He Needed More Money

After boarding, Jiang Xueming casually found a seat and sat down.

He deliberately—or perhaps unconsciously—looked over the other passengers in the carriage, trying to blend into the environment and gradually relax his nerves.

But for some reason, the other passengers acted as if they had seen a plague god. They rose from their seats in unspoken agreement and hurried elsewhere.

"What's going on?"

For a moment, Xue Ming was completely baffled. He had no idea what these passengers were afraid of or avoiding.

A little peace and quiet was fine too—thinking this, he turned his gaze elsewhere.

Starting from the luggage rack by the train entrance, there were sixteen rows of seats in this carriage. It was an exceptionally spacious, luxurious layout.

Each row had three seats, and the aisle between them was wide enough to fit a dining table.

The windows were open, with no protective screens. Passengers could lean against them to admire the scenery, or even jump straight out of the train.

Every seat came equipped with a worktable and a smaller side table for meals.

Xue Ming tested the weight and texture of the tabletop. It was probably fine hardwood furniture, smoothly finished, with top-tier varnishing and waxing that made the surface feel like warm jade.

The plush blankets on the seats, the leather armrests, the fragrance bottles placed every two rows, and the violin music flowing from hidden seamless speakers in the overhead luggage racks.

All these expensive, extravagant materials felt deeply unfamiliar to Xue Ming.

He had never ridden in such a fine train. Nor had he ever seen a hotel decorated to this standard.

Outside the window, the train whistle rang long and clear. Inside, the air was sweetly scented.

"Mr. Jiang Xueming, your afternoon tea is here." Before the woman arrived, her greeting and the steam from the hot tea reached him first.

Xue Ming turned around and saw a dining cart being pushed down the aisle, stopping beside his seat.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." The woman greeted him. She wore a burgundy suit and had short black hair. She looked exactly like the portrait in the tower.

The way she served tea and refreshments was casual and natural, her hands and feet quick and efficient like a janitor's. There was not the slightest trace of arrogance about her.

To be honest, Xue Ming had never seen a woman so bleakly aloof and stern.

As she handed over the tea, her movements were open and graceful. Her face was expressionless, her cheekbones and bridge of the nose high, her features sharply defined. Her eyes were not large, but they were extremely fierce.

Bright red tea poured into the white porcelain cup without spilling a single drop, quick and ruthless.

Xue Ming wanted to say hello.

But this woman seemed never to have regarded Jiang Xueming as worth noticing.

She merely sat at the other end of the table and began pouring tea for herself.

Just then, a pitch-black cat crawled out from the dining cart, strikingly conspicuous.

The moment it climbed onto the table, it became the absolute center of attention, stealing the entire scene.

Like an elegant noblewoman, it paced softly across the tabletop.

It studied Jiang Xueming curiously. Its large, watery green eyes resembled emeralds, sometimes narrowing into slits, sometimes becoming perfectly round, as if constantly adjusting their focus to see Jiang Xueming inside and out.

Xue Ming only felt that this little black cat was as clever as a child. He stretched out his hand, then froze halfway through the motion—because the cat rejected him.

More specifically, the black cat stood up like a person, extended a forepaw, and pressed it against the back of Xue Ming's hand.

A string of soft rumble-rumble-rumble sounds came from below.

The steel chains, twisted cables, and train brakes engaged.

The train's sudden departure eased the awkwardness.

He put aside his curiosity about the cat and properly greeted the unfamiliar woman across from him.

"Hello, BOSS."

"Hello, Jiang Xueming."

The black cat spoke.

Yes, that black cat opened its mouth.

Its pink little tongue stuck out, revealing stark white teeth. The white fur beneath its throat trembled with its vocal organs as it spoke human words.

Its voice was extremely strange, exactly the same as the voice from the confidential number Xue Ming had encountered at the hospital.

Xue Ming looked at the woman, then at the black cat.

Then he repeated the process.

When he looked at the woman, she merely shrugged indifferently and continued drinking tea.

When he looked at the black cat, the cat pursed its lips and narrowed its eyes in irritation.

Jiang Xueming finally came to his senses. He understood and wanted to rephrase himself.

—Who would have thought the BOSS of this station was a cat?

"The one before me is—"

"Majestic." The black cat interrupted him. "If you can't find an adjective, I can give you a dictionary, Jiang Xueming."

"Yes, majestic stationmaster." Jiang Xueming immediately changed his wording and solemnly went along with the station BOSS's wishes.

The black cat seemed angry. It stood on its two hind legs alone, folded its forelegs across its chest, and anxiously tapped its tail against the table.

"Just now, did you take her—"

The longest claw extended alone from its paw pad, like the index finger on a hand, pointing toward the woman behind it.

"—Did you take my servant, my attendant, for the person in charge here? Don't lie to me. At my station, no one can deceive me."

Xue Ming explained, "When I first saw your portrait, that was indeed what I thought."

"Then remember this, you little bastard." With a body no more than forty centimeters long, the little black cat delivered lines with the presence of someone four meters tall. "I am the BOSS of this station, and I am also the absolute main subject of that portrait. As for this servant behind me, you can think of her as a human cat tree used to support me as I climb into the center of the painting."

Xue Ming nodded. "Understood."

The black cat changed positions, sitting on the edge of the table with its legs crossed, directly in front of Xue Ming.

It waved its little paw, shaking its head with great seriousness. "You need something from me, and I have something for you to do—we'll be direct and get straight to the point. If there's business, say it. If not, we part ways."

Xue Ming let out a sigh of relief. "That would be best, BOSS."

The BOSS succinctly explained the main purpose of this journey to Xue Ming.

"What you need to do is follow this train to the corresponding stop. Ten minutes before the train stops, the transfer station will announce your name to remind you to get off."

Xue Ming asked, "What do I do after getting off?"

"Observe. Carefully observe things outside the station. Security personnel will guide you to the mission location." The BOSS bluntly stated Xue Ming's main task. "Record what you see and experience in your passenger log. Give it the proper level of detail—don't write it like a travel diary, meow."

"And then?" Jiang Xueming immediately took out the handbook Xiao Qi had stuffed into his clothes. There was a pen clipped between its pages. He wrote while listening and turned on his phone's recorder, afraid of missing any details.

"I will arrange a journey that is comfortable and safe relative to each passenger's own circumstances." The BOSS continued, "For newcomers like you entering the underground world for the first time, the train ride should last at least three hours. During that time, you need to understand the rules in the passenger log. You may ask your seniors or fellow travelers about their experience riding the train."

"What is the place I'm going called? What will I encounter? How long will I stay there? Is it dangerous?" Jiang Xueming kept taking notes without looking up.

The BOSS spoke extremely quickly, answering without hesitation. "The place you're going is provisionally called SW. The station has just been built and will be renamed later. There aren't many security personnel, but the Spirit Calamity concentration in that region is not high, and the Madness Index is also low. The Star Realm People in the unknown area are not very aggressive and would like to communicate with people from outside."

"In short, it's very safe."

"According to intelligence provided by previous passengers, it is an excellent location for establishing a transfer hub."

"After you get off, our security personnel will take you to the nearest supply station to rest. After two days of sightseeing, you can return to Nine Realms Station and receive the corresponding rewards: Hui Stone Currency and Universal Elixir."

Xue Ming left hurried writing beneath the entry in his log, along with several more unfamiliar terms.

SW represented a place name, the station's temporary name.

Spirit Calamity and Spirit Calamity concentration represented dangerous disasters.

Unknown areas probably referred to places in the underground world that had yet to be explored.

Star Realm People might refer to underground creatures, or perhaps something else. He would leave a question mark for now and check the log for a detailed explanation later.

The Madness Index was probably related to Madness Butterflies and Vita Imprints.

Xue Ming sorted through the logic, then said, "You want to build the railway farther out."

The BOSS snapped its fingers, its knuckle claws making a crisp clicking sound.

"That's right."

Jiang Xueming said, "We passengers possess [Inspiration]. We can see things ordinary people cannot, and we are highly sensitive to unknown dangers and the Spirit Calamities you mentioned. During railway construction, we can take on part of the obstacle-clearing work."

The BOSS said, "That's right! I like you. Your comprehension is excellent! Very smart!"

Jiang Xueming said, "Like guides for drivers, we scout routes for you and record the conditions around each station node. We may also come into contact with unknown creatures—you call them Star Realm People—

—Ideally, we can uncover some of the secrets in the unknown areas of the underground world. Is that right?"

The BOSS nodded in satisfaction. "YES! YES! YES!"

Xue Ming continued, "In return, I'll receive Universal Elixir? And money?"

The BOSS animatedly clarified, "More precisely, it is one complete journey. You provide me with a travel log of clear value—things others have already written do not count! I will give you two portions of Universal Elixir. It will not only restore your sister's health, but also keep you in good condition for traveling."

Xue Ming fell silent for a long time. Hearing that vague price, he felt a faint unease in his heart.

"BOSS, forgive my bluntness, but I still have a question. Your employees have always handled matters according to rules of fairness and equivalence. That must be a sense of ritual you repeatedly imposed on them, a personal quirk of yours. I write logs and scout routes for you; that only counts as completing one task, yet you are entirely focused on giving me medicine for two people. What exactly are you planning? After I finish this mission, do you want me to keep working here? Continue on to the next mission?"

"What am I planning? You think I'm deceiving you? Trying to harm you?" This clever little BOSS immediately changed its tune, its tone playful but its wording sharp. "I take back what I said. I don't like smart people at all—what you mean is that you don't intend to cooperate?"

"Besides the medicine, I want more money." Xue Ming immediately raised the price. "A lot more money. The kind ordinary people can use, currency that can be spent in the mundane world. I don't know what Hui Stone Currency is. I'm a very practical person, a timid and lustful commoner. I also don't know whether the Universal Elixir you speak of truly cures every illness as you claim. I can only try it. But the tickets you mailed me before were real money—I want that."

The little black cat lay along the edge of the table, swinging its paw with an absent-minded air. "Then what do you mean, Mr. Xue Ming?"

Jiang Xueming closed his log and put away his fountain pen. "BOSS, I cannot remain underground for long. My sister is still waiting for me to come home. I don't just need to cure her illness—I need to cure poverty too."

The little black cat smacked its lips, seemingly finding the man before it extremely boring.

After a long while, the BOSS seemed to think it over. At last, it spoke, staring at Jiang Xueming with interest as if it had discovered a novel toy. "To the station, money from the mundane world is like wastepaper."

It changed expressions as quickly as turning a page and became serious. "Mr. Jiang Xueming, you are truly humble when discussing money. I don't know what you have been through, and I don't know you. Others have given me even more absurd conditions—some wanted power, sex, and money all together; some even wanted to go to the moon—"

"—But usually, they do not understand what an equivalent transaction means. They offer absurd goods at absurd prices.

"I truly don't know what equivalent value these scraps of paper can get from you. You have given me a difficult problem. This time, let it count as a losing deal for me. I won't ask anything more of you."

Jiang Xueming extended his hand, without even discussing the amount of money.

"Deal."

The little black cat laughed comfortably and extended its paw.

"Deal."

Before leaving, the BOSS elegantly bowed to Jiang Xueming in thanks, looking very much like a courteous gentleman, then immediately jumped back into its servant's arms in a most ungentlemanly fashion.

"Mr. Xue Ming, you are very special."

Jiang Xueming asked, "What do you mean?"

Little Kitty yawned. "Do you know why the other passengers in the carriage saw you as if they had seen a harbinger of disaster and left the moment they saw you?"

"Why?" Jiang Xueming asked in confusion.

"Because you seem like a dangerous person. Everyone emits different spiritual energy signatures. We call this characteristic Inspiration Pressure—their [Inspiration] warned them to leave you immediately. Passengers also rely on this [Inspiration] to avoid disasters during their journeys."

Little Kitty clapped its paws, pointed toward the ceiling again, and vividly described him. "You make people feel cold and cruel, rigid and precise like a metal engineering component, intolerant of even the slightest human sentiment. If I get the chance, I must send you to the Inspiration Inspection Room for a full security inspection. There are probably quite a few prohibited items in your soul. Every newcomer should pass inspection before boarding, but unfortunately, there isn't enough time."

Xue Ming gave no response. He merely opened his log and wrote down several new terms.

To him, understanding such things was not difficult.

It was like cutting apart the tangled sinews and rotten offal in his everyday work, like using a knife to deal with tough, stringy meat.

For someone who sold braised food in a subway station and wielded knives over red and white meat in a back kitchen, this too was a kind of philosophy.

Their complex veins and bloody clumps often left chefs astonished—

—What utterly immoral thing had this cow done with this piece of flesh while alive, for the connective tissue, lymph glands, or organs to become congested where they should not be congested and swollen where they should not be swollen?

They became like a clump of mud packed with anaerobic adhesive, the glue already hardened, twisted into tough yet highly elastic ropes.

Trying to separate them cleanly with a knife and water was practically impossible. But if he simply tossed them into a pot to cook them soft before taking them out to slice, the organ fluids would turn the dish into horrifying cuisine.

The metaphor sounded complicated, but it was actually simple.

Though it was merely a cheap piece of offal worth little more than a few dollars per pound, and few people cared about its flavor.

Jiang Xueming cared very much.

No two pieces of sinew and offal were identical, and no two knife strokes followed the exact same path.

Every day, he worked at unravelling tangled threads, marveling at what kind of premium beast the massive cold storage warehouse for animal carcasses had sent over this time.

Every day, his sanity teetered at the brink of collapse as he curled up in a pigeonhole apartment unfit for human habitation and encountered all manner of monsters and demons.

He wrote a will in his log, intended for Bailu, making preparations for the worst.

"If I do not return, please give this log to my sister. She is at HK Anshan Health Center, Sanatorium Building Two, Ward 405, bed 405. Her attending physician is Li Kangming."

"Jiang Bailu, your brother has something to tell you."

"Your brother is going somewhere very, very far away, seventeen thousand meters underground. I am going to find a medicine that can cure your illness."

"If your brother does not return, I will become sand, become earth, and follow the clouds, wind, and sun to become rain in the sky, become the sea."

"Your brother will not become human again—"

"—Do not try to find another brother in your life. That person will not be me. You must focus on yourself and live well."

"I will not hold onto wishful hope either, waiting for another Jiang Bailu to appear in my life. That person will not be you."

"There are no two pieces of offal in the world with the same flavor and shape. Like our little lives, they are unique, just like every book I have read, every person I have met, every breath, every blink."

"Like when we were children, look at the world with eyes full of curiosity. Everything is new. We have not yet grown up. It is still too early for us to become gloomy adults."

"This is our first and last time being human. We are bound to encounter terrible things."

"Do not blame yourself or feel sad about your illness. It is not your fault."

"Live well."

"I will not leave you."

The train traveled quietly and steadily along the tracks.

The Hanging Bridge stretched ever deeper into the abyss.

The view outside the windows alternated between light and darkness. Vast, distant underground cavities, all kinds of fluorescent plants, and electrical pipelines for illumination formed a magnificent, dazzling landscape.

The BOSS leaned against the window, breathing in the sulfurous scent rushing toward it, mingled with the sparks and flames bursting forth when bubbles in the Lava Lake exploded.

Its cat face was full of laziness and comfort, wearing an intoxicated expression as it said, "That young man just now was very special. I like him very much. I need to find a way to keep him and make him work for me forever."

"You are still thinking about him?" The servant's face remained cold and humorless. "How rare. You seldom pay such attention to a newcomer."

"We already sent him many, many tickets. They can be used as money. For us, we can print as much money as we want." The BOSS raised its goblet, the golden light of the Lava Lake reflected in its green eyes. "But he insisted on settling every account over that wastepaper with me. He seems very stubborn and straightforward."

"He sounds like an honest man." The servant filled the BOSS's goblet with goat's milk.

"No, he is not honest at all." The BOSS shook its head. "Didn't you hear it? He wants me to be honest. He wants me to do as I say. He wants me to keep my promises—he lives so seriously."

The servant asked in confusion, "And you still like him?"

"He understands my aesthetics." The black cat played with its little tongue, slowly drawing the goat's milk into its mouth. "That is what I like about him."