Chapter 3

Tommy's problem was resolved quickly.

Director Herman personally visited him and assessed him as an "S-class anomaly, recently awakened, currently not aggressive, as for the future..."

"I promise he won't lose control!" I assured him loudly. "Tommy's always listened to me!"

"I promise!" Tommy added quickly, "I just crave something edible when I'm a little hungry... but I don't eat people! Really!"

Herman paused for a few seconds. "Okay. Tommy, from today onwards you're an unofficial member of the Bureau of Spirits, managing the West City Cemetery, responsible for clearing out dangerous evil spirits. The bureau will provide you with a computer; you can play games when you have free time."

"Great!" Tommy jumped up excitedly.

And so, Tommy was placed in the West City Cemetery.

The next day I went to see him, and he was sitting in front of his computer grinning. "Brother Rui, this place is even more comfortable than when I was alive! I can finally play games all night long!"

"Don't play for too long, remember to patrol." After giving these instructions, I turned and left, feeling relieved.

It was already evening when I returned to the Bureau of Spirits.

As soon as I stepped into the office area, the team leader waved to me: "Lin Rui, congratulations on completing your first official mission! Everyone, let's go out for a barbecue to celebrate!"

Before he could finish speaking, a piercing alarm suddenly went off.

"A super-A-level eerie energy fluctuation has been detected in the barbecue street on the city's edge! Extremely powerful!" An agent rushed over, his face pale. "The chief orders your entire team to depart immediately!"

Super A-level is bizarre, second only to S-level, and generally requires the entire squad or even multiple squads to cooperate in combat.

Ten minutes later, our group of six drove two cars and sped off to the barbecue street.

The car stopped on the outskirts of the barbecue street. Police tape had been set up in the distance, and several detectives were evacuating the crowd.

"The target is at 'Aunt Mei's Skewers' shop. There's been no attack so far, but the energy fluctuations are very unstable."

The on-site personnel reported to the team leader.

The captain nodded, then said to me, "Lin Rui, you stay on the outer perimeter and don't go any closer. It'll be troublesome if a fight breaks out and we have to take care of you!"

"Did you hear that?" Emily's expression was serious. "A Super A-grade anomaly is no joke. A piece of trash like you would be killed by the energy fluctuations just by getting close."

I lowered my head, pretending to be a little disappointed, but actually I was overjoyed inside.

We no longer have to confront the bizarre.

Seeing that I had accepted his order, the captain nodded and cautiously approached with Emily and the other team members.

I stood behind the police line, nervously watching their backs.

A few minutes later, a huge roar suddenly came from ahead—

"boom!"

A pillar of fire shot into the sky.

Then came screams.

"Aaaaaah!"

"Damn! This is too powerful!"

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

I saw the captain and the others running back in a sorry state, their faces bruised and swollen.

The vice-captain's arm was hanging limply, clearly dislocated; Emily's uniform was torn in several places, and there was a bloodstain on her face.

Behind them, a huge figure slowly emerged—a plump middle-aged woman, her body wreathed in flames, with curly hair, wearing an apron, holding a huge barbecue fork, and her eyes burning with red flames.

"You bastards!" she roared. "My meat is perfectly fine, but you insist it's rotten! And you want me to pay quarantine fees! If I don't pay, you'll shut down my shop!"

The captain struggled to his feet, "We...we were just carrying out a mission..."

"Execute my ass!" Aunt Mei swung her fork, sending the captain flying several meters. "You just want money! Bullying a small shopkeeper like me!"

The other team members wanted to counterattack, but they couldn't get close at all.

Aunt May's flames formed a barrier; anyone who dared to approach would be burned.

"Damn it... this monster has been alive for at least a hundred years!" The vice-captain clutched his arm, wincing in pain.

Emily gritted her teeth and raised her gun, but Aunt May glared at her, and the psionic energy at the muzzle was suppressed.

"I can't even use a gun..." Emily's face turned pale.

As I watched this scene, my heart raced, and my instinctive urge was to rush forward and save them.

Just then, I got a clear look at the fat woman's face.

That figure...that apron...and that barbecue fork...

"Aunt Mei?!" I couldn't help but exclaim.

Everyone was stunned.

Aunt May's flames went out instantly.

Her body shrunk to the size of a normal person, and she turned to look at me.

"Little...Little Rui?" Her eyes widened. "Is that you?"

"It's me!" I strode over, crossed the police line, and exclaimed, "Aunt Mei, it's me! Lin Rui!"

"Don't go over there!" The person next to me tried to stop me, but it was too late.

Aunt Mei's eyes instantly welled up with tears. "Xiao Rui! I never thought I'd see you again!"

She dropped the barbecue fork, opened her arms, and walked towards me.

I was a little scared, but I stood still.

Aunt Mei grabbed me and hugged me so tightly she almost strangled me. "Xiao Rui, you've grown so much... wait, why do you still look like a college student?"

"I...I'm frozen..." I said with difficulty, "Aunt Mei, could...could you loosen your grip a little...I can't breathe..."

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry!" Aunt Mei quickly let go.

I gasped for breath, then looked at the captain and the others lying on the ground. "Aunt Mei, they're my colleagues... Could you please stop hitting them?"

"Colleagues?" Aunt Mei glanced at the group and nodded. "Alright, alright, since they're Xiao Rui's colleagues, I won't call them."

The captain and the others looked at me with complete bewilderment.

"Lin Rui..." Emily struggled to her feet, "You...you know this strange thing?"

"Yes." I nodded. "Aunt Mei was my neighbor. She ran a barbecue restaurant, and I used to go there often for skewers when I was little."

The vice-captain was on the verge of tears. "Just how many supernatural beings do you know?"

"I...I don't know either..." I said softly.

"Xiao Rui," Aunt Mei said, pulling my hand, "you be the judge. These people say my meat is bad and they're demanding I pay quarantine fees. If I don't pay, they'll shut down my shop. My meat is perfectly fine; they're just trying to extort me!"

I looked at the team leader, who was covering his face and said painfully, "That...that wasn't us...it was the urban management department...we just received a report of a strange riot here..."

"Then why did you hit me?" Aunt Mei said, dissatisfied.

"We...we thought you were going to kill someone..." The captain was on the verge of tears.

"Who would I kill?" Aunt May rolled her eyes. "I was just angry and wanted to scare those bastards. They ran away, and then you guys rushed in."

The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.

"Um... Aunt Mei," I said cautiously, "could my colleagues get treatment first? They're quite badly injured..."

"Alright, alright, alright." Aunt Mei waved her hand generously. "For Xiao Rui's sake, I'll let it go today. But go back and tell those city management officers to stop bothering me! I, Aunt Mei, have lived for a hundred years, what storms haven't I weathered? Trying to extort me? No way!"

"I...I understand..." The captain struggled to his feet.

We left the barbecue street in a sorry state.

Aunt Mei stood at the shop entrance, waving at me, "Xiao Rui, remember to come often! Aunt Mei will give you a free ride!"

"Yes!" I nodded vigorously.

On the way back, the atmosphere in the car was very tense.

The captain drove with a bruised and swollen face, while the vice-captain's arm had been simply bandaged.

Emily sat next to me without saying a word, only occasionally glancing at me with a complicated look.

I was sitting in the back seat, wondering if I should come to Aunt Mei's place for barbecue tonight.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

It was a text message: "Hi Lin Rui, this is Lucy. I'm looking forward to meeting you!"

I was stunned.

Lucy? Who?

The name sounds familiar, but a hundred years have passed, and things have changed so much that I can't quite remember it anymore.

"What's wrong?" Emily noticed my expression.

"Hmm..." I handed her the phone. "They said they wanted to meet... but I don't know this person..."

Emily glanced at it, rolled her eyes, and said, "It's a blind date arranged by the department. Herman said the best way to integrate into society is to make new friends."

"A...a blind date?!" I stared wide-eyed.

"Yeah, right." Emily handed the phone back to me. "How can you adapt to modern life if you're a hundred-year-old relic and don't socialize?"

"But...but I don't want to go on blind dates..."

"So what do you want?" Emily glanced at me, "To grow old alone?"

I opened my mouth, but couldn't say a word.

"Just send a text back. Even if we don't meet, we can chat first," Emily said, chewing on a lollipop. "The girl's already being so proactive, so don't be so reserved."

I stared at my phone screen, hesitated for a long time, and finally typed: "Hello, I'm Lin Rui, nice to meet you."

send.

A few seconds later, the other person replied: "Okay! Looking forward to getting to know you!"

As I looked at the text message, a strange feeling welled up inside me.

Nervous, expectant, and a little bit... uneasy.

The car continued its journey into the night, heading towards the Superintendent's Office.