Tòumíng hauled himself into the other cart, every muscle in his body protesting the movement. The five-pound chunk of quartz shifted between his legs as he sat down, pressing uncomfortably against his inner thigh. He gritted his teeth and released the brake, letting gravity do the work.
The ascent was slower than the descent had been, the cart's mechanism designed to prevent runaway speeds when traveling upward. It gave him time to think, to process everything that had happened in the past twelve hours. He'd died. Come back. Killed seven people, or rather, erased them from existence entirely. Lost a fortune. Been robbed by his own coworkers. And now he was riding back to the surface with a pathetic reward and a stolen chunk of quartz hidden in his pants like some kind of absurd smuggling operation.
The cart reached the top level with a gentle bump, settling onto the dock platform. Tòumíng could see Zhāng Wěi's cart parked nearby, the containers of rose quartz already being loaded into his personal vehicle by the security guards. His boss stood supervising, that same greedy smile plastered across his face.
He spotted Tòumíng and waved him over enthusiastically.
"Tòumíng! Before you go!"
Tòumíng approached cautiously, adjusting his gait to account for the hidden quartz. Walking normally was harder than expected with five pounds of crystal wedged between his legs.
Zhāng Wěi reached into his wallet, pulling out bills with exaggerated care. "Your pay for tomorrow. Since you're taking the day off, can't have you going without, can we?" He counted out five one-hundred yuan bills, each one placed deliberately in Tòumíng's palm, then added a twenty yuan bill on top.
Five hundred and twenty yuan. A full day's wage, which meant Zhāng Wěi was actually paying him for the forced day off. That was... unexpected. Almost generous, if you ignored the fact that the man had just claimed over nine kilos of quartz that Tòumíng had found.
Zhāng Wěi's expression shifted into something that was probably meant to look benevolent. Fatherly, even. That proud savior smile that people wore when they wanted credit for basic human decency. He glanced around the dock area, checking to see if any of the guards were watching.
They weren't. They were focused on securing the containers, their backs turned.
Zhāng Wěi leaned in conspiratorially and stuffed an additional fifty yuan bill into Tòumíng's hand, his fingers closing over it like he was passing state secrets. "A little extra," he whispered. "For your troubles. Don't tell the others, they'll all want bonuses too."
He patted Tòumíng on the back, the gesture firm and self-satisfied, then shooed him away with a wave of his hand. "Go on, get some rest. You've earned it. And remember, promotion talk when you're back!"
Tòumíng stood there for a moment, staring at the bills in his hand. Five hundred and seventy yuan total. His boss had just stolen a fortune worth millions, given him scraps, and was acting like he'd personally saved Tòumíng's life. The extra fifty yuan, delivered with such theatrical secrecy, was meant to be what? A display of generosity? A bribe for loyalty?
The detachment from reality was staggering.
"That man lives in a different universe than the rest of us," Cupid muttered. "And somehow he's convinced himself he's the hero of the story."
Tòumíng pocketed the money and turned away, heading toward the exit. His legs felt like they were made of lead, each step requiring conscious effort. The hidden quartz made his gait awkward, unnatural, but no one seemed to notice or care. The few workers still around were too focused on their own concerns, on getting home after a long shift, on avoiding eye contact with management.
He passed through the security checkpoint, holding his breath as the guard glanced at him. But the man just waved him through without a second look. Tòumíng clutched his "reward" of four hundred grams visibly in one hand, the perfect distraction from the five pounds hidden elsewhere.
The evening air hit him as he stepped outside the mine complex. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple, and the shift from the mine's artificial lighting to natural twilight was disorienting. He blinked, his eyes adjusting, and started walking.
A notification materialized in his vision, blue text hovering in the air only he could see.
NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: TRUE PRICE
Description: Allows user to know the current market price (legal retail value) of any mineral, ore, or gemstone. Information includes price per gram, per pound, and per kilo, updated to reflect current stock market conditions and regional demand.
Effect: When examining any mineral substance, user receives instant price evaluation. Useful for identifying valuable deposits, negotiating sales, and avoiding scams.
Current Level: 1
Tòumíng stopped walking, reading the notification twice to make sure he understood. This was useful. This was incredibly useful. No more guessing at values, no more getting lowballed by pawn shop owners who knew he was desperate. He could know, exactly and precisely, what his quartz was worth.
"Phew," he exhaled, a genuine smile crossing his battered face for the first time in hours. "That's gonna come in handy."
He dismissed the notification with a thought and kept walking. The streets of Longhua district were busy with evening activity. Workers heading home, vendors calling out last-minute deals, the smell of street food mixing with exhaust fumes. The dried blood on his clothes and face had darkened in the hours since the beating, becoming less obviously fresh and more like old stains. In this neighborhood, no one looked twice at someone who appeared to have been in a fight. Violence was common enough to be unremarkable.
His shadow stretched long ahead of him as he walked, the setting sun at his back. The four hundred grams of quartz felt heavy in his hand. The five pounds between his legs felt heavier.