[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-the-cleanup-crew":3,"chapter-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-255":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm the Cleanup Crew!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2286091,4472,"Chapter 255: 254 Never Abandon, Never Give Up","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-255",255,"\u003Cp>‘I’m so pissed off!!!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the apple was pulled from its mouth, the Black Goat spat out the sauce, then roared inside Li Ang’s soul in a fury:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m a demon! A great demon! How dare that Wang Erde treat me like this? Don’t stop me! When we get out of here, I’m going to tear it apart limb by limb!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah yeah yeah, you’re a pathetic 8-point trash, tearing apart a 16-point one is child’s play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring the Black Goat’s impotent rage, Li Ang grabbed its horns stuck with two buns and tossed the sauce-covered creature onto an empty dish meant for trash, then ate the other side dishes while watching the lips of the male and female leads chatting in the distance, carefully deciphering their conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the plot summary the Princess had told him, the male lead, Eliya, had originally only resisted an emotionless marriage and came to this small town to clear his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after being drawn in by Agasha’s warm, cheerful personality and boundless energy at the tavern, he invited her to show him around town; their hearts grew closer over eleven days of touring, and after Agasha was kidnapped and they met again at the wedding, they became inseparable partners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reviewing the plot in his mind, a thoughtful glint flashed in Li Ang’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So here’s the question: even if Agasha isn’t really a waitress but just working here, there are no other servers in this tavern—how could she just vanish for over ten days without the boss firing her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, from the dialogue between the male and female leads, though both are a bit love-struck and value love and freedom above all, they aren’t the type to be frivolous or casual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The male lead, still bound by his engagement and unsure whether to flee it, wouldn’t invite a strange beautiful woman to tour the town with him; and Agasha, as a relatively ‘reserved’ character, wouldn’t normally accept such an intimate invitation to spend eleven days alone with a stranger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So something must have happened in the tavern’s first scene that rapidly drew them closer—enough to establish at least initial trust and mutual attraction, if not full mutual recognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After deducing the possible shift in the characters’ attitudes in the first scene, Li Ang scanned the tavern’s patrons and their states, forming some guesses about what would happen next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most likely scenario: some trouble broke out in the tavern, the male lead tried to help Agasha, but she still lost her job—so he invited her to be his guide to offer some financial compensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Agasha, moved by the male lead’s righteous intervention or something similar, developed trust and affection for him; with her departure just two weeks away, she willingly accepted the guide job—everything makes sense now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the source of the trouble…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Lies! I’ve got a damn good liquor capacity!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Li Ang’s thoughtful gaze, a table of patrons, faces flushed from drink, finally erupted into chaos beside the couple discussing poetry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sailor, face crimson from alcohol, rolled up his sleeves and slammed a fist hard onto the tavern’s broken wooden table, glaring and shouting:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I can still drink five more! Even if you two collapse, I’ll still be standing!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Stop bullshitting!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two sailors across from him laughed and scolded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Five more? Look at you wobbling—you’ll collapse after two!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Haha, not wrong—if he drinks five more, he’ll definitely be lying straight… on the ground!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Shut your damn mouth!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being mercilessly mocked by his two companions, the already unsteady sailor flew into a rage, leapt to his feet, and shouted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If I fall, I’m your grandson! This little bit of liquor? It’s less than a drop of what I usually drink!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Alright alright, I believe you—I believe you could drink a whole barrel dry!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Haha, yeah yeah, you usually drink like a beast, but today you’re wobbling because of the sea breeze—has nothing to do with the liquor!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I… I’m telling the truth! If I’m lying, I’m a dog!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being mocked again, the drunkard, thoroughly embarrassed, glanced around and suddenly grabbed Agasha’s arm, yanking her over by brute force, slurring:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A… A whatever-your-name-is! You’re the waitress—tell them how much I usually drink here!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as she was chatting happily, suddenly dragged over, Agasha was startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But whether due to her nature or the Princess’s influence, the female lead quickly calmed down and replied softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Sir, you’re a bit drunk—perhaps…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Haha, hear that? She says you’re drunk!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You’re asking someone to vouch for you? Anyone can see you’re done for—why keep pretending?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Agasha’s response might have been fine under normal circumstances, but for a burly man whose pride was tied to his drinking, it was like pouring oil on fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing his two companions roar with laughter, the drunken giant’s eyes turned bloodshot—he grabbed Agasha’s shoulders with both hands and snarled, eyes bulging:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m not drunk! You little bitch…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Let go!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Li Ang felt the threads yank sharply on his body, pulling him upright from his seat, then roaring with fury:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Take your hands off! Don’t harass my Agasha!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh? Is this my job? Shouldn’t the male lead be the one stepping in now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Ang puzzled over this, the drunken giant across the room glared, snatched up an empty bottle from the table, and hurled it straight at him—it shattered against the table beside Li Ang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Aah!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the shriek of ‘Mr. Joseph,’ who narrowly avoided being hit, the drunken giant twisted his thick neck, glaring and shouting:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You pretty boy, get out of here! I’m asking this little bitch—what’s it to you? Just keep your balls tucked in! Open your mouth again and I’ll punch you!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the control of the threads, the ‘righteous hero’ known as ‘Mr. Joseph’ actually followed the order—clutching his legs, pale-faced and trembling, he sat back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Got it… this sudden twist is meant to use my cowardly retreat to highlight how rare the male lead’s courage is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Li Ang’s slightly annoyed gaze, the drunken giant turned back, ready to continue—when a patron at the next table stood up, arms crossed, and asked coldly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Are you men from the merchant ship “Sea Sparrow”?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So what?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing yet another person step forward, the drunken giant pointed at him, impatiently snarling:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I wasn’t talking to you before, right? Stay out of this, or I’ll… hey!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his hand was slapped away, the drunken giant flew into a rage, ready to deliver a beating fueled by alcohol—when the handsome man across from him frowned and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I know the first mate of the Sea Sparrow well. If you cause trouble here, I’ll tell him exactly what happened today.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Haha, you threatening your old man with him?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The drunken giant seemed enraged—he staggered over, face dark with malice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what if he’s the first mate? Can he stop me from drinking… AHHHH!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the stunned silence of the crowd, a shiny patent leather shoe with a false heel poked out from between the drunken giant’s legs… or rather, the flamboyantly dressed, previously cowering young man had slipped over unnoticed and delivered a precise kick to the giant’s groin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Run!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seizing the moment of confusion, Li Ang, having torn off the threads and rushed over, executed the legendary female police officer’s ‘crack the nuts’ kick, then scooped up ‘Agasha’ in his arms and bolted for the door as she screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more absurdly, before fleeing, he kicked over the table, dumping every leftover dish onto the drunken giant’s companions—before the three stunned men could react, he turned three corners and vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the woman he’d been about to continue talking to disappear, the male lead stood frozen, utterly bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the sudden chaos unfold, the [King of Drama], clutching the threads, was utterly dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There’s still someone left here!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Beat him!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the stunned silence, the three injured sailors snapped back to reality—realizing they were too drunk to chase the pair outside, they clenched their teeth and surrounded Eliya, ready to vent their rage on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Wait… wait! You can’t hit me!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing disaster, the male lead abandoned all pretense of hiding his identity, face pale:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m a guest aboard the Sea Sparrow, and I’m also…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Bang!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Eliya was about to reveal his identity to avoid the beating, a door slammed open behind him—the pretty boy who’d just carried Agasha away had kicked the door open and charged back in!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the stunned expressions of the group, Li Ang, dressed like a colorblind pheasant, dashed to the counter, snatched up the dog lying on it, then sprinted to his former seat, grabbed the uneaten dishes still on the table, and—without hesitation—leapt out the window, vanishing again around the street corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three burly men stared blankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The [Master of Drama], clutching the threads, began grinding his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Eliya, trapped and surrounded by the three drunken brutes, his expression was worse than crying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait, you didn’t just take the dog—you took the leftover food too… what about me? I’m a full-grown human being—couldn’t you at least save me?\u003C\u002Fp>",1529,"2026-06-20T03:18:31.831Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","188c9337969231341bcac04ea216d84d0dd1626f0f400c469b76fd20058b1a57","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-256","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-254",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-the-cleanup-crew-cover.jpg"]