Chapter 133: No Longer Human

It's quite common.

Human greed sometimes needs no complicated reason.

Cheng Shuili felt nauseous again; this place... beastmen don't treat humans as humans, and humans themselves don't even treat themselves as human.

Environment shapes people; environment also changes people.

Cheng Shuili doesn't know when this environment can change; she can only strive not to be changed by it.

Cheng Shuili didn't ask further, just saying: "You're free now; go wherever you want."

Su Rui shot up her head, looking at her in disbelief: "You... won't let me work for you?"

800 Game Coin, that's no small amount!

Cheng Shuili shrugged: "I bought you on a whim, just to repay the favor of the tactical belt; I don't intend to order anyone around."

Su Rui's eye sockets reddened, she clenched her fists, then bowed deeply: "... Thank you."

Cheng Shuili waved her hand, turned to leave, but Su Rui hurriedly called out: "Wait!"

"Anything else?"

Su Rui took a deep breath, eyes firm: "I want to follow you for a while... at least let me repay the Game Coin."

Cheng Shuili sized her up, then suddenly smiled: "Sure."

She certainly wasn't that generous.

Just as the guide said, slaves are absolutely loyal, while servants may betray. If Su Rui isn't sincerely following her, forcing her to come along would be pointless.

What's this move called again?

"Lure the enemy in to capture them."

The guide interjected: "Miss Human, time's almost up; we should head back."

Cheng Shuili nodded, then turned her head to glance at Su Rui again.

The guide couldn't help adding: "Kind-hearted Miss Human, your servant is no longer of your kind, and she lacks the ability to live on her own; telling her to leave would actually harm her."

Cheng Shuili paused, her gaze sweeping over the pallid Su Rui beside her.

What the guide said is surely true, but what exactly does "lacking the ability to live independently" mean?

"Servants only carry out the master's orders for a given task; the loyalty we speak of refers to how well they execute the master's commands. Slaves complete it at 100%, while servants may only reach 80%, inserting their own ideas, which most beastmen buyers cannot accept."

That shows a strong desire for control.

Cheng Shuili gave no reaction, gesturing for the guide to continue.

"Servants and slaves have no sense of taste, need no food; just 500 milliliters of drinking water a day sustains their vital signs. I recall humans die if they go too long without sleep, right? Servants and slaves have no such trouble—it's entirely up to the master's arrangements."

"Moreover, neither servants nor slaves can actively harm their master. This is the precondition that those beastmen buyers accept when purchasing them."

Cheng Shuili fell silent, then couldn't help thinking that, in that case, servants offer really high cost‑performance.

Over there, even the most ordinary slave costs 1000 Game Coin, while an ordinary servant only needs 800.

That's one‑fifth less.

Cheng Shuili glanced at Su Rui standing nearby; she hadn't been sold long, and compared to those slaves over there, her suffering is relatively minor.

But seeing her listless demeanor, it's clear she's also suffered a significant blow.

Cheng Shuili said nothing, just patted her back to signal her to follow.

The guide only accompanied them to where Cheng Shuili had parked.

Su Rui visibly startled at the sight of the off‑road vehicle parked there; Cheng Shuili had initially found it odd, but upon opening the door she suddenly remembered that this person's mount was also an off‑road vehicle.

Then it's not strange.

Cheng Shuili didn't comfort her, just shoved her inside.

Su Rui herself is an off‑road vehicle, so she naturally knows what an upgraded off‑road vehicle looks like; seeing the interior of Cheng Shuili's car left her completely dumbfounded.

No way?

Is this an off‑road vehicle?

Air conditioning, a washing machine, and by eye a 1.8‑meter‑wide bed—having a bed is one thing, but there's even a mattress!

That mattress is so thick!

Just looking at it, Su Rui could imagine how soft it is!

This……

When Cheng Shuili produced eight hundred Game Coin without even blinking, Su Rui noticed nothing at first; but after seeing the vehicle's warm interior and luxurious decor, she finally realized……

Her earlier thought was correct!

This person is absolutely terrifyingly strong!

They're definitely a famous name on the rankings.

Cheng Shuili gave Su Rui a quick tour of the vehicle's basic facilities, then slipped into the driver's cabin and drove out of the La Ji Zhan.

The guards at the gate silently saw them off.

Cheng Shuili had only planned to drive a short while, stop once they were out of sight of the La Ji Zhan, but before she could even press the brake, the driver's cabin door was knocked from outside.

That feeling was somewhat novel.

Cheng Shuili instinctively hit the brake and turned back, asking: "What's wrong?"

Su Rui's voice was a bit restrained: "Let me drive. You rest a while; I'll handle opening crates too, and if you trust me, you can give me a weapon."

Cheng Shuili paused, tapping the steering wheel lightly twice, and via the rear‑view mirror assessed Su Rui's tense face.

A faint smile curled her lips as she pushed open the door: "Sure, you drive."

The two swapped places; Cheng Shuili handed Su Rui the attribute‑boosted dagger—since servants won't actively harm their master, giving her a weapon is no problem.

Cheng Shuili stood behind Su Rui, watching her skilled handling.

This feels a bit like using an autopilot card, but overall the experience is definitely superior to an autopilot card, because it can auto‑open crates.

Su Rui suddenly turned her head to look at the person standing behind her, and asked, "Come to think of it, what should I call you?"

Cheng Shuili remained silent for a moment, then gave her real name. They were going to be together for a long time, so knowing each other's names was just a matter of time.

"What about your ID?"

That's a bit much to ask, but being curious is normal.

Cheng Shuili: "Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji."

"What?"

The car suddenly braked hard, Cheng Shuili was jerked forward by inertia, she instantly steadied herself, Su Rui realized she had lost her composure, quickly coughed twice, and apologized, "Sorry, I was just... too surprised."

Her fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, joints whitening, eyes wide as she glanced at Cheng Shuili's expression in the rearview mirror, as if checking whether she had misheard.

"You... you're the one called Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji?" Su Rui's voice trembled, "The one ranked first on the leaderboard?"

Cheng Shuili leaned back in her seat, half-smiling: "How so? Doesn't look like it?"

"No! Not..." Su Rui hastily shook her head, almost driving the car into the roadside ditch, then frantically turned the steering wheel, "I just... didn't expect..."

The tips of her ears turned red at a visible speed.

Cheng Shuili watched her ears with interest, she really hadn't expected Su Rui to react like that.

"No wonder you dare wear shorts in freezing weather, no wonder you're not the slightest bit afraid..."