The Next Morning
The morning light spilled into the room in warm slants, and Eli stirred
Waking up to the gentle buzz of life outside, I can hear the soft clinking of delivery bikes ,someone sweeping the pavement, a dog barking in the distance. Still half-asleep, he rolled out of bed, dragging himself into his usual routine: splash cold water on his face, brush his teeth, change into his faded hoodie and jeans.
He sat at the edge of the bed, fingers hovering for a moment before he signed in. After signing in he opened his bank account. With a blink and a small chime, the screen came to life.
Account Balance: 94,000 yuan
It felt… unreal. He still wasn't used to seeing numbers has large has the one in his bank account.
Jin came out of the other room, still holding on his hoodie. His hair was a mess, as usual.
"You ready?" Eli asked, pocketing his phone.
Jin nodded, then hesitated. As they stepped out and started walking down the street, Jin glanced sideways and asked, "Hey, Eli... what was school like for you?"
Eli blinked, surprised. "School? Uh... messy. Didn't finish, actually."
"Really?" Jin said, looking thoughtful. "Mian was talking about science class yesterday. Something about explosions. Sounded kinda fun."
Eli chuckled. "Depends on your definition of fun. But yeah, I guess there were good parts."
Eli then asked "Are you planning on going to school"
Jin didn't answer neither did he look at Eli,
"Well if you are just tell me and i will get it sorted" Eli continued
They both did not speak after that but the silence that followed wasn't awkward. Just thoughtful.
At The Corner Pocket
The shop became visible with its windows gleaming in the morning sun and its sign freshly painted, standing out against the sky. When they entered, the new lights and gleaming floors greeted them with a gentle buzz. Although there was still the slight odor of sawdust and paint, that made the place feel alive.
Mr. Duan was already at the counter, sorting receipts. He waved without looking up. "You're late."
"It's literally seven-thirty," Eli replied.
"Exactly," Mr. Duan grinned.
They went their separate ways, easing into their morning routine. Jin was busy stocking the shelves while Eli took stock of the freezer. A few familiar faces wandered in—Auntie Lin was already voicing her frustration over the lack of fresh tofu, and Mr. Zhao had started his usual warm-up for haggling. Eli was halfway through checking the expiry dates on the soy milk when the air seemed to vibrate for a moment, as if something was about to change.
[DING—New System Task Available]
The notification blinked across his vision in soft blue light, just low enough that no one else could see.
📜 New Task: "Check on the Woman in Tenstone District"
Time Limit:24 hours
Reward: 4,000 yuan
Punishment: -20 percent of your net worth
Description:
A report has been registered in the system concerning an elderly woman who has not been seen for several days in the Tenstone District, a working-class neighborhood with aging infrastructure and high tenant turnover. Neighbors reported odd noises and a bad smell coming from her apartment, but no one has been able to get a response at the door.
She lives alone on the third floor of an old apartment block on Halin Street, building number 14B. The building is known for weak plumbing, unreliable electricity, and loose stair rails. The landlord is reportedly absent, and most of the tenants keep to themselves.
Your job is simple on paper:
Check on the woman. Make sure she's safe and responsive. Take any reasonable action if help is required.
Tenstone district is a lower middle class district known for being a former mining district, now filled with cheap housing blocks that are built out of random low quality building materials and small repair shops. Not the worst part of Dragon City, but definitely not where you'd go for a casual stroll. The buildings were tired, like they'd been holding their breath for years. Most people kept their heads down, and the city didn't look back.
Eli stared at the screen, reading the description twice."Jin," he said, tone shifting. "I've got to go meet someone who lives in Tenstone district"
Jin raised an eyebrow. "Serious? who are you going to meet?"
"A very old friend of mine i think she needs my help."
Mr. Duan, who had just walked out from the storeroom, overheard. "Tenstone? Careful out there, yeah? The crime rate is really high, You have more chance of getting robbed than winning the lottery.
Eli then rode his scooter to Tenstone
Tenstone looked like a poor area although Henxhi looked worse. Comparing Tenstone to Henxhi is like comparing Day to night, they are vastly different.
Cracked sidewalks. Shattered window, garbage in the middle of the street. A cat sat on a broken AC unit, staring like it owned the block. A guy in a hoodie passed Eli without eye contact, mumbling to himself.
The building the system guided him to -Block 14B was leaning like it had a bad knee. Paint peeled off the walls. The elevator was dead. He climbed three flights of stairs that creaked like they'd scream under too much weight.
Apartment 3-7.
He knocked. No answer.
Knocked again—louder.
Still nothing.
After a third knock, he crouched, listening at the door. Nothing but silence.
He hesitated, then used a trick he picked up from his delivery days, wedging an old loyalty card between the frame and lock. With a firm shoulder nudge, the door busted open.
The air inside was heavy. Not foul, just stale.
The apartment was dim, blinds drawn tight. On the counter sat a dozen prescription bottles. An uneaten bowl of instant noodles was crusted over.
"Hello?" Eli called out, stepping carefully. "Ma'am? I'm here to check on you."
A faint noise came from the back bedroom. He followed it, pulse rising.
He found her on the floor, maybe in her sixties, clearly weak. Pale. Her lips were dry, and her hands trembled from low blood sugar or dehydration. Her eyes barely registered him. But she was pointing at something on the desk, and when Eli looked over he found out it was tablets he immediately stood up to get the tablets
Eli knelt, gently speaking, "It's okay. You're gonna be alright."
He took out his phone his hands trembling and immediately called the emergency services. The dispatcher assured Eli that help was coming. In the meantime, he propped her up and found her glucose tablets on the nightstand. He gave her one, watching her slowly chew it.
Minutes later, emergency responders arrived. The woman was loaded onto a stretcher. One of the paramedics nodded at Eli. "She wouldn't have lasted another night."
Later — Back at The Pocket
The sun was higher when Eli walked back into the store. Jin was behind the counter, squinting at the till, and Mian was refilling the instant noodle shelf with practiced grace.
"Back," Eli said, voice a little rough.
Jin turned. "You good?"
Eli nodded. "yeah I'm alright"
The system pinged in his mind:
Task CompleteReward: 4,000 yuan
Bank balance: 98,000 yuan
Mr. Duan waved at him from the snack aisle.
"Hey! If you're done visiting your freind, we're running low on dish soap."
Eli rolled his eyes but smiled.
Back behind the counter, Jin leaned on his elbows.
"So… what was school like?"
Eli paused, then said, "Loud. Boring. Sometimes kinda great."
Jin smirked. "Mian said it's where people get to be normal."
Eli shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe it's where people figure out what normal even means."
Jin didn't respond, but Eli noticed that thoughtful look again, and Eli just smiled recognizing what that might mean for a child like Jin.