Chapter 14: Strength is an Instinct
Xiao Xiao had come to a deep understanding that to survive in this bizarre and malicious world, the only thing one could do was to make oneself stronger.
Whether it was confronting mutated creatures like rat-men, earning more points, or dealing with the countless malicious threats that were omnipresent and could emerge at any moment, he needed to master more powerful forces.
Thus, after following the designer lady’s suggestions and undergoing enhancement with violence factors, he began actively requesting training, hoping to become stronger in a short period of time.
I’m just a newcomer, and I was guided into this world by two gentle and beautiful older sisters, so it’s only reasonable that you would take me for training, right?
But unexpectedly, Ruanruan’s response was very surprised: “Training? What kind of training?”
“Just…”
Xiao Xiao suddenly became confused too: “Just the kind of training to make oneself quickly become stronger?”
“Oh, we don’t have that.”
Soft took a moment to react before understanding what Xiao Xiao was referring to, and laughed: “This world isn’t a place where you can gain better odds just by working harder. The improvements you understand from training are far inferior to the physical enhancements brought by a single dose of violent factor serum. As for combat awareness or experience dealing with mutated creatures, once you’ve dealt with enough of them, you naturally understand—do you really need training for that?”
She laughed as she spoke: “Brother Xiao, I think you’ll understand very soon.”
“Strength is actually an instinct we’re born with.”
“……”
Xiao Xiao didn’t know how to respond to her words, so he could only accept her explanation.
But he still felt that the organization of outsiders in this city didn’t seem quite professional.
Thieves stealing electric bikes are even running training programs here, and it’s completely unmanaged…
They don’t even do military training?
However, I have to admit that after using violent factor serums one batch after another, he also felt a noticeable change.
Previously, he had been confined to his home for four years, and coupled with the mental torment caused by his panic disorder flaring up from time to time, his body had become much weaker than that of an ordinary person, existing in a state of serious sub-health.
However, after using the first dose of the drug, he felt his physical condition recovering rapidly, and the weakness and fatigue seemed to disappear overnight.
After using the second dose of the drug, he even felt his physical fitness continuously improving, as if he were experiencing the effects of daily exercise.
And after using the third dose of the drug, a more pronounced “abnormality” appeared.
If he had to describe it, Xiao Xiao would be willing to characterize it as an “impulse”—something hidden deep within his body, an “impulse” whose existence he could only occasionally perceive.
Ordinarily, Xiao Xiao already possessed excellent physical condition, but whenever he occasionally triggered this sense of “impulse,” his body would suddenly and unexpectedly burst forth with a strange and peculiar force.
It was as if adrenaline had suddenly surged, breaking through his own power limit.
At this moment, Xiao Xiao was already very certain that the soft designer had not deceived him—the violence factor was indeed miraculous.
But was it really as she said, that strength was merely an instinct, and all he needed to do now was lie flat after using the agent?
Xiao Xiao felt there might be some truth to what she said, but he still didn’t want to give up training.
Even if the improvement that training brings to oneself is negligible, it’s still better than nothing.
Besides, Xiao Xiao felt he had been idle long enough. Four years of dark, torturous life had made him desperately crave everything about the outside world.
Of course, when it came to training, he didn’t have the usual training conditions, and even going to a gym was beyond his financial means.
The designer lady had previously told him that in this world, points could buy anything, but Xiao Xiao discovered a problem:
Points could indeed buy everything in this city, but they couldn’t buy money…
Perhaps after accumulating more points, he could find many ways to exchange them for money, such as the simplest method Soft Soft had mentioned before:
In this city, theoretically, every person and every thing belongs to the city.
And strangers can exchange every kind of thing with the city through points.
So, theoretically, he could even buy a person, and that person would then belong to him according to the city’s logic.
Perhaps the two parties have no blood relations or kinship ties, yet he would be extraordinarily loyal to us, selfless, diligently working and earning money for our use, even willing to die for us.
……
This is a behavior that, while strange, conforms to the logic of the city.
Of course, even without the participation of the city’s will, certain creatures known as simps can do the same.
What a pity, Xiao Xiao didn’t have a simp, only three vicious dogs that could only act cute and destroy the house. He couldn’t possibly expect them to work and support themselves, right?
So he quietly thought, perhaps he should find a job?
Xiao Xiao looked up at this city so prosperous it made people dizzy, and felt a bit sad in his heart: “I’ve already entered a fake world, and I still need to find a job… how real!”
But there was no way around it. Ruan Ruan had warned him that in this world, he also had to follow the law.
It is said that there were once some powerful beings in this world who were accustomed to defying the rules of this world, but ultimately, they all met tragic ends.
Indulgence is a bad habit.
But when it came time to find a job, Xiao Xiao discovered a strange problem: as such a special existence as a foreigner, finding work… was surprisingly difficult.
Four years ago, he had been confined at home due to illness for a full four years, neither taking the college entrance exam nor having any work experience. As a result, he only had a high school diploma. In this prosperous metropolis, there were towering, densely packed office buildings everywhere and office workers dressed up all fancy and proper. Yet his blank resume meant he didn’t even qualify to be exploited by capitalists like those mediocre office workers…
He spent two or three days constantly submitting resumes and attending interviews, yet came away with nothing—a coldness that was infuriating.
When malice descends, everyone in this world will despise you.
But now, even though no malice has descended, Xiao Xiao felt that they were still despising him.
It was his mother who unexpectedly discovered that Xiao Xiao was leaving early and returning late, and had actually started looking for a job. She was suddenly both surprised and delighted: “My child has grown up and become sensible. Now that he has a girlfriend, he knows how to earn money…”
But seeing Xiao Xiao’s disappointed expression, she was considerate and took the initiative to comfort him, saying: “Don’t overexert yourself at the beginning. If it doesn’t work out, why don’t you come with me to the mall to sell meat?”
Xiao Xiao coldly rejected the offer.
He was one of the few people in this city, and had already been enhanced by three genetic serums, his physical abilities reaching the peak of an ordinary person. Yet go to the mall with her to sell meat?
He proudly refused his mother’s offer and found a well-paid job suitable for himself through online search.
Black Water Bay Dock Stevedore.
Daily wage settlement, five hundred per day, no educational background required, no relevant work experience needed, no requirements for facial features or body shape.
“Five hundred a day, and with perfect attendance for a month it’s fifteen thousand, and it’s settled daily.”
Xiao Xiao sighed: “It’s perfect for me. Not only can it solve my financial problems, but it can also help me exercise.”
The only downside was that going to the dock to work as a loader seemed a bit embarrassing.
But in the next moment, he thought it through: I’m already in a world full of monsters, so why should I worry about vanity?
The next day, he took the subway to this dock located in the southwestern corner of the city, where he saw towering shipping containers and cargo piled up like mountains.
In this city, although most of the heavy work has been highly mechanized, there is still a considerable portion that requires human participation.
But you could see how grueling this work was. When Xiao Xiao walked into the warehouse break room, he saw men of various sizes, their faces bearing the rough texture worn by hard labor.
Wearing blue work pants with towels of indeterminate color draped over their shoulders, they squatted by the wall drinking tea or smoking cigarettes, their eyes glancing at this fair-skinned young man.
“You’re here to work as a loader?”
The foreman with a scar across his face looked less like a factory worker and more like a street-level boss.
He didn’t even glance at the resume, just gave a cold sneer and cast a sideways look at the lean-framed Xiao Xiao, then let out a scoff and spit on the ground beside him.
The people around them all laughed, their eyes sweeping across Xiao Xiao with contempt.
Xiao Xiao fell silent under their gazes for a moment, then walked over to a nearby pile of cargo, crossed his arms, and felt the weight was too heavy to move, but he simply closed his eyes slightly and pushed hard with both arms with a “whoosh.”
A strange and indescribable force surged from deep within his body, and he actually managed to firmly lift up a huge wooden crate.
He walked around steadily in a circle, then set it back down, without even a noticeable change in his breathing.
The eyes of the people around shifted slightly.
The violent factor was indeed a miraculous element. Xiao Xiao’s physical appearance didn’t seem to have changed much compared to before, yet he could occasionally burst forth with powerful force.
“I didn’t expect you to have some spunk in you, kid.”
The foreman rubbed his ruddy nose and said nothing more, just let out a cold laugh as he spoke to Xiao Xiao: “But the work here is tiring and grueling. I doubt a young fellow like you has the patience to endure it here…”
“But I’m willing to bet you won’t last even a week before you have to get out.”
“……”
Xiao Xiao didn’t talk back to him about this.
Whether he could last a week or not—what did it really matter? Besides, it was daily wages anyway.
As for being tired and wearing, isn’t that just what life is like?
Yang Jia and the others didn’t even arrange a military training session for themselves, so she could only find ways to seek opportunities for tempering herself.
Speaking of tempering, what can hone a person more than life itself?