The Apocalypse Solution Provider

Chapter 15: The Quality of a Top Agent

“What on earth is going on out there?” Zhang Wan hissed, keeping her voice low.

Fu Hu scowled. “I have no idea. This kid pops out of nowhere, claiming to be some high-ranking director from the National Bureau. I’ve never heard of the damn agency, but he had my exact service record and military ID. I can’t tell if I’m being played. But that piece of tech he’s holding… that is bleeding-edge hardware. A civilian couldn’t just walk into a store and buy that.”

“It sounds completely insane, but… what if he’s legit? I can’t risk offending him. If he really is federal brass, we’re stepping on a landmine.”

Zhang Wan wrung her hands. “Are you sure he’s not just a con artist? Think about it, Old Fu. You were just a grunt. Why would some top-secret government operation need you? The second he asks for money, I’m calling the cops!”

“Keep your voice down. I invited him to stay for dinner. I’ll probe him over the meal. If he’s a fraud, you think some punk kid can outsmart me? Just follow my lead.”

“This is a disaster. I bought those expensive groceries specifically to build up our daughter’s strength. She finally gets her appetite back, and now some stranger is mooching off us.” Zhang Wan flapped a hand in sheer exasperation.

“Enough complaining. Just finish cooking.”

“Fine. Tell Qingdai to lock her bedroom door. I’ll bring her a plate later.”

…

The cramped dining table was soon loaded with heavy, steaming dishes and cheap glassware.

Su Jin held the TV remote, fast-forwarding through the movie while furiously scribbling gibberish across two full pages of his notebook.

Setting down the final plate of stir-fry, Fu Hu glanced over. “Director Li, are you finished with your screening?”

Su Jin paused the DVD, snapped the notebook shut, and strolled over to the dining table. He flashed the couple a perfectly calibrated corporate smile. “Apologies for the intrusion. I really didn’t mean to impose on your evening.”

“Allow me to introduce you. This is my wife, Zhang Wan… and this is…” Fu Hu gestured awkwardly.

“Director Li Haocheng, National Bureau.” Su Jin gave Zhang Wan a polite, measured nod.

“Please, take a seat!” Fu Hu gestured eagerly.

The three of them took their seats, an oppressive silence settling over the table.

Fu Hu raised a small glass of cheap liquor toward Su Jin. “Director Li, like you said, fate brought us together. Allow me to offer the first toast!”

Su Jin raised a hand, politely deflecting the glass. “Apologies. I strictly abstain from alcohol while on an active deployment.”

Fu Hu and his wife exchanged a quick glance. Zhang Wan pasted on a warm smile. “Of course! Sobriety is good for your health anyway. Please, eat up.”

She picked up a generous cut of meat with her serving chopsticks and dropped it into Su Jin’s bowl.

“Director Li, I couldn’t help but overhear your chat earlier. You mentioned the National Bureau? I’ve never heard of it. Could you tell me a bit more? When did the government set up a department like that?”

“Certainly. The Bureau has actually been operational for decades. However…” Su Jin let his sentence trail off. He shifted his gaze toward the closed door of Fu Qingdai’s bedroom, then turned back to the parents. “The girl in that room is your daughter, correct? Why isn’t she joining us for dinner?”

“Oh, don’t worry about her. That kid survives on junk food. She never eats a proper meal anyway,” Zhang Wan said, waving a dismissive hand. “Director Li, please, continue.”

“I see… and what is your daughter’s name?” Su Jin asked, seamlessly pivoting the interrogation.

The question instantly triggered the couple’s defensive instincts. Beneath the table, Zhang Wan jabbed her husband’s knee.

“Her name is Fu Qingdai. Why do you ask?” Fu Hu kept his voice neutral and flat.

“That child…” Su Jin hesitated, letting the silence stretch before delivering the payload. “Has she encountered some… difficulties recently? Based on my brief observation, her psychological profile appears highly unstable.”

Fu Hu and his wife locked eyes again, but this time, the polite facade cracked.

A realization struck Fu Hu. He leaned forward urgently. “Director Li, you mentioned earlier you were an Expert in psychology… Can you really diagnose these things just by looking?”

Su Jin offered a thin, self-assured smile. “Naturally. An Expert in behavioral analysis can identify a cognitive fracture in seconds. I take it your precious daughter has indeed suffered a recent breakdown? Bring her out. Let me run a visual assessment. I won’t claim to be a world-renowned psychiatrist, but my operational training easily eclipses whatever third-rate quacks you’ve been consulting.”

Before Fu Hu could formulate a reply, Zhang Wan was already out of her chair, rushing to fetch Fu Qingdai.

Moments later, Fu Qingdai was dragged to the dining table. She kept her head bowed, staring rigidly at her empty plate, absolutely terrified to make a sound.

“Speak! Greet our guest! Say hello to Uncle Li!” Zhang Wan hissed, poking the girl’s shoulder.

“U-Uncle Li…” Fu Qingdai stammered. She bit her lower lip hard, risking a split-second, panicked glance at Su Jin before snapping her eyes back to the table.

“Director Li, please, tell us what’s wrong with her,” Zhang Wan pleaded. “Lately, she’s been so…”

Before she could dump the symptoms, Fu Hu cut her off with a low, sharp growl.

“Shut up. Don’t lead the witness. Let Director Li make his own assessment!”

An Expert in psychology, huh? Let’s see just how much of an Expert he really is. This is the perfect test to see if he’s a fraud!

Su Jin leaned back, steepled his fingers, and subjected Fu Qingdai to a microscopic, clinical stare. He let the silence drag out for two agonizing minutes, feigning deep analytical thought.

Under the suffocating gazes of the Fu couple, he finally broke the silence. “Based on micro-expressions, skin pallor, and posture… the subject is buckling under immense psychological pressure. I’m even detecting latent suicidal ideation. Statistically, for a demographic of her age, the root cause is crushing academic stress.”

Zhang Wan whipped her head toward Fu Hu, her face screaming, I told you so.

Fu Hu glared back at her, his jaw tight with irritation.

This useless woman, he cursed internally. Two generic sentences and she’s already eating out of the palm of his hand! Pathetic!

“Tell me, did her academic decline begin specifically with her math and physics grades?” Su Jin pressed.

“Yes! Exactly! Her math scores have been plummeting!” Zhang Wan gasped in pure shock. “Director Li, how could you possibly know that?”

“Simple statistics. It’s the most common failure point,” Su Jin dismissed casually. “Qingdai, look at me. I have a few routine questions.”

Fu Qingdai raised her tear-filled eyes and managed a tiny, terrified nod.

“What time does your school schedule its lunch break, and what time do you actually consume your meal?”

“The break is at noon… I eat at twelve-thirty.”

“And what does a typical lunch consist of? Who are you eating with?”

“It… it changes every day…”

Su Jin fired off a rapid-fire sequence of over a dozen utterly mundane, logistical questions. The rapid barrage left Fu Hu and Zhang Wan entirely bewildered.

Fu Hu’s brows were knotted together, his hawkish gaze locked onto Su Jin, searching for the trick.

After deploying the twentieth question, Su Jin reached for his water glass. He took a slow, deliberate sip, a victorious smirk creeping onto his face.

“The psychological profile is complete. The root cause is glaringly obvious.”

“What is it, Director Li?” Zhang Wan demanded, leaning halfway across the table.

“My preliminary assessment holds true—severe academic burnout. However, the secondary trigger is far more volatile… She’s involved in a clandestine, premature romance.”

“I am not!” Fu Qingdai shrieked. Beneath the table, her small hand viciously pinched her own thigh to mask her trembling.

“You are,” Su Jin stated with cold, unyielding authority. “Furthermore, the boy is not in your immediate homeroom. Statistically speaking, he’s likely in the adjacent class. Poor academic metrics, but highly active in athletics. You maintained a relationship for roughly two months before he transferred his affections to a new target and discarded you. You likely attempted to reconcile, only to be publicly humiliated by him. Is my assessment accurate?” He locked eyes with the terrified girl.

Hold it together! I have to hold it together! she screamed internally.

Thick tears pooled in Fu Qingdai’s wide eyes. The skin on her thigh was already bruising from her own fingernails. Finally, the tension snapped. With a guttural wail, she threw herself into her mother’s arms, breaking down into violent, breathless sobs.

Watching their daughter completely emotionally disintegrate, Fu Hu and Zhang Wan exchanged one final look. This time, all skepticism evaporated, replaced by utter awe.

This… this is unbelievable!

The psych ward couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her for weeks, yet this man had surgically extracted the root trauma with twenty casual questions!

Was this the terrifying capability of a top-tier federal operative?

“See?! I told you!” Zhang Wan shrieked at her husband, thoroughly vindicated. “The kid was just stressed over school and got her heart broken by some punk! That’s all it was! But no, you just had to lock her up in a mental asylum!” A massive wave of relief washed over her chest.