I Went Crazy Killing in the World of Gods and Demons - Chapter 96

Chapter 96

The arrival of the newcomers somewhat lightened the gloomy atmosphere that had shrouded the department for days.

Ye Anran and Dai Xingyu were the first two to return. Hearing that Ling Fang wanted to hold a welcome party, they had picked up some celebratory items on their way back one bought balloons, the other bought party poppers.

Ye Anran blew up the balloons but wasn’t tall enough to hang them from the ceiling. Instinctively, she called out, “Old… Old Xingyu, help me hang these up.”

“…” Dai Xingyu reached over from behind her, took a string of balloons, and effortlessly hung them up thanks to his height.

Before long, the two of them had managed to infuse the once-quiet office with a festive and lively atmosphere.

Colorful balloons were hung everywhere, making it look almost like Children’s Day.

Ye Anran remarked, “Our department has never held a welcome party before. When Xie Qingling first arrived, she started working right away. It’s been over half a year already… Time flies. I wonder what the new members will be like whether they’ll be easy to get along with.”

“No need to worry,” Dai Xingyu said. “They’ll probably be easygoing. If they’re not, Brother Shen can figure something out. They’ll fall in line quickly.”

Ye Anran still seemed uneasy. “Not everyone is like Xie Qingling, able to hit it off with Shen Huaizhou right away.”

“That’s fine too. If they’re troublemakers, Xie Qingling can just beat them up, and they’ll behave.”

“Oh…” Ye Anran found this reasoning quite sound and fell silent. After all, she wouldn’t be the one writing any self-criticism later.

As dinnertime approached, their stomachs growling, the two chatted idly while snacking on treats provided by the Logistics Department, waiting restlessly.

As the sun began to set, Shen Huaizhou and Xie Qingling returned to the office one after the other.

Shen Huaizhou checked the time and asked, “Did the department head say when he’d be back?”

“No,” Xie Qingling replied.

It was just past six.

“I’ll go make something to eat,” Shen Huaizhou said to her. “Do you want some?”

Xie Qingling looked surprised. “You know how to cook?”

“Just noodles. Want some or not?”

Dai Xingyu immediately raised his hand. “Yes, Brother Shen, I want some.”

Ye Anran quickly joined in. “Brother Shen, me too. Please add a fried egg for me. Thank you, you’re amazing.”

Seeing this, Xie Qingling promptly added her order. “Yes, I want one too, with a fried egg. Thank you, you’re amazing.”

Shen Huaizhou’s cooking skills were nothing extraordinary, but among the department members, he ranked first in culinary ability.

Tying on an apron and pulling back his long hair, Shen Huaizhou disappeared into the kitchen to start cooking.

About fifteen minutes later, a steaming pot of tomato and egg noodles was ready.

He fried four soft-centered sunny-side-up eggs, placing one in each bowl, and sprinkled them with chopped scallions.

Shen Huaizhou called out from the kitchen, “Dinner’s ready!” The others rushed in immediately, each grabbing their own bowl of noodles.

They were so hungry their stomachs were growling, and the aroma of tomato and eggs made their mouths water. At that moment, they could have devoured not just a bowl of noodles but an entire cow if one were placed in front of them.

Everyone dug in heartily, not forgetting to praise Shen Huaizhou’s cooking skills between bites.

Dai Xingyu slurped noisily, managing to praise between busy chewing: “Brother Shen truly lives up to his reputation handsome enough for the drawing room, skilled enough for the kitchen, what a perfect wife and mother ow!” He got a hard kick from Ye Anran.

Shen Huaizhou’s face began to darken.

Ye Anran corrected: “Clearly a perfect husband and father.”

“Right, right, right.”

Shen Huaizhou’s expression remained sour, but he stayed silent, just focusing on devouring his food.

It’s not like they were utterly useless, incapable of cooking such simple noodles. Was all this flattery really necessary?

Embarrassing. Truly embarrassing.

7:30 PM.

A stretched van parked in front of 221 Central Street.

Hearing the low engine rumble, the four people in the office stood up and went to the entrance to welcome the arrivals.

From the vehicle emerged three men and three women in sequence.

The first to step out was Director Ling Fang, who had gone to pick them up.

Following him was a girl who looked very cute, with a baby face.

Though her face was adorably childlike, her demeanor was remarkably steady, her gaze calm, making her age hard to guess.

After them came two men and two women.

These four were visibly green both in age and aura, radiating the unique unease and rawness of newcomers.

“Welcome, a warm welcome!” Ye Anran led the applause, her smile so forced it nearly froze on her face.

Xie Qingling: “…”

Hesitating whether to join in.

Ling Fang rubbed his temples, looking somewhat weary: “No need for such formalities.”

“Director Ling.” The baby-faced girl glanced at Ye Anran, then turned back to Ling Fang, saying, “The department members are quite… lively.”

Ling Fang: “…”

“Please, come in first.”

“…” Ye Anran could only secretly stash away the party poppers she’d bought.

Seriously, why was she the only one making a fool of herself again?

And Dai Xingyu they’d agreed to do it together, but when the time came, she was the only one who actually went through with it. Ye Anran mentally noted this debt.

Everyone stepped aside to let the guests enter first, then gradually returned to the main hall.

Including the five Ling Fang brought back, the department now had ten members total. For the first time, the meeting table was half full, and Xie Qingling had never felt the department so crowded before.

Ling Fang sat at the head of the table and said, “Let me introduce the new members Li Tiantian.”

“Li Tiantian is an Innate Spirit dispatched from headquarters. Previously stationed in the Old Royal City, she is an excellent combatant with extensive experience facing Ghouls.”

Ling Fang reminded them, “Don’t think you can take advantage of her just because she looks young. She’s been in this line of work much longer than any of you.”

Meaning she was a senior.

The baby-faced, ageless-looking Li Tiantian stood up and smiled at the other department members: “Hello everyone, I’m Li Tiantian. I’m thirty-three years old actually a year older than your director.”

Ling Fang is thirty-two?

Wait, Li Tiantian is thirty-three?

Xie Qingling was astonished.

Li Tiantian looked to be in her early twenties; who would have thought she was an older sister?

Dai Xingyu’s expression turned complicated.

He had assumed Li Tiantian was younger than him…

Was there really no chance for him to climb the ranks in this place?

Dai Xingyu couldn’t help but ask, “Are you also a Herdsman?”

Li Tiantian smiled without answering, simply stretching her arms to draw a circle in the air.

A flash of golden light appeared, and when Li Tiantian lowered her arms, she held a shield and an axe in her hands.

The shield and axe appeared ancient and unadorned, carrying an aura of primordial times. Their surfaces were covered in green patina, resembling both bronze rust and some kind of radiance.

[Xingtian, who was beheaded by the Yellow Emperor and buried at Mount Changyang, wielded shield and axe in his dance. Unconcerned with his lost head, using his nipples as eyes and his navel as mouth, he would battle the Emperor again, fighting to the death.]

“I have received Xingtian’s Bestowment and am a main damage-dealing warrior,” Li Tiantian said.

Dai Xingyu stood frozen in place, murmuring, “You use a shield too…”

This seemed to be their only similarity.

Moreover, Li Tiantian could summon her shield out of thin air. Was this reasonable? Wasn’t this absurd?

Dai Xingyu’s eyes turned red with envy.

“This pair in my hands are Xingtian’s weapons – the Gan is the shield, and the Qi is the axe.”

Li Tiantian looked at Dai Xingyu, catching the word “too” in his statement, her tone somewhat delighted: “You also use a shield? We should spar sometime when we’re free.”

Dai Xingyu: “…Okay.”

This was the first time someone had asked to spar with a Herdsman.

Even if he got beaten to a pulp, he couldn’t disgrace the department!

Shen Huaizhou glanced at Li Tiantian and affirmed, “You’re very strong.”

“I’m just an ordinary employee from headquarters,” Li Tiantian said as she retracted the shield and axe and sat back down.

Just an ordinary employee from headquarters…

Xie Qingling remained seated, discreetly taking another look at her.

She was now very curious about what kind of place headquarters really was.

At this point, Ling Fang finally continued: “The remaining four are all interns from headquarters.”

He said to the interns, “Introduce yourselves and get to know each other.”

A girl stood up. “Hello everyone, my awakened talent is Herdsman. My name is Yao Yuxue.”

“My name is Yao Qiang, I’m Yao Yuxue’s younger brother. I, I’m the same as my sister, I’m also a Herdsman,” the boy beside her immediately stood up, his tone somewhat nervous.

Well, that was apparent – the two were twins with very similar appearances, though their personalities differed. The boy was clearly more shy than the girl.

The second girl with practical short hair introduced herself: “Lu Ying, Acquired Spirit.”

The last boy stood up, sheepishly rubbing his head: “My name is Zhao Qiming, an Awakened who hasn’t received a Bestowment yet.”

Ling Fang nodded, wearing an “old man feeling gratified” expression.

As expected of those trained by headquarters – all four interns were well-behaved and obedient, none of them troublemakers.

Unlike the ones he had brought back himself…

Thinking of this, Ling Fang couldn’t help but cast his gaze toward Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou.

The two acted as if they didn’t see his look, sitting upright with proper posture, eyes fixed straight ahead, exceptionally proper and serious.

“Introduce yourselves too,” Ling Fang reminded them.

Ye Anran stood up and introduced herself: “Hello, my name is Ye Anran. I’m an ordinary doctor.”

Dai Xingyu followed closely behind: “Hello, I’m Dai Xingyu, an ordinary Herdsman.”

Ling Fang frowned, his eyes filled with warning as he glared at Xie Qingling, hinting for her not to be so perfunctory and to be more proper and serious.

Xie Qingling met his gaze and gave a light cough.

She stood up and said, “Hello, I’m Xie Qingling.”

“Before I introduce myself, I’d like to ask, how many people do you know who can receive the Primordial God’s Bestowment?”

Primordial God’s Bestowment? That sounds impressive!

This wasn’t a question the four interns could answer.

So all four turned their eyes to Li Tiantian.

Li Tiantian didn’t understand why but still answered, “Five, and I happen to know all of them. They’re all at headquarters.”

“Is that so…” Xie Qingling said, “It should be six now.”

“I’m the sixth one.” Xie Qingling pointed at herself and said, “Come to me for sparring.”

Ling Fang: “…”

He couldn’t help but rub his forehead.

His intention was for her not to be perfunctory, not to be so arrogant.

Shen Huaizhou then stood up as well, his flowing long hair and pitch-black dress making for a striking figure as he coldly spoke: “Hello, I’m Shen Huaizhou.”

He said: “I’m just an ordinary Illusionist.”

Li Tiantian: “…”

The interns: “…”