Chapter 22: The Union

Lin Xia spent the entire previous night lost in deep thought, tossing and turning, unable to find sleep. He had to consider… was this perhaps the only opportunity of his life?

"I see," Chu Zhu said, giving Lin Xia a long, searching look. Having met and interacted with countless people within the dream world, he could easily discern the turmoil in Lin Xia’s heart. He decided to play along.

"I’ll give it a try, but don’t hold your breath. The odds aren’t even one percent."

This was only possible because Chu Zhu had happened to encounter Nuwa-17. In truth, Chu Zhu didn't really expect the Nuwa AI to harbor stock market records or lottery results from some bygone era of the previous civilization—that was something he would ask about as a casual afterthought the next time they met, if he remembered.

"Excellent." Lin Xia nodded, satisfied. He pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and flashed the screen at Chu Zhu.

Chu Zhu: "...What kind of grand scheme are you cooking up now?"

Looking at the clutter of banking apps and bizarre, obscure software on Lin Xia’s screen, Chu Zhu felt a dull ache in his teeth.

"Loans, obviously! What else? Should I let you take out the loans? Whether we’re playing the stock market or doing anything else, we need start-up capital!" Lin Xia stared at Chu Zhu with a blank expression, then belatedly shivered. "Wait, if we lose money! Well, if it’s a small loss and I can pay it back, I’ll just pay it off slowly after I graduate... But if I can't, why don’t you just go become a sports superstar and earn some money to lend me interest-free?"

"...Please, uninstall all those shady apps on your phone! Are we in such a desperate rush for money that we need to resort to this?" Chu Zhu was truly speechless.

He was very familiar with this state of mind. When he was twelve in his dreams, back when he rallied a group of people to wipe out the local gangs... those people had felt exactly the same way.

They were fueled by the premonition of a great undertaking, the feeling that their lives were about to take a sharp turn. They were excited, impulsive, hot-blooded, and frantically desperate to do *something*—even if that something might be meaningless, or worse, counterproductive.

Chu Zhu had dealt with this situation before and knew exactly how to handle it: dampen the heat of their enthusiasm and provide precise, actionable instructions.

"...Oh."

With that, the two left the classroom. There were no more lectures for the day.

However, it was already nine in the evening by the time Chu Zhu saw Lin Xia again.

"What is this now?" Chu Zhu asked, perplexed.

Lin Xia glanced at their dorm mates, who were gaming and shouting, completely ignoring the two of them. He sighed, "I rented a place for you near the campus! I sent the address and room number to your WeChat. I figured you at least needed a stable living environment!"

Chu Zhu raised an eyebrow, took the key Lin Xia tossed to him, locked eyes with him for a long moment, and nodded. "Fine. I accept your kindness. Let’s go take a look together tomorrow."

After exchanging a few more words, Chu Zhu climbed into bed.

As for Lin Xia? He turned his attention to his roommates, who were as restless as wild apes.

"Keep it down! Zhu is trying to sleep..."

"??? No way, why is he sleeping even earlier today? Old Zhu, are you really a college student? What kind of college student goes to bed at nine o'clock?"

*Nonsense!* Lin Xia suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. For them, sleeping was just sleeping, but when Chu Zhu dreamed, he was playing a real-life version of Minecraft! It would be strange if he *didn't* keep a strict sleep schedule.

...

The Dream World.

The environment remained the same. The time remained the same.

"Feels great," Chu Zhu said, standing up to stretch. He felt refreshed. He had to admit, the sensory experience of a single, continuous dream was worlds apart from one that had been reset multiple times.

After washing up and stepping outside, Chu Zhu greeted those around him with casual ease.

"Boss Sun, wishing you booming business!"

"Blessings to you."

He triggered a social task, successfully navigated the conversation, and earned a meat bun gifted by NPC Boss Sun.

Breakfast: Solved.

"Li Ergou, it’s quite a coincidence running into you here! By the way, you mentioned last time that your factory was unscrupulous, and that toxic dust on the production line had killed or maimed a whole group of people! I ordered them to pay reparations—I saw that they paid the victims, but how is the production line renovation coming along..."

"Oh, still dragging your feet? They didn't say when it would be finished? Hmm... go find the propaganda officer for the redevelopment zone labor union. Tell him to make this a priority! These greedy old scoundrels need the whip; they won't move unless you strike them."

Li Ergou, dressed in dingy work clothes, still had a childish look on his face. He was much shorter than Chu Zhu, appearing to be only twelve or thirteen years old.

Upon hearing this, he put on a serious expression, pulled a few crumpled sheets of paper from his collar, took out a pen, and solemnly recorded Chu Zhu’s instructions. After checking them over to ensure accuracy, he straightened his back and looked at Chu Zhu with absolute loyalty.

"Yes, sir!"

"You! I told you it wasn't necessary to do that." Chu Zhu sighed. *Dammit, that illusion of being a peninsula supreme leader is flaring up again.*

Shaking his head, Chu Zhu spotted another acquaintance. "Cai San, go to the union and tell them I sent you. Find the general secretary and ask him if he’s been slacking off lately."

"The purpose of the union is to keep the factory mortality rate below two percent annually and the disability rate below five percent. Has there been no progress on that front? And what about the child labor and equal pay for women? How is that coming along? Tomorrow... no, let’s say the day after. I won't rush him, but I want a report on my desk by the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!" Cai San, one of the union workers watching from the crowd, replied immediately.

An annual mortality rate of two percent! It was an absurdly low figure... but if they could actually reach it, Chu Zhu would be satisfied. It wasn't that he was cold-blooded or lacked humanity; it was that this figure was already approaching the absolute limit of what those factory owners could tolerate.

In this chaotic and insane world, one could occasionally dig up ancient relics from nowhere that were far more efficient than the steam-powered industrial machinery of the current era. Because of this, many products manufactured by contemporary means simply couldn't fetch a high price.

Profit margins were truly limited.

It wasn't that Chu Zhu couldn't shove the heads of these bloodsucking factory owners into a toilet—he could do it with ease.

But he couldn't create industries or generate jobs out of thin air. While he held an extraordinary position in the dream world's redevelopment zone, in the real world, he was just a clear-headed but ordinary college student. His knowledge and capabilities were truly limited.

In a situation he couldn't fully resolve, he could only use the union to maintain a fragile, precarious balance.