Chapter 274
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 274: Traditionally Unimportant Individuals
Walking out of her superior’s office, Zhuang Mian saw a young man around her age approaching from around the corner.
“Zhuang Mian, long time no see! How have you been lately?”
“I’m doing well. Are you here to report to the teacher too, Xiao Tang?”
“Yes! I’ve made progress on my case recently and thought I should give a phase report to prevent the teacher from thinking I’ve vanished.”
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they each went their separate ways.
As she moved on, Zhuang Mian’s smile gradually faded with the absence of familiar faces.
She had picked up hints from her teacher’s words.
In the past few months, or since joining the Clean-up Team, her group had achieved a remarkable efficiency in completing tasks and solving cases.
Although she used her abilities with restraint, some colleagues began to doubt her approach.
The direction of their suspicion varied: either Zhuang Mian was a superpowered individual with abilities that others lacked, or she truly had her own unique methods.
Zhuang Mian didn’t want to reveal her status as a superpowered individual just yet, so she led them toward the latter possibility.
However, her teacher implied he wished for her to promote her unique techniques.
This was something Zhuang Mian did not want.
Ultimately, she had overestimated the efficiency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Clean-up Team. In her early days after transferring, she had been too conspicuous, causing many to remember her.
Now she regretted not hiding her abilities more.
If only she had known, she would have held back a little…
According to the regulations of Hope City, when an on-duty employee becomes a superpowered individual, everything about them must be reassessed.
Zhuang Mian clearly didn’t want others to pry into her past and secrets, nor did she want to join any agencies with a larger number of superpowered individuals.
Honestly, how could working with a bunch of superpowered individuals be easier than working with a group of humans?
Moreover, she currently liked her job.
She had made up her mind: after completing the sewer ambush plan she devised with El, her achievements would be enough for her to climb a bit higher, thus reducing her opportunities to use her abilities and making her less noticeable.
Thinking this, Zhuang Mian quickened her pace, intending to return and once again review the specific arrangements of the plan with her teammates.
—
After finishing the small talk with Zhuang Mian, the young man headed toward their shared teacher’s office.
His expression gradually grew serious, as if everything that just happened was merely a performance.
He lightly knocked on the door and received permission to enter.
“Teacher, this is my action plan.”
He slightly bowed and delivered a document to the man in front of him.
The man glanced through the plan and, upon seeing it, his previously relaxed expression turned slightly displeased.
He closed the document and held it up high, his face going through several changes of emotion. Finally, he didn’t slam it down but set it in the corner of the desk instead.
Then he opened the drawer of his office and took out the plan Zhuang Mian had just submitted:
“Take a look at this.”
The young man’s brow furrowed as he took the document, quickly reading through it. His expression turned even darker.
“Teacher, I…”
“I’ll speak first.”
The middle-aged man’s tone carried an undeniable authority:
“Your plan is terrible, far worse than Zhuang Mian’s, isn’t it?”
“True.”
“I gave you an opportunity, didn’t I?”
“Yes.”
“Did you seize that opportunity?”
“No… I didn’t.”
“Do you think you’re good enough?”
“…”
“Where do you believe your value lies in the Ministry of Internal Affairs?”
“…”
Each question struck the young man like an iron hammer on his shoulders, bending his back further.
As if filled with humiliation, he interrupted the man:
“Teacher, I just lack some experience. I wasn’t sure if you had asked Zhuang Mian about her…”
Hearing the young man’s defense, the man referred to as “teacher” paused for a moment, then leaned back with a relaxed expression, his posture becoming more casual.
If his earlier tone had reflected disappointment, his current demeanor now resembled facing a useless piece of iron.
“I asked her, but she didn’t want to share. Do you not understand?”
The man shrugged nonchalantly:
“I am your teacher, and I am also hers. I won’t endlessly favor you.
“Everyone’s experience is a valuable resource, and others are under no obligation to teach you for free. You should have realized that by now.”
“But you’ve taught me so much.”
The young man instinctively defended himself.
“If you channeled your flattery into something productive, you might achieve better results…”
The man took a deep breath to calm his emotions:
“What I taught you is all available in textbooks, and I am being paid for this work, so don’t say such foolish things again.”
He thought for a moment and continued:
“I think you’ve realized that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is not the right place for you… Let your family know; there are surely other units that might suit you.”
With humiliation and unwillingness, the young man left his teacher’s office, carrying his action plan.
As he walked forward, a thought struck his mind:
Zhuang Mian, an alumnus transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs due to external merits, had resolved numerous backlogged cases in the past few months.
This was not something a person with just a few years of experience could achieve, not even a professional could manage it.
So there could be only one answer—she might be a superpowered individual!
Every superpowered individual is a public asset of Hope City. From the moment their abilities are discovered, their lives no longer belong to themselves.
While enjoying generous benefits, they must also dedicate everything they own, including their bodies.
Therefore, if a human awakens their abilities privately and does not report it, Hope City will also impose penalties.
Not everyone is like General Wencheng, who can record a wild superpowered individual like Lin Qingliu with a single word, without any negative repercussions.
If it could be confirmed that Zhuang Mian was a superpowered individual and reported, then before being officially recognized by Hope City, she would face detention and reprimand from the authorities.
The man named Tang Qing didn’t care about inheriting her position; he simply wanted to give his excellent senior a bit of trouble.
For that, he was willing to make a small effort.
Meanwhile, two floors down, Zhuang Mian was holding a small meeting with her teammates:
“I’ve submitted the action plan, and it’s likely to be approved. We should start preparing now.
“Let me reiterate the plan—we will systematically sweep an eighth of the northwest area of the sewers in Hope City, which aligns with our previous reconnaissance findings.
“Catching the Heart Snatcher might just happen during this operation.
“At that time, many members of the Public Security Team will assist us in the cleanup, so you need to pay attention to the command. I’ll briefly mention a few aspects…”
