NHSDO Chapter 2: Oh No, Is This the Feeling of Falling in Love?
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The atmosphere became unbearably awkward.
A man and a dog stood frozen, neither daring to move nor make a sound.
The large wolfdog caught the scent of a human, and its mind was filled with panic.
Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no.
Humans always kill monsters.
Lin Mu stared at the majestic, sleek-furred wolfdog before him, his thoughts in turmoil.
Oh no, oh no, oh no.
Rumor had it that monsters eat humans.
Man and dog locked eyes, warily watching each other, terrified that the other would pounce at any moment.
They remained in this standoff for a long time until the sun outside rose high, and the clock on the wall chimed the hour.
"The current time is 9:00 AM, Beijing time."
The large wolfdog jolted at the sudden announcement, let out a startled "Awooo!" and bolted under a nearby office desk. It curled itself into a tight ball, trembling.
Lin Mu, startled by the sudden movement, took three big steps back and warily eyed the massive furry creature under the desk, barely daring to breathe.
He stared at the fluffy mass, attempting to move away. But as soon as he lifted his foot, he saw the wolfdog under the desk shudder violently, letting out a tiny whimper.
"…"
Why does this thing seem…
Lin Mu tentatively set his foot back down.
The furry ball trembled like a sieve.
Looking at the wolfdog, Lin Mu started to think—maybe, just maybe, this wolfdog was actually more afraid of him.
Holding onto this thought, Lin Mu made a swift dash toward the door. Seeing a few pedestrians outside, he finally found a bit of courage.
Taking a deep breath, he called out loudly, "Excuse me… is this the Qingyao Subdistrict Office?"
The wolfdog’s trembling instantly stopped. It peeked its head out from under the desk and weakly responded, "…Yes."
"…"
Lin Mu opened his mouth, and before his brain could catch up, the words came out, "…
I’m Lin Mu, here to start work today."
The wolfdog was momentarily stunned. Then, in one swift motion, it scrambled up onto the desk, staring at Lin Mu for a long moment before letting out a huge sigh of relief.
"Shit, you scared the hell out of me! I thought I was gonna get killed."
Shit!
It talked!
The dog talked!
The dog actually talked!
The dog even sighed in relief!
Lin Mu's mind went blank.
The large black wolfdog sat on the desk, panting heavily. "Damn, that really scared me. You smell so much like a human—I totally thought you were one!"
Lin Mu: …
Lin Mu: ???
His brain stalled for several seconds. Between "The dog talked," "The dog is actually more afraid of me," and "What the hell did it just say?", he latched onto one particular point, voice trembling as he asked, "W-what do you mean? Am I not human?"
The black dog shook its fur and replied, "Half-human. Nice to meet you, I’m Dahei."
Lin Mu’s whole body stiffened. "What do you mean? What do you mean half-human?"
I've been alive for over twenty years—how did I not know I wasn’t fully human?!
"Huh?" Dahei seemed confused by his reaction. After thinking for a moment, it assumed Lin Mu was just worried about being discriminated against. Trying to be reassuring, it said, "I don’t know what kind of monster blood you’ve got, but I can tell you’re a half-demon. Don’t worry, though—we don’t discriminate against half-demons here. It’s the modern era, after all."
Lin Mu: “……”
No way!!
What the heck!!
What’s going on!!
How did I suddenly get expelled from the human race?!
“Well, yeah, a proper human wouldn’t be assigned here in the first place.”
After Dahei finished speaking, he smacked his lips, transformed back into his human form, and casually grabbed a long coat from the cabinet under the office desk to wrap around himself.
Having witnessed everything, Lin Mu felt like he was going blind.
Dahei thought his previous cowardly behavior looked pretty dumb, so he decided to redeem his image a little. Wrapping himself in the long coat, he turned to Lin Mu and asked, “Are you here to complete your onboarding? Old Turtle hasn’t shown up on time today, which means he’s probably not coming. I’ll handle it for you.”
Lin Mu looked down at his file, thought for a moment, and decided… maybe he shouldn’t take this job after all.
If he had known that taking the civil service exam would get him kicked out of the human race, he wouldn’t have taken it even if someone beat him to death.
No wonder his mom wouldn’t let him go looking for his dad. Turns out his dad was a demon.
Lin Mu lowered his gaze, looking at his own hands, and felt like he finally understood the reason behind his natural strength.
He reached up and touched his face.
No wonder he looked especially youthful, healed quickly without scars from small injuries, and had been smart and quick to learn since he was a child.
So, he was a demon.
Half of one, at least.
“……”
……
……No.
He absolutely couldn’t accept this.
Lin Mu put away his file and stood outside the office door, his face blank. “Can I opt out?”
Dahei was taken aback. “Generally speaking, no. Do you have a valid reason?”
“What counts as a valid reason?”
“Injury, disability, illness, or death—but you need to provide proof. We’re always short-staffed, so the rules are strict. If you try to cheat, your file will be marked. But disability is judged based on human standards. If you don’t have proof, I can just beat you up and get one on the spot. We heal fast anyway. What level of disability do you want?”
Lin Mu: “……”
Like hell.
Can I pick a hotpot instead?
This workplace is insane.
I don’t want the job, and I have to get beaten up for it?!
Seeing Lin Mu frown, Dahei was confused. “Why don’t you want to take the job? We don’t discriminate against half-demons. The benefits are pretty good, and the work is easy…”
He paused, then corrected himself. “Oh, wait, no. Something happened recently, so things might get a bit busier.”
Lin Mu’s eyelid twitched at the word “benefits.” “Benefits? Isn’t it just the standard civil servant package?”
“That’s for humans. We take the same exam, but demon benefits are different.” Dahei pulled his coat tighter and repeated, “We’re short on people. Not many demons want this job—it involves studying, interviews, and background checks, all human bureaucracy. Too much hassle.”
Lin Mu paused. “What kind of benefits?”
Dahei rattled off effortlessly, “Base salary of two thousand, bonuses of twenty thousand, increases with seniority, 16 months of pay per year with bonuses, six types of insurance, two types of pension funds, full reimbursement for meals, housing, and transportation, no clocking in or out, weekends off, no workplace competition, holiday gift packages of rice, oil, and flour, and vacation funds for travel.”
“……”
Holy crap!
Lin Mu clutched his chest.
Damn, that was tempting.
Taking a deep breath to suppress the excitement, he cautiously asked, “And the job responsibilities?”
“Surveying and registering the demon population, family planning investigations, city safety enforcement, mediating conflicts between humans and demons…” Dahei rattled on, “Basically odd jobs. If a demon acts up, you just beat them until they behave. Simple.”
“Deal.”
Lin Mu stepped back into the office, decisively letting go of his documents and onboarding certificate.
Fighting? Now that was something he was good at.
“Great! You’ll sit next to me.” Dahei took his paperwork and turned on the computer.
As he efficiently entered the details, he asked, “What kind of half-demon are you? I only recently became a spirit, so I haven’t seen many different kinds.”
Funny, I also just became one—less than ten minutes ago.
Lin Mu pulled out a chair, leaned back, and dryly said, “I don’t know.”
“Huh?” Dahei glanced at Lin Mu’s file. The parent sections were blank.
Blank. That meant either absent or deceased.
Either way, they weren’t there now.
“…Oh.”
Dahei scratched his head, realizing this probably meant Lin Mu didn’t even know what kind of demon he was.
No wonder he had looked so shocked before.
Dahei mumbled to himself for a moment, then considerately avoided the topic of parents. Instead, he asked, “Do you have any special traits?”
Lin Mu thought for a moment. “I’m strong.”
Dahei nodded. “Yeah, demons are usually strong.”
“I learn things quickly.”
“Half-demons have short growth periods, that’s normal.”
“I heal fast and don’t scar.”
“Yep, demons have strong regenerative abilities.”
“Hmm…” Lin Mu thought harder, then hesitated. “I… look good?”
“……”
Dahei was silent for two seconds, then turned to scrutinize Lin Mu seriously before nodding. “Yeah, you do. I heard mixed-race kids usually look good. A demon-human mix counts too.”
Lin Mu had just said it casually, but being confirmed made him a little embarrassed.
He smiled at Dahei, revealing two dimples.
Really good-looking.
Dahei smacked his lips, typed rapidly, and quickly completed Lin Mu’s onboarding. “All done!”
His official start date was set for next week.
Lin Mu put away his paperwork but didn’t leave. Wanting to make a good first impression, he glanced at the office door and asked, “Want me to fix the door?”
Dahei lazily lounged in his chair after finishing his task. Hearing Lin Mu’s words, he turned his head and asked, “You know how?”
Lin Mu nodded. “Yeah.”
Lin Mu was capable of quite a lot.
Growing up, he was the only man in the family. He was strong and unafraid of getting hurt, so whenever there was heavy, dirty, or tiring work to be done, he would roll up his sleeves and get to it.
Lock-picking, plumbing repairs, changing light bulbs, carpentry—he wasn’t an expert in any of them, but he knew enough to get by.
Dahei nodded. “Alright, fixing it works too.”
Lin Mu stood up. “Is there a hardware store nearby?”
Dahei got up as well. “Yeah, but it’s a bit of a walk. I’ll take you there.”
Lin Mu glanced at the faintly visible bird tattoo peeking out as Dahei moved. He hesitated for two seconds before speaking in a slightly weak voice.
“…Put your shirt on properly first.”
The Qingyao Subdistrict Office was located in the old town of A City, on the outskirts, about three subway stops and four li from Qingyao Village.
The area was filled with old residential buildings. It looked remote and worn down, but there were still quite a few people living here.
A City was, after all, a first-tier city. Many young people chose to rent in the cheaper outskirts while commuting to work in the city center.
So on a weekday during the day, the place felt rather deserted.
Dahei and Lin Mu came out of the hardware store carrying a new lock cylinder and some tools. The whole time, Dahei had been fidgeting slightly, tugging at his shirt and tight jeans in frustration.
Lin Mu, carrying the bag, turned to him. “You uncomfortable?”
Dahei clicked his tongue. “Tight. Feels bad.”
“Then why not wear something looser, like sportswear?” Lin Mu asked.
Dahei paused for a moment before answering, “Because this looks well-behaved.”
Lin Mu fell silent.
He was just about to wonder who Dahei was trying to look “well-behaved” for—maybe some little female dog—when Dahei suddenly strode toward a small supermarket.
He bought a few boxes of dragon beard candy and some apples, then came back, walked alongside Lin Mu for a few steps, and stopped.
They had stopped in front of a nursing home.
Lin Mu recognized this place—it was one of the better nursing homes in the area. The environment was nice, there were plenty of recreational facilities, and the staff was highly professional. It was the kind of place only people with decent financial means could afford.
Following Dahei’s gaze, Lin Mu saw an elderly woman sitting under a pergola in the yard, avoiding the sun.
She was in a wheelchair, wearing reading glasses, her hair gray and thinning. With slow, careful movements, she was mending an old, small shirt with a needle and thread. Below the shirt, there were faintly visible patches of denim fabric.
The shirt looked quite old. The sleeves were narrow and short, not quite fitting for a person.
Lin Mu observed for a moment before realizing, “Pet clothing?”
“Mm.” Dahei nodded. He glanced at the dragon beard candy in his hand, then turned to Lin Mu. “I’ll be a bit delayed. You can head back first if you don’t want to wait.”
Lin Mu didn’t mind waiting. He watched as Dahei registered at the gate before being led inside by a staff member.
It was hot outside, so Lin Mu sat in the security room to wait.
Through the window, he glanced at the elderly woman’s sewing materials and the patched-up pet clothing. Then, his eyes shifted to Dahei’s own shirt and jeans.
A thought occurred to him.
He withdrew his gaze, accepted a cup of water from the security guard, and thanked him.
Half an hour later, Dahei came out holding two washed apples. The rest of the things had been left inside.
Lin Mu grabbed the bag and walked out. Casually, he asked, “Someone you know?”
“My master.” Dahei handed an apple to Lin Mu. “When I was young, before I had fully transformed, I was abandoned and almost froze to death. She picked me up.”
“Ah.” Lin Mu had already more or less guessed, so he wasn’t too surprised. He simply said, “Sounds like a good person.”
“Yeah, she’s a really good person.”
Dahei took a bite of his apple and, speaking around it, added, “But she’s dying soon.”
T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you🍊🍊🍊
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