Chapter 39: The First Meeting of the Katerina Group

In the past, Chang Yu had never considered just how foul a person’s feet could smell. He always felt that such a situation was distant and unlikely to touch his life. He had seen countless anecdotes online about similar matters and always dismissed them with a laugh. The most exaggerated tale he’d encountered was that of a young man in an internet café who, because of the heat, took off his shoes and ultimately drove every patron from the place with the stench. Chang Yu had thought, surely this was a fabrication, perhaps a story invented by netizens to amuse the masses. Could there truly exist someone whose feet reeked to such an extent? Chang Yu had never believed it for a moment. But now, disbelief was no longer an option.

It was, he had to admit, a matter of his own limited experience. He’d never encountered such a phenomenon. Yet before him stood a man who surpassed all predecessors. It was, indeed, a revelation.

The muscle-bound man now wore only a pair of slippers, his dark ankles exposed to the air. Wisps of visible, black smoke drifted from his feet, spreading through the air. Chang Yu could swear to the heavens—the smoke was real, not an illusion!

“Oh, so it’s you! I remember you. We once rode the same bus—you sat right behind me,” the muscle-bound man recognized Chang Yu at a glance.

“B-big brother, before we get to know each other, could you put on some shoes? That way, we might breathe a little easier.” Chang Yu, overwhelmed by the stench, was unable to breathe and shamefully shed tears.

Everyone has chopped onions. All know that the pungent gases released bring tears to the eyes. Chang Yu was experiencing this now—not sadness, not grief, but tears flowing uncontrollably, entirely a reflex.

“Are you mocking me?” The muscle-bound man’s eyes flashed with anger, his small, malicious gaze fixed on Chang Yu.

Being glared at by such a fierce figure, Chang Yu couldn’t claim he was unafraid. From his behavior on the bus, Chang Yu knew this was the kind who would take off his socks at the slightest provocation. He certainly didn’t want to share the fate of that young Maserati driver.

So, under the man’s oppressive presence, Chang Yu’s spirit grew weaker. He dared not speak, fearing the man would unleash his biochemical weapon.

As the muscle-bound man’s dominance increased, about to overwhelm Chang Yu, Katerina frowned, stepped forward, and pressed a handkerchief tightly to her mouth and nose:

“Shi Chengjin, who told you to come to such a formal meeting wearing only slippers?”

“And if you must wear slippers, couldn’t you at least wash your feet beforehand?”

“This is clearly a careless attitude toward your work. Find yourself some shoes—immediately!”

Facing Katerina’s reprimand, Shi Chengjin glanced at her, his arrogance somewhat subdued:

“I came here in slippers and didn’t bring any other shoes. Even if I wanted to wear them, I couldn’t. You’ll just have to bear it a little longer.”

Chang Yu noticed that Shi Chengjin’s swagger diminished considerably in Katerina’s presence, unlike his overbearing manner toward himself. Was it because Katerina was a beautiful woman? He wondered. Beauty must confer some privilege, after all.

“I have shoes—wear mine!” Seeing the negotiation at an impasse, Feng Sanpao promptly removed his own shoes. The poor boy, suffocating since the beginning, finally managed a word. He stood barefoot on the cold floor, unconcerned, and handed his shoes to Shi Chengjin, hoping only to breathe fresh air once more in Shi Chengjin’s presence.

“You’re annoying. Who wants to wear your shoes? Who knows if you have athlete’s foot or something contagious?” Shi Chengjin answered rudely, knocking Feng Sanpao’s shoes out of his hands, leaving him awkwardly standing alone.

Katerina, enraged by Shi Chengjin’s insolence, shouted, “Shi Chengjin, if you refuse to wear those shoes, please leave this meeting room.”

“Fine, I’ll go. I don’t want to be part of your stupid meeting anyway!” Shi Chengjin sneered and turned to leave.

“But if you walk out now, I’ll consider you to have voluntarily left our group,” Katerina said, her patience exhausted.

Shi Chengjin froze, his face darkening, shifting between green and white. Chang Yu watched with secret delight. So, this lawless brute wasn’t entirely beyond control. Katerina, at least, could handle him.

Seeing Shi Chengjin stuck, Katerina softened her tone: “I know you rely on your master, the Elder God, and have always been domineering in the organization. Others may tolerate you for your master’s sake, but I won’t indulge you. Since the Elder God assigned you to my team for training, you must follow my instructions. The Elder God is respected by all—do not bring shame upon him.”

Finally, Shi Chengjin’s expression shifted for some time before he yielded to reality. “Fine, I’ll wear the shoes,” he said, without any warmth.

He cast an aggressive glance at Feng Sanpao, pointed at the shoes he’d just knocked to the floor, and snarled, “Hey, kid, did you hear me? Hurry up and pick up those shoes for me!”

Shi Chengjin’s tone was anything but pleasant—arrogant was the only word for it. Chang Yu gnashed his teeth in anger. The man had rejected Feng Sanpao’s kindness, knocked his shoes aside, and now bullied him further instead of apologizing. This man was a true scoundrel.

Poor Feng Sanpao, not only offering his shoes, but having to pick them up from the floor for Shi Chengjin, utterly humiliated.

“Oh, got it...” Feng Sanpao replied without complaint, picked up the shoes, and handed them to Shi Chengjin, still barefoot.

Chang Yu was stunned. Feng Sanpao obeyed Shi Chengjin’s command without protest. Was it a matter of intellect, or simply a submissive nature? Did he not realize he was being bullied?

Chang Yu reflected: if Shi Chengjin told him to fetch shoes, he would never comply. What a joke! A man’s backbone shouldn’t bend so easily.

Shi Chengjin, pleased with Feng Sanpao’s obedience, snickered as he took the shoes.

“They’re a bit small,” he said, comparing them to his feet and frowning.

The shoes were several sizes smaller than he usually wore, unsurprising given the difference in their physiques. “No choice—I’ll have to make do.” He forced his foot into the shoe, struggling for some time before managing to fit it.

As Shi Chengjin finally sealed his blackened feet inside the shoes, Chang Yu felt the air around him instantly refreshed. The pungent stench, now blocked by the shoes, diminished noticeably. Although some odor still lingered, at least the room was now habitable.

Indeed, the man’s feet matched his name—potent and overwhelming!

Watching Shi Chengjin put on the shoes, Feng Sanpao sighed in relief, “Good heavens, that smell is unbearable!”

Barefoot and unconcerned with the cold floor, he opened the meeting room window and greedily inhaled the fresh air outside, his expression full of liberation and delight—just as Chang Yu once had.

Shi Chengjin witnessed the scene without comment, merely casting a mocking glance at Feng Sanpao before saying to Katerina, “I’m not obeying you out of fear. I just don’t want to disappoint my master.”

...

“Our Disaster Investigation Bureau has a long legacy, its origins tracing back to an era of ceaseless warfare,” Katerina explained to Chang Yu, Feng Sanpao, and Shi Chengjin, all seated at the conference table.

“In those days, the leaders realized how crucial it was to establish a department composed of individuals with special abilities.”

“As expected, generation after generation of Disaster Investigation Bureau members have rendered invaluable service to the nation’s peace and stability.”

“Due to the unique nature of our work and the complexity of our personnel, the Bureau has always been a relatively independent department since its inception.”

“We answer directly to the highest authorities, our work is accountable only to them. Local officials have no jurisdiction over us.”

As Katerina spoke, Chang Yu listened with keen interest. In contrast, Feng Sanpao and Shi Chengjin showed none of his curiosity—one nearly dozed off, as if he didn’t understand a word, while the other looked utterly indifferent, unconcerned with anything Katerina said.

“Our enemies are not human, but a species known as Calamities,” Katerina continued.

“These Calamities are born from humanity’s negative emotions. They know only slaughter and destruction, devoid of sentiment or order.”

“Their forms are myriad—some humanoid, some insect-like, some animal, and some are even non-corporeal.”

“They grow stronger by absorbing human negativity, some even gaining power through devouring people.”

“In many ways, they have always threatened the human world,” Katerina shifted to the Bureau’s mission, “and our task is to root out these Calamities hiding among us and eliminate them one by one.”

“Protecting ordinary people from harm—that is the Bureau’s founding purpose and our primary duty.”

Chang Yu had never heard of such creatures before, but that didn’t stop him from feeling intrigued.

“So, our job is to battle these monsters called Calamities,” Chang Yu summarized. “That’s clearly supernatural territory—sounds like this work is incredibly dangerous.”

“It’s a noble mission. Each Calamity we eradicate indirectly saves many lives,” Katerina replied.

“We spare countless families from tragedy, prevent the heartbreak of shattered homes.”

“You’ve never endured the devastation wrought by Calamities, so you’ll never fully understand the pain.”

“Misery, despair, grief, helplessness—a longing to tear every Calamity to pieces just for solace...”