Kitchen Assistant

"Why did you always manage to get yourself into such a state, kid?"

Seeing that Liu Zheng had gotten even thinner, Cow-Horse was speechless.

"Obviously because I'm not strong enough. Did you think I liked it?"

Liu Zheng was speechless at its speechlessness.

The well-fed never understood the hunger of the starving. For an ordinary person like him to have survived until now was already a miracle.

"I thought you were having a pretty good time. Huh?"

Cow-Horse looked at his chest.

"You actually got an Honorary Homeowner Medal?"

"Yeah. I took part in some Rooftop Rope-Free Bungee Challenge."

Liu Zheng replied.

"Mm, that really suits you. If you can collect all five medals, delivering food won't leave you in such a miserable state anymore."

Cow-Horse nodded.

"What happens if I collect all five?"

He took the opportunity to ask.

The system's item description had been rather vague.

"Orders won't get refused anymore. Those security guards won't stop you either. But it only applies to low- and mid-tier residential compounds. It doesn't work on upscale places like First-Class Sky Villas."

Cow-Horse said, swaying its head.

Liu Zheng nodded. It was more or less what he had expected.

"So how many medals have you collected?"

He asked.

"Not a single one."

"Why?"

Liu Zheng found that strange.

With Cow-Horse's strength, even if it didn't run into something perfectly suited to its profession like he did, it should have been able to force its way through.

"I'm not afraid of order refusals. If security guards dare stop me, I'll hit them with a heavy punch. I don't dare mess with upscale residential compounds, but that just makes the medals useless."

Cow-Horse said smugly.

So the thing was nothing but a useless trinket to it.

"Tch."

Liu Zheng curled his lip.

"Besides, this thing doesn't only bring benefits. The people who order food might ask you for help when you wear it. If you're lucky, you can refuse. If you're unlucky, it's even more troublesome than having an order refused."

Cow-Horse added.

"I actually ran into that."

He recounted helping Miniature Man walk his dog.

"HAHAHA!"

Cow-Horse let out an earth-shaking burst of laughter.

"That tree finally got what was coming to it, hahaha!"

It laughed so hard its head looked like it was about to fall off.

"But you really have guts, kid. That dog is a notorious vicious beast throughout the city, yet you dared to walk it."

"I'd die if I walked it, and I'd die if I didn't. So I walked it."

Liu Zheng shrugged.

"I really don't understand you. By the way, what did you trade that crate of Maotai and that tree for?"

Cow-Horse asked curiously.

"I traded them for this."

He took out the Sick Leave Slip.

"Dai Lego said Wolf Knight's brother, Fire Mage, might be wandering around the city. I'm planning to use these three days off to try and find him."

Liu Zheng explained his plan.

"Fire Mage..."

Cow-Horse looked wary.

"I've never dealt with him, but Black Claw mentioned him before. His strength might even surpass Oink's."

"That doesn't really matter. Everyone is stronger than me anyway."

He shrugged.

"You do have a clear understanding of yourself. Still, I don't recommend looking for him. I don't even recommend using that Sick Leave Slip."

Cow-Horse said.

"Why?"

"Do you remember the second rule of the Delivery Driver Rules?"

"Don't leave the break room without receiving an order."

Liu Zheng answered quickly.

He remembered matters of life and death very clearly.

"That's right. Now think about it the other way around. What happens when you don't need to take orders?"

He thought for several seconds, and his expression changed slightly.

"Does that mean I can't enter the break room?"

"No."

Cow-Horse shook its head.

"It means you can't enter the Bloodstained Restaurant at all. And during sick leave, your identity as a restaurant employee becomes invalid."

Liu Zheng's expression changed drastically.

"You get it now, right? Without the restaurant's protection and without anywhere to stay, you might be able to take your chances during the day. But once night falls, you'll definitely die."

Cow-Horse said coldly.

He clenched the Sick Leave Slip.

He had thought it was one-fifth of a Vacation Voucher. He never expected it to be a death warrant.

"Is there any way around it?"

Liu Zheng asked unwillingly.

"There are ways."

"First, you can't enter the restaurant as an employee, but you can enter as a customer."

"Second, you can't stay in the break room, but you can stay at an inn."

Cow-Horse said.

"Which option is better?"

He asked.

"They each have their pros and cons. The restaurant is absolutely safe, but it charges a lot. With the little money you have, it'll probably be gone in a day."

"Inns are cheaper. You could stay for ten days or half a month. But all kinds of people gather there, and it's only a little safer than sleeping on the streets."

Liu Zheng sank into thought.

First, the restaurant option was definitely out.

After encountering that sprinkler truck, he had realized that money was still extremely useful in this world.

The Gambling Den had blacklisted them now, so he probably would not have any opportunity to make a large sum of money for quite some time.

Second, the inn option was not a good idea either.

Even rookie NPCs like French Plane Tree and Cow-Horse were full of bad intentions. The advanced NPCs in an inn would only be more vicious and ruthless.

Without the boost from the Legendary Disguise and his identity as a restaurant employee, entering recklessly would be like a sheep walking into a tiger's den.

"You'd better make a decision soon. I'm going on vacation in a few days. By then, you won't even be able to ask for leave."

Cow-Horse said.

With only one delivery driver left, Si Xue obviously would not approve Liu Zheng's leave.

And Cow-Horse could not possibly postpone its vacation plans for him.

As he was thinking, Cow-Horse's phone suddenly rang.

It glanced at the number, and its expression immediately turned solemn.

"Boss, what are your orders?"

Cow-Horse said respectfully.

"Okay, okay. How many people do you need?"

"Okay, okay. I'll make sure the newcomer understands the rules."

Cow-Horse agreed repeatedly.

After a few sentences, it hung up.

"I don't know whether you're lucky or unlucky."

Cow-Horse sighed.

"What happened?"

"The batch of goods that came with the Maotai had problems. Several kitchen staff have been sent to the hospital. The boss told the two of us to go help in the kitchen."

Cow-Horse said.

"Then we'll help."

Liu Zheng said indifferently.

He had been delivering food for so long already. What could be so bad about helping in the kitchen?

Besides, Cow-Horse would be going with him.

"Heh. Did you forget the sound you heard when you first arrived?"

Cow-Horse sneered.

Liu Zheng frowned, and that woman's scream echoed in his ears.

"You can't even stand hearing it. Will you still be able to hold yourself back when you see the real person?"

"Let me tell you this: I can protect you if you cause trouble at the Gambling Den. But if you break the rules in the kitchen, I'll be the first one to kill you."

Cow-Horse stared directly at him.

Its expression had returned to how it looked when it first kicked him flying—fierce and twisted.

As though their friendly cooperation over the past few days had been nothing but an illusion.

"Boss, don't you know me? I value my life more than anything."

After a moment of silence, Liu Zheng smiled.

"Hmph. You'd better. Let's go."

Cow-Horse stood up.

He followed Cow-Horse out of the break room, passed through the three-way intersection, and finally arrived before the blue curtain.

"I'll remind you one more time. No matter what you see, pretend you didn't see it. You came to the restaurant to work, not to play hero."

"Even if you want to die, go die somewhere far away. Don't drag me down with you."

Cow-Horse turned and said.

"I know."

Liu Zheng smiled.

Cow-Horse stared hard at him twice, but in the end, it still turned away.

The curtain was lifted, and one man and one Cow-Horse entered the profound darkness.