Chapter 7: Pour the Tea, and I’ll Break Your Legs
“Good morning, residents! Today is Tuesday, March 4th, New Era 137…”
“Attention passengers, the final destination for train KUGT233 is the East Fifth District Space Research Institute E78. The next stop is the East Fifth Commercial Center. The train will arrive in three minutes and twenty-four seconds. Passengers disembarking at Air Station 0987, please prepare.”
Liang Huan looked at the station display and map on his Dawn chip, listening to the unfamiliar announcement. Li Yao hadn’t returned all night, and he ate takeout for breakfast. He asked the Small Panda delivery robot and successfully boarded this train, which cost him one concentrated coin, leaving him with only 2.3 concentrated coins in his personal account.
On the way, he used the chip to find detailed information about the Small Panda delivery company. It was a subsidiary of a company called Dawn Starlight Group, whose main business was the research and development of biological chips. The Dawn chip on his wrist was one of their products, and Dawn Starlight was said to be invested in by the military and had a very strong background.
Yesterday evening, he spent almost all his time on the chip, gaining a general understanding of the social structure of the entire East District. Unlike North Liang, the East District did not have an emperor but was composed of three main power institutions: administrative, legislative, and judicial, which checked and balanced each other. However, in his opinion, the real force controlling the East District was the so-called military. Unfortunately, the information about the military on the chip was scarce.
Currently, he could only learn that outside the entire East District base, there were still large areas that had not been reclaimed by humans, collectively known as the Outer Zone. There, zombies and low-level Heteromorphs roamed, and there were also extremely rich resources. The military’s main task was to collect resources and eliminate threats to expand territory.
The so-called mercenaries occupied a gray area. They were neither government-recognized institutions nor under military jurisdiction. They received tasks in the gaps of the law to collect resources and mostly traded with the Black Market. At the same time, mercenaries and the military had some cooperative relationship. For example, mercenaries could be sent to areas deemed extremely dangerous to avoid unnecessary casualties and reduce mecha damage.
In short, mercenaries were pawns and cannon fodder that could be sacrificed at any time, with a very high mortality rate in the Outer Zone. Regardless of who they cooperated with, they would receive corresponding commissions, which were higher than the salaries of ordinary jobs but far lower than the official establishment of the military. To encourage mercenaries, mercenary bases usually offered high bonuses.
Liang Huan roughly estimated the mortality rate of mercenaries and the corresponding bonus amounts and found that the base was ultimately very profitable. After deducting the rewards given by the military and the shares taken, all assets would eventually belong to the base if a mercenary died without an heir.
The mercenaries probably knew this, so they usually spent wildly after receiving bonuses and commissions. After all, they might not live to see tomorrow, so it was better to spend it quickly.
He roughly understood why Li Yao was both poor and generous.
Liang Huan thought all the way, wanting to make a name for himself in this society, the best choice was to enter the military. The salary was high, and promotion was fast, allowing him to have the most access to the center of power. Unfortunately, his physical fitness level and hidden functional disorder blocked this path. His physique was changing very slowly, and his high school diploma could not qualify him for high-paying professions such as government officials, doctors, and lawyers. Mercenaries did not have mental strength requirements but had extremely high physical fitness requirements. For example, Li Yao’s physical fitness reached an S+ rating, but the high mortality rate was not a good way out. Finally, he had no foundation in legitimate commercial industries, and the progress was too slow. Pure merchants could not participate in major decision-making.
In the end, the search on the screen landed on the Black Market.
The current big boss of the Black Market was indeed named Yu. If Wang Le Ren was telling the truth, then he at least “knew” this Mr. Yu. The mysterious task publisher yesterday also mentioned “Mr.” and asked him to steal the “black box” about the Dawn Project from Li Yao. Through Wang Le Ren and You Zhao Chen’s statements, he could almost certainly determine that Li Yao was once related to the military and that his position was not low. He just didn’t know why he had fallen to become a mercenary. Combining the above conditions, the task publisher was likely related to the military. Even if not, he might be related to the Black Market…
The first thing he had to get rid of was this so-called “Mr.” – in any case, he would not put his life in someone else’s hands.
As for Li Yao, with his relationship with the military, keeping him might be useful in the future.
The train arrived, and Liang Huan opened his eyes.
The exterior of the Small Panda Delivery Base was a giant Small Panda, with a round belly and a silly smile. The square in front was densely packed with Small Panda robots of the same style. They received takeout boxes at their respective base stations, put them in their bellies, and then strode to their destinations at an incredible speed.
He entered the headquarters and was taken to a waiting area by a staff member. There were hundreds of people inside, presumably all interviewees for today.
As soon as Liang Huan entered, he instantly attracted a lot of attention. The room was noisy for a while, and many people were restless. He didn’t think there was anything wrong and sat in the most conspicuous position in the middle.
“Hey, are you here for the packer interview too?” Someone came over to ask.
Liang Huan looked at him. The other person looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, with metal studs on his ears, nose, and even lips. His hair was shaved very short and dyed green. The denim clothes he was wearing were tattered, with many holes that had not been sewn up.
“Yes,” Liang Huan looked at him. “Are you too?”
“My mom kicked me out because I didn’t do anything at home every day,” the other person reached out to him. “Hello, my name is Cheng Xiaolei.”
“Liang Huan,” Liang Huan shook his hand.
“I don’t know what the environment here is like, whether the work is tiring or not. I only came because they provide three meals,” Cheng Xiaolei sighed. “Brother Liang, you’re so handsome, why don’t you become a model or actor or something?”
“My husband won’t let me,” Liang Huan said calmly.
Some people around sighed and expressed regret.
“You’re married at such a young age?” Cheng Xiaolei was shocked.
“Yeah,” Liang Huan leaned back in his chair and calmly scanned the people around him.
Most people lowered their heads or looked away subconsciously when their eyes met his, not daring to look at him. Even though this face looked very attractive, they always felt a chill down their spines, and a desire to submit arose from the bottom of their hearts.
Spooky enough.
Liang Huan was a little disappointed. These people didn’t seem to be of much use, not even as good as Li Yao.
Soon, a staff member in uniform took them to the workroom.
“Everyone has passed the interview. Please come over to collect your work clothes and stand in front of your workstation according to your number. The more you complete, the more work you get.” The staff member smiled.
“Ah, aren’t we only working six hours?” Cheng Xiaolei asked directly.
“Six hours is the basic time, and you can only receive the most basic salary. If you don’t complete the tasks you receive, your performance will be deducted.” The other party was a little dissatisfied but still smiled. “Please take tasks as needed. The more you work, the more you earn.”
Cheng Xiaolei and Liang Huan’s workstations were next to each other. He said angrily, “What’s the matter? The lowest task has two thousand portions. You can’t finish it in six hours. They’re just lying! What six hours!”
An uncle opposite smiled, “It’s okay, you’ll get used to it. In a couple of days, you’ll be rushing to do tasks. The longest time someone has worked here is twenty hours, and they can earn nearly 30,000 concentrated coins a month!”
Cheng Xiaolei’s eyes widened, “Thirty thousand!?”
Liang Huan didn’t react much. He only took the most basic task. He had studied the packaging boxes of Small Panda takeout before he came. If he was familiar with it, he could finish it in six hours.
“Uncle, why doesn’t the company use robots to pack?” he asked.
“Hey, robots consume too much electricity. Now every region limits electricity frequently. Commercial electricity is even more expensive. This is also a delicate job. The electricity money for the packing robots is enough to pay the wages of tens of thousands of people,” the uncle said. “The takeout delivery robots have to be fast, so they have to be used. If people could be used, they would have been replaced long ago.”
Liang Huan nodded, “Then do you know why electricity and water resources are so scarce in the East District?”
“Humph, scarce? Isn’t it all used by the rich people in the First District? It’s simply colluding with the military bastards, who only know how to oppress ordinary people like us.” The uncle was indignant.
“I know about this. My dad works in the water plant. It seems that the water outside is very seriously polluted by Heteromorphs and zombies and needs to be purified a lot before it can be used by humans. Not to mention the cost is very high, the water source is also particularly difficult to find. I heard that a few days ago, a mercenary team found a water source. As soon as the location was sent, they were wiped out by Heteromorphs. The military directly opened the mecha and went over.” Cheng Xiaolei said vividly, “When they went over, the mercenaries were eaten by zombies, leaving only their heads and intestines floating on the water.”
“Alas, I don’t know when this day will end,” someone sighed next to him. “At the end of the world, the resources were so sufficient, and the technology was developing so rapidly. Even mecha and spaceships were built in batches. Everyone thought they could live on a new planet. As a result, the Heteromorphs came one after another, and it was all over. How many years have passed? Humans can’t even afford electricity anymore, let alone find a new place to live.”
“Now the military doesn’t seem to have even one 3S mecha, right?” the uncle said.
“It’s gone long ago. Ten years ago, the Dawn Project took away all of the military’s only one hundred 3S mecha. As a result, they didn’t even find fragments of the 3S mecha. The mecha center was occupied by Heteromorphs twenty years ago. Now it’s probably only S-class mecha. The military wastes haven’t even been able to reclaim the mecha center, and they still make us pay so much tax every day!” someone said indignantly.
Liang Huan interjected, “What is the Dawn Project?”
“Brother Liang, you don’t even know the Dawn Project?” Cheng Xiaolei was a little surprised.
The people around him also cast doubtful glances. After all, as long as they were from the East District, they would definitely know the Dawn Project. Even a fifteen or sixteen-year-old child like Cheng Xiaolei knew.
Liang Huan’s packing didn’t stop, and he said calmly, “My husband doesn’t buy me chips. I’ve been at home all these years, and I know almost nothing about what’s going on outside.”
“Your husband, he—” The uncle frowned.
“Is a mercenary,” Liang Huan said without changing his expression. “I wash his clothes and cook for him every day, and he beats and scolds me. He broke his leg and lost his source of income while doing a mission a while ago, so he was willing to let me come out to find a job.”
For a time, the people around him looked at him with sympathy and deep regret. Even the formal employee who had been urging them to work couldn’t help but take another look at him.
How could such a good person be so short-sighted and marry a mercenary? And find such a scumbag.
“Alas, it’s not easy for you,” the uncle sighed.
Someone saw the atmosphere was depressed and couldn’t help but say, “The military cleared most of the information on the Internet when the Dawn Project failed. It’s normal not to know.”
“Yes, yes,” Cheng Xiaolei echoed, “Actually, I don’t know much either. I heard it from my dad.”
“The Dawn Project was a space exploration project jointly organized by the four districts of East, West, North, and South and the central district in 127, which is ten years ago. Humans had already begun exploring new residences before the end of the world. Later, zombies and Heteromorphs came one after another, and the space program was put on hold for nearly a hundred years… After the Heteromorphs withdrew, humans ushered in a period of technological explosion. The five districts formed a nearly 100,000-strong Dawn Army, carrying all the 3S mecha and the joint fleet. As a result, the Dawn Fleet lost contact after one year. After another year, the five districts jointly organized a space salvage team and salvaged a lot of spaceship and mecha fragments, but most of them were gone. The official said they were swallowed by black holes, but some said there were traitors who deliberately led the fleet to the wrong coordinates,” the uncle said.
Liang Huan looked up at him.
This person looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a deep groove between his eyebrows. His fingers were covered with plasters. Saying so much didn’t delay the movement of his hands, and he packed very quickly. The badge on his chest read Mao Ming.
“The East District military dealt with a large number of relevant responsible persons back then, but it hasn’t ended yet. The court will try that Yi something next week, right?” Cheng Xiaolei said.
“Yi Yuan was the deputy commander of the East District fleet back then. I don’t know why he didn’t follow the main force. This matter is hard to say. The parties involved have been entangled for so many years, and he still hasn’t been convicted. After all, there is no evidence to show that the failure of the Dawn Project was related to him,” Mao Ming said. “Okay, it’s useless for us to talk about it. It’s better to pack a few more packs so we can buy a cigarette to smoke when we get back.”
Time passed quickly. A group of people chatted, and time passed quickly. Liang Huan mingled in the crowd and inquired about a lot of information that he couldn’t find on the chip, gaining a deeper understanding of this world.
Six hours later, Liang Huan put down the packing box in his hand and found the staff member in charge of their group.
“You finished your task?” The other party was a little surprised.
“Two thousand, already packed,” Liang Huan gave him the counter. “Please settle today’s wages.”
The other party frowned, “Don’t you want to earn more? You’ll get more if you settle monthly.”
“It’s time for me to go back and cook for my husband,” Liang Huan looked down at him condescendingly. “The contract says that the probationary period is ten days, and the salary can be settled daily during this period.”
Many people looked over when they heard this.
The person in charge was in a dilemma. Moreover, he had heard about Liang Huan’s “tragic” experience in the morning. He had no choice but to transfer today’s salary to Liang Huan’s chip and couldn’t help asking, “Why don’t you apply for a divorce in your situation?”
Liang Huan looked at the 33.3 concentrated coins that had been added to the balance and said, “I can’t leave him.”
Person in charge: “…”
Amidst a crowd of disapproving gazes, Liang Huan left with the packed dinner.
—
Li Yao almost thought he had entered the wrong door when he returned to the dormitory.
The floor was mopped clean, the shoes at the door were neatly arranged, the pots and pans in the kitchen were wiped bright and clean, the clothes were washed, dried, and neatly folded in the closet. Even the bedding on his bed was replaced with a brand-new bright yellow set. The broken little sofa was replaced with a comfortable recliner, and even a brand-new tea set was placed on the coffee table.
He went out and looked at the door number uncertainly.
“You didn’t go wrong,” Liang Huan came out of the bathroom. He was wearing a bright yellow silk pajamas. His newly dried hair looked fresh and fluffy. He raised his hand to stop Li Yao, “Take off your shoes before entering the door.”
The soles of Li Yao’s shoes were covered in mud and blood, and half a pound of dust could be shaken off the clothes on his body. He subconsciously took half a step back, not stepping on the reflective floor. He said in shock, “Where did you get the money?”
“Credit card application center. East District residents with fixed residences who are married can apply for a credit card with a limit of 30,000 concentrated coins for 36 concentrated coins,” Liang Huan sat on the recliner, picked up the tea and took a sip, and looked up at him, “Aren’t you going to take a bath yet?”
Li Yao threw his shoes outside the door and still didn’t recognize his room, “Did you clean all this up?”
“Housekeeping robot,” Liang Huan said dissatisfied, “How can I do these chores.”
Li Yao: “…”
When Li Yao came out after taking a shower, Liang Huan was already watching a movie on that chip machine. The holographic projection made people feel like they were there. Li Yao didn’t expect him to adapt so quickly and raised his hand to turn off the projection.
Liang Huan clicked on his temples, and the virtual glasses in front of him disappeared. He looked up at Li Yao, “What’s the matter?”
Li Yao sat directly on the ground, where a soft and clean wool carpet was laid. He put the steaming hot food on the coffee table and ate two bites before raising his head and saying, “Didn’t I tell you not to go out?”
“The East District marriage law stipulates that even spouses have no right to interfere with each other’s freedom,” Liang Huan lay on the rocking chair, “Otherwise, I can apply for a divorce.”
Li Yao: “Are you normal?”
“I’ve always been normal,” Liang Huan raised his hand, “Pour the tea.”
“…” Li Yao chuckled, bit his chopsticks, picked up the teapot and filled it for him.
Normal my ass.
“The law is useless to mercenaries. If you dare to go out casually again in the future, I will break your legs,” Li Yao lowered his head and continued to eat, “Did you hear that?”
Liang Huan raised his eyebrows, “You can try.”
Li Yao put down the lunch box when he heard this. The bloody aura around him hadn’t dissipated cleanly, “Am I too kind and letting you misunderstand?”
Liang Huan didn’t speak.
“If you still can’t remember, you’re just a waste to me,” Li Yao said with his upper body naked, with a fierce and baleful aura between his sharp eyebrows, “If you don’t want to be sold to the Black Market, then get the hell out of here early.”
Liang Huan unhurriedly took a sip of tea, “Okay.”
His attitude suddenly softened, and Li Yao couldn’t react for a while. He saw Liang Huan suddenly straightened up and approached, gave him a slight smile, “You must have worked very hard today.”
Li Yao’s breathing was slightly stagnant, and the impatience on his face hadn’t had time to disappear when there were two packs of cigarettes in his arms.
“Li Yao, thank you for taking me in,” Liang Huan patted him on the shoulder and wiped off the bloodstains that he hadn’t washed off the corner of his eye, “As a reward, I will do my best to help you.”
Li Yao was a little dizzy by the sandalwood-scented shower gel on his body and frowned deeply. The words of threat were all stuck in his throat, and he said stiffly, “It’s good that you know.”
Was he just a little too fierce?
