Chapter 77: The Temp

Carefully examining the credentials in his hands, Chen Meng noticed a line written on them.

“Even if you become a divine entity, never forget that you are human.”

It was a line of text in Song typeface, printed in red ink, placed just below the national emblem—making it particularly striking.

Chen Meng couldn’t help but fall into contemplation. He didn’t believe this line was written casually.

Just then, Han Hao looked up at him. “Regarding your commendation this time, our Law Enforcement Bureau has considered it thoroughly and come up with three options.”

Chen Meng let out an “oh” as he recalled the last time there were three options as well. Again? He immediately grew curious. “Uncle, what are the three options this time?”

Han Hao wasn’t holding any official documents, so he explained directly, “The first option is a monetary reward, about fifty thousand yuan. If you’re short on cash, you can choose this one.”

“Fifty thousand?” Chen Meng shook his head. He did lack money, but right now, there were other things he wanted more. Money wasn’t everything; sometimes, items could prove more valuable.

Seeing Chen Meng unmoved, Han Hao continued, “The second option is something we discussed before. We can guarantee you a spot at Jiangzhou University. Of course, we know you’re aiming for Jiangdu University, so this recommendation only takes effect if you fail the entrance exam for Jiangdu. If you’re not confident about getting into Jiangdu University, it wouldn’t hurt to keep a backup plan.”

Chen Meng couldn’t help but frown. Why did it sound like they were cursing him to fail?

“I’m confident I can get into Jiangdu University. I don’t need this.” Chen Meng declined.

“Alright then, I’ll move to the third option, which is rather special,” Han Hao hesitated before continuing.

“Special?” Chen Meng prompted.

“Yes. For the third option, the Law Enforcement Bureau won’t reward you directly. Instead, the merit you’ve earned will be converted into contribution points—our internal currency, exchangeable for items in our bureau’s exclusive store. But to receive these points, you’ll need to become one of us first,” Han Hao explained slowly. This proposal wasn’t actually the idea of those in charge of this area, but rather a special instruction from Wu Tengkong himself.

He didn’t really understand why Wu Tengkong insisted on including this option.

Chen Meng’s heart skipped a beat. His first reaction was: How could there be such a good deal? He couldn’t help but say, “Uncle, isn’t this a bit much? I haven’t even taken your entrance exam, and I’m already a civil servant? By the way, how much is the salary—at least five thousand a month? What about social security and benefits? Since I’m still in school, I definitely can’t work full time. Would that be a problem?”

Watching Chen Meng’s antics, Han Hao was speechless.

After taking a deep breath, Han Hao said helplessly, “You’re overthinking it. You’re not an official employee. How should I put it—do you know the auxiliary police you see on the street?”

Chen Meng was stunned. “A contract worker?”

Han Hao shook his head. “Actually, more like a temp. Once you get into Jiangdu University, you’ll leave Jiangzhou City anyway. So, the Law Enforcement Bureau won’t pay you a salary, nor offer you social security or benefits. But you’ll have access to the contribution points system. When you achieve something, you’ll earn points, which you can exchange for items in our internal store—nothing more, nothing less.”

Chen Meng was dumbfounded. So, in the end, he was to work as a temp.

“Uncle, is the bureau’s internal store well-stocked? Is it worth exchanging points?” Chen Meng asked after a pause.

“It’s decent,” Han Hao considered. “There are things you can’t find elsewhere—those are all available in the store.”

“I’ll go with this one,” Chen Meng answered firmly. In his eyes, this was the best choice—after all, it provided a channel for acquiring items related to divine entities.

“Since you’ve decided, we’ll proceed with this reward. Once you’ve replaced your phone, I’ll send you the download link for our Law Enforcement Bureau’s app. Register an account as required, and your contribution points will automatically sync to your account,” Han Hao explained after some thought.

“Understood,” Chen Meng replied.

With that, Han Hao sent Chen Meng on his way and returned to tidying up.

“Honestly, they didn’t even invite me for a meal,” Chen Meng muttered, still thinking about the Law Enforcement Bureau’s cafeteria. They served monster meat there—he could still remember the taste of the braised pork knuckle he had last time. It was truly delicious.

Unfortunately, with no one to guide him this time, he couldn’t get downstairs.

Just as Chen Meng left Han Hao’s office, he unexpectedly ran into Jiang Feiyu.

“Brother Jiang, what are you doing here?” Chen Meng was surprised.

“Well, I’ve been transferred to the Eastern District too. I’ll be working under Director Han from now on,” Jiang Feiyu replied helplessly.

“Haha, that’s great! Han Hao is my uncle now. I’ll have him promote you,” Chen Meng boasted shamelessly. Inside, Han Hao’s keen ears caught his words, and he had half a mind to come out and give Chen Meng a thrashing.

He hadn’t even taken office yet, and Chen Meng was already using his name to throw his weight around.

Jiang Feiyu only smiled, leaving it unclear whether he believed him or not.

Since Jiang Feiyu had to go back on duty, Chen Meng left the bureau and headed straight to a phone store.

With his credentials, everything went smoothly. But buying the phone was only half the process—he still needed to visit the carrier to set up his plan. By the time he’d finished running all the errands, it was already noon.

“At last, it’s all sorted,” Chen Meng said, holding his new phone. It had cost him 3,500 yuan, even after trading in his old one for a 300-yuan discount.

The first thing he did was message Han Hao: “Uncle, it’s Chen Meng. Send the money—wait, I mean the link!”

There was no reply, which left him speechless. He considered calling, but thought better of it.

Glancing at the time, Chen Meng decided not to return to school and headed home instead. As soon as he reached his doorstep, Han Hao sent him the download link.

Chen Meng promptly downloaded the app. His new phone was fast, and the network speed was good—the installation was done in less than a minute.

He opened the app. The Law Enforcement Bureau’s logo flashed by, followed by a registration prompt. Chen Meng filled in his information as required and waited for the bureau’s review.

He remembered that he still needed to ask Mo Xiaoyi for an account to log in to the University Alliance Forum, but since Mo Xiaoyi had class that afternoon, he didn’t want to bother him just yet.

An hour later, while reading, Chen Meng’s phone suddenly lit up with a text message.

“Your registration has been approved…” The sender was the National Law Enforcement Bureau.

Not quite understanding, Chen Meng opened the app, entered his username and password, and logged in.

A profile page appeared—it was his personal information, complete with his photo.

He noticed his job title and rank: “Temporary Worker,” without even trying to soften the wording. His level was 1, clearly the lowest.

He then spotted the contribution points section—there were 500 points, displayed in blue.

“Five hundred points?” Chen Meng frowned. He noticed the blue color, tapped on it, and was immediately taken to a store interface.