How Am I Still Alive?

This was actually informed by the higher-ups rather than a possibility, and Xia Qin, who had just obtained her captain's authority, had only just learned about it.

"To put it bluntly, they want trainees to supplement our forces. Don't worry, they won't give them overly dangerous work, they just need to help us shoulder the burden a bit."

"Has the situation gotten that dire?"

"It's worse than you think."

There's even fiercer news that Captain Xia Qin has only just become qualified to know and can't reveal casually.

For instance, "Several Exotic Realm-level Secret Realms are itching to make a move. The military is also facing a severe shortage of personnel."

For instance, "To increase manpower, the difficulty of the Secret Keeper qualification exam has been greatly reduced, and the number of new Secret Keepers will increase at least 30% next year."

For instance, "Lower the barriers of entry for private enterprises to encourage more civilian involvement, and at the same time, increase bonuses and benefits."

For instance, "Release more Taboo knowledge to the public, and deliberately create Polluters in several controlled Secret Realms."

Isn't there an old saying? "As long as the situation is bad enough, there are no so-called bottom lines and rules."

"There's a high probability that once Lu Ping'an gets into the college and acquires a temporary License, he will become our temporary colleague. If you still have concerns, you can keep an eye on him then, just like you volunteered to test his abilities this time."

"You saw through it?"

Lei Huoren gave a wry smile.

"Hehe, I'm your captain, after all. I couldn't possibly not care about what you see. At the very least, having such a thing openly in his possession is harmless. In fact...."

As she spoke, Xia Qin laughed, truly realizing the cost of running a household.

Having captain level intelligence access allowed her to understand why the previous Captain He always looked so troubled.

The situation was ten times worse than it appeared. For the past fifty years, the entire world had been sinking into a quagmire, sliding irreversibly towards the abyss.

An uncontrolled ability user with at least Z-ranked potential in the Mother Goddess system? Twenty years ago, they might have been eliminated instead of monitored, but now....

"The world is already messed up enough; I'm not worried that he will go crazy. I am only worried that he will not be strong enough... To be honest, I hope he grows up soon so that we can live longer. You have family too."

With increasing frequency, the ancient city faces pollution incidents, and Xia Qin's third team, with only three "old stagers" who have been employed for less than three years, bears an ever-growing burden.

Expecting new reinforcements? There's a shortage of personnel everywhere, and everyone wants combat-ready power.

As long as the subordinate teams of the district-level Bureau of Anomaly Management are tasked with "public security", they originally wouldn't have a high enough priority to receive high-quality troops, even if they were available.

Talking about the potential future ultimately amounts to nothing—what they need is combat power they can actually obtain and use.

"I heard your sister also applied for Ancient City University. I'll request to transfer her and Ping'an together, so they can look after each other. It's only another half a year, for your sister's sake, give it another push. You'd want to be a third-tier Deputy Captain and not just an ordinary team member when your sister joins the team, right?"

Thinking of his innocent sister who suddenly broke through the "human limit" and the increasingly frequent high-level pollution incidents, Lei Huoren nodded silently without further objection.

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As the funeral procession went on, an old acquaintance of theirs had just walked out of a pet store.

He sighed helplessly, somewhat speechless.

Since he was also born in this city, his old teammates had inexplicably given him a mission to make contact with the local official Secret Keepers.

"Well, should I greet my old captain and colleagues first? Tsk, they would probably kill me."

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"...An Xin, don't worry, I have enough money. Those debts? It's nothing. I told you, leave it to me; I'm a Quasi-Secret Keeper. There's a scholarship after enrollment, and I'll be able to pay it off soon. Really, it's all right. By the way, you don't have to send over any special local products. We have enough to eat..."

He had just returned home and saw that the "suspected Z-to- ZZZ-class Polluter" was on the phone in the living room.

The happiness in his words and the hint of laughter in his eyes were impossible to hide.

Debts? Leave them to him? Xia Qin had seen the bills, and it wasn't a small sum, even for a well-paid Secret Keeper.

But looking at Lu Ping'an's confident expression, Xia Qin could only smile.

"Work hard, grow up, and make good money..."

To Xia Qin, not keeping a check on his abilities wasn't a big deal, as hiding things was part of the Secret Keeper's daily life.

To survive in this gradually darkening world, there were, indeed, more and more people crossing the line or going insane.

"Lei Huoren, you're right, there have always been people who have nothing left and who only want to hear the sound of porcelain shattering, who thirst for the world to burn. But he is different; Lu Ping'an is different from those half-breeds like the 'Sophist.'"

She vouched for him because of what she saw when visiting Lu Ping'an after the incident.

She had seen the teenager in the hospital room with his parents, his lively demeanor while telling them his "illness was cured" and "our lives will get better."

The genuine happiness and affection in his heart as he faced his tearful parents who were overjoyed.

"No matter how hard he presses the accelerator or how far he runs, as long as he has a place to return to, he will come back eventually."

"Isn't the job of us Secret Keepers to protect everyone's sense of belonging? If we can't do that, then there's nothing worth complaining about."

"So, my only worry is that he isn't crazy or strong enough!"