Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 69 The New Leader
Black Swan Building in the center of Jiangcheng City.

Honglian passed through the security checkpoint at the main entrance as usual and boarded the elevator to the fifteenth floor. The office workers in suits around her, as usual, gave her strange looks.

When she first started working here, she would wear a black suit, cut her hair short, and cover it with a hat, but now she's given up.

Look at it however you like.

It's because her hair mutated along with her powers.

The entire fifteenth floor belonged to the Maintenance Agency. As soon as Honglian stepped out of the elevator, she sensed that something was off. The corridors were unusually deserted, with no one chatting or slacking off, and the smoking room was completely empty.

Even if their duty is to protect the world from harm, they still have to slack off sometimes... Even if the end of the world is coming, it won't change the working-class nature.

unless……

Honglian quickened her pace and rushed into the executive group's office.

All her colleagues were there, and they were standing ramrod straight at their workstations. The moment she entered, they all turned around at once, their gazes surprisingly unanimous.

"Sorry, there was a bit of a traffic jam on the way today..."

"Miss Honglian, right? It's been 15 minutes and 28 seconds since the normal check-in time, and I've checked the traffic situation. There's no traffic jam on any of the main roads in the city." An unfamiliar voice interrupted her.

"Ugh... damn it." Seeing the man in the expensive suit and bright yellow tie, Honglian couldn't help but sigh inwardly. A worker can't refuse to slack off unless the boss comes in person. And this man was most likely the new leader sent by the maintenance agency.

"Sorry, I woke up late."

"Hahaha..." Unexpectedly, the other person burst into hearty laughter, showing no sign of blaming her. "I understand. A lot of big things have happened recently, so it's normal for everyone to have lost sleep. If you have to work overtime, don't forget to report it to the finance department. Overtime pay is triple!"

clap clap clap!
For once, everyone applauded.

“Miss Honglian, please return to your workstation.” The man said with a friendly expression, “Now that everyone is here, I’ll have a brief introduction. My name is Xiao Canon, the Canon that’s often heard in music. Headquarters has assigned me to take over the work of Captain Wan, Captain Liu, and Captain Tian. From today onwards, I am the person in charge of the district’s offices.”

The three team leaders he mentioned were the leaders of the execution, logistics, and intelligence departments.

Honglian was somewhat surprised. She knew that the intelligence team would be punished for causing such a big mess in their jurisdiction, but she did not expect that headquarters would actually dismiss all three of them.

The task force was led by the nose from beginning to end, and it's impossible to blame Captain Wan.

She raised her hand somewhat indignantly and asked, "Where is Captain Wan now?"

“I guess he’s on vacation, but his exact location is a matter of personal privacy.” Xiao Kanong didn’t ignore Honglian. “Headquarters gave him a large sum of money as severance pay, and the only requirement was that he not use his abilities for two years and accept declassified monitoring by the agency.”

"Does changing the branch's leadership really prevent similar incidents from happening again?"

As soon as Honglian said this, the office fell silent.

Little Dove turned pale with fright.

Xiao Kanong looked at her with a smile, "Perhaps. But if I fail in my duty, I will certainly have no complaints about being fired."

After hearing what the other party said, Honglian found it difficult to defend her captain and could only silently shut her mouth.

“Since you have no further questions, let’s continue the meeting. Let me introduce our two new members to everyone.” Xiao Kanong turned to the two people behind him, “The man is called Wang Qianduan, and the woman is called Zhang Yingzi. They were both transferred from other branches and are considered my capable assistants. From now on, they will be under the command of the execution team.”

"Hello everyone," the woman said with a smile and a wave. "Please take care of me from now on!"

The man simply nodded slightly.

Honglian also glanced at the two of them. The employee named Wang Qianduan was at least forty years old, with an unremarkable square face and a cold gaze that seemed to keep people at a distance. The employee named Zhang Yingzi, on the other hand, was only in her early twenties, with short hair, a round face, and a sweet smile, as if she had just stepped out of school and into the workplace, giving off a warm and welcoming feeling. "Great! Welcome, both of you!" Wang Baihu was the first to applaud.

Superficial. Honglian silently rolled her eyes.

After the applause subsided, Xiao Kanong continued, "As everyone knows, the Vision Agency has recently encountered malicious provocations from unknown individuals, and the situation and risks we face are undergoing significant changes. But in my opinion, this may not be a bad thing. The more renowned the agency becomes, the wider the areas where we can exert our influence."

"Before coming here, headquarters had reached an agreement with the local government to include those with abilities in the talent management system. So from now on, this agency will become an interface for the public, and everyone's work will be more challenging. Take the short-term plan as an example, I plan to open multiple ability checkpoints in Jiangcheng, as well as an ability training class, and popularize knowledge about abilities to the public... This is also in response to what the doctor mentioned at the public press conference."

At this point, he glanced at Honglian and said, "So you need to pay more attention to your image. Don't see yourselves as secret agents who can't see the light of day, but as idol warriors who attract attention wherever they go, and popular heroes who maintain social stability! The organization will be putting a lot of effort into promoting you all; you are the first batch of spokespersons for the organization!"

The people in the office immediately erupted in an uproar.

The news was so shocking that it was hard not to whisper among those around us.

"Wow, does that mean I'm going to be a star?" Wang Baihu exclaimed excitedly. "That's so exciting!"

Kobato seemed quite worried, "If we're recognized as soon as we step outside, how are we supposed to catch criminals who use their abilities?"

Honglian directly voiced her question, "Mr. Xiao—"

“You can call me Captain Xiao, or Xiao Kanon. Don’t be fooled by my formal attire; it’s to prepare for the organization’s future strategies,” Xiao Kanon interrupted amiably.

"Captain Xiao...won't doing this deviate from the organization's mission? The doctor also said that our abilities are nothing to be proud of; they are a curse brought to us by the invasion of another world. Most of the people who joined the Dimensional Organization are also victims of the invasion. But the organization's strategy you mentioned will give people the illusion that abilities are a good thing, that they can bring traffic and create wealth."

Honglian's words won the approval of several colleagues.

"Yes... My only purpose in coming here is to prevent more people from being harmed by people with abilities."

"With this kind of propaganda, won't those who gain these abilities think they are the privileged class?"

Xiao Kanon still had a smiling expression, as if he had expected everyone's thoughts. "You are all right, but please tell me, if we don't spread this propaganda, will the facts change at all? In the last five years, the number of infiltration points has been increasing, and more and more people have gained abilities. The Limitation Agency is not omnipotent, and the means of suppressing information will eventually fail."

Red Lotus remained silent.

What the other party said was indeed a pain point they had been facing for a long time.

Inside the organization, there was constant discussion about when this constantly patched-up mess would finally collapse.

"If we are going to face changes sooner or later, why not be more proactive in embracing them?" Xiao Kanong spread his arms wide. "In a sense, the enemy's provocation has given us an opportunity. Think about it, if you all present a positive image, those who come after you will inevitably follow suit. That's the power of role models! The more people you can motivate to join the organization, the easier the sewing work of the execution team will be, ultimately creating a virtuous cycle."

"As for the issue of ability classes that everyone is worried about... First of all, the mutations caused by the invasion points are beyond human control, and new ability users will always emerge, so the effect of simply suppressing them is very limited, and it has little to do with whether or not information is released. Secondly, the headquarters is also trying to solve this problem at its root. I can give you a little sneak peek here: the project is progressing quite well. Perhaps before long, we will be able to truly seal abilities, and neither ability privileges nor ability classes will have any place to exist."

"Sealing...abilities?"

"Is it for everyone?" everyone asked in surprise.

“That’s right.” Xiao Kanong nodded with a smile. “I assure you all that the original purpose of the Dimensional Organization has never changed. To protect this world, I will fight alongside you to the very end.”

"Oh, right." After he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something. "There's something I forgot to mention. Guagua is a local native. The authorities have checked it and found no harm, so you can take care of it."

"Quack quack?" Honglian was taken aback. Who was that?
Zhang Yingzi threw out a square the size of a mahjong tile. The square landed on an empty space between workstations and instantly turned into a box the size of a wardrobe.

Then the box door was kicked open, and a dinosaur head popped out.

"Quaa?"

(End of this chapter)