Chapter 2 Handover Work

"Come with me."

Niu Ma flicked his tail and led Liu Zheng deep into the restaurant.

Walking along the staff corridor, they soon arrived at a three-way intersection.

The passage on the left was lit with red emergency lights, the one in front was carpeted, and the one on the right was obscured by two blue curtains.

He pricked up his ears; there seemed to be the sound of chopping bones coming from behind the curtains.

"Straight ahead is the waitstaff's rest area, the kitchen's territory is to the right, and the left is our place. Remember that, don't go the wrong way."

Niu Ma reminded him.

What would happen if he took the wrong turn?

Niu Ma didn't say, and Liu Zheng didn't ask.

After a few steps to the left, he suddenly turned back.

Just now, he had heard a woman's piercing scream.

Liu Zheng stood still and listened; the scream continued, only growing weaker.

"She should still be alive, do you want to go save her?"

By then, the large head of Niu Tou had drawn close to his face.

Liu Zheng turned around, facing the hairy face that was smiling but not quite smiling.

"Do you want me to go?"

He stared into its large eyes and said.

"Work is so boring, a bit of fun isn't bad. But well..."

Niu Ma lifted its agile forehoof, hooking Liu Zheng's shoulder, turning him in a different direction.

"You're in luck, I do need an assistant right now."

Liu Zheng was pushed forward by it, the force too strong to resist.

"Here, everyone needs a job."

In the profound words of Niu Ma, the two left the intersection.

The woman's scream grew fainter, left behind in the depths of the curtain.

"We're here."

A few minutes later, Niu Ma let go of Liu Zheng's shoulder.

In front of them was a pitch-black corridor, and to the right was a somewhat old wooden door.

"That's the delivery exit, this is our lounge."

After speaking, Niu Ma opened his mouth, his thick tongue curling up to reveal a key hidden underneath.

It held the key in its mouth, trying to aim it at the keyhole in the door.

Clearly, it was quite a challenge.

"Need help?"

Liu Zheng couldn't stand it any longer.

"Oh, you do it then."

Niu Ma opened its mouth, foul-smelling saliva dripping down the key.

He took the key without changing his expression and inserted it into the keyhole.

With a creak, the door opened.

"Oh, well done. You do have some use after all."

Niu Ma said approvingly.

Then, it turned its head to look at its back, where a slender hand was smoothing its fur.

"What are you doing?"

Niu Ma managed to show a frowning expression with difficulty.

"Wiping my hands."

Liu Zheng said calmly.

"I know, what I mean is, why are you wiping them on me?"

Niu Ma's breathing grew heavier.

"I never take advantage of others, I don't want it if it's not my saliva."

He spoke earnestly.

Niu Ma's nostrils flared, and a fierce light shone in its bull-sized eyes.

Yet, Liu Zheng just calmly looked at it, his gaze showing neither fear nor provocation.

After a long while, Niu Ma snorted.

"Human, you're too clever for your own good."

It muttered gruffly.

It knew this human was testing its limits.

"Being a little clever means dying a little slower, right? You wouldn't want to find a new partner too soon, would you?"

He replied.

"That's true, if everyone were as dumb as the last ones, I'd be killed sooner or later. However, being too smart can also get you killed."

Niu Ma said with a grunt.

"Then it'll be up to you, Niu Ma, to give me pointers."

Liu Zheng flashed a radiant smile.

"Why should I give you pointers?"

Niu Ma looked askance at him.

"Because..."

Liu Zheng wanted to say because you need my help, but saying that too much would surely provoke Niu Ma's defiance.

He looked at Niu Ma's knotted muscles, the protruding spine, and suddenly had an idea.

"Boss, would you like a massage?"

"Huh?"

A large question mark appeared above Niu Ma's head.

Ten minutes later, the deliveryman's rest area.

"Yes, yes, right there, press a bit harder, that's the spot."

Niu Ma lay on the ground, a blissful smile on his face.

"Don't worry, I'll get you fixed up in no time."

Liu Zheng said as his hands moved across Niu Ma's back.

"Boss, your spine is pretty severely deformed."

He said.

"Carrying so many deliveries every day, how could it not become deformed? I'm not like you humans, able to carry things with hands."

Niu Ma complained.

"Then why don't you hang them on your horns?"

Liu Zheng asked curiously.

"That won't do, what if they get damaged? Our horns are more important to us than your human faces."

Niu Ma vigorously shook his big head.

"Alright... I guess."

Liu Zheng didn't intend to delve into these non-human matters.

This world looked very similar to the real world, but the sign at the entrance and that woman's scream were reminders that it was different.

If he kept asking, he would probably lose his rationality again.

"Alright, get up and try moving around."

Twenty minutes later, Liu Zheng patted Niu Ma's buttocks.

"That's it, how about continuing for a bit longer?"

Niu Ma stood up reluctantly, propped up on all fours.

He trotted around the rest area for a couple of laps, excitement showing on his large face.

"Kid, you really have a knack for this."

Niu Ma raised his hooves as a sign of praise.

"Just a little trick, not worth mentioning."

Liu Zheng replied modestly.

He had once trained for a while with a martial master who practiced Bajiquan.

The martial master wasn't that great, but his bone-setting and massage skills were a family specialty.

Eventually, Liu realized he wouldn't learn any martial arts, so he simply paid extra to learn the bone-setting skills instead.

"Alright, I'm not letting you do this for free. Have a seat, I'll explain your work to you."

Niu Ma said.

Liu Zheng looked around but couldn't find anywhere to sit.

"Humans are such a hassle, wait a second."

Niu Ma spat out a keyring, then opened a storage locker and rummaged out a small stool.

"Sit. This was used by my predecessor's predecessor's predecessor."

"Where is he now?"

Liu Zheng fiddled with the stool, asking casually.

"He's in the kitchen."

Niu Ma replied.

"As a chef?"

"As an ingredient."

"Uh, okay."

He shrugged his shoulders, not surprised yet somehow it made sense.

"Have you ever worked as a deliveryman before?"

Niu Ma asked.

"Never."

Liu Zheng thought for a moment before replying.

"Then let me explain the process to you."

Niu Ma didn't ask further and continued.

"See that hole?"

He nodded upward.

Liu Zheng followed his gaze and saw a rectangular hole beneath a wooden door, covered by a movable wooden board.

"I see it."

He nodded.

"When there's an order, someone will stuff a slip of paper through that hole. Wait half a minute before you go out, take the delivery from the food cart, and then deliver it according to the information on the slip. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good, that locker is yours now, all the equipment is in there."

Liu Zheng checked the locker that was opened, and found a set of work clothes, a cell phone, and a map.

The phone was an old flip model with no contacts stored inside.

"Memorize my number."

Niu Ma recited a series of digits.

As Liu Zheng noted it down, he saved it into the phonebook.

"Don't save it."

Niu Ma stopped him.

"Why?"

"This is the first rule I need to tell you," Niu Ma's low voice echoed in the rest area.

"Do not save any numbers in the phone."