"What a tragedy..."
Zhu Yuhe gazed at the ruined streetscape of the Rust Belt, her sigh muffled by her protective suit.
Even after three years with Cupid Housekeeping and seeing countless disaster sites, each one still sent a chill down her spine.
Just then, Wang Xi noticed a cluster of square, blue-and-black tents pitched at the other end of the street, about a hundred meters away.
Blue police tape cordoned off the perimeter, where fully-armed soldiers stood guard. Inside, personnel in black uniforms bustled about, though it was unclear what they were doing.
"That's the entrance to a 'Disaster Card Pool'."
Team Leader Lei Wen walked up beside Wang Xi and explained.
Wang Xi turned his head, giving him a puzzled look.
Through his glass faceplate, Lei Wen's expression was one of longing. Not just him, either—most of their other colleagues were also looking over with envy.
"The only way to eliminate a disaster is to destroy its 'Disaster Core'. And where a 'Disaster Core' is annihilated, a 'Card Pool Entrance' will appear for 72 hours. It produces special Universal Cards, which are often related to the disaster itself."
Lei Wen was very patient, chuckling as he spoke to Wang Xi.
"Most people don't know this stuff. It's not something you learn in school..."
Lei Wen then continued his explanation for Wang Xi.
As it turned out, the world's Universal Cards came from only two sources: "Maze Card Pools" and "Disaster Card Pools."
Inside every Maze, there are specific areas where you can draw Universal Cards, but these Card Pools are generally fixed and rarely change.
The Overlook Bureau doesn't regulate "Maze Card Pools". Any Hero who successfully applies to enter a Maze for exploration and adventure is free to find and draw from them.
The Card Pools that appear after a Disaster Core is annihilated, however, are temporary and have a higher probability of producing high-Quality Universal Cards.
Whenever the Defense Team clears a disaster, the Overlook Bureau immediately seals off and controls the site. Only those with certain qualifications and connections get the chance to come and draw Cards.
Wang Xi froze, a slightly strange expression on his face.
'Aren't these just a "Permanent Card Pool" and a "Limited Card Pool"?' he thought.
As a product manager for a famous card game in his past life, Wang Xi was all too familiar with this concept.
"Unfortunately, no matter which type of Card Pool, they're both too far out of reach for most ordinary people like us."
Lei Wen said with a sigh, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.
"Actually, the biggest dream for many of our colleagues, myself included, is to save up enough money to buy a high-Quality Artificial Universal Card from the market. That would let us meet the Overlook Bureau's requirements to apply to enter a Maze."
"Brother Lei, you want to enter a Maze?"
Wang Xi asked in surprise.
Although his understanding of this world was still shallow, he knew how dangerous Mazes were.
"Who doesn't!" Lei Wen laughed heartily. "It's a chance to change your destiny!"
"Professional Warriors have extremely high status. Not only do they get first-class citizenship and priority access to public facilities, but they also enjoy numerous Federation privileges."
"But to become a Professional Warrior, you have to be strong enough to pass the annual assessment. Mazes are full of opportunities. If you seize one, you can soar to the top."
He shook his head again and added:
"I'm not delusional enough to think I can become a Professional Warrior, but Mazes are full of treasures. If you get lucky and find some Magic Stones or Ethereal Crystals, you can make a complete comeback in life."
Wang Xi noticed that the eyes of Zhu Yuhe, Luo Xiaoliang, and the other Cleaners held the same look as Lei Wen's.
They seemed to revere Professional Warriors while also dreaming of the day they could strike it rich in a Maze.
High risk meant high reward.
In this post-disaster era, strength and status were still linked, but the connection was more direct, more blatant.
Perhaps most people were like them, yearning to become Professional Warriors, to be the celebrated Heroes of this new world. Failing that, they could still find precious resources in the Mazes, trade them for great wealth, and change their destinies.
"Alright, stop staring. Time to get to work!"
Team Leader Lei Wen smiled, ending the conversation.
A white light flashed in his hand, and he was now holding a menacingly large chainsaw.
The chainsaw was painted Yellow, with a matte finish and a sleek, one-piece body. The guard on the front handle was stamped with a cute, winged figure, and both sides of the chain bar were emblazoned with the conspicuous words: "Cupid Housekeeping Professional Cleaning."
"Two streets in the Rust Belt were destroyed by this disaster. The Defense Team already dealt with the 'Disaster Core' overnight, but there are still a lot of monster, animal, and victim corpses left behind."
Lei Wen called everyone over and added:
"Our Team Two is responsible for cleaning up and collecting these bodies. But be careful not to get any of that saccharified substance on you. It's highly corrosive."
"Everyone, with me. I'll give out the assignments."
"Yes, Team Leader."
Muffled agreements came from within the team's protective suits, and they followed the man with practiced, orderly precision.
A group of bulky, Yellow figures crunched over the broken pavement, heading deeper into the ruins.
Along the way, Lei Wen explained the workflow in detail, mainly for the benefit of the newcomer, Wang Xi.
First, they needed to sort the bodies and perform specific cleaning procedures. Finally, they would use an Artificial Card called a "Funeral Box" to collect them all and transport them back to the company warehouse.
As for clearing and rebuilding the roads and buildings, that was left to the other teams in the Cleaning Department and their colleagues in the Engineering Department.
Wang Xi snapped out of his thoughts and nodded to show he understood.
"Work in pairs and in phases."
Lei Wen stopped and turned to the group.
After assigning a few pairs, he pointed to one side.
"Yuhe, take Wang Xi over there. And don't just stand around chatting. Stay focused."
"I know, I know."
Zhu Yuhe replied, though inwardly she was blooming with joy.
'Isn't this the perfect chance for us to be alone!'
'Uncle Lei Wen is usually so serious, but he's actually a thoughtful old softie. He knows I'm single, so he's pairing me up with the new handsome guy...'
'Heh, heh heh.'
Zhu Yuhe grabbed Wang Xi's arm and hurried off.
She glanced back and shouted:
"Old man! If you kick the bucket on the job someday, I'll buy you the biggest funeral wreath!"
Lei Wen froze for a second, then the rest of the group burst out laughing.
By the time Lei Wen's grumbled curses reached them, Zhu Yuhe had already dragged Wang Xi far away to their designated work area.
It was the ruins of a collapsed residential complex.
Multicolored saccharified substances covered everything, making the ground sticky and slippery underfoot.
Even with his protective suit's filter, Wang Xi could smell a cloyingly sweet scent, like a strange mix of toffee, chocolate, and various fruit-flavored hard candies.
It was fine at first, but it gradually became nauseating.
Wang Xi and Zhu Yuhe first approached a saccharified human figure. It was an old man in a short coat, completely covered in a green syrup that had long since hardened. He looked like a wax figure, frozen mid-fall.
It seemed that when the disaster struck, the old man had run frantically from his house, trying to escape, only to die here.
"Hey handsome, let me give you a demonstration first," Zhu Yuhe said.
Then, she revved the chainsaw.
VREEEEE—RUMBLE RUMBLE!
The girl held the chainsaw with both hands and aimed a horizontal cut at the feet of the saccharified figure.
BZZZZZT!!
A sharp, ear-piercing noise erupted. As the high-speed chain cut into the soles of the old man's corpse, the hardened green Sugar Coating actually threw off blinding sparks.
In a moment, the parts of the body stuck to the ground were severed by the chainsaw, and the entire figure fell with a THUD.
Zhu Yuhe then pulled out a Card. Upon using it, a metal cabinet that looked like a coffin materialized.
She pressed a button on the chainsaw.
With a few CLANKs, the chain bar retracted into the body of the saw, and a pair of large claws popped out. After securing the saccharified corpse, three metal support legs extended from the bottom of the chainsaw's body to brace it on the ground.
WHIRRR—
The claws automatically lifted the corpse, and Zhu Yuhe maneuvered it smoothly into the metal cabinet.
Once the cabinet door slowly closed, it reverted to a Card, which Zhu Yuhe deftly tucked into her waist pouch.
"For relatively intact corpses, you clean them up just like this. If they're damaged or difficult to handle, you need to cut them up first before collecting them."
The girl said, turning her head to Wang Xi.
He nodded to show he understood.
"There's a dog over there. Go give it a try."
Zhu Yuhe pointed about ten meters away at a husky, frozen in a running pose.
"Alright."
Wang Xi replied and walked over.
Looking at the hardened dog corpse before him, encased in pink syrup, he took a deep breath. Mimicking Zhu Yuhe, he summoned the Cupid's Chainsaw and revved it.
VREEEE—RUMBLE!
The running chainsaw vibrated intensely; the old Wang Xi would have struggled to control it. But his Physique had long since been enhanced, and he held the fifteen-pound piece of equipment steady.
BZZZZZT!!
Wang Xi brought the chain bar across and cut at the dog's four paws. It was like a hot knife through butter, easily severing the points where it was stuck.
The pink husky toppled stiffly onto its side.
"Whoa! Not bad!"
Zhu Yuhe walked over, amazed.
She sized Wang Xi up for a few moments.
"You learn fast, handsome. And your physical condition is solid, the chainsaw didn't shake at all... When that kid Yu Zihan first started, he nearly sawed his own leg off."
The "Yu Zihan" she mentioned was the cold, aloof, long-haired young man on their team. He was supposedly a graduate from a prestigious university, and his goal was to become a Professional Warrior.
"I just like to work out."
Wang Xi smiled and gave a casual explanation.
Zhu Yuhe took out another new "Funeral Box" Artificial Card and collected the dog's corpse.
She chuckled at his words and said:
"A jock, huh?"
Seeing Zhu Yuhe's growing interest in him, Wang Xi thought, 'This is bad.'
He wasn't interested in his female coworker and had sworn off toying with girls' emotions. He was determined to turn over a new leaf, become a new man, and officially cut ties with his past life as a Sea King.
But the best solution right now wasn't a harsh rejection, especially since she hadn't explicitly said anything.
So, Wang Xi decided to try a different approach.
Namely, being a "turn-off."
As long as he was a big enough "turn-off" to overcome any natural attraction she felt for his looks, she would naturally lose any romantic ideas or interest.
With his extensive romantic experience and knowledge of women, playing the part of a "Shrimp Head" was almost too easy.
In his mind, a tiny version of Wang Xi silently pulled out the "Shrimp Head Bible" and opened it to the first rule—
Make inappropriate, dirty jokes.
"Yeah, a jock."
Wang Xi chuckled.
"I also like to play 'ball'. I can go one-on-one all night. Wanna give it a try with me? I guarantee you won't be able to get out of bed the next day."
Hearing this, Zhu Yuhe froze.
Behind her glass faceplate, her pretty brows slowly furrowed.
Seeing this, Wang Xi could practically hear her affection-meter plummeting, and he breathed a secret sigh of relief.
'Being just coworkers is fine, really.'
"R-Really? Can I?"
Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuhe's cheeks flushed a visible shade of red, and she stammered,
"I don't have a lot of stamina, but... I'll try my best to play with you all night."
"?"
Wang Xi was utterly stunned.
'Wait a minute, girl!'
'Did she not get the hint and think I was talking about sports, or did she get it and... she's actually into it?!'