The clamor in the cafeteria persisted, a chaotic symphony of voices, clattering plates, and the sizzle of frying pans.
Jiang Ming watched it all in silence. This institution, theoretically a Beyonder-led force of state violence, currently overlapped with the imagery of a school cafeteria from his memories. It had the same crowding, the same noise, and the same atmosphere of cheap yet genuine liveliness.
This bustling, grease-scented heat actually gave him a strange, fleeting sense of being home.
“What do you think of this place?” Elvira asked suddenly.
Jiang Ming withdrew his gaze and looked at her. She held her fork but did not meet his eyes, her focus lingering on the steak cooling on her plate as if she were merely asking a casual question.
“It’s noisy,” Jiang Ming said, spearing the last piece of pudding. “And very… real.”
He paused, then added, “It has more of a human touch than I imagined.”
Outside the window, the Order Bureau Headquarters stood silent in the night, cold and majestic. Yet, in this cafeteria separated only by a wall, Beyonders haggled with the cafeteria ladies over the doneness of their steaks and glared at one another over the last scoop of thick soup. Their weary faces bore the dust and relaxation of those who had just finished field duty.
Danger and the mundane, the extraordinary and the ordinary, blended together in an absurd harmony at this moment.
Hearing this, Elvira smiled.
“Yeah,” she whispered, as if talking to herself. “Sometimes… I feel like this is the place where people can relax the most.”
“Are you trying to be a lobbyist?” Jiang Ming asked, looking back at her.
“No… I’m not.” Elvira immediately lowered her head, her fork unconsciously poking the cold steak. Her movements were a bit awkward.
Jiang Ming was far too clever; he could see right through her intentions with just a single sentence.
She did have her own considerations. She hoped Jiang Ming would join the Order Bureau, but it wasn’t out of any sense of loyalty to the organization.
It was for herself.
The Special Operations Group was the most unique department within the Field Department, its members chosen through rigorous screening. Elvira had been an exception, brought in solely because of her Angel Contract. Usually, Special Operations Group missions were carried out by pairs, but she had always been unwilling to involve others in her circumstances, so she had always acted alone.
But Jiang Ming was different.
Though they had only known each other for a short time, Elvira realized clearly that Jiang Ming was a genius — or rather, an expert of sorts. He was calm, decisive, and his understanding of the Beyonder world far surpassed that of any ordinary newcomer. More importantly, he was also a Cleaner.
This meant he was already walking a path of struggle against fate. They perhaps bore similar weights and faced similar abysses. She didn’t have to worry about her uniqueness dragging him down because he was already in the same turbulent waters.
Perhaps… they could become each other’s blade and shield without the guilt of being a burden.
Regardless, the path she walked was far too lonely.
She didn’t say any of this out loud. She merely toyed with her food in silence, the tips of her ears burning slightly.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Jiang Ming said, taking a sip of soda as the carbonation fizzed against his tongue. “I am indeed considering joining the Order Bureau.”
To him, the Order Bureau could provide much more than just materials for his progression. The intelligence hidden deep within their archives and a systematic understanding of this world’s rules were what he needed most urgently. Materials could be hunted for by risking his life, but a reliable intelligence network and knowledge base were nearly impossible to build alone.
There was a price, of course — obligations, restrictions, and even the risk of death. But Jiang Ming knew very well that this was a shitty world, polished on the surface but rotten to the core. Beneath the so-called peace lay countless silent skeletons.
If he wasn’t strong enough, this city would eventually have a gravestone with his name on it.
“Really?” Elvira looked up abruptly. A rare, clear spark of light flickered in her red eyes, which usually carried a sense of detachment.
“Yes.” Jiang Ming set his glass down and met her gaze. “Really.”
***
When the door to the Director’s office opened again, Aila had a new file in her hand.
Rex remained in the same position as when she had left, half-buried in a mountain of paperwork with only the top of his head and a hand holding a pen visible.
“What did the Personnel Department say this time?” his voice came muffled from behind the stacks of paper.
“What else could they say?” Aila tossed the file onto the corner of his desk, her tone carrying a hint of nuance. “After receiving the feedback from that side, the Personnel Department immediately rewrote the evaluation report. The conclusion: Jiang Ming, ‘exceptionally talented with sharp combat instincts; recommended for the Special Operations Group with Level 2 resource clearance.'”
She rubbed her temples. It had been a long time since she’d seen the Personnel Department give such an unprecedented evaluation. If Jiang Ming actually joined, this year’s Best Newcomer award would likely be a foregone conclusion.
After all, a newcomer who killed two cultists in three days was a rare sight.
“The question now,” Aila said, looking at Rex, “is whether he will actually come.”
“He will,” Rex answered quickly, without a trace of hesitation.
“Oh?” Aila arched an eyebrow. “You’re that certain?”
Rex finally looked up from the documents, spinning his pen half a turn between his fingers. He didn’t answer immediately, but instead asked a seemingly irrelevant question.
“Have you ever seen the Lord Protector Jiang Ming in person?”
Aila froze, then gave a bitter smile. “How would that be possible? Ever since he stepped into the Tower of Finality 100 years ago, no one has seen him. Besides… I heard he never took off his mask in public his entire life.” She paused, her voice dropping slightly. “To be honest, I wish I had the chance to see him once. After all… whose childhood didn’t have the shadow of the Lord Protector in it?”
Rex remained silent for a moment.
The light in the office fell across his face, outlining a weary silhouette. He slowly set down his pen and turned his gaze toward the artificial sky outside the window, which looked like an eternal night, as if he were peering through time itself.
“I have seen him,” he said.
Aila’s breath caught.
She had almost forgotten that the man before her was someone who had lived in the same era as that legend.
Rex’s voice was very calm.
“Back then, I was an officer under his command.” He paused, his gaze falling back to the file belonging to “Jiang Ming” on his desk. The young man’s face on the cover was calm and unfamiliar. “And that boy’s eyes…”
He hesitated for a second before continuing.
“They are of the exact same mold.”
He added, “Of course, even if the names are the same, they aren’t the same person. By ‘the same mold,’ I simply mean they are the same kind of person at their core.”
Aila looked at Rex, the Director who had once followed a legend but was now buried in paperwork, and saw the fleeting, sharp light in his eyes.
Then, she took a soft breath.
“I understand.”
She turned toward the door, stopping as her hand touched the handle.
“If that’s really the case,” she said quietly without turning back, “then perhaps for all of us… it’s not a bad thing.”
After Aila left, Rex looked at the card on the report with a complex expression. Finally, he closed his eyes and began to hum a tune that lacked a proper melody:
“Welcome to the show
Welcome to the show
To gambling with the devil
To all the deadly sins
Welcome to the show
Do you hear the bells ring?
You’re welcome to the show
To gambling with the devil”