Chapter 88

Finally, Harald gave a quote of 200 star coins for the second-hand "Ninja Shuriken" submachine gun plus two thermal clips, and he asked Qi Feng with a bit of uncertainty, as if it were an internal staff discount, “... Well, then, this price... Do you think it’s acceptable? ...”

Qi Feng didn’t know why, but the boss who initially seemed a bit untrustworthy now seemed more and more approachable. Could this be what they call cold outside but warm inside, sharp-tongued but kind-hearted? However, Qi Feng had already made up his mind not to haggle. Besides, he wasn’t familiar with the price levels here, and he had no idea if 200 star coins was high or low. After all, it was a no-cost business, so how could any price be too low?

Well, with the money he just found on those Volcans, Qi Feng’s assets had skyrocketed to nearly 500 star coins. Indeed, one doesn’t get rich without a windfall, and a horse doesn’t get fat without eating at night.

“Hmm, with a bit more, I can go to that place called ‘Afterlife’ for a round.”

Of course, this wasn’t because Qi Feng really wanted to experience a space-age nightclub. He was just using the ticket price as a benchmark. In his view, this was roughly equivalent to having enough money to go to a high-end club in the real world. Well, forgive this otaku who can’t even tell the difference between a bar and a club.

“Alright, it’s credited!” Qi Feng glanced at the balance in his account, put away the multi-tool.

“Ah... um...” Boss Harald hemmed and hawed for a moment, then said, “About... the hourly wage...”

“Hmm? What about the hourly wage?” With several hundred star coins in hand, Qi Feng didn’t really care about a few more or less. Of course, he hadn’t expected to earn money by working.

“Ah, it’s like this. I’ve raised your hourly wage to 15 star coins... What do you think?” Boss Harald still had a negotiable tone.

“Uh? Why the raise?” It was strange. Was there a boss who chased after employees to raise their wages? Qi Feng found this really odd. Had the employment relationship in this society become so harmonious? Or was it because his消极怠工 (lack of effort) had forced the boss to raise his wages? Heaven, the reason for the raise made him blush. But a fivefold increase was quite shocking, and he couldn’t help but look at Harald’s strange elephant face in surprise.

“... Uh... that...” Harald nodded with difficulty, “Your probationary period is over, and you’re now a full-time employee.”

Though Qi Feng didn’t plan to stay long, how could he refuse a raise? 15 star coins per hour, and he could cover the cost of the multi-tool by working for two days. “By the way... the probationary period here is really short! In our place, it’s usually three months...” Qi Feng muttered to himself.

“Thank you, boss. Goodbye, boss.” Qi Feng waved goodbye to Boss Harald happily and went out for a stroll. With money in his pocket, he felt more at ease and planned to explore thoroughly.

After Qi Feng left, Boss Harald finally dropped the smile that had been frozen on his face. (It was like throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind person. Could you tell if an elephant was smiling? Qi Feng certainly couldn’t.) He lowered his head, pressed a few buttons, and connected a call, speaking in a low, agitated voice, “Hicks...! Can’t your subordinates be a bit cleaner?!” The Ecorian race, due to the structure of their vocal cords, spoke very slowly. When they were angry and cursing, it sounded particularly strange.

“Hiss...” In a dark corner of the lower district, a small group of Volcans gathered. The leader, Hicks, was a minor boss in this area. “... Boss Harald... What happened to make you angry? Ha ha... Did my subordinates accidentally mess with your new employee? ... Or break something in the store? ... These were just accidents...”

Harald snorted, interrupting him, “You should be cleaning up after your subordinates. They’ve been taken out. And my new human employee... just now... placed the gun, still dripping with their blood, on my desk and forced me to buy it!”

The Volcan named Hicks didn’t care much about the lives of his subordinates. “What about the payment?” Volcans had short lifespans and lived in the dark, lower levels of society, where life was cheap.

Harald waved his hand indifferently, “Consider it compensation for your subordinates!”

“Hiss...” Hicks easily agreed to the deal and added, “What about the new employee? Should we give him another lesson?”

“Enough, enough, don’t cause me more trouble!” Harald hung up the call irritably.

Actually, killing a few street thugs wasn’t a big deal. Omega probably saw at least a dozen thugs die on the streets every day. But Qi Feng had killed several of his own men in the blink of an eye and then casually brought the trophy to him for money...

Harald broke out in a cold sweat every time he thought of Qi Feng’s smile. He didn’t believe Qi Feng hadn’t noticed his involvement. Otherwise, why would he have come here first? He had only intended to scare his new employee into staying in the store and asking for help, but he had underestimated him. Killing several people and still smiling naturally—such a person was either a madman or a killing machine.

He had been deceived by Qi Feng’s harmless appearance when he first arrived. Although Qi Feng still looked the same, to Harald, he seemed far more terrifying than a fierce demon. Harald was just a businessman and didn’t want to make such an enemy. It seemed Qi Feng was just looking for a place to stay and wasn’t targeting him, which was a stroke of luck.

“Hopefully, he’ll finish his business and leave soon...” Harald couldn’t care less about the entry-level multi-tool he had lent. He just hoped this fierce dragon from another river wouldn’t cause him any trouble.

...

In all honesty, Boss Harald had already imagined Qi Feng as a ruthless space wanderer with countless blood debts, but in reality, Qi Feng had never really considered the Volcans as “people,” but rather as some kind of small monsters. This allowed him to act without any psychological pressure.

In fact, Qi Feng, who was completely unaware, was now wandering through the commercial district’s food street. When it came to food, as a citizen of China, he always felt a certain pride and superiority. Of course, this was only on Earth. (While other countries had excellent cuisine and top chefs, in terms of the average culinary skills and the variety of ingredients, China was unmatched.) He didn’t dare to make assumptions about the culinary standards of this space age.

However, after a quick glance at the various restaurants from different civilizations across the galaxy, Qi Feng was almost certain that China could dominate the culinary scene of the galaxy for at least two to three hundred years. Most of the restaurants here served grilled meat! The only differences were the types of meat and the spices from different planets... Dishes like Dongpo pork, crab powder lion’s head, and garlic pork were out of the question.

Looking at the alien creatures hanging on hooks and the other aliens busy at the grills, Qi Feng felt increasingly uncomfortable. Where was the line between aliens and alien animals? To him, they all looked like distant relatives of Earth’s reptiles. Would Earth’s creatures evolve into something like this in the future? The more he thought about it, the more disturbing it became... His appetite, which had been good, was suddenly ruined...

Forget it, it would be safer to find a restaurant run by humans... Well, if that didn’t work, he could always go back to the Inn of Heroes for a meal. He had no interest in this galactic cuisine...

Qi Feng gagged and fled from Omega’s food street. Ah, he had just been boasting about his nation’s broad culinary spectrum.

...

The "Afterlife" bar.

Omega’s queen, Aria, was still sitting in the shadows of the VIP area, meditating with her eyes closed. This was a special form of meditation for Asari biotics. At such times, no one would dare to disturb her.

One of her subordinates, the Turian Griz, stepped forward, “... The informants in the commercial district have returned with their first report...”

Aria opened her eyes, somewhat surprised. She had only given the order to have Qi Feng monitored an hour ago. She hadn’t expected a report so soon.

“What did they find?”

Griz stepped forward, handed her a PDA, stepped back two steps, and reported, “... Shortly after the informants arrived, several Volcans surrounded the target... and then...”

Aria tilted her head and looked at the video on the PDA. She could tell at a glance that these were just low-level thugs, mere ants. If the marine chosen by Shepard could be taken down by these punks, it would be a cause for celebration... Then, she saw the heads of four Volcans explode simultaneously, as if someone had placed a grenade in their mouths.

Aria sat up straight, narrowed her eyes, and zoomed in on the video, watching the slow-motion replay carefully.

Griz continued to explain, “... Although these Volcans were poorly equipped and weak, they are not a strict standard for evaluation... However, the target’s tactical skills are still highly rated...”

Aria raised her hand to stop him, “... What do you think he used?”

Griz pondered for a moment