“You’re… short on money?”
Eric was stunned for a moment, but then his eyes brightened as he looked at Gu Lian. The look in his eyes made his thoughts clear: ‘Young lady, if you were short on money, you should have said so earlier. Join our Hunter squad! We have full social benefits, year-end bonuses, and commissions. The salary is negotiable!’
Of course, he couldn’t say those words out loud. After all, it sounded a bit like a pyramid scheme or a kidnapping. Eric glanced at the girl before him, who looked to be about 14 to 15-year-old. She was still a flower of the Alliance and needed a proper education.
As for her becoming a Hunter, that would have to wait until she was an adult.
“Yeah, my pockets are empty. How much are these four roughly worth?”
Gu Lian turned out her pockets. The outer pockets of her jacket were empty. She had spent what little she had on information and snacks along the way, so her pockets were currently cleaner than her face.
“According to our Nanjiang City standards, any private Awakened can receive a bonus ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 yuan when contributing to society.”
Eric turned around and waved to the crowd, saying, “Everyone, as a Hunter, I urge you to clear the area. What I say next might have some impact on your lives.”
“Oh, oh, oh.”
“Let’s go, let’s go. Stop watching the show.”
The crowd quickly dispersed amidst the commotion. Eric placed his hand on the shoulder of the cute young woman who was also about to leave. His large, rough hand felt surprisingly gentle at that moment.
“Miss, do you have some time in the future?”
“Ah, this…”
The young woman froze for a moment, and her eyes lit up. However, it was clear she had misinterpreted his meaning.
“When we process these four rioters later, we might need a witness. So, could you please head to the police station to register later?”
Eric gave a somewhat helpless smile. It was a bit embarrassing to ask a woman to do this, but there was no other way. Those four shop assistants had run off incredibly fast, which left him between laughter and tears.
“Um, oh, okay…”
The young woman looked a bit disappointed. She had been single for four years, and even at 24-year-old, she hadn’t been in a single relationship.
After the young woman left, Eric shook his head and turned to look at Gu Lian, who had somehow put another lollipop in her mouth.
“These four people are very likely connected to the CEO of vivv, so we can’t easily estimate the exact contribution. But it should be over 5,000 yuan.”
Eric smiled at Gu Lian. It wasn’t a formal smile but a very honest one. When facing a private Awakened who was responsible but a bit greedy for money, it was naturally best to be kind.
After all, she would very likely be one of their own in the future.
“Forget the registration. I’m an undocumented person; the cash is more practical.”
Gu Lian bit down on the candy in her mouth. She knew exactly what Eric was thinking. He was just saying things were hard to estimate to trick her into going to the TFV to register.
Once she registered, she would be part of the system. The rewards would definitely increase, and they would contact the CEO of vivv based on her situation to see if they could find her a job as compensation for misleading her.
But she was an Eerie. Gu Lian knew this clearly. Although she had returned to human form, her body was definitely different from a human’s.
Whether she would be discovered was hard to say. Furthermore, she didn’t have any identification right now, and her old ID information was useless.
Describing herself as penniless was not an exaggeration at all.
“Well… are you hungry right now?”
Noticing that Gu Lian’s mood seemed a bit off, Eric simply nodded and naturally moved past the subject.
“I’m so damn hungry I’m about to collapse. I haven’t had a proper meal in days. Do you think this is easy for me?!”
The moment food was mentioned, Gu Lian’s temper flared. The image of the cold, aloof girl Eric had envisioned was completely shattered, replaced by a spirited girl who was too hungry to bother with pleasantries.
“Uh… do you want to grab a meal together? Our Hunter service point has dedicated Alliance support staff. Want to go?”
“Then hurry up. I’m about to damn well faint from hunger.”
“Er…”
Eric slapped his forehead to clear his mind, then signaled for Gu Lian to follow him. He quickly led her to a small dining hall containing four metal folding tables and gestured for her to sit down.
About 5 minutes later, Eric arrived carrying a large iron tray. He set it down, revealing two large iron bowls filled with curry rice, a roast chicken, and two clay pots of soup that released a rich, meaty aroma.
“Then I’m eating first!”
Gu Lian picked up the chopsticks from the table, moved a bowl of curry rice in front of her, and began to devour it.
“Haha, eat slowly.”
Eric shook his head with a smile. He knew a bit about undocumented people. Without proper identification, they couldn’t get enough to eat and could only work low-paying jobs. Everything from schooling to opening a bank card was a problem.
The Federation had started trying to legalize undocumented people long ago, but regardless, the issue still existed.
Eric felt that after finishing his business, he could report to his superiors and see if he could get this girl an identity card.
While thinking this, Eric reached out to grab his portion of the food, but his hand caught nothing but air.
“???”
Eric looked up only to see Gu Lian already gnawing on the roast chicken. The two large iron bowls beside her were already empty—they were even a bit shiny…
Under Eric’s stunned gaze, the roast chicken entered Gu Lian’s stomach in just 30 seconds. Wherever she bit, only bone remained instantly. She was so fast she could have participated in a competitive eating contest!
“Ha, that was delicious~”
Tossing the last small piece of chicken bone aside, Gu Lian leaned back against the chair with a satisfied expression. She pulled at her shirt, revealing the white tank top underneath that exposed her midriff, and didn’t forget to rub her stomach.
Eric stared at Gu Lian’s belly, which hadn’t bulged in the slightest. His eyes twitched, but he still stood up to get more food from the kitchen. Among Hunters, big eaters weren’t rare. It was normal for Awakened to have such appetites, though it wasn’t exactly common.
Soon, Eric brought out two lamb legs and three servings of pudding. Returning to the table, Gu Lian unceremoniously grabbed a lamb leg and started gnawing.
Eric shook his head and grabbed the other lamb leg. He could imagine how long this child had been starving. He wondered what heartless person would let a child go hungry; it was truly insane.
Thinking this, Eric was about to take a bite when he saw Gu Lian tilting her head. While gnawing on her lamb leg, she watched him expectantly as if saying: ‘Isn’t that for me to eat?’
“Uh…”
Compared to her previous coldness, Eric actually found the girl to be… cute?
Forcefully suppressed this ridiculous thought, Eric put down the lamb leg and went back to the kitchen to negotiate with the cook.
“I’m full. Thanks, you’re really a good person~”
About 10 minutes passed. Gu Lian used a toothpick to pick food scraps from between her teeth, casually crossing her legs on the table.
“That bonus… where did you say I could collect it?”