Chapter 2: 2 Home and Family

2. Family and family members

And even gained a partner... If I can't find a job again, I'm afraid I'll struggle even to afford a loaf of bread!

Leaving the Sixth Cleanup Bureau with a dark expression and joining the long line in front of the Sanitation Bureau, the unemployed youth Leon couldn't help but sigh gloomily as he looked at the shining new badge on his virtual panel.

Good news: not only am I still a man, but I also have a cheat.

Bad news: this cheat doesn't seem very useful for now, and it even occasionally gives me strange debuffs...

Staring at the pitch-black 【Unemployed Youth】 badge and the "Blind Date Success Rate -80%" trait for a while, Leon "wriggled" forward with the long line at the Sanitation Bureau while casting his gaze toward the other two badges currently in the "Equipped" state.

On the virtual panel that accompanied him to this world, there were three badge slots in total; in the middle slot, one badge was flickering with a dim, deep cyan light, exuding a warm and gentle feeling.

【Trustworthy Older Brother (Bronze): Since your parents passed away early, you took on the responsibility of caring for your younger siblings at a very young age. You are a responsible and reliable older brother, and thus deeply loved and respected by your siblings.】

【Equipped Effect: When conversing with minors younger than you, they will easily develop a sense of trust in you, and when they are emotionally agitated, it is easy to trigger the special state "Pouring Out One's Heart," where they will confide their inner distress and secrets to you.】

【Advanced Route: None yet】

【Hidden Trait: Not activated】

Beside this "Good Brother" badge was a crimson badge with a color as fierce as fire, looking even more dazzling than the sun.

【Materialist Soul (Variant · Crimson · Cannot be upgraded): As a staunch materialist, you firmly believe that matter is the basis of objective existence, that spirit and consciousness are products of matter, and that all things that cannot be understood stem from one's own insufficient and inaccurate understanding of the world.】

【Equipped Effect: For things and knowledge you can understand, through your own analysis and thinking, you can quickly become familiar with and master them, and when using them, you gain additional effect boosts based on your level of understanding;

For things and knowledge you cannot understand, by expanding the boundaries of your own cognition, you can immediately obtain partial information related to them, and when encountering them, you reduce the influence from the other party based on your level of understanding.】

【Advanced Route: Already at the highest level, cannot be further advanced】

【Hidden Trait: Not activated】

「……」

Just looking at the description, this variant badge seems amazing, but in reality, it is completely the opposite.

This badge only triggered once at the very beginning, helping him master the language of this world within three days to the point of normal communication; after that, it was as if it didn't exist, never making a sound again.

However, even if the trigger difficulty is high, my badge cheat is definitely not within the "normal" range. I wonder if this situation counts as the controllable "anomaly" that the red-haired woman mentioned? If it does, then maybe I'm well-suited for that Cleanup Bureau?

Unable to resist looking back toward the direction of the Cleanup Bureau, Leon quickly shook his head, completely dismissing this absurd thought.

Don't be stupid, that's a ten percent annual mortality rate!

And judging by their attitude, the Cleanup Bureau is definitely not a department you can just quit; if things go wrong, you might have to work there for the rest of your life once you join.

I'm not even seventeen yet; if I work until I can retire at sixty, that's over forty years of work. With a mortality rate that can reach over ninety percent, it's practically a death sentence!

If I were all alone, it might be fine, since this life was essentially a windfall anyway. Rather than bitterly working in mines, tending furnaces, or refining medicine for decades, getting sick, and ending up like those neighbors in Veteran's Alley,

o￠o

being drained of my meager savings by injury and illness, then being thrown into a hospital corridor to lie on a so-called bed full of vomit and excrement, wailing in agony while waiting to die amidst the cries of my family—it would be better to just go all out now and gamble with this rotten life!

But... there are four of us in my family now. The two little ones haven't even reached my waist yet, and although my older sister is only a year younger than me, she has been sickly since birth. On top of that, she inhaled quite a bit of alchemical waste gas during a chemical leak accident, and her lung disease has never really gone away, so she can't do heavy labor at all.

I could go all out and gamble, but if I died in that so-called Cleanup Bureau, the family would likely have one of the older ones worked to death first, then slowly starve the two little ones to death. None of the four of us would survive!

"Damn it!"

Thinking of this, Leon couldn't help but lift his head, look at the endless line ahead, then bite down hard on his molars and spit viciously onto the bluestone tiles with their exquisite carvings beneath his feet.

"This goddamn world!"

……

As the sun set, the dim afterglow filtered through the clouds mixed with alchemical waste gas, spilling onto the dirty streets of the Royal Capital, and under someone's unusually heavy footsteps, it was trampled and shattered bit by bit until it finally succumbed to darkness.

After waiting in the long line for over two hours and undergoing several rounds of checks and questioning, the unemployed youth was, unsurprisingly, rejected.

Even though Leon threw away the dignity he had long since discarded, grabbing the interviewer's sleeve and promising repeatedly that he was capable of doing the job, almost kneeling down to beg on the spot.

But upon seeing Leon's physique, which was a size thinner than his peers due to malnutrition, the civil servant in charge of selecting cleaners didn't even bother to speak. He directly raised a thick, greasy hand, shoved him aside with a slap, then moved to the next applicant, extended his carrot-like fingers, pinched the person's arms and thighs with a look of disgust, and then stamped a red "pass" mark on the person's exposed, thin, dark chest...

Damn it!

Recalling that scene where people weren't treated like humans but rather like livestock, Leon couldn't help but habitually bite his molars, then let out a heavy sigh of frustration that had been lingering in his heart.

Even though he had been "here" for almost three years, he still couldn't get used to this fucked-up situation.

In his previous life, although he hadn't achieved much, he had both parents, a harmonious family, and lived a peaceful life for half his time. The biggest setback in his life was just being scolded by his boss. As a result, in the blink of an eye, he was thrown into this damn world where he had to fight with all his might just to survive. It's really...

Forget it. Instead of thinking about this, I should figure out where to find some work tomorrow to help subsidize the household.

Seeing that turning the corner ahead would lead to Veteran's Alley, where his family lived, Leon stopped, rubbed his stiff face hard, and finally managed to squeeze out a faint smile.

Striving to maintain the smile on his face, Leon expertly stepped into the poorly lit alley, walked quickly through the dirty old street piled with clutter in the darkness, and headed toward the low hut in the southeast corner.

Just as he stood still at his door and raised his hand to knock, the old iron gate, covered in rust and older than him, suddenly opened, revealing a fair face that could be considered pretty and delicate, but clearly showing signs of illness.

"Brother."

After calling out to Leon, the thin, frail girl hadn't even had time to ask about the situation when she saw her brother outside the door frown and scold her with a serious expression:

"Haven't I told you many times not to open the door for people randomly?"

"I didn't open it randomly."

The scolded girl wasn't angry; while taking Leon's coat and patting it gently, she smiled and said:

"I recognize your footsteps. I only open the door early when it's you coming back."

"That's still not okay!"

Hearing the thin girl's words, a touch of warmth welled up in Leon's frustrated heart, but he still kept a straight face and lectured:

"Even though this area isn't as chaotic as the slums in the outer city, it's not without bad people. What if you heard wrong?"

How could I possibly hear wrong...

Hearing Leon's words, the thin girl couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Even in the generally impoverished Veteran's Alley, there weren't many people whose footsteps were as heavy as her big brother's. Especially after surviving that major illness three years ago, his footsteps had become even heavier. Even in her dreams, she could recognize the sound of his steps, which seemed as if he were carrying a thousand-pound burden.

However, although she was confident she wouldn't hear wrong, the thin girl didn't argue with Leon. Instead, she took his coat, hung it up, and then went into the kitchen to bring out the dinner that was still steaming.

When Leon sat at the table, exhausted, and lowered his head to wolf down his food, she sat beside the old, wobbly-legged table, resting her thin face on her pale, slender arm, gazing softly at Leon as he ate the simple stew in large mouthfuls.

It's so late; why aren't you resting properly, but watching me eat instead?

Li Ang, who had been hungry all day and was eating somewhat hurriedly, felt a bit uneasy under his sister's gaze. After a light cough, he said softly, "Where are the two little ones? Are they asleep?"

"Mm."

Hearing this, the slender girl nodded gently, tilting her chin forward with a warm smile.

"When the sun just set, they were still arguing that they wanted to wait for you to return before sleeping, but before long, they both started rubbing their eyes. In the end, they leaned against each other and fell asleep beside the dining table. I just carried them back to the inner room to sleep."

"Don't worry about it next time."

Glancing at his sister's Bai Xi complexion, which was almost devoid of color, Li Ang couldn't help but shake his head and say:

"Your health isn't very good. The two little ones have grown quite a bit these past two years. If this happens again, just let them sleep first. When I return, I'll carry them back and cover them with a thin blanket so they don't catch a cold."

"Mm, mm."

The slender girl softly replied twice, still not arguing with Li Ang. She simply smiled, nodded, and lightly tilted her chin forward again, directly accepting her older brother's concern.

Clearly, she hadn't listened again...

Seeing her like this, Li Ang helplessly shook his head.

For this sister, who looked fair and delicate on the outside but was actually incredibly stubborn in nature, he had always been at a loss. Seeing that persuasion was futile, he said no more. After silently finishing dinner, he hesitantly said:

"Today..."

"It's very late today."

Interrupting Li Ang, the slender girl spoke first:

"The Road Administration Department is so far. Since you can't bear to spend money on a bus ticket, you must have walked there. If you still need to go out tomorrow, you should rest now."

"..."

"Mm..."

Realizing his sister had already seen through his failed job search once again, Li Ang couldn't help but sigh. Then, with his brows tightly furrowed, he said:

"It's my fault. If only I could..."

"Brother!"

"Mm, mm. I won't say it anymore."

Li Ang clenched his fists tightly, deciding to work twice as hard tomorrow and find a job no matter what. He stood up, cleared the dining tray, and walked toward his small room. After tossing and turning for quite a while, he finally fell asleep with a heart full of sorrow.

However, before dawn even broke, the sleeping Li Ang was awakened by a violent, choking cough like a bellows, accompanied by the hoarse, desperate cries of the two little ones in the house.

"Brother! Get up quickly! Get up right now!"