The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?
Chapter 482 - 387 Liu Zheng: I’m Not the Protagonist_2

Chapter 482: Chapter 387 Liu Zheng: I’m Not the Protagonist_2

He asked with his eyes empty.

"Forget it if you won’t eat."

Ba Tiao was about to put it back.

"Eat, only a fool would pass up a good deal."

Liu Zheng spat out the Human Bone Cane and opened his mouth as wide as it could go.

"Could you please toss it into my mouth."

"What a hassle."

Ba Tiao complained, and then stuffed the eyeballs into his mouth with a slap.

"Old fart, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?"

Liu Zheng wiped his mouth and said with his eyes.

"I did it on purpose, what are you going to do about it?"

Ba Tiao responded with his eyes as well.

"Nothing at all!"

He picked up the Human Bone Cane, bit down on it, and dashed down from the high platform.

Although the system didn’t pop up an item description, the eyes of the Fireproof Spiders were indeed effective.

The effect of the coal on his burns reduced by at least seventy percent, almost on par with the Blood and Flesh Rebirth effect.

With this assurance, Liu Zheng’s speed of transporting coal improved another notch.

Going back and forth between the filler opening and the coal pile, watching the Black Dumplings dodging his steps, he had a strong sense of déjà vu.

He remembered a movie he once saw, where the male lead accidentally entered a land of little people and used his giant size to help them carry stones and build walls.

What Liu Zheng was doing now was similar to what the protagonist did in the movie, only the ones he was helping had shifted from little people to little Black Dumplings.

"Hmm, did that movie have a good ending or a bad one?"

Because it had been so long, he couldn’t remember the answer even after he had finished moving all the coal.

"Burn~ the~ big~ fire~"

Ba Tiao shouted, dragging out the words.

"Chirp~ chirp~ chirp~ chirp~"

The Black Dumplings also started singing, holding hands.

As they sang, they began to spin in a circle, faster and faster.

Eventually, those on the outside were flung into the air.

"Add~ more~ firewood~"

Ba Tiao shouted again.

"Hey, no way?"

Liu Zheng had an ominous premonition.

Very soon, his premonition came true.

The Black Dumplings flew one after another, straight into the filler opening.

The fire roared!

The golden flames slowly turned gold-white, then pure white, and finally blue-white.

The intense heat turned the furnace body red-hot, and the air around the boiler distorted.

"Damn it."

Liu Zheng wiped sweat from his face and cursed softly.

Soon, all the Black Dumplings outside threw themselves into the sea of flames, including the one that could "squeak."

"Here~ comes~ the~ broth~"

Ba Tiao picked up eight copper kettles and poured the colorful concoctions inside them into the big pot at the top of the boiler.

"BOOM!"

The mixed potion exploded promptly, sending out colorful fireworks, and a strange medicinal fragrance spread throughout the boiler room.

Ba Tiao pulled on the rope, and a split bamboo tube descended from the ceiling, inserting itself into the cauldron.

The now colorless and transparent potion flowed up the bamboo tube, towards the ceiling.

"Whew~"

Ba Tiao let out a breath and then stretched his limbs.

For customers like Da Chuanliu, the bathhouse saw them as both a source of wealth and a burden.

Each customer had different needs, which put varying degrees of strain on each department.

Da Chuanliu, in particular, put the most pressure on the boiler room.

Burning such a massive fire not only consumed a lot of Black Dumplings but also drained Ba Tiao’s own vitality.

Although he could recover afterwards, it didn’t feel good, and it could leave irreversible hidden injuries.

Luckily, Da Chuanliu’s visits to the bathhouse, though irregular, were not often, or else Ba Tiao would have resigned even if it meant taking on high-interest loans.

"Doesn’t feel great to do thankless work, does it, kid?"

He turned to look at Liu Zheng and said, observing his complexion.

"It’s a bit annoying."

Liu Zheng nodded.

"Hmm, I thought you’d say something like not caring about the results, as long as you’ve done your best with a clear conscience."

Ba Tiao said with a bit of surprise.

"Those cool lines should be left for the protagonists, right? I’m just a small fry."

He shrugged.

"What you say and what you do don’t match up, kid."

Ba Tiao glanced at his chest as he spoke.

Unnoticed, Liu Zheng had already withdrawn his tentacles.

"What are you talking about, old man? I don’t understand."

He replied with a smile.

"Heh, slick little devil. Actually, you haven’t completely wasted your time."

Mr. Batiao said.

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Do you know how to massage?"

Instead of answering, Mr. Batiao asked back.

"You’re scolding me, sir. I’m from the Massage Department."

Liu Zheng pointed to his clothes.

Speaking of which, he was practically wearing three layers of clothing, and he was in a place like the boiler room.

If it weren’t for his extraordinary constitution, he would have passed out by now.

"Then give this old man a good massage, if it’s not good, I’m leaving right away."

Mr. Batiao said.

"Please do, sir. If it’s not good, I’ll crawl out on my own."

Liu Zheng confidently said.

"Why does your tone of speech sound so strange?"

Mr. Batiao frowned.

"Dialect, you’ll get used to it after a while."

He climbed back onto the high platform and placed his hands on Mr. Batiao’s shoulders.

"Right, this is the spot, feels good~"

After Liu Zheng kneaded loose a sticky muscle, Mr. Batiao breathed a sigh of relief, his long beard trembling.

"That scoundrel Yaoji hasn’t sent someone over for such a long time."

Enjoying the sore pleasure coming from his shoulder, Mr. Batiao couldn’t help complaining.

"So the department head sent me down just to give you a massage?"

Liu Zheng said, speechless.

"Not entirely. You just arrived and beat up a guest; coming here to lay low isn’t a bad idea either."

"Don’t think too poorly of your department head. As long as you’re not fighting over women with him, he’s still a decent boss."

Mr. Batiao shook his head.

"Don’t move around."

He stabilized Mr. Batiao’s head and began to use a heavy-handed technique to realign his cervical vertebrae.

This old man truly earned his keep stoking the boiler; his whole body was as stiff as a lump of coal.

If he weren’t non-human, he would probably be half paralyzed by now.

"Ah, yeah. If you didn’t help, the boiler would have to burn a while longer, then we would need even more firewood."

Mr. Batiao agreed with a nod.

"Oh."

Liu Zheng was noncommittal, but his facial expression brightened up a bit.

"Do you know these little guys?"

Mr. Batiao suddenly asked.

"On the way to the bathhouse, I ran into a group of Black Dumplings begging, and I gave them a little extra because they were quite amusing."

As for which bathhouse it was, there was no need to emphasize that.

"Your little extra is probably a huge amount, right?"

Mr. Batiao pursed his lips and said.

"Money, well... ahem, anyway, money is the root of all evil, as long as you spend it happily that’s what counts."

Liu Zheng paused and then said.

He found that many common sayings didn’t quite apply in Metropolis, like the one he was about to say just now.

Firstly, the part about not taking it with you when you die was doubtful.

Secondly, the part about not bringing it with you at birth was also uncertain.

If even Jia Baoyu could be born with a piece of jade, it would be perfectly reasonable for the rich offspring in Metropolis to be born clutching a gold bar or two.

"Hmph, young people are young indeed, clueless about the difficulties of making money. When you reach my age, you will understand the importance of saving."

Mr. Batiao lectured.

"If I may ask, how old are you this year, sir?"

"I am already one hundred and eighty years old this year."

Mr. Batiao stroked his white beard and said.

"Well, I probably won’t know then."

Liu Zheng said with a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Living till one hundred and eighty, he wasn’t even sure if he could make it to tomorrow.

"Creak~"

The iron door was pushed open again.

Liu Zheng turned around and saw, to his surprise, it was an acquaintance.

"Sister Yangzi, what brings you here?"

He exclaimed in surprise.

"I’ve said it before, don’t use my real name in public places."

Yaoji glared at him.

"Heh, sorry, forgot."

Liu Zheng awkwardly smiled.

"I’ll talk to you later."

Yaoji poked his forehead with her finger, then walked under the high platform.

"Mr. Batiao, the General Affairs Department sent me to bring you overtime pay."

She lifted the basket covered with a floral cloth she was holding.

"Hmm, give it to this kid. Okay, now you can go down too."

Mr. Batiao’s arms twirled in the air like noodles a few times, then he grabbed Liu Zheng by the back of the neck and threw him to the ground.