Mother's Love

My first job in life, found just like that.

The next day, Xiao Xiao arrived at the docks on time. He collected his work clothes, a towel draped over his shoulder to wipe away sweat, a pair of gloves to prevent calluses, and even bought a large thermos for water with his own money.

He had to admit, he found a job that suited him perfectly.

Here, they worked twelve hours a day. Besides helping to load and unload special cargo that couldn't be easily mechanized when large freighters docked, they also inspected containers, loaded and unloaded trucks, and handled some intra-city cargo transportation. The dozen or so massive warehouses on the docks were the entire world where these dozens of workers poured their sweat and pushed their bodies to their limits every day.

For ordinary people, this high-intensity job would be considered exploitative. But for the current Xiao Xiao, there was a thrill of his physical potential being unleashed.

The strength brought by the Violence Factor was somewhat peculiar.

It was usually difficult to control, and he wouldn't even notice it. But occasionally, a surge of violence would flash through his mind, and this power would suddenly erupt.

It was like trying to lift a huge box that a normal person couldn't. But the moment he thought of the guy downstairs who had cuckolded him passing by, he could "whoosh" and lift it up and run.

He could even lift it high above his head and accurately smash it out the window.

...Well, that analogy might not be perfect, but that's the general idea.

And Xiao Xiao was a serious person.

He didn't let this uncontrolled power exist within him. Instead, he used the strenuous labor at the docks every day to carefully feel and try to control this power within his body. For this, he even took on jobs that seemed somewhat exaggerated. Huge cargo boxes, heavy cables – he shouldered the heavy goods with his slender shoulders, as if fighting giant monsters.

"Is this guy crazy?"

Xiao Xiao's drive to work even scared his fellow workers.

At first, they just thought he was an honest kid who didn't know how to conserve his strength and just worked himself to death. But as time went on, they realized this guy was more like he was trying to kill himself.

He seemed to be pushing himself, struggling with all his might against those huge cargo boxes, gradually developing a faint sense of dread in their hearts.

Xiao Xiao paid no attention to their gazes. He enjoyed this feeling of striving to control himself.

Perhaps this was also related to his four years of experience. During those four years, he had even learned to forcibly control his attention under panic.

Compared to that, controlling the power within his body seemed like a simple matter.

Of course, there were also some new problems he had to adapt to.

Being new to the docks and among a group of rough men, there were occasional minor frictions. Hearing a curse word or some teasing, Xiao Xiao wasn't usually petty, but sometimes he would suddenly feel an abnormally strong disgust and violence.

For example, the urge to shove a certain Huang Mao between two docked deck plates.

Xiao Xiao found it strange: "Is this a side effect of the Violence Factor?"

However, when he got nervous, his thoughts would speed up, flashing through countless ideas instantly, but his body couldn't keep up with his thoughts, so he wouldn't actually do anything.

Similar violent urges were often sudden. His reason wouldn't be ready, but his body would have already taken some radical action.

But as long as he held back, that impulse would gradually disappear. And Xiao Xiao always had enough time to digest these sudden negative emotions.

So...

...this Violence Factor agent really has no side effects?

...Just need to control my emotions!

Xiao Xiao was very satisfied with his job at the docks.

It was just that sometimes, looking at his fellow dockworkers, watching them chat and play cards during breaks, or going out for drinks at night, he often felt unable to blend in.

Having worked together for so many days and observed them up close, they didn't seem like monsters. Everyone had their own joys and sorrows.

But Xiao Xiao still felt as if there was a huge barrier between him and them, unable to join their conversations or enjoy their relaxed atmosphere. He would always just sit silently by the side.

And the dockworkers also didn't try to pull Xiao Xiao into their group.

In their eyes, Xiao Xiao also had a different aura than them.

For the young people in this city nowadays, they preferred to wander the streets aimlessly, or attract attention with their bizarre clothing, or work in bars and nightclubs for tips.

They competed in toughness and daring, finding pleasure in who could stab harder, but rarely would they be willing to endure hardship at the docks with a group of middle-aged men.

At first, they just thought Xiao Xiao was a spoiled child who had run away from home, assuming life was easy and that he would quit within a few days.

They never expected that after a few days, the sheer intensity of Xiao Xiao's work would actually make the other workers a little scared.

Even Foreman who always scolded the workers for being lazy, began to worry a little. The foreman, who loved to curse, only scolded Xiao Xiao once:

"Take it easy, this is for moving big boxes. Do you think you're hugging a woman?"

"..."

"How can this bunch of rough old men with nothing but hair on their heads not appreciate the joy of work?"

Xiao Xiao wasn't angry because of Foreman's scolding. Firstly, he knew the foreman meant well. Secondly, he had no intention of listening anyway.

I'm working hard, are you going to fire me?

He just didn't care about his superiors!

Anyway, he was very satisfied with this life now. The heavy workload every day kept him fully occupied. Not only could he exercise, but he also received those five colorful bills.

In just a few days, he had saved two to three thousand yuan. And his body, enhanced by the gene agent, was gradually adapting.

Compared to the four years he spent cooped up in his bedroom, the usual dullness and depression were extremely interesting.

Hearing others talk during work breaks, listening to the foreman tell dirty jokes, and looking forward to the size of the meat portions in the work meals like the other workers already made him feel very satisfied.

Sometimes, he even felt dazed, as if this were the real world.

Do workers in a fake world tell dirty jokes too?

However, after a few days, his mother started to feel sorry for him.

She watched Xiao Xiao leave early and return late every day, sometimes coming back covered in sweat, with minor scrapes on his shoulders. She couldn't help but apply medicinal wine to his wounds while gently chiding him:

"I scolded you before, telling you to go find a job, but I never meant for you to carry heavy boxes."

"You haven't been out for so long, how can you handle such physically demanding work?"

"..."

To this day, Xiao Xiao still found it hard to accept "Mom's" concern, and could only respond perfunctorily, "It's fine, I'm not tired."

Seeing him offer a few perfunctory words and head for the bedroom, his mother's eyes reddened slightly. "You're coming back later and later. You won't even eat the dumplings I made for you."

"As a mother, I don't expect you to earn a lot of money or become rich and noble. I just want you to be stable. When I scolded you before, it was only because I wanted you to go out more, to find just any job."

"If you need pocket money, just tell Mom, and I'll give you a bit more..."

"..."

Looking at those familiar faces, Xiao Xiao felt an extremely complex emotion. Her demeanor didn't seem fake.

Or perhaps, it was real all along, and he had simply seen something more real.

The gap in his heart couldn't be bridged, but he still sighed softly, softening his tone. "It's not about the money, I just want to work out more and exercise."

"But this job does pay quite well, a few hundred a day..."

"If I earn more, you won't have to work so hard in the future..."

"..."

His mother looked at the small stack of bills he handed her. Her eyes were still red, but she smiled and pushed Xiao Xiao's hand away. "Keep the money you earn for yourself. Mom can still work for a few more years!"

"We need to save more money. That young lady who visited last time, you could tell she was from a wealthy family. You mustn't let them bully you in the future..."

"..."

That night, Xiao Xiao knew it was fake, yet he couldn't help but feel an uncontrollable surge of emotion.

It seemed his control over sudden emotional impulses wasn't strong enough yet...