Chapter 56: Do Temporary Workers Have No Human Rights?
After deciding to join the Siye Society, Du Sixian had been wondering what the final test mentioned by An Qing would be.
To be honest, although she had temporarily set aside various doubts about the Siye Society, its existence still felt like a vague silhouette in the fog of a dark night, unclear and indistinct.
After two days of anxious waiting, she finally saw the item that would be used for the final test that afternoon.
Outside the window, the sky was filled with red clouds. Sitting in An Qing’s office waiting for her to return, it wasn’t long before the office door opened, and four people came in, carrying a beast-patterned bronze box.
Four chains extended from the box, with each person holding one chain, and the bronze box floated in the air between them, seemingly containing some living creature that occasionally trembled gently.
Among the four, An Qing had been seen many times before, and Jiang Li was somewhat familiar, but the other two were quite strange to Du Sixian.
One of them was a short girl holding a chain and supporting a large black umbrella. She wore loose clothing that seemed to drag on the ground, had heavy dark circles under her eyes, and emanated a gloomy aura that made one inexplicably think of mushrooms growing in dark corners.
The other person stood in stark contrast to the short girl. He was a tall man who looked very pleasant at first glance, with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth that seemed ready to spill forth a spring breeze.
However, what puzzled Du Sixian was that although the man looked distinctive, she couldn’t retain any memory of him in her mind; it was as if she forgot him immediately after seeing him.
The four walked up to Du Sixian, placing the bronze box on the table, and then An Qing enthusiastically began the introductions.
“This is Jiang Li, Operator No. 05 of the Siye Society; you’ve met him before. This is Tang Tang, Operator No. 01; this is Li Xuan, Operator No. 02.”
“Originally, it was supposed to be Gu Liuxi coming,” Li Xuan explained gently with a smile at Du Sixian. “She’s Operator No. 03, but at the agreed time, she…”
“Cancelled,” Jiang Li said, glancing at Li Xuan. “It’s fine, anyway, you probably won’t have many chances to meet her. She always finds some inexplicable reason to cancel on you.”
Jiang Li had never liked Gu Liuxi’s lax attitude toward work.
Operator No. 01? Du Sixian looked at Tang Tang a few more times. At one point, she thought the operator numbers in the Siye Society were related to strength, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
It couldn’t be that the most powerful person in a mysterious organization that protects the entire city is a girl who looks like she never wakes up, could it?
Du Sixian was deep in thought when An Qing spoke up, “Shall we begin?” As she spoke, she stepped forward and opened the ancient, intricately designed lock on the bronze box.
“Boom—! Boom boom—!”
Suddenly, a violent banging sound erupted from inside the bronze box, causing it to shake on the table.
“Boom—! Boom boom—!”
It was as if some terrifying creature had awakened inside the bronze box; each impact felt like it was striking Du Sixian’s nerves, and she even doubted whether the thing inside could break through the bronze shell directly.
As the box slowly opened, an overpowering oppressive aura began to seep out through the cracks, making Du Sixian’s eyes feel slightly burnt, and everything in her field of vision started to slow down.
The bronze box was fully opened, and the room fell silent, with not even the sound of everyone’s breathing.
Inside lay a huge, bloodshot eye, quietly resting; its surface embedded with a silver net that bound it to the bottom of the box, resembling a strange piece of artwork.
But it was alive!
It slowly turned, fixing its gaze on Du Sixian, whose heart started to race at the unsettling stare that seemed to penetrate her body and thoroughly see through her soul, evoking an unprecedented fear.
Du Sixian locked eyes with it, and a hint of confusion flickered in its deep gaze, followed by a renewed wave of invisible pressure. Her head suddenly buzzed, her thoughts slowed, and she fell into a blank state.
……
Du Sixian didn’t know how long she had been in a daze. When she came to again, Jiang Li and the others had already left, and only An Qing remained leaning on the opposite sofa, a faint smile on her lips, looking at her with a meaningful expression.
Seeing Du Sixian regain consciousness, An Qing smiled enchantingly and said, “Congratulations, you passed the test. From today, you are an official member of the Siye Society.”
“Uh…” Du Sixian hadn’t fully emerged from that peculiar state, and after a moment of silence, she managed to ask, “What was that thing just now?”
An Qing shrugged, “That’s a B-class spirit energy item, the eye of the legendary identifying beast, Xiezhi. Ninety-nine percent of urban legends under its gaze will reveal their true form.”
Du Sixian, “……” So, you were worried I was an urban legend?
Why didn’t you say so earlier? It seems you still don’t trust me that much!
Feeling a bit indignant, Du Sixian thought, even though she had been through many experiences during this time, she was still very clear about whether or not she was an urban legend.
“However, there’s something that puzzles me…” An Qing scrutinized the silent Du Sixian before changing the subject.
“I originally sensed a spirit energy fluctuation from you, thinking you had naturally awakened. But in the recent test, I didn’t find any natural spirit patterns on you.”
“This…” Du Sixian opened her mouth, pondering for a moment before asking, “What are spirit patterns?”
“Spirit patterns… um, they are special substances made from materials found on urban legends. You can think of them as enhancement drugs in movies, or as tattoos that help you gain the powers of urban legends, but their target isn’t the body; it’s the soul.”
Du Sixian furrowed her brows, “Is there anything bad about not having natural spirit patterns?”
“Not at all; on the contrary, it’s a good thing.” An Qing explained with a smile, “If you don’t have natural spirit patterns, you don’t need to worry about becoming an urban legend; you have the right to choose.”
“Choose?” Du Sixian tilted her head in confusion.
“Yes, you can choose to be a combat operator or a logistics staff member.”
Du Sixian frowned, “Is there a difference?”
“The difference is that as a combat operator, you need to have a spirit pattern drawn on your soul,” An Qing’s expression gradually became serious as she said this, “However, spirit patterns are mostly made from things found on urban legends. Branding those things onto your soul…”
At this point, An Qing paused and continued, “Although spirit patterns are like a mask that allows people to disguise themselves as urban legends and gain power, many people find it hard to remove the mask once they’ve worn it for too long.”
“In short, if you do that, you’re very likely to go crazy and become an urban legend or something.”
“Logistics work is relatively simple. It’s just like an ordinary office worker; you clock in on time, and you only need to keep your mouth shut and protect the secrets you come into contact with.”
Upon hearing this, Du Sixian furrowed her brows tightly, pensive.
Go crazy… but how likely is that?
In fact, Du Sixian wasn’t too afraid of the potential hazards of drawing spirit patterns; after all, wasn’t An Qing and the others living fine?
She was just worried that if she became logistics staff, she would still encounter those bizarre things and be unable to resist.
Seeing Du Sixian remain silent for a long time, An Qing smiled, walked up to her, and sat beside her, patting her shoulder, “You don’t need to decide right now; take your time to think about it.”
“I have a question.”
“Go ahead,” An Qing raised an eyebrow.
Du Sixian pondered for a few seconds, organized her thoughts, and said seriously, “If I become a combat member, are there many restrictions? Can I still continue making urban legend videos?”
“Pfft—!” An Qing laughed lightly at her words, her gaze toward Du Sixian gaining a hint of peculiarity. “Oh, so that’s what you’re worried about? You needn’t be concerned; we will regularly release videos of combat against urban legends anyway.”
Du Sixian, “???”
What kind of operation is this?
Some of those urban legend videos online are actually real?
Aren’t you supposed to be the kind of organization that is very secretive and mysterious, protecting the city from the shadows?
Seeing the confusion on Du Sixian’s face, An Qing explained, “It’s important for the Siye Society to help people believe that there are those who can defeat urban legends!”
“As for how it’s important, I’ll tell you more if you decide to become a combat operator.”
“……”
Du Sixian was silent for a few seconds before her gaze suddenly sharpened. “Okay! I’ve decided—I want to become a combat operator, but I have one request: can those videos be…”
“Given to you to do?” An Qing interrupted with a smile. “That’s great! The current video maker, Gu Xiliu, often cancels at the drop of a hat…”
“Although it’s common for video creators to cancel, Gu Liuxi cancels way too liberally. Her popularity just doesn’t meet the requirements.”
Du Sixian tilted her head, pondering as she looked at An Qing.
Isn’t this a bit too smooth? It’s not what I expected.
I thought the requirements for making videos for the Siye Society would be very strict!
While Du Sixian was lost in thought, An Qing continued, “Since you’ve made your decision, just wait patiently for a few days!”
“Why?”
“Because it takes a few days to prepare the materials to draw the spirit pattern and make you a spiritual ability user!” An Qing explained, “Besides, one kind isn’t enough; this is a big deal for you, and we ought to give you a considerable choice, right?”
“During this time, just follow me and learn some necessary knowledge, okay?”
As An Qing spoke, she pointed towards the bookshelf.
Du Sixian followed her finger and immediately spotted the thick volume of The Book of Siye, which looked like a dictionary.
Seeing The Book of Siye, Du Sixian suddenly recalled something, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “Like Lu Yibei?”
“Not quite.” An Qing teased with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “He’s a temporary worker who can only learn through reading. For you, I have a much more convenient and faster way!”
As Du Sixian listened to An Qing’s words, she frowned slightly, and an echoing shout echoed in her ear, “Do temporary workers have no human rights?”
That shout was reminiscent of the voice that guided her to the Siye Society.
Is it the existence that felt like a deity in my dream? Why am I hearing her voice? Du Sixian pondered, and she seemed a bit… dissatisfied with how An Qing treated her differently.
