91: Chapter 89 Empty Scroll 91: Chapter 89 Empty Scroll The Provincial Department’s office building was solemn and elegant.
From the gate to the entrance, a vast expanse tens of meters long was devoid of anything but air and solemnity.
The entire Shannan Province Provincial Department had a staff allocation of just over 500, for leaders at various levels, and various offices.
By the time it got down to the operational level, there wasn’t much left.
Fortunately, the Provincial Department could also requisition staff from lower-level departments.
With an order, policemen from various cities, states, and districts would continuously converge upon the Provincial Department, requiring neither allocation of positions nor salaries.
There were always complaints from the city and county bureaus about all sorts of requisitions.
However, as for the individuals, some liked it, some didn’t.
Zhu Huanguang quite liked being requisitioned by the Provincial Department; at the very least, he didn’t have to do housework or pretentiously tutor pretentious kids anymore.
Additionally, it felt great to be among the top-ranked experts.
This was also the reason Zhu Huanguang preferred being requisitioned to the Provincial Department rather than some committee.
Even if going to the committee meant a daily allowance of 180 yuan, and the Provincial Department had no such compensation because it was in the same city, Zhu Huanguang was happier to participate in the fingerprint blitz organized by the Provincial Department.
Entering the large office area, Zhu Huanguang first looked up at the “Cold Case Clearing Leaderboard,” and, seeing his own name still at the top, couldn’t help but smile.
People, after all, need to be ranked in something to feel alive.
When he was younger, Zhu Huanguang used to look at wealth ranking lists too.
However, after seeing so many fools end up in jail, he realized that wasn’t reliable.
Later on, as his work gradually improved and he received praise from his superiors, he slowly started to understand various standing committee meetings…
Now, Zhu Huanguang had come to respect the class rankings of children.
The only thing he still cared passionately about were various business-related leaderboards.
To be ranked first in the province-wide fingerprint challenge was indeed a very eye-catching honor.
His usually reticent wife would occasionally recognize the importance.
Zhu Huanguang turned on the computer and proficiently booted up the software.
In the time it took to pour himself a glass of water, he casually opened new messages.
He cleared new messages at set times every day.
Unlike some people who constantly wanted to know how others were doing, Zhu Huanguang treated these peer reviews like leisure activities.
It was also about measuring up the combat strength of his current peers.
At his level, by looking at the fingerprints done by his peers, he could almost guess their areas of expertise and strength.
For example, the first fingerprint in front of him was as smudged as the bottom of a pot, yet still made a match, indicating that this person excelled at image processing.
In the context of the fingerprint battle, if one wanted to make more matches, the right approach was to avoid competing on the same business line as other experts.
For instance, now that there were those skilled in image processing, those who excelled in this kind of “pot-bottom” fingerprint, one should avoid doing similar fingerprints.
This could significantly improve the success rate…
Zhu Huanguang nodded lightly, agreed with a click, then grabbed a rag and started tidying up his desk, clicking on the second fingerprint, hmm…
Smudged like excrement, yet it made a match, indicating this person also excelled in image processing.
Zhu Huanguang clicked on the third fingerprint, smudged like a messy combination of pot-bottom and excrement, yet it still made a match, indicating…
Indicating that someone had processed three fingerprints in one go!
Zhu Huanguang immediately looked closer and saw the same name after each of the three fingerprints: Jiang Yuan.
Zhu Huanguang then looked at the time the fingerprints were completed—the latest ones were marked past seven in the morning!
Zhu Huanguang marveled repeatedly.
He had seen all sorts of experts, the competitive types, Zhu Huanguang had seen them all.
He had even met a real Swiss roll—a Chinese person who grew up in Switzerland, studied in the United States, and then came back to develop in China, working on fingerprints for over a dozen hours in one stretch, quite efficient, but these people were after all a minority.
The fingerprint expert market in Shannan Province was originally rather harmonious, friendly, and plain.
Unwillingly, Zhu Huanguang looked towards Jiang Yuan’s spot, finding relief that the guy hadn’t arrived yet.
Good, there was still a chance.
Zhu Huanguang took a deep breath, decided to quickly handle the remaining few new messages, and then started comparing the fingerprint from yesterday.
Although he was a bit slower than Jiang Yuan, working on fingerprints was never a race of uniform speed.
He too had matched four fingerprints in one go a few days prior.
That yesterday’s work had hit a snag for an entire day was also within the realm of normal.
Zhu Huanguang withdrew his hand, moved the mouse, and there was the next fingerprint, still as blurry as pancakes made by his wife.
Zhu Huanguang’s expression immediately turned sour.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye and surely, he saw the familiar name, Jiang Yuan.
What a genuine surprise, an astonishing fellow beyond words!
Zhu Huanguang sat up straight, and with a cautious demeanor and attitude, he began to compare the fingerprint.
As expected, it matched perfectly.
Moreover, the fingerprint was of considerable difficulty.
Zhu Huanguang was performing a direct comparison, and confirming via the ridge patterns required a bit of effort; as for reverse comparison—he couldn’t even begin to process an image of this caliber in the first place.
“Here, take it,” Zhu Huanguang muttered under his breath, but still clicked confirm.
Looking up again, he saw on the “Cold Case Breakthrough Leaderboard” located towards the front right of the large office area, Jiang Yuan’s name had already jumped to first place, with a score of “7”.
Zhu Huanguang, ranked second, had a score of “4”, while the experts in third, fourth, and fifth place each had a score of “2”.
The cumulative achievements of the top five experts already amounted to 17 matched fingerprints, more than the combined total of the next 40 experts.
This was a normal occurrence in the fingerprint competition.
A few experts with strong skills, good luck, and in top form completing half of the competition results was usual.
It was as if these experts, if placed in a lower-level municipality to compete in a fingerprint battle, would sweep their peers just as easily.
As Zhu Huanguang contemplated this, he suddenly heard a whirring noise coming from the direction of the break room.
It was faint and unclear, but listening intently, it was indeed the familiar sound of a fan.
In a moment, Jiang Yuan walked into the large office.
Zhu Huanguang frowned at the clock; it was just past nine in the morning.
Did he only sleep for two hours?
Li Zemin, who was next to Jiang Yuan and usually went to bed and woke up on schedule, asked in surprise, “You went back so late last night.
No, you just returned this morning.
Why are you here already?
Take care not to drop dead.”
“I slept for two hours.
I’m not that tired anymore,” Jiang Yuan paused before explaining, “I suddenly thought that I could let the software run the images first.
When I wake up fully, I can refine the images.
That would save time and not delay work.”
“Is that possible?” Li Zemin asked with elderly skepticism.
Just need to set up the sequence and plan ahead,” Jiang Yuan said, giving Li Zemin a few explanations on the jargon.
Li Zemin looked as if he smoked too much, his eyes nearly glazed over.
Jiang Yuan sat down, booted up the computer, and also began to quickly process each new matched fingerprint one by one.
After returning to the break room, Jiang Yuan lined up all the carefully selected top-tier fingerprints, locked the screen, and headed straight back to the dormitory.
During the fingerprint competition, the provincial office didn’t impose attendance restrictions on the experts.
Those who were here were highly self-motivated, and realistically, the experts were all working frantically; there was no need for concern on that front.
Jiang Yuan went back to his dormitory and slept soundly.
Only the new computer in the break room, like an indefatigable exemplary worker, buzzed as its fan spun.
Left in the large office, Zhu Huanguang’s mood didn’t relax but grew more anxious instead.
Indeed, when young people talk about lying flat, they intend to make the middle-aged lower their guard.
In matters that genuinely offer benefits and the chance to demonstrate capability, like civil service exams, public institution tests, teachers’ qualifications, competing for the “Cold Case Breakthrough Ranking,” one contest is more fiercely competitive than the next.
They’re just the same as the young people twenty or thirty years ago.