The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?
Chapter 150 Nightingale, let me borrow your cannon for a moment

Chapter 150: Chapter 150 Nightingale, let me borrow your cannon for a moment

"Get up, get up, your order has arrived."

Niu Ma’s strange voice woke Liu Zheng up.

He opened his eyes to see Niu Ma holding an empty bottle of wine, shouting at him.

"Boss, haven’t you sobered up from the booze yet?"

Liu Zheng said, both annoyed and amused.

"What’s it to you, can’t I find some fun when I’m bored?"

Niu Ma said nonchalantly.

"Sure sure sure, you go on and have fun then, I’m off to deliver this order."

He picked up the order from the ground and looked at its contents.

"Menu item: Man Bites Dog, one order."

"Address: ’Sunshine’ pet shop."

"Customer: Xiao Mei"

"Deadline: One hour."

A pet shop, another type of place he hadn’t delivered to before.

"Boss, is there anything I should watch out for with orders from pet shops?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"Hmm? Which pet shop?"

Niu Ma, who was about to lie back down, came back upon hearing this.

"’Sunshine’ pet shop."

He replied.

"Let me have a look."

Niu Ma stretched out a hoof to take the delivery order and looked at it carefully.

"A thousand bucks, I’ll deliver this order for you."

It said, placing the order down.

"Is this order dangerous?"

Every order Niu Ma snatched was the kind from which one might not return.

"For others, perhaps not so much. But for you, kiddo, it’s indeed extremely dangerous."

Niu Ma’s expression was half-mocking, half-serious.

"Maybe you could explain that a bit more clearly."

"In Metropolis, any being that isn’t forbidden and lacks citizen status can be kept as a pet. And ’Sunshine’ pet shop is a century-old establishment; they’ve always sold just one kind of pet."

Niu Ma paused for a moment.

"What kind of pet?"

"Humans."

"Aren’t humans a mid-tier species, born with citizenship rights?"

Liu Zheng asked in a calm tone.

"Only the offspring of two humans with citizenship status are born with it. And citizenship can be lost later in life, which is what you’re on the verge of losing."

"The offspring of humans who have lost their citizenship become non-citizens. Unless they are employed by places like Bloody Restaurant, they won’t have the chance to become citizens."

"At ’Sunshine’ pet shop, they will never have that chance."

"To prevent retribution, the pet shops contaminate embryos before they are born so that they fail the birth test, forever barring them from becoming citizens."

"That means generation after generation, they will remain pets, even if they are hundreds, even thousands of times smarter than the employees at the pet shop, or their masters."

"And the smarter they are, the more they suffer."

Niu Ma said indifferently.

"Is ’Sunshine’ pet shop big?"

He asked.

"Not big, with staff of about eight or nine. But I’ve heard they have a breeding base, no smaller than Area 103 breeding farm."

"How capable are these employees?"

Liu Zheng inquired further.

"So-so, about on par with the security guards in those residential areas."

"Is that so."

He said thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking of doing, kid? Let me tell you, the pet shop has good ties with City Hall. The moment you make a move, Security Bureau’s people will come knocking."

Niu Ma warned.

"Aren’t there many human employees in City Hall? Can they really stand by and watch such shops operate?"

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing Liu Zheng’s words, Niu Ma let out an exaggerated laugh.

It laughed so hard that it seemed its throat might burst out.

"Do you know who the biggest client group of ’Sunshine’ pet shop is?"

Niu Ma managed to stop laughing and spoke.

"Who?"

"The human employees of City Hall,"

Niu Ma said coldly.

Although he had guessed the answer already, Liu Zheng’s brows still furrowed.

"Why?"

"Why, because they’re useful. There’s too much daily work in City Hall; they’d die of exhaustion at their posts just relying on themselves."

"But they can’t hire anyone else because it would lead to leaks."

"So an intelligent pet that won’t leak information and requires no communication barriers, wouldn’t that be the perfect choice?"

"Plus, being able to act without restraint upon their own species, isn’t that a form of ultimate pleasure?"

Niu Ma’s face wore a mocking smile.

"Indeed."

Liu Zheng nodded.

"Do you think what they’re doing is right?"

"They’re not breaking any laws or rules, what’s wrong with that?"

He countered.

"Oh?"

Niu Ma eyed him up and down with a skeptical look.

Had the kid finally come to grips with reality?

It didn’t know whether to feel proud or disappointed.

"So you’re planning to just quietly complete this order?"

Niu Ma asked.

"Of course not."

Liu Zheng said with a smile.

"Then you say they’re right in what they do?"

"Just because they’re right doesn’t mean I have to let them do it. Those guards who didn’t let me into the neighborhood weren’t wrong either, but didn’t I slaughter them anyway?"

His laugh was mixed with the sound of teeth grinding.

Liu Zheng could feel his blood rushing to his brain, making it extremely alert yet uncontrollable.

He knew his Anger Management condition was acting up again.

"Have you thought this through?"

"Boss, my brain’s busted again. Can’t think straight."

Liu Zheng said with a helpless smile.

"Then off you go. Oh, and hand over all your money to me. When the time comes, I’ll pick out a nice grave for you right next to Red Pig, how about that?"

Niu Ma said with a dead-serious face.

"You wouldn’t let me die, Boss."

He said confidently.

"On what grounds? Am I your father or something?"

Niu Ma said with disdain.

"If I die, you won’t get the remaining one hundred seventy thousand."

"Fuck!"

Niu Ma cursed.

"Then you better stay put in the break room like a good boy. I’ll handle this delivery. Otherwise, I’ll turn you into a pile of mush and let you slowly grow back."

It said viciously.

"Even if I were to turn into mush, I’d squirm my way there. Boss, you might as well tell me how to safely stir up trouble."

Liu Zheng said.

"There isn’t any."

Niu Ma shook its head vigorously.

"Really none?"

He took out a stack of cash and waved it in front of Niu Ma’s eyes.

"Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to pull it off with your abilities."

Niu Ma’s eyes followed the money as it swayed back and forth.

"Tell me, and this money is all yours, Boss. Whether I can do it or not, I’ll be the judge. And if it doesn’t work out, you can always snatch the order."

Liu Zheng said.

"Humph, if you’re determined to seek death, that’s your business."

Niu Ma swallowed the bills in one gulp.

"The method is simple. Just provoke the pet store into a conflict with you before you finish the delivery, then escape before the Security Bureau people arrive."

"That way, your actions will be judged as normal delivery disputes, and there won’t be any official repercussions."

"Of course, whether the pet store would seek private revenge is another story,"

Niu Ma said.

"So, if I’m killed by someone from the pet store, it’s just a normal dispute too?"

"Exactly."

"I see."

Liu Zheng said as if the penny had dropped.

No wonder every time he delivered food, those security guards, cleaners, and customers dared to pick on him as if they didn’t take Bloody Restaurant seriously.

And despite having killed so many security guards from the luxury estates, he hadn’t faced any trouble afterwards.

It all fell within the normal disputes of delivery processes.

"Don’t just use that rule recklessly now that you know it. It’s not that stable; if it backfires one day, don’t say I didn’t warn you."

Niu Ma, seeing the sparkle in Liu Zheng’s eyes, knew he was planning something dodgy.

"Don’t worry, I won’t. I’m just a law-abiding working man."

Liu Zheng said.

"Heh. Tell me your plan then. If it’s solid, I’ll let you go. If it’s not, I’ll stuff you into a storage locker."

Niu Ma raised its hoof, large as a punching bag, and spoke leisurely.

Really, the plan wasn’t that hard to execute.

There were three key points to this disruption plot.

First, how would he provoke the pet store employees into a conflict?

That was actually quite simple. Unless someone who knew him personally ordered the takeaway, none of the customers would sign for it without making a fuss.

Liu Zheng wouldn’t even have to do anything; the pet store staff would start the trouble on their own.

Second, how would he deal with the pet store employees?

That was a bit more troublesome.

Even with the bonuses from Legendary Armor, Liu Zheng could at most take on one employee.

Including nightingale and sea girl, they could probably handle five or six, leaving two or three others unaccounted for.

But if he brought nightingale and sea girl along, he couldn’t risk throwing the teething stick and leaving it to luck.

Because even if Tendaros were summoned, it would only recognize Liu Zheng and not the two of them.

Besides, nightingale and sea girl might not even agree to help.

After all, he had the protection of the rules, but they didn’t.

And this matter offered no profit; it was just his own impulsive act.

As for Vampire Sister, let her keep being a child laborer.

Third, how would he leave the scene before the Security Bureau arrived?

That was also simple. Just tear off the delivery slip and let the courier take him back to the restaurant.

So, the only real issue was dealing with the pet store staff.

Go it alone and then trigger Golden Finger to throw the teething stick in one smooth move?

Even in his current delirious state, Liu Zheng knew that wouldn’t be smart.

After that, he still had to go to the Garbage Processing Plant, which would be a truly life-threatening place.

Ah, if only he still had the "Feces Sea Mad Maggot Fossil."

After arriving, throw out the takeaway and the fossil together, then turn and run. A real man never looks back at the explosion, not even needing a delivery slip.

Of course, this was just a thought.

He dared not return to Mr. Li’s place.

One visit turned him into a Tentacle Monster; who knew what he’d become after another visit.

But speaking of explosions...

Liu Zheng remembered the scene of nightingale shelling and his eyes moved slightly.

Sending the shell instead of the person could work, right?

So, he made a call to nightingale.

"Did you want sea girl or me?"

Right off the bat, nightingale’s words were laced with hidden threats.

"Of course it’s you."

Liu Zheng said.

"Is this about making money or a date?"

"Neither. I need to borrow something from you."

He shook his head.

"What do you want to borrow? If it’s the first time, I can’t lend it to you because I’ve already given it to sea girl."

nightingale said, pretending to be serious.

"I’m not interested in your first time. I want to borrow your shells."

Liu Zheng remained unmoved.

"My shells?"

"Yes, the thicker and bigger and more explosive, the better,"

he said earnestly.