Chapter 404

Chapter 404: Unwelcome Guests

In the year 52 of the New Era, December 31st.

The last day of the year felt no different from any other day. Since midnight the day before, snowflakes had been falling from the sky.

Though it wasn’t humanity’s home planet, this planet’s seasons were still quite distinct due to its high similarity to the home planet. The temperature variations in Hope City were actually not very significant each year.

A thin layer of white snow covered the ground, forming a soft carpet. Just as two children were about to scoop up a handful of snow, a sharp honk of a horn pierced the air.

Two adults rushed forward, scooping up the children who had nearly tumbled into the road. In the next moment, a gray-green military vehicle sped by, sending a gust of wind that blew off a bystander’s hood.

As the vehicle drove away, the once soft snow carpet was crushed into snow cakes under the wheels. Yan Ming, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced sideways at the rearview mirror and noticed a fleeting shadow, quickly followed by the sound of something cutting through the air and the cries of the children.

"Ha!"

He couldn’t help but laugh, which felt out of place with the serious atmosphere inside the vehicle.

Seeing that Zhuang Mian, in the driver’s seat, had looked over, Yan Ming quickly waved his hand to signal that nothing was amiss.

Today’s mission was not a small matter, evident from the faces of the fully armed members of the Clean-up Team, as well as from the demeanor of the driver.

As a joke from another world goes—

"I don’t know how serious this incident is, but the director of the Internal Affairs Clean-up Team can only drive."

Yan Ming had intended to refuse Zhuang Mian’s goodwill, but it turned out that this top superpowered individual who had been at the top of the rankings for ten years surprisingly didn’t know how to drive!

This fact sounded ridiculous, but it wasn’t really. After all, as a "Blood Puppet," Yan Ming usually traveled in flying mode, so what did he know about driving a car? Can it reach supersonic speeds?

Thus, for various reasons, when Yan Ming wanted to personally take the wheel to lead the mission, he abruptly realized that he knew nothing about the operating procedures and driving regulations.

Fortunately, Zhuang Mian had received quite professional training during school; not only could she drive, but she could drive fast.

While the Clean-up Team usually dressed in plain clothes, they also had standardized uniforms and vehicles.

Today’s operation was the year-end wrap-up, and everyone hoped to make it impressive, so they wore their long-overdue uniforms.

As they reached an intersection, the vehicle stopped by the roadside. Yan Ming looked at Zhuang Mian, the driver:

"Let’s start the operation."

With that, he opened the car door and jumped out. A small Clean-up Team followed in his footsteps as they entered a residential building.

"Knock, knock."

Yan Ming knocked on a door.

"Who is it? I’m coming!"

A somewhat playful female voice came from inside, followed by the sound of slippers on the floor.

It was clear that the person inside, although asking who was outside, already had a guess.

The door opened to reveal a woman in pajamas, looking outside with a bright smile—

At seven strong men.

Yan Ming, at thirty-nine years old, though quite handsome, had an intimidating presence when he sternly upheld a serious face. That aura came from years of battling extraordinary beasts.

As for the six members of the Clean-up Team behind him, they were all top-ranking individuals trained personally by Zhuang Mian. Though they had never faced extraordinary beasts on the city walls, they were all experts at handling interpersonal relationships.

At this moment, Yan Ming stood there blocking the doorway, six men in uniform flanking him, creating an almost tangible sense of pressure that left the woman hesitant to close the door.

Warm air from the indoor space and the residential hallway swirled around the group, and Yan Ming looked at the woman whose expression was slowly stiffening and asked:

"Isn’t this the person you were waiting for?"

"Y-yes… Did you make a mistake?"

Perhaps due to the warmth inside, a thin layer of sweat had formed on the woman’s forehead.

"Make a mistake? Do you know Mr. Aierken?"

Yan Ming stared into the woman’s eyes:

"The factory manager of Factory No. 12."

The woman did not respond, but that was a response in itself.

Yan Ming observed her panicked expression and slightly raised his chin. One of his companions swiftly clamped the door with a grip like iron tongs and pushed it open, while the remaining five members charged directly into the room in a search formation.

As the woman was about to scream, a gun pressed against her forehead, forcing her to swallow the sound that was about to escape.

The door slammed shut with a loud "bang," plunging the room into silence, broken only by faint footsteps and the rustling of things being searched.

Yan Ming surveyed the room and finally took a seat at one side of the two-person dining table.

It was a solid wooden table made from impressive materials, coated with a layer of varnish that made it smooth while still showing the rings of the tree’s growth.

In Hope City, most daily necessities are made from alloys, while wood, especially the rare types, is something many people may never see in their lifetime.

Yan Ming lightly tapped his fingers on the table, listening to the dull sound that belonged to a solid piece of wood, and couldn’t help but click his tongue in appreciation of the table’s value.

The woman in pajamas sat down across from him at the table, and between them stood a three-tiered candlestick filled with newly minted candles, as if waiting for a warm evening.

"What a nice life you have, better than most superpowered individuals. I’m really envious," Yan Ming said sincerely.

"Isn’t it Thursday? Don’t you have to work?"

"No… I don’t."

The woman answered honestly.

Yan Ming’s expression turned intriguing:

"Hope City law states that all adults who have completed their education must have a job; otherwise… their identification information will be revoked, turning them into unregistered residents.

"Are you implying that as an unregistered resident, you can live in such a warm, upscale community, or… are you under eighteen this year?"

"I… I’m not yet eighteen."

The woman said, but one could see her almost nonexistent confidence.

"Commissioner, here is her identification card," one of the Clean-up Team members timely handed over an ID card. Yan Ming took it, his fingers rubbing over the anti-counterfeit pattern, and slowly said:

"Let me do the math, you should be… twenty-two."

As he spoke, he pulled out a device and entered her ID number, revealing her detailed personal information.

"You are an employee at Factory No. 12, and you were assigned this job three years ago. You managed to work for two months before taking sick leave, and you have been on leave… until now."

Even Yan Ming’s usually stern face showed a hint of surprise. His gaze darted between the simple photo on the terminal and the woman before him, adorned in a vibrant manner, and after a moment of comparison, he remarked:

"Seems like your illness was quite serious."