boyutpedia Welcome to Group 5, Chapter 3
Welcome to Group 5, Chapter 3
When Chen Shi came out of Sun Tiemei's office, he saw Pang Daqiang peeking out from behind his workstation. When he saw Chen Shi, he immediately ran over with a pained expression. It wasn't that he was in pain, but rather that he felt he was letting his brother down if he smiled, but he was also letting himself down if he didn't smile.
Chen Shi glared at him.
"No, brother. I just think that since we're already here, we might as well accept our fate."
Did you just laugh?
"I didn't laugh," Pang Daqiang vehemently denied.
Chen Shi didn't bother with that, and asked, "Team Leader Tie, she..."
"Shh, be gentle," Pang Daqiang pulled Chen Shi to his workstation and said earnestly, "What I told you before was all true. Let me tell you this, in all the years I've been in this bureau, I've never seen our boss smile. The only time was on the training field, when a few guys in Group Three were gossiping about our group members behind their backs, and then our group leader smiled."
"You laughed?"
"Yes, he laughed, and then the boss glanced at them," Pang Daqiang recalled with lingering fear. "The mouths of those guys were all severely frostbitten, and they had to eat liquid food for three months. It was awful."
Chen Shi seemed thoughtful, then asked, "So, how many people are in our group?"
Pang Daqiang said, "Including you, there are now 4 people in the group. You know the group leader, and there's also Chang Biao." As if he had thought of something, he suddenly grinned.
At that moment, a man resembling an iron tower walked in from outside. He was around 30 years old, bald, with dark skin, a full beard, and a deep scar on his face that revealed the bone.
Upon seeing Chen Shi, the man nodded without speaking. Chen Shi quickly responded politely.
"Chang Biao, our team's key attacker, his ability is explosive power," Pang Daqiang introduced. "This is Chen Shi, the newest member of the team, my best buddy, his ability is..."
Chen Shi quickly covered Pang Daqiang's mouth and said to Chang Biao, "Hello, Brother Biao!"
Chang Biao smiled slightly but remained silent.
Pang Daqiang broke free and said, "Biaozi, say something, or the newbie will think you're mute."
Upon hearing this, Chang Biao actually rolled his eyes at Pang Daqiang, then turned to look at Chen Shi.
Chen Shi saw that his lips were pursed, as if he was carefully choosing his words, or as if he was making some kind of decision.
Then he said, "They didn't ask, why should you say anything?"
The voice was soft and delicate, with a distinct southern accent. But paired with that face that could scare a child to tears, its destructive power far surpassed any joke Chen Shi had ever heard.
It's like Optimus Prime wielding his giant sword and leading the Autobots in a charge. When he gets right in front of you, he suddenly stops, smiles sweetly, and says, "Let's go play together!"
Chen Shi's lips twitched. He lowered his head and stared at the empty floor, trying his best to calm himself down, but the thought "Why did you have to say it?" kept echoing in his mind.
Pang Daqiang started suppressing his laughter again. Chen Shi had known him for over twenty years; he had a habit of unconsciously widening his nostrils when trying to hold back a laugh. At this moment, Pang Daqiang's nostrils could fit a coin.
Chang Biao seemed used to this reaction, shook his head, and started typing on the keyboard.
Pang Daqiang squinted. "Exciting, isn't it? I almost choked on my own saliva when I first met him."
Chen Shi noticed that as long as Chang Biao didn't speak, he gave people an invisible sense of oppression. His cold expression, coupled with that conspicuous scar, made him look like a cannonball that could be fired at any time.
But as soon as he spoke, the cannonball turned into an open plastic flower with "Happy Birthday" written on it.
"Biaozi has been the subject of much discussion because of his tone of voice. I mentioned earlier about the time when the boss frostbitten someone's mouth," Pang Daqiang gestured towards Chang Biao, "The bureau gave the boss a disciplinary action, and Biaozi became less talkative afterward."
Chen Shi said, "He greeted me just now, does that mean he's relatively friendly towards me?"
"That's quite good for him!"
Chen Shi also decided to treat Chang Biao better.
"Hey Biao, I'm the new guy, Xiao Chen. We'll all be in the same group from now on, so please speak up and don't hold back."
Chang Biao glanced at Chen Shi gratefully, then took a deep breath.
Chen Shi suddenly had a bad feeling.
"I didn't mean to not talk," Chang Biao explained seriously. "But if I talk, everyone will laugh. I can't hit them, and last time I even got the team leader involved because of this. I was also very troubled. So I just started talking less. But you're one of us, and it seems very impolite of me not to talk."
The words were sincere, but Chen Shi didn't hear a word. He noticed that every time Chang Biao used a modal particle, his temple would throb.
But it wasn't over yet. In the next 40 minutes, Chang Biao pulled Chen Shi aside and began to have a heart-to-heart talk, as if to take revenge on the silent years.
From the insights gained from hand care to 23 baking techniques, Chen Shi's face began to go numb. When it came to pink macarons, he could only count the pens in the pen holder to relieve his numbness.
"Damn it, why are there only three pens in the pen holder?"
Chen Shi found this Group Five very strange: a cold and ruthless group leader, a cheeky fat man, and a bald giant whose contrast was astonishing.
He suddenly realized that if Chang Biao interrogated Wei Sheng, the latter might confess even faster.
He felt that he and his teammates weren't quite in sync, and although his superpowers were a bit funny, he was still a decent person.
He just wanted to find a stable job, preferably a secure one, so he could get married once he had the money. After all, if someone like Pang Daqiang could have a wife, what was Chen Shi lacking?
Then it's best to avoid dangerous work; it's even better if you can remain invisible! If you're on the front lines… imagine this: at a capture scene, both sides are fiercely exchanging supernatural abilities, and then Chen Shi steps forward, a gentle smile playing on his lips. He says softly, "Friend, let me tell you something…" He's instantly killed in one move.
Thinking of this, Chen Shi shuddered. Just as he was lost in thought, Sun Tiemei came out. Pang Daqiang immediately switched to his "hard-working" persona, picking up a broom and pretending to sweep the floor. Chang Biao, on the other hand, typed rapidly on the keyboard; it was unclear how his fingers, thicker than radishes, could type so fast—was he just typing randomly?
Because he was a step too slow, Chen Shi, who failed to grab any props for disguise, harbored deep resentment towards those who had benefited from the situation.
"Chen Shi".
"Here!" Chen Shi snapped to attention, his feet planted firmly, his gaze unwavering, as if he had returned to that afternoon of his university military training.
"The technical department sent an email saying there might still be some issues with your ability assessment," Sun Tiemei said after a moment's thought. "The instrument that tested you when you awakened reportedly stopped working after it tested you."
"Yes, yes, I've heard about that too," Pang Daqiang interjected. "They said the only difference between this machine and scrap metal is that it can still be turned on."
Chen Shi: "..."
"In view of this, headquarters will send over a brand new piece of equipment tomorrow to conduct a new evaluation of you."
"Team leader, besides the ability assessment, are there any other projects tomorrow?"
"The physical fitness test, reaction speed test, and combat simulation are all part of the assessment. The easiest is the physical fitness test, which is just running 10000 meters. The combat simulation is more difficult." After Sun Tiemei finished speaking, she suddenly glanced at Pang Daqiang's nostrils, which were growing larger.
Others may not understand, but Pang Daqiang knows Chen Shi all too well. To put it another way, saying that Chen Shi's abilities are "bad" is a lie, because he is "rotten".
Sun Tiemei glanced at Pang Daqiang again.
Pang Daqiang understood immediately and spoke in a professional tone: "Team leader, Chen Shi, I've known him for twenty years. His physical fitness... well, let me put it this way, if you make him run 1,000 meters, he can stop at 500 meters to contemplate the meaning of life, and then at 800 meters he'll come to the conclusion, 'Living is really tiring.'"
Chen Shi wanted to refute it, but found that every word was true.
Chang Biao, standing to the side, encouraged him, "Don't worry, I'll cheer you on tomorrow!"
Chen Shi felt that his superpower was evolving in a way he didn't want at all, because now he didn't even need to tell jokes; just being alive was a joke.