We offered you a summer job, but you went and became a mercenary?

Dragon Kingdom, River City.

A hot pot restaurant that serves hot pot from the bottom of the water.

"One hundred yuan a day, take it or leave it!"

The fat boss exhaled a puff of thick smoke.

He slammed a crumpled stack of flyers onto the table with his greasy, fat hands, making the bowl of minced garlic on the table jump.

Lin Ye stood at the entrance to the kitchen of the hot pot restaurant.

The heat wave mixed with the sour, pungent smell of fermenting swill assaulted the nostrils and stung the eyes.

He stared at the tattered piece of paper that read "Monthly salary of three thousand, room and board included".

A cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Boss, the flyer clearly states 150 yuan," Lin Ye said calmly, pointing to the paper on the table. "Besides, the 200 yuan clothing deposit you just added wasn't mentioned either."

"A newbie who just finished the college entrance exam?"

The fat boss picked his teeth and glanced sideways at the thin boy in front of him, who was wearing a white T-shirt.

He flicked the ash from his cigarette, his face full of disdain.

"Right here on the street, you can find tons of students like you looking for summer jobs. Think it's too little? Think that's too little? Then look for your door!"

Several long-time employees washing vegetables nearby lowered their heads even further.

No one dared to speak.

While the boss turned his head, an older woman tugged at Lin Ye's sleeve.

"Young man, just bear with it," the older woman advised in a low voice. "In this kind of environment, jobs are hard to find."

Lin Ye lowered his eyes.

He worked two summer jobs over two months, working himself to the bone to save just over six thousand yuan.

He had originally planned to find a part-time job in the last month before school started to earn more money, as he had been wanting to buy an Alienware computer for three years during high school.

"Once you've figured it out, hurry up and tie your apron on!"

Seeing that Lin Ye remained silent, the fat shopkeeper assumed that the poor student had given in.

He chuckled and pointed to the backyard.

"Go and empty those three big baskets of swill in the back, and then scrub the toilet. That'll count as your probationary period assessment today. There's no pay during probation, so get to work first."

Lin Ye raised his head.

He reached up and untied the greasy apron around his neck.

The movements were neither hurried nor slow.

"What are you dawdling about?" the boss frowned and roared gruffly.

Snapped!

The greasy apron left a trail of afterimages in the air.

It landed precisely on the boss's fat face, oil dripping down his chin.

"Keep the swill from your shabby shop for yourself to drink slowly."

Lin Ye tugged at his collar.

He turned around and strode out of the store.

Behind me came the boss's furious curses, accompanied by the loud crash of a stool being kicked over.

"You brat! You're not getting a job around here! I'll kill you!"

Lin Ye didn't turn his head back.

With his back to the hot pot restaurant, he made a perfectly standard, internationally recognized hand gesture.

Stepping out of the hot pot restaurant, the scorching sun beat down on the asphalt road.

The air was distorted into ripples by the high temperature.

Lin Ye touched his empty pockets, his brows furrowing into a tight knot.

These unscrupulous bosses in China are treating recent graduates like cheap expendable resources.

It costs 100 yuan a day, not including meals.

How long would it take to save enough money to buy an Alienware computer?

Am I supposed to work part-time as a construction worker carrying bricks?

Just then, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in his mind.

【Ding! 】

[The host's extremely strong desire to work has been detected, meeting the binding requirements.]

[The ultimate summer job system is currently being integrated...]

Lin Ye suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He quickly turned his head to look around.

The streets were bustling with traffic, and a food delivery driver sped past on his electric scooter, unnoticed by anyone.

[Binding successful!]

This system is dedicated to providing its hosts with the world's best short-term employment opportunities. Simply accept tasks that qualify as 'short-term employment' to receive generous compensation and top-tier rewards!

Lin Ye swallowed hard.

He had read at least 800 to 1000 online novels, but he never expected that this cheat code would actually come to him.

"System, what makes it 'high-quality'?"

He tentatively asked himself the question.

Swish!

A semi-transparent blue virtual light screen popped up in front of me instantly.

The screen displayed resembled a job-seeking app, but only he could see it.

[The host can search for part-time jobs independently. The system will rate the difficulty of the jobs and issue exclusive skill rewards accordingly.]

Lin Ye's eyes lit up.

With this thing, how could I possibly not earn enough money to buy a computer?

He immediately used his mind to type "same city", "daily pay", and "part-time job" into the search bar.

The screen flickered and displayed more than a dozen messages.

[Task: Assist Grandma Wang in finding her lost Teddy dog. Compensation: 50 yuan. System Reward: Basic Dog Language Communication.]

[Task: Distribute flyers for a real estate development. Four-hour time limit. Compensation: 80 yuan. System reward: Flyer delivery accuracy techniques.]

[Task: Dishwasher at a hot pot restaurant. Salary: 100 yuan. System reward: Gentle dishwashing liquid formula.]

Lin Ye looked at these bizarre rewards, and veins throbbed on his forehead.

What kind of junk is this?

Basic dog language communication?

Should he switch careers and become a street veterinarian?

What the heck is this "hand-friendly dish soap formula"?!

"System, this reward is ridiculous!" Lin Ye mentally complained. "How long would it take to afford an Alienware computer with all this stuff?"

The system's cold, mechanical voice sounded again.

[Note: Task rewards are strictly linked to the level of job risk and salary. Low-difficulty daily tasks in China have extremely low reward caps.]

Lin Ye understood.

To get incredible rewards and make big money, you have to find high-risk, high-reward jobs.

Fortune favors the bold.

He decisively removed "same city" from the filter criteria.

"Global scope" was selected.

The salary requirement was set to the highest level: "Over 10,000 per day".

Press the Enter key.

The image on the light screen suddenly distorted violently, emitting a crackling sound of electricity.

The originally blue interface instantly turned into a glaring blood red.

A hidden portal to the dark web slowly emerged.

The page was covered with all sorts of shady bounties and underground part-time jobs.

Lin Ye gasped.

What did he see?

[Long-term mission: Assassinate a major Mexican drug lord. Salary: One million US dollars.]

[Bounty: Steal the latest classified documents from the Pentagon. Reward: Five million US dollars.]

These tasks are enough to make your scalp crawl.

It involves transactions that could easily lead to death, and it doesn't fit the nature of "short-term summer jobs".

Lin Ye continued scrolling down.

Finally, on the list of top-paid part-time jobs, he saw a short-term job posting marked with an asterisk.

The moment I clicked on the details.

Lin Ye's breathing completely stopped.

The blood-red text on the screen shimmered with an alluring light.

That was a high-risk job that would make even adult mercenaries tremble with fear.

But at this moment, all that remained in Lin Ye's eyes was the tempting daily wage!

Several lines of bold text were clearly displayed on the screen.

The Middle Eastern Blood Fox Mercenary Group is recruiting personnel to guard the outer defense lines.

[Requirements: Must be brave and willing to fight, obey orders, and have no prior combat experience.]

[Salary and Benefits: $10,000 USD per day! Meals and accommodation included!]