Chapter 5 - The Company

The Secret Taxi Society was an interesting concept, to say the least. Lian Yin had spent all of his time after the incident secretly researching the corporation, and he could confidently say that it wasn't made by a human.

In fact, he was sure that God didn't make it either. Thus, the whole bullsh*t universal statement that was written underneath the company's logo ("For the best of mankind") was exactly what he described it as: bullsh*t. And Lian Yin was 100% sure that there was a different motive in mind. Especially since the higher ups were VERY angry when they learned that he had his very own system, courtesy of a different "company." In fact, they were more angry about him having a system, rather than having not downloaded the system that all employees must download before entering the company.

It was good, then, that his system had utterly engulfed the company's system. Since he would have been none-the-wiser about what the company had been trying to do. He thought back carefully to that time, some thousands of years ago.

.....

Ricebucket- his system's cliché, animated helper- was with him as he went through his first transmigration experience and mission. Unfortunately, he had transmigrated not as a male- no, his system couldn't be that simple- but as a female instead. The black lines that ran down his face could have painted a white piece of paper ink black.

With that roadblock not having even been passed, he had unintentionally gotten the main lead to fall for him, rather than the female lead. Thus, his first mission made by the system to 'Help the Main Leads Get Together' had spectacularly and utterly failed.

But it was this failure that had saved him from being spotted by the Secret Taxi Society in the first place.

Unfortunately, this was his only stroke of luck as it was in his third mission that he was discovered, and they had simultaneously and unceremoniously dragged him back to their company, brainwashed him, stripped him of his system, and downloaded the company's system instead. Lian Yin glanced at the system notification window that was always at the lower left-hand corner of his vision. Obviously, the company failed, and instead, his system had engulfed the company's lower-leveled system, gaining a few perks in the process.

He was able to hide his presence from the company for a few minutes a day which only grew stronger as he advanced in level under the guise of the company's assignments. Furthermore, he was able to send Ricebucket out to find others like him in order to combat the fiend that is the Secret Taxi Society.

Finished with his reminiscence, Lian Yin glanced at his Manager Amelia as she scurried to-and-fro around his office. In contrast, Lian Yin was lazily reclining on one of his office's most comfortable chairs, his legs resting on the coffee table in front of him. Closing his eyes once more, he leaned his head back and only then deemed to ask his question. "What's up, Amelia?"

"Up?" Amelia jerked up from the ground, a guilty look on her face. "What do you mean up? Are you asking about the company's problems because they certainly aren't going up?"

"No," Lian Yin could only sigh. Amelia truly couldn't keep a secret. "I'm asking what's up with you. You're scurrying around like a rat with its tail chopped off."

Amelia's expression contorted into a look of despise and disgust. "Don't compare me to those disgusting creatures. And I am NOT running around like my tail is chopped off. I just can't find... something." She averted her gaze again, her eyes frantically looking around the room.

Lian Yin sighed on the outside, however he was hiding a giant grin beneath the surface. It was all going to plan.

The Secret Taxi Society had four different departments. The first being the main one regarding trucks, taxis, cars, and all sorts of manners to transport main characters from point A to point B, but also transporting them to different dimensions or back in time if they so wish to be (or if it's decreed by the company). The second department dealt with the missions and were direct superiors to the first department. They were the ones in contact with 'God' and, as such, were held in rather high regard by everybody else in the company. If it was hard to tell, Amelia is a part of this department, although she is considered one of the lower-ranking members. The third department deals with the operation of the company itself- Fan Jia was in this department. They ensure that each of the company's checkpoints in all of the worlds is working smoothly. Furthermore, they make advancements every year regarding the system's modifications and installments. The last and final department is a hodgepodge of transmigrators and reincarnaters that ensure the smooth running of each of the worlds that the company deals in. He was technically in two departments, the first and the fourth. However, when he first began, he was only in the fourth department before "leveling-up" and becoming a part of both.

"Oops!" Amelia once again broke his train of thought and Lian Yin couldn't help but sigh once more. This manager of his was way too clumsy to be assigned to him. He stood from his position on the couch and reached out a hand to catch the box that was about to hit Amelia on the head.

"Do you need help?" Lian Yin looked down as Amelia's head fell right below his chin, and the smell of her shampoo drifted to his nose. Amelia was dumbfounded as she looked up at him, a light blush covering her face. Lian Yin lifted an eyebrow as he noticed her unresponsiveness, then he hoisted the box back up and grabbed whatever was in Amelia's hands. "I'll just put this back up there too."

Amelia's blush was full-blown now, and she was even fanning her face with her left hand. "Wow, Lian Yin. Do you do this with all the other girls too?"

Glancing at the embarrassed manager before him, Lian Yin could only ruefully blow a piece of his hair away from his eyes. "No." But before his manager could become too happy, he crushed her hopes. "I do this for the children I end up taking care of during my missions." She deflated like a balloon, and Lian Yin could almost see the puppy ears that were pulled down. He chuckled. "What is it that you're looking for?" Has the company found out?

The first part of Lian Yin's statement caused Amelia's face to turn red, not out of embarrassment but out of anger. However, with his question Amelia turned pale. "Nothing." When she noticed Lian Yin not looking convinced, she quickly pushed him out of his office and shook her head no like a rattling gun. "Go and do something useful. Like doing your own d*mn laundry for once. I left your keys in your jacket pocket." At that, she slammed the door shut, leaving Lian Yin in front the door with his jacket on one hand and the box he wasn't able to put back up on the shelf on his other hand.

He glanced at the door thoughtfully. Even if the company found out, it was too late. Chuckling, he strolled out of company building, bringing the box with him to his car. He'll just have to put it back when he returns to the company later. Instead, what he needed to do now was return home. "And finally meet Ricebucket," he whispered and smiled wider.