Mother's Care

He had found his first job just like that.

The next day, Xiao Xiao arrived at the docks on time. He collected his work clothes, a towel to drape over his shoulder and wipe away sweat, a pair of gloves to protect his hands from chafing, and even spent his own money on a large cup for drinking water.

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

Here, they worked twelve hours a day. Aside from helping load and unload special cargo that couldn't be handled by machinery whenever large freighters entered the harbor, they also inspected containers, loaded and unloaded trucks, and transported some goods around the city. The dozen or so enormous warehouses at the docks made up the entire world where these few dozen workers sweated every day and pushed their bodies to the limit.

For ordinary people, this high-intensity work was already exploitative to some degree. But Xiao Xiao now felt a rush of pleasure as his body's potential was awakened.

The power brought by the Violence Factor was somewhat sinister.

It was usually difficult to control, and he couldn't even detect it. But whenever a sudden burst of brutality flashed through his mind, that power would erupt as well.

It was like being unable to lift a huge box under normal circumstances, only to suddenly hoist it up and run with it after realizing that the bastard downstairs who had cuckolded you was passing by. Whoosh!

He might even raise it over his head and hurl it precisely out through the window.

...Well, that wasn't a perfect example, but it was roughly the idea.

Xiao Xiao was a serious person.

He didn't allow this uncontrollable power to simply remain inside his body. Instead, he used the heavy labor at the docks every day to carefully sense it and try to master it. For that purpose, he even willingly took on work that seemed somewhat excessive. Huge cargo crates and heavy cables—he shouldered those burdens with his slender frame, as if battling one enormous monster after another.

"Is this guy insane?"

Xiao Xiao's urge to work had even frightened the workers around him.

At first, everyone had simply thought he was an honest young man who didn't know how to spare his strength and only knew how to work stupidly hard. But as time passed, they realized that he seemed more intent on killing himself.

He acted as if he had a grudge against himself, desperately wrestling with those enormous cargo crates until vague fear gradually arose in their hearts.

Xiao Xiao paid no attention to their looks. He enjoyed this feeling of trying to control himself.

Perhaps it also had something to do with what he had experienced over those four years. During that time, he had even learned to forcibly control his attention while in a state of panic.

Compared to that, controlling the power in his body was practically child's play.

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

As a newcomer among the rough men at the docks, he occasionally had minor clashes with them. Hearing a curse or some teasing usually didn't bother Xiao Xiao, who wasn't normally petty. But every now and then, he would inexplicably feel an unusually intense disgust and brutality.

For example, he might suddenly feel the urge to shove some Huang Mao between two decks beside a docked ship.

Xiao Xiao found it strange. "Could this be a side effect of the Violence Factor?"

But whenever he got nervous, his thoughts sped up, countless ideas flashing through his mind in an instant. His body couldn't keep up with the speed of his thoughts, so he didn't actually do anything.

These bouts of brutality often came without warning. His rational mind hadn't prepared itself, yet his body had already made some aggressive move.

But as long as he held back, that impulse would gradually fade. And every time, Xiao Xiao had enough time to digest the sudden negative emotions.

So...

...this Violence Factor serum really didn't have any side effects?

...He just needed to keep his emotions in check!

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

Sometimes, though, as he watched the workers there boast and play cards during breaks, then arrange to drink together at night, he often felt that he couldn't blend in.

After working alongside them for so many days and observing them up close, he couldn't see anything monstrous about them. Each of them had their own joys and sorrows.

But Xiao Xiao still felt as if there were an enormous barrier between them. He couldn't join their conversations or enjoy their relaxed atmosphere, and could only sit quietly beside them time and again.

The dockworkers likewise made no attempt to draw Xiao Xiao into their group.

In their eyes, Xiao Xiao also possessed an air that set him apart from them.

For the young people in this city, it was more common to loiter aimlessly in the streets, attract passersby with bizarre outfits, or work in bars and nightclubs for tips.

They enjoyed competing over who was bolder and who dared to stab first, but few were willing to suffer alongside a group of middle-aged men at the docks like this.

At first, they had assumed Xiao Xiao was some child who had run away from home in a fit of pique. They naturally thought life was easy and that he would quit after only a few days.

They had never expected that, after several days, Xiao Xiao's frantic enthusiasm for work would begin to frighten even his fellow workers.

Even the Foreman, who cursed at lazy workers every day, had started to worry. Though he loved cursing people out, he had only ever scolded Xiao Xiao once:

"Take it easy. This is a job for carrying big boxes. Do you think you're hugging women?"

"..."

"How can these thick-headed bastards, with nothing but dicks on their minds, fail to understand the joy of working?"

Xiao Xiao didn't get angry at the Foreman's reprimand. For one thing, he knew it came from a good place. For another, he had no intention of listening anyway.

"I'm working hard. It's not like you can fire me, right?"

He simply didn't take his superior seriously!

In any case, he was very satisfied with this life. His heavy workload filled every day to the brim. Not only could he exercise, he could also earn five colorful banknotes.

In just a few days, he had saved two or three thousand yuan. His body, enhanced by the gene serum, was also gradually adapting.

Compared with the dullness and oppression of spending four years shut inside his bedroom, even the monotony of everyday life now seemed endlessly interesting.

Listening to others talk during breaks, hearing the Foreman tell dirty jokes, and wondering along with everyone else whether the meat in the work meal would be a large piece were already enough to satisfy him.

Sometimes, he even found himself in a daze, feeling that this was the real world.

Did workers in the false world tell dirty jokes too?

After several days of this, his mother began to feel sorry for him.

She watched Xiao Xiao leave early and return late every day, sometimes coming home drenched in sweat, with slight abrasions on his shoulders. Unable to hold back, she applied medicinal alcohol to him while trying to persuade him:

"I did scold you before and tell you to go find a job, but I never said you had to carry huge boxes."

"Do you know how long it's been since you left the house? Can you really handle this kind of hard labor?"

"..."

Even now, Xiao Xiao still found his "mother's" concern difficult to accept. He could only respond perfunctorily, "It's fine. I'm not tired."

His mother saw that he was brushing her off and about to return to his bedroom. Her eyes grew slightly red. "You're coming home later and later. I made dumplings for you, but you won't even eat them."

"As your mother, I don't expect you to make a fortune or live in luxury. I just want you to live steadily. I only used to scold you because I wanted you to leave the house more often. You could have found any little thing to do."

"If you're short on spending money, just tell Mom. I'll give you more..."

"..."

Looking at that familiar face, Xiao Xiao felt an indescribably complicated emotion. She didn't look fake at all.

Or perhaps she really was genuine. It was just that he had seen something even more real.

The barrier in his heart could not be erased, but he still sighed softly and gentled his tone a little. "It's not for the money. I just wanted to do more work and exercise."

"But this job really does pay quite well. I make several 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 banknotes he held out. Her eyes were still red, but she smiled and pushed Xiao Xiao's hand back. "You should save the money you earned yourself. Your mother can still work for a few more years!"

"We have to save more money. That young girl who came to our house last time was obviously from a wealthy family. Don't let her bully you in the future..."

"..."

That night, Xiao Xiao knew perfectly well that it was fake, but he still couldn't stop himself from being deeply moved.

It seemed he still wasn't good enough at controlling these sudden emotional impulses...