Chapter 61: Commission Reward
Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Commission Reward
Simon leaned close to his older brother’s ear and asked:
"What do we do now? Which one do we choose?"
Xisuo rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Is that even a question?"
Xisuo walked up to Zhou Mei.
"Very good. You’ve passed the assessment. Let’s go inside and find a place to discuss the terms of your employment in detail."
Hearing his words, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on Zhou Mei’s face.
She had originally thought there would be more tests, but she never expected to pass so directly.
"Yes, yes, of course. Let’s go inside and talk."
Nearby, Simon had already taken out a few Silver Coins.
He walked over to the other three people.
"Lucas, I’m very sorry. I hope we have a chance to work together next time."
"Mr. Carl, I’m very sorry. I hope we have a chance to work together next time."
After speaking, Simon followed protocol and pressed a Silver Coin into each of their hands.
Although the two of them hadn’t been chosen, they didn’t say anything.
After all, they had earned a Silver Coin just for showing up and introducing themselves. Having done practically no work, they readily accepted the payment and left.
This was just how these kinds of jobs worked, after all.
Sometimes, even being the strongest didn’t guarantee you’d be selected.
Every team had a different composition, different objectives, and thus, different needs.
If you weren’t chosen this time, you just had to wait for the next opportunity.
Simon came to stand before Zhang Kai.
"Mr. Zhang, I’m very..."
Before Simon could finish, Zhang Kai pointed at Zhou Mei and demanded:
"Wait a minute. I hit every shot, and so did she. Why did you pick her and not me?"
The two brothers exchanged a look, and both could see the awkwardness in the other’s eyes.
Honestly, the decision of who to hire was entirely up to the person who posted the job.
It was incredibly rare for someone who was rejected to step forward and question the decision.
After a moment of consideration, Xisuo spoke tactfully:
"While it’s true that your shooting skills are comparable,"
"However, Ms. Zhou Mei is an Adept. Given that she’ll have an advantage on watch duty after dark, we decided to choose her."
As he spoke, Xisuo pressed a Silver Coin into Zhang Kai’s hand.
"Mr. Zhang, your marksmanship is indeed excellent, but we only need one person for now. I hope we have a chance to work together next time."
Staring at the Silver Coin pressed into his hand and listening to Xisuo’s explanation,
Zhang Kai was still furious, but since they had given him an explanation, he couldn’t really press the issue any further.
He shot Zhou Mei a resentful glare. ’This isn’t the first time that woman has stolen a job from me.’
After seeing the three of them off, the two brothers took Zhou Mei back to the bar.
"You should know our terms. We require a long-term commitment. The organization will provide all living supplies and equipment, and the contract period is three years."
"Now that you’ve passed the screening, we should tell you more."
"We need you to join a small shelter. Not one of those abandoned places that squatters have reoccupied, but a genuine shelter that has survived since before the Great Cataclysm."
"The conditions inside are excellent. There’s clean drinking water and food, as well as medicine that can reduce your body’s radiation levels. We can also provide you with pre-Cataclysm high-tech weapons."
"If you agree to join, you’ll most likely be assigned to the exploration team."
"And don’t worry, you won’t be cannon fodder. You’ll be a full-fledged member of the team."
Zhou Mei had originally thought some merchant caravan needed muscle and had posted the job.
But she never imagined that the client was actually a shelter.
Even if it was just a small one, this job opportunity was clearly much better than being a caravan guard.
After all, having a fixed place to stay was far better than being exposed to the elements every day.
Without any hesitation, Zhou Mei nodded.
"I’ll join."
She agreed without even asking about the pay.
After all, an opportunity like this was incredibly rare.
Xisuo wasn’t surprised by her reaction.
"Alright. Since you’re willing, we’ll give you two days to get your affairs in order..."
Zhou Mei waved her hand.
"I don’t need two days. I’m on my own. I just need to go back to the inn, pack my personal belongings, and I’ll be ready to go."
...
「A day and a half later.」
Xisuo’s group of three arrived at the abandoned gas station they had agreed upon.
Xisuo had already sent a message to the shelter ahead of time, so Ye Yun had long since arranged for people to wait for them at the abandoned gas station.
Seeing No. 1 and No. 2 appear beside Bena,
Zhou Mei finally relaxed completely.
Two robots, and such highly anthropomorphic ones at that—only a shelter sealed before the Great Cataclysm could possibly have something like this.
To be honest, the entire way there, she had been worried that they were using the job as a pretense to lure her out of town.
However, after seeing the two robots, she knew her worries had been unnecessary.
Human trafficking was common in the wasteland, but an organization that owned such advanced robots, even if they were in the trafficking business, would probably trade people in large batches.
Bena’s eyes lit up the moment he saw the new member.
Although Zhou Mei’s skin was tanned dark and had quite a few sunburns from her frequent missions outdoors,
she could still be considered a first-rate beauty in the wasteland.
Bena quickly stepped forward to introduce himself.
"Hello, I’m Bena. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
Seeing Bena’s enthusiasm, Zhou Mei also offered a friendly smile, extending her hand to shake his as she replied:
"Hello, Bena. I’m Zhou Mei."
Bena nodded to No. 1, who was beside him.
No. 1 and No. 2 immediately placed the crates they were holding in front of the brothers, Simon and Xisuo.
"The Administrator asked me to tell you both that he thanks you for your help. This is what you asked for."
"This is the armor you requested—two protective vests with powerful defensive capabilities."
"Additionally, the Administrator was impressed with how quickly you completed the task. This is some water and food, a little something extra from him."
Xisuo glanced at the two crates, a flicker of sheepishness on his face.
The administrator of this shelter was simply too generous.
They had just run a simple errand, and he had given them so many supplies.
He had previously received a rifle from Ye Yun. That rifle had seemed unremarkable, but its power was astounding, and its piercing ability was the greatest he had ever seen.
Although he couldn’t figure out the principle behind it, he knew it was something special.
So, this time, when asked what he wanted for payment, he had specifically requested two pieces of life-saving armor for himself and his brother.
Honestly, Xisuo had been a bit cunning when he stated his price. He had deliberately inflated it, expecting Ye Yun to negotiate it down.
In his opinion, earning even one piece of armor for a small errand like this would have been a great deal.
After all, considering the power of their weapons, any armor produced by this shelter was likely to be just as formidable.
However, Xisuo never in a million years expected that Ye Yun wouldn’t even haggle, simply giving them two pieces of armor directly.
On top of that, he had even thrown in two large crates of water and food.