Chapter 69: Private Commission
Chapter 69: Private Commission
“The Special Contaminant-041 incident gave me 36,000 yuan. I delivered it all to Teacher Xiaolu, but she only kept 5,000. I brought back 31,000. During the Special Contamination Incident 039 with Gecko, I only got half the payout, totaling 16,000 yuan. Then this time’s assignment paid relatively little, only 12,000… But the daily meal allowance is quite generous during this training. The first five days it was 100 yuan per day, and the last three days it was 200 yuan. After subtracting my usual expenses… zero… that makes…”
Lu Xin carefully calculated and arrived at a figure: “60,100 yuan…”
“Ah, right, I did spend a little. I spent thirty yuan buying gifts that day at the Orphanage’s dumpling meal, and four yuan for the subway… no, wait, there’s still money on the subway card, no need to subtract that… So what’s left now is… 60,070 yuan!”
He then sank into deep thought. The Orphanage had moved to a new location now, surprisingly close to the Guard Bureau. From the place he was currently training, he could even see the pointed tip of its roof in the distance. Lu Xin had gone to take a distant look before. This new place was certainly much better than the old one; it was renovated from an old residential building. The problem was that the elevator was broken, making it inconvenient for Teacher Xiaolu to go up and downstairs.
Moreover, moving there required paying a monthly rent of 380 yuan.
“It really would be better to buy a place outright…” Lu Xin silently thought.
However, for a house in a central city area with a market price of a million yuan… based on his current income, that left a gap of roughly 900,000 yuan…
Calculating just based on the wages from his two jobs, that meant… nearly twelve years…
…………
“If only the income stayed this high every month… saving for just over a year would be enough…”
Lu Xin couldn’t help but wish: “It’s just unfortunate that after the recent deep screening, many large and small contamination sources were rounded up and cleared out. In the short term, there probably won’t be this many assignments to take on. If I want to buy a house, saving up is still the only way…”
Just then, a knock sounded outside the door. Lu Xin answered casually, and the little policewoman slipped in quietly. She had actually come to ask him about dinner, but seeing Lu Xin completely engrossed in calculating something on an old-fashioned calculator, she didn’t dare disturb him. Silently, she just refilled his teacup and slipped back out, worried she might interfere with his work.
That paper was densely filled with carefully noted, complex data. This mysterious Mr. Lone Soldier was continuously punching numbers into the calculator, double-checking, his expression utterly serious. Clearly, it was very important and sensitive work. She didn’t even dare peek…
After finishing the braised pork rice with a poached egg brought by the little policewoman, Lu Xin finally left the Conference Room.
His hands in his pockets, he took the elevator down, heading towards the room prepared for him in the adjacent Guard Bureau building.
It was already deep into the night. The entire Guard Bureau seemed deserted, save for two Police Officers on duty discussing a comic book. When they saw Lu Xin emerge from the elevator, they instantly became very serious, flipping through files on their desks with studious attention.
Lu Xin felt a bit helpless. He wasn’t their superior.
Yet, it seemed the entire Guard Bureau viewed him with a certain trepidation. He didn’t know what they took him for.
…………
Stepping out of the Guard Bureau entrance, he slowly stretched, his bones emitting light pops. It felt incredibly comfortable.
Only after a day of busyness could this rare sense of ease be earned.
The screening was nearly complete. The worry brought by that inexplicably strange person could finally be dismissed.
“Mr. Lone Soldier?”
Just as Lu Xin was considering whether to head home or rest in the dormitory the nearby Guard Bureau had arranged for him, a voice suddenly sounded behind him.
The voice was utterly abrupt. Lu Xin spun around instantly.
“Heh heh, there’s no need for such alarm, Mr. Lone Soldier. I mean no harm…”
Behind him, a figure emerged slowly from the shadows of a narrow alley, speaking with a chuckle.
Surprisingly, the person turned out to be a middle-aged man in his forties, carrying a briefcase and notably on the portly side.
Lu Xin gave the man a thorough up-and-down glance. He didn’t look familiar.
Then, Lu Xin’s eyebrows knitted slightly. This person didn’t seem like a Police Officer, yet he knew Lu Xin’s code name…
…………
“Allow me to introduce myself…”
The portly man stepped forward with a smile, almost instinctively extending his hand but holding back. He simply introduced himself with a smile: “My surname is Liu. I run a consulting firm in the Main City. Due to the nature of my business, I travel frequently between the various Satellite Cities. This time, I seek you out, Mr. Lone Soldier, with boldness, because I was entrusted by an elderly gentleman. He requests your assistance in handling a certain matter…”
Lu Xin remained silent for a moment, then reached out and grasped the man’s retreating hand, giving it a shake. With a trace of curiosity, he asked, “How do you know me?”
If this man had used his actual name, Lu Xin might have assumed he was an old client from previous work. But calling him “Single Soldier” directly indicated familiarity with his current, second line of work. Finding someone sneaking around waiting for him outside the Guard Bureau, who also knew his code name… Lu Xin felt his caution was entirely justified.
“Due to business interactions, I have knowledge of and interactions with many Ability Users within Qinggang City,” the plump man explained with a smile. He tried to withdraw his hand but found Lu Xin’s grip firm. Stuck in this awkward pose, he spoke somewhat uncomfortably: “The situation is this: a certain esteemed gentleman’s daughter has fallen ill with a strange disease… one that cannot be cured by the current medical facilities in the Main City. Therefore, he hopes to engage Mr. Lone Soldier to take a look…”
“This is not an official commission. It would be more accurate to say… it is a private plea for help.”
“……”
“A private plea for help…” Lu Xin frowned slightly, then it clicked: “Private job?”
The portly man’s expression turned slightly odd but quickly smoothed into a smile. “That could be one way to understand it.”
Lu Xin frowned subtly. “Is this within our operational regulations?”
“Operational regulations…”
The portly man hadn’t expected this question and actually paused slightly.
He thought: Shouldn’t you know whether it’s within YOUR regulations? Why ask me?
Still, being experienced, he chuckled: “The Special Contaminant Cleanup Division operates on a kind of freelance model, doesn’t it?”
“Moreover, from what I know, Ability Users in Qinggang City have all, to some degree, taken on private commissions.”
“……”
This point took Lu Xin by surprise. He fell silent for a moment, offering no immediate reply.
The chubby man pressed on with a smile: “Rest assured, Mr. Lone Soldier, that elderly gentleman is a person of considerable standing, even within the Main City. He asked me to contact you this way simply because he prefers not to go through the Special Contaminant Cleanup Division to handle this matter directly. There are no other hidden ulterior motives. You can report this assignment, just declare it as a private commission…”
Lu Xin continued holding his hand, watching him calmly.
The man’s smile started to stiffen. He thought for a moment, then added: “Furthermore, should you succeed in treating the gentleman’s daughter, he is willing to pay 100,000 yuan as the commission fee. Even if the treatment proves unsuccessful, 10,000 yuan will be provided as compensation for your time and travel.”
“Ten thousand!”
“One hundred thousand!”
Lu Xin wondered if he’d misheard, slowly releasing the man’s hand.
The plump man subtly shook his freed hand. “A firm grip, Mr. Lone Soldier. I thought you were going to crush my hand.”
Lu Xin shook his head. “Why would I crush your hand?”
What he’d really been thinking was that he’d rip this hand off if anything felt off.
After the incident with being tailed by the Psycho-modified Human, he’d grown particularly sensitive on this front.
As he let go of the hand, he also cast a subtle gaze past the man’s shoulder.
It was a signal to his Little Sister, who was hanging inverted from the nearby wall, that she could let go of the man’s other hand.
…………
Looking at the benign, smiling face of the chubby man, Lu Xin paused for a moment and said, “I need to submit a request to my superiors first.”