“Consider my ass!”

Deng Yuqi was genuinely tempted to punch someone.

Just yesterday, this guy had shown immense interest in joining the Special Response Department, practically oozing eagerness with every word—like he was just waiting for the invitation.

So she’d worked overtime to push through his application, personally monitored the HQ’s review process, and even extended the offer herself. And now…

“I’ll think about it?”

Deng Yuqi was about to lose her temper when Shen Ge let out a long, melancholic sigh.

“I knew it was pointless to hide. A man like me—so dazzling, so extraordinary—shines like a firefly in the dark. I stand out too much. I…”

Deng Yuqi cut him off with a deadpan stare. “Alright, ‘Pork Prince.’ Suddenly, I think a psychiatric evaluation might be in order before we proceed with your onboarding.”

“Oh? You’ve seen God of Cookery? Actually, I was just wondering—if I join the department, can I pick my own codename?” Shen Ge asked.

“We’re an anti-supernatural task force. We don’t do codenames,” Deng Yuqi replied flatly.

“What a shame. Guess I’ll need more time to consider, then.” His expression was utterly serious.

Done with his nonsense, Deng Yuqi grabbed her notepad and stood. “Take all the time you need. We’ll contact you later. Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

Shen Ge followed her toward the door. “Actually, I’ve made up my mind. Where do I sign the paperwork?”

“…”

Deng Yuqi resisted the urge to throttle him. “No rush. The background check and data processing take time. Once the final review clears—which should be in the next couple of days—we’ll proceed. Besides, I assume you’ll need to wrap things up at your current job, right?”

Just then, Li Xiang from the tech department hurried over. Spotting Shen Ge, he said, “Oh good, you’re still here. You’re sure you used a repair shop’s welding torch to kill that thing?”

“Yep.”

“That’s weird. We tested welding torches on the rat’s muscle tissue—no way it could’ve burned through that easily.” Li Xiang frowned.

Shen Ge tilted his head. “Maybe because I bashed its skull in first? Made it more vulnerable?”

“Wait—you also smashed its head? With what? A hammer? A mallet?”

Shen Ge reached into his crossbody bag and pulled out… a brick.

Li Xiang: ?

Deng Yuqi: !

“Mr. Shen… do you always carry a brick around?” Deng Yuqi’s expression was a mix of disbelief and concern. A psych eval was definitely happening.

“Picked it up at the market. There was a shop under renovation. Seemed handy, so I kept it.”

Impressive.

Both Deng Yuqi and Li Xiang stared at him, their expressions now deeply complicated.

“Mr. Shen, mind if we take this brick for analysis?” Li Xiang asked. After examining the rat’s corpse, he’d realized how tough the creature was. The fact that Shen Ge had taken it down alone spoke volumes. His attitude toward the man had warmed considerably.

“Sure.”

Shen Ge handed it over, then added, “Oh, and I noticed some weird stuff about that rat. Like how its wounds healed—the muscle fibers moved like living worms, ‘eating’ each other to reconnect. And its fur, bones… nothing like a normal rat.”

Li Xiang blinked. “You’ve studied anatomy?”

“Just a hobby.” Shen Ge nodded confidently.

Deng Yuqi raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Shen, your file says you majored in design. No medical background.”

“Oh, I learned dissection from Jigsaw.”

Li Xiang: “…”

“Mr. Shen, if you’re free tomorrow, come in before 5 PM. A psychiatric evaluation will be mandatory for your onboarding.” Deng Yuqi’s tone left no room for argument.

“…”

Li Xiang cleared his throat. “So… he’s basically in?”

“Probably. Why?”Please give me a reason to reject him. Any reason.

“Well, since he’s the only one who fought the rat directly, I’d like his help during the dissection—to reconstruct the battle. We detected traces of another supernatural energy inside the rat. Not its own.”

Shen Ge’s expression didn’t change, but internally, his mind raced.

Another energy?

Was it from when I tested ‘Stillness’ on the rat?

Just what is this energy?

Deng Yuqi seemed to weigh the request. Normally, supernatural corpses underwent multiple safety checks before reaching the tech department. The researchers were invaluable—losing even one would be a massive blow.

Li Xiang was still new, assigned to basic dissection work. His lab wasn’t even in the R&D wing, so Shen Ge wouldn’t see anything classified.

“Mr. Shen, what do you think?”

Since he wasn’t officially part of the department yet, Deng Yuqi asked out of courtesy—and to leave a good impression.

“I’m game. But…” He paused dramatically, his face turning grave.

Deng Yuqi and Li Xiang tensed, expecting a crucial revelation.

“…I haven’t eaten yet. You guys provide dinner, right?”

Dinner?

That’s your ‘but’?!

Deng Yuqi’s fist clenched. Her premium takeout had gone cold, untouched.

“Yes,” she gritted out.

Shen Ge brightened. “Great, great.”

“…”

Too drained to argue, Deng Yuqi took him to the cafeteria and had the chef whip up a boxed meal. She assumed he’d eat there, but no—he insisted they “not keep the techs waiting,” dragging her along with his food to watch the dissection.

As they entered the heavily guarded tech building, a frantic alert blared in Shen Ge’s mind—

[WARNING!]

[WARNING!]

[WARNING!]

[Host, you absolute madman—charging into a supernatural HQ alone!]

[High-tier supernatural domains detected!]

[Colliding spatial distortions detected!]

[Current host survival rate: 0.00001%!]

[Turn back now or face certain doom!]

Red text flashed across his vision—but unlike the clear *”7th-tier entity”* warning at Tom’s Department Store, this one only mentioned “multiple high-tier entities.” The alert faded after one burst.

Deng Yuqi noticed him freeze. “What’s wrong?”