Chapter 114: Social Ecology

"The table isn't worth much anyway." The hook-nosed woman smiled and walked over to Liu Chang. "But you, coming back so late and reeking of human blood—did you run into danger again?"

"Yes. I encountered a group of mercenaries attacked by rat-monkeys. There were quite a few of them, but most are dead now," Liu Chang replied. "The creatures in the jungle are getting smarter; they’ve even started using tools."

"That’s true. It’s been over four years since the Red Mist descended; what hasn't happened? I heard that along the coast, countless deep-sea species have already made landfall." The one-armed woman smiled. "We’re better off here in the Central Plains. I hear the humans near the coast are on the verge of extinction. Many have fled inland, and those who remain are completely outmatched in their struggle against the beasts."

As she spoke, the bar door was pushed open again, and a deformed child with two heads walked in.

"Please, have mercy. Give us something to eat."

"Please, give us some food. We haven't eaten in days." As soon as the two-headed child entered, he held up a bowl and begged the two of them.

"Sigh." Watching the conjoined twins, Liu Chang let out a sigh. "Four years. These children born after the change have grown up too."

As he spoke, he reached into the back room of the bar, pulled out a package of dry, compressed biscuits, and handed them to the child.

"Thank you, thank you." Seeing the food in his hands, both of the child's heads bowed to Liu Chang, his excitement evident.

"Off you go." After patting the child's two heads, Liu Chang ushered them out of the bar.

"The deformity rate for newborns is over fifty percent. This is all thanks to the defoliants and Liang Beans from back in the day," the woman said, watching the child run out with the biscuits. "But if it weren't for the defoliants and those beans, humanity wouldn't have so many survivors, and the birth rate wouldn't be this high. Should we call those scientists evil, or should we say they had a grander vision?"

"Heh, those aren't questions for us to ponder. Close up shop," Liu Chang said with a smile, tapping a few drunks nearby to wake them. "Brothers, time to get up. Go home and sleep."

"Uh..." The person Liu Chang woke up rubbed his eyes, groggily saying, "Uh, right, go home and sleep..."

"Time to settle the tab, everyone." The one-armed woman turned on the bar lights, brightening the room, then walked to each wooden table with an account book.

"You guys owe three hundred seventy."

"Yours is seven hundred forty."

The one-armed woman went from table to table, making sure the accounts were settled, then sent most of the people out the door, leaving only the group that had been the rowdiest that night.

"You lot..." The woman walked over to Liu Chang and said to the group that had been shouting the loudest, "You owe seven thousand nine hundred."

"Damn, that expensive?" The whole table roared in unison upon hearing the sum. "How could it be that much?"

"Electricity is expensive these days, and it's rationed. Besides, you were drinking ordinary grain liquor, while most others were drinking liquor brewed from Liang Beans; the costs are naturally different. You know the price difference between Liang Beans and regular grain. Ordinary grain is a rare commodity now; I haven't overcharged you." The woman explained, "Add in the wooden table you smashed, and it’s seven thousand nine hundred. I haven't added a single cent."

"That's still way too expensive. Are you trying to rob us?" The fatty who had been shouting the loudest stood up.

"You pay for what you eat and drink; that’s only right." The woman held up the empty bottles they had consumed. "I’m not robbing you. Take these bottles to any other bar and ask how much this liquor costs. If I’ve overcharged you, you can come back and find me, but you aren't leaving until you pay every cent of this seven thousand nine hundred."

Waving the iron hook attached to her one arm, she said impatiently, "The profit margin on what we sell is already very low; don't even think about stiffing us."

"Stiffing you? This garbage bar doesn't even have dancers; what kind of bar is this? We don't care about the price. We came here to blow off steam, and since we didn't get to, we shouldn't have to pay the full amount. Your service is subpar!"

"We’ll hire dancers in the future, but you have to pay for tonight's liquor."

"Here’s a thousand, take it or leave it." The fatty known as Mo Sanpang pulled a piece of currency made from anti-corrosive synthetic fiber from his chest, printed with the portrait of Li Qingshui and a large Arabic numeral "1000."

"Damn it, refusing to pay, are you?" Seeing the arrogant mercenaries, the woman’s temper flared. She shoved Mo Sanpang to the ground and brandished her iron hook. "You’re not leaving until you pay!"

"Haha, trying to get tough?" The mercenaries looked at the angry, curvaceous woman and laughed, exchanging glances. As they drew their weapons, they sneered, "The little lady is feisty. Even if you're a bit broken, you're not bad-looking. How about this: come with us, and we'll pay you."

"Haha, He Zhizhi, I never thought you'd still have takers at thirty." Standing beside the woman, Liu Chang, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His face remained wooden and expressionless, though his lips curled slightly into a dry, mirthless laugh. "They’ve taken a liking to you; you should feel honored."

"Who are you?" When the mercenaries first saw Liu Chang standing there, they assumed he was just another bystander, but his words made it clear he knew the proprietress.

In fact, from the moment the trouble started, they had found it strange that the waiters and bartenders seemed completely indifferent, going about their business without any sense that a major conflict was brewing.

"I’m the owner of this bar, and this woman is my friend. If you fancy her, you can discuss it with her privately. But for now, we need to talk about the liquor bill." Liu Chang looked at the mercenaries. "Our prices aren't high, but we have one rule: drawing weapons or fighting in the shop carries a fine of ten thousand per person. Think it over. Also, as she said, paying for food and drink is only fair. There’s no room for negotiation; you have to pay." The man stood with a poker face, pointing at a small blackboard hanging by the entrance.

On the board were sixteen crudely written characters, ugly yet legible: "Small business, no credit given. Fighting carries a fine of ten thousand per person."

Seeing the crooked handwriting, the mercenaries erupted into thunderous laughter, clutching their stomachs and pointing at the one-armed woman. "You wrote this, didn't you? It's hideous."

"Your writing wouldn't look much better if you were missing a finger." Hearing their mockery, the woman's face flushed with sudden heat. She tried to kick out, but the man caught her ankle, then swiftly drew his gun and aimed it at her cheek. "I’m not paying today. What are you going to do about it?"

"Ten thousand each." Seeing the mercenaries draw their guns, Liu Chang stepped forward and kicked the man holding the gun in the chest. The man’s sternum collapsed, and he flew out the door. With a flick of his wrist, before the others could react, Liu Chang moved with lightning speed, striking each of them at the waist. As if by magic, he snatched their pistols and brandished them. "Homemade civilian pistols—low power, poor accuracy. These guns aren't worth much."

As he spoke, to their utter disbelief, he raised the guns and fired several shots in rapid succession. Each bullet grazed their cheeks, leaving them feeling the heat of the friction without causing any substantial harm.

"Empty your pockets of anything valuable. Ten thousand each." Liu Chang smiled after firing. "If you don't pay, the next bullets won't just graze your cheeks."

"Uh..." The men looked at the expressionless man, then at the bar entrance, desperately trying to recall how they had been disarmed, but they were clueless. Touching the searing heat on their faces, even the dimmest among them realized they were in no position to mess with this man.

The wise yield to the circumstances.

They decisively handed over their belongings.

There were guns, knives, money, daggers, and even biological research materials they had acquired that very day.

"You’re really poor—all low-quality junk. Aside from these research materials which might sell for ten or twenty thousand, the rest of these broken guns wouldn't fetch two thousand for a new one on the black market." Liu Chang looked at the low-end items on the table and laughed. "You’re so poor, yet you drink such expensive liquor. I’ll count all this as thirty thousand. One of you stays here; whenever you bring the money, you can redeem your friend."

As he spoke, Liu Chang grabbed the fatty who had been shouting the loudest and shoved the rest of the troublemaking mercenaries out of the bar.

Afterward, the staff finished cleaning up and left after saying their goodbyes to Liu Chang.

Once they were gone, only three people remained in the room.

"Name?" Liu Chang looked at the mercenary left behind.

"Mo Sanpang," the man answered honestly.

"Are you sure that's your name and not a nickname?" Liu Chang asked with a wooden face.

"No, it's my real name." The man broke out in a cold sweat. "I have no reason to lie to you. You’re so formidable; what good would lying do? Besides, I’m in your hands; why would I bother giving a fake name?"

"Oh, Mo Sanpang."

Liu Chang nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't be afraid. Do you know why I kept you?"

"I don't," the man shook his head. "Isn't it because of the money?"

"Oh, that's one part of it. The reason I kept you instead of your companions is mainly because I’ve always had a soft spot for fatties. I once had a brother named Fatty." Liu Chang touched the finger-bone necklace hidden inside his shirt. "Pity he died. And in this day and age, a fatty is a rare thing, so I’m keeping you as a memento. But don't worry, once your companions bring the money, I’ll let you go immediately. One final warning: don't even think about running. If you run once, it’ll cost you a hundred thousand."