Ch. 17 — The Apostles Organization

Lin Xun was so shocked that he shot to his feet in an instant!

This girl in front of him… is also an Apostle!

The girl watched him calmly, then extended the bookmarks in her hand toward him.

“Here you go~”

On the surface, Lin Xun looked flustered, but his mind was racing with cold precision.

He had entered the mysterious game “The Book of Salvation” on the very night of his interview. Then, without going through the subsequent hiring procedures, he had been directly recruited.

And the unit he’d been assigned to—the “Special Office of the Cultural Bureau”—was something he’d never even heard of before.

Now, a colleague from this organization had outright revealed her identity as an Apostle, making no attempt to hide it.

All the clues pointed to one conclusion:

This girl was likely an official Apostle, and the “Wen City Special Office of the Cultural Bureau” was probably an official Apostle organization—or at least one of them!

Maintaining his composure, Lin Xun took the bookmarks from Ye Xiaoqi’s hand and slowly sat back down.

“Not bad. Seems like you’ve already figured it out. As expected of a talent who passed the test.”

Ye Xiaoqi picked up her teacup and began explaining.

“I’m sure you’ve already realized that the rewards from the text-based game ‘The Book of Salvation’ can be brought into reality…”

After her explanation, Lin Xun finally had a rough understanding.

The existence of this supernatural game could not be explained by current science.

Among ordinary people, some possessed soul strength far exceeding the norm—these individuals would be drawn into the game as players.

Lin Xun, for instance, met the soul strength requirement but hadn’t yet been absorbed by the game. The official organization had detected his talent and covertly guided him into it.

Players—Apostles—could bring rewards from the game into reality.

If left unchecked, this would inevitably disrupt social order.

Thus, under the strong support of the authorities, an organization called the “Apostle Security Council” was born.

Its purpose was to research and regulate the supernatural powers emerging from the game.

Lin Xun had originally come here to be an ordinary office worker, but this job turned out to be… extraordinarily different.

“Regulating supernatural powers from the game” was probably the high-EQ way of phrasing it.

The underlying meaning was clear.

Eliminating those Apostles who recklessly used supernatural abilities and disrupted society.

“You can think carefully about whether you want to join us. Of course, the benefits of being an official Apostle are quite generous.”

Ye Xiaoqi then listed a series of perks.

The monthly salary for official Apostles started at 50,000 yuan, with potential increases based on their personal talent.

The organization would allocate in-game resources to high-potential Apostles to accelerate their growth.

Formal civil service status, with social insurance, housing fund, and holidays matching public institutions. Overtime pay for emergencies and generous paid leave.

Completing special missions earned rewards, ranging from material benefits to game artifacts.

Access to the official Apostle forum, where registered Apostles could exchange information. Official members could even access classified intelligence.

Honestly, Lin Xun was particularly tempted by the resource allocation and intelligence sharing.

As an ordinary civilian, he currently had no money, no resources, and no intel. He knew all too well the saying: “It’s easier to stay cool under a big tree.”

Joining the official organization was undoubtedly an excellent choice.

After a long moment of consideration, he nodded. He had originally planned to work for the government anyway—this was just a different way of doing it.

Ye Xiaoqi smiled slightly. The benefits of being an official Apostle were indeed exceptional. It was impossible not to be tempted when faced with such conditions.

“The Apostle Security Council has six branches. On the surface, this is the Special Office of the Cultural Bureau, but in reality, we’re the Intelligence Division under the Council.”

“The Intelligence Division primarily handles information-related work, and most of our members are female Apostles.”

“The first floor houses our general staff, who handle basic office tasks. The second floor is reserved for the core members—actual Apostles.”

“Now, I’ll take you to the third floor, to the team leader’s office, to complete your onboarding.”

“Let’s go~”

With that, she led Lin Xun out of the office and into the elevator.

Ding.

The doors opened on the third floor.

Unlike the first floor, this level had only two offices—one on the left labeled “Team Leader’s Office”, and the other on the right marked “Conference Room.”

Ye Xiaoqi strode forward and knocked on the team leader’s door.

“Come in,” came a cool, authoritative voice from inside.

The door opened, revealing a spacious, modern-style office.

Behind the desk sat a young woman in an OL (Office Ladies) outfit. The tailored black suit dress accentuated her elegant figure.

Ye Xiaoqi led Lin Xun inside, and they took seats on the sofa.

“Team Leader, I’ve brought him back.”

“Lin Xun, this is Team Leader Li Xingyue of our Intelligence Division. You can address her as Team Leader Li.”

Li Xingyue gave a slight nod, her usual aloof demeanor softening slightly, as if she were in a good mood.

She gracefully walked over to Lin Xun and extended a slender, fair hand.

“I’m very pleased you’ve decided to join our Intelligence Division.”

Li Xingyue gestured for Lin Xun to sit, then handed a laptop on the coffee table to Ye Xiaoqi.

Lin Xun glanced at the screen—it displayed an onboarding registration form.

The short-haired girl took the laptop and sat close to Lin Xun’s right arm.

“I’ll ask, you answer. We’re recording your information for onboarding.”

Lin Xun nodded, then responded to a series of personal questions…

“Name?”

“…Lin Xun.”

You already know that. Why ask?

“Gender?”

“……”

Lin Xun sighed inwardly. Truly, a government organization through and through.

—

“Soul Imprint?”

“Swordsmith.”

“Once you complete your first game chapter, the social system will unlock. Then, we can add each other as Book Friends.”

“However, your Soul Imprint should only be disclosed to colleagues. Never reveal it to outsiders, and don’t randomly add strangers as Book Friends.”

Lin Xun nodded thoughtfully.

“Next, Soul Talent?”

Lin Xun suddenly felt uneasy.

He noticed Ye Xiaoqi staring at him intently, as if she’d been waiting for this answer.

Li Xingyue, sitting further away on his left, was also watching him closely, her expression seemingly… expectant?

What kind of situation is this?