A vacation?

Our rundown neighborhood had a huge fight between the homeowners and the property management over fees just two years ago. There’s no way the management would have the budget to send the security team on a trip.

Hearing this, Shen Ge immediately found Old Wang’s excuse flimsy. Could it be that he really got taken away for dissection after mutating?

“Is that so? Maybe I misheard… Auntie Li, I’ll head off then.” Shen Ge said apologetically.

“No worries, no worries. It’s sweet of you to care about Old Wang… Here, take this apple back—” Auntie Li replied warmly, offering the apple back to him.

“Keep it. Consider it thanks for Uncle Wang’s oranges—they were really sweet.” Shen Ge waved with a smile as he headed downstairs.

“Well, thank you then.”

“No problem, Auntie Li. You can go back inside.”

Once he stepped out of the stairwell, Shen Ge frowned. Something about Old Wang’s sudden disappearance felt off, but clearly, it wasn’t something he could control.

He jogged around the vicinity of Old Wang’s neighborhood for a while, but with no warnings from the system, he eventually returned to his usual running route.

By the time he dragged himself home, gasping for breath, it was almost 10 p.m. His stamina had inched up from 73% to 75%.

Shen Ge had originally planned to work on his designs, but his mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of the supernatural. Instead, he scoured the internet, searching for any news related to eerie phenomena.

Before he knew it, midnight arrived.

[Congratulations, Host. You’ve survived another day in this world overrun by the supernatural. Reward: 1% freely distributable attribute point, 10 system points.]

Shen Ge allocated the 1% point to his mental stats, then opened the [Log] to review it before checking today’s daily mission.

[January 5, 2028: The organization commended you for the intelligence you provided and granted you a three-day break to recuperate. You’ve begun training through the system’s mission function and took the opportunity to test the “Silent” ability.]

[In this apocalyptic world where the supernatural runs rampant, a strong body is your greatest asset. By 12 p.m. tomorrow, complete: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run. Reward: Base attributes, 50 system points.]

Nothing stood out in the log, but the daily mission surprised him. Instead of resource gathering, it was a physical training task.

Even without the mission, Shen Ge had been exercising daily. After washing up, he headed to bed and woke up early the next morning.

The first three exercises seemed simple, but they nearly killed him.

Including rest breaks, it took him almost two hours to struggle through them. That left the 10-kilometer run.

By the time he left home, his legs were trembling. Since his apartment was less than 10 kilometers from the office, he mapped out a detour to hit the required distance.

Shen Ge, who had rarely been late in years, ended up arriving almost two hours late. A colleague even called to ask if he was taking the day off. He made up an excuse about stomach issues and took a two-hour leave.

When he finally staggered into the office, pale and leaning against the wall for support, his coworkers genuinely believed he’d been wrecked by food poisoning—yet here he was, still dragging himself to work!

What a workhorse.

[In this apocalyptic world where the supernatural runs rampant, a strong body is your greatest asset. You have successfully completed today’s training. Reward: Strength +1%, Agility +1%, Constitution +3%, 50 system points.]

As Shen Ge slumped into his chair, the system notification chimed in his mind.

“You’re in this state and still didn’t just take the day off to rest?” Old Zhao, the colleague sitting next to him, asked with concern.

“Can’t. The proposal isn’t done yet, and all the files are on the computer. If I don’t do it now, I’ll just have to work overtime later,” Shen Ge sighed.

“Fair point. But that’s what happens when you’re the star performer. Look at me—one project a month, so laid-back I could do it in my sleep. Envious?” Old Zhao mused.

“Wanna trade?” Shen Ge asked.

Old Zhao immediately waved his hands. “No, no, no. You’re young and resilient. I’d probably drop dead from exhaustion. Oh, by the way, that call earlier was because Manager Cheng asked me to check on you. She’s pretty concerned, huh?”

“If you had three proposals in your hands, she’d be concerned about you too.” Not in the mood for Old Zhao’s teasing, Shen Ge turned to his computer and focused on revising the drafts.

“Shen Ge, come to my office. The proposal for Client Chen still needs adjustments.” Cheng Shengnan’s office door opened as she called out to him.

Shen Ge grabbed the folder and stood up. Old Zhao raised an eyebrow. “Really just going to revise the proposal?”

“Want me to revise your fate while I’m at it? Like, say, adding three more projects to your workload this month?” Shen Ge deadpanned.

Old Zhao immediately surrendered. “Bro, you’re the boss. My bad.”

When Shen Ge entered Cheng Shengnan’s office, she gestured to the seat across from her desk. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, probably just ate something bad yesterday.”

“Hmm.”

“I noticed Xiao He isn’t in today?”

 Shen Ge asked.

Cheng Shengnan nodded. “I think yesterday’s incident still has her spooked. She called this morning to ask for a few days off. From the sound of it… unless the company relocates, she probably won’t be back. I’ve already submitted a request to upper management about moving.”

“What about you?” Shen Ge studied Cheng Shengnan, who seemed as composed and work-focused as ever, and couldn’t help but ask.

Cheng Shengnan fell silent for a moment before replying calmly, “Haven’t dared take a single sip of water since.”

“…” Shen Ge froze, his expression turning odd.

Cheng Shengnan sighed. “Go ahead and laugh.”

“…”

With a straight face, she slid three folders toward him. “These are the latest revision requests for Clients Chen, Zhao, and Luo. I need you to work overtime and finish them today.”

Shen Ge’s eyes widened. “Today? Even three days of overtime wouldn’t be enough for this! Hey, hey, our company prides itself on fairness—no abusing power for personal vendettas!”

Still typing away, Cheng Shengnan said coolly, “Next week, then.”

“Ah, I knew it! With a brilliant, considerate manager like you leading our branch, we’re destined to soar past the headquarters in no time—”

“Flattery doesn’t suit you,” Cheng Shengnan cut him off.

“Oh.”

“Leave Luo’s proposal here. I handled his last villa project, so I know his preferences. I’ll take care of it. The commission’s yours… as thanks for yesterday.”

“Huh? One isn’t enough—wasn’t Client Zhao originally your account too?” Shen Ge shamelessly pushed a second folder toward her.

“You—” Cheng Shengnan’s eye twitched.

Shen Ge looked at her expectantly.

She exhaled. “Fine. Leave it.”

“Thanks, Manager Cheng! Dinner’s on me—any restaurant in Rong City, your pick!” Shen Ge grabbed only the folder for Client Chen’s revisions and stood to leave.

“Shen Ge.”

Cheng Shengnan called out just as he reached the door.

Shen Ge paused. “Decided already?”

“…What was that thing yesterday?” Cheng Shengnan finally gave in to her curiosity and voiced the question weighing on her mind.

Shen Ge turned back. “Ever heard of The World’s Top Ten Unsolved Mysteries?”

“Yes.” Her expression grew serious.

“It’s unrelated to that… but also not entirely different,” Shen Ge said earnestly. “Just remember—from now on, things like this will only become more frequent. If you encounter something beyond your understanding, get away immediately and call the police. This isn’t something ordinary people can handle.”

“Are you ordinary?”

“Of course.”

“Then yesterday…”

“Just luck.”

With a faint smile, Shen Ge walked out and closed the door behind him.

Left alone, Cheng Shengnan’s expression darkened as she mulled over his words. At the same time, Shen Ge’s identity grew even more enigmatic in her mind.

Could he actually be… some kind of hidden master?

Shen Ge, meanwhile, had no idea Cheng Shengnan was now associating him with reclusive experts. The real reason he’d asked her to handle two proposals wasn’t just about the commission—ever since the system awakened, his mind had been too occupied with its functions and the supernatural to focus on work.

As he buried himself in his tasks, he noticed three people passing by the transparent glass walls of the office, heading toward the restroom.

Leading the way was a tall woman, even taller than Cheng Shengnan, wearing oversized sunglasses that obscured half her face.

Behind her were two men, both over six feet tall and built like bodyguards. Their broad frames looked like they could give Stallone a run for his money.

A few minutes later, the trio returned to the office entrance.

After exchanging a few words with the two men, the woman sent them off toward the elevators and walked into the office alone.

Since Shen Ge’s workstation was closest to the door, he swiveled his chair to face her. “Hello, can I help you?”

The woman checked her phone, removed her sunglasses to reveal striking features, then tapped a few times on her screen before looking at him.

“You’re the one… Mr. Shen. Do you have a moment to talk?”