[|Master, this is the technical jargon of advanced artificial consciousness. Please allow me to translate it for you. It means she actually saw spoilers.|]
Hearing Fairy's sudden interjection, Qingyi couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity.
"The household smart voice assistants you two use seem to have rather unique personality settings installed... Oh, right. I actually have a small work-related matter to bring up. Could I borrow a few tapes to further analyze human behavior? Horror films involving mysterious forces would be ideal. The more, the better. This is for a Public Security community service project," she said with a light smile.
"Huh? Since when does community service need horror movies as reference material?" Wise asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
Logically, shouldn't she be choosing something else?
However, Qingyi replied, "To be honest, I also find this community service a little... dull."
"Is that why you enabled autopilot? I wish I could get things done while sleeping, too. At least then I wouldn't feel so mentally drained..."
Belle's face lit up as she had just figured something out, but somewhere in the middle of saying it, she glanced meaningfully at Wise, who cleared his throat a couple of times as if nothing had happened.
Qingyi, on the other hand, looked completely bewildered, entirely unaware of their exchange.
"Speaking of which, why did the Public Security suddenly start implementing community service?" Wise asked.
"Ha... ha..." Faced with his question, which was clearly meant to shift the topic, Qingyi let out two flat, emotionless laughs before slowly beginning her explanation.
"At first, the higher-ups at Public Security realized that no matter how many strict orders they issued, the Inter-Knot continued to reappear despite being repeatedly banned. Because of that, Zhu Yuan proposed a strategy focused on guidance rather than suppression."
A faint trace of complaint lingered in Qingyi's tone, though she clearly held no real objection.
"Since citizens have a need to deal with Hollow-related matters and cannot always rely on Public Security, the Inter-Knot will inevitably resurface on its own. But if every officer dedicates a fixed amount of time to community service and helps citizens resolve their everyday problems..."
She paused briefly before continuing, "Once genuine trust between citizens and Public Security is established, the first step toward completely eradicating the Inter-Knot will have been achieved."
"Is this... a strategy to pull the rug out from under them?"
After hearing Qingyi's explanation, Belle couldn't help but feel a quiet sense of unease. If the number of Inter-Knot users truly declined, wouldn't it become even harder for them, as Proxies, to receive commissions in the future?
If her main account were still active, she wouldn't have to worry. But her current one could only be considered moderately well-known.
"As expected of Zhu Yuan, proposing such a thorough plan... It's truly reassuring," Wise praised.
However, inwardly, he felt just as uneasy as Belle.
To be fair, it wasn't a super comfortable spot to be in. As far as Qingyi knew, she was standing in front of two people who'd earned third-class merits. That made the whole thing feel a little complicated.
"It really is a solid plan, though. But Wise, you sound pretty confident when you talk about Zhu Yuan. Don't tell me you've got a thing for her? Because if you do, I'd be more than happy to play matchmaker as your senior~" she said, throwing in a cheeky little wink.
"Uh, no need. Thank you for the thought, Qingyi," he replied, waving his hand with a weary sigh.
"Oh, I almost forgot, you prefer my type. That does complicate things. There doesn't seem to be anyone suitable within Public Security. Should I consider introducing you to the granddaughters of a few old friends instead?"
"Cough... what were we just talking about?" Sensing the conversation drifting dangerously off course, Belle quickly cut in, steering it back.
At that, Qingyi returned to the topic of community service.
"To be honest, I'm not particularly enthusiastic about this strategy... mostly because the citizens' requests tend to be rather unusual."
Qingyi sighed softly as she continued, sharing a few examples. Some people asked officers to secretly test whether their fiancé would flirt with others behind their backs.
Others suspected some mysterious force at work along Sixth Street and requested that a Public Security officer come and drive it away.
Public Security officers were neither priests nor Daoists from the old civilization, so how were they supposed to perform an exorcism?
"What's even more infuriating is my partner today! That fellow, one moment he was going on about how community service might seem trivial, yet how far-sighted the entire initiative was. Then, before I could even finish a sip of tea, he grabbed Officer Cui and bolted like a flash to handle some incident elsewhere."
Qingyi clenched her fists as she spoke, her words slipping out through slightly gritted teeth. She ended up choking on her words a little, coughing twice before shaking her head.
"Cough, cough... the young people these days..."
Watching Qingyi sigh like that, Wise couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. On impulse, he made an offer.
"Not all young people are like that, you know. If you need a partner, I wonder if I might be suitable?"
"Oh? I didn't expect you to be interested in something like this, Wise," Qingyi replied, clearly caught off guard.
"Honestly, it's more just about wanting to help you out, Qingyi."
"Hmm...!"
That made her go quiet for a second, as if she wasn't quite sure what to do with that answer.
"Well... if you're planning to use 'helping' as an excuse to slip away and handle other matters, you might end up a little disappointed."
"Haha... I really do just want to help."
Wise gave a light shrug at Qingyi's blunt remark.
That made her wonder if he truly meant it.
"Well... if you're genuinely willing to assist, that would be a great help indeed. Consider yourself verbally appointed as an Assistant Public Security Officer, effective immediately."
"Yes, go for it, Brother! We've got things covered here!" Belle chimed in cheerfully, making it clear she had no intention of stopping him.
Privately, she had her own reasons for sending Wise out. Free time was rare for her, and she had been meaning to catch up on some films. If he stayed, she could already imagine how things would turn out.
"Then I'll head off and take care of a few other peer-to-peer service appointments. Let's meet up on the street in a bit."
Qingyi gave a small wave before turning and leaving without another word.
Not long after, when Wise arrived at the street near the station to meet her, he spotted Qingyi mid-conversation with a young child.
"Hmm? Isn't that Holly?"
He recognized the little Thiren girl immediately. She had moved to Sixth Street not too long ago.
"Oh, it's Wise! I... I was just asking the officer if she could... hmm... but Papa said I shouldn't be so willful..."
"Holly, why don't you tell me what's on your mind? Don't worry about anything else. Just say what you want to say."
Qingyi crossed her arms and spoke in a calm, gentle tone. That seemed to give Holly enough courage to open up.
"Um, well... it's my best friend, Teddy. He's been missing for several days now!"
"Missing? Hmm... there doesn't appear to be any filed report regarding a missing person in this area."
Even as she spoke, Qingyi had already pulled up the relevant records. She continued with a few more questions.
"Holly, have you and your parents visited the Public Security office recently?"
"No, no... Papa said we only just moved out of the old subway district, so how could we find the energy to deal with Teddy's case... But, but... I'm really worried... woo... woo..."
Holly couldn't hold it together any longer, and her words dissolved into quiet, broken sobs.
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Novels Available:
-> Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street. (Translation)
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