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However, Jiang Ci couldn’t enter before she accepted and completed the task.
After returning, Jiang Ci’s emotions were far from calm, and she found her favourability starting to tip towards the other side.
The three days weren’t up yet, but Jiang Ci still ended up resigning. This wasn’t because she decided to agree to the system, but because something happened at the company. The powerpoint presentation she had worked so hard on for a week appeared on another colleague’s computer.
Her computer had been tampered with, and the original files were completely deleted. Coincidentally, the surveillance during that period seemed to have some issues too.
However, the colleague didn’t expect that Jiang Ci had emailed the most important data from the powerpoint presentation to another colleague.
When she handed over the evidence to her superior, the latter tried to downplay the matter, hinting that connections sometimes mattered more than hard work, and that there were some people even she couldn’t afford to offend.
Later, Jiang Ci found out that this colleague had been cozying up to the company’s vice president.
The colleague was confident that Jiang Ci had no evidence and that the superior wouldn’t take her side, so she boldly used Jiang Ci’s powerpoint presentation to gain reputation and acclaim at the company meeting.
Jiang Ci sat expressionless in her seat. What did all her hard work over the past week—running around collecting data and materials—even amount to? Or was it just her bad luck?
As the colleague smugly returned to her seat, Jiang Ci, who had been suppressing her anger for a long time, stood up in front of everyone. She threw the evidence in front of the colleague and the portly vice president.
There were many people at the company meeting, and they all watched as Jiang Ci spent ten minutes berating them on stage.
Jiang Ci had always been the quiet, hardworking type at the company, seemingly the kind who would endure in silence. They were also aware of her family background—not well-off, still striving to buy a house. With fierce competition everywhere, Jiang Ci probably wouldn’t want to lose this hard-earned job. That’s why the vice president and the colleague felt secure in their scheme, but they had misjudged her.
In the end, Jiang Ci concluded with, “You’re trash, and you’re trash too,” and with a swift, decisive motion, she slammed her employee badge on the table. “I quit! Make sure to pay me according to the regulations, or I’ll definitely fight you to the end!”
She wasn’t someone with a good temper to begin with, but for the sake of living, she had forced herself to smooth out her sharp edges. However, in the end, she found out she had given off the illusion that she had been easy to bully instead.
Coincidentally, the company meeting was being livestreamed to the chairman and the shareholders. The chairman watched the entire incident and was furious. The matter was dealt with seriously, and the company’s HR department even called Jiang Ci to ask if she was willing to come back. But Jiang Ci refused, only taking the compensation she was entitled to. The company even gave her a bit extra, which Jiang Ci understood was essentially hush money.
What happened afterward was relayed to her by her former colleague. For example, the vice president who often played favorites, the colleague who stole her work, and her superior were all fired by the company. The vice president and the superior, who had frequently colluded in such matters, had embezzled a lot of company money and now faced legal action from the company.
But Jiang Ci no longer cared. Losing her temper had made her feel refreshed, and the compensation she received made her feel like a large part of the grievances she had endured over the years at the company had been resolved.
She wondered if it was the property deed that had given her the courage. Otherwise, she might not have been able to make such a big scene.
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
After resting at home for two days and thinking things over, the materials and the property deed were neatly placed by her bedside, visible with just a turn of her head. On the final day, Jiang Ci finally made her decision.
When she entered that space for the second time, Jiang Ci was noticeably less scared than the first time.
[Have you made your decision, host?] the system’s voice appeared again.
Jiang Ci took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and then spoke firmly, “Yes, I agree.”
The system’s mechanical voice noticeably relaxed, and its tone became a bit more cheerful.
[Alright, host. Please wait a moment while I bind with you.] After the system finished speaking, Jiang Ci heard a series of beeping sounds. After a while, she suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if her entire mind had become clearer, and something new had been added.
After binding with the system, the system presented Jiang Ci with a contract to sign. Jiang Ci skimmed through it briefly; most of the terms were favorable to her, aligning with what the system had explained. The only restriction was that once she took over the shop, she couldn’t easily give up on it.
After signing the contract, the system gave Jiang Ci a general overview of this world. This parallel world was similar to Jiang Ci’s own in terms of its structure and currency. Ten years ago, a virus swept across Blue Star. Those infected either turned into man-eating monsters or, in rare cases, became superhumans with special abilities. The majority of humans, however, only experienced enhanced strength and speed. Animals infected by the virus also mutated, becoming predators to humanity.
Survival had become increasingly difficult.
Survivors established bases in cities, gathering the remaining humans to fight against the monsters and the harsh environment.
Due to the weather and the virus, both agriculture and animal husbandry faced significant challenges, with high investments yielding pitifully low returns.
Over the past decade, human resources had become extremely scarce.
As a result, the bases developed a substance called nutrient solutions to meet the basic daily needs of the human body.
The universal currency in this world was crystal cores. In Jiang Ci’s hotpot restaurant, crystal cores were also used as currency. These crystal cores represented the energy of this world, as the system had explained.
Crystal cores were extracted from the brains of the monsters. These energy-filled cores gave the monsters their power, distinguishing them from ordinary creatures. They ranged from Level 1 to Level 9, with higher levels being increasingly difficult to deal with.
After the system’s detailed explanation, Jiang Ci had gained some understanding of this world. Her face turned pale—zombies, mutated animals, and superhumans were things she had only seen in TV shows and novels, but now they were about to become a real part of her life.
[Host, there’s no need to be overly afraid. I will do everything in my power to protect your safety. The hotpot restaurant is also the most solid barrier. I assure you, no creature can harm you here.]
After binding with the system, Jiang Ci vaguely understood the constraints of the system’s rules. What the system said was likely true, and since they were now bound together, their fates were intertwined—good fortune and loss would be shared.
Jiang Ci spent five minutes mentally preparing herself before nodding. “Alright, I understand. Then when should we open the shop?”
[We can start now. The host can first name the shop.]
Jiang Ci was terrible at naming things. After thinking for a while, she finally said, “Let’s call it ‘A Hotpot Restaurant.’“
After a moment, the system’s voice came through: [Naming complete.A Hotpot Restaurant, owner: Jiang Ci. Host, can we open the shop now?]
Jiang Ci peeked out the window. Outside, everything was shrouded in a white haze, and nothing was visible. From this moment on, she would embark on a brand new life filled with unknown thrills. Strangely, the fear in her heart was gradually fading away.
She didn’t turn around, just nodded. “Alright, let’s open up shop.”
Jiang Ci heard a sound akin to the break of dawn or the cracking of ice in spring. Then, the once quiet wooden house was suddenly filled with various noises.
The sound of wind and rain, and a kind of agonized howling and groaning, as if someone was in extreme pain.
Jiang Ci took a few deep breaths before cautiously peeking out from under the window.
What met her eyes was a scene of ruins. After ten years, the city was cracked and weathered with erosion, completely losing its former glory.
It was raining outside today, with the sky overcast.
Jiang Ci’s gaze shifted downward, and a walking zombie unexpectedly entered her line of sight.
Jiang Ci felt her vision had never been so sharp; she could even see the maggots on the zombie’s face.
[After the host binds with the system, physical abilities will improve accordingly.] Jiang Ci heard the system’s voice and realized she had unknowingly voiced her question.
The sight of the zombie outside made Jiang Ci feel both physically and mentally uncomfortable. She turned away and took a moment to calm down. Indeed, there was a difference between TV dramas and reality.
On TV, it was all special effects makeup, but in reality, it was a truly walking, decaying corpse, with dried-up flesh and maggots falling off with the rain.
The gloomy weather outside made the interior of the house dim as well.
After calming her emotions, Jiang Ci walked over and turned on the light switch. The room instantly brightened up again, with a warm yellow light that slightly reassured her.
To distract herself, Jiang Ci started walking around the room. She hadn’t paid much attention before, but the house was indeed old. A huge spider web was conspicuously hanging in the corner.
There were only two wooden chairs and a table in the room, the kind that looked like they could fall apart at any moment. The table surface even felt like it had a layer of oily film clinging to it.
Next to it was the counter, connected to a semi-open kitchen. In the middle stood a freezer for storing ingredients, and behind it was a narrow bathroom. The room next to the kitchen, which Jiang Ci thought was a storage room, turned out to be her bedroom.
Against the wall in the main hall was a long table with an electric rice cooker for steaming rice. Next to it was a condiment station, which only had one condiment—soy sauce, with a label on the bowl.
She could see everything at a glance, and it didn’t take many steps to walk through the entire place. It was so simple that she found it hard to describe.
Perhaps sensing Jiang Ci’s prolonged silence, the system chimed in, [Upgrade slowly, and the hot pot restaurant will become more and more beautiful.]
Jiang Ci nodded half-heartedly, “What now? What should I do?”
[After naming, you can start operating the shop. The daily business hours are entirely up to the host. Currently, the shop only has clear soup base, potato slices, rice, and soy sauce. After upgrading, you can unlock other ingredients and soup bases, etc. The clear soup base is priced at one third-level crystal core, and vegetarian dishes are priced at five first-level crystal cores.]
modern world era is over, onward to the post-apocalyptic arc!
Ah yes food novels my love (✧﹃ ✧)
ps. (dear translator the next chapter link at the bottom of the post isn’t live even though there’s more chapters.)
ahhhh thanks for letting me know!! it’s fixed now (ᵕ—ᴗ—)