“You think you can do anything to me if I don’t tell you? If you’ve got the guts, figure it out yourself!”
Pressed down by the shoulders, Night Owl struggled to break free, but found it impossible. Damn it… Why is this guy so strong?
“Figure it out? Fine, let me guess… Did you side with some officer, made a deal to have him reserve this Black Glove position for you?”
Lu Liang said mockingly.
“You… How did you know?”
Night Owl looked at Lu Liang as if he’d seen a ghost.
He only told Lu Liang to guess—who knew he’d actually get it right!
Lu Liang secretly scoffed; it was obvious—because Lin Deqing had done the same to him.
“Hmph! So what if you figured it out? What’s done is done, nothing you do can change it. When the time comes, we’ll settle both old and new scores.”
Night Owl spat on the ground in secret, consoling himself that this guy wouldn’t be cocky for much longer anyway. Let him show off while he still can. Once he got the official endorsement, even that clueless high school girl would be paid back with interest!
Night Owl sneered coldly:
“Unhappy? Too bad, suck it up. This is the Police Affairs Department! I don’t think you dare cause a scene here!”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Lu Liang smiled meaningfully:
“Anyone can get recruited here—except you.”
“Name.”
“Hello, sirs, my name is Lu Ansheng.”
Lu Ansheng sat nervously in the office chair, handing over his brief introduction:
“This is my personal resume, please take a look, sirs.”
The moment he spoke, Lu Ansheng immediately felt embarrassed.
Was he an idiot? Sitting here like this, where was the imposing aura of the self-proclaimed boss of North Alley Street?
Judging by the looks on the leaders of the Police Affairs Department, they clearly didn’t take him seriously. They didn’t even bother to look at his resume, tossing it aside with the pile of other resumes as if discarding scrap paper!
At that moment, Lu Ansheng felt like he was nothing more than a bland, unremarkable piece of trash—just like his resume.
Disappointment, sorrow, and regret surged in his heart, but determined to get ahead, Lu Ansheng braced himself and said:
“Please wait, sirs, I truly and sincerely wish to work with you!”
He slapped the table, pleading in a humble tone:
“Please, sirs, give me a chance!”
“Huh? Work with us? Mind your words, Scavenger.” Vice Director He Anpai sneered coldly:
“What do you think you are, some stray dog? You think you’re worthy of talking cooperation with us? If you came to apply, then act like it. That’s what annoys me about you lowlifes—no sense of rules at all. Cooperation? Just saying that is a disgrace to our Guard Service. If you want an opportunity, get your attitude straight first.”
He Anpai truly wanted to end the interview early. His trusted aide Night Owl had already gone through the interview.
According to He Anpai’s instructions, Night Owl degraded himself as much as possible from the start, calling himself a lapdog to curry favor with the Director.
Such lowly posturing—He Anpai believed no applicant after could do better.
All he needed was to put in a good word for Night Owl before the Director, go through the motions, and he could naturally place his trusted Night Owl in the Black Glove position.
As for the rest, interviewing them was just a waste of time.
“Yes, yes, I’m sorry, sir, I was out of line…”
Frightened by He Anpai’s rebuke, Lu Ansheng’s face turned even paler, and he almost gave up. Just as he was about to back out, another Vice Director, Lin Deqing, stepped in to help:
“Alright, that’s enough, don’t scare the young man. What he said isn’t wrong; if he really gets chosen, wouldn’t he be working with us?”
“Oh? Dezi, you really want to work with these Scavengers? You’re not afraid they’ll taint us?”
He Anpai looked at Lin Deqing in surprise, wondering why he’d suddenly say something nice for a stranger Scavenger. Based on his character, he didn’t seem the helpful type.
What He Anpai didn’t know was that Lin Deqing was buying time for Lu Liang. Ever since he learned that He Anpai’s chosen confidant was Night Owl—his enemy—Lin Deqing made a decision: he absolutely could not let Night Owl become Black Glove!
Otherwise, with a Black Glove controlling the underground and a Vice Director in charge on the surface, the two joined forces and Lin Deqing’s seat would be lost before he even warmed it!
On the other hand, though he didn’t know what Lin Deqing was up to, He Anpai stuck to the principle of “oppose whatever the rival supports” and was about to retort—when suddenly—
“That’s enough, both of you. Business first.”
Seated between Lin Deqing and He Anpai, the Director of the Police Affairs Department halted their argument, gesturing for Lu Ansheng to continue.
With a wave of the Director’s hand, both Lin Deqing and He Anpai fell quiet. No matter their personal disagreements, the Director was in charge of this city’s Police Affairs Department. A Vice Director daring to contradict the Director… would not last long.
The interview continued. The Director spoke expressionlessly:
“Young man, I’ll ask you a few questions to see if fate brought us together… First, tell me how many people are in your family and what work they do.”
“Sir, we have four in our family—my dad, my mom, me, and my little brother.”
Though he found it odd that a job interview would ask such questions, Lu Ansheng answered honestly:
“My dad’s a worker, my mom works at an electronics factory, and my brother just started elementary school this year. Our salaries are enough to be self-sufficient. Sir, you can rest assured—even if I’m not a great person, my family’s political background is absolutely clean.”
Lu Ansheng thought the Director was asking about his family’s political and economic status, so he made sure to answer well.
“Hmm.”
The Director nodded without showing any emotion, then asked:
“Second question—have you ever been in a fight since you were a kid?”
Fighting was a way to assess whether the applicant had the ability to eliminate other Scavengers.
Working in the Scavenger profession meant living on the edge—licking blood from knives, rolling in piles of corpses. No one knew if they would die tomorrow from the aftermath of a battle between a Monster and a Magical Girl. So unless there were special circumstances, those in this field were desperate people, often unstable elements.
And to eliminate other Scavengers as Black Glove, you had to be ruthless and capable.
Those cowards who didn’t even dare get into a fight could never handle such a job.
“Sir, I’m the boss of North Alley Street… I mean, I’ve fought with others in the sewers there. At the time, I was fighting over a Monster’s remains, and several people came at me with knives…”
Understanding the logic, Lu Ansheng hurriedly rolled up his sleeve and pointed at several scars on his arm:
“Here, here, and here.”
“Did you win?”
But the Director didn’t even lift his eyelids to look at those wounds, interrupting Lu Ansheng flatly.
“Uh.” Lu Ansheng paused, then muttered:
“No… There were several people slashing at me. Escaping alive was already impressive. Someone who can fight and win against several opponents… how could that exist?”
Lu Ansheng tried to defend himself, but the Director wasn’t interested in excuses. Seeing that Lu Ansheng hadn’t won, he immediately asked the next question:
“Last question—if you are fortunate enough to work with us, how would you handle your relationship with our department?”
This was a crucial question, and Lu Ansheng had rehearsed it in his mind before entering the office. So he answered without hesitation:
“I will resolutely obey your orders! If your department tells me to go east, I will never go west. If your department tells me to go south, I will never go north!”
Having recited his prepared line, Lu Ansheng asked nervously:
“Sir, what do you think?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Still in the same bland tone, the Director nodded:
“The interview is over. Go out and wait for the results.”
“Yes.”
Lu Ansheng nodded in response. Although the Director’s reply wasn’t bad, for some reason, Lu Ansheng had a strong feeling he’d been rejected, leaving his heart empty.
After he left, the Director turned and said expressionlessly:
“These Scavengers—none of them seem up to my standards.”
“Huh?” He Anpai was startled and hurriedly said:
“Director, I think that Night Owl fellow is pretty good. He’s ruthless, brave, and even called himself our lapdog. I think he’s perfect for the job!”
“Hmm.” The Director nodded:
“He’s alright. Too bad.”
The Director suddenly sighed:
“If only, Xiao He, you didn’t speak so much on his behalf, it’d be even better.”
“Huh? Director… I…”
He Anpai’s face turned pale, his heart pounding. Had the Director discovered his attempt to get his confidant the Black Glove post? Would this make the Director think he was overreaching? To avoid offending the Director, should he make Night Owl withdraw from the interview?
Yet the Director’s next words were like a calming tonic, instantly steadying He Anpai’s nerves:
“Alright, don’t be nervous. We’re all on the same side here. This job is about talent. If the one you favor is capable, why not let him be Black Glove? But you… Dezi.”
The Director grinned, revealing a smile as stiff as paralysis:
“Don’t you have anyone to ‘recommend’? Don’t tell me that guy just now was your best bet.”
“I… Of course not.”
Mentioned by name, Lin Deqing’s face also grew ugly. He could tell the Director was hinting at him.
“Oh, not him? So that means you do have someone.” The Director shook his head:
“Xiao He has already shown his ace, Dezi, you call your man out too. Whether it’s a mule or a horse, let’s take it out for a walk.”
“This…”
Lin Deqing’s face turned grim. He wanted to call his man out, but the problem was—he didn’t know if Wang Er had arrived yet!
Just as Lin Deqing was at a loss, a police officer rushed over in a panic:
“Something’s wrong! Sirs! The Scavengers are fighting!”
Fighting? At this critical moment?
Hearing this, both Lin Deqing and He Anpai lost their composure. Only the Director remained calm:
“Oh? Fighting? Who started it? How’s it going?”
“It was a Scavenger named Lu Liang!”
The officer panted:
“For some reason, he suddenly punched a Scavenger named Night Owl, and pulled the other bystanders in too. He even won! Hey! I gotta say, I’ve never seen someone take on dozens of people at once—he’s the fiercest I’ve ever seen!”
“Lu Liang.”
All the officers present silently repeated the name Lu Liang, but none of them knew who he was.
Who was this Lu Liang, and where had he come from?
After a moment’s thought, the Director turned to the officer:
“Take me to see.”
“Yes, sir!”