Nianxie Ability User.
They can capture details at a crime scene that ordinary people would never notice by combining the environment and evidence, using their special ability to reproduce everything perfectly on paper.
Ability users who possess [Psychography] are the most perfect detectives.
That’s why most Nianxie Ability Users ultimately end up joining the Demon Investigation Bureau as agents, and some even become special agents of the National Bureau of Mysteries.
Nianxie Ability Users are extremely rare. Once their ability awakens, the Demon Investigation Bureau will show up at their door the very next day, forcibly enrolling them, training them from a young age, and recruiting them into the Bureau upon graduation.
As for how high you can climb? That depends on the strength of your Psychography ability.
Maybe that’s why Sun Xiaohui has no friends. No student wants to get involved with the Demon Investigation Bureau, and even less wants to provoke them.
But what exactly is this [Demon Investigation Bureau] that’s been mentioned from the very beginning?
It’s a government armed organization responsible for handling supernatural incidents among the public.
Any vicious incident that ordinary people can’t comprehend is handled by them. It’s an organization that all normal people avoid, let alone join.
Demon Suppression Agent—always ranked number one on the list of deadliest professions.
But this job is high-risk, high-reward, and every year, plenty of people fight tooth and nail to get in.
Of course, none of these people would be considered “normal” by most standards.
“I really don’t want to join the Demon Investigation Bureau…” Sun Xiaohui whispered.
“If you think that way, it proves you’re a normal person.” Xu Bei replied.
He packed up his empty meal box and drink bottle into a plastic bag, glancing left and right as if looking for something.
“Xu-ge, your wallet and phone are over here.”
Sun Xiaohui knew what he was looking for, so she turned and fetched the wallet and phone from the bookshelf.
Xu Bei took his wallet, which contained all his belongings.
He asked, “Did you look through what’s inside?”
“No.” Sun Xiaohui shook her head quickly.
“You’ve got good character.” Xu Bei opened his waist pouch and checked; sure enough, his things hadn’t been touched.
Inside the worn wallet was a brand-new Government Certified Harmless Demon Legal ID Card and his bankbook.
“I’m borrowing the bathroom.” Xu Bei picked up his wallet and slowly stood up.
“Xu-ge, this is for you. I bought a set of loungewear for men.” Sun Xiaohui handed him a square, high-end plastic bag.
Xu Bei took the bag and went to the bathroom.
Facing the mirror in the bathroom, he saw his own face looking utterly worn out. Besides the heavy dark circles under his eyes, the most striking thing was the vermilion mark between his eyebrows.
He took out a KO patch and stuck it on his forehead, covering the vermilion.
Xu Bei took off his wrinkled bartender uniform, opened the large bag, and put on the set of casual men’s clothes.
He picked up the scissors in the bathroom and cut his long golden hair short at the nape of his neck.
Leaving the bathroom, he stepped out of the small apartment and into the corridor outside.
Going down the stairs, Xu Bei tossed the plastic bag full of his hair into the trash can.
Just a second ago, he was a dazzling, golden-haired, suit-wearing head bartender. Now, he’d become a rather alternative-looking young man.
Only now did Xu Bei take a closer look at the house he’d been taken in to.
It was a two-story, eight-unit rental building, with a big sign at the entrance: [Restart Tower].
“What kind of ‘tower’ is this?”
It was a single-room building rented out specifically to students.
Other than being cheap, it had no redeeming features; security was a complete mess.
There were few people around, it was remote, far from the bustling city center, but very close to the chaotic [Meteor Street] next door.
So-called Meteor Street was the red-light district—a huge slum and marginalized community where all the dregs, toughs, criminals, and people who couldn’t fit into civilized society gathered.
He himself had come from Meteor Street, where he’d worked at a secret bar.
He was also a misfit who couldn’t integrate into civilized society.
But now, coming to the edge of civilization like this—maybe that counted as progress?
“Hmph.” Xu Bei snorted coldly and returned to the rental unit.
He saw Sun Xiaohui secretly peeking from the doorway, and when she saw him come back, she quickly darted away.
Xu Bei pretended not to notice and pushed the door open to go in.
Sun Xiaohui was already sitting back at the small dining table.
“Xu-ge, why did you cut your hair?” she asked, feigning surprise, her acting obviously exaggerated.
“I’m turning over a new leaf, saying farewell to my past.” Xu Bei sat cross-legged in front of her, feeling completely at ease.
“Turning over a new leaf? Xu-ge, what did you do before?” Sun Xiaohui asked again.
“Didn’t I tell you? I used to work in women’s psychological counseling.” Xu Bei replied.
“You should have let me cut your hair. Now it looks like it was chewed by a dog.” Sun Xiaohui complained.
“Uh, my bad.” Xu Bei apologized.
“Bang~ Bang~ Bang~” Suddenly, there was a knock at the entryway.
“I’ll get the door.” Sun Xiaohui stood up.
“Don’t open it. Turn off the lights and go to bed.” Xu Bei suddenly reached out and stopped her.
“Why?” Sun Xiaohui looked at him, confused and surprised.
But from outside the wooden door came a cold female voice, as if it could pierce the soul: “Xu Bei, I know you’re in there. Do you really think you can hide from me?”
“Who is it? She sounds like she knows you.” Sun Xiaohui exclaimed.
“She’s my boss. Sigh, looks like trouble finds me after all.” Xu Bei stood up and walked to the entryway to open the door.
Standing at the door was a tall, voluptuous, golden-haired beauty in a bold, bright red high-slit cheongsam, silver high heels, a sheer shawl over her shoulders, and a gold cigarette holder in her hand.
“Why didn’t you show up for work yesterday… And why did you cut your hair? Who gave you permission to change your hairstyle? Do you know how much we spent on your styling?” The glamorous golden-haired woman immediately demanded angrily.
“I want to resign.” Xu Bei said.
“Resign? Who gave you permission to resign? Do you think you can just quit this line of work whenever you want? Where in the world is it that easy? Have you forgotten who took you in?” The golden-haired woman grabbed Xu Bei by the collar and shouted, “And what’s with these lousy clothes?”
Xu Bei suddenly pulled out his bankbook, held it up, and tossed it to his boss: “Here’s your money back. It’s enough to buy my freedom twice over.”
“What are you—” The boss caught the bankbook, opened it, and was shocked by the amount inside.
“The password is my birthday. Let’s just call it even. I never got involved too deeply in your business. I’m not really a member of your organization, just a dispensable employee. Let me go.” Xu Bei continued.
“Why didn’t you ever spend the money you earned?” The boss asked in surprise.
“That’s none of your business.” Xu Bei said.
“You know it’s not that easy to cut ties in our world, and it’s not up to me to decide. I’ll let you off for now, but whether the BOSS will let you go, I can’t say.”
Her words were fierce, but there was a hint of sadness in her tone. In the end, the boss turned and left.
Just like that, Xu Bei became an unemployed vagrant with nothing to his name.
“Sorry, old man. The money you left me is all gone after all.”
But he’d never felt so light and free.