Even though he hadn’t put on his work uniform or mask yet, Qi Xu didn’t find the smell unbearable and let out a slight sigh of relief. Those kitchen waste were truly disgusting—heavy, filled with sloshy liquids, and worst of all, completely worthless.
After the Worker Monkey left, Qi Xu quickly suited up, rubbing his hands together excitedly as he got to work.
He eagerly opened the first box—full of weapons! But all of them were damaged.
Blunted swords, broken whips, sniper rifles snapped into pieces...
Qi Xu randomly scanned a long blade with his light screen.
"Damaged Level 3 Long Blade: Recycling price—2 Survival Coins. Confirm recycling?"
Qi Xu didn’t dare click confirm. The consequences of theft would be severe, so he decisively turned off the screen and focused on his task.
Not every damaged weapon was worth selling. Some didn’t even register on the scanner. On average, he could only find one or two valuable items per box.
But little by little adds up. The warehouse was huge, and sorting through these boxes was far more enjoyable than yesterday’s kitchen waste.
Qi Xu specifically asked the Worker Monkey for a pen and notebook to keep track. For the 2-coin long blade, he jotted down "0.02."
Just like the day before, Qi Xu worked diligently without a single break all morning, except for two quick bathroom trips.
The Worker Monkey checked in occasionally, worried the human player might work himself to death.
Qi Xu was in high spirits. Though the haul wasn’t as good as yesterday’s scrap metal, more work meant more rewards.
After finishing the last box of damaged weapons, he rubbed his sore back and glanced at the densely filled notebook.
A rough count showed 317 items. Most were worth under five Survival Coins, with a few exceptions.
The most valuable was a Level 12 laser gun with a recycling price of 1,916 Survival Coins—more than Qi Xu had ever sold a vehicle for.
He decided to examine it at the crafting table after the dungeon ended, hoping it could be repaired.
If fixable, he’d keep it for himself! A Level 12 weapon? In his last playthrough, he’d never even heard of anyone owning one.
There were also eight poison gas bombs—great for area attacks—though cracked and damaged, they were still functional as defective items. Each had a recycling price of 96 Survival Coins.
The rest were common weapons with little resale value.
But that Level 12 laser gun alone made it all worth it.
As lunchtime approached, Qi Xu slowed down.
He leisurely changed out of his work uniform, stretching lazily, finally feeling the fatigue.
He handed the Worker Monkey another Survival Coin and followed him to the high-end cafeteria for a meal.
Sure enough, the Chinese Master Chef was at the far window again.
But today, it seemed every monster in the cafeteria was lined up there...
The Master Chef stood to the side, now with two helper monsters serving food—clearly an upgrade in status.
The Worker Monkey sighed. "No way… we’re never getting through this line today."
The Chinese Master Chef had been eyeing the entrance and spotted Qi Xu immediately, waving enthusiastically. "Boss!"
He then brought out two heaping plates of food. "Boss Whirlwind, here—I got these ready for you."
Glancing sheepishly at the Worker Monkey, he added, "Thanks for introducing customers yesterday. Today’s meal is on me."
Qi Xu gave a thumbs-up. This Worker Monkey had connections—bribery well spent.
The Chinese Master Chef wasn’t overthinking it; he just wanted to show gratitude for the help.
The Worker Monkey was thrilled. A free meal and skipping the line were nice, but the real prize was the bragging rights!
Instead of sitting right away, he strutted under envious stares, chattering animatedly while gesturing at Qi Xu and the Master Chef—who knew what he was saying.
After a full lap, he returned with a huge plate of fruit.
"Hahaha! You waited for me? Come on, dig in! I got some top-tier A-grade fruit—cost me six Survival Coins!"
Qi Xu blinked. So this monkey cared more about face than money.
The Chinese Master Chef whispered to Qi Xu, "A-grade food has special effects—mostly boosting health or reducing fatigue. Sometimes you luck out with stat boosts. Only full-time staff can buy it, though. We can’t."
Hearing this, Qi Xu didn’t hold back. His fatigue was at 79. With no monsters to fight and no need for invincibility mode, he wanted to lower that number fast.
One grape reduced fatigue by 2 points. Another raised health by 2.
Qi Xu nearly forgot about his meal, devouring most of the fruit plate himself.
The Worker Monkey wasn’t bothered at all, thumping his chest proudly. "Eat up! I’ll get more if you want!"
Qi Xu grinned. "Brother Monkey, think you could buy some A-grade fruit for me? I’ll pay extra as a fee."
"Who you calling ‘fee’?!" The Worker Monkey scowled.
Qi Xu was confused. Yesterday, this guy was money-obsessed. Had his personality changed?
"You called me ‘brother’—you think I’d charge you? I’ll even borrow a discount card! How much do you want? I’ll get it!"
Suppressing a smirk, Qi Xu pulled out 50 Survival Coins and handed them over.
The Worker Monkey gaped. Since when did human players earn coins so easily? Spending 50 just on fruit—it wasn’t even filling!
Still, he finished his meal quickly and returned with a carefully curated assortment of fruit.
Qi Xu stored it all in his spatial stone, satisfied.
"Boss Whirlwind, starting tomorrow, I won’t be at the staff cafeteria anymore. I got assigned to banquet catering."
Qi Xu praised freely, "That’s amazing! I knew you’d ace this dungeon."
"Though I dropped a plate during prep this morning… got docked three hours’ pay."
.........
