Catastrophe Containment Facility
Chapter 110: Signing the Contract

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Signing the Contract

My name is Gong Baoding, a somewhat comical name.

Because I had a sister who died young, I was named Baoding, to ensure that I would grow up safely.

Back then, the dish wasn’t as well-known as it is now.

Around the age of fourteen, I became a Demon Hunter, and I spent over twenty years working in Furong River City, evolving from Little Gong to Brother Gong, and then to Uncle Gong.

If it hadn’t been for this accident, I might have become Old Man Gong.

Other Demon Hunters my age either died or were promoted, but I, like a useless person, was stuck in that realm, too afraid to move forward.

After all, the cost of failure is too terrifying, even more terrifying than death!

Since the day I was attacked by Mr. L, I’ve been lying here. I know I should wake up, but I can’t.

I can hear voices, I can think, but I can’t respond.

Many people have visited me, some sad, some weeping, some indifferent, but none of them were my family.

Yes, since I was fourteen, it has just been me alone.

I might just keep sleeping like this until my consciousness fades...

For a Demon Hunter, this kind of ending doesn’t seem too bad.

"Wait, there are other people in the ward, but why can’t anyone see that person? Clearly he is a terrifying presence; why does no one sense his existence?"

...

Wen Wen stood in front of Gong Baoding, lightly grasped with his hand, and a transparent human figure emerged from Gong Baoding’s body, standing in front of Wen Wen.

That was Gong Baoding’s soul.

Gong Baoding looked at his ethereal body, moved around a bit to confirm his condition, and looked at Wen Wen with slight relief.

"It seems I’m dead, then you... are you the Grim Reaper come to harvest souls? Your clothes kind of fit the part, but why aren’t you holding a scythe?"

He looked at Wen Wen, dressed in a black robe, face unseen, only two golden eyes visible.

"I heard that after death, souls appear directly in the Inner World. I thought there was no such thing as the Grim Reaper."

Death, for him, was also a relief, so Gong Baoding still had the mood to joke.

"I am not the Grim Reaper. I am here to make a deal with you," Wen Wen said, maintaining his aloof demeanor.

"A deal, no!" Gong Baoding refused outright without even thinking.

In the world of superpower users, making a deal with an unknown entity is a very dangerous thing.

If you’re lucky, you might get what you desire; if not, there are several possibilities, most worse than death.

Therefore, such deals are taboo for Demon Hunters.

"Won’t you listen to my offer? You’re about to die. Only I can save you, and the price for your renewed life is working for me."

Gong Baoding scoffed: "You think I’m a coward, afraid of death? I’d rather die than become someone’s puppet."

Wen Wen, clearly frustrated, said: "I’m not what you think I am, and the job I have for you is a legitimate one."

"Heh, your tone is just like a textbook example of an outlandish seducer."

Gong Baoding was even more disdainful. Although he was already dead, he maintained the pride of a Demon Hunter to the end.

Wen Wen, eyes widened in anger, was tempted to throw the contract right in this stubborn old man’s face. If it weren’t for owing him a favor, Wen Wen would have gone to sign a contract with a fair, beautiful lady with long legs by now—maybe even getting a loving hug in return. Why bother coming to you, this cantankerous old geezer?

"I’ve laid out the contract here for you, giving you half a day to consider it. This is your last chance," Wen Wen said as he placed the contract on the bed before heading back to the Sanctuary.

He would wait in the Sanctuary for Uncle Gong. As long as his mind was clear, he would surely sign the contract.

Facing life and death, many people impulsively choose death, but given enough time to think, the outcome might be different.

Wen Wen wasn’t doubting Uncle Gong’s resolve but believed that working for the Sanctuary was not a trap, but possibly an opportunity.

After careful consideration, he would make the right choice.

Gong Baoding placed his hand on the contract, gently caressing it.

"Such a clean contract..." was his initial feeling.

In the records of the Hunters Association, contracts signed under deception by other beings generally contained hidden clauses that were hard to detect.

The back, creases, patterns, and dividing lines might all hide deceptive tricks.

Once overlooked, when the contract took effect, regret was inevitable.

But this document was different. It had only clean text, not a trace of superfluous content, which reduced Gong Baoding’s risks to the minimum.

"If there’s no tampering with the contract, then the terms must be very strict," he reasoned.

Then, he began to read the content of the contract.

It clearly stated the rights he would enjoy and the duties he would assume after joining the Sanctuary.

What surprised him the most was that the terms of the contract were much more lenient than he had imagined, even less so than those when he joined the Hunters Association.

"To save my life just for me to sign such a contract, what exactly is this so-called Catastrophe Containment Facility?"

Gong Baoding hesitated for a long time but eventually pricked his finger and, with his blood, wrote his name on the contract.

If it was possible to not die, he didn’t want to die. He could completely accept the contents of the contract, so he decided to take a gamble, hoping it wasn’t a scam.

Meanwhile, on his hospital bed, his body’s finger also opened a small wound, and blood flowed down.

...

Back in the Sanctuary, studying the runes, Wen Wen smiled.

Gong Baoding had finally signed the contract, and he would soon welcome the first Containment Officer.

The moment the contract was signed, Gong Baoding’s soul vanished along with the contract and both appeared inside the Sanctuary.

"This is the Catastrophe Containment Facility," he observed.

Suddenly arriving in a new place, Gong Baoding could hardly take his eyes off everything, it was all so novel.

He realized he had come to an extraordinary place.

After reading the contract, Wen Wen nodded in satisfaction, then the contract slowly disappeared in his hands.

"Welcome, new Containment Officer," he said.

Wen Wen clutched Gong Baoding’s shoulder, as a rush of black energy made both their forms vanish, reappearing in the Disaster Core Area.

"Welcome, Mr. Gong Baoding, the 72581st Disaster Containment Officer," said the man in the metallic suit warmly.

"Give him what he needs to have," Wen Wen said, sensing a hint of jealousy from the metallic-suited man’s attitude.

His attitude towards Gong Baoding was much better than towards Wen Wen because Gong Baoding’s appearance resembled those of former containment officers, giving him a feeling of warmth.

And Wen Wen... didn’t seem like a good person!

Even artificial intelligence has its own likes and dislikes.