"Another ordinary, boring day."
Zuo Ci waved away a nonexistent fly, then let out a bored yawn.
With the Bane incident over and Christmas having arrived, he had given Jack three days of paid leave. Now he was the only person left in the entire shop-no, on the entire street.
There weren't any comics or novels he wanted to read, he couldn't be bothered to play games, and there weren't even any spectacularly unlucky punks around. It was just too boring.
"If only some little bastard who didn't know better would show up right now."
Whether it was a coincidence or some unknown god passing by had actually heard Zuo Ci's prayer, a beast in a tailored suit appeared in his shop less than ten minutes after he said that.
A crisp suit, an exquisite wristwatch, meticulously styled hair, and an old face trying to look young that made anyone who saw it want to pound it with their fists.
Wow. A textbook piece of human trash.
"Welcome. What can I help you with?"
Although he could tell at a glance that this guy was up to no good and clearly hadn't come to buy anything, professional courtesy compelled him to offer a perfunctory greeting.
Meanwhile, he discreetly readied the wondrous little tools he might need shortly.
"You're Mr. Zuo Ci, correct? Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Token, a Federation tax officer. I believe you know why I'm here."
Wait, why did that sound so familiar?
Hadn't that gang's ashtray said something similar to me before?
"Collecting taxes? You're sure you want to do that now?"
With a strange expression, Zuo Ci pointed at the badly damaged street.
"Of course, sir. If we don't collect now and someone runs off, that would be a tremendous loss for the Federation."