"...There is still much you need to learn in the news industry. Get your attitude straight, young man."
The Chief Editor spoke with animated exuberance, only stopping when he realized his mouth was completely dry. He pressed a button on the Coffee Machine sitting on his Office Desk and flicked his fingers at the Intern seated across from him. "Alright, go back and revise the draft, then call that... that Shi whatever... Shi Rang! Right, call Shi Rang in here!"
The glass door of the office opened and closed.
Out of habit, the Chief Editor pulled out a Cigar, snipped off the cap, and prepared to light up. He suddenly remembered that Shi Rang did not smoke, so he resentfully shoved it back into its box.
Shifting his gaze from side to side, he moved his Laptop onto the center of the desk and switched to a news webpage to look as though he were reading. Then, he pushed open the window to let the draft carry away the lingering smoke.
Shi Rang had certainly exceeded his expectations. The Chief Editor originally thought the man was a spineless coward. Even if he had managed to land a massive scoop out of sheer dumb luck, he fully expected to keep him under his thumb, forcing him to obediently remain at the Newspaper Office as a resident reporter.
His initial tactics to suppress Shi Rang's ego had gone incredibly smoothly—a routine the Chief Editor had long since memorized by heart.
But as the sun began to set, the situation changed.
The photographs were never actually an issue; the Chief Editor had already ordered the first batch of reports to be prepared. Shi Rang was a newcomer, one who could skyrocket to fame at any moment because of this massive scoop. To control someone like that, suppression was absolutely essential. The Chief Editor had endlessly nitpicked his work, forcing Shi Rang to run around outside, exhausting himself over an impossible goal.
As the sun neared the horizon, the Chief Editor figured the young man had suffered enough and was debating whether to tell Shi Rang to head home for the day—only for Shi Rang to take the initiative and call him directly.
It was not a plea for mercy, but a harsh, face-melting barrage of insults.
Not only that, but subsequent calls could not even get through. Every attempt yielded an "out of service area" message.
This was absolutely not the Chief Editor's intention.
He was genuinely afraid that Shi Rang would work against him on this matter. The investigative authority granted by the Pan-Continent Alliance was a fantastic tool for generating hype around the news, but it could just as easily become a fatal flaw that worked against him.
He had spent the entire night calling without ever managing to reach Shi Rang, leaving him completely uncertain of the reporter's intentions. It was not until he arrived at the office unusually early the next day and caught a glimpse of Shi Rang showing up for work as usual that everything finally clicked.
So the kid had finally wised up. Claiming he wanted to resign was obviously just a ploy to negotiate.
That made things simple. He would just withhold a bit of his bonus, find an excuse to force him to keep working, and feed him some empty promises about a bright future. That would definitely work!
At that moment, Shi Rang walked in, clutching a piece of paper.
Upon entering, the exhausted-looking reporter still frowned slightly at the smoke-steeped room, but he nevertheless took a seat across the desk.
"Shi Rang, the news impact is fantastic. We have guaranteed headlines and click-through rates. For your next step—"
"I want to resign."
"...What?" The Chief Editor suspected he had misheard.
Shi Rang tried to take a deep breath, but the pungent stench of smoke forced him to stop.
Raising his voice slightly, he placed the Resignation Notice in his hand onto the desk. With a firmness that seemed entirely out of character for him, he repeated, "I quit. I want to resign."
The Chief Editor's expression froze, the fat around his mouth twitching slightly. He grabbed his coffee and took a gulp, struggling to formulate his next words.
Guessing that this might be a sign of yielding, Shi Rang struck while the iron was hot.
"I will hand over my work properly. Once my salary is settled, I won't be coming in tomorrow."
The words didn't come out quite as resolute as he had imagined, but he had at least managed to say them to the man's face.
"Are you kidding me? It's the beginning of the month! Don't tell me you want to be paid for half a month's work?" The Chief Editor did not set down his coffee, leaving his arm suspended in mid-air. His expression seemed designed to convey fury, but its only real effect was making his cheeks puff out with fat. "Get your attitude straight and don't get ahead of yourself! All you've done is uncover a single smuggling story. If you feel you aren't being treated well, you can make requests. The story is just starting to be reported. If you resign right now, you won't get much money at all."
The word money caught in Shi Rang's throat.
It was true. He needed money, and a lot of it.
Anger and determination could not magically conjure up cash. He still had a monthly mortgage to pay. Even if he saved money by skipping visits to the Psychologist, traveling the world would require substantial funding.
He didn't even know if he could successfully apply for a cross-district passport and travel permit. They would scrutinize his employment and financial situation, only to discover that he was an Undocumented Person.
His District 2 Residency would definitely help, but was his legal identity even still valid?
Was he legally dead?
Confronted by one ruthless dilemma after another, Shi Rang's parted lips slowly closed.
Ultimately, he bit his lower lip in frustration, trying to keep up the fight. "How long will it take?"
"Probably a month or so. The Pan-Continent Alliance and the police department will definitely call you over to accept an award. Even if you stay anonymous, your reputation will be out there. There will be some trivial follow-up interviews... From the looks of it, you might be really good at investigating this kind of thing. If you can make a name for yourself, your future will be boundless. Money will never be an issue again, understand? Don't be so impatient. Making a quick buck won't last you very long; a steady stream of income is what you need..."
The Chief Editor's thick, fleshy lips opened and closed, wet saliva glistening on his smoke-stained, yellowing teeth.
Shi Rang gradually stopped hearing the nonsense that followed. A dull ache throbbed in his head. He felt that the more he argued, the more he was being dragged right back into this mess.
He had thought that simply making up his mind would be enough to break free from his current life. But now, it felt as though heavy Chains named "pressure" and "reality" had realized their prisoner was trying to escape, immediately tightening their bindings to lock him firmly in place.
"Hey, Big Guy."
His right ear itched slightly, as if something were pressing down on his earlobe.
The voice was incredibly familiar, but Shi Rang didn't dare turn his head to look.
He quickly stole a glance at the Chief Editor, who was sipping his coffee again, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the side of Shi Rang's head.
Perhaps other people couldn't see the Mini-Humans at all.
Right, this was just his hallucination.
He was hoping for a... miracle.
The whispers in his ear shifted into a soft chuckle.
"We are real, and I'll prove it to you right now. You really hate this guy, don't you? Let me handle him for you."
Shi Rang stared at the Chief Editor with bloodshot eyes, catching a fleeting hint of smugness at the corner of the man's lips.
His anger surged back. Just as he was drafting a retort in his mind, he suddenly noticed a few strange blurs dart past the Chief Editor's cheeks. When he looked closer, they were gone, as if he had just seen eye floaters from staring too hard.
One second, two seconds...
Just as Shi Rang decided to solve the problem himself, the bottom of the coffee mug in the Chief Editor's hand simply fell off.
The entire base detached from the mug, sending the scalding hot coffee inside spilling all over the Chief Editor. Brown liquid splashed across his beer belly and legs, provoking a shrill scream that sounded like a slaughtered pig. In a panic, the Chief Editor tried to slam the mug down onto the desk, but accidentally flung the remaining liquid all over his Laptop. The screen instantly went black, sparking a frantic flurry of motion.
"Hurry up and speak! Make him agree to your demands! Do it!" the heavy weight on his ear urged.
Shi Rang immediately stood up from his chair, blocking the Chief Editor's path out of the office.
He was going all in.
If the Chief Editor moved left, he moved left. If the Chief Editor moved right, Shi Rang stepped sideways to block him.
"Give me my money. I'm not coming in tomorrow. Settle the pay I deserve right now!"
"What kind of bullshit are you spouting? Do you think you're the boss? You're nothing but a lowly reporter! Without the investigative authority the Newspaper Office applied for on your behalf, you wouldn't be able to—cough, cough, cough—you, cough..." The Chief Editor's fury and further vicious remarks caught in his throat. He clutched his neck, coughing violently, mouth wide open as he struggled to breathe. He made gagging sounds, resembling a chicken being strangled by the neck.
But Shi Rang remembered very clearly that the man had taken his last sip of coffee minutes ago. He couldn't possibly be choking on it. Could it be—
Slamming his palm onto the desk, Shi Rang finally shouted, "Give me my money! Give me what I deserve, or I'll go straight to the Alliance and report you for obstructing an investigation! We can settle it in court!"
The Chief Editor coughed until tears streamed from his eyes, completely unable to articulate what was happening to him. It felt as though a rotten tooth had lodged itself in his throat.
He was in excruciating agony and desperately needed to get to a hospital, but this despicable Shi Rang was taking advantage of his vulnerability, flatly refusing to step aside.
"I'll pay... cough, cough... Go find the Finance Office... cough, cough... Get out of my way!"
Hunched over, the Chief Editor hastily scribbled a messy signature on the Resignation Notice, stumbled forward, shoved open the glass door, and fled his "Throne Room."
Determined to act before the man could change his mind, Shi Rang headed straight for the Finance Office.
Along the way, his colleagues peeked over the tops of their Cubicle Partitions, pairs of eyes tracking his retreating back as they tried to figure out what exactly had just happened.