I'm the King of Wage Earners in Lobotomy City

Page 103

Two guards immediately grabbed long sticks and came out, stirring up the factory's heat. "Damn it, thieves! They're here to steal again!"

The four had just taken a step to give chase when they saw Du Jue standing at the door.

A guard, with a slightly respectful smile, asked, "Sir, may I ask what brings you here? Did Lady Eveno send you?"

Du Jue stared strangely at the couple beside him, who were embracing each other with utter despair, while the instructions from Sanchao came to his ears.

"Due to the cold climate, the back alleys here need centralized heating. Treated antifreeze endorphin liquid is transported out of the nest for burning to generate heat. At the same time, taxes are collected by the regional tax collector, who is called the tax collector by the locals."

"Cold Spring Distillery is owned by the tax collector, Evono. Their high-end vodka is mixed with diluted recycled ampoules, which is a real antidote for the people in the back alleys here. That's the charm of a panacea."

Du Jue, having removed his headset, noticed they were all staring at his brand-new, luxurious coat. He immediately realized he was being mistaken for a rich man. Ignoring the guards, he curiously looked at the trembling man and woman and asked, "Why are you smashing the distillery pipes?"

"Sir, we were starving! We just paid our taxes and there's nothing left to eat. We can't even buy vodka. We heard this tube also contains vodka, so we were out of our minds and decided to try it. We really didn't mean to!"

The guards immediately glared at the two men and angrily rebuked them: "Despicable thieves! How dare you fabricate so many ridiculous reasons for your shameful acts? Why can others tolerate it but you can't? You're right, you vermin are utterly shameless!"

To prevent them from getting more confused, he raised his hand to stop them, immediately making the two guards obediently shut up. "Wait, if you're hungry, why aren't you looking for food or vodka?"

"Vodka is great. Half a bottle is enough to get you through a day in a half-sleep, half-lying position. If you had a whole bottle, you could eat only one meal every three days."

This exchange immediately aroused the guards' suspicions, and they straightened their backs and scrutinized Du Jue, because this was not common sense that someone as important as Eveno would not understand.

Hey!

Du Jue looked at the emaciated man and woman with a shocked expression and deeply doubted the incredible resilience of the people in this back alley. He also found the extent of their exploitation of the tax collector, Eveno, to be unimaginable.

"Hey, are you from out of town?"

"Get out of here, stop watching the show!"

154

Chapter 154 Suffering.

Perhaps noticing the unusual situation at the entrance, three more burly men in uniform carrying fire axes emerged from the distillery. They were all very strong, completely different from the skinny guys Du Jue had seen on the street before.

"I told you two to stop sneaking drinks, and you still had the pipes smashed again! How many times have I told you not to act like idiots on tax day!"

"There were three thieves this time, right? Hey, you've got a nice coat, you should pay for it back to the distillery. You still have your kidneys, right?"

The couple immediately fled in fear, while Du Jue slowly pulled out his identification from inside his coat and coldly questioned, "I don't care about the pipeline issue, but Lengquan Winery is suspected of smuggling K Company's materials, and I must have a good talk with your factory manager."

The men who had just been so menacing immediately bowed their heads like quails upon hearing about K Company. They didn't even have time to pay attention to the broken pipes or the escaped thief, and fawned over Du Jue as he was ushered into the winery.

"Sir, please have some coffee specially supplied by our brewery. It definitely doesn't have that rusty taste like the coffee from those slippery bastards' houses outside. Their heating pipes haven't been updated in centuries. We at Cold Spring use brand new lead water pipes. It's high-quality, inexpensive, and even a little sweet!"

Du Jue, who had just received the coffee, immediately abandoned the idea of ​​drinking it and asked in bewilderment, "Don't you know that lead is toxic? And why don't you use normal stainless steel pipes?"

The lead guard puffed out his chest proudly and said with a hint of disdain, "We've been drinking for so long and nothing's happened to us. We've used all sorts of channels. It's definitely the company trying to use advertising to trick people into buying those so-called good products, just like marketing luxury goods."

These words convinced Du Jue that they were just trying to save money. Looking around, he found that the factory was completely undecorated, with winding pipes hanging from the ceiling and large patches of dark, indistinct stains on the floor.

The workers were busy packing and boxing vodka on the assembly line, their hands and feet moving so fast that no one looked up to check when a group of people approached.

"My lord, our Cold Spring Winery is managed by the tax collectors of Eveno. The people in this area all rely on our antidote to survive, so please proceed with caution."

The smiling guard suddenly turned around and reminded Du Jue, "Moreover, we absolutely could not and had no intention of provoking the Wings of the World. There must be some misunderstanding."

"Ugh."

The man who was bending over to lift the box collapsed. Immediately, a guard went over, pried open a bottle of vodka, and chugged it down. His face immediately became rosy, and although his eyes were cloudy and he was still a little unsteady, he exhaled a breath of hot air with excitement.

"You see, how would they survive without a shot of vodka from our distillery?"

The guard proudly shook the half-empty bottle of vodka in his hand, then slapped the man's face triumphantly and pushed him back to his workstation.

Du Jue followed the broken endorphin pipe outside to the factory and was not surprised to find it flowing into the vodka production pool. He suspected that the other pipes were not carrying normal drugs either. He immediately scoffed at the guard's statement: "This is a slow poison. I don't need to guess to know that Yi Fu Nuo would over-tax. Otherwise, the heating fee alone would not be enough to make people unable to afford food and would instead come to drink!"

To everyone's surprise, the group of burly guards did not argue angrily, but instead lowered their heads nervously. Suddenly, the loudspeaker in the corner of the factory blared: "Seeking material enjoyment in this snowy place is nothing but drinking poison to quench thirst. The real antidote is spiritual enlightenment and becoming a complete person."

Amidst the guard's flustered explanations, Du Jue immediately realized that the other person was a technician and factory manager at the Lengquan factory, who preferred to be called a bartender.

"Guests, I foresaw this. Everyone, stop working now!"

The inexplicable words made everyone stop what they were doing, raise their hands warily, and then they heard the bartender's calm voice, "Bring him suffering, or embrace your own suffering, this is the necessary path to becoming a complete person!"

Without hesitation, all the assembly line workers grabbed the bottles of liquor next to them and drank them down in one gulp. Some even swallowed a second bottle, not satisfied with drinking. It was more like swallowing a razor blade to slit their throats than drinking alcohol, but their faces were all filled with piety and determination.

Ping Pong Pong!

These workers, clutching half-broken bottles, rushed towards Du Jue with their heads flushed. Du Jue could clearly sense that they hadn't been so quickly swayed by the vodka, and their eyes were filled with numbness and indifference.

Bang!

Du Jue immediately took out the crusher and swung it fiercely. The huge collision sound echoed throughout the factory. Tiny pieces of flesh were clearly imprinted on the ground in a triangular shape like **. "Those who come forward die. I'm looking for the bartender."

Even with the effects of vodka, everyone was stunned by the shocking scene, and the broadcast started again.

"Humans have no concept of life and death from birth, let alone killing their own kind. This evil nature means that cities are destined to be full of suffering, and no one can escape the omnipresent suffering."

"Suffering may control our bodies, but it cannot bind our spirits. It may try to make us fearful and submissive, but we must show it fearlessness and composure!"

Swish!

With a flick of his sleeve, the workshop's cable shoved several throwing knives into Du Jue's right hand. He had already sensed something was wrong; this bartender was probably a crazy cult member. He quickly pressed the loudspeaker and fired the throwing knives.

"The only way to overcome suffering is to become a perfect person and accept it without flinching. Even the arrival of death should not change our spirit in the slightest. Only in this way can we escape the vortex of destined suffering. Otherwise, we will only collapse mentally and physically like ordinary people!"

Boom!

The bartender's voice gradually faded as the horns shattered one after another, but he continued to ramble on: "The fate of the city cannot be changed; it transcends everything. There is only one way for us to transcend it—to face it and embrace it completely!"

Wow!

The last horn shattered, and Du Jue breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the crusher again, and prepared to go deeper. He looked incredulously at the people who surrounded him again. "Please, you have nothing to do with this. There's no need for you to die for this. I won't show any mercy because of this."

"There are many kinds of suffering, but one that a perfect person must overcome is innocent suffering. The city is such an unreasonable place, and fate never follows logic or emotion. Those who accept innocent suffering with equanimity are saints, and their spirits have undoubtedly escaped the tricks of fate."

The crowd stopped, and a woman stepped forward, followed by a queue that even formed behind her.

"This is both a knife and an antidote."

"I am not afraid of you, nor am I afraid of suffering."

Looking at everyone's calm expressions, a strong sense of eeriness and horror enveloped Du Jue.

At this moment, even though he was the violent intruder, he felt as if he had become the executioner being directed by this group of madmen. An inexplicable resentment and disgust welled up in his heart. He gasped for breath but still felt suffocated. Unconsciously, he was even forced back two steps by this woman.

Seeing Du Jue's terrified expression, the woman smiled, raised the bottle, and thrust it forward fiercely, seemingly accepting all changes with equanimity. Du Jue couldn't understand what she was thinking. If they were so indifferent, why didn't they resist the bartender?

The Dionysian Celebration!

The strange cheers abruptly broke the oppressive atmosphere of the factory, and the woman was kicked into the crowd, knocking down a large number of people in line.

"Fuck you, bartender! Fuck you, Evonik! You like to play the torture and manipulation game while collecting taxes, huh?!"

"I am your suffering today!"

155

Chapter 155 The Bartender.

Bang!

The three who wanted to go forward were sent flying backward before they could even see what was happening. The vodka on the assembly line was also swept off their bodies, and the sound of shattering glass filled the factory.

"You want to die?! I'll fucking make sure you don't die!"

With the Blood-Nourishing Sword drawn, Du Jue mercilessly severed the thigh tendons of both men. Filled with rage, he raised his hand, grabbed the thrown wine bottle, and hurled it back with force.

Boom!

The man's forehead was instantly smashed, blood and wine mingling, the mind-numbing liquid flowing all over the floor, but the irresistible intoxication of losing one's senses overflowed from within, many people even had great difficulty standing, and some even started attacking their own people indiscriminately.

"Bartender, I know you're watching. Don't even think about running away, because there can only be one sacrifice in this Dionysian celebration!"

Sheathing his sword and suppressing his anger, Du Jue felt an overwhelming blurring of senses from the alcohol in his blood, even seeing double. But the workers' behavior was even worse.

thump!

Amidst the empty cheers, the last worker collapsed to the ground, uttering a torrent of unconscious babbling from the drunkards.

Du Jue shook his head and immediately perked up. The serrated edge of the crusher smashed through the steel gate in an instant, revealing four huge pools of vodka concentrate. The cold, hard steel looked like crystals of ice and snow, and a slender red-nosed figure had just climbed down the ladder from the pool to the ground.

The first thing that catches the eye is his drab gray clothes, with layers upon layers making it look like he's wearing a dozen pieces of fabric, and his unkempt hair and beard are stuck together.

"Your hygiene as a bartender isn't quite up to par, but it's alright, a haircut should fix it!"

Du Jue tried his best to stay rational, gritted his teeth and charged at the bartender, determined to shave off the idiot's head and hang it at the entrance of the distillery. He replaced the crusher in his hand with the light Bloodlust Sword.

squeak!

The bits of flesh underfoot made it impossible to slip even slightly, while the bartender retreated in terror, stepping onto the back of the cart to narrowly avoid the sword strike.

Du Jue immediately noticed the abnormality; how could he make such a basic mistake?

"Hahaha! There really are those idiots who obediently go to their deaths, but unfortunately they are high-quality employees. I'm not like Mafche who can fool so many people."

Du Jue, who was still trying to give chase, looked up and saw the bartender on the cart crash into the shelf. Instantly, the steel frame collapsed one after another, and a large amount of chemical agents rushed out like an avalanche.

"After all, Mavche truly believed in his own beliefs. When I pretended to be a believer and assassinated him, he didn't resist at all. He was a complete idiot, so stupid that I could easily impersonate him."

The more violently the passage was cleared, the more confused he became. The pungent chemical smell in the air stung his nose and lungs. When he saw the bartender laughing as he opened the outlets of the four pools, he knew something was seriously wrong.

"I'm valued because I have so many capable employees, yet you don't appreciate this excellent tool. I've already notified the tax collector of Eveno; you're dead! And you can forget about killing me!"

"Now even suffering avoids me!"

The bartender arrogantly climbed onto the aerial walkway, tossed his elaborate, dark gray long suit down below, and proudly displayed his body covered in stickers.

The vodka liquid surged out rapidly, creating countless eddies, preventing anyone from stabilizing themselves and grabbing the ladder, only to have the unknown chemical liquid waves corrode the ladder from the middle.

"Hillbilly! This is a J Nest wish-granting sticker that can bring me real luck. I don't want to die in misery for no reason. Everything is for making money to buy more good luck, so that the fate of the city will be on my side. That idiot Marchev has completely misunderstood the situation!"

"The only cure for suffering is luck, while those as unfortunate as you can only drown in vodka!"

[Kill the bartender in front of you]

Swept up by the tide, Du Jue grabbed the crusher, the unimaginable weight causing him to sink to the bottom instantly. The pungent chemical liquid quickly turned his skin red, and he hurriedly held his breath, but the nauseating smell still lingered in his nostrils.

Du Jue never imagined that someone would actually compete with him in luck in the city; he had absolutely no chance of losing!

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Overjoyed, the bartender choked on his laughter, bent over, and coughed violently. He had just grabbed the railing when he realized that he had cut corners to save money, and immediately crushed the corroded and riddled wooden railing.

thump!

"Phew, what's going on?!"

The bartender, enduring the pain of his cracked skin, struggled to the surface of the water. When he raised his arm, he saw that all the stickers he had painstakingly bought were soaked. In that instant, he screamed in terror and helplessness as the pool water he had swallowed began to corrode his esophagus and stomach.

"Uh ah ah!"

Fortunately, the pool had already overflowed, and the water level dropped rapidly to a level where one could stand. The bartender hurriedly covered his face and tried to escape towards the exit, completely forgetting about Du Jue who was emerging from the water behind him.

Swish!

With a decisive movement, he pulled off his blindfold, glaring angrily at the bartender's retreating figure. A spiral spear appeared in his right hand, which he then hurled in fury.

Boom!

The Giant Workshop wasn't designed for chopping, it was for crushing!

Even though the turbulent currents and debris only hit his left leg, the terrifying weight instantly snapped the bartender's lower body. A cloud of blood exploded in the water, and only his head and part of his chest remained intact.

Perhaps stimulated by the vodka, its head was wide open, its eyes wide with disbelief at its failure, and it kept gurgling in the water.

Crash.

His voice finally became clear when he was pulled out of the water.

"How is that possible? They should all be working! I've always escaped unscathed, and no trouble could possibly befall me. Is this vortex really as inescapable as Mafch said?!"

"Fuck you, get the score straight! It was something I couldn't avoid!"

Before the astonished bartender could even utter a sound, Du Jue tossed him to his feet and, no longer suppressing his impulse, stomped on him.

Click.

Watching the reddish liquid flow over the drunkards, Du Jue simply exhaled and put his headset back on, followed by San Chao's puzzled voice.

"Wen Duo, why did the contact just break down?"