964

The middle-aged man led the two of them straight through the hall. In places with more people, they didn’t stand out as much. Although they attracted some glances along the way, they were little more than cursory looks. Mu Chen felt secretly relieved. Thankfully, they hadn’t run into those crazy people everywhere; otherwise, it truly would have been impossible to move.

“This way.”

After turning into a corridor, it became significantly quieter.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

This was obviously an office area; many of the doors were only half-open, and through the gaps, glimpses of desks and silhouettes could be seen.

The middle-aged man continued walking deeper inside without stopping.

Ling Mo turned his head to look at the other side of the corridor. From there, he could see the other buildings through the glass windows. These buildings were relatively independent but connected by corridors. After a quick glance, he noticed a concealed firing point. Upon closer inspection, he found a total of five of them.

“Each building has one, forming interlocking fire points, probably without leaving any blind spots. It’s indeed very tight security,” Ling Mo thought, memorizing their locations.

“There’s Canine Zombie patrols outside and heavy defenses inside. If you wanted to get a Zombie Puppet in from the outside, it would be very difficult…”

As Ling Mo was contemplating this, the middle-aged man stopped in front of a door, knocked, and then pushed it open.

“Team Leader Li, two people arrived today claiming to be from the Dongming branch. I had them fill out the registration form, and here they are…”

The middle-aged man said a couple of sentences inside, then turned back and called, “You can come in now.”

HR Leader’s Office… Ling Mo stared at the sign on the door, his expression a bit strange.

They really have everything covered…

The facilities here were directly taken from the Medical University, and after some cleaning, it had a bit of a corporate feel.

But the bloodstains on the walls were hard to handle. Despite being smoothed out with sandpaper, the traces could still be vaguely seen.

Inside the office, behind the only desk, sat a man in his forties, portly and flipping through the two registration forms submitted by the middle-aged man.

Hearing Ling Mo and Mu Chen enter, he merely glanced up, curtly said, “Sit down,” and then continued reading.

Ugh, a no-nonsense type…

Mu Chen’s face darkened, instantly feeling a bit worried.

People like this often take their work very seriously. Seriousness itself wasn’t a problem, but if he was also the rigid type, fooling him today might not be easy.

Better organize my thoughts and words…

Ling Mo, on the other hand, casually sat down on the sofa, glancing at Team Leader Li with a relaxed expression.

“Hmm?”

This glance actually made Ling Mo a bit surprised. This guy… doesn’t seem to be a superhuman…

If you exclude those with Enhancement abilities based on his physique, this guy’s body fat suggested otherwise-unless he specialized in beer belly enhancement…

As for someone with mental abilities…his eyes, while sharper than the average person, fell short compared to those with mental abilities.

Ling Mo discreetly extended a Tentacle. Though he didn’t directly probe, in this closed space, he could roughly observe everyone’s psychic fluctuations.

Not a mental ability user either…

“Definitely not Elemental Ability; his physical condition seems worse than the average person. Zombies crawling could outrun him, so no ability suits him… Consider how his physique should’ve changed after enduring the Cataclysm; he probably only put on this weight after reaching Niepan headquarters. Judging by his body, he’s likely an old Member…”

“Didn’t expect to see ordinary people in management roles, but it makes sense as powerful superhumans may not necessarily understand HR management,” Ling Mo thought.

The middle-aged man found a place to sit down as well, clearly having to wait until Ling Mo and Mu Chen’s identities were confirmed before he could leave.

Team Leader Li read through everything without a word, then suddenly leaned back and opened a drawer.

Seeing this action, Mu Chen quickly exchanged a glance with Ling Mo.

Sure enough, there’s a record!

In fact, Mu Chen wasn’t clear about the communication between the Dongming branch and headquarters, so he had no idea how often records were submitted. If asked, he could only insist that Ling Mo had just joined…

Every movement of Team Leader Li was painstakingly slow, making those watching him feel exhausted on his behalf. However, when it came to flipping through the files, his speed was anything but slow.

This was his personal professional proficiency, not something any Superpower could replace.

“Ahem…” Team Leader Li stopped on a particular page, cleared his throat, and then finally looked up at Ling Mo and Mu Chen.

“Level 5 Member Mu Chen, Dongming branch management personnel. Ling Ge, no record.”

He stated expressionlessly.

“What the heck?!”

Mu Chen was instantly stunned. Less than five minutes in, and he actually scanned through everything?!

Seeing the densely packed names from afar was already dizzying for Mu Chen. This guy could really read that fast?

However, it wasn’t Team Leader Li’s speed that surprised him, but the fact that he hadn’t thought this far ahead!

The middle-aged man immediately looked at Ling Mo, while Ling Mo turned to look at Mu Chen.

Since Team Leader Li had confirmed Mu Chen’s management position, it was naturally up to him to explain…

Mu Chen’s eye twitched, and he slowly turned to meet Ling Mo’s gaze.

“My word carries little weight,” Ling Mo whispered.

“…You jerk!” Mu Chen silently cursed, moving his lips without a sound, and then turned to Team Leader Li, bracing himself for explanation, “Ling Ge just joined a short while ago…”

“Then have Mr. Ai report it in next time… But you both made this trip to join headquarters, right?” As Team Leader Li spoke, his thick lips finally twitched into a rather unattractive smile, “One doesn’t join headquarters like this. After each file update, the higher-ups naturally screen it. Specialists go to each branch to bring in new Members. Dongming hadn’t met the criteria for over half a year, but one can’t just bend the rules…”

His words were polite, but the underlying message was clear: Even if you throw yourselves into our laps, we still won’t take you…

Ling Mo remained unfazed, but Mu Chen’s face burned with embarrassment.

How inadequate did he have to be to remain unchosen for so long?! He felt confident back at the branch, only to find he had consistently been in a state of rejection at headquarters!

But looking at Ling Mo, Mu Chen felt more at ease.

Compared to Ling Mo, his skills were indeed lacking.

The other two headquarters Members they encountered earlier were also no match for Ling Mo.

However, this was still the headquarters’ turf, and even Ling Mo had to tread carefully…

There might be even stronger superhumans than Ling Mo here…

Mu Chen quickly snapped his thoughts back to reality and made a show of appearing deeply pained.

Seeing Mu Chen’s sudden expression, both the middle-aged man and Team Leader Li were momentarily stunned.

Although it looked more like a stomachache, under these circumstances… it couldn’t be a hurt ego, could it?

Neither of them thought it could be something more serious, so when Mu Chen finally voiced his painstakingly crafted opening line, they both turned to stone in an instant.

“Dongming… Dongming… it’s gone…”

As he spoke, Mu Chen shook his head and then buried his face in his hands in grief, “They’re all… all dead…”

Ling Mo, who was sitting to the side, was momentarily stunned and took a full couple of seconds to react.

Whoa… Mu Chen is actually a pretty good actor!

But just then, Mu Chen subtly raised his head and, under the cover of his hands, gave Ling Mo a disdainful look before continuing to shake his head: “They’re all dead… wiped out…”

The culprit is this guy!

Just as he finished mouthing the words, he saw Ling Mo’s expression darken.

This idiot is hopeless…

After being so tense on the way here, he now decides to play around while fully immersed in his act… freeweɓnøvel.com

Seeing Ling Mo’s changing expression, Mu Chen quickly continued to cover his face. Strange, low sounds seeped from between his fingers, sounding like heavy breathing, as if he was struggling to calm his emotions.

Team Leader Li remained stunned for several long seconds before suddenly standing up, his stomach even hitting the desk, making his fat jiggle. He slammed his hand heavily on the file, “What did you say?!”

Even though Mu Chen’s performance was dramatic and emotionally charged, using the simplest words to describe the situation, Team Leader Li still found it hard to believe.

The Dongming branch gone? Everyone dead?

This is freaking impossible!

“Explain clearly!”

Team Leader Li’s face changed dramatically. He was just short of lunging at Mu Chen and grabbing him by the collar to demand answers. However, seeing Mu Chen in such a state, he had to forcibly suppress his internal shock and pressed on, “Calm down and explain the situation clearly.”

The middle-aged man also snapped back to reality. He stared at Mu Chen in disbelief and then shifted his gaze to Ling Mo.

Don’t look at me… Ling Mo quickly averted his eyes. As a recent addition, there was no need to go along with Mu Chen’s theatrics, so he simply pretended to look around at the scenery.

Mu Chen took another full minute of “deep breathing” before slowly lifting his head, revealing a face flushed bright red.

Seeing Mu Chen’s blood-rushed expression, both Team Leader Li and the middle-aged man simultaneously felt weak at the knees.

Judging by his appearance, it was likely true…

Only Ling Mo and Mu Chen knew that his flushed face was not from grief and anger, but from holding his breath…

“Take your time,” Team Leader Li hesitated for a moment and said.

“This… this is a long story,” Mu Chen replied sincerely. If he were to explain in full, it would mean detailing how they fixated on Ling Mo and began their self-destructive actions…

However, the story Mu Chen was about to tell was one he had prepared in advance. Laced with half-truths, it differed significantly from the real events but would sufficiently fool them. For any detail he couldn’t weave neatly, he would claim ignorance, and no one would suspect otherwise.

A person’s perspective is inherently limited, and they can only see so much. If he could recount the whole sequence of events without missing a beat, it might actually arouse suspicion.

The middle-aged man led the two of them straight through the hall. In places with more people, they didn’t stand out as much. Although they attracted some glances along the way, they were little more than cursory looks. Mu Chen felt secretly relieved. Thankfully, they hadn’t run into those crazy people everywhere; otherwise, it truly would have been impossible to move.

“This way.”

After turning into a corridor, it became significantly quieter.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

This was obviously an office area; many of the doors were only half-open, and through the gaps, glimpses of desks and silhouettes could be seen.

The middle-aged man continued walking deeper inside without stopping.

Ling Mo turned his head to look at the other side of the corridor. From there, he could see the other buildings through the glass windows. These buildings were relatively independent but connected by corridors. After a quick glance, he noticed a concealed firing point. Upon closer inspection, he found a total of five of them.

“Each building has one, forming interlocking fire points, probably without leaving any blind spots. It’s indeed very tight security,” Ling Mo thought, memorizing their locations.

“There’s Canine Zombie patrols outside and heavy defenses inside. If you wanted to get a Zombie Puppet in from the outside, it would be very difficult…”

As Ling Mo was contemplating this, the middle-aged man stopped in front of a door, knocked, and then pushed it open.

“Team Leader Li, two people arrived today claiming to be from the Dongming branch. I had them fill out the registration form, and here they are…”

The middle-aged man said a couple of sentences inside, then turned back and called, “You can come in now.”

HR Leader’s Office… Ling Mo stared at the sign on the door, his expression a bit strange.

They really have everything covered…

The facilities here were directly taken from the Medical University, and after some cleaning, it had a bit of a corporate feel.

But the bloodstains on the walls were hard to handle. Despite being smoothed out with sandpaper, the traces could still be vaguely seen.

Inside the office, behind the only desk, sat a man in his forties, portly and flipping through the two registration forms submitted by the middle-aged man.

Hearing Ling Mo and Mu Chen enter, he merely glanced up, curtly said, “Sit down,” and then continued reading.

Ugh, a no-nonsense type…

Mu Chen’s face darkened, instantly feeling a bit worried.

People like this often take their work very seriously. Seriousness itself wasn’t a problem, but if he was also the rigid type, fooling him today might not be easy.

Better organize my thoughts and words…

Ling Mo, on the other hand, casually sat down on the sofa, glancing at Team Leader Li with a relaxed expression.

“Hmm?”

This glance actually made Ling Mo a bit surprised. This guy… doesn’t seem to be a superhuman…

If you exclude those with Enhancement abilities based on his physique, this guy’s body fat suggested otherwise-unless he specialized in beer belly enhancement…

As for someone with mental abilities…his eyes, while sharper than the average person, fell short compared to those with mental abilities.

Ling Mo discreetly extended a Tentacle. Though he didn’t directly probe, in this closed space, he could roughly observe everyone’s psychic fluctuations.

Not a mental ability user either…

“Definitely not Elemental Ability; his physical condition seems worse than the average person. Zombies crawling could outrun him, so no ability suits him… Consider how his physique should’ve changed after enduring the Cataclysm; he probably only put on this weight after reaching Niepan headquarters. Judging by his body, he’s likely an old Member…”

“Didn’t expect to see ordinary people in management roles, but it makes sense as powerful superhumans may not necessarily understand HR management,” Ling Mo thought.

The middle-aged man found a place to sit down as well, clearly having to wait until Ling Mo and Mu Chen’s identities were confirmed before he could leave.

Team Leader Li read through everything without a word, then suddenly leaned back and opened a drawer.

Seeing this action, Mu Chen quickly exchanged a glance with Ling Mo.

Sure enough, there’s a record!

In fact, Mu Chen wasn’t clear about the communication between the Dongming branch and headquarters, so he had no idea how often records were submitted. If asked, he could only insist that Ling Mo had just joined…

Every movement of Team Leader Li was painstakingly slow, making those watching him feel exhausted on his behalf. However, when it came to flipping through the files, his speed was anything but slow.

This was his personal professional proficiency, not something any Superpower could replace.

“Ahem…” Team Leader Li stopped on a particular page, cleared his throat, and then finally looked up at Ling Mo and Mu Chen.

“Level 5 Member Mu Chen, Dongming branch management personnel. Ling Ge, no record.”

He stated expressionlessly.

“What the heck?!”

Mu Chen was instantly stunned. Less than five minutes in, and he actually scanned through everything?!

Seeing the densely packed names from afar was already dizzying for Mu Chen. This guy could really read that fast?

However, it wasn’t Team Leader Li’s speed that surprised him, but the fact that he hadn’t thought this far ahead!

The middle-aged man immediately looked at Ling Mo, while Ling Mo turned to look at Mu Chen.

Since Team Leader Li had confirmed Mu Chen’s management position, it was naturally up to him to explain…

Mu Chen’s eye twitched, and he slowly turned to meet Ling Mo’s gaze.

“My word carries little weight,” Ling Mo whispered.

“…You jerk!” Mu Chen silently cursed, moving his lips without a sound, and then turned to Team Leader Li, bracing himself for explanation, “Ling Ge just joined a short while ago…”

“Then have Mr. Ai report it in next time… But you both made this trip to join headquarters, right?” As Team Leader Li spoke, his thick lips finally twitched into a rather unattractive smile, “One doesn’t join headquarters like this. After each file update, the higher-ups naturally screen it. Specialists go to each branch to bring in new Members. Dongming hadn’t met the criteria for over half a year, but one can’t just bend the rules…”

His words were polite, but the underlying message was clear: Even if you throw yourselves into our laps, we still won’t take you…

Ling Mo remained unfazed, but Mu Chen’s face burned with embarrassment.

How inadequate did he have to be to remain unchosen for so long?! He felt confident back at the branch, only to find he had consistently been in a state of rejection at headquarters!

But looking at Ling Mo, Mu Chen felt more at ease.

Compared to Ling Mo, his skills were indeed lacking.

The other two headquarters Members they encountered earlier were also no match for Ling Mo.

However, this was still the headquarters’ turf, and even Ling Mo had to tread carefully…

There might be even stronger superhumans than Ling Mo here…

Mu Chen quickly snapped his thoughts back to reality and made a show of appearing deeply pained.

Seeing Mu Chen’s sudden expression, both the middle-aged man and Team Leader Li were momentarily stunned.

Although it looked more like a stomachache, under these circumstances… it couldn’t be a hurt ego, could it?

Neither of them thought it could be something more serious, so when Mu Chen finally voiced his painstakingly crafted opening line, they both turned to stone in an instant.

“Dongming… Dongming… it’s gone…”

As he spoke, Mu Chen shook his head and then buried his face in his hands in grief, “They’re all… all dead…”

Ling Mo, who was sitting to the side, was momentarily stunned and took a full couple of seconds to react.

Whoa… Mu Chen is actually a pretty good actor!

But just then, Mu Chen subtly raised his head and, under the cover of his hands, gave Ling Mo a disdainful look before continuing to shake his head: “They’re all dead… wiped out…”

The culprit is this guy!

Just as he finished mouthing the words, he saw Ling Mo’s expression darken.

This idiot is hopeless…

After being so tense on the way here, he now decides to play around while fully immersed in his act… freeweɓnøvel.com

Seeing Ling Mo’s changing expression, Mu Chen quickly continued to cover his face. Strange, low sounds seeped from between his fingers, sounding like heavy breathing, as if he was struggling to calm his emotions.

Team Leader Li remained stunned for several long seconds before suddenly standing up, his stomach even hitting the desk, making his fat jiggle. He slammed his hand heavily on the file, “What did you say?!”

Even though Mu Chen’s performance was dramatic and emotionally charged, using the simplest words to describe the situation, Team Leader Li still found it hard to believe.

The Dongming branch gone? Everyone dead?

This is freaking impossible!

“Explain clearly!”

Team Leader Li’s face changed dramatically. He was just short of lunging at Mu Chen and grabbing him by the collar to demand answers. However, seeing Mu Chen in such a state, he had to forcibly suppress his internal shock and pressed on, “Calm down and explain the situation clearly.”

The middle-aged man also snapped back to reality. He stared at Mu Chen in disbelief and then shifted his gaze to Ling Mo.

Don’t look at me… Ling Mo quickly averted his eyes. As a recent addition, there was no need to go along with Mu Chen’s theatrics, so he simply pretended to look around at the scenery.

Mu Chen took another full minute of “deep breathing” before slowly lifting his head, revealing a face flushed bright red.

Seeing Mu Chen’s blood-rushed expression, both Team Leader Li and the middle-aged man simultaneously felt weak at the knees.

Judging by his appearance, it was likely true…

Only Ling Mo and Mu Chen knew that his flushed face was not from grief and anger, but from holding his breath…

“Take your time,” Team Leader Li hesitated for a moment and said.

“This… this is a long story,” Mu Chen replied sincerely. If he were to explain in full, it would mean detailing how they fixated on Ling Mo and began their self-destructive actions…

However, the story Mu Chen was about to tell was one he had prepared in advance. Laced with half-truths, it differed significantly from the real events but would sufficiently fool them. For any detail he couldn’t weave neatly, he would claim ignorance, and no one would suspect otherwise.

A person’s perspective is inherently limited, and they can only see so much. If he could recount the whole sequence of events without missing a beat, it might actually arouse suspicion.