Witch Special

"Yes, but not right now." Princess Bai nodded, then shook her head and continued, "The company recently received a rather special commission. After my analysis, I think you have the greatest chance of completing the commission..."

"Wow, it's been more than a year, and it's finally my turn for the commission? Can I know the content in advance?" Lin Zhenxi became excited, crossed his fingers and twisted them, and said enthusiastically.

Because of the unpredictable nature of traveling to another world, being a special correspondent for the company is a dangerous profession, with the risk of getting lost or dying being high. Special correspondents like Hayashi Maki, who have successfully completed seven or six commissions, are rare within the company. However, a common problem for special correspondents is the long gap between commissions.

After completing a commission, you're free for over a year. All you have to do every day is clock in and out. You don't have to do anything else. You still get paid, and the benefits are still as good. It's just outrageous.

It sounds great, almost like getting your boss's salary for free every day, but if you actually experience it, you will find that this kind of life is actually very boring.

People always have to pursue something; if they were idle every day, they would become exhausted. Therefore, during the long lull period without any commissions, the special envoys all looked forward to their next mission.

If you learn so many skills but end up having no place to use them, then what's the point of spending so much effort learning them?

However, in response to Lin Zhenxi's perfectly normal question, Princess Bai once again gave a negative answer. In fact, the degree of her denial exceeded all of Lin Zhenxi's expectations.

"The situation in that alien world is extremely chaotic, and the company doesn't have much information. Preliminary judgment is that the world will of that alien world is no longer able to perform its basic functions, and only instincts remain to support it." Princess Bai sentenced the alien world to death in a very calm tone.

Lin Zhenxi frowned. She had realized that this commission was definitely going to be a tough job.

"Even the world will has collapsed. How miserable is that? Then when I go there, won't I even have the most basic support? And if we want to return, we also need to rely on the world will of another world, right? That world will has collapsed like that. How can I come back after I go there?"

The term "world will" sounds rather grandiose, but in the professional vocabulary of company correspondents, it holds a profound and intimate meaning. From the perspective of a correspondent, the company behind them and the world will of the alternate world they are traveling to are roughly on equal footing. After traveling to the alternate world, the correspondent first receives a small amount of assistance from the world will. Then, upon completing their mission and preparing to return, they again need the world will's blessing, allowing the company to open a portal between the two worlds and allow the correspondent to return to their original world.

It’s like an employee who is assigned to another place and then received by a local partner company.

Of course, the so-called "little help" was nothing more than the inculcation of some worldviews, and did not involve any material content. After all, the rules of operation in each world were different. Before the appearance of the aliens, the main world had always been a technological world with almost zero mystery. The "mysteries" of the alien world were often difficult to understand.

While the high attrition rate of special agents might seem like compostable garbage to be discarded, special agents with the ability to travel across worlds are, in reality, the company's most valuable resource. Their miraculous, fantastical armaments alone are priceless treasures. If a special agent encounters an accident in another world, it's their own incompetence, not the fault of others. However, if a special agent encounters an unavoidable environmental or terrain-related casualty right after crossing over, before they've even begun to act, their death would be a truly unjust one.

Special envoys are a valuable resource for the company. As the dispatcher of special envoys, the company must ensure that its employees can carry out their work normally after going to the other world.

Otherwise, if all the special envoys were killed in another world, the company wouldn't receive any compensation...

By understanding the worldview of another world, a special agent can instantly comprehend the culture and general historical background of that world, mastering the universal language and common sense of life in that world. For example, if an ancient person from another world were to travel to Earth and receive the knowledge of that world's will upon their journey, they could instantly learn Mandarin and how to swipe a subway card. They would also learn the founding fathers of various countries, and even learn that the most powerful weapon in the world is a nuclear bomb, capable of flattening a city with a single detonation.

Although this kind of knowledge indoctrination is very rigid, making it difficult to retrieve knowledge, it is indispensable for people who have just arrived from another world.

But now, Princess Bai told Lin Zhenxi that the world's will had crashed, making this a complete waste of time. Without the world's will, even if Lin Zhenxi traveled there, she would be completely in the dark, completely clueless. Even worse, what if the natural environment there was truly extreme? Worlds entirely covered in water are real, as are frozen worlds, worlds overflowing with lava, and worlds with constant super typhoons... Worlds where humans once struggled to survive are not uncommon. If Lin Zhenxi were to encounter one of those worlds, wouldn't she be doomed the moment she arrived?

Lin Zhenxi's worry was written all over her face. Princess Bai knew what Lin Zhenxi was thinking. However, she also knew that her request was a bit unreasonable.

"...I'm sorry, but this is reality." Princess Bai raised her hand, and several resumes appeared on her white, tender palm. They scrolled horizontally, leaving only the one with Lin Zhenxi's ID photo.

"It's precisely because the conditions of this commission are so harsh. In my calculations, you're the one most likely to complete it and return alive, that I came to you. If it were anyone else, the chances of returning alive would be infinitely close to zero."

This should be considered a compliment, right? Something like, "You're better at surviving than others."

Lin Zhenxi was no stranger to the resumes Princess Bai had just presented; they were all veterans of the company. The company's special correspondents had remained relatively stable from the beginning, with frequent replacements. After several years of elimination, these few remained.

So, it turns out that I am already at the top in the company's evaluation.

but……

"No, it's too dangerous." Lin Zhenxi finally shook her head. She still hoped to stay safe. After working in the company for so long, she knew that the company was not short of opportunities. As long as she was steady, she would eventually thrive. Since Princess Bai was asking for her opinion, not forcing it, it was okay for her to refuse.

"Is that so? I see." The AI's expressions were all context-sensitive, so Lin Zhenxi couldn't possibly read Princess White's inner thoughts from her facial expression. In fact, Princess White's expression was as calm as the surface of a lake.

"I was originally planning to have you start the promotion assessment after this emergency commission, but since you're unwilling, forget it."

"Wait! Can I think about it for a moment?"

"Of course." Princess Bai nodded slightly, then continued to stand there waiting for Lin Zhenxi's answer.

Lin Zhenxi bit her lip, her heart in a state of great conflict. Although she didn't want to take any risks, it was really hard for her to refuse the offer from Princess Bai. The company's promotion system for special agents was a 4+1 mechanism, meaning that a promotion would only be arranged after four normal commissions. Except for E-level agents, who only needed to complete one commission to pass the probation period and be promoted to D-level, D-level agents needed to complete (1+4+1=) 6 commissions to be promoted to C-level, and C-level agents needed (1+4+1+4+1=) 11 commissions to be promoted to B-level. Lin Zhenxi had already completed 6 commissions. According to the normal process, she needed to complete four more commissions before she could begin her promotion assessment. Princess Bai's emergency commission was equivalent to her completing four normal commissions.

Six commissions would have taken ten years, and four commissions would have required another six or seven years. Risking one's life in exchange for a promotion equivalent to more than half of one's career was a deal that could be made.

Every commission carries danger; even ordinary commissions can be life-threatening. As long as a world has unique rules, even the most elite commissioners can face setbacks before adapting to them. The potential for four times the profit in one go was enough to tempt Lin Zhenxi.

Isn't it just that the will of the world has fallen on its knees? Look, I'm going to revive it! Dalang, it's time to take your medicine.

"I'll take it. When do we leave?" Lin Zhenxi gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind.

"Five days from now at three o'clock in the afternoon, that's when our world will be closest to that world. During these few days, you can purchase more supplies without having to worry about transportation issues."

"Please be fully prepared, your journey may be difficult."

Princess White said this and disappeared as if turning off a light. At the same time, Lin Zhenxi felt the personal terminal in his pocket vibrate. It must be the information related to this urgent commission that Princess White had sent him.

Lin Zhenxi pulled out her personal device and clicked on the message, only to find two unread messages. One was about this urgent request, while the other was completely unexpected.

No wonder Princess Bai told her not to worry about the transportation of supplies. It turned out that she was given a space cube, which is the legendary independent space module.

This thing should be in the initial arsenal, right? Can items in the arsenal also be used as rewards for commissions?

Just by getting this thing, Lin Zhenxi made a lot of money.

As long as she can complete this urgent commission and come back alive.