, Xiaoyou discerned this Deerman's uniqueness.
"Mr. Hao, leader of the Lion Group, major shareholder of Fresh Meat Restaurant, one of the key figures in District Thirteen? Truly unusual," Xiaoyou nodded with interest.
"How much does he owe us, fourteen thousand credit points — enough to buy a quite expensive house downtown, right?"
"A-grade task rating, just right indeed."
The more Xiaoyou read about this Deerman's detailed profile, the less she could contain her excitement.
Her instincts told her she'd found the perfect target for debt collection.
Instead of pinning the photo back, Xiaoyou slipped it into her pocket.
This was to let others in the security department know who owned the prey.
There was still some time until 3 PM, so Xiaoyou considered and opened the Gathering page.
Watching the bubble-like screen become clearer pixel by pixel, she saw it transform into a skill card drawing interface. Xiaoyou couldn't help but wonder:
Why is her talent in this world like this? Has some Nest City created a similar game here, perhaps?
Soon, she came up with a reasonable explanation.
Spiritual Power.
In this world, people's Spiritual Power could break logic, creating bizarre beings, naturally tying to her gift profession.
To this world, she was like an Otherworldly Wandering Soul, utterly unfamiliar with its concepts before arriving.
One cannot imagine a color never before seen.
Thus, her talent — Card Maker — appeared in a way she could understand better.
Card drawing was merely the world's way to gather and create skill cards.
Upon realizing this, everything made sense, and she casually drew a ten-pack.
[The Gathering has deducted 4800 credit points, converting into 1600 gathering points.]
Xiaoyou blinked, focusing to ensure she'd read every digit correctly, then her vision went black.
The previous junk summed up didn't reach 4800 credit points. But getting one character increased the cost so sharply?
Fine, fine — as skills increase, values rise, expenses climb accordingly, huh? Though value inflation suppression makes sense, the feeling of being outright conned irks her.
Just then, a golden light flashed on the card drawing screen.
Gold appeared?