You Really Can Do It?

"Hello, are you Li Ye?"

When Li Ye came down to the second floor, a staff member was already waiting for him.

The man wore a black uniform with a Sanitation Bureau emblem on his sleeve. He looked to be in his thirties, wore glasses, and had a scholarly, gentle air, his face full of smiles.

When Li Ye nodded, he reached out and shook his hand. "My name is Sun Shun, Section Chief of the Data Section at the Pest Control Bureau. Director Pan just called and asked me to handle your onboarding. Please come with me."

He led Li Ye forward with great enthusiasm. "Let me introduce our bureau. The third floor contains the offices of the bureau chief and the two deputy bureau chiefs. Only Director Pan is here at the moment; Director Zhao and Director Ren are out on assignment."

As they passed by, he opened several doors, allowing Li Ye to see spacious rooms lined with computers, where groups of uniformed personnel were urgently reviewing information on their screens.

"The second floor belongs to our data clerks. They specialize in discovering potential demon-related threats throughout the city. Once they organize the information and confirm the presence of demons, they report it upward. Besides the people here, we also have data clerks stationed at major offices throughout the city, specifically monitoring for signs of demons."

"The first floor below is where the exterminators stay. They're the ones who clear out demons. Being on the first floor makes deployment convenient. Under normal circumstances, they operate in groups of three."

After showing him several offices, Sun Shun led Li Ye to his own office. Once he had invited Li Ye to sit, he personally brewed him a cup of tea.

Li Ye hurriedly stood. "I can do it myself."

"It's fine. It's what I should do."

He returned to his seat, faced Li Ye, and handed him a form. "Director Pan said you only need to fill this out. Forgive me for asking, but what is your relationship with Director Pan?"

"We've only spoken twice. There's no relationship."

Li Ye picked up a pen and began filling in his basic information.

Sun Shun continued smiling. "Director Pan is best at spotting talent. You must be quite talented."

His expression clearly said he did not believe that.

They had met twice, and Director Pan had already arranged for him to join the bureau—as a part-timer, no less.

Since when did the Pest Control Bureau have part-time positions?

This was obviously a benefit.

Still, Sun Shun could not say anything. This was the Pest Control Bureau, the department with the greatest authority. It held the power of life and death in its hands, especially the bureau chief. Who would dare object to him?

"I'm done."

Li Ye completed the basic information and handed it to Sun Shun, along with a cigarette. "Smoke?"

Sun Shun accepted it while reading the form. When he saw the education section, he was visibly startled.

Seventeen? High school?

Then he looked at the cigarette in his hand.

Whoa! Gold cigarettes! Special supply!

And he said there was no relationship?

"Good! A hero emerges in youth. At seventeen, you've already caught Director Pan's eye. Your future is immeasurable! Let's discuss your compensation first."

The smile on Sun Shun's face grew even brighter. "Data clerks are divided into three ranks by title, from First Dragon Gate to Three Dragon Gate. The salaries are eight thousand, ten thousand, and twelve thousand. Your cultivation is at First Dragon Gate, so I can only classify you as a third-rank data clerk."

"Director Pan instructed us not to enroll you in the five insurances and housing fund, so that amount will be converted into an allowance. You know our contribution standard—it's basically equal to the salary. I'll calculate another eight thousand in allowance for you, making sixteen thousand a month in total."

"You're a part-timer, and I see you're still a student. Martial arts training must be your priority, so you don't need to report in every day. Just come by when you have time and offer some guidance. Does that sound acceptable?"

That stream of words left Li Ye somewhat speechless.

What did he mean, did it sound acceptable to him?

Li Ye had originally thought this part-time job would just pay two or three thousand as a token gesture, with some allowance as a reward.

The average salary in Ningjiang City was only around four thousand yuan. Was this saying he could lie around at home and receive sixteen thousand a month?

"Isn't this too good?" Even Li Ye felt a little embarrassed.

"You misunderstand!"

Sun Shun's expression turned solemn. "Whether the benefits are good or not depends on the nature of the work. At our Pest Control Bureau, exterminators have the most dangerous jobs, but data clerks are far from safe as well."

"Granted, we sit in offices gathering data, but the videos transmitted to us, the materials sent over, even a simple photograph—any of them could carry demon contamination. It's true that Dragon Gate Realm cultivators can resist contamination, but resistance is not immunity. If the contamination is too abundant or too severe, it will still affect you. And in worse cases..."

He sighed. "Ten years ago, when I wasn't section chief yet, my own section chief merely looked at a photograph. The next day, he drowned."

Li Ye frowned. Uncertainly, he asked, "A flood?"

He remembered it. The Yangtze River's water level had been extremely high that year, and it could have developed into a major flood. The city had issued warnings and told people to evacuate in an orderly fashion.

The incident had been too significant for him to forget. Back then, he had wondered whether it was merely flooding or whether demons had appeared.

Someone drowning was probably connected to that matter.

"It was a Flood Demon!"

Sun Shun gave Li Ye a meaningful look. To know about that incident, he really did have a powerful background.

"At the time, our entire Pest Control Bureau mobilized. Twenty data clerks and nine exterminators died before we located the Flood Demon. The military even arrived before that great demon was finally killed."

"So when we say the treatment is good, it's still not that good compared to your life. We all work with our heads hanging by a thread. Look at those data clerks—none of them are old. We retire early. Ordinary people retire at sixty-five, but we retire at fifty. Once your qi and blood begin to decline, you truly won't be able to withstand it."

Hearing that, Li Ye could only nod. "I'll follow the arrangements."

The matter had been put so plainly that there was no reason to refuse.

"Can I try my hand at it now? I'm still very interested in demons."

Perhaps he could even discover demons worthy of being called gods.

"Of course. I'll take you to the data room."

Sun Shun led Li Ye toward the data room, though this time, he seemed even more attentive.

When they arrived at Data Room One, Sun Shun first clapped his hands. Once the dozen or so data clerks looked over, he cleared his throat and said:

"Let me introduce someone. This is Li Ye, personally selected by Director Pan. He has come to observe the work in our data room. Everyone, welcome him."

Warm applause immediately erupted.

Director Pan's connection.

This was a major figure.

Someone perceptive immediately stood up with a smile. "Um, if you don't mind, you can use my workstation first."

Before Li Ye could speak, Sun Shun waved his hand. "Keep busy with your work. I'll show Li Ye around."

Then he turned to Li Ye with a smile. "Li Ye, these computers are rather intense. Let's start by looking at some photos and videos first."

He did not trust him, but that was perfectly normal.

Li Ye's eyes flickered, and he nodded with a smile.

If Sun Shun had suddenly given him a workstation, Li Ye would have been suspicious instead. How could anyone so easily hand matters concerning an entire city's safety to someone who had joined through connections?

Sun Shun looked ingratiating, but when it came to business, he was crystal clear and knew how to distinguish the important from the trivial.

Li Ye followed Sun Shun to a spare computer. Besides the computer, there were fax machines, landlines, tablets, and a whole series of devices prepared in case of accidents. Photographs and documents were also stacked neatly on the desk and walls.

"Here, colleagues at the district offices conduct cross-reviews with our central bureau to determine suspicious points."

Sun Shun turned on the computer. Of the three screens, the middle displayed surveillance footage, the left showed a row of recorded videos, and the right showed a constantly refreshing stream of photographs.

Every data clerk had this setup and watched these images constantly, ready to spot any problem.

This was the basic safeguard of Divine Land's safety!

"At the city headquarters, we mostly view material that has already been filtered. If something looks suspicious, we can pull it up directly. Look at this one..."

He skillfully opened a photograph on the right screen. It showed the inside of a trash can piled full of rotting food.

"With this photo, we need to judge whether demons may have appeared due to factors such as mold and decay. For example—"

"Filth Worm."

Li Ye finished the sentence for him.

As Sun Shun stared in surprise, Li Ye pointed at the footage gradually zooming in on the inside of the trash can and said:

"There are black spots, gray spots, gray-green spots, or dark yellow spots on rotting matter. This one is a gray spot, but if you look carefully, you can still make out a corner of what it originally was—a rotten potato."

The place he pointed to was a small exposed section of the decayed matter, and it was indeed shaped like a potato.

"It hasn't actually rotted. Those gray spots have merely covered the surface and made it appear rotten. If you look closely, you can also see some bulges. We need video footage for this. If we can confirm that these 'gray spots' are moving, and their internal structure looks threadlike with tiny granules, then there's a chance it's a Filth Worm."

"As for why I'm so certain it's a Filth Worm..."

He took the mouse himself, closed the enlarged image, and opened another photograph.

It showed only half a trash can, seemingly connected to a back door beside it.

Li Ye pointed to where the trash can connected with the back door and said:

"I noticed it earlier. The grease has formed a film with faint reflections. There are tiny black spots in the reflection, and more importantly..."

His finger shifted to the gap below the doorway, where a black line that was easy to miss seemed to blend into its surroundings, yet extended outward at one end.

At a normal glance, it merely looked filthy and messy.

"There's no mold around it, so that rules out the possibility of a Five Plagues Ghost or something similar. Then this black threadlike worm is the sign of a Filth Worm!" Li Ye called out.

Sun Shun hurriedly opened the relevant video on the left screen. Sure enough, the surface of those rotting materials showed slight bulges, and there really were signs of wriggling.

"Pull up the files!"

The shout set everything in motion.

The data clerk who had offered his seat began clattering away at the keyboard, speaking rapidly. "No. 65 Jianghe Road, North City District, back alley of Countryside Local Cuisine Restaurant. The suspicious point and description match exactly. Preliminary confirmation: Filth Worm. No, it's confirmed. It really is a Filth Worm!"

On his screen, the photo Li Ye had pointed at was enlarged, alongside an exceptionally clear video.

After swiftly pressing a key, he said, "The alert address has been sent. The nearest data clerk to the location can handle it."

Then he turned to Sun Shun. "Section Chief, it's only a minor demon that has just begun showing signs. A little insecticide spray will do."

"Is this just about spraying insecticide? We've repeatedly stressed the need to pay attention to sanitation and cleanliness. A local cuisine restaurant, was it? Shut it down!"

Sun Shun clicked his tongue. "There have been several Filth Worm cases lately, and there was even a mature one last time! Clearly, enforcement hasn't been strong enough. Notify the relevant departments and inspect the entire city again. Even if there's nothing wrong, shut them down for three days!"

"Yes." The man picked up the landline and dialed a number.

Li Ye was left clicking his tongue in amazement.

That authority really was not small.

Only after giving those orders did Sun Shun turn back to Li Ye, looking at him in astonishment.

These data clerks might lack cultivation talent, but every one of them was an expert in General Knowledge. Yet a high school student had reactions and observational skills better than some of the data clerks under him.

Even he, an old section chief, had failed to notice it immediately.

And the General Knowledge Li Ye had displayed seemed quite impressive too.

He wasn't here to gild himself?

"You really know your stuff?" Sun Shun asked.

Li Ye smiled. "I know a little."

Sun Shun blinked, then seemed to think of something. "At Green Water Shore residential complex in East City District, there was a Five Plagues Ghost we misidentified. A student discovered it. That student wouldn't have been you, would it?"

"It was indeed me."

Only when the sky gradually darkened did Li Ye finally leave. This time, Sun Shun personally saw him out, and by the time Li Ye departed, Sun Shun's expression had become far more sincere.

He held Li Ye's hand with great earnestness, repeatedly reminding him and urging him to come often.

After watching Li Ye leave, he turned around, went up to the third floor, and knocked on the bureau chief's office door.

"Old Sun, did that kid Li Ye perform poorly? Just treat it as training."

That was the first thing Pan Zhengyang said upon seeing Sun Shun.

Sun Shun hurriedly waved his hands and smiled. "Director Pan, it wasn't that he did poorly. He did too well—far beyond imagination! You don't know this, but the moment Li Ye arrived, he pointed out a demon clue. After that, it became even more remarkable. Every trace that might indicate a demon, he explained with perfect clarity. His General Knowledge level is practically on par with our data clerks."

"Oh?"

Pan Zhengyang smiled, beckoned Sun Shun over to sit, and handed him a cigarette. "That kid's General Knowledge is that good? I thought he was still lacking a little. A high school student matching those you people recruited through examinations—haha."

"Exceptionally gifted."

Sun Shun accepted the cigarette with both hands and smiled. "Director Pan has brought an invaluable capable general into our Data Section. And he's so young. He'll definitely be able to take over my position in the future."

"Old Sun, there's no need to be so polite with me."

Pan Zhengyang shook his head. Remembering what Li Ye had said earlier, he smiled. "That kid refuses to admit defeat. If he can't become a data clerk, he'll definitely be on the front line of demon extermination in the future."

Sun Shun chuckled and made a gesture of slapping his own face. "A slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue. That must be it."

The front line of demon extermination. Six Dragon Gate was the starting point.

Sun Shun instantly lost all desire to probe into Li Ye's background.

Director Pan's words were a guarantee. Even if they had to force-feed him resources, they would raise him to Six Dragon Gate.

With such favor, whether he had a background or not no longer mattered.

"How is the investigation in Yunxiu County going?" Pan Zhengyang suddenly asked.

Sun Shun's expression sharpened, and he straightened his posture. "Sorry, Director Pan. We still have no leads. Every clue has been cut off. It seems to have been an ordinary accident."

Pan Zhengyang sneered. "An accident? Where are there so many accidents? If we can't investigate it, forget it. Over the next few days, shut down the martial arts industry, and while you're at it, shut down the Ren Family's businesses too."

Sun Shun froze. "Director Pan, wouldn't that cause repercussions..."

"Repercussions my ass!"

Pan Zhengyang cut him off and said brutally, "Listen to me. Out of these people, if you shot ten of them all, there would definitely be innocents among them. But if you shot every other one, there would absolutely be some who slipped through the net! Demons have been appearing so frequently. I don't care whether they're connected or not—in my eyes, they're connected! If we still did things the way we did twenty years ago, I'd go to their door and slaughter their entire family!"

"Shut them down! If they refuse to accept it, tell them to come find me!"

"Yes."