Section 4 - Deduct from Your Rice Bowl
Takar, the supervisor at the 911 Aircrew Base, formally accepted the employment contract and then took out a stack of documents, pushing them forward as he explained, "From now on, don't casually borrow money from those vampires. Now that you're here, settle down and get to work. This is the probation agreement, in triplicate. Sign and fingerprint it. Do you have a copy of your ID? No worries if not, there's a copier nearby. After you pass probation, you'll sign the formal temporary work contract."
Takar didn't notice the unusual gaze of the young man across the desk. He kept opening drawers until finally, he took out a card, placed it on the card reader connected to the computer, and left many shit-yellow marks on the keyboard and mouse. After retrieving the signed agreement, he then threw the card over and began rambling about matters related to starting the job.
"Here! This is your work card. Both your meal costs and take-home pay are on it. It can be linked to mobile payment, and this month's meal allowance has already been preloaded. It's also your dormitory access card—room B13. It serves as a pass card too. If a door opens with it, you can enter; if not, keep your distance. Don't ever lose it; I suggest hanging it around your neck. If you lose it, come find me immediately. Starting now, you're a rookie at 911. Tomorrow someone will take you to get your uniform and go through your induction training."
"Thank you!"
Chen Fei said thanks, preparing to put away his work card.
His agreement with the creditor was officially fulfilled; he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Luckily, there was no delay, or else a significant penalty fee would've been added.
Suddenly, Takar stretched out his hand, pressed his index finger against the work card in front of Chen Fei, and said with a smirking face, "Hold on a second, rookie, are you very short of money?"
Chen Fei honestly replied, "Yes!"
After all, he was carrying a debt of 5 million Star Yuan and now had to indenture himself to work off the debt; claiming he wasn't short on money would definitely be a lie.
The terms on the employment contract couldn't hide the fact of Chen Fei's financial distress, as it clearly stated that the credit company would take 95% of his monthly salary, leaving him with only 5%.
Takar's eyes gleamed mischievously.
The human resources manager made a sleazy gesture and chuckled lewdly.
Bang!~
The bowl filled with curry-topped rice flipped over in an instant, covering the head and face of the 911 Aircrew Base's human resources manager in curry rice and chicken.
Chen had been fed up with this creep, truly a pervert who deserved to be burnt at the stake.
Chen Fei, always a good student who loved to learn, never hit people without reason. Of course, scumbags don't count as people; hitting them doesn't matter.
"What's going on?"
Suddenly, the office door was pushed open, and a passerby from security, hearing the commotion, came in to check the situation.
Chen Fei, face cold, remained silent.
The atmosphere in the office fell silent.
Takar picked a small lump of rice from his forehead, chewed it, and swallowed, then awkwardly shook his head and acted as if nothing happened, saying, "Uh! Nothing, it's nothing!"
He forgot he was now using his left hand.
Eek! What happened to tradition?
"Glad it's nothing!"
The security personnel sized up Chen Fei for a moment, saw nothing amiss, and then left.
Chen Fei pulled a piece of tissue from the desk, carefully wiped his work card clean, pocketed it, and said unapologetically, "Can I go now?"
Grandpa may perform, but he doesn't sell his body!
You wish!?
No wonder the wages here are specifically higher; this place is toxic!
The outwardly tough but inwardly weak Takar revealed his true nature, squeezed out a feeble smile, spread his hands open in a gesture of dismissal, completely lacking the courage to reprimand using his position as human resources manager, let alone make threats.
Chen Fei's hometown's international status was clear for all to see.
If anyone dared to challenge that status, there would immediately be a courier knocking on their head at their doorstep, "Bro, you've got mail, Eastwind Express, mission guaranteed."
Those who disagreed verbally got a beating, and those whose hearts disagreed but mouths did not would be dragged out to suffer the same fate: to be convinced by virtue!
I ask you, are you scared?
The militiamen under the poplar tree immediately panicked, not daring to provoke.
The pervert Takar was now panicking himself. If things escalated, he was sure to lose his job.
Not until Chen Fei slammed the door and strode away with his luggage did he finally breathe a sigh of relief, pinching his fingers together in a distraught manner and lamenting, "Homosexuality isn't illegal, so why treat me this way?"
Chen Fei's guess was not wrong, this place was toxic!
Highly toxic!
-
Exiting from the HR manager's office, Chen Fei looked up to find that night had completely fallen, the sky was filled with stars, and a ring that emitted a faint halo slowly crossed the night sky along the crescent moon.
That was the digital intelligence structure Cybertrom, which controlled a Stargate to another world while overseeing the entire Blue Star Humans' civilization; it was not an alien visitor but rather a native creation of the Blue Star.
It was a pity that he couldn't afford the fees to travel to the Otherworld; the thought of visiting the Cangqiong Realm had to be buried in his heart.
Beyond the "Halo" Stargate controlled by Cybertrom, there were also a few other Stargate Rings on Blue Star leading to the Primordial Realm, which connected to a resource-depleted world of endless desolation. There was nothing worth seeing there but slowly crumbling ruins in a world of flying sand and rolling stones, and it was extremely dangerous.
"New here?"
An elderly voice brought Chen Fei back to reality.
"Yes, yes!"
Chen Fei quickly responded.
A second after clearly seeing who it was, he was stunned and exclaimed, "A Neanderthal?"
As remnants of the Third Era Civilization, the Neanderthals initiated the "Three Realms Integration War" thirty years ago. It was a desperate cross-realm invasion that caught the Blue Star Realm completely off guard. Unable to withstand the combined forces of two worlds towards the latter part of the war, they were ultimately defeated - and they nearly went extinct from it.
The human civilization of the Blue Star Realm didn't fare much better either; as the saying goes, "When cannons go off, gold is lost by the tons." Nuclear weapons were thrown about as if they cost nothing, and that expenditure of fireworks consumed countless GDP. Many countries' economies regressed, making life miserable for their citizens; it took at least twenty years to finally recover a little.
Since the battlefield was also located in the Blue Star Realm itself, the natural environment spoiled by strong nuclear radiation wasn't something that could be completely restored with just a few decades or a century. Mutated creatures born from nuclear wastelands had once overrun the region, along with uncontrollable deadly bacteria and viruses; it's only in recent years that they had been somewhat contained, but the aftermath was as drastic as another "Three Realms Integration War."
After the war, the remnants of the Neanderthal tribes chose to integrate into the large family of Blue Star Realm human civilization; at least they didn't have to worry about being driven back to the hopeless Primordial Realm. In some ways, it could be considered achieving their strategic goal, but at too great a cost: the Twelve Overlord Tribes scattered and the Starry Red Flame Flag of the Supreme Council would never rise again. Their sparse population resembled that of an endangered species.
The Neanderthals and the Homo sapiens of the Blue Star Realm were from the same lineage; the two species had no reproductive barriers. Common folks were not too resistant to their integration. After all, Neanderthal ladies and lads were quite attractive (in warfare), and soon after the war, numerous hybrids like the Black Neanderthals, White Neanderthals, and Yellow Neanderthals were born. In a hundred or two hundred years, pureblood Neanderthals would likely become a myth—a result delightfully accepted by the upper echelons of the Blue Star Realm's human civilization.
Coming across an elder Neanderthal man in this remote aircrew base in the mountains was somewhat unexpected for Chen Fei.
Neanderthals had distinctive physical characteristics that made them easy to identify. Both men and women, old and young, were generally tall and had special tattoos, with War Professionals bearing even denser and more striking red tattoos.
If it weren't for nearby lights, Chen Fei might have mistaken the glowing bald head and blood-colored tattoo-covered face for a malevolent spirit lurking in the dark.
"Neanderthal? Such a nostalgic name!"
The old man seemed to sink into memories and suddenly chuckled hoarsely, "Ha, I'm old, always reminiscing about the past. Hey, new rookie, what's your name?"
Chen Fei obediently answered, "Hello, my name is Chen Fei, the Chen of 'east', and Fei of 'right and wrong'."
Despite the deep wrinkles beneath his blood-colored tattoos, he knew that he was no match for the old man—not even if he were up against one of his arms or legs. The elder could effortlessly pin him to the ground and pummel him, and that's without the elder using any Secret Techniques. If he were to deploy one, ensuring that Chen's head would be ejected over a hundred meters away was guaranteed.
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