Monday.
Morning, 8:00 AM.
Walking to the West City Branch office to report for duty, Johny Lee enjoyed the cool, crisp morning air.
However, he felt a twinge of embarrassment when he recalled the ambitious long-term goal he had impulsively set a couple of days ago.
He had barely stepped through the door of a government agency, yet he was already fantasizing about joining the National High Council?
If his mother or his college classmates knew, they would laugh him to death. However, Johny did not give up on that unrealistic idea; deep down, he genuinely intended to achieve it, step by step.
West City District, Violet Road
West side of the intersection
Checking his watch, Johny saw it was only 8:20 AM. There was still plenty of time before the 9:00 AM reporting deadline.
He bought a savory breakfast crepe from a street vendor and stood sheltered from the wind in front of a closed bookstore to eat. Johny was quite familiar with this area; the 15th High School, where he took the written exam, was just down the alley ahead. Across the street was the City Hospital parking lot, and further east was Willow Park.
Just as he finished his crepe, a bus pulled into the stop across the street.
A figure with an extremely high head-turn rate stepped out of the back door.
It was a heavyweight young man, standing about 6'3" (1.9 meters) and weighing easily over 220 pounds (100kg).
He looked about the same age as Johny. He had a barrel chest, a thick neck, and a face full of tough-looking flesh that made him look undeniably intimidating.
Several office workers nearby treated him like a thug, instinctively steering clear of his path.
After getting off the bus, the tall, heavy, and strong young man looked left and right, then walked straight toward Johny with his tree-trunk legs.
Just as Johny tightened his grip, thinking he was about to be mugged in broad daylight, the giant suddenly squatted down on the steps about a meter away.
He reached out a massive hand and gently touched a dirty stray cat curled up in the corner by the bookstore's iron gate.
He used a thick finger to scratch the little cat's neck.
The cat comfortably narrowed its eyes, let out a soft meow, and then lowered its little head to lick the giant's hand.
"Are you hungry?"
The giant's voice was unusually gentle a soft rumble. "What do you want to eat? Shall I buy it for you, little buddy?"
The cat meowed again, pawing at his knee with its little claws.
The giant cooed soothingly. He quickly stood up, went to the small convenience store nearby, and bought a snack sausage. He peeled the wrapper with surprising delicacy and fed it to the cat.
"Little darling, eat slowly....Don't choke."
His actions and words were in stark contrast to his fierce, thug-like appearance.
It made Johny feel a little guilty for judging him. This person was surprisingly kind-hearted.
Johny killed some more time until it was finally 8:50 AM.
He brushed past the giant, crossed the street, and walked toward a rusted iron gate covered in verdigris.
Inside the courtyard stood two dilapidated buildings from the 1970s. The iron gate was tightly shut, with only a small pedestrian opening next to a guardhouse.
Several people pushing bicycles were walking in one after another.
Johny felt like he had gone to the wrong place. It was too different from the slick, modern government office he had imagined. There wasn't even a uniformed guard standing at attention.
Rather than a State Security intelligence agency, it looked more like the workshop of a failing factory.
The area in front of the gate was bare, with no signboards hanging anywhere.
Johny blinked, tentatively following a middle-aged man pushing an old bicycle inside.
"Hey, you! Wait!"
An old man poked his head out of the guardhouse window and frowned.
"Who are you looking for?"
Johny quickly straightened up. "Is this the West City Branch of the State Security Bureau? I passed the civil service exam this year, and the Political Department told me to report here at nine o'clock. My name is Johny Lee."
The old guard said "Oh," picked up a landline phone, and made a quick call. After about ten seconds, he put down the phone, nodded at Johny, and handed him a registration clipboard.
"Sign here and go in.The Political Department is on the second floor of that gray building in the southeast, at the very end of the corridor. Just go straight there; don't wander around."
"Okay, thank you."
"You're welcome."
The atmosphere in the courtyard seemed different from typical government agencies. Usually, people in the capital were chatty, asking trivial questions like "Have you eaten?" or "How's the family?" when they met.
But here, when colleagues passed each other, they just nodded silently.
At most, they would mutter "Director" or "Chief" when they saw a superior, but they rarely said a word more.
The Gray Building
Second-floor corridor
Johny saw the sign for the Political Department on the wall, but there were several small offices inside that wing, and he didn't know which one to enter.
As he hesitated, he heard heavy footsteps behind him.
He turned around, and to his surprise, it was the giant he had met at the bus stop earlier.
Was he also from the State Security Bureau?
"Excuse me," Johny inquired.
"I'm reporting as a new civil servant. Could you please tell me which office I should go to?"
The giant was startled and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm also here to report. I'm looking for the place too."
Johny said, "Oh," and paused.
They both fell silent. Johny keenly felt that neither of them seemed to be very talkative. He cleared his throat and broke the ice. "Um, right. My name is Johny Lee."
The giant smiled honestly, his face transforming from scary to friendly.
"My name is Samson. I just graduated from university. My dorm mates used to call me 'Moose' because of my size."
After shaking hands and exchanging a few simple pleasantries, they walked into an office nearby together.
As it turned out, they had found the right place. A staff member in plain clothes told them to sit and wait. Only after a middle-aged man who introduced himself as the Deputy Director of the Political Department entered the room did they start processing their paperwork.
More than an hour passed.
The Deputy Director took a sip of tea. "That's roughly it. The department you're both assigned to is the General Office. I heard they're quite short-handed recently. You can get familiar with the environment today and start working officially tomorrow."
He paused, glancing at their clothes.
"As for police uniforms, they'll be issued to you once they're tailor-made. Anyway, we barely use the State Security uniforms here, except for attending important meetings at the Municipal Bureau, so it's not urgent."
With that, he signaled the staff member to take Johny and Samson to "get acquainted with the place."
The General Office was on the first floor. It was a large room partitioned into small cubicles with eight or nine desks.
As soon as the staff member from the Political Department entered the room, he announced,
"New people are here.They are both recent college graduates. Everyone, meet them.
This is Johny Lee, and this is Samson."
Johny felt that first impressions were crucial, so he immediately bowed slightly.
"I'm new here and don't know the ropes yet.
Please give me guidance in the future."
Samson saw this and quickly added awkwardly, "Me too. Please, everyone, give me guidance."
Several people inside looked them up and down.
One girl among them smiled brightly.
"Don't be so formal! Once you're in the office, we're all family."
The staff member from the Political Department then pointed to the five or six people in the office, introducing them to Johny and Samson.
"Director Zane went to see a doctor, right? He doesn't seem to be here. Okay, let me introduce you."
He pointed around the room.
"That is Tammy, over there is Old Quinn, Paul, Jack, and Jane..."
Authors Note:-
Well that's the 16 th chapter.
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