Chapter 24: Well Done

“Everyone stop! The Director is here, no more fighting!”

Upon entering the Reception Room, He Anpai habitually shouted, but when he saw the scene, he realized his actions were unnecessary.

Inside the Reception Room, a group brawl had already ended.

The rows of Yellow-hairs, Gangsters, Degenerates, and Assassins were all lying on the ground, clutching their stomachs with twitching expressions.

Judging by their looks, someone had beaten them down, but the attacker had shown restraint, only robbing them of their ability to move.

When He Anpai saw Night Owl sprawled on the ground like a pile of rotten mud, he felt a sense of foreboding.

How did even he get taken down?

Seeing his personally appointed trusted aide being humiliated so badly in front of Leadership, He Anpai was both anxious and angry.

An unnamed fire of rage surged up in his heart as he looked at the only Scavenger in the room who remained perfectly unharmed—

He was a young man, good-looking, with an unruly, defiant smile on his face that gave off a bit of a ruffian vibe.

According to the Police Affairs Department staff’s earlier introduction, his surname was Lu, given name Liang. The thugs and bullies lying on the ground were all his handiwork.

Damn it, you dare touch my people?

“What are you all standing around for? This man dares to throw hands inside the Police Affairs Department—he has no respect for law or order! You all can’t just eat the taxpayers’ money and do nothing—arrest him for me!”

He Anpai’s cold words snapped the onlooking police staff back to their senses. Grabbing self-defense gear, they surrounded Lu Liang tightly.

“Stop!”

In a moment of urgency, Lin Deqing called everyone to a halt. His expression was complicated, his mood gloomy, a bitter mix of emotions in his heart.

There was currently good news and bad news facing Lin Deqing.

The good news was that Wang Er had finally arrived as he had long hoped for. This kid never made a move, but when he did, he shocked everyone.

The bad news was, why did Wang Er immediately pull off such a huge stunt upon arriving? Fighting right in front of Leadership—did he have any idea what that meant?

Also, why was he called Lu Liang? Wasn’t his name Wang Er?

Since they shared a rather shady relationship, Lin Deqing could only try to help out:

“Deputy Director He, let’s not make this a big deal. This is a Recruitment Fair, and Leadership already said we only judge by ability. If this man can take down so many Scavengers, doesn’t that prove his strength?”

“Delinzi… what kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

He Anpai’s eyes went wide. He hadn’t expected Lin Deqing to suddenly defend a Scavenger.

His suspicious gaze flickered between Lin Deqing and Lu Liang, inwardly guessing at the relationship between the two.

“Fighting inside the Police Affairs Department not only embarrasses us, but also makes the Director lose face! If word gets out, people will think the Police Affairs Department is a joke. He must be punished severely!”

“Enough! Both of you, quiet!”

The Director of the Police Affairs Department halted the argument. He fixed his eyes on Lu Liang, quietly observing his demeanor.

This young man had no visible injuries, his clothes weren’t even wrinkled, and he wasn’t even breathing hard.

That meant the fight just now hadn’t even been a warm-up for him?

This is… a young man very skilled at fighting.

The Director, who had once worked on the front lines as a police officer, subconsciously began to assess Lu Liang. Squinting, he asked,

“Speak up, young man—why did you start a fight?”

“He said something I didn’t like, so I hit him.”

Lu Liang glanced at Night Owl lying on the ground and replied.

“That’s it?”

The Director raised an eyebrow. Several subordinates who knew his style were already waiting behind Lu Liang, ready to pounce and take him down at a nod from the Director.

“Of course, that’s not all.” Lu Liang noticed the people moving behind him, but his face remained calm as water.

“He also admitted to currying favor with a certain leader and said he’d already been preselected as Black Glove. I think he’s slandering the Police Affairs Department. How could such a just and public-minded department allow backdoor dealings? Director, don’t you agree?”

The Director frowned slightly after hearing this. Instinctively, he glanced at Deputy Director He Anpai beside him and found He Anpai’s gaze shifty.

The Director sighed inwardly.

Is this young man threatening me? If I arrest Lu Liang on the spot, won’t that just confirm the rumors of ‘backdoor dealings’ in the Police Affairs Department? With so many people around, word will spread and harm the department’s reputation.

Of course, the Director considered himself above caring for such empty reputation. He always did things with a clear conscience. The problem was, he had seen that Night Owl really did have a connection with his subordinate He Anpai!

Now this was awkward.

This young man must have noticed this, and so he was pressing his advantage.

This is… a cunning young man.

The Director made his second assessment of Lu Liang.

“And what about these others? Did they also do something to offend you?”

The Director pointed at the other Applicants lying on the floor.

“Not really, but aren’t Applicants supposed to be competitors? The Black Glove position is so popular, and I don’t have as much experience in the Cleaner Profession as the others. I was worried I wouldn’t measure up, so I had to come up with some way to outcompete them.”

Come up with a way to outcompete them? Physically, huh!

The Director laughed.

He could barely keep from laughing.

“So, you’re actually quite motivated.”

The Director thought for a moment, then said to Lu Liang,

“Come with me, since you’re so eager to improve yourself, I’ll interview you first and see if you’re qualified for the job.”

“Director!”

He Anpai tugged at the Director’s sleeve, quietly reminding,

“He beat people inside the Police Affairs Department, shouldn’t you deal with him?”

“If this young man fails the interview, it’s not too late to deal with him then.” The Director smiled calmly and waved to Lu Liang.

“Clean up the scene, everyone. Young man, follow me.”

Lu Liang followed along at an unhurried pace.

They arrived at the Director’s office.

The Director sat down in his genuine leather chair and was just about to tell Lu Liang to have a seat, when he realized Lu Liang had already made himself comfortable in a chair.

“Heh, you’re certainly at ease.”

The Director’s face twitched as he spoke.

“Should I be nervous?”

Lu Liang replied with a question.

“No need, this is good.”

The Director waved his hand.

Lu Liang’s attitude gave the Director, who was used to subordinates’ deference, a rare sense of novelty.

The Director took a pack of cigarettes out of a drawer, lit one up, then took out another and looked at Lu Liang:

“Want one?”

“No thanks, I don’t smoke.”

Lu Liang waved his hand to refuse.

“Oh?” The Director was a bit surprised, but didn’t ask further about why Lu Liang didn’t smoke.

He lit up, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled ring after ring of white smoke before speaking,

“My surname is Chen. Young man, you can call me Director Chen. Next, I’ll ask you a few questions to see if you meet the requirements. First question—what’s your family situation?”

Usually, when gang members were asked this question, they would answer from the perspective of a Cleaner, thinking the interviewer cared about the Applicant’s financial background, so they would exaggerate their wealth.

This was exactly why Director Chen disliked those Applicants—because most of them tripped up on their very first answer.

When it was Lu Liang’s turn, he pondered for a moment and instantly understood what Director Chen wanted to hear. He then spoke without reservation, even adding a bit more misery to his situation:

“My parents are both deceased. I have a younger sister who’s about to get into Magical Girl High School. The tuition is a hundred thousand yuan per semester. We still have unpaid car and housing loans, and a pile of trash stocks that just keep losing money.”

Upon hearing this, even Director Chen, who had seen it all and never lost his composure, was stunned for a moment.

Then, Director Chen’s lips moved, and he trembled slightly as he uttered two words:

“Amitabha.”