Chapter 9: Green Eyes (9)

It wasn’t until Shen Qiuxun’s night shift, while listening to a few transport workers chat, that he learned the truth. On that morning he’d woken, Xu Zhiyuan had taken an external transport mission and only returned yesterday.

Rumor had it the transport had run into a Star Pirate crew. Xu Zhiyuan had killed five men by himself, then taken a sub-ship and rammed it directly into the enemy before finally delivering the cargo safe and sound.

‘So he… was still in his Bonding Heat period during all that.’

【Theoretically, yes.】

‘How terrifying.’

【I concur.】

Shen Qiuxun wished he could stab his eardrums deaf. With a wooden face, he continued tallying the day’s goods. Just when it was time to clock out in the evening, the broadcast suddenly ordered all staff to assemble in the warehouse on Basement Level One.

At first, he thought it was just some employee meeting. But upon arriving, several fully armed guards holding guns stood at the door, faces covered in black masks. It was the first time he’d seen a gun in real life, and he felt a twinge of curiosity. Then his sleeve was tugged twice by Ellie.

Ellie mouthed a silent command at him: “Behave.”

Shen Qiuxun nodded, withdrew his gaze, and quietly blended into the crowd of grimy workers. Tall and pale-skinned, he actually stood out somewhat, but everyone was too preoccupied worrying about the meeting, fearing for their own necks, to notice him.

A moment later, several tall, burly transport workers also arrived. Shen Qiuxun looked up and saw the very conspicuous man with green eyes and silver hair standing out in the crowd. The man had to be at least one-ninety, exuding a clear ‘don’t mess with me’ big-shot aura.

The man lifted his eyelids for a glance in Shen Qiuxun’s direction, then withdrew his gaze and stood to the side with his hands in his pockets.

Shen Qiuxun looked down again, accidentally meeting Sister Ellie’s somber brown eyes.

For some reason, he felt a flicker of guilt, like being caught dating behind a parent’s back.

A while later, once everyone was present, the shopkeeper, Jace, dressed in a crisp suit with his hair immaculately styled, finally made his entrance. With a dark expression, he stood on the elevated steps and looked down at them. Several bodyguards stood behind him. It was an innate arrogance and contempt.

Shen Qiuxun suddenly had a bad feeling. He couldn’t shake the sense that this sudden meeting might be related to him. The last thing he wanted was to stand out in this factory.

‘Sometimes, being ordinary is a kind of sticky rice cake.’

【Sticky rice cake?】

‘Yeah, sticky rice cakes are delicious.’

【.】

Jace’s gaze landed on the silver-haired man in the corner. His mind flashed back to the conversation he’d had with Shen Qiuxun that morning, and his hand tightened on the railing.

The other man looked up, meeting his gaze without flinching. He had strong, well-defined features and a strikingly attractive face. Meeting his eyes felt like being targeted by a wild beast—chilling, even though the man was looking up. Yet, his aura was not the slightest bit inferior.

Jace recalled talking with his uncle about Xu Zhiyuan. His uncle, smoking a cigar in the room, had spoken of this transport worker with admiration—admiration he had never shown Jace. And Shen Qiuxun… Shen Qiuxun’s eyes and heart were also filled only with this transport worker. Alphas could always effortlessly do so much. Jace had managed the pharmacy well too.

Jace was the first to look away. He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and spoke, his voice low. “I’ve gathered you all here today because the newly arrived shipment doesn’t match the original order. We suspect someone has been secretly hoarding goods. I suggest whoever did it steps forward voluntarily.”

As soon as he finished, the crowd below began to whisper, the buzz of their voices like a swarm of summer insects.

Everyone was terrified of being implicated.

“Silence!” Jace spoke softly, but the acoustics amplified his volume, and the entire space instantly fell dead quiet. He seemed very satisfied with this commanding posture.

“If no one steps forward, then we will search.” Jace’s expression was stern as he coldly surveyed the crowd below.

A storm was brewing. The workers, drifting like dead leaves, could only silently pray that no trouble would befall them.

After the meeting, everyone quietly returned to their posts. Shen Qiuxun and Ellie went back to reconciling accounts. Their records had no errors. Ellie explained that their section only handled basic medicines; contraband never passed through their hands.

Not long after, the wooden door was pushed open by two security guards. Their eyes swept over Shen Qiuxun with ill intent.

Ellie stepped forward first and transferred three credits to each of them. The guards gestured for her to leave. So, at Ellie’s prompting, Shen Qiuxun reluctantly transferred three credits to each of them as well. With a wooden face, he watched them ransack the place, throwing everything into chaos, before swaggering out.

Shen Qiuxun stared silently at their retreating backs.

Soon after, the clanging sounds of metal colliding came from another room.

Six days’ wages. Shen Qiuxun felt his heart bleeding. He practically felt like a walking corpse sitting at the table. It meant he had worked a whole week for free! This was absolutely the last straw—unforgivable.

Ellie patted his shoulder and explained quietly, “Spending money buys safety… If you don’t give it to them, they get angry. They’ll snatch you up without a word, throw you into the interrogation room, and when you come out, you’ll be half-dead.”

“An interrogation room?”

“You didn’t know? The waters behind this pharmacy run deep. The interrogation room… anyway, it’s terrifying.” Ellie had worked here for a few years and had seen plenty of people walk in and get carried out. Though, because the waters were deep, the pay and benefits were decent.

“Oh.” Shen Qiuxun replied, listless. “Thanks, Sis.”

His shift of unpaid work ended deep into the night. Shen Qiuxun drifted like a ghost on the path back to his small rental room, ready to just shower and sleep.

‘I’m not going to last.’

【Hang in there, you’re the best.】

‘Do you think if I went back to rob them now, I’d make it in time?’

The System cautiously assessed his physique: one seventy-nine, a fairly lean high-schooler build. Calling him weak was a stretch, but… he certainly didn’t look like someone with high combat power.

【But they have guns.】

Shen Qiuxun silently buried his face in his scarf, on the verge of tears. ‘I’m so tired, System. I want to destroy the world.’

【We must practice truth, kindness, and beauty. No destroying the world.】

As he trudged slowly along the road, the conversation of a few people suddenly caught his ear. He stopped to listen when he recognized Xu Zhiyuan’s name.

‘With an employee like me, you should be secretly laughing.’

【My Host is amazing!】

Shen Qiuxun found a corner to eavesdrop. After quite a while, he barely managed to piece together a complete picture. In short: Xu Zhiyuan had been identified as the culprit for stealing goods. He had been punished and sent to the interrogation room, and had even gotten into a fight with the guards.

“…” It was just as he’d suspected during the meeting. Could Jace really be holding a grudge because of their conversation that morning, and had specifically set a trap to get back at Xu Zhiyuan?

【Host, you can play the hero rescuing the man again.】

‘If I go, I’m just handing myself over! What could I even do? Cry and beg Jace, saying I’ll be with you if you just let Xu Zhiyuan go?’

【Uh… that actually sounds plausible?】

‘Plausible my ass, is this some TV drama?’

Shen Qiuxun rubbed his fingers together, pulled the scarf down from his face, and pressed his lips together. After some internal struggle, he decided to keep walking toward his rental room. Better the neighbor die than me.

【But, if you went back now, Xu Zhiyuan might be able to help you get that six credits back.】

Shen Qiuxun’s footsteps halted. A thoughtful glint crossed his dark pupils. “You have a point.”

He looked up at the pitch-black sky. The pale, sickly light of the streetlamp slid down the bridge of his nose, his dark pupils matching the night’s hue.

After a moment, Shen Qiuxun turned and ran back towards the pharmacy. The cool night wind blew his bangs back, revealing his calm, indifferent brows and eyes. His light-colored eyes were hidden beneath his long lashes, as clear and cold as glazed glass within ice and snow.

He ran back to the pharmacy and slipped in through a side door. On Basement Level One, Ellie was still working overtime. She frowned when she saw Shen Qiuxun return, then lowered her head and continued calculating her accounts, ignoring him.

Shen Qiuxun felt a bit guilty. He took off his scarf, crouched down in front of Ellie, and looked up at her. “Sis, do you know where the interrogation room is?”

Ellie stared at her accounts, her lips pressed tightly together, pretending she hadn’t heard.

Shen Qiuxun reached out and tugged on the hem of her clothes, blinking his eyes in a plea for help. “Please, Sister Ellie, just tell me.”

Ellie pulled away from his fingers and turned to find bottles and cans on a white shelf, offering him only her back.

It was clear she couldn’t be bothered. She had probably guessed why he was looking for the interrogation room and was angry, on top of opposing his involvement with Xu Zhiyuan.

Shen Qiuxun hurried after her, reaching out to tug Ellie’s clothes again. “Sister, please help me. You’re the only one who will.”

Finally, Ellie’s patience ran out. She slammed down the can in her hand and glared at him. “I told you not to get close to Alphas. Why won’t you listen?”

‘She loves me so much, System Buddy. This is the care of a Mother.’

【Yeah, long live Mother!】

“I… I really do like him. I won’t get into trouble. Just this once.”

After a long pause, Ellie turned away, avoiding his gaze. Her chest heaved; she was clearly furious. She tossed the can aside, went back to her accounts, and lowered her head. Her voice was cold and hard. “Past the alley, end of the corridor on Basement Level Three.”

“Alright, thanks, Sister Ellie.” Grabbing his scarf, Shen Qiuxun dashed towards the interrogation room.

Behind him, Ellie watched his retreating figure. Some unpleasant memories flashed through her mind. Her hand tightened around the pen she was holding, a hint of pain and worry surfacing in her eyes.

The way to the interrogation room was deserted. The steel stairs creaked and groaned with each step, echoing in the stairwell lit by a single, sickly-white bulb. It was somewhat eerie.

Basement Level Three. The corridor was pitch black. An old-fashioned incandescent lamp hung outside the room at the very end. The walls vibrated with the sounds of unknown screams and violent impacts. The door was made of steel. A nameplate reading “Interrogation Room” — white characters on a black background — hung on the upper left, carrying an inexplicable aura of the gates of hell.

‘Can I really walk out of there alive?’

【Hang in there.】

‘You fing cnt, that’s all you ever say.’

【What does cnt mean?】

‘Forget it, buzz off.’

Shen Qiuxun tried the door handle. It was locked from the inside. He considered whether it would be better to pick the lock or knock.

“They’re basically class allies. We’re both poor. Helping out is normal.” He steadied his nerves with that thought.

He didn’t have much time. He pulled the wire from his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole. The lock was a bit complex, so it took him an extra minute. He carefully opened the door. The first thing he saw was a male body sprawled on the floor directly facing the door, foaming at the mouth. He wasn’t sure if it was still breathing, so calling it a corpse was uncertain.

Shen Qiuxun closed his eyes for a moment, stepped inside, and shut the door behind him. The interrogation room was frighteningly large, practically a small prison. On the wall opposite the door hung interrogation tools caked with dark, dried blood. Walking past a corner, he saw iron cages used to hold people lining both sides. The cage doors hung wide open. Bodies lay strewn across the floor. Among them, he could spot a few still alive, but their limbs were convulsing as they coughed up bloody foam.

‘Can Xu Zhiyuan even still be alive?’

【Maybe.】

‘Wow, so sophisticated, you’re even using foreign words now.’

【Thank you.】