"Why do I feel like nothing's changed?" Hao Ren pinched the bit of muscle on his arm and found that he had neither become unbelievably strong nor developed an immunity to pain. He even strained himself for ages while aiming at a distant corner of the wall, but failed to produce a ball of lightning. In short, he still felt like an ordinary person. Maybe his recovery and regenerative abilities had been enhanced? Unfortunately, he couldn't bring himself to stab himself right there...
"What other changes were you expecting?" Raven 12345 replied without looking up as she followed the instructions and restored the adjustment chamber to its proper state. "Were you expecting to fire off a triple burst of huge fireballs on the spot?"
"Uh, didn't you say you'd give me some combat capability?" Hao Ren felt that he had once again been tricked by this unreliable female superior. "You have me spending every day with a bunch of superhumans who can kill people with a wave of their hands. At least give me some ability to protect myself—what exactly did this adjustment adjust?"
"I straightened out your endocrine system, removed those two scars on your elbows, and eliminated your gray hairs while I was at it," Raven 12345 said with a serious expression. "At least, that's what it's done for now."
Hao Ren: "..."
"Ah-ha, your expression is really amusing!" Raven 12345 seemed delighted to see the spectacular look on Hao Ren's face. She held it in for a full ten seconds before bursting out laughing. "Don't overthink it, and don't be too greedy. I know what you want. I've trained plenty of newcomers—we're professionals. During their first month on the job, you rookies can't think about anything else. All you dream about is becoming superhumans overnight. But think about it: if I really gave you that much power this time, or even just the ability to jump twenty meters straight up, what do you think would happen?"
Hao Ren thought about it and said uncertainly, "I wouldn't have to worry about the elevator losing power anymore? I could apply to be Spider-Man's stunt double?"
Raven 12345 stared at Hao Ren wide-eyed. "Hey, your brain reminds me of someone... But you've wandered a little too far off topic. If I really turned you into a superhuman right away, the only result would be that you'd spend more than twenty hours a day crashing into walls or hanging from the ceiling. Physical enhancement has to proceed gradually—" As she spoke, Raven 12345 patted Hao Ren on the shoulder. "You've already been given everything you're supposed to have. It's just temporarily sealed by a mental conditioning program. It'll ensure that you can't use abilities beyond what you're capable of handling ahead of time. After you've experienced more things and honed yourself through a few small missions, your body's potential will gradually be unlocked."
Only then did Hao Ren finally let out a sigh of relief. Looks like I wasn't cheated. It's just been changed to an installment plan. Raven 12345's explanation actually made perfect sense. A human from Earth who had been bound by Earth's gravity for twenty-five years suddenly gaining the ability to fly through the sky and burrow into the ground would definitely not be fun. Even if he tried to be careful, he could easily demolish his own home. Adding a safety lock for the time being was very necessary.
Hao Ren understood his own personality very well. He was usually steady, but under special circumstances, his curiosity became excessively strong. If he really obtained some kind of superpower, the first thing he would do after returning home would definitely be to touch an electrical outlet and give it a try...
"So what aspects of my body have actually been enhanced?" Hao Ren looked at Raven 12345 expectantly. "Asking about this isn't against the rules, right? It'd be good to know roughly what to expect so I can prepare myself mentally."
Raven 12345 seriously explained this time. "Reaction speed, strength, recovery ability, adaptability to extreme environments, resistance to poison, radiation, high and low temperatures, corrosion, and everything else you ought to resist. But basically, it's still an enhancement built on the human foundation. Once you pass the evaluation in the future, there'll be other adjustment programs as well, but they all have strict standards. And even after the enhancement is complete, you still won't be allowed to casually use all kinds of dangerous powers. You must first prove that your will is capable of controlling superhuman strength. You understand."
Hao Ren nodded while inspecting himself from head to toe. He felt that his mentality would have no trouble passing the evaluation. He was a good person, after all—just like his name suggested. Still, as Raven 12345 had said, everything had to be tested in practice. From that day onward, his special career as a grassroots employee of the Time-Space Administration Bureau had officially begun.
"Hmm, you've received your protective equipment, and the new employee enhancement is done as well. You can go home and slowly study the Employee Code and the rest. For now, just remember the most important rule: you must not reveal anything about the Time-Space Administration Bureau to unrelated people. 'Unrelated people' means anyone besides that group of tenants of yours. Remember, anyone," Raven 12345 said, looking Hao Ren seriously in the eye. "And even with your tenants, you can't just say whatever you want. It's enough to let them know roughly why you're protecting them. Although I specifically selected your tenants, that doesn't mean they've entered the Bureau's circle as well. At least, not for now. It's a very delicate balance, so you need to handle it carefully."
Hao Ren looked at her in surprise. "Confidentiality regulations? The Time-Space Administration Bureau... By your description, this is an organization of 'gods,' right? Why are you immortals afraid of people finding out you exist? The gods I've heard about are all extremely high-profile. They practically wish the entire human race would come worship them, and when they have nothing better to do, they spend all their time researching religious expansion..."
"There are times when we promote ourselves, but only when necessary," Raven 12345 said, shaking her head. "That kind of publicity is unnecessary for the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Remember, the regions managed by the Bureau all have their own developmental trajectories. Their native civilizations are evolving normally and possess considerable independence. Even if we're gods, we can't casually interrupt the evolution of a normal civilization. If a group of intelligent life-forms suddenly learned that there were super-lives outside the world they knew who could manipulate the constants of the universe, and that the entire world they lived in could be rewritten or erased at will by 'deities,' it would be a spiritual catastrophe for most civilizations. Of course, telling people about the Time-Space Administration Bureau wouldn't have such serious consequences. Most people wouldn't believe you anyway. But this is a matter of principle."
Hao Ren nodded as he half-understood. "I see... But according to what you're saying, is the Time-Space Administration Bureau actually a secret organization? Only we know about it, while nobody else does?"
"Not entirely. The situation in the Macro World isn't immutable," Raven 12345 said, shaking her head again. "The Macro World is the vast system established by Your Majesty. It's a virtual web connecting all the universes within the Empire's territory, and this web grows every day. The Time-Space Administration Bureau is the control system of this web, so we encounter every kind of situation. Sometimes a civilization or group develops to the point where it can come into contact with the Empire. Sometimes a region suffers a major disaster, forcing the Bureau to intervene comprehensively. In such cases, of course, we can't remain secretive. After receiving approval, the Bureau can decide to reveal the Empire's existence to a particular group. That group will then be formally accepted as a member of the Empire. But those matters are still a long way off for you—just take care of your own little patch of land for now. To be honest, things are already lenient enough for new investigators like you these days. When the Bureau was first established, the Empire's situation was still unstable, so the confidentiality regulations were far stricter than they are now. Back then, we were also used to holding civilian departments to the standards of Imperial soldiers: leaking any information at all meant execution. The execution system still exists now, but as long as you don't cause any real consequences, you'll be fine. You should be celebrating!"
Hao Ren immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Only then did he realize what kind of enormous and solemn organization stood behind this female superior who seemed merely a little flaky. They could casually bring up execution regulations!
At the same time, he heard a tremendous opportunity in Raven 12345's words. Although he still had little understanding of the time-space network and the Time-Space Administration Bureau, he could vaguely imagine what kind of colossal entity it was. He had now become a member of that colossal entity. So just how insignificant were this planet, this galaxy, and even this universe he knew within the entire "Macro World"?
Just thinking about it sent his motivation soaring!
By then, Raven 12345 had already finished putting away the equipment in the room and was leading Hao Ren outside. "Don't think about it too much yet. We've finished all the procedures you needed to go through. Now I have a mission to assign you."
Hao Ren immediately perked up when he heard that. The organization needs me now!
"You'll have to make a trip to Europe in a couple of days," Raven 12345 said casually. "Go pick up a new 'tenant.' It took me quite a bit of effort to get him over here, but that idiot got the time zones wrong by a full eight hours when he landed! This kind of trivial matter isn't worth my going personally. It'll be perfect for giving you some experience."
Before you continue