Chapter 10: Class B Yellow, Shopping Mall (10+ Settlement)

When she said she would handle it, Sheng Mo’s first reaction was to believe her, yet he couldn't help but feel worried.

Having practiced martial arts since childhood and undergone formal training, he could naturally tell that Xu Yiliu lacked any foundation.

Xu Yiliu had already charged into the ruins, gripping a fire axe. Anxious and struggling through his pain, Sheng Mo climbed to his feet, tore off a piece of his clothing, and stuffed it into his mouth to suppress a groan: "You—"

Of course, Xu Yiliu was unaware of his thoughts. She scanned the area quickly and immediately located the "mother body."

The charred mother body had lost the delicate appearance of the receptionist; its burnt flesh writhed with a squelching sound as newly sprouted tissue pushed the old away. The first part of its head to regrow was the eyeball.

Without hesitation, Xu Yiliu’s first target was that very eye. Two playing cards pierced it from left and right with lethal precision, spraying blood and screams simultaneously.

In the distance, Sheng Mo watched, dumbfounded. He had never seen anyone so underhanded and ruthless.

Xu Yiliu didn’t pause for even a heartbeat. She grabbed several charred stones and threw them in various directions around the mother body. The newly blinded creature, in its blind rage, was drawn to the movement of the stones, giving Xu Yiliu the opening she needed to fling a third playing card. It embedded itself firmly into the bridge of the creature's nose.

Following this, adhering to her principle of being fast, accurate, and merciless, she continuously flicked several more cards at the creature’s limbs while closing the distance. Only once she was right on top of it did she pull the fire axe she had tucked behind her back.

"Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!"

Watching her hack away at the mother body’s limbs, Sheng Mo felt his own hands and feet go cold. The level of brutality was so high that he couldn't bear to look. By the time he steeled himself to glance over again, he saw that Xu Yiliu had carved out the creature's heart and was grinding it into the dirt with her heel.

Sheng Mo finally couldn't take it anymore and turned away to retch.

Xu Yiliu ignored him. Only when she saw the system panel update did she stop and look at the blood on her clothes with disgust.

System: [Task Content: Locate and eliminate pollutants 3/3 (Completed)]
System: [Task data is settling, estimated time: three minutes...]

Sheng Mo collapsed back to the ground while gagging, staring at Xu Yiliu in shock, his words tripping over each other: "You... you were so ruthless, you..."

Xu Yiliu wiped her hands expressionlessly and tossed the fire axe aside. "What else? How else are you supposed to kill a mother body?"

Sheng Mo said, "Killing it is enough, why did you have to... dismember it?" His stomach churned again as he spoke.

Xu Yiliu looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Pollutants can attack us directly, but the receptionist didn't. That means our lovely receptionist was merely a vessel for the mother body. You know about parasites, right? I had to be certain which part of her the mother body was hiding in." She added with disdain, "Turns out it was in the most cliché spot—the heart."

Sheng Mo: "..." Why are you looking down on that?

However, once he calmed down, he realized she was right. Another reason for his shock was that his mindset had been limited to the sparring matches of the martial arts gym, relying on raw strength and physical combat. He had never considered using dirty tricks to deliver fatal blows. This style of fighting truly opened his eyes.

The two fell into a momentary silence.

***

Xu Yiliu was eagerly anticipating the system's reward, rubbing her hands together in excitement: [System, the rewards are distributed based on contribution, right?]

System: [...The rewards will be distributed based on the cleaner's specific contribution.]

Xu Yiliu was satisfied: [So, it is based on contribution.]

Three minutes passed quickly, and the desolate task zone gradually faded from her view, dissolving into darkness.

[Cleaners Xu Yiliu and Sheng Mo have successfully cleared the B-level task. Task zone color: Yellow. All pollutants cleared.]
[Task rule summary:]
[1. Always play along with the performance and keep it happy.]
[2. It loves to control everything.]
[3. It gives birth to everything.]

Xu Yiliu frowned and muttered: [What kind of rule summary is this? After all that, I still have to guess.]

"It" referred to the mall itself; the mother body and the broadcast were likely products of the mall—the greater pollutant—used to maintain the so-called performance.

[The highest-contributing employee for this task is Xu Yiliu.]
[The following are the rewards for this task: Free attribute points *12, 500,000 common currency.]
[Highest contribution reward: Random title.]
[Note: Titles provide additional benefits to a cleaner's work.]

A random title? While the half-million was certainly pleasing, the random title made her even more curious.

System: [Does the host wish to draw a title on the settlement page?]
Xu Yiliu: [Draw it, draw it. Why keep it for the New Year?]
System: [Random title drawing in progress... Drawing complete. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the title "Standing Out from the Crowd."]

Xu Yiliu asked: [What’s the use of that?]
System: [After equipping the title, no matter the occasion, the host will always be the most conspicuous person present. No one will be able to ignore you.]
Xu Yiliu: [...]

It sounded like it would be good for drawing aggro, but she had a feeling there would be side effects. Oh well, her luck was always like this; she shouldn't have had any hope to begin with.

The settlement page appeared to be a void. The system panel showed a two-minute countdown. Thinking it over, Xu Yiliu decided to allocate her attribute points. She started by shoring up her weaknesses, adding ten points to Strength and the remaining two to Stamina. Agility was important, but she didn't want to run out of breath mid-sprint. She planned to focus primarily on Strength in the future, while slowly building up Stamina. That way, even if she couldn't win a fight, she could at least outlast her opponent.

[Panel updating.]
[Host: Xu Yiliu]
[Height: 173 (Tall, cannot be upgraded)]
[Strength: 62 (Has some strength, can be upgraded)]
[Agility: 78 (Nimble, can be upgraded)]
[Stamina: 87 (Robust, can be upgraded)]
[Explosive Power: 87 (Terrifying, cannot be upgraded)]
[Comprehensive Combat Ability: 76 (Good at fighting, influenced by the four stats above)]
[Intelligence: 81 (Smart, cannot be upgraded)]
[Health: 65 (Sub-optimal, requires self-improvement)]
[Emotional State: 80 (Tired but relaxed, constantly fluctuating)]
[Other notes: Lacks sleep, malnourished, suggests improving dietary structure and getting more rest.]

After finishing, Xu Yiliu asked the system: [Where will I be after I exit the settlement page?]
System: [Task time is independent of the real world. The host will return to the second before entering the task.]
Xu Yiliu breathed a sigh of relief: [So I’ll still be on the bus, and my clothes and phone will be exactly as they were, right?]
System: [Correct.]

Xu Yiliu was happy. Replacing a phone screen was really expensive! And clothes cost money too. If she hadn't returned to her original state, someone would have likely taken a photo of her and posted it online. In the information age, people might ignore an eccentrically dressed middle-aged person, but a young person would likely be perceived as doing it on purpose or for "performance art," and the probability of being photographed was high. She didn't want to become fodder for some boring website.

One minute later, the darkness faded, and the sounds of people and the distinct heat of summer enveloped Xu Yiliu once more.

Her phone wouldn't stop vibrating. The sudden sensation of gravity made her jump. She came to her senses and realized her hand was still gripping the arm of the person next to her.

It was a middle-aged auntie, who reminded her kindly: "Be careful, dear."

Xu Yiliu thanked her and got off the bus as the doors opened.

The sunlight was scorching. She shielded her eyes to look at her phone, suddenly remembering that she had to deal with Ms. Xu’s blind date today.

The 500,000 reward had already arrived. She checked her bank information with a smug grin and asked the system: [Is this legal income?] She didn't want to get arrested.

System: [Yes, the host need not worry.]

Xu Yiliu rubbed her neck. Her body had recovered, though her mind was still somewhat exhausted. After getting her answer, she patted her belly. She was hungry, but since Ms. Xu’s blind date meal was right in front of her, she might as well take advantage of the free food.