Chapter 53: New Species?
By 3:30 in the afternoon, everything was sold out except for a few eggettes.
Shen Lu decided to just cook them all and split them between Cai Su and Wang Daguo.
"You should head to the clinic. I can handle the rest of the work myself," Shen Lu said to Cai Su.
Cai Su, holding the eggettes, shook her head. "There are still some bowls left to wash..."
"You can wash them after you pick up your child. It’s not like the bowls are going to run away." Shen Lu folded up the tables and chairs and set them aside. "Just come over to my place later."
Only then did Cai Su nod and hurry toward the clinic.
Wang Daguo made two trips to move everything back to the rental unit.
When Shen Lu was paying him, he rubbed his hands together a bit awkwardly. "Boss Shen, now that you’ve hired someone, does this mean you won’t need me anymore? After all, moving things is a job you and Sister Cai can manage by helping each other out."
"I’ll still need you. Just focus on your work and don’t worry."
’She’d never considered firing Wang Daguo just because she hired Sister Cai. She had high hopes for this part-time employee. Just because he wasn’t willing to join Little Deer Cuisine now didn’t mean he wouldn’t be in the future.’
Shen Lu activated the Good and Evil Judgment Device and checked Wang Daguo’s affinity toward her. It was a fairly distinct pink.
’Excellent. Keep it up.’
"Thank you, Boss Shen." Wang Daguo was at a loss for words. Before asking, he had been fully prepared to be let go.
At Wang Daguo’s strong insistence, Shen Lu had no choice but to agree to let him wash the remaining bowls and give the floor of the rental unit a quick sweep.
’Oh well. If someone wanted to do her work for her, she certainly wasn’t going to complain.’
’The more others did, the less she had to do. Not bad at all.’
The millet and pumpkin congee in the rice cooker had simmered until it was thick. Shen Lu turned off the heat and let it cool naturally.
After gathering her clothes, Shen Lu decided to go take a shower.
She’d been working the griddle all afternoon and reeked of grease and smoke. The smell had even seeped into every strand of her hair.
She deliberately took a route where she would run into Cai Su to tell her she was going to the bathhouse, that the bowls were already washed, and that she should just stay home and spend time with her child.
"Boss Shen, maybe you should just bear with it for now?" Cai Su said with a worried expression. "Things have been too chaotic recently. I just heard from Doctor Xiao that a vicious fight broke out in the Sixteen District. More than ten people died."
"Okay, I’ll be careful. You should head back."
’You can’t just decide not to go outside because there might be a car crash, can you?’
Shen Lu strode off, reaching the bathhouse as quickly as she could.
There weren’t many people at the bathhouse at this hour, so Shen Lu didn’t have to wait in line.
In less than ten minutes, she had showered, washed her clothes, and come back out.
Shen Lu picked up her bag and kept her head slightly bowed, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.
As she passed an alleyway, a claw dripping with black saliva latched onto her bag.
The sudden pull threw Shen Lu off balance, nearly causing her to fall.
She glanced to the side. Was that a monster, barely recognizable as a person?
It was hard to say. After all, Shen Lu had never seen a "person" with black matter oozing all over its body.
Shen Lu’s pupils contracted. With a thought, the stun baton appeared in her palm.
The monster seemed dazed, yanking the bag backward while making sniffing motions with its head, inching closer and closer to Shen Lu.
The closer it got, the faster the black substance on its body flowed, as if it were getting excited.
Shen Lu made a split-second decision, letting go of the bag and turning to run.
’If I had known taking a shower would lead to running into this kind of monster, I would have definitely chosen a different bathhouse.’
The monster leaped out of the alley. In full view of everyone, it squirmed in pursuit of the fleeing Shen Lu, leaving a trail of viscous black matter on the ground.
Passersby scrambled to get out of the way, cursing under their breath. Most were indifferent, but a few called the police to have someone come deal with it.
The original owner of this body was a complete weakling when it came to athletics, a flaw that was now on full display.
Shen Lu felt like she was running for her life, but when she glanced back, the black mass was following her at a leisurely pace, looking completely effortless.
’Dammit, I didn’t provoke it, and I definitely didn’t hit it. Why is it so fixated on chasing me?’
Shen Lu cursed inwardly, held her breath, and sprinted with all her might.
But the roads in the Lower City District were terrible. Shen Lu tripped on a jutting stone and stumbled forward a few steps, unable to stop herself from pitching toward the ground.
Suddenly, a powerful force scooped her up by the waist. Shen Lu felt a scorching heat, and in her peripheral vision, several streaks of fire shot past, pinning the monster that had been relentlessly chasing her to the ground.
"HISS—"
The monster, unable to break free from its restraints, let out a blustering, ugly hiss.
"Little Bei, go take care of the mutant beast."
"Yes, Boss."
After giving the order to his subordinate, Xue Can looked down at the terrified young woman in his arms. He was puzzled. ’Where’s the expert assigned to protect this young lady? How could they let her be chased by a mutant beast like this?’
Shen Lu was panting, completely out of breath. She looked up and recognized Xue Can.
The man seemed to have just returned from a mission. He was covered in dust and grime, his mask was filthy, and if you got close enough, you could smell the faint scent of blood.
Shen Lu steadied herself by holding onto his arm and then took a small step back, creating some distance between them.
Little Bei locked the mutant beast in a special glass case. Shen Lu watched curiously, surprised that a mutant beast half her height could fit into a case the size of a suitcase.
’Is this thing... liquid?’
"Boss, this doesn’t look like the mutant beasts from outside the city." Little Bei had also been observing the creature and said uncertainly, "A new species?"
"Send it to the research lab tomorrow."
"Got it."
Little Bei and a few others picked up the case. He gave Xue Can a knowing look. "You go ahead and stay busy, Boss."
’It was the first time they had ever seen their boss get involved in someone else’s business, and a pretty young woman at that.’
’They’d better not disturb him. They needed to be tactful.’
"Thank you," Shen Lu finally found her voice, which came out raspy.
Xue Can took off his mask, balled it up, and stuffed it into his pocket. "Can you still walk? I’ll take you home."
Shen Lu’s face was a mask of misery. "Can we... rest for a bit?"
She had encountered the mutant beast in the Fifteenth District and, in her panic, had run all the way to the Zero Eight District. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have run into Xue Can.
The two districts weren’t close at all. Her legs had turned to jelly from all the running. Even if she were to head back now, she needed to recover some energy first.
Xue Can grunted in acknowledgment, discreetly scanning the surroundings to confirm no one was following Shen Lu.
He paused for a moment, then asked if she wanted to go to the Mercenary Corps’s base to sit for a while.
"Is that alright?" Shen Lu asked.
"As long as you’re not scared."
Shen Lu: ?
’What’s there to be scared of?’
"Then I’ll take you up on that offer."
Xue Can made a welcoming gesture, and Shen Lu walked into the Gale Mercenary Corps’s base on trembling legs.
Just as she stepped inside, something came flying straight at her face.
Shen Lu’s neck went stiff. At that speed, there was no way she could dodge it.
POP—
The object never hit her. It suddenly exploded about an arm’s length away, and Shen Lu watched a small firework bloom at point-blank range.
Orange sparks scattered, and the full appearance of the base was revealed before her eyes.