Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Recruiting New Members

Yang Xiao’s shock lasted until the two of them sat down in the café, where they chose a secluded spot for convenience in speaking.

Clad in casual attire, Kuang Hongyi looked at Yang Xiao with a smile, "Chu, why aren’t you talking? You weren’t like this before."

Yang Xiao hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a serious, lowered voice, "Stealing a police car is a serious crime."

That comment made Kuang Hongyi burst into laughter, "Come on, Chu, why won’t you believe me? I am really a policeman, just not the kind you’re thinking of."

At this point, Kuang Hongyi’s expression turned stern and he lowered his voice, "We specialize in dealing with those kinds of things. The official name is the Patrol Defense Bureau, but there’s another name you might be more familiar with, the Emergency Hazard Control Bureau."

Following the direction Kuang Hongyi pointed, through the glass window, a police SUV was parked outside with a conspicuous emblem on the door, emblazoned with the words Emergency Hazard Control Bureau.

"Let me introduce myself. I’m an investigator at the Rongcheng Anping District Patrol Bureau, surname Zhao. You can call me Brother Zhao, and I’ll call you Younger Brother Yang."

With those words, Yang Xiao had 70 to 80 percent figured out that this person had certainly learned his background, "Brother Zhao, I believe you. Could you please tell me what exactly this Nightmare World is?"

With too many questions to ask, Yang Xiao could only start with the most basic ones. As for the Drama Robe, he wasn’t ready to bring that up just yet, deciding to probe further first.

But it seemed that Kuang Hongyi saw through his little ploy and shook his head slowly, "Younger Brother Yang, that question is classified. I am not authorized to disclose that to you."

Yang Xiao then tried a few different questions, but Kuang Hongyi tactfully declined to answer each one, leading to a dead end. Not getting anywhere, Yang Xiao got straight to the point, "Brother Zhao, what would it take for you to tell me?" freewebnøvel.coɱ

"This information is confidential to outsiders, but if you, Younger Brother Yang, were willing to join us, then you’d be one of us. If it’s between us, everything would be easier to discuss," Kuang Hongyi said with a smile. "I wouldn’t be violating any rules by telling you, right?"

Yang Xiao realized what was happening—Kuang Hongyi saw potential in him and wanted to recruit him. He had to be cautious with such a proposition. After a brief silence, he said, "Brother Zhao, I’m new to all this and don’t really understand how things work here. Could you tell me the benefits of joining you? And, um... if I were to refuse, you wouldn’t make things difficult for me, right?"

Kuang Hongyi knew exactly what Yang Xiao was thinking, as he wasn’t one to take action without certainty, "Ha, Younger Brother Yang, let me give you a brief rundown. Firstly, our Patrol Defense Bureau is an official organization, backed by the state. You understand the advantages of being under a big tree for shade. With the same conditions, we can access more and more accurate intelligence than those civilian Apostles..."

"Civilian, Apostles?" Yang Xiao caught the keyword, "What do you mean by ’Apostle’?"

"An Apostle is someone like us," Kuang Hongyi leaned forward, looking meaningfully at Yang Xiao, "Younger Brother Yang, you don’t think that you’d only experience that nightmare once, do you? Truth be told, throughout your life after this, you’ll receive Ghost scripts at intervals, re-entering the Nightmare World, and naturally, a brand new nightmare will await you each time."

"Don’t ask me how to end the nightmares, because I don’t know either. This is my fourth entry into the Nightmare World, and if it weren’t for meeting you, it would have been my last," Kuang Hongyi leaned back in his chair and sighed slowly.

"In short, joining us means getting official support—comprehensive support. That’s quite appealing for anyone who wants to survive long-term in the Nightmare World. You’ll become one of the Official Apostles like me, with an official title providing many conveniences and avoiding unnecessary troubles. Besides, let me add that the salary and various incentives of our department are pretty good too."

"Of course, if you refuse, there’s no big deal. You just need to register with the local Patrol Defense Bureau, go through all the necessary checks, and continue your life once you’re cleared. As long as you don’t break any laws or discipline, we’ll leave each other in peace."

"But if you want to get intelligence or other forms of help from the official side, that’s virtually impossible. Some goodies even we insiders don’t have enough of," Kuang Hongyi explained earnestly.

"So after joining, what will our duties be?" Yang Xiao asked.

"As the name suggests, Emergency Hazard Control. However, we only handle cases related to supernatural events; regular criminal cases are not within our jurisdiction."

"The Fengmen Town Old Factory Ruins have had supernatural occurrences, you know about that, right?" Kuang Hongyi inquired.

Yang Xiao nodded, saying truthfully, "I know a bit, but not much."

"Around 8 or 9 people have disappeared there, traceably. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Before going, I got access via internal permissions to the strange disappearance cases connected to Fengmen Town Old Factory over the last 20 years, gathering quite a bit of useful information. Otherwise, why do you think I dared to wander in there alone?"

Kuang Hongyi pulled out a cigarette, and as he looked up to smoke it, he saw right across the wall hung a no-smoking sign. He awkwardly put the cigarette back.

Yang Xiao caught some key information from Kuang Hongyi’s words, "Are you saying you knew about the supernatural events at Fengmen Town’s abandoned factory a long time ago?"

"Indeed," Kuang Hongyi responded.

"Then why didn’t anyone get sent to resolve it?" Yang Xiao thought simply that if the supernatural events were resolved, they wouldn’t be targeted by the Ghost scripts anymore.

Kuang Hongyi waved his hands and gave Yang Xiao a complex look, his tone growing heavier, "Younger Brother Yang, it’s not that simple. It’s quite complicated, and I can’t explain it all to you in a short time."

It seemed that diving deeper would get to the core of the matter, and before making his own decision, Kuang Hongyi wasn’t planning to reveal too much.

"Younger Brother Yang, how about your decision?" Kuang Hongyi returned to the matter at hand.

In fact, Yang Xiao was already tempted; after all, he was a novice and joining an official organization could provide some support. But before that, there was one very important question he needed to clarify, and he began somewhat sheepishly, "Brother Zhao, I was wondering about the salary in your department..."

"For newcomers, it’s a bit over twenty thousand, after tax. If I remember correctly," Kuang Hongyi replied after a brief reflection, "and don’t think it’s meager, there are bonuses for every mission."

Yang Xiao straightened up and said with determination, "It’s my bounden duty to serve the country!"