Newbie Gift Pack

"Brother Liao, while those two aren't here, hurry up and tell us—how did you manage to train our Sister Irin into that state, and when did it even start?"

"Yeah, exactly! I never in my wildest dreams imagined that Sister Irin, who has an even worse temper than us, could ever wear a dress. And that fair skin—the makeup effect is just too incredible, right? It's like she's a completely different person!"

"You might not believe it, Brother Liao, but back in the day, Sister Irin used to take us to nightclubs and critique the dancers on stage with us with great interest. Haha, I still remember that one day when Brian stormed into the club and dragged her out. You could hear Brian's cursing from miles away!"

The crowd at Haisha Bar was unusually enthusiastic toward Liao Ji, all talking over each other, eager to explain to the young man just how shocked they were by Irin's current appearance. (--) (--)

Since he had nothing better to do, Liao Ji took this opportunity to learn a bit more about the young girl from the perspectives of others.

So.

Hmm.

Leading the pack to brothels.

Fair enough, that sounds exactly like Irin.

Fortunately, there were some sensible people among the Haisha crowd who started coughing incessantly, shooting eye signals at the others who were rambling on. The implication was clear: it was obvious that Sister Irin had become Brother Liao's woman, and by airing her dirty laundry in front of him, they were only dragging down her image!

Once reminded, the group finally realized—oh right! This concerned Sister Irin's future happiness, and they couldn't be bad friends! They immediately laughed it off and scrambled to change the subject.

"Speaking of which, Brother Liao, when the Church's goons wanted to test you back then, it really scared the hell out of us. To be honest, we actually thought you were Corrupted, but it had to be you, Brother Liao, who volunteered for the test! And then you slapped everyone in the face!"

"So, Brother Liao, if you aren't Corrupted, how did you do it? How can you punch a monster like that and send it flying?"

"Yeah, yeah! And Sister Irin too. I admit she was pretty tough before, but not to the point where she could take down an entire squad of Kalleva like she did today. That's just too exaggerated!"

"I heard that the big shots and wealthy people over at the Mechanical Alliance mostly install high-end stuff called 'cybernetics' into their bodies. I bet since Brother Liao is so strong and not Corrupted, it must be because you have some super expensive 'cybernetics' inside you!"

"Is it... is it true, Brother Liao? Can you take out your big treasure and show us? Please, just one look! Let us broaden our horizons!"

Just as Liao Ji was feeling a massive headache dealing with the Haisha crowd, who seemed to have gone into heat the moment the topic of "cybernetics" came up, the private room door opened. It was Brian and Irin returning.

Liao Ji naturally looked toward the girl first, but... it was strange. The moment their eyes met, Irin hurriedly looked away, as if she were a little afraid to make eye contact with him.

Afterward, she ran straight over to mingle with the others in the room, completely ignoring him.

This left Liao Ji feeling a bit puzzled. What was wrong with Irin? Could that middle-aged man have said something bad to her, telling her to stay away from him? That shouldn't be it, right? Liao Ji felt he had acted perfectly well in front of her friends and brothers.

At this moment.

The sofa beside him sank inward, and the man with a chin full of thick stubble sat down.

"Want one?" Brian pulled a pack of cigarettes from his coat.

Seeing Liao Ji shake his head, Brian didn't mind. He lit a cigarette for himself, took a deep drag, and watched the Haisha crowd on the other side of the room—who were now surrounding Irin just as they had surrounded Liao Ji earlier, chatting away excitedly. Brian spoke to the young man beside him:

"Thanks."

"Xiao Wu found a wife a few months ago, and I heard she's pregnant now. If it weren't for you, and the fact that we detected the Corrupt Calamity pollution in his body and got the Church to help with purification and treatment, I really can't say what would have happened to him."

Liao Ji shook his head: "No need to thank me, that's the Church's credit."

"Hmph, the Church? Maybe the Church in your big cities is more diligent, but here in the Black Cave, if the Church actually tested every survivor after every pollution incident, Irin's mother wouldn't still be lying in the clinic waiting for surgery."

Brian let out a mocking laugh, and it was only then that Liao Ji realized the root of Irin's mother's illness had been planted back when her father went berserk.

This perhaps explained why Irin was able to become Corrupted relatively smoothly and reach the three-star level; it was possible that a great deal of Corrupt Calamity had already contaminated the bodies of both mother and daughter back then.

"Anyway, I won't waste any more breath. I came over now just to give you these."

Brian blew a smoke ring, stubbed out the cigarette that still had more than half left, and in the dim light of the room, pulled two items he had clearly prepared in advance from his coat pocket and pushed them toward Liao Ji.

Liao Ji looked down. It was...

A car key.

And a red and black patterned credit card?

"I know you're from somewhere else, and it looks like your family background is pretty good, but when it comes to the wilderness—especially traveling from a remote place like the Black Cave to a big city—it takes at least a week. I think you need a more professional vehicle."

Brian said, gesturing to the car key.

"This old partner has been with me for over ten years. Don't let the age fool you; I've maintained it well, and with constant modifications, in terms of performance in the wilderness, it's definitely one of the best in the entire Black Cave. And now..."

"It's yours."

Although the Haisha boss spoke with such nonchalance, Liao Ji could still easily see the traces of lingering attachment flashing deep in his eyes.

A vehicle was indeed a necessity for Liao Ji if he wanted to leave the Black Cave Settlement. He had originally planned to just swipe one from a gang, but he hadn't expected Brian to give him such a surprise.

"Did Irin tell you we were leaving? But why give it to me?"

"Heh, do I need that brat to tell me? Ever since Nolan—Irin's mother—got sick, that girl rarely comes to Haisha. Even when she does, it's only to get to Nolan's clinic through the back door. So, the moment she brought you here, I knew what that little girl was up to."

"If I'm not mistaken, you must have told Irin that you could cure her mother's illness, right? Surgery in a small clinic like this in the Black Cave can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. If you really want to cure her, you have to go to a big city and find the Church. That's the only reason I can think of that would make Irin agree to leave with you. So... am I right?"

Brian stared into the young man's eyes, and Liao Ji... well, although there were some discrepancies in the details, in terms of the result, the Haisha boss's deduction was largely correct.

Seeing Liao Ji nod, the stone in Brian's heart finally dropped. He visibly relaxed, lit another cigarette, and said with a smile:

"As for that card, it contains the surgery money I had raised for Nolan, totaling over fifty thousand Ash Coins. I couldn't just watch that brat run herself ragged trying to raise the money. I had just finished collecting it, but unfortunately, it seems it won't be needed now. However..."

"I know you might look down on this small amount of money, but since I've decided to give it away, there's no reason to take it back. So, just take it as my thanks. Thank you for helping that poor mother and daughter."

Brian was, in fact, also deceived by Liao Ji's appearance.

He was certainly no pampered young master from a wealthy family.

Whether it was the modified vehicle mentioned earlier or these fifty thousand-plus Ash Coins, both represented immense resources for the currently penniless Liao Ji.

Therefore, Liao Ji did not stand on ceremony; he didn't even make a show of declining. After a simple word of thanks, he accepted everything.

In response, Brian burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha, good! I like a man who is straightforward and decisive like you! Honestly, if I were a dozen years younger, I'd drag you out to drink all night, and I'd even shamelessly insist on becoming your sworn brother. It's a pity that time spares no one; I'm just old now."

"I think I finally understand a little bit now why so many people are willing to risk everything just to become a Corrupted."

A flicker of loss appeared in Brian's slightly clouded eyes. The wrinkles of time were etched onto his face, and while one could still see the outline of his burly frame just by watching him sit there, a closer look revealed that much of his muscle mass had begun to slacken.

This was the limitation of an ordinary person; no matter how glorious or formidable one was in their youth, time would eventually grind down all sharp edges.

Before he knew it, he had finished his cigarette, and Brian patted his backside as he rose from the sofa.

"I don't need to say much about that card; you should know it's a savings card from the Black Gold Bank in the Demon City. The benefit of a neutral bank in an independent city is that you don't have to worry about withdrawals no matter where you go. Oh, right, almost forgot—you can just ask Irin about the location of that car when the time comes. Finally, let me answer your question from earlier."

"I wanted to give these things directly to Irin, but do you think that brat's personality would allow her to accept them from me?"

"Irin is very lucky to have a relative like you," Liao Ji said earnestly.

"Pfft, forget it. I don't have the ability to give her a better life, but I think... kid, you have that ability."

"Although Irin is usually reckless, has a foul mouth, is sometimes dim-witted, is prone to saying the opposite of what she means, lacks any feminine charm, doesn't trust others easily, and likes to get stuck in a rut—once she sets her mind on something, she's as stubborn as a mule. Wait—damn it! How does this brat have nothing but flaws!"

It was clear that Brian had intended to use a "though-but" sentence structure, but as he spoke, the middle-aged man couldn't help but curse in frustration at her shortcomings.

"Ahem. Anyway, regardless of all that, she's a good girl. And she's the type who, once she lets you into her heart, would be willing to die for you. Of that, I am absolutely certain."

"Besides, I take back what I said about her lacking feminine charm. Although it might be inappropriate to say, the current Irin is even prettier than her mother was when she was young. Kid, you don't know—back in the day, Nolan was the undisputed beauty of our Black Cave. I don't know how many people held her as their dream girl. Cough, cough, cough!!"

Brian stopped himself just in time, refusing to reveal any more. Liao Ji, feeling a bit helpless, tried to explain: "I think you might have misunderstood something. Irin and I are really just ordinary friends."

Brian simply let out a scoff, turned around, and walked away, leaving Liao Ji with only one sentence and a back view filled with the weariness of regret.

"Irin's old man—that bastard—said the exact same thing to me back then, and I, that other bastard, actually believed him!"

Liao Ji: "."

Once everything that needed to be said and given was settled, Brian walked toward Irin and began shooing people away.

"Hey, brat, that's enough! The rest of this is men's time. Don't you have things to take care of? Get moving!"

Many of the Sea Sand members were reluctant to part with Irin, but after one glare from Brian and a look at Liao Ji, who was following behind him, they wore expressions of "I understand." They stopped trying to keep her and even joined Brian in urging Irin to leave quickly.

The young girl took one last deep look at the Sea Sand members—the scavengers who had accompanied her through the most difficult times—and her good uncle Brian. The thought of never seeing them again made her nose sting, but from the look Brian gave her, Irin understood: leaving like this was the best possible ending.

Irin left the bar, and Liao Ji was already waiting at the entrance.

"I thought you would say goodbye to them one by one."

"No, there's no need. Since Brian didn't tell everyone, I think it's better this way."

"By the way, that uncle gave me a car key and this card, saying it was a starter pack for us."

"Oh, I see."

"He said you know where his car is parked."

"It's at 31 Beirang Street; you can see it at the corner of the alley."

"Should we go get the car first, or go pick up your mother?"

"I'll listen to you."

"Then shall we go visit a brothel and see the ladies?"

"Sure. Fine."

It was already eight or nine in the evening, and naturally, there were no streetlights in the alley behind the bar; all the light relied entirely on the moon overhead.

Liao Ji suddenly stopped walking, which startled the girl following behind him with her head down, nearly causing her to bump into him.

"W-what are you doing?" Looking at the young man staring straight at her, Irin's eyes darted around, filled with nervousness and panic, her hands twisting together in confusion.

Seeing the girl like this, Liao Ji paused, then spoke:

"When we were in the booth, besides giving me the car keys and money, that uncle also told me that you like me."

Time seemed to freeze for three or four seconds.

Immediately after.

"I *******—! Brian, you ******* bastard, how dare you spread ******* rumors about me!"

Under the bright moonlight, the air was filled with a fragrant symphony of colorful profanity.

Liao Ji, standing across from the girl, nodded with satisfaction.

Hmm.

No wonder he felt so awkward earlier; he kept feeling like something was off.

Now, this felt just right!