Cupid Housekeeping, first-floor lobby.
The members of Team Two had already changed out of their protective suits and were sitting on the sofa, their faces etched with exhaustion.
Deputy Manager Lin Zhifeng rushed over when he heard the news. After getting a grasp of the situation, he asked with a grave expression,
"How are Du Chuan and Du Bo?"
"Not good," Team Leader Lei Wen said, shaking his head. "They received emergency treatment at the Defense Team's temporary base and have now been sent to Jasmine Hospital in the Dawn District for follow-up treatment and observation."
"Sigh. The aftereffects of a disaster are unpredictable. No one could have guessed we'd run right into one this time."
"As long as the rest of you are okay."
Lin Zhifeng frowned and offered a few more words of comfort.
"I'll report this to the company. Team Two will get one week of paid leave. As per standard procedure, you'll receive corresponding workers' compensation and accident compensation."
Although they had leave and compensation, the team could only manage forced smiles. The mood was still heavy.
The portly man saw this and turned his head to look at Wang Xi.
"Running into a lingering disaster on your first day of work, you weren't too scared, were you?"
"I'm okay, Brother Lin," Wang Xi said softly.
"I just heard from Yuhe that you're pretty skilled. You protected her with just a crowbar and broke out of an encirclement of dozens of monsters?"
Lin Zhifeng asked with a smile.
At his words, the others also turned their gazes to their new young colleague. They hadn't had a chance to ask for details at the disaster site, but they were all curious.
"I like to work out in my spare time."
Wang Xi couldn't very well reveal his ability to travel to the Otherworld, so he put on a shy smile and an expression of lingering fear.
"Plus, I was lucky. I barely made it out alive."
"You're being too modest. An ordinary person couldn't have done that."
Lin Zhifeng shook his head, sighing with emotion.
He asked tentatively,
"Be honest with me. What's your Amateur Hero rank? There's no need to hide it. The company makes a point of cultivating capable employees, and the benefits are better too."
Amateur Hero...
A memory sparked in Wang Xi's mind.
It was a status level within the Hero Association. It was for Heroes who hadn't passed the Professional Warrior assessment, yet whose strength surpassed that of ordinary people.
They either possessed a certain number of Artificial Universal Cards or had a strong Physique thanks to special potions or cybernetic surgery.
Unlike Professional Warriors, who were graded from One to Five Stars, Amateur Heroes had a maximum of nine ranks.
Those at the Sixth Rank or higher had the preliminary qualifications to enter a Maze. They also had a better chance of survival when facing a disaster.
"Brother Lin, I'm not a Hero yet."
Wang Xi said truthfully.
Lin Zhifeng and the others exchanged a glance. He thought for a moment, then smiled and said,
"That makes sense. You just graduated, so you probably haven't taken the Hero Association's assessment yet... Actually, the company has priority access for this. There's a group assessment next week, do you want to apply?"
"Xiao Wang, I suggest you go for it."
At this point, Lei Wen joined the conversation, speaking in a low voice.
"It's a rare opportunity. If you applied on your own, who knows how long you'd have to wait... Anyway, there's no harm in trying. If you manage to get an Amateur Hero Certificate, no matter the rank, it's definitely all upside."
His tone was serious, like a veteran giving advice to a junior.
"You're new to the workforce so you don't understand, but this thing is a huge deal! For a simple example, your salary at the company is different depending on whether you have a certificate or not. Take me, I'm Third Rank..."
"Ahem!"
Lin Zhifeng coughed at that moment.
Lei Wen quickly shut his mouth, just giving Wang Xi a meaningful look.
Miss Gao Fen said jokingly,
"Hey handsome, I hear you don't have a girlfriend yet. Having a certificate makes you more popular with the ladies, you know."
"Hey, hey, hey! What's that supposed to mean!"
Zhu Yuhe called out in dissatisfaction.
Everyone laughed.
Wang Xi thought for a moment, then said to the portly deputy manager,
"Brother Lin, I'll apply then."
"Alright," Lin Zhifeng said with a smile. "Just wait for the notification."
After some more idle chatter,
The portly deputy manager got up to leave.
"Oh, right. Your job today was unexpectedly cut short. The monster remains you collected haven't been delivered to the warehouse yet, have they?"
Lin Zhifeng asked, as if he had just remembered something.
"Yeah, we haven't had a chance to deliver them yet."
Team Leader Lei Wen replied.
Lin Zhifeng smiled and said,
"Perfect. I'm heading to the warehouse anyway, so I can take them for you."
"Alright, thanks for the trouble, Manager Lin."
Lei Wen called out to the team, gathered everyone's "Funeral Box" Cards, and handed them all to Lin Zhifeng.
As the portly man walked away, Wang Xi discreetly watched his back for a moment longer.
Being an observant person, he had just noticed a distinct hint of a smile at the corner of Lin Zhifeng's mouth.
That in itself wasn't strange.
The problem was, what was there to be happy about?
...
...
The night was late.
Valley City, Nest Capital District.
Prism District A Building 1002.
In the living room, a figure lay weakly on the floor, writhing like a maggot and letting out a long, strange, unintelligible moan.
"Ugh... hungry..."
Wang Xi clutched his stomach, his back arched and his butt in the air, a look of complete despair on his face.
It was only after getting home that he remembered his refrigerator was completely empty.
He'd wanted to order takeout, but he was broke. He'd even had to hitch a ride back with Team Leader Lei Wen; otherwise, he would've had to rely on the "Number 11 bus."
"I should've asked Brother Lin for a salary advance. Right now I just fucking want to eat, eat, eat!"
BEEP BEEP.
Just then, Wang Xi's phone rang again.
He sighed and listlessly reached out, grabbing his phone from the nearby carpet.
The lock screen showed a cute, pink-haired loli who blinked at Wang Xi and said in a sweet voice, "I love you, Master~"
Wang Xi unlocked the screen.
There were several new message notifications, but they were almost all from his female colleague, Zhu Yuhe.
The content was basically about their week off and how she wanted to hang out with him.
'Heh, women. They're just after my good looks.'
Wang Xi pretended not to see them, opting to give her the cold shoulder.
Then he scrolled to the newest message.
Suddenly, his face lit up with joy, and he scrambled up from the floor.
The phone screen displayed:
"Dear Mr. Wang Xi (Third-Class Citizen), your personal account has received a transfer from 'Cupid Housekeeping': 20,000 Credit Points. Current balance: 20,000 Credit Points."
He hadn't expected the company to be so efficient.
He ran into an accident on his first day, and the compensation money arrived that very night.
With money in hand, the first thing Wang Xi did was, of course, order a delicious takeout feast.
Based on the principle of treating himself well, he splurged 200 Credit Points on a set meal from a nearby star-rated restaurant called "Temperamental Sweetheart."
While waiting for his food, Wang Xi opened an online shopping app called "Flying Hat" on his phone.
He directly searched for "Magic Stone."
Soon, a shining, pinned item appeared at the top—
"Today's Magic Stone Price: 105 Credit Points/gram."
'So expensive!'
Wang Xi lamented inwardly.
Although it wasn't comparable to the Gold of his previous life, it was definitely a valuable resource.
Within the Mountain and Sea Federation, Magic Stones were allowed to be traded on the market, but they were under official government control.
The "Hermes Trade Alliance" behind this online shopping platform, much like "Cupid Housekeeping," was on the Overlook Bureau's list of supervised entities.
It was a semi-official organization.
Wang Xi recalled his previous experience of drawing Cards, his expression turning thoughtful.
'The Independent Card Pool that Kaos constructed in my mind requires 100 Energy to draw once. Considering the weight of those few Magic Stones... it should be about 1 gram equals 1 point of Energy.'
He looked at his phone, gritted his teeth, paid a large sum of Credit Points, and placed an order for 170 grams of Magic Stones.
Wang Xi looked at his remaining balance of "1,950," sighed, and was broke again.
He casually browsed the products on the platform, specifically selecting a few Card shops owned by conglomerates and drooling over the dazzling array of Artificial Universal Cards.
There were follower-types like "Housekeeping Doll" and "Guard Mechanical Dog"; item-types like "Muscle Enhancement Injection" and "Steam Backpack"; and equipment-types like "Solomon Civilian Laser Pistol Type I" and "Mark Alloy Armor Set"...
Among the dazzling variety of Cards,
Wang Xi's attention was drawn to one Card in particular—
"Defense Team Basic Body Refining Technique (Technique Card)"
And its price was a staggering 1,000,000!
Wang Xi was secretly dumbfounded.
At the same time, he was a little puzzled.
A Technique Card?
Curious, he clicked on the Card's product information and quickly came to a realization.
In the description, there was a key phrase:
"...Possessing at least one 'Technique Card' is one of the necessary conditions for the Professional Warrior assessment."
'No wonder it's so expensive!'
This Card was essentially a stepping stone to becoming a Professional Warrior.
Wang Xi guessed that the reason this Card was available on the market was most likely a deliberate move by the government.
Perhaps there was a certain threshold, but it also gave the general public a chance for advancement. From a certain perspective, it could also be considered a form of invisible screening.
'If I want to live comfortably in this dangerous world, strength is paramount.'
Wang Xi took a deep breath.
'If this new world is a pyramid, then the path of a Professional Warrior is the fastest and most direct shortcut to the top.'
Is 1,000,000 a lot?
Yes!
But it's also not that much.
Dying on the job once would be enough to cover it.
Wang Xi shook his head, casting the thought of dying on the job aside.
'But there's no way I'm just going to be a wage slave. It would take forever to save up 1,000,000... I can just find a way to get it from the Otherworld!'
He thought to himself.
Although he was completely in the dark about the Otherworld at this stage, he had a gut feeling that it held countless precious treasures.
Especially Extraordinary Power!
The two Universal Cards he had captured from "Wendy" were the main reason he had managed to escape with his life today!
'The cooldown will be over the day after tomorrow. I'll take advantage of the time off to descend again and take a look...'
Wang Xi made up his mind.
Just then,
the doorbell rang. DING-DONG.
"The takeout's here!"
His eyes gleamed as he ran to open the door.
When the door opened, a short girl in a yellow delivery driver's uniform and a motorcycle helmet was standing outside.
The girl wore no makeup, but her features were surprisingly delicate. Her face had a bit of baby fat, making her look young. However, her figure clearly didn't match her face.
She was holding a bag in her hand.
"Delivery driver Number 0173, 'Ning Meng,' at your service! Mr. Wang, your takeout has arrived! Enjoy your meal!"
The girl said this with a straight face, her slightly childish voice speaking in a solemn tone.
As she spoke, she bowed and presented the takeout bag with both hands.
It was as if she were handing over an important document.
Wang Xi was taken aback by her formality.
'Food-grade...'
His old habit flared up again, his gaze sweeping over the girl's body without leaving a trace.
"That's very professional," Wang Xi said with a smile as he took the bag. "Thank you for your hard work, Miss Ning Meng."
Unexpectedly,
the delivery girl took off her helmet, revealing ear-length bobbed hair. Then, from who knows where, she pulled out a black top hat, put it on, and, with a broad smile, held out a small wooden box.
"Courier Number 0101, 'Ning Meng,' delivering an important package for you. Please sign for it, Mr. Wang..."
She deliberately lowered her voice, making it sound a bit more mature and elegant.
Wang Xi was silent for a few seconds.
He took the wooden box, pen, and paper, and signed the delivery slip.
"On behalf of 'Flying Hat Logistics,' I wish you a good night, sir."
Ning Meng tipped the brim of her hat and bowed her head.
Then she silently turned and left.