"Your work today might be a bit more demanding. We're hosting a banquet these two days and are short on staff. A lot of trash and waste haven’t been packed or transported to the warehouse yet, so today you’ll be handling recycling directly in the garbage room."
Qi Xu wore a smile on his face while cursing endlessly in his heart.
Do you even have common sense, you old bastard? I’m a waste recycler, not a garbage cleaner!
"Got it, don’t worry—I’ll work hard! But if it’s in the garbage room, I might not find much useful stuff, so the recycling price will have to be a bit lower."
Monkey Boss glanced at Qi Xu’s hidden player stats, confirming his arrangement was correct, and replied mercilessly, "No problem. Then just clean the garbage. A few measly Survival Coins don’t matter. If they’re gone, they’re gone."
Qi Xu was utterly defeated. An eight-hour workday, huh? Fine! Not a single minute of overtime! No feed, no work—what kind of beast labors for free?
Resigned to his fate, Qi Xu suited up in the garbage room under Monkey Boss’s watchful gaze and stepped inside with a look of utter despair.
Then… his face twisted in confusion.
He quickly backed out, scanning the room up and down.
"What are you doing?" Monkey Boss frowned.
Qi Xu was genuinely puzzled. "Are you sure this is the garbage room? There’s barely any trash in here."
Monkey Boss led him back inside, visibly annoyed.
"Are you blind?! This is all garbage! Subpar food discarded from the banquet! You need to clear it all out and empty this room by noon."
Qi Xu barely held back a laugh.
Subpar food? What a joke! Slightly asymmetrically roasted chickens, desserts with a bit too much cream, slightly misarranged fruit platters, assorted food scraps, unpopular-flavored milk tea, pizzas with oozing cheese…
A quick glance told Qi Xu—every single "subpar" item in this room was salvageable. And all of it was fresh!
Even just taking it back to show off would be worth it.
Once his Bragging Points hit 400,000, he’d definitely get an Obsidian Supply Crate!
"I got it. I’ll take all the subpar food in this room. Just name a price, and I’ll start collecting."
Monkey Boss was stunned…
"Aren’t you a waste recycler? Why are you taking garbage? What use do you have for this stuff?"
Qi Xu swept through the room with his Space Stone.
The high-tier Space Stone had time-stasis properties—nothing stored inside would spoil.
Too excited to filter his words, Qi Xu answered naturally, "To eat, obviously."
Monkey Boss gave him a pitying look and dropped the subject.
"Then no need for pricing. Take it all, just clean up properly. There are four garbage rooms like this, all with subpar food. You want the rest too?"
Free stuff? Only an idiot would say no.
"Absolutely! With this much food, my friends and I won’t go hungry for days. Might even live a little longer."
Playing the pity card for benefits? No shame in that.
Monkey Boss: ⊂[┐'_'┌]⊃...
"Fine, take it all. No charge for any of the subpar food today. The row opposite also has rejects, but not food. If you’ve got time, clean that out too."
"Roger that! Thanks, Monkey Boss."
Qi Xu worked even more cheerfully. This was way better than the near-expired stuff from the dump.
All because those nitpicky monsters were too damn picky—asymmetrical roasted chicken? So what! Does it affect the taste? These were master chefs on par with Little Master Chef—flawless flavors.
Qi Xu collected everything without a shred of guilt. His earlier bad mood vanished, replaced by the thrill of scoring a huge bargain.
No wonder waste recyclers in peaceful times became millionaires. This was the most promising career path!
But Qi Xu wasn’t just freeloading. After clearing all the food rejects, he meticulously wiped down every shelf, inside and out, then mopped the floor until it gleamed.
Maximum work ethic achieved.
Just as he was passionately laboring away, the dungeon announcement echoed again.
[Dungeon Broadcast: Congratulations to player Invincible Black Tornado for earning Day 2’s Employee of the Day! Reward: A private dining room with unlimited meal times and à la carte ordering!]
Qi Xu checked the time—perfect, it was lunch hour.
With the rooms mostly cleaned, he headed straight to the cafeteria.
There, he spotted the notoriously tyrannical Worker Monkey bossing players around in line.
Qi Xu walked right up and struck a conversation. "Hey, promoted already? You’ve got that leadership aura now."
The surrounding players were stunned. This monkey was notoriously vile and micromanaging—just lining up, and it was endless nitpicking: "Stand straight!" "No talking!"
Treating players like schoolkids! Infuriating! And it loved docking supplies. Who the hell was this girl, daring to talk to a dungeon monster like that?!
Even more shocking—the Worker Monkey, who’d been snarling at everyone moments ago, instantly switched gears. The speed of its attitude shift was unreal.
"Oh, you’re right on time for lunch today. Need me to show you around?"
Qi Xu nodded. "Definitely. Walk with me—got something to ask you. Lunch is on me."
Worker Monkey scratched its head, grinning. "Aw, you shouldn’t have."
"Quit dawdling." Qi Xu chided, deadpan. The Worker Monkey immediately stepped forward, even throwing in a polite "After you!"
"Holy shit, who was that pretty girl? How does she get special treatment from a dungeon monster? Is she Tornado or something?"
"Unfair! Strength, looks, luck—can’t hog it all!"
"Probably not Tornado. I checked her hands—no calluses. She’s weak. Tornado wouldn’t be that pathetic. Must’ve gotten favors some other way."
"Say that again in the chat lobby after we’re out, I dare you!"
"Tch."
Unaware of the stir he’d caused, Qi Xu was already in the exclusive private dining room reserved for high-ranking dungeon monsters, browsing the menu…
A Squirrel Waiter stood by attentively with a tablet.
Worker Monkey crossed its legs, basking in the moment, and even threw the waiter a "Thanks for the hard work."
The squirrel resisted the urge to roll its eyes. Such a show-off!
"Spicy shrimp dumpling meat pie, hawthorn foie gras, black truffle and porcini roasted chicken strips, premium soy sauce quinoa prawns, rock sugar bird’s nest, huadiao wine and crab roe giant crab, steamed red spotted grouper…"
"Enough, enough! The private room’s menu is pricey, and the portions are huge. We can’t finish all this."
Worker Monkey clutched its head in delight. This was gonna be bragging material for days!
[The translated content will appear here once the Chinese text is provided.]
