While waiting for the train at the platform, Wang Xi was playing on his phone when he noticed he had been added to a work group chat called "Cupid Housekeeping, Cleaning Department, Group Two."
"Welcome to our handsome newcomer!"
The message was from his female colleague, Zhu Yuhe.
She even included an emoji of a cartoon cheerleader.
"Welcome, welcome."
"I was busy with other things the past couple of days and forgot to add you."
"Paid leave was so nice, I forgot too."
"You're not mad, are you, Xiao Wang? (sucking a lollipop)"
The rest of his colleagues in Group Two started to chime in.
Wang Xi smiled and sent a message:
"Not mad at all."
After the brief welcoming ceremony, the conversation shifted.
The colleagues started chatting about other topics.
"I heard Du Chuan died."
"Huh?!"
"No way!"
"..."
Wang Xi's brow furrowed slightly.
He then recalled that Du Chuan was the twin brother who had been injured in a disaster aftermath during his first field assignment.
'I can't believe he died in the line of duty.'
"He was too badly injured. They couldn't save him."
"Luckily his younger brother Du Bo survived, but I'm afraid he won't be able to walk anymore. He's permanently disabled."
"What?"
"Sigh, if only they could have bought some high-Quality Universal Cards, he could have been saved,"
group leader Lei Wen chimed in.
"Or if he had first-class citizenship, the hospitals would have prioritized him with their best equipment and procedures. That would've worked too."
"But that's just not an option for us..."
The group chat went silent for a moment.
Everyone understood, of course.
But if they had money and power, who would be willing to risk their lives to be a Cleaner?
"Lei, let's talk about something else,"
Miss Gao Fen said.
Clearly, the topic was too heavy.
"Um, management messaged me. They said the company is short-staffed and asked me to see if you guys are free to work some overtime."
"Is there overtime pay?"
"Same as always, 3,000 Credit Points a day."
"I'll pass. I'm busy preparing for the amateur Hero assessment next week."
"Yu Zihan isn't going. Anyone else?"
The colleagues in the group chattered.
In the end, only Luo Ziliang and Zhu Yuhe were willing to work overtime. Even the group leader, Lei Wen, was busy taking his kid to a tutoring class and wasn't free.
Seeing this, Wang Xi replied:
"I'll go too."
'Working unpaid overtime for the company? Only a crazy person would do that. But for 3,000 Credit Points a day? I'm the most passionate, dedicated employee you'll ever meet.'
Wang Xi absolutely loved working overtime.
His old colleagues used to call him the "King of Frenzied Fire."
"Xiao Wang is going too? Alright, I'll sign the three of you up. Head straight to the company in a bit. You can even snag a hot meal."
Group leader Lei Wen sent the thoughtful message.
Wang Xi glanced at the time. It was already 11:30. Taking the rail car from the Illusion Light District to the Dawn District, plus walking time, he probably wouldn't make it in time for the meal.
He sighed inwardly. 'There go a few dozen Credit Points!'
HMMMM—
A loud electronic whistle sounded.
The rail car, shaped like a silver bullet, arrived at the station.
…
…
By the time Wang Xi arrived at the company, it was almost one in the afternoon.
In the magnificent first-floor lobby, aside from the receptionist Jiali, a girl in a black dress with smoky makeup, there was only the fat supervisor, Lin Zhifeng.
Wang Xi walked into the lobby and immediately saw a new photo on the wall of honor behind the front desk, in the "Gold Medal Employee" section.
It was a man with a brilliant, beaming smile.
"Du Chuan, outstanding Cleaner, Cleaning Department, Group Two."
Wang Xi glanced at it, then looked away. For some reason, he felt a slight sense of melancholy.
Although he had never interacted with the man, not even exchanged a single word, it still felt unpleasant.
Perhaps.
'This is just the norm for those at the bottom in this new world.'
"Xiao Wang, you're here."
Lin Zhifeng got up from the sofa and walked over quickly.
He put an arm around Wang Xi's shoulder and stuffed a set of car keys into his hand.
"Brother Lin, what's this?" Wang Xi asked, confused.
"Yuhe and Xiao Liang got here before you. They've been assigned to help sort things in the warehouse... As for you, I have another arrangement."
As he spoke, Lin Zhifeng pulled Wang Xi outside.
"We have a batch of recently processed disaster-remnant materials that needs to be rushed to the Overlook Bureau's acceptance department. They have a branch over in the Melting Furnace District. You need to take these materials and deliver them right away."
"Deliver materials?" Wang Xi feigned ignorance, scratching his head. "Brother Lin, I don't know how to drive."
The two had already reached the parking lot behind the building, stopping next to a black hover sedan. Lin Zhifeng patted Wang Xi's shoulder and took out two Cards.
"Not knowing how to drive is no problem. The company is prepared for that."
Wang Xi took them and looked.
[Hovercar Basic Driving (Skill Card)]
[Quality: White One Star (Not upgradeable)]
[Universal Artificial Card. A work-related Skill Card produced by Shanshan Conglomerate, certified by the Overlook Bureau, and manufactured by Mountain and Sea Workshop.]
[Upon use, you will master the basic ability to drive a Hovercar.]
The other Artificial Universal Card was:
[Funeral Vault Type I (Equipment Card)]
[Quality: White Two Stars (Not upgradeable)]
[A patented Card from Cupid Housekeeping. A controlled-type storage tool with technology licensed from Gear Conglomerate, certified by the Overlook Bureau, and manufactured by Mountain and Sea Workshop. Has a 20-foot container's worth of volume. (Record Code A013: Currently full)]
[Upon use, you can retrieve or deploy the Funeral Vault. Warning: Please use in an open area.]
"After you get in the car, remember to place the Card with the materials into its designated slot. Then just follow the route given by the car's navigation. It's very simple."
Lin Zhifeng opened the car door and smiled.
Wang Xi raised an eyebrow. 'Well, that's convenient.'
But he didn't rush into the driver's seat. Instead, he turned to the fat supervisor and asked curiously:
"Brother Lin, why not have Brother Xiao Liang deliver the materials? I remember he used to drive the clearance vehicle. This job would be a piece of cake for him, right?"
"You're new. This is a chance for you to get some experience."
Lin Zhifeng smiled and gave him a meaningful look.
"More importantly, delivering the materials requires you to interact with the personnel from the Overlook Bureau. You can take this opportunity to get to know them. It'll definitely be good for your future... I have high hopes for you. You're not going to be stuck in the cleaning department for life."
"You're too kind, Brother Lin."
Wang Xi thanked him, feigning being overwhelmed by the favor.
He got into the driver's seat of the black Hovercar and, as Lin Zhifeng instructed, placed the "Funeral Vault" Artificial Card into the marked indentation to the side of the steering wheel.
After doing so, Wang Xi activated the Skill Card.
With a flash of white light, his mind was instantly filled with all sorts of driving techniques for the Hovercar, as well as some traffic regulations.
Touching the V-shaped steering wheel, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he were a veteran driver with over a decade of experience.
He inserted the key and started the ignition.
WHIRRR—
The Ether Battery released a powerful surge of Energy. The Hovercar's chassis ejected an invisible stream of air, laced with blue-purple electrical arcs that distorted the air around it, lifting the entire vehicle half a meter off the ground.
As the four support struts slowly retracted, Lin Zhifeng stepped back a few paces and called out instructions:
"Drive slowly and be careful on the road. Make sure you follow the navigation and don't take a wrong turn."
"Got it, Brother Lin."
With a look of novelty on his face, as excited as a child with a new toy, Wang Xi waved goodbye.
Immediately, the black Hovercar drove out of the parking lot, passed through the Cupid Housekeeping gate, and disappeared down the street.
Lin Zhifeng watched until the Hovercar was out of sight.
A flicker of pain and struggle passed through his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Wang..."
…
…
"Sorry, Brother Lin."
Wang Xi muttered, one hand on the steering wheel.
He took his other hand out of his pocket and stopped the recording on his phone.
'I was just being careful.'
In fact, from the moment Lin Zhifeng suggested he deliver the materials, Wang Xi had subconsciously felt that something was wrong. He clearly remembered the strange smile on the fat supervisor's face the last time he took a materials Card from Group Two.
Mentioning Xiao Liang earlier had just been a test.
Lin Zhifeng's answer had seemed flawless, but it only deepened Wang Xi's suspicions.
If delivering the materials was so important, it was even more unlikely that it would be handed over to a rookie who had only been on the job for a few days, just because of a simple "I have high hopes for you."
So, Wang Xi had secretly recorded their entire conversation as a piece of evidence to protect himself.
He didn't know what scheme Lin Zhifeng was plotting, but having seen plenty of workplace treachery in his past life, he knew how to make sure no blame would stick to him.
WHIRRR—
The Hovercar traveled in the designated right-hand lane, crisscrossing with the rail car in the center lane.
Wang Xi thought it over and over, but still felt it wasn't safe enough.
So he dialed the Security Bureau, but didn't connect the call. He then placed his phone to the side, ready to report it at a moment's notice.
'Lin Zhifeng, you'd better not be trying to screw me over...'
He shook his head.
Having taken these precautions, he finally started driving toward the Overlook Bureau's branch in the Melting Furnace District, following the car's navigation.
The experience of driving a Hovercar was incredible.
Even for Wang Xi, who was used to driving luxury or electric cars in his previous life, there was simply no comparison.
The Hovercar had almost no vibration or noise. Its speed, responsiveness, handling, and the feeling of being pushed back into the seat were all top-tier, just like flying a plane.
Although he'd never flown a plane.
But he played flight simulators occasionally, so he figured it was probably similar.
This made Wang Xi reflect with even more emotion that while the new world was scarred by extraordinary disasters, it had also absorbed nutrients from them.
Human technology was developing rapidly to adapt to this increasingly dangerous environment.
「Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.」
Wang Xi finally arrived at the Melting Furnace District, located on the border of Valley City. Countless factories were built here, with giant, monument-like concrete "smokestacks" standing tall.
Thick smoke billowed.
The CLANGING and BANGING was deafening.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but even the air felt significantly hotter. Large swaths of factory buildings were clearly demarcated, located on one side of the road.
Compared to city centers like the Nest Capital District and the Dawn District, the flow of traffic and people here was noticeably less.
Just as he rounded a bend and entered a deserted factory area with not a soul in sight, Wang Xi slammed on the brakes.
VRRMMMM—
The black Hovercar stopped at the factory entrance.
'Did I take a wrong turn?'
Wang Xi checked the car's navigation again and again. He had clearly been following the route, and the destination was only two blocks away, but the straight road that had been displayed now led to this abandoned factory.
Looking at the wrecks of vehicles and piles of scrap metal scattered all around, a sense of unease washed over Wang Xi.
'Something's wrong!'
He acted decisively, immediately shifting into reverse and turning the steering wheel all the way to the left.
The Hovercar traced a graceful arc on the spot, about to leave the way it came.
PEW—
A faint, sharp sound suddenly pierced the air!
Wang Xi's scalp went numb.
He had heard that sound before...
It was the sound of a Laser Gun firing!