Chapter 6 The Fool Has Nothing (6)

Chapter 6: Fools Have Nothing (6)

As the saying goes, happiness gives you energy. Though Xu Jiu’s situation could hardly be called joyful, it still filled him with vigor.

Riding this momentum, Xu Jiu repeated his earlier tactic, approaching two more people to sell his labor for the afternoon and next morning in exchange for two more biscuits.

He knew this wasn’t a sustainable solution, but for now, there was no better way to get extra food. Mobius didn’t pay low-level workers—as far as he knew, only researchers and administrators ranked C or above were eligible for monthly allowances, allowing them to purchase goods on the internal network or splurge on snacks now and then when tired of the canteen.

As for someone like Xu Jiu, strictly speaking, his labor didn’t grant him the right to "exchange" for anything of equal value. He could only work to pay off his debt. When he signed his employment contract with the lab, it was made abundantly clear: every expense from his upbringing—food, clothing, shelter, education—had to be repaid. The lab had merely fronted the considerable cost in advance. Since his evaluation deemed him unworthy of further education, he was promptly put to work paying it back.

Sweating buckets, he decided to take things one step at a time.

The reconstruction work was in full swing, and the afternoon tasks were even more demanding. Large groups of cleaners were not only clearing rubble from the square but also organizing teams to descend into the dangerously unstable lower floors through narrow passages dug out by excavators, salvaging any documents and electronic equipment they could find.

Xu Jiu, utterly exhausted, leaned against a pile of twisted steel bars to rest and drink water when he suddenly overheard two teammates whispering behind him, thinking they were being sneaky.

"Did you hear? All exits from the polar station have been sealed since the day before yesterday—no one can leave, only enter!"

His stomach dropped, and he edged closer to catch their hushed exchange.

"What’s going on?" the other person pressed urgently. "Was it Dr. Ewan’s order?"

"Most likely. Let me put it this way—this is way too big a mess now. No one wants to take responsibility or risk leaks. A *doctor*! Think about it, how many doctors does Mobius even have?"

"That’s true… Dr. Shi was gone on the spot, wasn’t he?"

"Pretty much. So I figure Dr. Ewan’s plan is to suppress the news of Dr. Shi’s death, tell headquarters they’re still searching and trying to save him… stall for as long as possible. Anyway, this place is in the back end of nowhere—even if they send investigators, it’ll take them weeks to get here."

"Hah, so… we don’t have to rush with the work either?"

"Of course not!"

Xu Jiu sat silently behind them, offering no opinion on his know-it-all coworkers. He was equally uninformed and uninterested in the power dynamics at the polar station. The only thing on his mind was whether the news about the research station’s lockdown was true.

Most of Mobius’s doctors were shadows, their identities and whereabouts shrouded in mystery, rarely revealing their true faces. Xu Jiu only knew that the "Dr. Shi" mentioned in the conversation was the one who had broadcasted the evacuation order from the control room before being crushed to death by the giant jellyfish. As for "Dr. Ewan"—when Xu Jiu first arrived at the polar station, he had caught a rare glimpse of the man’s profile: a portly old white guy with fine silver hair thinly covering his flushed forehead.

Whatever decisions the higher-ups made, Xu Jiu neither cared nor concerned himself with them. Years at the bottom had taught him one thing all too clearly: no matter how lenient the decisions of the powerful, the little people would never benefit. No perk could make up for the layers of exploitation. And the so-called "leniency" from those in power was meager to begin with.

Perhaps Dr. Ewan truly intended to stall for as long as possible, but regardless of his intentions, if the lowest-ranking cleaners dared to slack off, the asshole supervisors would make sure they paid for it.

Sure enough, as the shift neared its end, the supervisor came to inspect their progress. Spotting two slackers in the team, he forgot even to harass Xu Jiu and instead laid into them first.

Xu Jiu, having done the work of two people, climbing up and down with a safety harness over a hundred times, was gasping like a fish out of water by the time he lined up for dinner at the canteen. The sheer exertion had pushed all thoughts of the lockdown far from his mind.

But there was a silver lining—tonight, the canteen was serving Chinese food!

Xu Jiu’s spirits lifted again, even as his exhaustion left him at the very back of the line, shoved aside in the stampede.

But who cared? Right now, he felt incredibly lucky.

His wrist had healed, he’d found a new purpose, he had a pet… well, if you could call it that? He’d nearly been late, yet the supervisor hadn’t given him trouble, he’d earned extra biscuits, and tonight there were steamed buns and stir-fry!

Standing alone at the end of the line, a goofy smile spread uncontrollably across his face. When it was finally his turn, the server stared at him for a moment before suddenly sliding an extra bun from the large basin and tossing it onto his tray.

Xu Jiu: "!"

"We’re closed!" The server ignored his shock, offering no explanation. After serving the last person, they turned and shouted loudly, then reached up to slam the metal shutter down, locked it with a key, and was gone.

The whole sequence was so swift that before Xu Jiu could react, the window was empty, leaving just his dumbstruck face staring back.

Xu Jiu was lightheaded and a little guilty, paranoid about being spotted. He quickly found a corner to squat down in.

Holy crap, I actually got an extra steamed bun! Am I gonna have terrible luck tomorrow?

Today’s dishes included stir-fried daylily with shredded pork, mapo tofu, and spicy pickled mustard greens. The daylily had meat in it, the mapo tofu was mixed with minced pork, and the pickled greens were spicy and flavorful—Xu Jiu was in hog heaven. He stuffed the pickled greens into the steamed bun, dipped it in the sauce from the mapo tofu, and inhaled it in three bites flat.

The meal made his forehead sweat. As for what to do with the extra steamed bun, Xu Jiu thought for a moment before stashing it inside his jacket.

Oh well, opportunities like this are rare. Besides the brick-like ration biscuits, I’ll take this back for Number Six too.

Xu Jiu wiped his mouth, practically floating with excitement as he headed home, almost skipping. Standing in front of the dormitory door, he took out his key to unlock it, doing a quick paranoid check around him before pushing the door open just a crack and slipping inside.

"I..." The words feeling foreign in his mouth, Xu Jiu cleared his throat awkwardly. "I’m back?"

He searched the room for Number Six’s presence and whispered again, "I’m back!"

Something cool and slippery suddenly dropped from above, landing on his shoulder.

Xu Jiu jumped three feet in the air, his heart skipping a beat. He turned his head in panic to find Number Six clinging firmly there, looking downright pleased with itself as it faced him.

"You scared me half to death, you little shit!" Xu Jiu scolded, but his anger flared and faded just as quickly. In no time, he was grinning again, cradling it in his hands.

The little jellyfish wasn’t bad, just a bit mischievous...

He sat down and, like a kid showing off his haul, pulled out the food from his pocket one by one for Number Six: three brick-like ration biscuits and a still-warm white steamed bun.

Number Six circled the table several times, waving its stubby little tentacles to poke and prod left and right. It touched the steamed bun once, twice, then suddenly retracted all its tentacles, curling up tightly.

Xu Jiu watched curiously, unsure what it was up to.

With a "whoosh," Number Six puffed itself up all dramatic-like, like some tiny alien nightmare, fiercely spreading its body and going to town on the steamed bun.

Xu Jiu: "Whoa!"

Number Six seemed to be imitating some kind of predatory beast, devouring the steamed bun, which was nearly as big as its own body, then did a little victory wiggle. Xu Jiu stared like a kid at a magic show until even the last bit of the bun’s skin disappeared before slowly exhaling.

Xu Jiu: "So impressive!"

He genuinely thought Number Six was amazing—and had a big appetite too. A big appetite meant good health! So able-bodied!

Lost in thought, he couldn’t help but give a round of applause for the little jellyfish.

Encouraged, Number Six proceeded to digest the remaining three compressed biscuits one by one, using its short, fleshy tentacles to grab and stuff them into its mouth.

The compressed biscuits were harder than the steamed bun, so its eating pace slowed. By the time it had slurped up two like they were pudding and reached for the third, its little tentacles hovered uncertainly over the broken edge of the biscuit.

"What’s wrong?"

Number Six turned to him, and Xu Jiu had no idea what was going on in its see-through noggin. The little jellyfish tilted toward the biscuit, then toward him... like it was wrestling with a tough decision.

After a moment, Number Six picked up the biscuit with three oral arms and shoved it in Xu Jiu's direction.

Xu Jiu blinked.

Wait... you're giving this to me?

He jabbed a thumb at his own chest.

Does this mean... it's for me?

The little jellyfish reluctantly retracted its tentacles, plopped back, and licked the crumbs from its mouthparts, looking quite dejected.

Getting Number Six's meaning, Xu Jiu couldn't help but clutch his chest. His eyes brimmed with tears, and his heart just melted.

At this moment, he finally understood why parents who loved showing off their children acted the way they did... It was just too cute!

Touched, he quickly crouched down and cooed to it, "Are you worried I'm hungry? I already ate! I came back after eating my fill. All of this is for you—just eat up."

As he spoke, Xu Jiu felt a pang of guilt. Ah, he'd had a proper meal outside but couldn't bring any back for it, only these plain snacks...

He sighed and gently pushed the biscuit back with a finger.

"You eat it," he said softly. "You need to grow big and strong, okay?"

Number Six fixed him with a look—or at least, Xu Jiu assumed it was looking—before flattening itself out and pulling the biscuit toward itself. It coated it with digestive juices and hesitantly stuffed it into its mouth.

It ate hesitantly, pausing now and then as if waiting for Xu Jiu to change his mind and take the food back. But Xu Jiu only watched with an encouraging smile, urging it to eat faster. Suspiciously, Number Six digested the last crumbs and slumped onto the table.

Xu Jiu reached out, gently scooping up the little jellyfish and hefting it in his hands.

It really had gotten heavier!

He squeezed and kneaded its squishy, bouncy body, thoroughly enjoying the texture. As he bounced it playfully in his hands, his mood brightened uncontrollably, a goofy grin spreading across his face.

Such a sense of accomplishment.

Number Six put up with his fussing silently until it could take no more, suddenly flattening itself out and engulfing Xu Jiu's head.

Xu Jiu let out muffled yelps, stumbling around the room as if a giant, cool blob of jelly had smothered his face, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Sorry! My bad, my bad... I surrender, okay? I surrender!"

In the end, the two tumbled around on the floor, laughing and wrestling. Suddenly, Xu Jiu flailed an arm and accidentally slammed his still-healing wrist against the chair leg, instantly wincing in pain. "Oww!"

Number Six stopped fooling around at once, sliding off Xu Jiu's face. Lethal toxins rapidly gathered at the tips of its oral arms, dyeing its tentacles a vivid cobalt blue. It looked ready to attack, scanning the surroundings warily for the unseen enemy that had hurt Xu Jiu.

When Xu Jiu finally recovered and saw its stance, his heart went all soft.

"No enemy," he said with a smile. "It's this."

He showed the little jellyfish his wrist. "My injury isn't fully healed yet."

Number Six turned to the bandaged spot. Understanding, its body gradually relaxed, the vibrant cobalt blue fading back into its translucent form.

It piled several oral arms together, rubbing them in an oddly human-like gesture, then leaped onto Xu Jiu's wrist, melting through the bandage to reveal the wound where new flesh was growing.

"Hey!" Xu Jiu exclaimed.

Before he could stop it, Number Six pressed against the injury just like the day before, sucking and probing to draw out any lingering toxins.

Previously numb from pain, Xu Jiu hadn't felt much. But now, with his senses restored, he immediately noticed something off. It was as if dozens of cool little tongues were wriggling inside his flesh—not painful, but maddeningly ticklish. The strange sensation seemed to creep through his flesh, all the way into the marrow of his bones.

Xu Jiu couldn't laugh anymore. He frantically tried to pry Number Six off. "Ah, no no no... Stop licking! Let go... Let go!"

Author's Note:

Xu Jiu: *Stares at the last steamed bun, drooling, but decides to bring it back for Number Six* I... I'm doing this because I'm not hungry! *Flips hair dramatically*

Little jellyfish: *Stares at the last biscuit, drooling, but decides to save it for the human* *Lamely sucks its tentacles*

Xu Jiu: *So moved that tears (okay, and drool) gush from his eyes, nearly drowning Number Six* Aww, my heart!