Deep in the Living
Chapter 99 - 93: Poaching Staff

Chapter 99: Chapter 93: Poaching Staff

[Mingwang City Investigation Bureau]

Anna looked up at the standalone Beast Style building, naturally comparing it to the City Bureau where she was from.

"So big! For a city like Mingwang City, which is the farthest from the national center, the frequency of anomalies is relatively low. There shouldn’t be a need to waste too much manpower.

For some ordinary incidents, local special companies and agencies can handle them.

The Investigation Bureau has made such a big deal out of this, could it be related to the Psychiatric Hospital?"

Luo Di was already standing at the door, having completed his identity verification.

A young Italian man with black curly hair quickly came out to greet them; it was Marco Rubio, the Intern Investigator who had been in charge of liaising with Luo Di before.

"Mr. Di, what brings you here? Last time, it was all thanks to you that we handled the incident on Chinese Street. I thought to let you rest for a few more days before contacting you, but you’ve come to us just one day after getting discharged.

And who might this be?"

Marco naturally took notice of Anna standing behind, and not to mention her identity, her exaggerated physique alone was enough to suggest that her status was no simple matter.

Luo Di did not introduce her as an intermediary but gestured for Anna to come forward and explain herself.

Following the presentation of her Intern Investigator’s badge, Marco quickly ushered them both into the hall and made some coffee.

A brief exchange later, he also came to understand the purpose of their visit.

"Mr. Di really enjoys this line of work! Every time we finish dealing with an anomaly, we try to rest as much as possible. After all, each mission comes with a risk to life, and our thoughts can also be somewhat affected.

However, Mingwang City has the lowest anomaly incident rate in the country, though there has been a slight increase in recent years. Most incidents that seem easy to handle on the surface have already been dealt with, and most of what remains are complicated cases.

Also, the most important point.

According to the rules set by the higher-ups, Miss Anna can work here, but Mr. Di, you are currently not an Intern Investigator, nor do you have the assigned identity to assist, so you are not allowed to deal with anomalies.

Why don’t you just apply to become one of our Intern Investigators? That would make things much more convenient.

After all, you are a ’Connector,’ and the Investigator identity won’t place too many constraints on you.

Since you like dealing with anomaly cases so much, just a little work will get you a whole year’s worth of achievements, and you can freely arrange the rest of your time, even if it means going back to Jupiter City.

If you want to move to Capital City in the future, you can completely consider us here as a stepping stone."

Due to the issues with the Punishment Room, Luo Di indeed needed to stay in Mingwang City for a period of time, and becoming an Intern Investigator here was indeed a good choice with privileges and the opportunity to obtain more pituitary for Hell transactions.

However, Anna, who was by his side, found this manner of recruiting quite distasteful and obviously too transparent, and she quickly interjected:

"Luo Di, you can only choose one City Investigation Bureau. Once you join here, you won’t be able to join another Investigation Bureau."

Marco, sitting opposite, continued along this line:

"So Mr. Di, you can seriously consider it.

In my view, with your talent, you’re definitely going to Capital City in the end. Which City Investigation Bureau you join doesn’t really make a difference; they are all just transit points.

By the way, our bureau has a very close cooperation with Mercury Group. As long as Mr. Di joins us, you can enjoy the privileges of a basic member, and you’ll have free access to Mercury Hotel facilities nationwide."

Luo Di thought for a moment before asking, "How long will it take to process the application and start work?"

"For recent graduates, our Bureau arranges further tests and reviews.

However, Mr. Di, it’s different for you. You have already handled a special anomaly on your own and you are also a powerful Connector.

As long as you commit to joining us, all the paperwork can be done within a day.

And you don’t need to be present for the procedure; you can just sign the contract now. And the Investigator uniform tailored to your physique will also be a priority, you might be able to get it today.

Additionally, I will apply for you to have a green channel.

Even if your Intern Investigator status has not been processed, as long as you sign the contract now, you are allowed to go to the Event Management Department and choose a suitable anomaly event."

Anna was somewhat annoyed at the near "poaching" behavior,

but Luo Di’s status as a ’Connector’ laid out all the same, and other Investigation Bureaus would do the same. Moreover, their attitude was very welcoming, with all sorts of privileges being maxed out.

Marco promptly brought out a special invitation for employment from the wardrobe; it seems they had planned to discuss this matter with Luo Di in the coming days.

The terms were complicated on the page, but a careful reading showed no difference from what Marco just described.

Anna, looking at the invitation formatted employment form, couldn’t help but sigh how useful Luo Di’s ’Connector’ status was. Her own employment process months ago was quite a hassle, and the slightest misstep could have resulted in her being screened out.

Sign confirmed.

Marco, sitting next to me, seemed to have signed a big deal. Although he was trying his best to suppress the smile on his lips, it felt like he couldn’t hold back completely.

"Welcome to the Mingwang City Investigation Bureau; from now on, we’re colleagues!

Come on, follow me first to the [Event Management Department], hopefully you can find a suitable case.

If it’s a particularly troublesome and complex case that requires the cooperation of multiple people, or even the help of an Official Investigator to lead the team, we will also arrange for that actively."

With a familiarity to his steps, Marco led the two into the elevator.

Based on Anna’s understanding of the Event Management Department, it should be a place filled with filing cabinets and with only a few clerical staff members working, dull and dim.

But as the elevator doors opened,

the pungent smell of smoke and the nearly blinding light crowded into the elevator along with the abundant sound of typewriters clacking,

the Event Management Department was extremely large, and in the center of the floors there was a circular staircase connecting the upper, middle, and lower levels.

Highly professional female clerks were here, rapidly and efficiently managing various documents, most of which were personnel files.

And on their bodies, they all bore similar tattoos, with a planet inked on the back of their hands, and on the surface of the planet was etched the Italian word Mercurio (Mercury).

Cigarettes and chewing gum could be said to be standard issue for everyone.

Marco noticed the confusion of the two and took the initiative to explain:

"Our [Event Management Department] has an in-depth cooperation with the [Mercury Group], these professional clerks are provided by their company to help us quickly process a large number of personnel files.

After all, the situation in Mingwang City is different; in addition to handling anomalies like other Investigation Bureaus, we also need to compile reports on mental patients sent from across the country every month.

Additionally, information on immigrants arriving through the port is also integrated and processed here.

This way, the archive room for anomalous events is located closer to the inside."

Somewhat unexpectedly, the Abnormality Archive Room only occupied a small area, and the administrators were still the female clerks with the Mercury tattoos.

The entire archive room was in red and black tones,

with partitions in the middle resembling bank windows,

and when the three approached the counter, Luo Di quickly noticed the complexity of the internal clerks.

Beneath the standard short-sleeve white shirts, their relatively delicate figures were contrasted by the muscular patterns on their heavily tattooed arms.

Their fingers tapped swiftly on the keyboard, and alongside, the printers were quickly spewing out the materials needed by Luo Di and others.

When a clerk stood up to fetch the papers from the printer and do the binding, one could clearly see a handgun and a short knife equipped on the side of the half apron, matching the aura they emitted, almost like a professional Assassin.

The anomalies of the past year were bound into volumes and handed out through the gaps in the partition.

The clerk introduced them in standard Italian:

"These are the ’anomalies’ that have remained unhandled after being compiled by our bureau over the past year, most of which are stalled cases with low Fluctuation Frequencies.

There are detailed records of the case overview, Fluctuation Frequencies, threat levels, number of handlers, and so on."

It was Luo Di’s first time encountering a case file, and he began flipping through it with great interest.

Generally speaking, incidents can be mainly divided into ’Fresh incidents,’ ’Stalled incidents,’ and ’Indeterminate incidents’.

’Indeterminate incidents’ mainly refer to those which experienced malicious events, but it has not been determined whether they are related to Pseudo-Persons; they lack information and are not included in the incidents selected by Luo Di and others.

Investigators prefer fresh incidents, or more recent cases.

The cases that happened recently are highly likely to indicate that Pseudo-Persons are still active in the nearby region, and most clues collected are still valid, increasing the probability of finding Pseudo-Persons based on the description of the incident.

The most important point is that, because they are recent cases, the strength of the Pseudo-Persons matches the event records without too much fluctuation.

For example, the one that Luo Di dealt with in Chinese Street two days ago was a fresh incident.

The stalled incidents are a different story entirely,

these have exceeded three months without being addressed, some clues have already become invalid, and Pseudo-Persons may well have left the region of the incident, and moreover, the Pseudo-Persons themselves may have fully matured and become even more dangerous.

They might even have completed [interstice screening] and completely disappeared.

Currently, in Mingwang City, there are only two fresh incidents available to choose from.