Chapter Fourteen: "The Service Society"

Chapter Fourteen: “The Service Society”

The first person Chen Xiao saw was a woman dressed in a black leather jacket. She had long hair, soft facial features, and a gentle gaze, appearing to be in her thirties.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“I'm fine,” Chen Xiao replied calmly, not at all in the panic or hysteria the woman had expected upon his awakening—which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, surprisingly, Chen Xiao even managed a slight smile, his tone tinged with an odd detachment. “Is it a habit of yours to dress like that?”

As he spoke, he raised his hand and gestured at her clothes.

Chen Xiao recognized her voice—she was Black Three, the one who had called him and sent Yaya to his home, known as “Three.”

This was not a hospital ward, but an enormous, empty house. Chen Xiao lay at its center, on a single bed.

“I know you have many questions right now, but I'll try my best to answer them,” Black Three said gently. “You’re safe here, child.”

Chen Xiao looked at her and smiled faintly. “I don’t much like being called ‘child.’ My parents never called me that…”

Black Three smiled, gazing at him steadily. “I know you were born on May fifth. Your parents gave you the nickname ‘Little Five.’”

Chen Xiao shook his head. “Call me whatever you want… What I want now is simple—answers.”

“You seem to harbor some hostility toward me. But I think you might be mistaken. Myself, and the woman who attacked you in your home, we belong to the same organization. However, we have no connection to the research institution where your parents once worked. And that woman, my colleague, merely acted on a misunderstanding.”

Black Three looked awkward, sighing with a hint of pity in her eyes—a look that made Chen Xiao uncomfortable.

But soon, another voice spoke.

It was a pleasant male voice, gentle and melodious, yet with an undertone of cold indifference.

Chen Xiao saw a face then—a thin face, blue eyes, brown hair, dressed in a blue suit. His first impression was: immaculate!

He seemed utterly pristine, not a speck of dust on him; even the white handkerchief peeking from his breast pocket was perfectly arranged.

He smiled with composure—though his blue eyes remained cold.

“Mr. Chen Xiao, I promise that within the next half hour, most of your questions will be answered.” The man appeared at Chen Xiao’s bedside as if out of nowhere, looking down at him. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Black Jack. Of course, I also have a Chinese name: Lei Hu.”

He smiled. “I truly dislike meeting people under such circumstances… because I’m mainly called in to deal with trouble. Whenever it’s my turn to appear, it means trouble has arisen—and trouble is the thing I loathe most.”

He seemed to sigh, though his eyes sparkled with amusement. “You’ve brought me quite a bit of trouble this time. Not only did one of my members break the rules for you, but you nearly ruined one of my best operatives…”

Black Jack? What an odd name. Was he running a casino?

After his arrival, Black Three seemed almost fearful, retreating two steps and standing quietly to the side, as if a subordinate before a superior.

“We… I mean myself, Black Three, Red Seven who rescued you from the robbers yesterday, and the intruder in your home, Black Seven. Yes, you heard right—her name is Black Seven. We all belong to the same organization… You could say we are employees of the same company.” Lei Hu’s smile was charming, disarmingly friendly, carrying a hint of genuine shyness. Yet Chen Xiao noticed the cold indifference in his eyes.

“You don’t need to know our organization’s name just yet. In short, our company doesn’t exist in the daylight world. Or, as you might think of it, we are a special institution. We have our own beliefs and principles—and, naturally, our own business interests.” Lei Hu smiled shyly, his clean face tinged with modesty. “After all, a company of this size must earn a living.”

“This whole affair began with Black Three.” Lei Hu glanced at Black Three, who stood silent as a statue, and smiled. “She accepted a commission from your parents, without company authorization.”

Black Three’s body visibly trembled.

“She and your mother were schoolmates, graduates of MIT, both holding PhDs in bioengineering. Your parents were unfortunate; over a decade ago, they published an outstanding paper, which attracted the attention of a company and led to their recruitment by a subsidiary research institution. I believe you’ve found out what that institution was researching from your mother’s diary.”

Lei Hu’s voice was light. “What I can tell you is that their company’s research was somewhat similar to ours. However, our philosophies differ greatly. In fact… we’re far more advanced than they are. Their work is still rather primitive in some respects.”

“Is it… about the Bluebloods? Or those strange… ‘powers’?” Chen Xiao asked.

“Both.” Lei Hu pondered and then drew the white handkerchief from his pocket to dab at his lips, smiling warmly. “Actually, you and I, all of us, are human. But in a sense, we’ve already surpassed the ordinary definition of humanity. To be precise: we are a minority group, both fortunate and unfortunate, at the forefront of human evolution.”

Lei Hu looked at Chen Xiao. “Evolution—you understand?”

Chen Xiao nodded.

Lei Hu continued with a smile. “You have a solid foundation in this field, given your parents’ expertise. Traditionally, the basic structure of the human body is cellular. The fission and arrangement of cells follow a fixed pattern. If that changes, some interesting things can happen.” His tone was light, and he winked at Chen Xiao. “You’ve seen dominoes, haven’t you? Tip one, and a chain reaction follows.”

“Mm,” Chen Xiao listened attentively.

“In reality, human evolution has never stopped, though it’s stalled in a rather awkward, lengthy plateau. There are divergent paths in evolution, subtle differences resulting in our peculiar group, granting us unusual abilities. As you’ve seen, the Blueblood lady is sensitive to electricity, while the woman who injured you—my now incapacitated operative—can manipulate air.”

“But you're still human,” Chen Xiao added coldly.

“Exactly! That’s the core of our organization’s philosophy. We are human.” Lei Hu spoke with unusual gravity. “Our company has existed for a very long time—two and a half centuries. We are a group at the forefront of humanity’s evolutionary march, but we don’t see ourselves as superior to humanity as a whole. Two hundred fifty years ago, this organization was founded under the name ‘Service Society.’”

He looked into Chen Xiao’s eyes. “An interesting name, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Chen Xiao replied, expressionless.

“The Service Society—from its name, you can see that the organization was created to bring together our kind, so we could help and rely on one another. You know, the common trait among humans is a mysterious fear of the unknown and novel. There’s a saying in your culture: ‘When a tree stands out in the forest, the wind will surely destroy it.’ Correct?”

Chen Xiao nodded. “Your Chinese is excellent.”

“Thank you,” Lei Hu sighed. “Historically, people like us are often ostracized by society. The strength of the individual brings fear and even hatred from others. People like us are easily seen as outsiders, subject to hostility or dread. So we must find more companions, unite, and depend on one another—to preserve ourselves.” Lei Hu’s tone grew serious. “But I must clarify: we still regard ourselves as human, and hope others do too—not as monsters.”

Chen Xiao shifted, changing his posture, and felt a faint liking for Lei Hu.

“We are simply those who, without choice, have advanced to the forefront of evolution—a handful of lucky ones. But we don’t seek to change or control anything.” Lei Hu sighed. “Thus, our organization bears great responsibility.”

“Why?” Chen Xiao frowned.

“As I said, we are a group of the fortunate, but… we are not the only fortunate ones. Nor are we the only ‘organization’ in the world.” Lei Hu winked at Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao quickly understood.

As Lei Hu said, people like them are at the front of human evolution, possessing abilities beyond the norm—there must be others, and not a few. Some have joined the organization, accepting its rules.

But surely, there are unknown gifted individuals elsewhere—people who, upon discovering their superiority, might ignore laws, morals, and rules. In such circumstances, what could happen is easy to imagine.

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