Chapter 26: A Sense of World Collapse
As for how to do it specifically, Xiao Xiao wasn’t quite sure in his mind for the moment.
The main reason is that my current understanding of this world and the strengthening path is still too shallow, and I can’t figure out the logic behind it, so I don’t dare to take risks easily.
If I strengthen these three cute dogs, to what level will their power be elevated?
What is the inner core factor that determines whether strengthening will succeed?
All of this is something that the current Xiao Xiao does not understand, so he truly feels that every point he spends now carries an inherent element of gambling.
It’s just that this kind of question wasn’t easy to ask Ruanruan about.
These enhancement designers clearly despised this kind of gambling dog route, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask Yang Jia either.
He still owed the other party a hundred points, yet he came running with a hundred points to enhance three dogs—the whole thing sounded a bit excessive.
What’s the difference between borrowing money to go get a foot massage!!
……
……
Arriving at the workplace, I changed into my work clothes and began another day of earning money and honing my skills.
I just lent Nono two thousand yuan, which is exactly four days of my salary, and I’m not sure if she’ll pay it back.
It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t pay me back anyway. I can just bring her dogs over myself. These three destructive mutts are a bit silly, but their pedigree is genuinely pure, and they’re worth quite a bit of money…
While Xiao Xiao was lost in these wild thoughts, he suddenly discovered a new path to wealth.
These three dogs are so obedient. Why don’t I just steal them, sell them, and then secretly command them to run back, then find other buyers to sell them to again…
…This snowball rolling back and forth should help me get rich quick, right?
With this thought in mind, he dawdled until noon, and after lunch, Xiao Xiao sat on the sofa in Warehouse No. 2 enjoying the air conditioning.
The foreman walked past him with a temporary container dispatch form in hand, casting a sidelong glance his way.
If he saw someone else enjoying the air conditioning here, he would probably start cursing directly. Although the air conditioning stayed on even when he wasn’t around, he simply couldn’t stand the sight of people coming here to freeload on the cool air.
But since it was Xiao Xiao, that was fine.
This workaholic kid finally learned how to rest, and I actually felt a sense of relief……
“Hey, kid, there’s a delivery job. Why don’t you go run it with someone!”
It was Huang Mao who couldn’t stand Xiao Xiao’s lazy demeanor, flicked the cigarette butt in his hand away, and came over to tell him.
There were occasionally delivery jobs to outside places at the dock, but they all came with extra pay, and most of it went into the foreman’s pocket, so no one was willing to do it and preferred to stay here and rest.
This delivery order was originally supposed to be Huang Mao’s turn to run, but he came over and ordered Xiao Xiao to do it instead.
Xiao Xiao glanced at the temporary dispatch sheet left by the foreman on the table, said nothing, and silently followed him out the door. Just as he finished loading the goods onto the truck, he saw the foreman approaching with his men.
Seeing Xiao Xiao on the truck, the foreman asked curiously: “How come it’s you going?”
Xiao Xiao replied: “Huang Mao said his foot was hurting, so he asked me to run this delivery for him.”
“Foot pain?”
The foreman let out a cold chuckle and didn’t ask further. He waved to the remaining workers and said, “Come on, everyone follow me. The west warehouse just called for an emergency transfer. We need to move everything in three hours.”
All the dock workers were taken aback. They had thought the afternoon would be leisurely, just playing cards and chatting to pass the time. Who could have expected this sudden emergency transfer job? It was going to be exhausting.
Yellowhair immediately ran toward the truck: “Foreman, you said this morning I was supposed to go out for deliveries…”
“Damn it…”
The foreman grabbed him back: “Didn’t you just say your foot hurts and you can’t make the delivery?”
Yellowhair protested: “If my foot hurts, I can’t move the containers even more…”
“Damn it, if you can’t move them, have your Uncle Wang come over and move them for me…”
The foreman grabbed him and threw him into the crowd, cursing: “All you think about is slacking off. Do you really think my wool is so easy to pluck?”
“After all, I’m half a capitalist…”
“……”
Under the envious gazes of a group of workers, especially the blond one, Xiao Xiao followed the truck and drove out of the dock.
Xiao Xiao didn’t need to worry about where the goods were being delivered; he simply followed along to the destination and unloaded the cargo.
Although this errand didn’t pay much, it was far more relaxed compared to the people who stayed at the dock for three hours handling an urgent batch of cargo dispatch.
Soon, they arrived at a shopping mall in the lower district. The cargo was unloaded, the paperwork was signed, and the job was done—the whole thing took less than an hour.
Since it was still early, Xiao Xiao rested by the roadside with the truck driver and another loader.
Everyone agreed they absolutely would not go back before finishing the work at the dock.
Although Xiao Xiao’s purpose in working at the dock was to train himself, he also felt he should respect this job.
Whenever there was an opportunity to slack off, one must definitely slack off—this was the most basic respect for the job.
The street was bustling with activity, which for this group of construction workers who spent every day facing the tall, cold, hard warehouses and a bunch of bosses at the dock, was like an unreachable world of glamour. They watched beautifully dressed girls walk proudly down the street, elegant ladies with crossbody bags whiling away an afternoon in cafes, and while smoking they sighed: “Damn, that woman’s legs are really long…”
Xiao Xiao couldn’t fully integrate into their conversation circle, but couldn’t help thinking about it anyway.
The same scenery might indeed look different to different people. For instance, he was just thinking, if you were to tear off the shiny, glamorous human skin of those people…
…wouldn’t there be a slimy tentacle monster hidden underneath?
Lost in thought, a group of girls dressed scantily, some even with tattoos extending to their necks, walked across the street from them, linking arms and laughing loudly as they passed in front of the group.
The smoking dock worker quickly averted his gaze from them. They dared to eye the elegant ladies in the coffee shop with fiery looks—if you’ve got the guts, come out and fight me!
But they didn’t dare to look closely at these more scantily and sexily dressed delinquent girls—because they really would dare to throw a punch.
It was Xiao Xiao who suddenly froze, his gaze falling on Nono in the white dress among this group of delinquent girls, being held around the neck by a girl with flower tattoos covering both her arms, walking in the middle of them.
His eyes turned toward them, preparing to greet them.
But unexpectedly, Nono saw him, and her face suddenly became awkward. She deliberately looked away, pretending not to have seen him.
Xiao Xiao’s greeting was thus held back. He watched as they laughed loudly with giggling sounds, walking into a small alley behind the mall.
……
……
In the coffee shop, there was an elegant woman wearing sunglasses and well-fitted clothes, sitting by the window. The quiet sunlight fell gently upon her, creating the most pleasing sight in the city.
She held her coffee cup, watching a group of young girls laugh and play as they walked past the glass window, especially noticing the fear on the face of the girl among them.
The coffee brought close to her lips paused slightly, as if lost in thought.
……
……
“Another bunch of truant little bastards……”
Outside the coffee shop, the dock workers waited until the group of laughing girls was out of sight before muttering curses under their breath: “If I’d had those conditions back then, I would’ve studied hard for sure.”
The person next to him laughed and said, “Wasn’t it because you didn’t study hard back then that you ended up doing this?”
“If I had known I’d be doing this now, I should have studied hard back then…”
The driver laughed and said, “But it’s too late for us to say this now. At least Xiao Xiao still has a chance. Hey, where is Xiao Xiao?”
While they were chatting idly, Xiao Xiao always felt something strange in his heart, so he followed that group of girls to the second-floor platform beside the mall. Following along with them, it was inevitable that he would be discovered, especially since Nuonuo was unwilling to acknowledge him on the street. If he appeared again, it would seem improper. Therefore, he quietly stood on the second floor, listening to the group of girls below his feet, giggling and chattering about something or other.
“Didn’t you guys say you wanted two thousand?”
Nono’s voice sounded like a panicked small animal at this moment: “I already gave it to you, just let me go back…”
“Who said anything about two thousand?”
The girl with a high ponytail and tattoos reaching down to her chin laughed: “Besides, isn’t your family rich? Is two thousand even a big deal for you?”
“I really don’t have any money left……”
Nono pleaded: “My mom only gives me money once a month, and this time I had to borrow from the neighbors……”
“Then just go borrow again……”
A girl’s voice beside her turned fierce: “Didn’t you say you wanted to apologize to us? Shouldn’t an apology show some sincerity?”
“……”
“Is it just kids bullying someone?”
Xiao Xiao listened for a moment from the second floor and had already understood what was happening downstairs. He shook his head and prepared to leave.
Unexpectedly, this world had already become a playground for monsters, yet he could still witness such a thing. He found himself somewhat indifferent to it. He had seen his mother wanting to raise a knife and chop him to pieces, seen his high school classmate crawl out from inside human skin, and endured four years of painful torment. In such a twisted and absurd city, he even unconsciously felt that this was nothing more than a trivial matter.
“Please, I’m begging you… spare me…”
At this moment, Nuonuo’s crying voice rang out from below: “I’ve agreed to everything you said, so why won’t you just let me go……”
This voice made Xiao Xiao silently stop in her tracks.
Perhaps it was indeed just a small matter, and they were all monsters, part of this vast city, and even everything that happened between them was merely some kind of objective operating law.
But the despair and pain in that little girl’s crying voice made Xiao Xiao unable to stand by and do nothing.
This is the only thing he feels is real right now.