The monsters finished cleaning without complaint. Whatever method they had used, even the bathroom mirror had been restored to pristine condition.
Qi Liang and the others stared at the transformed convenience store, their mouths hanging open in astonishment.
With a tuft of yellow hair sticking up, Cheng Lin sidled over to the other two and whispered:
"That's insane. The system sends people over for interviews, and he turns around and puts them to work for the system. He's really mastered screwing over his own kind."
Wei Lingling nodded in agreement, but as she looked at the roomful of blank-faced Du Xiaomeis, all staring fixedly at Shen Ru with identical smiles, something seemed to seize her heart.
These things... wouldn't hold a grudge, would they...?
Shen Ru paid no attention to those spine-chilling stares. As the store's manager, his top priority was figuring out which people he could squeeze every last drop of useful value out of.
But... these things seemed to have been programmed by the system from the start. Every movement, expression, and even the extent of their physical motions matched exactly, making it impossible to assess them with the naked eye.
Clap, clap, clap.
His slender fingers had well-defined joints, and the smooth, supple skin on the backs of his hands took on a faint pink glow beneath the moonlight.
Admiration filled the young man's eyes as he clapped rhythmically, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"I never imagined you would all be so capable. Every one of you has performed to a thoroughly satisfactory standard."
The corners of Shen Ru's mouth lifted just enough as he announced the final results, as though he were acting strictly by the book, without a trace of self-interest:
"But any assessment has to have rankings. Though this isn't what I want to see, the store can only hire two more people. I'm afraid I have no choice."
In two effortless sentences, he conveyed two things to the monsters: first, he very much wanted to keep them all, because every employee met the hiring requirements. Second, external circumstances forced him to take these measures.
In short, the young man had absolved himself of all responsibility.
"For now, we'll keep the two employees who specialize in cleaning and organizing! Congratulations!"
All six originally looked identical, so the others had no way of telling which two had been hired. But the two selected "Du Xiaomeis" abruptly lost their blank expressions amid the crowd, their faces instantly becoming strange and inscrutable.
Two pairs of lifeless gray eyes stared fixedly at Shen Ru. Under the lights, even their skin and muscles turned bright red and translucent.
Yet Shen Ru acted as though he were blind, ignoring those malicious gazes completely. He even curved his brows in amusement, his red eyes glittering beneath the dim yellow lights.
"But those who weren't selected shouldn't lose heart. Though this store can only accommodate two permanent employees, new hires must undergo a seven-day probationary period. If they make a mistake during that period, any of you can step in as a replacement."
As though something had just occurred to him, the young man blinked apologetically. "Incidentally, the probationary period is unpaid. If that bothers you, you're all free to leave now."
What a joke. Once you came through his doors, none of you were leaving unscathed.
Dazzled by how swiftly the young man had pulled all this off, Qi Liang asked the other two uncertainly:
"Is he... planning to stiff them?"
The corners of Cheng Lin's mouth twitched as he nodded in bewilderment. "Unless something unexpected happens, we're getting six new coworkers..."
Wei Lingling's expression was no better than theirs. "If I were an NPC, I'd punch him right now..."
The livestream chat erupted too:
[What??? There's a probationary period too??? How the hell does he manage to make himself this infuriating???]
[This is the first time I've felt sorry for NPCs in an instance. How can you just say you won't pay them??]
[I thought making them clean the place inside and out was already the limit. Who knew he'd get this greedy? He wants this, he wants that, he wants everything!?]
[For fuck's sake... for the next five minutes, he's temporarily not my wife...]
Of course, after he said that, none of the monsters volunteered to leave. Or rather, the system's intentions had been clear from the outset: dead or alive, these things would remain with this convenience store.
The moment those six eerie beings learned they would be staying in the store, their eyes widened, and they stared at the young man with lifeless gazes, as though they would pounce on him and tear him limb from limb at any second.
At that moment, Shen Ru displayed the composure of a capitalist. He believed there was no such thing as a free lunch. Making these NPCs clean and tidy up, then keeping them in the store to work without pay, would undoubtedly mean taking on greater risks.
But the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
Besides, something this interesting was something he genuinely couldn't wait to see.
Bzzzt...
The loudspeaker crackled at an inopportune moment, its chilling mechanical voice forcibly infused with an eerie cheerfulness.
"Recruitment task... task complete... congratulations... opening... opening ahead of schedule."
The crackling static cut off abruptly, and the familiar system announcement suddenly rang in the players' ears:
"Ding! Players have been detected completing the convenience store's repairs and cleaning ahead of schedule. Please wait inside the store for the delivery personnel to arrive and stock it. Once the accounts have been settled, the store will officially open at seven tomorrow morning."
"The operating period is four days. Reaching five hundred positive reviews will count as a clear."
"We wish you smooth sailing and abundant profits."
No sooner had the system notification ended than Shen Ru saw a balance notification arrive on the phone used to give the store positive reviews.
[Starting funds: 10,000]
These starting funds were neither particularly generous nor particularly meager.
After all the organizing they had done, Shen Ru could clearly see that the packaged goods occupied only a small portion of the shelves. In other words, they needed to bring in a large quantity of stock. The system had not told them in advance what products the convenience store sold, let alone specified each item's unit price.
Though there were plenty of uncertainties, they also had considerably more room to maneuver.
If money really did get tight in the end, there was no reason they couldn't recycle these six monsters the system had given them for free.
Qi Liang's eyes darted about. Following someone's example was a required skill for any lackey, and he was certain the boss was thinking about how to run the store over the next few days.
So, wearing a smug expression as though he were easing Shen Ru's burdens, he volunteered, "Boss, leave getting a positive review from the supplier to me!"
The young man sat in a chair with his legs crossed. At those words, he gently rubbed his temples and did his best to force a strained smile.
"Are you that money-obsessed? Does everyone who comes here have to leave a positive review before they go?"
Qi Liang was dumbfounded...
*???*
Wait, why are you insulting me with something you should be saying about yourself???
Didn't I learn all this from you!?
Though he grumbled inwardly, he still lacked the courage to say it aloud. He could only look at Shen Ru in confusion, hoping the boss would explain.
Looking at everyone's puzzled faces, Shen Ru sighed softly.
These people were still useful to him. Getting them all killed would make the next few days a hassle. He couldn't be rash.
"The supplier is a worker responsible for delivering goods to the convenience store, not something disposable. That means there are risks we can't assess yet. Rashly asking for a positive review might provoke resentment, which could then affect the goods supplied to us and their prices."
The young man glanced casually over the others as understanding dawned on their faces, then asked patiently, "Do you understand?"
From the very beginning, Shen Ru had decided that no one except customers could be asked to give the store positive reviews.
The reason he had asked these monsters to rate the store was that, deep down, the young man had never intended to let them leave it alive.
In the livestream chat:
[Fuck, guys, there's the truth... that's chilling...]
[I was wondering why he wouldn't ask the supplier for a positive review. I never imagined he'd thought that far ahead! Holy shit, he's incredible!]
[Aaaaaah, I love this venomous beauty!!!!]
[Thank goodness my wife wasn't assigned to the looks-based streamer category because of his face. Otherwise, I'd have missed out on him for the rest of my life!!!]
Before you continue