As though worried they might refuse, Shen Ru curled his lips and added meaningfully:
"Of course, you can also consider this one of the assessment criteria for your interview."
Shen Ru wasn't worried about them refusing. Thanks to Mo Yu, he was now the convenience store's administrator. Setting a few seemingly reasonable interview requirements posed no risk of breaking the rules.
And so, to the astonishment of Qi Liang and the two women, the six eerie monsters each gave the convenience store a five-star review.
Seeing sixty new positive reviews in the backend, Shen Ru nodded in satisfaction. Soon, the young man put on a seemingly sincere, warm smile and continued:
"Next, I'd like each of you to tell me about your strengths."
They only needed to fill two vacancies, yet the system had sent them six strange creatures.
Shen Ru had to figure out what made them different. He rested both hands lightly on the counter, his slender fingers tapping idly against its surface as a cryptic gleam flashed through his beautiful red eyes.
"I only need two employees, so you'll have to give me a reason to keep you."
Capitalists loved watching cutthroat competition. Enough pressure and urgency could force out humanity's basest, most despicable desires.
Of course, the same applied to monsters.
The moment the young man finished speaking, the monster standing in the middle took a numb, mechanical step forward, its expression polite yet wooden.
Qi Liang and the others recoiled two steps in fright, pressing themselves tightly against the wall.
As though it couldn't even register the others' fear, the thing stiffly opened its mouth and spoke softly, mimicking Du Xiaomei's own fragile, broken voice:
"I'm best at cleaning. Whatever filth there is, I can clean it all away."
Shen Ru tilted his head and listened indifferently, then gave a perfunctory nod, lifting his chin slightly to signal the next one to speak.
"I'm best at organizing."
"I'm best at stocking shelves."
"I'm best at operating the register."
"..."
Their voices drifted weightlessly through the air, each a terrifying, low moan, like the hollow, cold cries of eerie ghosts.
Their intonation, pitch, and timbre were identical, every word steeped in malice.
Unlike the others, who were on edge, the young man paid no mind to the creatures' tone or attitude. Instead, he frowned slightly, pretending to be troubled.
Noticing Shen Ru's confusion, Wei Lingling asked cautiously, "Is something wrong?"
Shen Ru shook his head. Feigning conflicted regret, he slowly sighed, then raised his eyes to the six identical monsters and said:
"I have faith in everyone's abilities, and every one of your skills is something our convenience store needs. Letting any of you go would feel like losing a truly exceptional talent."
Qi Liang: ... I have a bad feeling about this.
Then the young man abruptly changed tack, fully exposing his little capitalist scheme as he curled his lips and looked at them expectantly:
"They say practice is the true test of ability. I hope you'll each use your specialties to give the convenience store a fresh new look. Based on your performance, we'll select the top two to stay."
He would exploit the applicants' desire for employment to create value for himself, and in return, he would create jobs for his employees.
In truth, it made no difference to Shen Ru which of them stayed. So why not use the limited time to create unlimited value?
And the reason the young man could milk them so brazenly was that he had tested the waters with his earlier remarks.
He had first offered up a few simple, easily completed tasks to see how the six NPCs would react.
If they acted according to his wishes, that meant he held the dominant position in this recruitment process.
Only after confirming that did Shen Ru feel confident enough to make them work for free.
Sure enough, as Shen Ru gradually raised his demands, the system tacitly permitted his behavior.
Wei Lingling and the others: "..."
In the livestream chat:
[????]
[The streamer's move was seriously brilliant, but why did watching it make me grind my teeth?]
[... Babe, the way you exploit workers looks exactly like my boss, who'll hopefully be dead soon!]
[Everyone who comes in is a customer, and everyone who passes gets fleeced???]
[I just got here. Am I seeing things? Why are monsters working for a human???]
[You're not seeing things. I suggest watching the replay. There's something even crazier earlier...]
The livestream's viewer count steadily climbed. It seemed to cross some threshold, and a system announcement suddenly sounded in Shen Ru's ears:
"Ding! Detected that the player's livestream audience has exceeded 1,000 viewers!" "Keeping your viewers might be an easy way to earn points and glory!"
The sudden, inexplicable announcement startled Shen Ru.
Livestream...?
Viewers...
What... did that mean?
So, ever since the game instance began, everything he did had been broadcast from every angle, without a single blind spot?
Even now, a thousand pairs of eyes were watching his every move from somewhere he couldn't see?
Once he understood that, Shen Ru suddenly found himself utterly exhilarated by the dense web of gazes surrounding him.
It was like countless tiny, faint electrical currents coursing through his body, and he even trembled slightly all over with excitement.
And judging by the system's notification, the viewers were closely linked to the points awarded when the instance ended.
Although he couldn't see the chat, that didn't stop him from saying hello.
The beautiful glass doll lowered his eyes, his thick lashes casting deep shadows over his pale cheeks. Even the corners of his eyes and the tips of his brows held a harmless softness. The young man curved his lips slightly, instantly bringing his striking features vividly to life, and a flirtatious atmosphere filled the air.
"Hello, everyone. I'm so sorry it took me this long to greet you."
His sparkling red eyes shone charmingly in the dim light. Then the young man lightly licked his lips and said gently:
"I just like killing people and seeing a little blood. I haven't done anything truly wicked. You won't stop being my fans, will you?"
Although the viewers knew Shen Ru couldn't see the chat, the messages still paused for an instant before immediately erupting into an uproar:
[I'm calling the police! Someone's murdering me with his looks!!!!]
[Aaaaaaah, my babe just likes killing people! What's wrong with that? Kill them all!!!]
[Waaaah, he's so good at this. He can't even see the chat, but he still takes the trouble to toy with my feelings!]
[Of course we won't stop being your fans!!! From this moment on, we of the Yehe Nara swear to protect my babe to the death!]
Shen Ru tilted his head, seemingly observing the monsters at work, but in reality, he was waiting for the system to make another announcement.
"Ding! Congratulations, player! You have received a tip of 500 points from a livestream viewer." "Ding! Congratulations, player! You have received a tip of 300 points from a livestream viewer." "..."
The young man listened to the system announcements with a beaming smile, his brows arching happily.
How interesting.
It wasn't much use, but it was enough to relieve his boredom.
Before you continue