Never Wanted to Go to Work So Much

Mother had always been far more intelligent than Father.

Shock instantly appeared on the faces of Father and Auntie Zhang, followed by excitement and joy.

"He... is finally going to make a decision? Has he finally had enough of those freeloaders in the Association?" Father muttered.

Auntie Zhang was much calmer, asking:

"Is now... the right time? Although he is undoubtedly the strongest, no one has ever seen the President make a move... No, I should say, no one has ever even seen the President..."

Mother held a cigarette, smiling with a hint of mockery amidst the curling smoke:

"Perhaps the President doesn't exist at all, and everything is just a charade by those wastes at headquarters... Of course, now is not the time, but the fact that he has had such thoughts is the best sign. From the first public confrontation of the Cuckoo Project to the current planning, aren't we getting closer and closer to the Lord of the Abyss? The Godfather? That is a story about betrayal and loyalty..."

Father and Auntie Zhang nodded slightly, anticipation flashing in their eyes.

In the villa's garden, the gardener Old Sun, who was tending to the plants, and the driver Old Chen, who was washing the car, also revealed expectant smiles...

When Wu Qian left, he granted Li Fan a day off.

For the entire afternoon, Li Fan simply holed up in the home theater, fast-forwarding through The Godfather trilogy, striving to learn the mannerisms, temperament, and even the vocal tone of the godfathers.

After finishing The Godfather, he looked for Akira Kurosawa's Ran. These old films had a certain flavor; the demeanor and posture of the monarchs within were worth studying.

Feeling he had mastered the temperament of these big shots, Li Fan then sought out films like Infernal Affairs and New World for an immersive viewing experience.

He was mainly studying the psychological fortitude of these undercover agents and the pitfalls they should avoid.

He considered it gathering teaching materials for his own life as a passive undercover agent.

During this time, Auntie Zhang came in and out many times, bringing Li Fan drinks and fruit. By evening, she brought dinner directly into the home theater, avoiding the awkwardness of dining together and allowing Li Fan and the others in the house to breathe a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Father, Mother, and the gardener and driver waiting outside were gradually confirming a suspicion of their own.

The Collector was watching nothing but movies about betrayal!

In these films, the boss rarely had a good ending!

What he intended to do was self-evident!

Of course, it was best not to discuss such things openly; everyone understood without words.

He trusted that the Collector himself would not want to broadcast it either.

After all, one should store grain widely and delay claiming the throne.

As a result, whenever the members of the household met, they would exchange knowing smiles and pass glances that could be felt but not spoken.

Li Fan himself was not very aware of what was happening in the villa.

Since he didn't know how to face "Mom and Dad," nor what the real Collector liked to do in his spare time, he stayed in the home theater until past eight in the evening.

His eyes ached from watching movies.

At this moment, he actually missed going to work.

The Dissection Department's working hours were only from three to five in the afternoon—two hours was simply too excessive.

If it came to it, he would secretly write an anonymous tip to the Bureau Chief after a while, asking to change the working hours to a normal eight-hour shift.

At this point, Li Fan hated the mastermind behind the Unity Society even more.

He summoned Father and Mother on the spot, telling them that the bastards from the Unity Society had infiltrated Gu City, and demanded they be on guard, giving orders to capture them alive.

Father was shocked on the spot, not expecting that even while lurking within the Anomaly Bureau, the Collector was fully aware of everything happening outside.

He hurriedly reported to Li Fan about the attack he had encountered from the Unity Society earlier.

After all this commotion, it was past ten o'clock at night when Li Fan finally returned to his suite to rest.

At night, everything was silent.

Li Fan, who had been trying hard to keep up his act all day, finally relaxed slowly as he lay on the soft bed.

He was currently in the enemy's lair; he couldn't afford the slightest bit of carelessness.

Don't let the respectful behavior of Father, Mother, and Auntie Zhang today fool you; that was only because they took him for the Collector. If they discovered that their Collector was just an ordinary person, Li Fan reckoned he wouldn't even know how he died.

Moreover, when the people in the villa spoke to him tonight, they all wore ambiguous smiles and winked at him, making Li Fan wonder if he had been exposed.

He remained on edge until he closed the door and lay down, and even then, he didn't feel much better.

The heads that had filled the bookshelves in the small study had all been packed into suitcases. Eight large trunks stood against the wall, dark and gloomy like eight coffins.

From time to time, "thumping" sounds came from within; perhaps one of the heads was jumping around.

It would be a miracle to sleep well in such an environment.

Li Fan turned over, pressing his ear against the pillow, and faintly heard a slight rumbling sound coming from underground. It was barely audible unless one listened carefully, as if some giant creature were crawling through the dark earth below.

It must be the subway.

For such a nice villa to be built over a subway line was a bit of a waste.

The people in the Cleaning Association really didn't care about spending money.

Anyway, the money was swindled to begin with.

I truly, incredibly want to go to work... I have never been so eager to work as I am right now...

Lost in a hazy, wandering daze, Li Fan drifted into a deep sleep.

At a little past eight the next morning, he was woken up by the ringing of his cell phone.

He picked it up to see that it was actually Wu Qian calling.

"Fan, hurry, come to the Bureau for some overtime. A job suddenly came up, the whole department is working, it's not just you! I know you just finished a night shift the day before yesterday and wanted to go home to spend time with your parents, but this job is urgent, so I have to trouble everyone..."

Wu Qian's voice carried a hint of apology and was somewhat rambling, as if he felt quite embarrassed about calling someone in to work just past eight in the morning.

Li Fan's eyes lit up. He rolled out of bed and hurriedly said into the phone:

"Understood, Director Wu, no problem! I'll head over immediately! Just tell me what the mission is!"

He then hung up the phone.

On the other end, Wu Qian held his phone, swallowing the speech he had prepared, feeling deeply moved.

To think there could be such a fine comrade!

One had to know that he had spent quite a lot of effort just to get the old slackers in the department to come in for overtime.

Little Li really is a good comrade; promoting him to section chief was the right call!

Li Fan quickly put on his clothes and walked out of the bedroom, his face already replaced with a cold, stern expression as he said in a slightly hoarse voice:

"Prepare the car."

Driver Chen, who had been waiting in the living room on the first floor, stood up immediately. Dressed in a black leather jacket, he rushed toward the garage with clean, efficient, and well-trained movements.

"I've prepared breakfast for you; will you eat before you go?" Auntie Zhang asked cautiously, the pleasant aroma of food wafting from the dining room.

"I'll eat on the way," Li Fan said expressionlessly while walking toward the door.

His father and mother were also standing in the living room, watching Li Fan intently as they said:

"The anomalous item you provided yesterday has already arrived at headquarters and is being prepared for testing; we expect results by this afternoon."

"Do you need any support from the team? We are on standby at all times!"

Li Fan walked to the door without looking back and said indifferently:

"No need."

A low-key yet luxurious sedan was already parked at the entrance, and Driver Chen respectfully opened the rear door.

Li Fan ducked inside, the door closed, and the car slowly pulled away from the villa.

Li Fan remained expressionless. His hand, resting at his side, gently pinched the interior trim, feeling the soft, comfortable leather of the car, and he sighed inwardly—a good car really is different.

Driver Chen sat bolt upright, but his driving skills were beyond reproach.

Although he was weaving through traffic, he drove with the fluidity of flowing water, without a single pause.

He didn't speak, and naturally, Li Fan didn't open his mouth.

The two remained silent the entire way, driving like a hearse until they reached a small intersection next to the Anomaly Bureau.

Li Fan opened the door and got out, and both of their tense spines relaxed slightly.

Once Li Fan had left, Driver Chen slumped into the driver's seat, wiping away sweat incessantly.

To serve a ruler is to serve a tiger.

Upon arriving at the Dissection Department, Li Fan immediately noticed that one-eighth of the department's staff had already arrived.

Specifically, the director and the deputy director.

Seeing Li Fan arrive, Wu Qian was overjoyed and said:

"Fan, it really has to be the young ones! So motivated! Ah, Little Ke is here too! Quick, you two go to the dissection room and get to work! The Investigation Department sent over a few big jobs today!"

Ke Ke, wearing thick black-rimmed glasses, entered the Dissection Department behind Li Fan, and the two immediately followed Wu Qian toward the dissection room.

Inside the dissection room, there were actually a dozen trees.

No, that wasn't right—it was a dozen people.

These were a dozen people who had merged into one with the trees.