Hao Ren walked home, clutching a stack of cheap printouts in his hand, and felt especially stirred up.
He was also somewhat moved to tears.
From today onward, he was an employee of some super-civilization spanning multiple worlds, an Earthling who could speak directly with the gods. Behind him stood the Time-Space Administration Bureau, a colossal organization whose very name was enough to make people tremble for half a day. In his hands, he held a divine contract, and even his employee ID could be found in Heaven's attendance records. If he were tossed into a world where divine authority reigned supreme, he could even proudly announce that he was a candidate for the Holy Son position. As long as he passed the internship test, he could transform from a contract-based Holy Son into a lifelong Holy Son...
How could that not stir him up and bring tears to his eyes?
Why were the affairs of the gods so different from what he had seen on television and read in novels?
Regardless, Hao Ren had registered for work at a truly extraordinary place. No matter how strange Raven 12345, the Time-Space Administration Bureau behind her, and the entire "Xiling Empire" were, they were still more incredible than anything Hao Ren had ever encountered before.
Hao Ren lowered his head and looked at the contract in his hand, recalling what Raven 12345 had told him at the end: "From today onward, you're a probationary examiner. Taking care of the tenants in your home is your only task for now. We of the Xiling Pantheon aren't accustomed to managing our directly affiliated institutions through churches like ordinary religions do, so our organization rates employees according to attendance and merit. You'd better not blindly fiddle around based on religious legends and church pamphlets from Earth. I've encountered that kind of brat in other worlds... Don't waste your effort. Just do your job properly."
Hao Ren sighed silently and confirmed once again that he had boarded a pirate ship. He folded those lousy pages and stuffed them into his pocket, intending to lock them somewhere secure when he got back, lest Roll tear them up and eat them. To be honest, Hao Ren did not completely believe what he had experienced that day, and he had serious doubts about Raven 12345 as well. Holding those few sheets of paper only made him more suspicious of the whole affair. (Seriously, have you ever seen a divine contract printed on a printer? And it even had typos!) But as he had said before, Hao Ren was very good at recognizing the situation. No matter where Raven 12345 had come from, judging purely by ability, the difference between her and Hao Ren was the difference between a god and a mortal. Even if she made typos, picked at her fingernails, ate scallion pancakes, and spoke incoherently... she still was not someone an ordinary person could deal with.
Therefore, if Hao Ren wanted to ensure a peaceful life, he had no choice but to cooperate properly.
Walking along a deserted road under the blazing sun, Hao Ren took out his phone to check the time. Then he looked at the empty road stretching before and behind him, without even a ghost in sight, and could not help sighing inwardly: Working for the gods was too unreliable. Why could they not even arrange some transportation? With his status, he would at least be a prophet in a theocracy. After receiving divine revelation from the gods—that is, signing a contract—why did he still have to squeeze onto a bus to get home? And he had been waiting forever without even seeing one!
He could not help thinking of the myths and legends of Earth, trying to figure out how those Holy Sons and prophets in history had gotten home after comprehending the Great Dao. Had they squeezed into a carriage with someone else, or run back on foot? After thinking for a long while, he reached no conclusion. What Bible would ever write about that?
While he was lost in wild thoughts, a ringtone suddenly reached his ears. Hao Ren grabbed his phone and looked at it, discovering that the number was unfamiliar. Thankfully, it was not some deadly supernatural number like 00000012345.
"Hello, how may I help you?" Hao Ren answered the phone and asked very politely. From that day forward, he was a man of status, so he had to pay attention to his words and conduct at all times. Although the Goddess above him was not very reliable, he had decided to make himself seem more reliable.
Instead, Lily's voice came through the receiver, carrying a hint of anxiety: "Landlord! It's me! I'm Lily!"
"Uh... Lily?" Hao Ren almost blurted out "you stupid werewolf," but fortunately he stopped himself in time. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, I suddenly remembered that your phone number was on the rental advertisement. I spent all day yesterday failing to find the address. If only I'd called you directly back then..."
Sweat ran down Hao Ren's forehead. "...You called me in such a panic just to say that?"
Lily's voice instantly grew agitated. "Ah, no! Something's wrong with Vivian. She suddenly flew out just now. She opened the window and flew out in broad daylight! I chased after her as hard as I could, but I couldn't catch her!"
Hao Ren really wanted to shout: That's the important part, you idiot! Why are you talking in such a roundabout way?
"Vivian flew out? Did she turn into a bat?" Hao Ren did not know why he was still focusing on such strange details at a time like this. His mind was already somewhat blank. Just a few minutes earlier, he had been thumping his chest and guaranteeing to a woman who claimed to be a goddess that he would make the strange creatures in his home live peacefully. And now, only a few minutes after leaving her, something had already happened at home!
"She turned into a huge swarm of bats and flew away," Lily corrected him very seriously, then hurriedly continued, "She said something about this place being unsafe when she left... I didn't know who else to call, so I called you."
"Wait at home. Don't go wandering outside. I'll be back soon." Hao Ren spoke hurriedly. At the same time, the corner of his eye caught sight of a battered bus driving over from not far away. He waved it down while giving Lily instructions, then hung up in a panic. After squeezing aboard, he began puzzling over the matter. What the heck was Vivian up to?
Although Hao Ren knew very little about supernatural beings, with his only knowledge coming from those unreliable television shows, novels, and urban legends—facts had already proven that none of those things were reliable—he was at least certain that vampires really did feel uncomfortable in sunlight. Vivian had admitted as much herself. Therefore, he was certain that the vampire turning into a swarm of bats and flying out in broad daylight was definitely not because she had woken up and wanted to go out for some fresh air. There had to be some emergency! And what did Vivian mean by "this place is unsafe"? Was she referring to his home?
Hao Ren knew that the strongest creatures in his home, aside from the vampire, were that idiot-like werewolf. Vivian basically looked down on Lily, so he could completely rule out the scenario of "the vampire being driven out by the werewolf's presence." Then what exactly was unsafe about the house?
Hao Ren suddenly felt that the task Raven 12345 had given him... probably had a trap hidden in it.
By the time Hao Ren returned to the old district in the South Suburbs, half an hour had passed. As soon as he got off the bus, he saw several people in work clothes walking over from across the street, and his heart immediately tightened. Had they been exposed so quickly? What were these people doing? Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences? Had they set a trap to capture the vampire? Were they installing surveillance equipment near his home? Special forces disguised as telecom workers?
Only when they approached did Hao Ren relax. They were merely a maintenance crew...
As several maintenance workers passed by, Hao Ren vaguely heard their conversation:
"...I've been doing this for so many years, and this is the first time I've encountered something like this. How did that brick fly up there?"
"Who knows? It couldn't have been thrown up by a person, could it? The TV tower's so tall. Who has that kind of arm strength? But it really is bizarre. That brick nearly smashed through three steel bars..."
"Exactly. We got this job today because the TV signal in the South Suburbs had gone out. We thought it was something serious, but it turned out half a brick had been smashed into the signal tower. How are we supposed to write this in the work report?"
The maintenance workers gradually walked away. Hao Ren listened in utter bewilderment and figured out two things.
First, he knew why the television at home had no signal.
Second, he knew where one of the bricks Lily had thrown during her fight with Vivian the previous night had ended up...
What use was knowing that?!
Hao Ren sprinted to his front door. First, he cautiously confirmed that no special forces or suspicious men in black were lurking nearby. Only then did he take out his key and step forward to open the door. But before he could even insert the key into the lock, the door opened by itself.
Vivian stood perfectly well in front of him, a smile on her face. "Landlord, you're back?"
Hao Ren nearly stopped breathing. After finally getting his breath back, he stared blankly at the vampire girl who had supposedly "flown away," his expression shifting unpredictably. "Vivian, you... didn't you fly away?"
Vivian gave two awkward little laughs. "Uh, something did come up, so I went out for a bit. But I'm back now."
Hao Ren: "..."
Were the days ahead really all going to be like this?!
Before you continue