A thick puff of smoke drifted out, striking the job-hunting page displayed on the computer screen.
With a flicker of irritation in his eyes, Su Jin closed the pop-up window expressionlessly.
He was about to keep searching for the next company when the phone beside his hand vibrated. He turned his head and picked it up.
"Hello? Xiao Su?"
Hearing that familiar, slightly hoarse voice, a trace of mockery crept onto Su Jin's wooden face. "Lao Li? You miss me already? The company can't run its business without me?"
"What kind of attitude is that?! You were sent to negotiate with a client, and you beat him up! Shouldn't I have fired you?!" Lao Li's voice flared with suppressed anger. "President Wang was only messing around with Xiao Jing. Xiao Jing didn't even think it was sexual harassment, yet you still think you were playing the hero, don't you?!"
"The company spent six months chasing that deal, and you completely ruined millions in profit!"
"Wasn't that business brought in by me? Wasn't it negotiated by me?"
"What do you mean, negotiated by you? Without our platform, what could you have negotiated? Hasn't the company taken enough blame on your behalf? Just dealing with your mess, I ran myself ragged, lost sleep, and drank until I threw up more than a dozen times! It's lucky enough we didn't get you thrown in jail—who the hell was I doing all that for?!"
With that, Lao Li took a deep breath on the other end of the line.
"I went through hell to get President Wang out for dinner tonight, and he specifically demanded you come apologize. As long as you apologize, everything can be smoothed over, and I can give you another chance. You know I've always appreciated you the most..."
The light bulb overhead suddenly flickered. Su Jin squinted and looked up.
When he looked back down, an abrupt pop-up had already appeared on the screen.
[System Recommendation: After screening, you meet our company's requirements for the position of "Special Risk Management." Would you like to submit your detailed resume now? Yes / No]
Assuming it was spam, Su Jin instinctively moved to close the window. But with Lao Li droning on endlessly in his ear, his hand paused, and a sneer slipped out.
"Lao Li, plenty of companies want to hire me. You think I'm desperate for your job?" With that, he clicked the mouse and casually pressed confirm.
"I know you've got guts, but there's no need to talk tough. You've earned good money at this company for years, and you know what it's like out there right now. The market is so cutthroat that everyone is scrambling for work. Fresh college graduates are cheaper than pigs. I imagine... you wouldn't want to lose this job either, right?"
Su Jin puffed on his cigarette. After a moment of silence, he said, "You're all together, aren't you? Put Xiao Jing on the phone. I want a word with her."
Before long, a timid, soft female voice came through the line. "Su Jin, it's me."
"That night, you were crying and begging me to save you... Now you've made peace with that bastard Wang? How much did he pay you?"
"Su Jin, you misunderstand. I was just panicking at the time. Who knew you'd be so quick to use your fists..."
"Fuck you, you really have the nerve to say that!" Su Jin cursed furiously.
Then he let out a deflated sigh. "Heh, I'll take the loss this time. President Wang is right there with you, right? I can apologize, but let's make a deal: I bow my head and admit fault, and tomorrow I have to be allowed back into the company with the same pay and benefits."
"I'll bring President Wang over right now. As long as you soothe his temper, I'll let you back into the company immediately. You'll still have to apologize to him in person later—let bygones be bygones with a laugh, and who knows, maybe this deal will even be handed back to you." Lao Li's eager voice rang in Su Jin's ear alongside the sound of footsteps.
Judging by the sound, the call was clearly on speakerphone.
After a brief pause, another man's voice came faintly through the receiver.
"Hello...?"
"Hello your ass! Wang, you think bribing that bitch lets you mess with me? I have video footage of you two scumbags! You try anything again and see if I don't put you at the top of the trending topics! Apologize my foot, you pair of trash!!!"
Having unleashed his fury, Su Jin hung up immediately and viciously ground out his cigarette butt.
He sighed and sank into a gloom.
Doing the right thing only to be bitten in the back, and losing his job in the end... running into this sort of mess was truly sickening.
Yet he didn't regret it.
After all, back then his female coworker's clothes had been torn to shreds, and she had been screaming bloody murder.
If he hadn't stepped in under those circumstances, he ought to have castrated himself and bought a plane ticket to Japan to audition as a "useless husband."
It was just a pity that old pervert had moved so quickly that night; if only he had been more cautious and actually recorded a video.
Then he wouldn't have to bluff like this just to keep them from retaliating.
No good deed goes unpunished. What a fucked-up world.
After taking some time to collect himself, Su Jin straightened up.
Just as he was about to get back to the computer, a knock sounded on the front door behind him.
It knocked twice, and then the noise ceased.
Su Jin called out, then stood up with a cigarette between his lips and walked toward the entrance.
He pulled open the door... and slowly shifted his gaze downward to the floor.
A package was already sitting there.
Picking it up, Su Jin turned back inside, muttering to himself in confusion.
He didn't recall ordering anything, and it was nearly eight o'clock—what kind of delivery courier would be dropping off packages at this hour?
Seeing his name and address printed correctly on the label, Su Jin didn't think much more of it, assuming it was a pack of facial tissues he had bought for a few cents after claiming a coupon on Fanqie Novel.
Grabbing a pair of scissors, he sliced the parcel open. The first thing that met his eyes was a sheet of A4 paper filled with small text.
Tossing the paper aside, he revealed an exquisite black briefcase and a transparent mask underneath.
Su Jin was completely baffled.
Having worked for years, he had seen plenty of briefcases, and the one before him was definitely not cheap.
Its style was sleek and elegant, exuding an indefinable, high-end quality that was genuinely appealing.
Who would send him a briefcase like this? And what was the mask for?
Puzzled, Su Jin lifted the briefcase to examine it.
As soon as his fingers reached along the inner edge, he felt the icy touch of metal shaped like a grip.
When he saw the object in full, his eyebrows twitched.
A handgun? A bright silver pistol, elegant and luxurious.
He weighed it in his hand; it had a substantial heft.
Oh? Did the briefcase come with a high-end novelty lighter?
Without overthinking it, Su Jin pulled the trigger.
*BANG!*
A burst of muzzle flash erupted from the barrel.
The bullet discharged at an angle, boring straight into the ceiling.
A wisp of blue-gray smoke curled gently from the muzzle...
"What the... fuck?!"
The sudden turn of events made Su Jin jerk his head back, his mind going utterly blank.
A gun... It was a real gun?!
Su Jin turned his neck stiffly, staring fixedly at the silver firearm in his grasp.
He drew a couple of trembling breaths. Only when his wits returned did he dart over to the bed, swiftly draw the curtains, and shove the handgun under the covers.
He backed away several paces, only then feeling the tremor in his heart subside by a fraction.
A surge of sheer bewilderment and dread washed over him.
The mob? Was it delivered to the wrong person? Meant for the previous tenant?
No, the recipient name and phone number on the parcel were his own; it couldn't have been a mistake.
Brave as he was, in a peaceful and orderly society, a firearm was no small matter, and it was very likely he had accidentally gotten tangled up in something dangerous.
Just as Su Jin's thoughts were racing, someone knocked on the door again!
Jolted, Su Jin grabbed an empty beer bottle off the floor, dashed to the entrance in three strides, and gripped the doorknob tightly.
With an anxious heart, he peered through the peephole, only breathing a sigh of relief when he saw who was outside.
It wasn't a stranger, but Big Sister Zhao next door—who was also his landlady. Usually she was quite warm-hearted, perhaps a bit overly so, always keen to poke her nose into any commotion in the building.
She had probably heard the gunshot just now.
With the situation unclear and no telling what might follow, he couldn't drag her into this.
Forcing himself to stay composed, Su Jin cleared his throat and asked, "Who is it?"
"Xiao Su? It's Sister Zhao... Did something explode in your room?"
"Ah..." Su Jin paused a moment to steady his tone before saying solemnly, "I was whacking off and forgot to watch the stove. The pressure cooker blew up. It's fine, I'll clean it up right away."
"Aiya! You boy, the things you say... You should be more careful when the stove is on..."
Hearing Sister Zhao's embarrassed, flustered voice drift away until it vanished completely, Su Jin let out a long breath.
He turned back toward the room. The moment his gaze swept over the package on the desk, his pupils locked onto it.
Lunging forward in a single stride, he snatched up the "scrap paper" he had mistaken for a cash-back review flyer.
His urgent, nervous gaze scanned across the page, and the moment he took in the lines of text, an electric shock surged through his entire body!
[Congratulations. Your submitted resume has been accepted and approved by our company. Introductory office supplies have been dispatched, and your probationary assessment will begin shortly.]
[In two hours, you will be transported to a dying world. Please immediately contact and protect the client to safely survive the early stage of the apocalypse. Once the client possesses the ability to survive independently in the apocalypse, the mission will conclude, and the company will recall you.]
[During the mission, our company will provide essential basic assistance, including but not limited to language translation, currency exchange, and identity establishment... Please do not disclose any company information to outsiders, and strive to maximize your abilities and potential.]
[Upon mission success, you will officially become an employee and gain access to more company privileges.]
[Upon mission failure, you will be left to fend for yourself.]
At this point, a thin red line of fire appeared at the top of the notice. Yet no flames flared, no smoke rose, and not the slightest heat could be felt.
The notice eerily burned away from top to bottom, without leaving even a trace of ash.
When most of it had been consumed, Su Jin released his fingers, letting the paper notice drift and swirl toward the floor.
Under his trembling gaze, the line of fire finally devoured the signature line at the very bottom...
Tiandao Unlimited Liability Company.