One minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes.
…
What's going on?
Su Jingxing frowned.
Five minutes had passed since he replied to the notification, yet nothing had happened.
"Corpse discovered. Would you like to extract it?" What happened to the things he supposedly "extracted"?
Or was the notification earlier just an illusion?
With flickering eyes, Su Jingxing made his way towards another corpse.
He got a little closer…
[Corpse discovered. Would you like to extract it?]
Then sprang back and distanced himself from the corpse. The notification vanished.
Again, he got a little closer…
[Corpse discovered. Would you like to extract it?]
It wasn't an illusion!
The notification was real!
"Yes!" answered Su Jingxing as he reapproached the corpse.
This time, he carefully observed his surroundings and watched out for any potential changes in his body.
Still nothing.
That was when he realized two cards were sitting in his pockets that were originally empty, as though they had popped out of thin air.
"Are these cards what I have extracted?" mused Su Jingxing as he took the cards out of his pocket and examined them.
He had extracted one card from the first corpse…
And another from the second, making it two cards in total.
They looked the exact same; both had light purple as their background color and were roughly the size of a poker card.
A chaotic pattern was printed on the back of the card, and a full-body diagram on its front.
Essence Energy Card!
The words popped up in his mind.
Almost immediately following that, a detailed description of the "Essence Energy Card" formed in his mind.
Essence Energy Card gives "Essence Energy Pill(s)".
Essence Energy Pill: A type of pill that could cleanse one's fatigue, rejuvenate one's energy, and boost one's virility.
Su Jingxing had heard his Team Leader mentioning such pills before. They were originally developed for the use of scientific researchers so that they could strengthen their essence and spirit. However, after they circulated outside, they completely took over the sildenafil market.
This was only to be expected since sildenafil was harmful when taken regularly while Essence Energy Pills had no side effects.
The thing he extracted turned out to be the improved version of sildenafil.
For a moment, Su Jingxing was at a loss of words.
"Hold on!"
If Essence Energy Cards give Essence Energy Pills, what about other cards?
Su Jingxing recalled the notification that accompanied the appearance of the Essence Energy Cards; it did not state anywhere that Essence Energy Cards were the only things he could extract.
Kong Dabao had yet to return, so with these thoughts in mind, Su Jingxing walked up to a few other corpses.
[Corpse discovered. Would you like to extract it?]
"Yes!"
[Corpse discovered. Would you like to extract it?]
"Yes!"
…
Walking briskly through the morgue, he extracted every corpse he came across.
As he walked, he took out the cards that materialized inside his pocket and inspected them one by one.
Essence Energy Card, Essence Energy Card, Essence Energy Card…
Most of them were Essence Energy Cards, but there were some others as well.
Strength Enhancement Card!
Strength Enhancement Card gives Strength Pill(s).
Strength Pill: A type of pill that can increase one's strength. Each pill can increase one's strength by ten catties.
Jackpot!
Suppressing his excitement, Su Jingxing stored the cards away. Together with Kong Dabao, who came back from the toilet, they continued moving corpses.
As expected, the cheating ability did not disappoint him.
Even though he couldn't eat all the Essence Energy Pills from Essence Energy Cards by himself, he could sell them for money.
For instance, Gu Bo—the leader of Corpse Collection Team One—was among those who had bought it before.
One Essence Energy Pill could fetch over 300 Great Yu dollars!
Strength Enhancement Card was even better; each pill from it could increase one's strength by ten catties.
Likewise, they did not have any side effects!
Both cards were definitely good stuff.
As to whether there was a third type of card…
Su Jingxing was optimistic. Something in his subconscious told him it had to exist!
On top of that, the key to extracting cards was to get close enough to a corpse, which was perfect for Su Jingxing's current job.
Now, Su Jingxing wouldn't leave even if someone paid him to leave.
The crematorium was great!
In fact, this place was simply amazing.
There were not many opportunities to come into contact with corpses outside.
But over here, corpses would be delivered to his doorstep every day!
Su Jingxing made up his mind—before he was strong enough to protect himself, he wouldn't leave the crematorium no matter what.
…
"Why do you look so happy? Did they put a thousand-year-old ginseng in your food?"
"Why do you look so happy? Did they put a thousand-year-old ginseng in your food?" asked Kong Dabao puzzledly, looking at Su Jingxing's plate that had the exact same content as his. It was afternoon, and they were in the hall of the canteen.
"Cough…" Su Jingxing drew a deep breath to suppress his excitement and grinned. "Nothing, I just thought of something happy."
"What is it? Share the good news with me," pressed Kong Dabao as he munched on his food.
"Well…"
"Hey! There you are!" a cheery voice broke in.
Kong Dabao took a glance at the comer. "What do you want, sleazebag?"
"Don't say that, Brother Bao. Can't I look for you for no reason?" said the comer, shrugging innocently. "Brother Bao, you have to believe me. I…"
"That's enough." Kong Dabao raised his hand to forestall him, and raised his eyebrows. "If there's no reason, you can get out of our sight now. Don't you realize you are interrupting our meal?"
"…"
"Brother Jian, tell me about your problem. I'll definitely lend a helping hand if it's within my capabilities," offered Su Jingxing as he regarded the embarrassed man with a smile.
This man's name was Feng Tiejian, and he was also a member of Team One.
Kong Dabao and Feng Tiejian were both veterans on the Corpse Collecting Team and had worked in the crematorium for more than three years.
They knew each other very well, and it wasn't rare to see them bickering.
Feng Tiejian coughed.
"That's why Little Su is the best. You should work on your bad habit of being impatient, Dabao," riposted Feng Tiejian. Before Kong Dabao could make a comeback, he quickly went on. "The thing is, I have an errand to run in the afternoon, and I can only make it back by around nine in the evening. Can you cover my shift, Little Su?"
"Sure," Su Jingxing replied offhandedly.
Deep down, his heart was full of joy.
He would love to help!
He couldn't wait to move more corpses.
If he got tired, he could always pop an "Essence Energy Pill" and be as fresh as a daisy again.
"Thank you so much," said Feng Tiejian gratefully, not privy to Su Jingxing's thoughts. "You have my gratitude, my good brother. Let's find a day to visit the city. I'll treat you to a feast at the Golden Jade Pavilion!"
"I appreciate the offer, Brother Jian, but you don't have to splurge on me. There's nothing for me to do back in the dormitory anyway," said Su Jingxing, smiling.
Golden Jade Pavilion was one of the finest restaurants in Qinghe City, and one meal there could easily cost over 4,000 Great Yu dollars.
"I insist. It's only natural for me to pay you back for your help. I'm a man of principles," said Feng Tiejian, grinning from ear to ear. He shot a perfunctory glance at Kong Dabao. "Unlike some people who only know how to take and never show any gratitude!
Thud!
Kong Dabao glared at Feng Tiejian and slammed his chopsticks on the table. "You wanna get roughed up, sleazebag?"
"Hey, what got you so riled up? Was it something I did?" asked Feng Tiejian, feigning ignorance.
He gave Su Jingxing a quick wave before Kong Dabao could blow up.
"Alright then, Little Su. I'll be off,"
With that, he scurried towards the canteen exit.
"What a douchebag!" cursed Kong Dabao as he watched Feng Tiejian's back, then shifted his gaze towards Su Jingxing. "Little Su, you don't have to accommodate him. This guy has always been like this. It wasn't this bad in the past, but nowadays he's looking for every opportunity to slack off and fool around. Don't be afraid to turn him down if you don't want to cover his shift. I'll deal with that sleazebag if he dares give you trouble."
"It's fine," said Su Jingxing, smiling. "I meant what I said earlier— I really don't mind covering his shift. But thank you for the concern, Big Brother Dabao."
"Bah, there's nothing to thank me for!" said Kong Dabao, waving his hand dismissively.
Seeing that Su Jingxing was fine with it, he stopped trying to persuade him.
After all, covering a shift wasn't much of a big deal.
…
After lunch, they took a short break.
Then, the two of them continued working together to move corpses.
[Corpse discovered. Would you like to extract it?]
"Yes!"
[Corpse discovered. Would you like to extract it?]
"Yes!"
[Corpse discovered. Would you like to extract it?]
"…"
…