First Intimate Contact with High Society

When you encounter a stingy person earnestly doing something they deem important, if you cannot immediately bring them gold coins or benefits, do not disturb them. Instead, wait patiently for them to finish. This was a lesson Zhang Tie learned from Tang De, so after entering, Zhang Tie didn't speak. He stood slightly awkwardly in front of Manager Hans's large desk, patiently waiting for the fat man to finish cleaning the beautiful buttons on his coat. At the same time, he quietly sized up what was the most luxurious room Zhang Tie had ever seen in his life.

It truly was the most luxurious room Zhang Tie had ever seen, for in his fifteen years of a bleak, miserable life, he had never been to any high-end places. Fortunately, his time at the grocery store had trained his eyes to recognize value. As he walked into the office, he could tell the floor was cedar, Manager Hans's desk was nanmu, and the other furniture and cabinets seemed to be made of the even more precious money-fruit wood. In one corner of the office, Zhang Tie even saw a massive, natural, single-headed crystal weighing over five kilograms, displayed in a basin of Crystal Sand—heaven have mercy, it was the first time Zhang Tie had ever seen such a large crystal. Before the Great Cataclysm, people only used crystals as decorations, but after the Great Cataclysm, the true functions and knowledge of crystals became widespread. A common piece of knowledge understood by many in this era is that any natural crystal over three kilograms is known by another name: a "Crystal Generator." No matter where such a crystal is placed, the energy and magnetic field it gathers can purify and enhance the energy in the surrounding dozens of square meters, which is of great benefit to human health and cultivation. Some even believe that if a person is frequently in such a crystal energy field, it can purify the negative aura on their body, thereby bringing good luck...

For a "Crystal Generator" of over five kilograms with such decent quality, Zhang Tie estimated the price to be at least 40 gold coins or more...

So damn rich, Zhang Tie sighed. A crystal like this was at least Grade 4 or higher; even Tang De's shop didn't have one. It was already standard "strategic material" that could no longer be bought in ordinary shops, sold only in stores with franchise rights. In Black Flame City, the only entity that monopolized the sale of crystals of this grade was the merchant group directly under the Coal and Steel Union.

Manager Hans knew Zhang Tie had entered, but he continued polishing his coat buttons for a full three minutes before sighing with satisfaction. He took off his velvet cloth and monocle, placed them in a drawer, and only then looked at Zhang Tie.

"A sensible little fellow!" Manager Hans praised first, seemingly very satisfied with Zhang Tie's well-behaved nature in not disturbing his leisure. "Now, let me see what you're here for!"

Because he was so fat, Manager Hans's face looked like a steamed flower roll that had been punched hard; his facial features were buried deep within the layers of fat. Compared to him, Tang De's physique could be described as slender.

Zhang Tie stepped forward, handed the introduction letter from Captain Colin to Manager Hans with both hands, and stood straight in front of the large desk, putting on an honest expression. "I am a student at the National No. 7 Boys' Middle School. Captain Colin said he introduced me to a good part-time job here!"

"Ha, good, of course it's a good part-time job..." Manager Hans took the letter, glanced at it casually, and laughed. He then looked Zhang Tie up and down with a gaze that made Zhang Tie's skin crawl. "The part-time hours are after school, from 6 PM to 11 PM. So, little fellow, how many days a week can you come here?"

"Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings are fine..." Zhang Tie thought for a moment and replied. He had to go to Tang De's on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and help his mother at home on the weekends, so the only time left was Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings.

"Only three days a week. Although the time is a bit short, well, alright..." Manager Hans took something out of the drawer and began writing on it rapidly, spitting out a string of words like a machine gun. "The salary for this part-time job is settled once a week. When there is work, it's... 70 copper coins per hour. If you perform well, it can be increased. You must report on time at 6 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. If you are one minute late, you work the whole day for nothing. The Iron Thorn Combat Hall will not reimburse any other expenses you incur. If guests give tips, you can keep them for yourself; you don't need to turn them in. That guy Colin should have told you what this job entails..."

"Captain Colin said..." Zhang Tie was just about to repeat the wonderful promises Colin had made to him when the door to Manager Hans's office was suddenly pushed open. A guy rushed in without even knocking. "Manager, the guest in Room 6 is getting impatient..."

"What about that guy Harry?" Manager Hans stood up from behind the large desk and suddenly shouted in anger. "Did that guy Harry not come today? You offended our God, these noble guests of the combat hall, these wealthy patrons—are you trying to get me stripped naked and thrown into the sewer?"

"The contract term expired yesterday, and Harry resigned!" the person who entered replied with a bitter face. "I already reported that to you. What do we do now..."

Hans, who had been furious, stopped abruptly. After two seconds, the eyes of both people in the room suddenly locked onto Zhang Tie. Hans suddenly gave a gentle smile. "You... little fellow, what is your name? Hurry up and sign. You're lucky... hmm..." The fat on Manager Hans's face twitched as if in pain. "I'll add another 10 copper coins per hour for you. This part-time job is yours!"

Zhang Tie felt a secret thrill. He hadn't expected to encounter an employee skipping work on his very first day. This job, which paid well, had good benefits, allowed him to exercise, and offered the chance to meet wealthy big shots—and perhaps even have intimate contact with beautiful women—had just fallen into his lap.

Look at that, he thought, good character really pays off. I haven't even been here an hour, and Manager Hans is already giving me a raise. This was the first paying job Zhang Tie had ever had in his life.

So, without hesitation, Zhang Tie didn't even really look at the contract. He took the pen Manager Hans handed him and scribbled his name on the paper.

As soon as Zhang Tie finished signing, Manager Hans hurriedly tucked the contract into his drawer. Before Zhang Tie could even speak, the person who had rushed in impatiently dragged Zhang Tie by the hand and ran outside. Manager Hans remembered something from behind and shouted, "The kid smells like sweat, give him a bath..."

He hadn't expected to actually land this high-paying part-time job, or to have really found work at the Iron Thorn Combat Hall. If there was work, he'd make 80 copper coins an hour; wouldn't he make two silver coins just by working four or five hours a week? Two silver coins? Happiness had come so suddenly that for the rest of the process, Zhang Tie's head felt a bit dizzy. He just mechanically let others handle him, feeling like a can on a factory assembly line, fully experiencing what it meant to be part of a workflow—he was rushed through a quick shower, then put into a set of soft cotton-linen clothes and socks. Then, he was pulled aside, and something was layered directly over the clothes, like pads or armor, covering his chest, back, crotch, and the sides of his arms. It looked quite imposing. Finally, when someone put a massive helmet-like guard that covered half his face onto his head, Zhang Tie felt something was wrong. Is this a uniform? Why is it so strange? It feels a bit off.

However, before Zhang Tie could ask, he was led into a room...

The room was large, nearly two hundred square meters. The floor was covered in a layer of rubber matting that felt elastic and slip-resistant underfoot. The four walls were covered in large, segmented, padded sections that looked like leather bags. In the huge room, there was only one person—a little brat, about eleven or twelve years old, with reddish-brown hair, wearing a white training suit. He stood with a cold face, single-handedly pummeling a dummy in the room.

Zhang Tie saw the little brat, and the little brat saw him. He stopped what he was doing. Zhang Tie put on a smile he thought was warm and friendly, walked up to the brat, and bent down. "Little kiddo..."

Without any warning, the brat delivered a fierce spinning side kick that landed squarely on Zhang Tie's head. Zhang Tie didn't even groan, didn't finish his sentence, and as his vision went black, he shamefully fainted...

He didn't know how much time had passed. Feeling an itch in his nose, Zhang Tie sneezed and slowly woke up. Upon waking, he felt as if dozens of little people were drumming inside his head—thump, thump, thump—and he still felt dizzy and lightheaded.

"Kid, you're awake..." Standing in front of Zhang Tie was a bald, muscular man in his thirties with bruises and scars on his face. He looked like a wild bull. Seeing Zhang Tie open his eyes, the man smiled, put away a small porcelain bottle he had been holding to Zhang Tie's nose, and then went about opening a storage locker beside him to change his clothes.

Zhang Tie rolled over and sat up, discovering he was lying on a wide bench. There were four or five people in the room. Before he could say anything, Zhang Tie felt a wave of nausea. Seeing what looked like a trash can in the corner of a locker, he covered his mouth and ran over, dry-heaving into the bin. Finally, he retched until tears came out, but other than a bit of sticky saliva, nothing came up. After retching for a while, Zhang Tie felt his head finally clear up a bit. He sat back down on the bench, shook his head hard, and tried to remember what had happened...

Wait, Zhang Tie stood up abruptly and looked around. Where's that little brat? If I see you again, I'll beat the crap out of you!

"Kid, what we do is called sparring, but to put it bluntly, we're human punching bags. But there's a technique to being a punching bag. A few bruises are nothing, but you have to protect your head and your lower parts. This is the first time I've seen someone as stupid as you, offering your head up for someone to kick..." Another man who had finished changing walked over, patted Zhang Tie on the shoulder, and left the locker room with his bag.

What? Sparring? Human punching bag? Zhang Tie was stunned...