Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 37: Surprise Troops

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Surprise Troops

Da Jiang felt like he was sitting on pins and needles throughout the dinner.

This was his first time tasting Jiuyue’s cooking, and the big plate chicken tasted very good, much better than what he had in restaurants, but the problem was the way Jiuyue looked at him.

It was as if she was silently saying, "Once this chicken is finished, it’ll be your turn."

This was not the Jiuyue he knew!

The little fox he remembered was gentle and sensible, but now she didn’t even want to let him eat a meal in peace. Da Jiang had no doubt that if Mr. Mingyuan hadn’t finally invited him in, he would’ve had to solve his dinner problem at "Old Sui’s Restaurant" tonight.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford a meal, it was just that braving the cold wind, dining alone in a restaurant, always felt inexpressibly desolate.

"Actually, I came today to discuss some matters with Old Duan."

To avoid further deterioration in their relationship, Da Jiang explained, and he imagined a "Favorability" score appearing above Jiuyue’s head, with the number plummeting by five points per second.

"Yes, it was I who asked to meet with him."

Mr. Mingyuan had also noticed Jiuyue’s puffed-up expression. Ever since Da Jiang took his seat, the little fox had been making a puffy face, barely touching even her favorite chicken pieces.

On the way back, he had sent a message to Da Jiang to discuss the assessment and formalities for the intern’s permanent position. This job came with unusually high risks; the ranking not only signified honor but also served as a gauge for the members’ strengths relative to evil spirits, providing a direct reference for task assignments.

Therefore, Mr. Mingyuan believed that the assessment had to be comprehensive.

Beyond the hard indicator of "combat power," members’ knowledge reserve, experience in exorcising evil spirits, and teamwork ability should also be evaluated.

But shortly after the message was sent, Da Jiang said he had an important matter to discuss with Mr. Mingyuan.

To prevent any leaks, he had to meet Mr. Mingyuan in person.

The message stated that this could be the most significant event Yunlong City’s liaison station has faced since its establishment and might even become a turning point in the fate of the organization.

"Overworking again and again! Overworking is a bad culture and should be resisted!"

Jiuyue raised her banner in protest; Mr. Mingyuan had already come back late today, and here was Da Jiang, like a soul harvester, running to the apartment at night, even more relentless than a Night Disaster.

As a reminder assistant for rest, her duty was to remind Mr. Mingyuan to leave work on time and to enrich his life during his leisure.

For this purpose, she downloaded the first season of "Monster Rally" in the afternoon and thoroughly researched how to stream it on the big TV in the living room. According to the original plan, she and Mr. Mingyuan could watch at least three episodes tonight.

"Today’s situation is special, it won’t be the norm."

Mr. Mingyuan said.

Jiuyue stared at him intently, "Do you promise?"

"I promise."

"Then you have to watch ’Monster Rally’ with me tomorrow."

"Okay."

With that affirmative response, Jiuyue was finally satisfied and began to enjoy the big plate chicken.

Seeing this, Da Jiang finally breathed a sigh of relief; otherwise, his reputation with Jiuyue could have turned to enmity over a single meal. On the other hand, he was genuinely happy for Jiuyue’s current situation.

Old Duan was a reliable person, radiating dependability from head to toe, and encountering such a bondmate could be considered a stroke of luck.

Jiuyue was still a child at heart, with her feelings plainly showing on her face, yet she was easily mollified. As long as you went along with her wishes, she would soon be beaming at you again.

"What exactly is so urgent that we need to talk in person?"

"It’s Universe Company, the company has come looking for me."

As soon as the company was mentioned, Da Jiang subconsciously sat up straight and adjusted his clothes. "They claimed to be from the Life Science Department. I’ve verified many times and even talked to Director Fu Ling to make sure they’re not frauds."

He could never have dreamed that the company would come knocking on his door. When those people knocked, Da Jiang almost thought he had committed some offense.

After all, people say in private that the folks from Universe Company usually don’t show themselves, but when they do, it’s never good news.

"This matter needs to be handled with caution."

Duan Mingyuan was not surprised by this. Since Fu Ling could detailedly investigate Lu San and the Drummer’s activities of the past few months, they could definitely find out that he had visited Da Jiang, and it was even highly likely that they knew about Da Jiang’s resurrection.

Thus, the organization’s current financial straits would also be laid bare before the company.

Based on his understanding of the company, as long as Fu Ling pushed a project forward, it could immediately solve the industry’s urgent problems, but this was only their first step.

Next would be to hollow out the organization’s power and, within one or two years, to change the leadership bloodline quietly, branding everything in the industry with their own label.

If it were any other day, Duan Mingyuan, as a mere employee, wouldn’t concern himself too much with the future of the entire industry, but today’s experiences had sparked an interest that he hadn’t felt since he first encountered an evil spirit at the age of 7. The chessboard was filled with fierce battles, yet his attention was entirely focused on the black shadow flickering on the shoulder of the old man.

A new world had opened a window for him.

"Although I haven’t dealt with them, I’ve heard about their style of conduct. Even if I, Da Jiang, die penniless, even if I die outside or jump down from here, I would never sell you all out to the company!"

This was one of Da Jiang’s few prides.

Even if he were to walk out this door and die today, he could do so with his chest held high; he was clear of conscience, having given all he could.

"Mr. Mingyuan."

Upon hearing this, Jiuyue covered her mouth with her hand and whispered a reminder, "Be careful, those who set up this kind of flag are usually not trustworthy."

"You may question my ability, but you can’t question my conviction!"

Da Jiang crossed his arms and said, "It’s a commission. The company has no intention of buying us out. They are here to issue a commission."

Of course, he could figure out with his toes that Fu Ling was not interested in a homebody like him who stayed in a rental every day but in Duan Mingyuan.

"Moreover, this is related to the Night Disaster. I’ve finally figured it out; that monster wasn’t targeting us from the start."

Da Jiang lowered his voice nervously. After all, he had once died at the hands of the Night Disaster’s bizarre ability and had personally experienced how terrifying it was, "They mentioned that on a certain day next week, an important figure from Universe Company will arrive in Yunlong City. According to the intelligence they have, the Night Disaster is colluding with a criminal organization called Wangxu and plans to target that individual. Fu Ling hopes we can serve as the personal security for that VIP during this period."

If they could successfully complete this commission, the funding for the next few quarters would be secured.

More importantly, they might use this opportunity to make a name for themselves and truly establish a self-sufficient industrial line.

Da Jiang thought there’s probably no better reputation than serving as a security consultant for Universe Company.

"The company should have its own security department."

However, Duan Mingyuan felt the whole affair was filled with unreliable vibes. He had only met Fu Ling once, and they did not know each other well. If that person was truly so important, how could she, the director of the Yunlong City Life Science Department, entrust such a crucial task to someone she had only met once?

"’Professional tasks should be left to professionals’—that’s her explanation, and our duties are different from those of regular security department personnel. We will be playing the role of surprise soldiers."

"Surprise soldiers?"

"To be precise, Old Duan, it’s you!"

Only Da Jiang’s voice remained at the dining table, "The Night Disaster, that monster, could never dream there would be surprise soldiers emerging at the critical moment to turn the tide of battle!"