"Next."
A bag of food and a few greasy, old bills were roughly thrown in front of Gu Ning.
Gu Ning glanced down at the meager stack of bills on the table, her lips tightening into a thin line. She held out her hand toward the massive foreman with beast ears standing before her, splaying her five fingers, which were covered in black machine oil.
The Beastman foreman froze for a second when he saw her gesture.
The accountant standing next to the foreman was also a bit surprised, muttering under his breath, "This Dwarf hybrid is pretty smart."
The foreman scoffed and said gruffly to Gu Ning, "What, you think it's not enough? The work you did is only worth this much."
The translator in Gu Ning's ear mechanically translated the unfamiliar Beastman language. She didn't say a word, still holding her hand splayed toward the foreman—afraid, but resolute.
The foreman had only given her half her wages.
'Honestly, I'm not sure if the foreman will pay up. It's been over a month since I transmigrated into this Beastman World, and I'm still afraid of these huge brutes with their bestial features.'
'After all, I'm just an ordinary human, not a Mixed Breed like they call me.'
'Their fists are as big as my head. One punch would probably kill me instantly, without even a chance to beg for mercy.'
'But I worked my ass off for a week, to the point of exhaustion. I have to at least try to get what I'm owed.'
'A Mixed Breed's wages are already low, and this black-hearted foreman still wants to dock half of it.'
'As a former corporate drone who once bravely cornered my boss in his office to demand overtime pay—and cussed him out while I was at it—I'm no stranger to demanding my wages.'
'Though it always ended with me quitting.'
'A fresh college grad—so pure, "foolish," and brave.'
"If you don't want a fistful of knuckles, take it and get lost." The foreman had no intention of paying Gu Ning the rest. He impatiently slammed his hand on the table, his thick, heavy palm making it ring with a loud CLANG.
He'd seen plenty of people cause trouble on his turf. Was he supposed to be afraid of a mentally deficient Mixed Breed?
Breaking out in a nervous sweat, Gu Ning swallowed hard and slammed her hand on the table too.
'Slamming the table to challenge a boss? Yeah, I'm familiar with that, too.'
She had seen how ferocious and violent Mixed Breeds could be, and most Beastmen were at least a little wary of them.
The two Beastman security guards behind the foreman took a step forward, casting a shadow over Gu Ning like a pair of mountains.
Gu Ning's throat tightened. She took a step back, her resolve starting to waver.
Just then, the line of workers waiting for their pay behind her grew restless.
Gu Ning glanced back and saw a line of burly Beastman men, each over two meters tall.
Back in her original human world, this was the kind of scene Gu Ning would have run from as fast as she could.
Gu Ning's gaze snapped back to the front. She looked at the two hulking figures with their massive arms crossed, glaring down at her. Cursing silently, she thought, 'Transmigrating physically was bad enough, but did I have to end up in a world full of Beastmen? This is so unfair to a weak little human like me!'
Gu Ning angrily snatched the food and money.
A Beastman security guard shoved her. "Get out of the way!"
Gu Ning staggered from the push. Just as she was about to fall, a large, work-gloved hand caught her shoulder from behind, steadying her.
Still shaken, Gu Ning turned her head and saw a solid... wall of chest.
She looked up, her gaze meeting a pair of bright, sharp, black eyes.
The Beastman wore a dust mask, obscuring his face. He had short, neat black hair, with a few messy strands falling across his forehead, softening the intensity in his eyes.
Judging by the style of his work uniform, he had to be one of the construction site's technicians.
Having worked on the site for a few days, Gu Ning could basically recognize the different types of jobs.
Seeing his somewhat cold stare, Gu Ning assumed she was holding him up from getting his pay and quickly tried to step aside.
The black-haired Beastman held her shoulder, stopping her from leaving.
Then, he walked up to the foreman and tapped on the table. "Pay this Mixed Breed what you owe."
Gu Ning froze as the translation came through her earpiece. 'Is this Beastman helping me get my wages?'
The foreman frowned. "Alex, stay out of this."
"The Federation Union has regulations. No company or organization is permitted to dock the wages of a hired Mixed Breed. They must be paid for the work they've done," Alex said calmly.
The foreman was dismissive. "Have you forgotten where we are? This is Zone 19. The Federation Union's reach doesn't extend to Zone 19."
"Pay him," Alex said, tapping the table again. His tone was heavy, leaving no room for refusal.
The foreman knew Alex wasn't someone to be trifled with, and he was an indispensable technician. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out five bills and tossed them onto the table. "It's not like I was deliberately shorting it. This one went nuts and got into a-fight on my site a while back. I saw it came back to work, so I let it slide. I'm the only one in Zone 19 who will still hire a Mixed Breed that's gone wild. I have to charge a little risk premium, don't I?"
Alex said, "When you decided to hire Mixed Breeds, you accepted the risks."
With that, Alex picked up the bills and handed them to Gu Ning.
Gu Ning was grateful he had gotten her wages back. She wanted to thank him, but she couldn't speak the Beastman language. Besides, a hot-tempered Dwarf hybrid wouldn't say something as polite as "thank you."
She had tried to communicate politely with a Beastman before, but they had mistaken her for a shape-shifting Mimic Mixed Species. If another Mixed Breed, Cook, hadn't protected her, she might have been beaten or captured.
To avoid any more trouble, Gu Ning took the money and turned to leave.
This Beastman World was completely different from her original human world. She had to follow its rules to survive.
Just as Gu Ning turned, the shifting crowd of Beastmen bumped her right into the black-haired Beastman's arms.
The greasy, slick mud on the ground made her lose her footing. She flailed for a moment and was about to slip when the Beastman behind her wrapped a long arm around her shoulders, lifted her, and set her down in a more open space.
Gu Ning regained her balance and breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, realizing she was still being held by the black-haired Beastman, she quickly pulled away from his embrace.
The black-haired Beastman caught her shoulder, looking down at her.
His brows furrowed slightly. Beneath his mask, his nose twitched a couple of times, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
'Why,' he wondered, 'can I smell... a sweet scent... on a Dwarf hybrid?'
Alex's gaze swept over the small Dwarf hybrid. He was wearing a hard hat and goggles, and a dirty bib covered the lower half of his face, making it impossible to see his features.
He wore the standard black work uniform of the site, which was a bit too large for him. The pant legs were tucked into his boots but still looked baggy. His belt was pulled tight, cinching his waist and making it look incredibly thin.
Even compared to other Dwarf hybrids, his frame seemed smaller.
The site had hired many Mixed Breeds, but it was rare to see one dressed so neatly.
However, some Mixed Breeds were relatives of other Beastmen and were brought along to work. With someone looking out for them, they tended to have better protective gear.
But this Mixed Breed must not have any relatives to protect him; otherwise, the foreman wouldn't have dared to dock his pay.
Alex's gaze fell to the name tag on the Mixed Breed's chest: Cook.
As he sniffed the faint, sweet fragrance mixed with the scent of the Dog Clan, he felt increasingly puzzled.
Male beasts don't have this kind of scent, and there are no Female Beastmen among the Mixed Breeds.
'Did this Mixed Breed get something on him?'
'Or... is he a Mimic Mixed Species?'
For some reason, he had the urge to pull down the Mixed Breed's bib and see his face.
When Gu Ning saw him reach out, she immediately grew wary. In this chaotic city, Beastmen often used food or favors to trap Mixed Breeds. Perhaps this black-haired Beastman was trying to do the same.
She forcefully slapped his hand away and scrambled off.
The foreman, catching sight of the exchange, laughed mockingly. "Alex, what's the point of helping these Mixed Breeds? They won't even thank you."
Alex ignored him. He watched the small figure disappear into the crowd, then took off his mask and sniffed the air, trying to catch the Mixed Breed's lingering scent.
Once the Mixed Breed was gone, the faint, elusive fragrance that had teased his nose vanished, leaving only the scent of a male from the Dog Clan behind.
Alex glanced at the genetic Detection Device on the foreman's table, which confirmed that the individual was indeed a Dog Clan Mixed Breed.
'That sweet scent... was it just my imagination?'