Chapter 7: Salary and Benefits

“Delicious.” Chu Hengkong finished most of his bowl of noodles and looked up with praise.

After returning to headquarters, Huaisu’s father slipped away unnoticed, leaving the two new partners to explore the canteen together. At this hour, there were only a few pieces of roast goose left, but the cooks here were generous. Not only did they add fried tofu and goose liver to the noodle bowl, they also prepared a large plate of sizzling squid. The thick chunks of squid were coated in a rich sauce, and the sizzling oil droplets around the iron plate brought Chu Hengkong momentarily back to the bustling street stalls of his hometown.

In no time, he polished off the rice noodles and squid, then dipped into an unfamiliar green vegetable dish with the squid sauce. The satisfaction from the high-calorie food effectively dispelled his fatigue after battle. Leaning against the wooden chair in the canteen, Chu Hengkong happily squinted his eyes.

“The chef’s skills are quite good.”

Opposite him, Ji Huaisu thought he resembled a large animal—after a full meal, he would just narrow his eyes as if ready to fall asleep at any moment. She called toward the kitchen, “Chef, a newcomer’s praising you.”

“Hey! Glad you’re satisfied!”

The chef jogged over, wiping his greasy hands on his clothes. He was a somewhat scruffy man in his early thirties, wearing a dirty baseball cap and clutching a worn copy of “Zhengxuan Herbal Miscellany,” which he seemed to have been studying recently. Chu Hengkong recognized him—it was the same man who had brought the late-night snack to the interrogation room earlier.

Unfortunately, the better bowl had been claimed by Ji Huaisu...

“Let me introduce you. This is Xie An, the team’s chef and logistics supervisor. If you ever come across rare medicinal ingredients, you can pass them to him to handle,” Ji Huaisu said. “This is Chu Hengkong, a newcomer who just crossed over today, temporarily joining the team as extra combat power.”

“First day and already taking down a wanted criminal? This rookie’s got promise!” Xie An stepped forward to shake hands. “Which Dust Island are you from?”

Dust Island—a term Ji Huaisu had mentioned before. Given their casual attitude toward crossing over, it seemed to be akin to a “world” or “dimension” concept...

Chu Hengkong kept a straight face. “Just an ordinary Dust Island. No demons, no tentacles, and no dragons.”

“My goodness! Such a peaceful place still exists in this world?” Xie An exclaimed dramatically, genuine sympathy in his eyes. “Buddy, you’re really unlucky... You should realize that life here is a bit more stressful than back home.”

“Don’t scare the rookie,” Ji Huaisu shot him a sharp glance.

“But now that you’re in the team, you’ve got an organization! As long as you don’t cause trouble, Captain Huaisu’s got your back!” Xie An grinned mischievously. “Unlike me, a humble cook, she’s the backbone of the team—brave and invincible, even demons salute her. Remember not to offend her on the job if you value your life.”

Ji Huaisu pretended not to hear, refusing to stoop to his slippery tongue. Chu Hengkong listened with interest and asked, “And Mr. Ji is?”

“You mean her old man?” Xie An laughed. “He’s not part of the team, he’s the respected lord of Huilong City!”

Chu Hengkong genuinely surprised himself; he hadn’t expected the dog-headed strategist-type man to be a city lord. He turned to ask, “The city lord’s daughter works as a frontline police officer?”

“There’s nobody else on the team, so even the city lord’s daughter has to do the grunt work!” Ji Huaisu snapped fiercely. “If we weren’t really short-handed, would we have hired you?”

“Looks like I can expect a paycheck. How does salary work here?”

“Leave that to me; I handle the accounts,” Xie An said, wagging his finger. “Ordinary team members get a fixed salary, with deductions for insurance and housing allowance, netting about 15,000 Flow Pearls a month. That’s mid-to-upper class in the city—enough for a quality life and to save a bit. But...”

Chu Hengkong perked up, knowing that “but” usually meant the real point was coming. Ji Huaisu picked up the thread: “Since you’re a half-hired temporary member, you have another option: no base salary, but a fixed 4,000 Flow Pearls for taking down small crime gangs, and you get the full bounty, pre-tax, for taking down wanted criminals like Hugos. Which do you choose?”

“Obviously the second,” Chu Hengkong said without hesitation. Compared to a fixed salary, this order-based pay more suited his lifestyle. “The government pays well; thanks for the hundred thousand today.”

“No problem with the money,” Xie An smiled slyly. “But first, you have to turn in Hugos’ relics as per regulations.”

Relics?

Hugos was grievously wounded but still alive, so he obviously wouldn’t have left behind much. So this must be...

“This?” Chu Hengkong pulled out Hugos’ iron ring from his coat. Originally pitch-black like cast iron, it had somehow turned white.

“Such equipment is called a relic—a tool imbued with specific memories. Most relics are somewhat dangerous and must be turned in promptly,” Ji Huaisu explained.

Chu Hengkong immediately pocketed the ring. “The government’s too big to be interested in my small spoils.”

“Looking at you, who knows who’s greedy,” Ji Huaisu snorted. “If you want to keep the gear, fine! Chef, do the math.”

Xie An pulled out a grimy notebook and began tallying on the spot.

“Alex’s pendant counts as your personal loot, so it’s not included. For Hugos’ case alone, your base bounty is 100,000 Flow Pearls—that’s enough to live like a millionaire for a month. Breakfast: city ham sandwich with fresh truffle scrambled goose eggs; lunch: swampwood oven-roasted goose with shark fin; dinner: stone-cooked cheese risotto, plus assorted fresh sashimi from the sea...”

The chef described the meals so vividly that Ji Huaisu swallowed hard beside Chu Hengkong. He quickly interrupted before his own stomach growled, “What if I don’t hand over the ring?”

Xie An shook his head. “That’s different! With the ring, you get a friendly discount: 50,000, leaving you 50,000...”

“Only 10,000 left,” Chu Hengkong corrected. “Transfer 40,000 to the shop owner’s account as compensation for mental anguish.”

Ji Huaisu arched an eyebrow. “You stingy guy suddenly generous now?”

Chu Hengkong smiled. “Back in the gang, that was the rule. If you broke something, you had to pay extra until neighbors were satisfied. A gang’s survival depended on local support—lose respect, no matter how strong, the gang would fall apart and killers wouldn’t get jobs.”

“High moral standards for a newbie! Sounds like your old clients were powerful folks,” Xie An praised. “So you have 10,000 Flow Pearls left. Forget beef and lamb, but chicken, duck, and fish are plentiful. If you get hungry late, call the senior chef for ‘aged soy sauce fried fresh egg rice,’ and drinks include ‘Huilong City fashionable sparkling water.’ Sometimes you can even have roast duck—life’s flavorful.”

“Only you could make street stall fried rice with cola sound so good,” Chu Hengkong found the man amusing. “Alright, I’ll take it.”

Xie An’s tone shifted: “But! Your monthly salary will have deductions for public funds, insurance, and taxes. After all that, your take-home pay is...”

Xie An placed a transparent orb on the table, swirling with deep blue liquid inside. The so-called “Flow Pearls” looked familiar—fanatics carried similar items, just in different sizes.

“One hundred Flow Pearls,” Xie An said solemnly.

Chu Hengkong took the meager pay, pondering, “What can 100 Flow Pearls buy?”

“‘Pure natural organic boiled noodles,’ forget about roast goose,” Ji Huaisu grinned mischievously. “Think carefully—are you really going to hold onto that ring?”

“I’ll just do more jobs. No way I’m letting go!” Chu Hengkong was resolute.

“Ha!” Ji Huaisu held out her hand. “Hurry up and give me the ring, the pendant, and that book with eyes.”

Chu Hengkong recoiled slightly. “If reason won’t work, you just steal?”

“What are you thinking? I’m taking them to the workshop for appraisal. Carrying unknown items is dangerous—you might get cursed.”

Ji Huaisu bared her small tiger teeth menacingly. Chu Hengkong was amused, unable to tell if he was talking to “Captain Huaisu” or a mischievous college girl.

He handed over the spoils and the silver-eyed book. Ji Huaisu stuffed the three relics into a paper bag and yawned while collecting them. Seeing her sleepy, Chu Hengkong suppressed his questions about relics. He stood, extending his hand to the blonde girl.

“Looking forward to working with you, Captain Huaisu.”

Xie An’s gaze was subtle. Chu Hengkong silently cursed himself for a habitual mistake: having just eaten happily, his right hand greasy, he instinctively reached out his left hand—forgetting that his left arm was now a tentacle...

“If you don’t cause trouble, I’m happy to watch your back. Try anything funny, and I’m the first to take you down.”

He tried to retract the tentacle, but the blonde grabbed its tip boldly. Wearing fingerless leather gloves, her slender fair fingers inevitably got sticky with the tentacle’s slime.

Chu Hengkong felt unusually embarrassed. “I have some paper here...”

“Do you usually wipe your hands after shaking?” Ji Huaisu asked.

“No, not really.”

“Neither do I,” she said casually, turning away. “Let’s go! I’ll take you to your dorm—work’s done for today.”

“Thanks, Captain,” Chu Hengkong quickly corrected himself. He waved to Xie An, then obediently followed the captain like a loyal aide, looking quite adept at bodyguard duties.

Xie An stayed seated, watching them leave the canteen. A veteran of the revival team, he’d worked for the city lord since before the team’s formation. After years of experience, he could size up personalities with just a few words.

This was an arrogant newcomer with his own principles, unwilling to conform. He even tried to bargain with Ji Huaisu—where did he get such nerve? Strange indeed. Someone so proud wouldn’t normally want to join an official team. Such a self-willed and stubborn person couldn’t stand restrictions; the gray or outright black market was more suited to his character.

But Xie An was just a cook; the city lord’s eyes were sharper. He decided to warn Huaisu about this naive kid later, then slowly cleaned up and turned off the canteen lights.

·

Click!

Chu Hengkong switched on the dorm light. The single room was standard—a living area and a bedroom, fully furnished but with a faint musty smell. He inspected the room and found a wobbly stool and a leaking corner in the bathroom. The accommodations weren’t luxurious but far better than sleeping rough.

He placed a basin under the leak, turned off the light, and lay on the bed listening to the drip-drip of water. Playing with his phone one-handed, he confirmed there was no signal or internet. As the phone died, he suddenly felt a strange weightlessness, as if on a ship leaving home, watching the familiar coastline fade from view.

That familiar world was gone. He had arrived somewhere new.

Chu Hengkong put away the phone and closed his eyes. Summoning, tentacles, great wizards, Ji Huaisu, demons, relics—all the events of the day flashed through his mind like a precise machine reviewing its memories. Silently, he began to plan.

The foremost issue was the unknown tentacle. His earlier excuses had only delayed amputation. If it truly belonged to some “illusory demon,” he would have to sever it decisively... He needed a backup plan: in the coming days, find a reliable prosthetic and adapt quickly to the new arm... He couldn’t repeat today’s mistake...

If the tentacle problem was solved, he’d focus on getting stronger... This world was filled with supernatural forces; who knew what strange things existed? Power was the key to security. He also needed to gather basic intel on this other world. After that...

He wasn’t even sure he’d survive that long. Planning so far ahead was pointless. Take it one step at a time; making it through tomorrow was enough.

In any case, no more gang life, the former hitman thought hazily.

There was no future in the underworld.

Fragments of the past flickered in the dark as Chu Hengkong slipped into a deep sleep, resting soundly until the sunlight touched his eyelids the next day.