Chapter 204
Soon, the Crescent Group’s interviews began. Dozens of ability-users arrived on time to participate.
Su Miaomiao said excitedly, “Sister Zhuang, Young Master Chu is amazing! This is the first time I’ve seen so many ability-users in one place.”
Zhuang Feixue smiled. “It’s nothing.”
The initial screening of candidates was done personally by Chu Feng. Several outstanding ability-users were rejected by him, which Zhuang Feixue felt was a pity.
Zhuang Feixue entered the interview room, where Chu Feng and Illya were already seated.
Beside them sat Delice, Zhuang Cheng, and Gray.
Looking at the kids, Su Miaomiao whispered, “Sister Zhuang, are these two also interviewers?”
Zhuang Feixue nodded. “Yes.”
Su Miaomiao thought: it was already strange enough to see Zhuang Cheng here, but now there were two even younger children. They really were good-looking though.
Delice, looking rather excited, asked, “Is everyone here yet? When are we starting? This is my first time as an interviewer.”
She thought to herself: Uncle Lin said the character for “official” has two “mouths” in it, meaning it’s a very powerful position. An “interviewer” is still an “official,” so it must be very impressive.
Zhuang Feixue looked at Chu Feng. “Let’s start.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Alright.”
Zhuang Feixue signaled for the first candidate to be brought in.
Jin Jie walked into the interview room nervously.
She nodded politely to the panel. “Hello, interviewers.”
“Jin Jie, ability-user from the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities, strength type. You haven’t joined any other ability organization, have you?” Chu Feng asked.
Jin Jie looked at him in confusion, then shook her head. “No.”
“Are you a spy?” Chu Feng asked.
Jin Jie frowned, feeling his question was far too blunt, but still answered, “No.”
Chu Feng glanced at Illya, who gave a slight nod. “You’re a strength ability-user?”
Jin Jie nodded. “I can lift a car in one go, but compared to Young Master Chu, it’s nothing.” Chu Feng could destroy a car in one second; for her, it would take real effort.
“Lifting a car, huh!” Chu Feng thought: with that skill, if her parking skills were bad, she could just move the car into the parking spot. Not bad at all—especially since, as people said, many female drivers weren’t great at parking. In the Capital, where land was precious and parking spots tiny, it was a real problem.
Jin Jie blushed, suddenly feeling like she was showing off in front of a master swordsman.
“Our pay here is very low, you know. If you join, you need to be prepared. I only get four thousand a month,” Delice said gloomily.
Jin Jie: … Four thousand a month? That could cover basic living in a small town, but in a big city, you’d be poor.
Was Chu Feng really this stingy? People said he was rich! He’d bought an entire building in a single day—but apparently, it wasn’t bought with cash, but in exchange for supplies.
“I don’t care about the money. I truly admire Young Master Chu and Mr. Illya. Even without pay, I’d still be willing to join Crescent Group,” Jin Jie said.
Delice frowned. “No salary? What are you going to eat, fresh air?”
Jin Jie smiled. “I have some savings.”
Delice widened her eyes. “You’re going to work for free? You need ambition! What’s the point of doing unpaid labor?”
Jin Jie replied sincerely, “I’m still inexperienced. I hope I can gain some experience at Crescent Group…”
Delice stared at her and muttered, “You’re really that useless? An ability-user who just wants to work for free?” Weren’t ability-users supposed to be rare and valuable? Had they lied to her?
Jin Jie: …
Chu Feng chuckled, speaking like a wise elder. “See? I told you jobs are hard to find now. The salary I offered you is already good. Don’t aim too high—now you believe me, right?”
Hearing this, Delice slumped onto the table, sulking. “But I heard Manning makes money really easily—one job, tens of millions.”
Chu Feng glanced at her. “That’s because Manning’s abilities are special.”
Delice puffed her cheeks. “Yeah, yeah, he’s especially good at catching mistresses.”
Chu Feng: … Well, that’s not exactly wrong.
Delice, frustrated, said, “If catching mistresses is so profitable, I want to do it too!”
Zhuang Feixue looked at Delice with pity, thinking: Chu Feng has completely led this beautiful young girl astray. Corrupting minors!
Jin Jie realized that Chu Feng had been so busy bickering with Delice, he’d almost forgotten about her entirely.
She’d imagined many possible surprises in an interview, but never this.
“You’re good. You have potential. You’re hired,” Chu Feng said.
Jin Jie said excitedly, “Thank you, thank you.”
Delice looked at her happiness with doubt. “Is it really worth getting that excited? Jobs must really be hard to find these days if you’re this happy about one that barely pays.”
Zhuang Feixue thought the girl looked so dejected she was almost pitiful.
Once Jin Jie stepped out, she was immediately surrounded by other ability-users.
“How’d it go, Jin Jie?” Zheng Xue asked.
Jin Jie smiled. “Should be fine.”
“Really? That easy?” Zheng Xue said excitedly.
“More or less.” Jin Jie shook her head, feeling like the whole thing hadn’t been much of an interview at all.
After a pause, she added, “The pay… might not be great.”
Zheng Xue didn’t care. “Who comes here for the pay anyway? The perks are what matter.”
“Who’s doing the interviews?”
“Besides Chu Feng, Illya, and the others, there are also a few kids.”
“Kids?” Zheng Xue asked with some confusion.
Jin Jie nodded. “Yes, there’s a little girl—she’s probably an ability-user too—and she’s absolutely gorgeous. This is the first time I’ve ever seen such a beautiful little girl.”
Zheng Xue asked suspiciously, “Prettier than Illya?”
Jin Jie thought for a moment. “About the same. Their temperaments are kind of similar—maybe they’re related.”
Zheng Xue blinked. “Really that pretty? I’d love to see her.”
Jin Jie gave Zheng Xue a look. “You’d better focus on preparing for the interview. The competition’s fierce.”
Zheng Xue nodded. “True. There are so many ability-users here I’ve never seen before.”
Jin Jie glanced over at a few of them nearby—they were dressed in bizarre outfits, looking like cosplay characters. Ever since the rise of ability-users, many young ones liked to wear outlandish clothing to stand out from ordinary people, and over time, it became a trend.
Several ability-users in line were strangers to Jin Jie. She frowned. Most ability-users had joined the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities, but there were still some free-spirited ones who wandered about. Normally, wild ability-users were rare, but here, quite a few had gathered.
After Jin Jie, another ability-user entered the interview room.
This one was a man with delicate, almost feminine features named Hang Ming. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, looking gentle and scholarly, like someone too frail to handle a breeze.
“Greetings to all interviewers.”
Chu Feng looked at him. “You’re a strength-type ability-user?”
The young man nodded. “Yes. I’ve done strength testing—once, I lifted two thousand jin in one go.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Not bad, not bad.”
He thought to himself: truly, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Most people imagine strength users as burly and imposing, but in reality, that’s not always the case.
Since the awakening of ability-users, so many strength types had appeared that many professional weightlifters were practically out of a job.
Chu Feng asked Hang Ming a few questions, and the man’s answers were proper and measured.
“This ability-user seems a bit mysterious,” Chu Feng remarked.
Zhuang Feixue looked at him curiously. “Why?”
Chu Feng frowned. “I think he’s hiding something. His résumé says he’s a strength awakener, but I don’t think that’s the full story.”
Zhuang Feixue said, “Really? His strength’s pretty high.” The résumé included testing data from an official ability assessment organization—lifting power at that level wasn’t something ordinary people could achieve.
Chu Feng said, “Sister, didn’t you notice? His records only tested his strength—no ability attribute test or ability level assessment.”
Zhuang Feixue checked the file again. “You’re right.”
Chu Feng turned to Illya. “Could you tell what kind of ability he has?”
Illya frowned. “I can’t tell exactly, but… he doesn’t seem entirely human.”
Chu Feng looked puzzled. “Not human? What do you mean?”
Illya took a deep breath. “He’s a bit like a beastman… but not quite. It’s as if he has animal genes.”
Chu Feng pursed his lips. “A new kind of awakening?”
Illya shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
Zhuang Cheng frowned. “Could it be… that?”
Chu Feng glanced at him. “That? That what?”
Zhuang Cheng said, “You know those novels that say our world’s actually full of hidden monsters? Maybe he’s a half-demon who awakened.”
Chu Feng rolled his eyes. “Have you been reading too many novels?” Still, with all the strange things happening lately, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Gray rested his chin on his hand. “If you want to know, just keep him around and observe.”
Chu Feng thought about it. “That might work.”
Illya took a deep breath. “He’s hiding something, yes, but I don’t think he means any harm.”
Chu Feng’s brows furrowed, a trace of doubt in his eyes.
“Let’s see the next one,” Chu Feng said.
A child who looked no older than ten walked in. Chu Feng took one look and rolled his eyes.
Reading the résumé, he said, “This says you’re eighteen?”
Chen Chao nodded. “Yes, the résumé is based on what I’ll look like ten years from now.”
Chu Feng: “…” Ten years later? So the whole résumé was fake.
“And this photo?”
“Isn’t there software that can show how someone will look years later? That’s me in a few years!”
Chu Feng: “…” Kids these days—so much drama, even using high-tech tools. “Who made it for you?”
Chen Chao said proudly, “My little brother!”
Chu Feng chuckled. “You even have a little brother? Impressive.”
Chen Chao grinned. “It’s nothing, it’s nothing.”
Chu Feng: “…” This was ridiculous—faking documents right in front of him. Once the interview started, such lies would be exposed immediately. Was this kid not afraid he’d get cut down on the spot?
Zhuang Feixue said awkwardly, “Sorry, I didn’t notice.”
She had reviewed the ability-user résumés herself, but she hadn’t expected to be fooled by a child’s.
Chu Feng waved it off. “It’s fine.”
