# 607
**Chapter 608: The Caretaker Interviews**
None of the “mysteries” locked in here had actually been killed by Lin Qiye himself. They had simply been forced by Nyx’s power to die beneath his blade. Such a humiliating death bred no awe of him—only anger and contempt.
Before dying, each had been a proud “mystery” dwelling in the fog. Unlike the pitiful, lowly creatures that slipped into Great Xia, they had owned territories and dignity. Death, to them, was no reason to surrender.
If the fog-born mysteries were roosters with heads held high, the black giant that had just exploded was the proudest among them.
Then it died—soul scattered, body gone.
A ferocious Klein-level “mystery” had perished before their eyes in a way that left no dignity, no trace.
Its end forced the rest to face reality…
They were no longer the mighty beings they had been. Whatever they once possessed, they were now prisoners; their very existence hinged on the whim of the man in white.
For him, erasing them was a matter of a single sentence.
When Lin Qiye stared into the white bear’s eyes and coldly asked, “Do you want to live?” the bear wilted.
Who doesn’t want to live?
With the black giant as a warning, the white bear showed none of a Klein “mystery’s” usual arrogance. It wasn’t stupid enough to anger Lin Qiye again and lose its life.
“Yes,” the bear answered honestly.
“Can you do housework?”
“?” The bear stared blankly.
“Any talents?”
Still blank.
“Besides fighting, what can you do?”
“I… I can… grill fish?” it ventured.
Lin Qiye gave a small nod.
Actually, that skill sounded useful…
He reached into the air and pulled out—well, a labor contract. The bear glanced up, bewildered.
“If you have no objections, sign.” Without waiting, Lin Qiye moved to the next cell.
The bear skimmed the contract; the asylum’s auto-translation turned every word into pure thought, so language was no barrier. After reading, its white face turned green.
“Um…” it hesitated, “what if I do have objections?”
Lin Qiye didn’t look back. “Object—die.”
“……”
After a moment’s struggle, the bear pressed a huge paw-print onto the bottom right corner. The paper burst into flame.
The cell door slid open; an oversized cyan caretaker’s uniform appeared on the bear’s body, a shiny badge on its chest:
—008.
It ambled out, scratching its head, still dazed.
Had it just… been sold?
The other “mysteries,” seeing the bear stroll free after a simple paw-print, grew restless. Of course, they only saw it leave the cell; they had no idea it had merely traded one cage for another黑心老板的掌心.
At the next door, before Lin Qiye could speak, the sparrow on the floor chirped:
“I want to live.”
Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow.
“Can you do housework?”
“……”
…
When Lin Qiye opened his eyes again, exhaustion weighed on him.
For two hours he had been a tireless HR manager, interviewing “mysteries” of every region, power, and temperament. Even so, he’d barely cleared seventy; communicating with them was maddening.
High-IQ ones like the white bear and gray sparrow were fine, but many strong yet dim-witted brutes answered “Can you do housework?” with “I can wreck a house,” and listed “breeding lots of offspring” as their special skill.
Had their attitudes not been sincere, he’d have obliterated them on the spot.
Apart from a handful of troublemakers he erased, the seventy-odd were hired as caretakers, numbered up to 078. With no time to assign tasks or preach corporate culture, he tossed them all to Li Yifei.
Li Yifei was now the genuine head caretaker; even the few Klein-level “mysteries” had to greet him respectfully as “Brother Fei” or “Chief Li.”
Lin Qiye stood, glanced at the sky, and frowned.
“Director, what are you waiting for?”
Hongyan, who had stood quietly beside him, asked in puzzlement.
“Two people…” he murmured. “But it seems they won’t be back today.”
After a moment’s thought he set the plastic bag of snacks and desserts in front of the container, taped a note to the door, and gave the cramped box a last look before turning toward the city.
He wouldn’t wait forever; if they weren’t here today, he’d come tomorrow. The sweets might not last, so he left them at the door for whenever they returned.
Before Amemiya Haruki left, he’d given Lin Qiye 200,000 yen; keeping some for food and transport, he meant to hand the rest to them personally tomorrow.
Walking with Hongyan, they had barely crossed two streets when he spotted a white-haired old woman alone on a stoop, staring blankly at the busy intersection.
“Granny Tsuru?”
Lin Qiye started.
The old woman heard him, turned stiffly, her cloudy eyes brightening. She braced trembling hands on her knees, struggling to rise.
Lin Qiye hurried to support her; she clutched his hand like a lifeline.
“You… you’re little Yuzuri’s friend, aren’t you?”