No Pampering the Vicious Cannon Fodder! [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 4

The Upper District was prosperous and bustling, with crowds weaving like fabric. It felt as if it belonged to a completely different world from the desolate and filthy Lower District.

Capital Star gathered the most exquisite and unique clothing from all over the galaxy. The shopping streets were filled with a dazzling array of goods that could stop anyone in their tracks.

Xin Rong held a stick of cotton candy in one hand and wore a crown encrusted with diamond fragments on his head, currently focused on picking out a hat in a boutique.

050, following behind him, finally couldn’t hold back and spoke up weakly: “Host…”

Xin Rong turned around at the sound. He had just taken a bite of cotton candy, and a bit of sugar residue remained at the corner of his mouth, shimmering in the sunlight and making him look even more sweet and soft.

“You can’t buy any more…” 050 reminded him, its voice tinged with a faint sense of despair. “Our expenses have already exceeded the budget. If you keep buying, the money will run out very soon.”

Xin Rong blinked, his long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, and let out a bewildered “Ah.”

He looked down at the beautiful wide-brimmed hat in his hand, his eyes full of reluctance. Finally, he pursed his lips and, as if saying goodbye to a beloved toy, placed the hat back on the shelf with great hesitation.

Watching him like this, 050 couldn’t help but sigh internally.

After spending these past few days together, it had seen through its host. This host was clearly someone who had been pampered to the heavens since childhood; not only did he spend money recklessly, but he was also an extremely picky eater—completely different from those bitter, long-suffering hosts it had dealt with in the past.

The more it was like this, the more puzzled 050 became.

Exactly what kind of deep-seated hatred could push a young master, who clearly grew up in a jar of honey, to the point of selling his soul to the Goddess of Revenge?

While it was lost in thought, Xin Rong suddenly tilted his head and asked: “How much money do we have left now?”

050 pulled up the system panel. Xin Rong leaned his head over to glance at the number next to the gold coin icon, blinking his eyes with an innocent and harmless tone: “Five hundred thousand, is that considered a lot?”

“Th-that is quite a lot…” 050 answered honestly, but then seriously added, “But! BUT!! This is your entire living allowance for this world!”

Considering that cannon fodder characters are often shallow and lack the ability to earn a living independently in the mission world, the system provides a living allowance to meet the host’s basic needs for food, housing, and travel.

But if there is no restraint in spending, one would have to do extra side missions or work to earn money to fill the hole.

Many hosts in the past had been blinded by the prosperity of mission worlds; before completing many tasks, they spent all their money, which ultimately severely delayed mission progress.

050 was terrified that Xin Rong would follow in those footsteps, which is why it hurried to remind him.

Before his desire to shop could reignite, 050 quickly changed the subject: “By the way, Host, the details for the next mission have been unlocked. Do you want to look at the script first to familiarize yourself in advance?”

“Okay!” Xin Rong’s interest was instantly piqued, his eyes sparkling.

The next mission was a transitional one. To put it simply, he had to cause some trouble for the protagonist.

This weekend, Capital Star would host the annual Charity Auction.

In this high-profile event crowded with celebrities and socialites, there was one permanent finale auction item—the opportunity to have dinner with the Empire’s Marshal, Shi Yuan, on New Year’s Eve.

It sounded like just a dinner, but its value went far beyond that. Besides being able to speak freely with the Marshal, the bidder could make one wish to him. As long as it was within a reasonable range, the Marshal would fulfill it.

According to the plot, the protagonist, who had just lost his job at the arena, would see this auction as a life-saving straw. He would spare no expense to win the dinner entry ticket to obtain an exceptional recommendation letter to participate in the First Military Academy’s national selection exam.

“Your task is to raise the price. Raise it hard, until the protagonist is bankrupt!”

“How high should I raise it?” Xin Rong asked.

“According to past auction records, the closing price for the dinner ticket is usually between two and three hundred thousand. We need to raise the price to five hundred thousand.”

“That high?” Xin Rong widened his eyes. “But I only have five hundred thousand in total.”

“Don’t worry! I’m telling you to raise the price, not actually pay for it.”

“What if I raise it too high and the protagonist doesn’t follow?” Xin Rong was still a bit worried.

050 patted its chest confidently: “Don’t worry! This number was meticulously calculated; the protagonist will definitely follow. Besides, this is a key plot point. It is through this dinner that the protagonist meets his Marshal father for the first time and gets the recommendation letter to join the national selection. This is a plot direction that no one can shake!”

The entrance to the arena was packed so tightly that even water couldn’t seep through. Jing Yue avoided the crowd, took a shortcut, and headed straight for the office.

The door was slightly ajar. Before he even got close, he heard the sound of an anxious argument coming from inside.

“Brother Qiang, we’ve collaborated for so many years, no one wanted things to turn out like this today. But right now the most important thing is to appease the audience and minimize the losses.”

“I don’t need you to remind me! Kahn, even if he is your star fighter, you must give me an explanation for what happened today!”

Before the words finished, the door was pushed open.

Everyone looked over in unison.

Kahn, the owner of the arena, a middle-aged man with a goatee, was sitting on the sofa with a cigarette in his hand.

As soon as he saw Jing Yue, his face instantly darkened. He walked up quickly and said in a low voice: “Didn’t I tell you not to come here for now?”

Sitting opposite him was the exclusive title sponsor of the Heavenly Vault Cup, ‘Johnson Lee’. He was covered in jewelry, wearing gold and silver that jingled as he walked, earning him the nickname “Jewel Qiang.”

Hearing Kahn’s words, Jewel Qiang exploded instantly: “Don’t come here? What, you still want to shield your precious darling?”

“Brother Qiang, Jing Yue has worked at the arena for over six months and created a lot of profit for the cup. He is never one to skip work without cause. I believe he must have had his own difficulties.”

“Difficulties?” Jewel Qiang sneered, his fingers tapping the table. “Do you know how many spectators are clamoring for a refund right now? Fine, I want to hear exactly what kind of heaven-defying difficulty could make him vanish off the face of the earth for an entire night!”

Kahn hurriedly signaled Jing Yue: “Jing Yue, don’t just stand there. Speak up, what exactly happened?”

Jing Yue’s expression was calm as he spoke unhurriedly: “My apologies. I was drugged last night. When I woke up, it was already noon.”

“What?!” Kahn slapped the table, his eyes wide with anger. “Who did it? Tell me the name, I’ll go chop off their hands right now!”

“Their name is—”

The words reached his lips, but Jing Yue paused.

Reasonably speaking, with Kahn’s methods from years of navigating the underworld, as long as he said the name, Kahn could find the person in minutes and settle the matter cleanly for him. There would be no need for him to act personally.

But for some reason, the moment he thought of that person’s name, the pink love letter jumped into his mind, along with those few lines of delicate and gentle handwriting.

His throat felt as if it were being constricted. Finally, as if possessed, he squeezed out a sentence: “…I don’t know.”

“You don’t know the name?” Kahn froze, pressing further. “Then what about the appearance? As long as you remember what they look like, I can hunt them down!”

The air stagnated.

After a long silence, Jing Yue’s throat felt tight, and his voice became even lower: “…I didn’t see clearly.”

“What did you say?” Kahn raised his volume, almost doubting if there was something wrong with his ears.

“He—” Jing Yue swallowed with difficulty. “He was masked.”

Kahn’s face turned ashen instantly, clearly not believing his nonsense: “Jing Yue, you—”

“Enough!” Jewel Qiang interrupted impatiently. “Look at his ‘don’t know anything’ attitude. Does he look like someone here to solve the problem?!”

Kahn was about to snap back, but Jewel Qiang didn’t give him the chance, throwing down an ultimatum.

“Two choices: either you shoulder all the losses from last night, or Jing Yue leaves the arena forever!”

Jing Yue was the arena’s golden brand, how could Kahn be willing to let him go? Jewel Qiang seemed to offer two paths, but in reality, there was no choice at all.

Just then, Jing Yue suddenly spoke: “I will shoulder all losses. I will leave the arena. I won’t involve you all.”

“…You shut up!”

Kahn was so angry he was practically smoking from his ears. He rushed forward and grabbed Jing Yue by the collar.

Jing Yue kept his neck stiff and turned his head to the side, his gaze stubborn, refusing to yield an inch.

During the struggle between the two, something fell out of his pocket and landed on the floor with a “patter.”

“This is…” Kahn looked down.

It was a pink heart-shaped box.

Jing Yue’s heart tightened. He instinctively reached out to pick it up, but Kahn was faster and snatched it up first.

“This is—”

Before Kahn could see what was inside, Jewel Qiang, who was nearby, cried out in surprise first.

“Star Brilliance stone!”

As a veteran jewelry enthusiast, he recognized the precious stone at a glance, his eyes glued to it: “This is a rare treasure on the market. Where did you get this from?”

Kahn also became interested. He pinched the necklace and examined it for a few moments, raising an eyebrow playfully. “Jing Yue, I didn’t expect you to have this kind of collection hobby.”

Jing Yue: “…”

He stared at that heart-shaped box, his Adam’s apple bobbing, unable to spit out a single word of explanation.

Jewel Qiang’s attitude flipped instantly. With a face full of smiles, he leaned forward and patted Jing Yue’s shoulder: “Isn’t this a coincidence? My jewelry collection is just missing a Star Brilliance stone like this. How about you part with it and let me enjoy it for a few days?”

Jing Yue pursed his lips, his expression stiff, hesitating several times.

“What?” Seeing Jing Yue’s hesitation, Jewel Qiang’s face soured, and he said sarcastically, “Reluctant? Could it be a token of love from your partner?”

“How could that be?” Jing Yue countered almost as a reflex.

Partner?

Token of love?

What kind of joke was that!

“This thing is worthless to me.” Jing Yue gritted his teeth, his chin lifted, his gaze instantly becoming cold and decisive. “If you want it, take it. I don’t care for it at all.”

Hearing this, Jewel Qiang was overjoyed. He walked away cradling the necklace with a beaming face.

No one expected that Jewel Qiang, who was hopping mad just a moment ago, would be so easily pacified by a necklace.

The farce ended abruptly. Jing Yue didn’t stay long and went back to the locker room alone.

He had just poured a glass of wine and hadn’t even taken a sip when the door was pushed open with a bang.

Kahn swaggered in and, without a word, snatched the glass from his hand and filled it for himself. Then he leaned against the wall, looking at him with a half-smile.

“What are you doing?” Jing Yue felt uncomfortable being stared at, his tone instinctively becoming wary.

Kahn swirled the wine in his glass, smiling playfully: “Do you know that you are a particularly clumsy liar?”

Jing Yue’s brow furrowed slightly as he said coldly: “What do you mean?”

Kahn kindly explained: “You said you didn’t know who drugged you.”

Jing Yue’s expression remained normal, his voice cool: “I truly do not know.”

“Fine.”

Kahn took a sip of wine and turned as if to leave.

At the door, he suddenly paused and dropped a sentence casually: “Then I’ll send someone right now to chop off Xin Rong’s hands.”

The hand Jing Yue used to hold the glass suddenly stiffened. His knuckles tightened, and his voice unconsciously lost its rhythm.

“How did you kno—”

Kahn stood with his back to him, raising his hand to show a pink slip of paper held between two fingers.

Jing Yue’s face darkened. He slammed the glass onto the table and strode forward.

“Give it back to me.”

He had thought Jewel Qiang had taken the whole box, but he didn’t expect Kahn to have secretly withheld the note.

Jing Yue reached out to grab it, but Kahn nimbly dodged, teasing with a mischievous grin: “Little brother, you are still too green. I originally only knew he was the one who sent you the necklace. Now, I also know he’s the guy who drugged you.”

“I—”

“The most interesting part is, you clearly know he drugged you, made you miss the match, and almost cost you your job, yet you’d rather be condemned by everyone and shoulder everything alone than reveal his name.”

“What do you mean condemned by everyone?” Jing Yue’s brow knitted together, but the tips of his ears felt inexplicably hot. “What shoulder everything? Can you stop saying things that are so disgusting?”

He had long known Kahn had a loose tongue and loved to play out romantic dramas, but now experiencing his sentimental style personally, he was covered in goosebumps.

A perfectly normal matter—how did it become so… mushy when it came out of his mouth?

“There is no doubt about it. You are protecting him.”

The air went silent for two seconds.

“The only question is…”

Kahn slowly stopped smiling and leaned against the doorframe, his gaze ambiguous, as if he could pierce through one’s heart.

“Why?”