Bonus 5 Part 1

Chapter 141 - Bonus 5

"I'm sorry, really sorry."

Sheng Lingyuan flipped through a book in the room, hearing Xuan Ji talking to the neighbor in the hallway.

The neighbor seemed to be asking for a favor, repeatedly polite in his speech.

"I really can't find anyone else. It's just the New Year, and most colleagues and friends have gone back to their hometowns," the young neighbor said.

"If it weren't for the fact that we can't bring pets out of the country, we would have taken them with us... My partner's mother is sick, she's alone overseas, we bought our plane tickets in a hurry, and it's hard to find a reliable pet sitter."

Oh, they were asking for help to take care of their pets.

The neighbor had pets, but Sheng Lingyuan had never really seen them - all the small animals were afraid of him and wouldn't make a sound when he came home.

Xuan Ji loved to chat and had a good relationship with the neighbors, who trusted him enough to give him a spare key.

Sheng Lingyuan heard Xuan Ji readily agree, and then casually ask, "Auntie is sick? Is it serious?"

"We're not sure, they just called and told us she had a fever and was experiencing hallucinations for no apparent reason." The neighbour continued in a worried tone, "It sounded like the "special abilities" awakening that had been going around lately, and regular hospitals couldn't diagnose it. The doctors suggested contacting a special hospital."

Xuan Ji was surprised, "At her age?"

"Tell me about it," sighed the neighbor, "I don't know if it's good news or bad news, and I'm worried about what the future holds...especially for my family, since I've heard this kind of thing is hereditary."

Sheng Lingyuan put down his pen and thought to himself: 'You should be more worried about yourself.'

Even through the security door, he could smell the faint scent of the demon lynx.

This young man was so careless, he hadn't even noticed that his pet had been avoiding him for the past few days.

As the end of the year approached, it had been a full year since the earth-shattering explosion at the Chiyuan.

Xuan Ji had originally planned things out quite well.

Conflicts between ordinary people and those with special abilities were considered internal affairs of the human race, and as a Vermilion Bird, he didn't want to get too involved. He had planned to find a place to live in seclusion and occasionally help his old friends in the Bureau with technical and historical issues.

When Sheng Lingyuan recovered, they would go on trips together and slowly work through the things he had written in his notebook.

But daydreams always end abruptly.

Within a year, the two major factions of "ordinary people" and "special abilities" who had been arguing and fighting every day had collapsed.

The reason was that the boundary between the two groups had been shattered - that year, the birth rate of special ability babies had skyrocketed to 28%, with 30% of them showing clear signs of a special ability spectrum from birth.

Even for the Wind Gods of the past, those who presented special abilities from birth, could be counted on one hand. And without exception, these people became the elite among elites.

When the Research Institute received the data, they were shocked and suspected that the statisticians had made a mistake with the decimal point.

They immediately conducted a small-scale random sampling in the western suburbs, setting up an ability detector at a subway entrance.

After seventy-two hours, they found that nearly sixty percent of the passersby had a special ability reaction!

Although the vast majority of them, like Ping Qianru, couldn't feel any difference and couldn't be considered to have special abilities, but if they were to be called "ordinary people", the mithril probably wouldn't agree.

Suddenly, "ordinary people" became extraordinary. The effects of the silent three thousand years of Chiyuan finally surfaced, and the blood of the other races had more or less mixed into everyone's body.

Many new special ability awakeners experienced physical abnormalities and crowded the outpatient halls of both regular hospitals and special ability hospitals, feeling lost and helpless.

At the same time, as the second half of the year began, various incidents involving special abilities began to erupt. It was rumored that the field director of the Jiangzhou branch of a famous "nursing home" had undergone heart bypass surgery due to overwork.

And this was just the beginning of the first year after Chiyuan's resurgence.

People no longer had the energy to debate about "what the future society would be like" or "whether the six major lineages need to be redefined." The urgent issue at hand was the shortage of special medical resources.

Xuan Ji's grand plan for his old-age retirement was completely shattered.

When Xuan Ji was able to stand out on his own, Chiyuan had already been cold for many years. At that time, the great demons had been destroyed, and there was silence in the human world.

The Fire-keeper guarded the ashes, and although he was lonely, with the foundation made from the Vermilion Bird bones, his job was incomparably easier than that of his ancestors.

But now, the world is lively again, the bones were gone, and his new player guide is gone too. The old ancient had encountered new problems.

Xuan Ji, who hasn't acted as a demon for three thousand years, was surprised to find himself a new and inexperienced bird in the workplace when he inherited Chiyuan's power.

As for the ancient historical legacy issues, he still had to ask Sheng Lingyuan.

After Chiyuan reignited, many things that emerged were things Xuan Ji knew he should have learned when he was a child. As for what he learned, he had already returned it to Dan Li with interest three thousand years ago.

Looking at it from this perspective, he and Dan Li really had nothing to owe each other.

And the Emperor could only be consulted on technical matters. The demon's values were completely out of sync with contemporary society, and if he wasn't careful, he might cause some trouble. He couldn't rely on him completely in case something went wrong.

So Xuan Ji still had to go to work every day, and his workload had increased.

Since the reform plan for the bureau was not yet ready, his position remained unchanged - he was still the director of the aftermath department, where he was constantly being borrowed by various departments.

The only difference from before was that the bureau had provided a special car for the last remaining Vermilion Bird.

After all, even drones were regulated in the city, and the Vermilion Bird couldn't fly around recklessly.

And as an ancient creature which was cherished and protected more than national treasures, his living expenses were now covered by the state, and his credit card would never be maxed out again.

After receiving the promotion, Xuan Ji was thrilled for only two days before realizing that there are no unbearable sufferings in life, but there are certainly unattainable pleasures - pleasures that he cannot digest.

When the Du Ling Palace hadn't yet been built years ago, he was already shattered. He had never enjoyed any privileges and had been wandering around the world without any burden.

Now, allowing him to spend taxpayers' money freely would be too embarrassing for him.

Xuan Ji feels that he has to think twice before buying anything lately, and it's not as enjoyable as before when he earned his own money and spent it freely.

Therefore, he is preparing to express his thoughts to the organization. He would prefer to be paid according to his level and workload, and be responsible for his own profits and losses after work.

This way, he would feel more at ease and free.

The neighbor brought over some pet food for Xuan Ji and then sent him out, saying, "Dogs don't need to be walked, they can use the dog toilet by themselves. I see that you're too busy with work, don't add more trouble for yourself."

"It's okay, we have to go out for a walk anyway, so we can take them with us," Xuan Ji said. "My dog is such a homebody, he hasn't left the house for half his life. Now he's even learned how to shop online, it's driving me crazy. If I don't take him out for some fresh air, I think he'll turn into a floorboard."

Sheng Lingyuan: "..."

Who did he learn this from? Is this kid asking for it?

So as soon as Xuan Ji entered the house and threw his keys in the hallway, he was enveloped in a black mist.