Zhou Chen turned the handle, pushed the door open, and walked into the office with a shy smile. He secretly sized up the young woman sitting in the office chair.
Dressed in a sharp women's suit, she was a beautiful girl with an extraordinary air, but her expressionless face gave off a sense of calm that bordered on coldness.
Jiang Che looked up from the documents she was reviewing.
"It's you."
She immediately closed the document folder, opened a drawer, and took out a bound contract, placing it on the desk.
"This is the contract I've drafted. Let me know if you want to make any changes."
'She's being awfully direct…' Filled with confusion, Zhou Chen picked up the contract. A line of bold, red text stood out on the first page:
—"Special Operations Team Employment Agreement"!
He opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. He wanted to ask something, but in the end, he held his tongue. He pulled a chair over, sat down, and began flipping through the contract, page by page.
And his expression grew increasingly grave.
Finally, he took a deep breath and looked at the young woman before him with a serious expression.
"Do you really… have a way to repair my Soul?"
Jiang Che nodded calmly. "Isn't it stated very clearly in the contract? You work for me, and I provide you with a safe, reliable method to repair your Soul, one that will cause no harm or side effects."
Zhou Chen took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself. He stared at the contract and mused for a long time. "Why me?"
"Your Ability is special and you have a lot of potential. If developed properly, you'll be of great use."
Jiang Che said bluntly, "Secondly, I'm new here and need subordinates with clean records. I've reviewed the files of many Ascenders, and all things considered, you're the best fit for my requirements."
"So what's the price? Is it really as simple as just working for you?"
"Let me warn you first, working for me won't be simple."
Jiang Che calmly reminded him, "The missions you'll be carrying out from now on will all involve Extraordinary Power. The slightest mistake could be fatal. Of course, I won't assign you tasks beyond your capabilities, but who can predict unexpected situations?
Take, for example… the intern mission you carried out not long ago."
Zhou Chen fell silent, his mind involuntarily drifting back to that incredibly brutal operation.
It was supposed to be a simple intern evaluation, but they had unexpectedly encountered a High Level Corrupter. In the end, he was the only one who survived.
That's just how the World is. You never know whether disaster or tomorrow will come first.
That's true for ordinary people, let alone the Special Operations Team that deals with Extraordinary incidents every day. The probability of encountering an accident is by no means low; every mission could be a one-way trip.
"Think it over carefully. You can choose not to sign, but I can assure you that besides me, no one can offer you a way to repair your Soul in the short term."
Jiang Che sipped her coffee calmly.
Waiting quietly.
Not a hint of impatience.
Zhou Chen flipped through the contract page by page, as if trying to memorize every word, lost in thought.
Jiang Che had been direct from the very beginning, treating it like a transaction: I give you a way to save your life, and you work for me.
There were no pleasantries or manipulative tactics—no sweet talk, no threats, no mix of carrot and stick. It was just a straightforward transaction.
So straightforward that it was… impossible to refuse.
Honestly, Zhou Chen didn't have to sign this contract. He had the Wish Bottle. As long as he accumulated enough wish value, he could wish for his Soul to be repaired.
'But… is it really that easy to accumulate such a huge amount of wish value?'
His elementary school teachers had taught him that a wise person doesn't put all their eggs in one basket, nor do they hang themselves from a single tree.
By the same logic, a dying man wouldn't try only one way to save his life.
After careful consideration, Zhou Chen had made his choice.
"I can sign the contract, but can the compensation be increased a little?"
…
After a round of haggling, Zhou Chen successfully negotiated better compensation for himself.
Compared to his intern salary of three thousand a month, his base salary alone had now soared to fifty thousand.
On top of that, there was a mission stipend starting at fifty thousand.
In addition, there was a top-tier benefits package, including meal allowances, bonuses, medical coverage, housing subsidies… and all sorts of other employee perks.
As for the generous year-end bonus… well, he'd have to survive long enough to see it.
After checking the contract several times and confirming there were no other issues, Zhou Chen signed his name.
Immediately, a speck of Star Dust appeared in the Wish Bottle.
'Looks like she really wants me… Am I that sought-after?' Zhou Chen glanced at the placid Jiang Che and handed the contract over.
It made sense. If he really was the best fit for her requirements, as Jiang Che had said, then she certainly wouldn't let him go.
It was just like a corporate HR recruiter; if you find the optimal candidate, you naturally hire the optimal candidate.
Then, he looked at the Wish Bottle in his mind.
He had now accumulated a total of ten specks of Star Dust, large and small, inside the bottle.
Aside from the wish value he had collected from that group of researchers before, he hadn't collected a single bit since. After all, he'd been cooped up training in the underground research department, surrounded by a bunch of research-obsessed shut-ins whose wishes were not exactly easy to grant.
Now that he was out, he never expected the first speck of Star Dust he'd earn would come from his new boss.
A few minutes later, Jiang Che signed the contract, stamped it with the official seal of the Star Association, and pressed a call button. A staff member quickly knocked and entered to take the contract away.
After the staff member left, Jiang Che took an ID card from the top drawer.
"Well then, from now on, you are my subordinate and a probationary Operator for the Special Operations Team."
Zhou Chen took the ID card. It seemed to be made of some kind of alloy; it was heavy and didn't feel like it would break easily.
He put the ID card away and asked, "The contract is signed. Can you tell me the method to repair my Soul now?"
Jiang Che opened the document she had been reading earlier. "Do you remember your last intern mission?"
"Capturing a group of smugglers?"
"Those smugglers were actually a fifth-tier subordinate branch of a smuggling team called 'Xi Feng' in Jinzhu City."
She flipped the document to a specific page and handed it to Zhou Chen.
"'Xi Feng' is an illegal organization that smuggles goods across the globe. Their main business is acquiring Extraordinary Items from various Restricted Areas by any means necessary, then smuggling them around the World for profit."
"According to intel from the intelligence department, fifteen days ago, a Xi Feng smuggling squad returned fully loaded from Zone 149 and also stole a precious Star Mango.
That shipment is now in Jinzhu. As long as we find Xi Feng's smuggling den in Jinzhu, we'll be able to find that Star Mango."
Zhou Chen carefully read through the document. The information recorded inside was extremely detailed, so he quickly understood what Zone 149 and the Star Mango were.