《Guardian》

Author: priest

Chapter 1 No. 4 Guangming Road …

On the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, before dawn.

All the night owls, big and small, had already returned to their nests. Even the main streets of Dragon City were starting to empty out at this hour. Only the occasional chirping of insects could be heard from the grass, sometimes on and off, startling and abrupt.

At 2:30 a.m., the dew began to fall, and the air started to feel damp.

Damp and sticky.

Maybe it was the wind, but it always seemed like there was something moving in the shadows of the corners. Walking down the street, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching you from behind.

It was at this time that Charles Gray walked into No. 4 Guangming Road, holding his notice letter.

Charles Gray lost both parents at a young age. He was plain-looking, introverted, and timid by nature—born to be a beggar, as some would say. Fortunately, his many aunts and uncles took good care of him, taking turns looking after him until he graduated from college.

Unfortunately, Charles Gray himself didn’t live up to expectations. He barely managed to graduate from a second-rate university, with mediocre grades. Though he looked like a grown man, he couldn’t even utter a word in front of strangers.

So, true to form, Charles Gray failed to find a job. After graduation, he idled at home for more than half a year.

Later, his second uncle, unable to watch him waste away any longer, pulled some strings to get him a position in the Ministry of Public Security—at least giving his hopeless nephew something to do.

Charles Gray thought that from then on, he’d wear a uniform, brew tea at work, manage files, play solitaire, work nine to five—that would be his life… until he received this strange “admission notice.”

When he first got it, Charles Gray thought there must have been a mistake. The letter, in bright red and official language, read: “Comrade Charles Gray, congratulations on being hired by our department. Here, you will enjoy the benefits of a national civil servant and receive higher pay and benefits than employees in similar positions in other departments. At the same time, you will also shoulder the important responsibility of serving the people. We hope that in your new position, you will love your work, strive for progress, obey organizational leadership, unite with your colleagues, and work together to contribute to social stability and national prosperity.

Please report to our department (Personnel and Logistics Department, 1st Floor, No. 4 Guangming Road) at 2:30 a.m. on August 31st (the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month), bringing your ID card and this notice. On behalf of all our staff, we welcome you as our good comrade and partner.

Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China

Special Investigation Department

Year X, Month X, Day X”

Logically, seeing such a bizarre reporting time, any normal person would think it was a printing error, or at least call to confirm. But Charles Gray already had social anxiety, and after half a year as a shut-in, he’d developed a severe fear of making phone calls. Just the thought of calling someone gave him so much stress he couldn’t sleep at night.

So he kept putting it off until midnight on August 30th, and still hadn’t made the call.

In the end, Charles Gray came up with what he thought was a perfect solution—he decided to stay up all night and go in person at 2:30 a.m. If no one was there, he’d just crash at a nearby McDonald’s and come back at 2:30 p.m. Surely one of those times had to be right.

At that hour, the subway had already stopped running, so Charles Gray had to drive himself. After a lot of trouble, and with the help of GPS, he finally found the place.

No. 4 Guangming Road wasn’t on the main street, but hidden in a very secluded courtyard. Charles Gray stood at the gate for a long time, carefully looking around, and finally, by the light of his phone screen, found a small sign under thick ivy leaves and confirmed the address.

Under the address, there was a line of small characters carved into the stone: “Special Investigation Department,” with a police emblem below.

The courtyard was well landscaped, with parking spaces at the entrance. Further in was a row of lush old locust trees, forming a small grove with only a narrow path through. After walking through, he saw what looked like a gatehouse and an old office building.

The gatehouse was still lit. Through the window, Charles Gray saw a uniformed figure wearing a peaked cap, holding a newspaper and occasionally turning a page.

Charles Gray didn’t have time to wonder why the gatehouse staff was still on duty at this hour. He took a deep breath, his palms sweating with nerves.

“I’m here for the job, this is my notice—I’m here for the job, this is my notice—I’m here for the job, this is my notice—” Charles Gray stood there, repeating this line to himself dozens of times like reciting a lesson, then finally braced himself, walked over, and knocked on the window with a trembling hand. Before the man inside had fully looked up, he blurted out, as if uttering his last words, “I… I’m here to notify, this is my job notice…”

The middle-aged man reading the newspaper in the gatehouse asked in confusion, “Huh?”

That’s it, he even messed up his line. Charles Gray wanted to cry, his face turning purple with embarrassment.

Luckily, the man saw the notice in his hand and immediately understood, saying warmly, “Oh… oh! You’re the new guy this year, right? What’s your name? Oh—I see, Xiao Guo! We haven’t had a newcomer here in years. Was it hard to find this place?”

Charles Gray breathed a sigh of relief. He liked this kind of enthusiastic person best—once the other person started talking, all he had to do was nod or shake his head, no need to organize his own words.

“First day reporting, right? Let me tell you, you’re in luck. Our boss happens to be here tonight. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Hearing this, Charles Gray felt his hair stand on end—he didn’t feel lucky at all; instead, he felt a cloud of bad luck hovering over his head.

Charles Gray was timid and most afraid of people with authority or strong personalities. Since childhood, he’d get nervous just seeing a teacher, and would go out of his way to avoid the principal. He was a law-abiding citizen, but every time he saw the armed police on National Day, he’d feel like a mouse seeing a cat, making them look at him suspiciously.

Meet the boss? He’d rather see a ghost.

Just then, the door of the office building was pushed open from inside, and a young man strode out.

He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, hands in his pockets, tall and straight, with broad shoulders, thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and a high nose bridge. Very handsome, but with a gloomy expression.

His brows were furrowed, and he walked with purpose, his body language clearly saying, “Don’t block my way, don’t cause trouble, get out of my sight.” Charles Gray happened to meet his gaze and was startled by those beautiful yet cold black eyes. He had a strange intuition—this handsome guy had a bad temper.

Yet, when the handsome man saw someone standing at the door, he suddenly stopped short. In the next moment, his expression changed as if by magic, going from stormy to sunny in an instant, and he flashed a friendly smile—no transition at all.

When he smiled, two shallow dimples appeared on his cheeks. The cigarette at the corner of his mouth made his smile a bit crooked, and when his eyes curved, he looked a little mischievous—but just the right amount, making him approachable.

“Well, speak of the devil! Come on, young man, let me introduce you—this is our boss.” Charles Gray was pushed forward by the middle-aged man from the gatehouse, stumbling half a step, his mind going blank as he heard the man behind him call out loudly, “Director Sullivan, we’ve got a new colleague this time!”

Director Sullivan warmly reached out his hand: “Hello, hello, welcome!”

Charles Gray wiped the sweat from his palm on his pants, then embarrassingly offered the wrong hand, almost grabbing his future boss’s hand by the back. He quickly jerked it back as if shocked, his movements a flurry of awkwardness. The armpits and back of his short-sleeved shirt were instantly soaked with sweat, a brand new world map slowly forming on his body.

Director Sullivan smiled with restraint, but kindly didn’t make things difficult for him. He naturally raised his hand and patted Charles Gray on the shoulder, speaking smoothly: “Don’t be nervous, everyone here is very friendly and united. Normally, since it’s your first day, I’d introduce you to everyone, but today is a special day and we’re really busy, so we might not have time for you right now. Don’t take it personally. In a few days, I’ll host a welcome party for you. It’s so late tonight… How about this: let Old Wu take you inside to find Zach Warren—she’s in charge of logistics here. She’ll help you with the onboarding paperwork, and then you can go home and rest. Come back tomorrow morning to officially report, okay?”

Charles Gray quickly nodded.