Chapter 8

For the second time that day, Leon bolted out of the hospital room without hesitation, effortlessly bypassing the crowded reception area. He leaped out of a window on the second floor and sprinted toward the Clearing Bureau.

Since taking Anna away didn’t work, there was only one choice left—to immediately inform the Clearing Bureau and bring people capable of handling “uncontrollable infectees”!

He wasn’t sure if it was due to the illusion of time slowing down from extreme mental tension or if reporting to the Clearing Bureau counted as part of his job, giving him a boost from his “probationary worker” badge.

Despite being exhausted from not sleeping all night, Leon’s speed was much faster than before, and it didn’t take long for him to reach the building of the Clearing Bureau.

But when Leon, enduring the burning pain in his lungs, stumbled into the farthest office, what greeted him was an empty room.

Where were the people? Why was no one here?

Looking through the window at the already darkened sky, the anxious Leon suddenly realized—it was way past the official working hours, and the mysterious red-haired woman had definitely gone home.

This is bad… Should I search inside the building and see if anyone’s still on duty?

Leon clenched his teeth after finding nothing but emptiness, just as he was about to leave the red-haired woman’s office, a dull thud came from behind him, as if something heavy had fallen onto the carpet.

Surprised, Leon turned around and saw that a sheep-head ornament on the table had fallen off. Not wanting to waste time, he was about to leave when the sheep head mysteriously twisted twice and managed to turn itself back upright.

In Leon’s stunned gaze, the sheep head with its mouth sewn shut rolled its eyes and then glared fiercely at him.

?! In the dimly lit corridor, the ornately decorated yet strange office, a sheep head with its mouth sewn shut by red thread stared angrily at you…

“You’re looking at whose horse now?!”

An enraged voice echoed in Leon’s ears, ruining the terrifying atmosphere.

After rolling several times on the carpet and failing to right itself, the black goat turned to glare at Leon angrily and yelled,

“Hurry up and pick me up! Back when I was a Great Demon, someone as clueless as you would’ve been smacked dead already!”

Great Demon… That black goat? How did you end up as just a head within an hour?

“Y-you… Excuse me!”

Recognizing this creature as the same black goat he’d encountered earlier, Leon took a deep breath and directly asked:

“I think I just ran into an uncontrollable infectee, at the hospital three streets away. Is there anyone on duty at the Clearing Bureau?”

Nah! If there was anyone else in the bureau, would you have been able to barge in like this? They’d have already disassembled and killed you by now! Just as the black goat was about to roll its eyes and start cursing again, Leon quickly added: “If you help me find someone, I’ll buy you cigarettes! A pack of ‘Gaut’! No! Two packs!”

‘…’

Two packs, huh… Hmmph… We’re such kind-hearted demons who can’t stand human suffering, helping you isn’t impossible, but the problem is…

‘Sigh…’

Under Leon’s tense expression, the black goat sighed first, then shook its head regretfully and said:

“Forget about the deal. We’re a trustworthy demon; we don’t take benefits if we can’t deliver. There’s no one left in the bureau now, and there’s nothing I can do to help.”

No one? Hearing this, Leon couldn’t help but ask anxiously:

“How can such a big building have not even one person on duty?”

“It’s all because of that red-haired woman!”

Listen kid, let me tell you something—don’t be blinded by her beauty! Though she’s good-looking, rivaling those pure-blood succubi, this person drinks heavily, is greedy, petty, doesn’t care about hygiene, and I’ve even seen her secretly picking her toes in her office with the door closed! This stinky woman is purely… Hey?”

In the middle of venting, the black goat seemed to notice something, struggled to turn its head towards the east, then slightly parted its sewn-up mouth and grinned at Leon.

“Lucky you, rookie, getting a performance bonus so soon… Hurry up! Pick me up and carry me; the capable person has returned, and I’ll take you to her to settle this matter!

And remember the cigarettes you promised! It must be two packs, if you miss even one, I’ll kill you!”

As long as you can solve this issue, I’ll give you two boxes, not just two packs!

…

Hearing that things might finally turn around, Leon was overjoyed. He bent down, picked up the goat head, and quickly ran out of the Clearing Bureau, following its guidance for nearly two streets until he finally stopped a tall woman wrapped in bandages at the street corner.

“You are… Uh… The bureau actually recruited new members?”

After exchanging a glance with the goat head in Leon’s arms, the tall woman wrapped in bandages smiled kindly and extended her hand to Leon, saying warmly: “I’m Emma. I’ve been with the Clearing Bureau for six years and consider myself quite familiar with its operations. If you need any help with work-related matters in the future, please feel free to ask.”

“Okay… Thank you…”

When Leon first stopped this strangely bandaged woman, he thought she’d be another eccentric character like the black goat, but instead, he heard such a “socially appropriate” greeting.

However… She seems pretty easy to talk to?

Thinking about the situation at the hospital, Leon immediately suppressed his discomfort, shook hands with the bandaged woman briefly, and then said urgently:

“At the hospital…”

“I will go, but not right now.”

The bandaged woman smiled gently and calmly explained: “According to the four-step action manual of the bureau, we should first carefully observe, determine the type and danger level of the anomaly, and identify the identity of the out-of-control infectee;

Then, based on the victim’s condition, preliminarily guess the effects of the infectee’s ability and judge possible impacts; next, find targeted tools and special items, confirm our own state, and formulate a complete action plan;

Finally, initiate the operation, trying to control or eliminate the target with minimal casualties and least impact, completing the cleanup work.”

Looking at Leon who seemed somewhat dazed, the bandaged woman kindly reminded him: “Now that the sun has set, our actions will be hindered by reduced visibility. Moreover, most anomalies become more active without the suppression of sunlight. This is not a good time for action.

Additionally, I’ve just finished a mission lasting two and a half months, my physical strength and state are at their limits, and I need at least a week of rest to ensure sufficient focus, making me unsuitable for taking on dangerous new tasks with unknown risks.

Therefore, the best course of action now is for us to return to the Clearing Bureau and pass this task to the director when she comes to work tomorrow. So we should…”

‘Why do you keep doing this nonsense…’

Shaken by her overly professional and almost cold attitude, Leon didn’t know what to say for a moment, but the goat head in his arms twisted twice and complained unhappily: ‘Your director went on a business trip to Wales County and won’t be back for three days. Are you really going to wait for her?’

“Still, let’s wait for her.”

Seeing the sudden change in Leon’s expression, the bandaged woman named Emma smiled warmly again, her eyes slightly apologetic: “From your expression… Do you have relatives in that hospital? Sorry, I have a reason to survive no matter what. Without ensuring absolute safety, I won’t act rashly under any circumstances. So please wait three days!”

(End of Chapter)