A meeting with an Executive Director wasn't an invitation; it was a summons. A newly-minted C-Rank tamer didn't refuse. Lin Ke, his mind a quiet storm of intrigue and caution, just gave Silas a simple nod. "I'm available now."
Silas's professional smile didn't falter. "Excellent. Please, follow me."
He was guided away from the noisy, gritty reality of the Guild's public areas. A restricted elevator ascended in unnerving, carpeted silence, the pressure changing in his ears as he was lifted to the uppermost floors of the tower. Up here, the hallways were quiet and lined with abstract art. It was a world of polished wood and old money, a stark contrast to the sweat and desperation of the Mission Hall below. The warm, vibrant Jamaican night visible through the massive, floor-to-ceiling windows seemed a million miles away.
Silas stopped before a large, mahogany door. A soft knock. A deep, clear voice from within: "Enter."
The office was vast, modern, and intimidating. The window behind the desk offered a breathtaking, god's-eye view of Mo City glittering in the twilight. In the center of it all, behind a minimalist desk of black chrome, sat a man in his late forties. He had sharp eyes, immaculate graying hair, and the focused, predatory stillness of a panther in a bespoke suit. This was Executive Director Thorne.
"Director Thorne," Silas announced. "This is Lin Ke."
"Thank you, Silas. That will be all," Thorne said, his sharp gaze already dissecting Lin Ke. Silas gave a silent bow and vanished, the door closing with a soft, heavy click. Thorne gestured to a leather chair. "Sit."
Lin Ke sat. This man radiated a cold, brutal efficiency that made the scholarly Magnus seem like a kindly grandfather.
"I won't waste your time, Mr. Lin Ke," Thorne began, steepling his fingers, his voice as crisp as newly printed money. "My division is Resource Management. My job is to identify and utilize assets to solve the Guild's problems. Efficiently. And you, it would seem, are a very efficient asset."
He tapped his desk, and a holographic screen appeared in the air between them, displaying Lin Ke's mission history as a stark, clean list of green "SUCCESS" markers. "Seven C-Rank missions. Solo. One week. A one-hundred percent success rate. 'The Sweeper,' they're calling you. It's an unprecedented return on investment for a new licensee."
Thorne leaned forward, his gaze hardening. "I have also seen your exam data. Your pet is registered as a Rock Vole. The creature that completed these missions is, very clearly, not a standard Rock Vole. Let me be clear. I don't care about your secrets, Mr. Lin Ke. I care about results."
He swiped the screen. A tactical map of the surrounding territories appeared, dotted with angry red icons that pulsed like open wounds. "The Guild has a problem. Small pockets of Abyssal Corruption are flaring up in the D and C-Rank zones. They're too small to warrant deploying our elite teams, but they're tearing our standard C-Rank teams to pieces. It's an inefficient, bloody mess."
His eyes locked onto Lin Ke's. "I require a specialist. A 'sweeper'. Someone who can go into these zones alone, neutralize the alpha-level corrupted threats, and get out clean. Someone like you."
Then came the offer. "I am prepared to offer you a long-term, independent contractor's contract. We provide priority intel and unrestricted access to these designated zones. You go in, you eliminate the primary threat. We pay you a flat fee of 50,000 credits per successful mission."
Lin Ke's heart gave a hard jolt. Fifty thousand? Per mission? That was insane money. But the next part of the offer was what made his mind reel.
"Furthermore," Thorne added, a shrewd glint in his eye, "any 'unusual' biological materials you happen to recover from these corrupted creatures… are yours to keep. The only condition is that you submit a small, cataloged sample of each unique material and a detailed field report directly to my division's R&D department. Your work will not only protect the city, but it will also help us understand this plague."
It was the perfect deal. A dream scenario he couldn't have dared to imagine. A legitimate, Guild-sanctioned, high-paying job to go out and farm the single most valuable resource in the world for his own secret projects. His breath hitched, his carefully constructed calm momentarily shattered by a wave of pure, incredulous shock. Thorne had no idea what he was truly offering.
He forced his composure back into place. The opportunity was too perfect to be real, and that clarity cut through the shock. "Director Thorne," he said, his voice clear and steady. "I accept your offer."
A pleased, business-like smile touched Thorne's lips. "Excellent. I had a feeling you were a man who recognizes an opportunity." He tapped his terminal. "Your new contract and status as a 'Purification Specialist' are now active. Silas will brief you on the operational details. Here is your first assignment."
A new file appeared on Lin Ke's terminal: a map of a C-Rank zone called the 'Weeping Woods,' crawling with corrupted plant and insect-types. He had just been handed the key, not just to the wilderness, but to his entire future. The real hunt was about to begin. But as he stood to leave, a final, chilling thought surfaced. This perfect deal came with a leash. Every incredible discovery he made would now be fed, sample by sample, directly to the Guild's most ruthless and resourceful division. He had his funding, but he might have just given his secrets a silent partner.