A person stood in the hallway.
It was a chubby old man.
He was holding an insulated teacup.
The old man looked extremely corpulent, with a bulging potbelly, broad and stout; he stood there like a wall.
At this moment, he was smiling at Fang Xin, and perhaps because his eyes were naturally small, they had now narrowed into two lines from his smile.
Fang Xin noticed that the other party was wearing a service uniform and had an extraordinary demeanor. On the way here, Wang Lao Ji had briefly told Fang Xin that the Ninth Division had high-ranking officials on rotation at the Sky Shield Bureau headquarters.
The rotation of these officials was almost monthly, and the one stationed here this month should be the person in front of him, Sikong Zhao, an old veteran of the Divine Court, considered a founding figure.
“Greetings, Senior Sikong Zhao!” Fang Xin greeted him respectfully.
The chubby Sikong Zhao took another sip of tea, then screwed the lid back on his cup. “Here to report?”
“Yes!”
“Is Xiao Lu not here?”
“I haven’t seen her!”
The two exchanged questions and answers. Sikong Zhao exuded no pressure as a superior; instead, he gave off the approachable vibe of an old man in a park.
Sikong Zhao, with his hands behind his back, chuckled at Fang Xin, “After you join, it won’t be as relaxed as when you were a cadet. There are indeed rules here, but not many for members of the Ninth Division. However, there’s one thing you must remember: what people in the Ninth Division fear most is saying, ‘Why is it so idle today?’ right before going off duty.”
Fang Xin was amused; he had heard of similar taboos before.
Sikong Zhao continued with his hands behind his back, “But then again, your batch might be the most unfortunate. After joining, there’s a high probability you’ll be sent directly to the northern battlefield. The main role of the Ninth Division isn’t direct frontal assault, but rather operating in small teams, like a sharp dagger, to infiltrate and strike at the enemy’s vital points.”
“Xiao Xin, you’re here?” A familiar voice came from behind.
Fang Xin turned around and saw Xiao Lu Jie walking over, carrying a large stack of items in her arms.
“Grandpa Sikong Zhao,” Xiao Lu Jie sweetly called out to Sikong Zhao.
Sikong Zhao took a sip of tea, screwed the lid back on his cup, and put his hands behind his back. “Alright, you two get busy! See you at the induction ceremony later!”
Xiao Lu Jie led Fang Xin into the office and helped him complete all the procedures.
Jiang Xiaocha’s induction procedures were originally to be handled at her own division, but Xiao Lu Jie took care of them for her.
Fang Xin glanced around, he was the first to arrive.
There were originally thirty-six people in his batch for the Ninth Division.
To date, among his batch, only thirty-one remained to report for duty.
The five who hadn’t come either perished in previous missions or major battles, or for other reasons, or were infiltrators from external forces like Ji Xuance.
Xiao Lu Jie continued, “There’s an induction ceremony later. After the ceremony, you’ll officially become a member of the Ninth Division. Your office has already been prepared for you. It’s on your left when you exit, walk forward, and the one with your photo on the door is yours.”
Fang Xin raised an eyebrow. “I have my own office?”
“Yes, the Ninth Division’s benefits are higher than other divisions. Normally, only section chiefs and above in other divisions have their own personal offices, but in the Ninth Division, even a Battalion Commander has his own independent office. Go check it out first, and tell me if you need anything; I’ll apply for it for you.”
At this point, Xiao Lu Jie took out an exquisite small gift box from her spatial ring. “Oh, right, this is for you.”
“What is this?” Fang Xin took it, puzzled.
“Open it and see!”
Fang Xin opened it and found a beautiful bracelet quietly lying inside.
Xiao Lu Jie said with a smile.
“My younger sister heard you were leaving today, and she also heard from somewhere that you were going to the battlefield. She didn’t sleep all night, making this bracelet for you. This bracelet has several beads, which she took from her necklace. Her parents, when they were alive, had a highly accomplished monk bless that necklace for them. It’s very effective and can turn misfortune into good luck.”
Fang Xin paused, then put the bracelet back into the box and pushed it towards Xiao Lu Jie. “Xiao Lu Jie, this item is too precious; I can’t accept it.”
Xiao Lu Jie smiled sweetly at Fang Xin. “You can tell her that yourself. Alright, go check out your office first. You can ask me anytime if you have any questions.”
Fang Xin had no choice but to go to the office assigned to him.
The office was spacious and well-lit. And this Sky Shield Bureau building was very tall. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Fang Xin could see the entire city, which gave him a strange feeling, an indescribable sense of grandeur that welled up, a feeling of wanting to control the entire city spreading in his chest.
All kinds of facilities in the office were complete.
Fang Xin sat in his office chair and spun around once.
His zhilian device vibrated. Fang Xin took it out and found it was a system update notification, and there were also messages in the team group chat.
Shi Tailang was the most active: “Brothers and sisters, have you all set off? Today, everyone will become a member of the Ninth Division of the Sky Shield Bureau! We’re entering officialdom! Damn it, I stayed up half the night watching ‘Confessions’.”
Bai Yulin asked curiously, “Why are you watching that?”
Shi Tailang immediately said righteously, “First step to joining, watch ‘Confessions’!
But then again, if those temptations from the documentary were placed in front of me, I definitely wouldn’t be able to resist. Not to mention anything else, if a little beauty sat on my lap, I could recite my dad’s ID number to her!
Brothers and sisters, if I ever fall, when you visit me in prison, remember to bring lots of good food.”
Zhang Yaozu was the first to retort, “Fatty, stop dreaming. With your conditions, they wouldn’t even bother using a honey trap on you!”
“Zhang Meiqiu'er, a commoner like you wouldn’t understand the thoughts of us great achievers. Let’s not talk about these idle things. Our team seems to have been split up and assigned to other teams because of our excellent performance. The impression I got is that we are candidates for team leaders in each team.
Oh, right, have you all seen your office spaces? The office of the team I’m in is quite large. I heard them say that the team leader’s position is separated from the other members. My spot is right next to the team leader’s. As long as I put in some time, I’ll be a team leader in a month or so. I have to say, the team leader’s position looks much more spacious! Right, Xin Ge?”
Others also sent messages, “Xin Ge, check out the team leader’s position.”
Fang Xin also said with a hint of curiosity, “I just arrived, and I’m in my own office. I haven’t had time to see what the team leader’s position looks like yet. I’ll go out and check.”