"How about... I just don't go up."
After suspecting that the one calling him upstairs wasn't the Red-haired Director but her Anomalous Object, Leon frowned, pondered for a moment, and then tentatively said,
"By the way, Director, I brought you a bottle of good wine, would you like to come down and try it?"
Hearing Leon's words, the "Red-haired Director" politely expressed gratitude, then continued to invite,
"I'm not convenient right now, could you please bring it up?"
Not rushing down for a drink immediately... it must be fake!
Easily testing the authenticity of the "Director" based on his understanding of the Red-haired Director, Leon's vigilance instantly peaked.
Although he didn't know exactly what level the Red-haired Director was at, he could infer from the Black Goat's behavior; it always spoke ill of the Red-haired Director with sarcasm, but it never doubted her competence.
According to his calculations, at its peak, the Black Goat's Contamination Value probably reached above 56, so the Director's strength must be no less, likely above 60 in terms of Contamination Value.
Forget it, better not compare.
For someone who was just a probationary worker, with a Contamination Value of only 0.9, not even reaching the minimum average standard, if the one upstairs was really the Director's Anomalous Object and it had lost control for some reason, the only difference would be between dying miserably and dying extremely miserably!
*Stay calm; the more tense the situation gets, the more you can't panic!*
Realizing he might be encountering an uncontrolled Anomalous Object event, Leon first took two deep breaths, then silently pulled out a bottle of wine he carried with him, activating the [Martyr of the Wine Country] to keep calm.
Next, he immediately turned around, retreating slowly toward the door of the Purification Bureau while calmly continuing the conversation,
"Since you're not convenient, I won't bother going up. I'll leave the wine for you."
Hearing Leon's reply, the "Red-haired Director" laughed, her voice turning increasingly eerie,
"Come up, what I'm busy with relates to you, so you won't be disrupting anything. As for the wine, whether to drink it or not doesn't really matter."
"I'm fine, you go ahead and carry on with your work!"
"Busy with what? Didn't I tell you to come up?"
"Uh-huh, alright, I'm coming up!"
Hearing the words "whether to drink the wine or not doesn't matter," Leon immediately felt the hairs on his body stand on end. He continued to conversate to stabilize the uncontrolled Anomalous Object upstairs, while activating [Parkour Newbie], sprinting toward the Purification Bureau's door with the fastest speed of his life!
Just when Leon lowered his shoulder and crashed open the heavy door of the Purification Bureau, starting to dash for his life, the window on the second floor of the Purification Bureau was suddenly pushed open, and the Red-haired Director, with eyebrows raised in anger, appeared at the window, clawing forcefully at his fleeing figure.
"So this is the newcomer you told me about, the one with great potential."
After scrutinizing Leon in front of her, the silver-haired old lady smiled slightly and unexpectedly extended her hand to him.
"I'm the one crafting the Anomalous Object for you this time. According to the bureau's rules, I must keep my true name hidden to avoid curses from Evil Gods or other entities, so I can't tell you my name. You can call me Taurus."
Taurus... Taurus Director? So it's not an uncontrollable Anomalous Object, just the Director having a meeting on the second floor?
Looking at the kindly old lady in front of him, then at the Red-haired Director beside him with a face full of black lines, Leon, somewhat bewildered, instinctively stretched out his hand, shaking the old lady's hand.
"Hello... I'm Leon..."
"Uh-huh, I know, 'Leon Value' right!"
After laughing and withdrawing her hand, the old lady examined the very young-looking Leon, with an expression full of appreciation,
"I am personally very interested in the standard you proposed, so could you explain to me, how is the 'Leon Value' measured?"
"Umm... what you mentioned isn't actually called 'Leon Value'..."
Carrying the Badge System, Leon sincerely hoped his name wouldn't attract unnecessary attention. So he quickly corrected, attempting to revert the name to Contamination Value.
However, just as Leon started speaking, the back of his head was roughly smacked by the Red-haired Director, and he heard her harsh reminder in his ear.
*He deserved to be called stupid!*
After exchanging just a few words and then running off, completely dismantling her arrangements, the Red-haired Director couldn't resist giving Leon another glare, darkening her face as she reminded once more,
"This is one of the twelve Directors of the bureau! So you should address her as Director Your Excellency!"
"Ha-ha, it's merely a form of address, no need to be too particular."
Waving her hand to signal not to stand on ceremony, the silver-haired old lady looked at the Red-haired Director, who was glaring angrily, and, teasingly, said with a smile,
"Olivia, didn't you just tell me you've abstained from drinking for a long time? How come as soon as this little fellow heard you wouldn't drink, he got scared and ran off?"
"Well... although I've quit drinking, the impression is quite profound, so it takes some time to change, ha-ha... please excuse it... ha-ha-ha... let's talk business first!"
Thick-skinnedly fabricating a lie, barely covering things up, the Red-haired Director silently marked a black record against Leon in her heart, then seriously began to sing his praises,
"Director Your Excellency Taurus, Leon is not only talented in Anomalous Object research but also adept at handling abnormal situations.
You know about the Holy Spirit of the Scales Gold Sect, so I won't elaborate, but on his first day at work, Leon took down an uncontrollable Infector. Later, he sharply identified the whereabouts of another Anomalous Object from some slight clues.
Just now, too, with someone less cautious, they would likely have followed my request to come upstairs, but he immediately sensed the anomaly and made the correct judgment, choosing to stabilize me while quickly retreating.
These nuanced details and his past experience in handling the Holy Spirit independently should be enough to show you his potential."
"Uh-huh, that's quite impressive."
After attentively listening to what the Red-haired Director had to say, the silver-haired old lady nodded approvingly,
"As long as this child remains steadfast and takes things slowly, he might become a trump card like Emma... Keep it up, little guy! Don't let Olivia's goodwill go to waste!"
Smiling benevolently at Leon, the silver-haired old lady gently snapped her fingers, and Leon felt something hard in the palm of his hand, as if being pried open by something.
When he looked down to take a glance, he was surprised to find a necklace with a golden toad pendant appeared in his hand.
[Name: Holy Spirit Pendant (Sacred, Interference, Whisper)]
[Appearance: A necklace with a golden toad pendant. If you look down and gaze into the toad's eyes, you'll find it staring at you with immense resentment]
[Ability: Sacred Belief, Will Interference with Reality, Psychological Impact]
[Cost: Certain "currencies" are required for use; the type of currency isn't limited to money. If the payment is sufficient, the effects will be enhanced]
[File: Materials sourced from the Holy Spirit of the Scales Gold Sect "Wealth-Exchanging Toad." After being destroyed by probationary worker Leon Laine from the Sixth Division, the remaining remnants were crafted into this Anomalous Object by the Taurus Director of the Purification Bureau]
[Evaluation: The original authority of the "Wealth-Exchanging Toad," which was supposed to dissipate, has been partially retained through the superb and cruel craftsmanship of the creator. The requirement for massive physical and mental effort is no longer needed, and it instead can be activated by paying a corresponding price.
Please note, in many cases "cost" does not imply "burden," but rather a mutually beneficial equivalent exchange]
[Contamination Value: 48 (0.9)]