Chapter Eight: The Staff Meal
“Dinner’s ready, dinner’s ready.”
The ox-man excitedly shook his horns, drool dripping from the corners of his mouth onto the floor.
Seeing this, Liu Zheng also headed toward his locker.
He opened it and found a box identical to the takeout container, except it bore no iris flower emblem.
Just as he was about to open it, a sudden force pushed him aside.
“What are you doing?”
The ox-man glared at him with a grim expression.
“Eating,” Liu Zheng replied, somewhat puzzled.
“Don’t you know the rules? Only leftover food is for new employees.”
The ox-man shouted.
“Well, then you go ahead.”
Liu Zheng obediently handed over the food box.
“Smart kid.”
The ox-man arrogantly used his horn to lift the lid and peeked inside.
“Tch, consider yourself lucky. I don’t like spicy food, you can eat it.”
He curled his lip in disdain.
Liu Zheng took a glance inside: a plate of curry-like mush sprinkled generously with red chili flakes.
“Name: Bloody Restaurant Staff Meal”
“Type: Item”
“Quality: Excellent”
“Effect: Restores stamina, repairs damage.”
“Note: She lost everything, leaving only this remnant.”
“Can it be taken out of the dungeon: No.”
Reading the system’s note, his expression flickered with uncertainty.
“What, you don’t like spicy food either?”
The ox-man asked curiously.
“I don’t like curry,” Liu Zheng said, suppressing his nausea.
“You’d better like it. Meals of this caliber aren’t often served to staff.”
The ox-man shook his head.
“Aren’t staff meals fixed?”
“Of course not. Every day’s menu is random. For a rookie like you, getting a meal like this is really lucky.”
The ox-man stuck out his dark brown tongue, licking his upper lip.
Lucky?
Maybe so.
Just after becoming damaged, he had received an item that could repair damage.
Besides, the note was vague—it might not mean what he imagined.
The aroma of spices and minced meat wafted into Liu Zheng’s nose, his empty stomach twitching with excitement.
“Just eat it. No one will know. Eat one plate and keep quiet.”
A voice whispered in his ear.
“Eat your mother.”
Liu Zheng snapped the lid shut.
“Got fire, boss?”
He looked toward the ox-man.
“What are you going to do?”
“Burn something.”
---
“Don’t waste it if you’re not eating. Give it to me; I’ll trade it for something else, just a small commission.”
The ox-man suggested.
“No trade.”
Liu Zheng shook his head.
“You really are a weirdo.”
The ox-man shook his big head, then spat out a bunch of keys.
“That locker—take what you want.”
Liu Zheng took the keys and went to the indicated locker, opening the door.
Inside were a lighter, solid alcohol tablets, and an alcohol stove.
He tossed the solid alcohol directly into the food box and lit it.
A blue flame flared up, gradually charring the yellowish mush into blackened carbon.
Liu Zheng watched silently, as if something inside him was also burning.
“You have to get used to this, kid. This world is eat or be eaten. If one day I turn into mush, I hope you’ll eat me clean.”
The ox-man said mildly.
He nodded in response without speaking.
The ox-man ignored him and lay down to eat.
Liu Zheng glanced at the food in his box—a large piece of meat seared to medium rare, the type of meat unidentifiable.
There was also a large cup of beer, topped with suspiciously thick foam.
“Oh, and drink.”
He returned to his locker and found a can of soda.
“Name: Hellrock Cola”
“Type: Item”
“Quality: Excellent”
“Effect: Restores stamina and rationality, may cause random auditory hallucinations related to rock music.”
“Note: Life is rock, and fuck.”
“Can it be taken out of the dungeon: No.”
Liu Zheng licked his dry lips and stuffed the can into his pocket.
With nothing to eat or drink, he moved his folding stool to the corner and leaned against the wall, dozing off.
Amid the ox-man’s rhythmic chewing, Liu Zheng slipped into dreams.
---
“Wake up, wake up.”
After an unknown time, a violent shaking roused him.
Liu Zheng opened his eyes to find the ox-man’s massive head inches from his face; he could even see the texture on its nose.
“Uh, what’s up?”
He restrained the urge to punch it.
“The orders are in. Get up and get to work.”
The ox-man took a few steps back, revealing two takeout slips pinned to its horn.
Two orders.
“Don’t say I’m bullying the newbie, you get first pick.”
The ox-man said magnanimously.
Liu Zheng examined the slips; both were flipped over, the contents illegible.
“I’ll take the one on your left…”
He deliberately stretched the words, then stared at the ox-man’s face.
As he said “left,” he noticed the ox-man’s nostrils flare.
He had no time to think and trusted his instinct.
“The one on your right.”
“Damn!”
The ox-man suddenly flared its nostrils, releasing two jets of scorching air.
---
Its reddened eyes glared at Liu Zheng like a raging bull.
But Liu Zheng remained calm.
“Hmph, sly human kid. Take it.”
In the end, the ox-man didn’t lose its temper.
“Thanks, boss.”
He pressed his palms together earnestly.
Then he plucked the takeout slip from the ox-man’s right horn.
“Dish: Supreme Black Mountain Goat Kid Eyeball Sashimi, large portion”
“Address: Yipin Tian Villa, 301”
“Orderer: Mr. Li”
“Time limit: Half an hour.”
Liu Zheng opened the map; the destination was 3 kilometers from the Bloody Restaurant.
“What’s so special about this order?”
He said, a bit speechless.
Another orderer, with a tight time limit.
“You don’t know anything. Mr. Li is a super VIP of the restaurant, very generous spender. And look at mine.”
The ox-man shook his horns.
Liu Zheng reached out and took the other slip.
“Dish: Hell Maggot Bibimbap, one serving”
“Address: Jinxiu Xingju, Building 6, Room 1502”
“Time limit: 20 minutes.”
He found Jinxiu Xingju on the map, 25 kilometers away from the Bloody Restaurant.
“Thanks for the hard work, boss.”
Liu Zheng bowed.
“Hmph, glad you know.”
The ox-man raised his head proudly.
“But if I get that order, isn’t it impossible to finish?”
He raised a question.
“For weaklings like you humans, you can apply to use transportation for distances over 10 kilometers, but it costs a fee.”
The ox-man replied.
“That’s harsh.”
Liu Zheng said sincerely.
In reality, some delivery companies at least charged monthly rentals.
“We want to rent it too, but there’s no chance.”
The ox-man complained.
Even though renting was useless to them, it was frustrating others had it and they didn’t.
“Enough talk, get going.”
It gave Liu Zheng a nudge with its hoof.
“Aren’t you coming with me?”
“Delivery workers can’t start together.”
The ox-man shook his head.
“That’s also a rule?”
“No, that’s my principle.”
The ox-man said seriously.
“Walking with deadbeats like you is bad luck.”