Chapter 18 - 17: Shamelessly Mooching a Meal

By the time the two of them walked out of the office, the entire corridor was completely silent. The other staff members had likely finished their shifts and gone home long ago.

"Doctor Jenkins, I’m so sorry for holding you up after work today," Sev Steele said apologetically.

"It doesn’t matter. I’m a solitary man anyway, so getting off work a bit early or late makes no difference," Doctor Jenkins replied evenly.

"If you don’t mind, you can come over to my place for dinner." As soon as the words slipped out of Sev’s mouth, she wanted to slap herself.

When an Azurean owed someone a favor, they usually liked to treat that person to a meal at a restaurant. However, the original owner of her body had no idea where any restaurants in the Ninth Security Zone were, let alone an outsider like Sev. Thus, she had subconsciously offered to host him for dinner at her own home.

It was only after the invitation had been extended that she belatedly realized her family was completely penniless. Whipping up a decent dinner was practically impossible!

Doctor Jenkins was taken aback. In the wasteland, only the higher-ups or residents of the Gilded Ward would host dinner parties. Even then, they rarely did so out of a genuine desire to share a meal; they merely used such banquets to expand their network or negotiate business deals.

This was the first time a slum resident had ever invited him to dinner—and at their own house, no less. If anyone else were in his shoes, they would have refused on the spot. But Doctor Jenkins suddenly found himself curious about how people in the Slums cooked their food.

With that in mind, he nodded. "All right, I won’t decline your hospitality, then!"

"Why wouldn’t you decline? You’re supposed to politely say no!" Sev screamed internally.

But what was done was done. It was too late for regrets now; there was no use crying over spilled milk.

She gritted her teeth and forced an incredibly awkward smile. "Doctor Jenkins, it is truly an honor that you’re willing to stoop to dine at my humble abode. Please, follow me!"

Doctor Jenkins naturally noticed her reluctance and found it highly amusing. "What a hypocritical woman. Let’s see if you dare say things you don’t mean next time!" he thought.

It took about fifteen minutes to walk from Doctor Jenkins’s office building to the Slums. Along the way, Sev racked her brain, completely at a loss as to what she should cook for him.

The original owner of her body had left behind virtually nothing—just some coarse Nutrition Blocks and a bit of dried wild vegetables. Aside from the roasted wild yam chips, the only food left in the house were the large sun-dried mushrooms.

Thinking of the large mushrooms reminded her of Snowbreak, the female customer who had been the first to buy her yam chips. Back then, Snowbreak had casually pulled a needle-shaped metal detector from her pocket, a device capable of detecting toxins in food.

Sev guessed that anyone of status would carry one of those around. To verify her theory, she asked with feigned casualness, "Doctor Jenkins, do you happen to have a needle-shaped detector on you?"

"Yes, it’s a necessity for all public officials. They are uniformly issued by the government, and because they’re so small, they’re quite convenient to carry around," Doctor Jenkins explained with uncharacteristic patience.

He was in an excellent mood, eagerly waiting to see how embarrassed this woman would be when she couldn’t scrounge up a decent dinner!

Hearing that he had one, Sev breathed a sigh of relief. Even the best chef couldn’t cook without ingredients, and she certainly lacked the provisions to make a proper meal. However, her large mushrooms were unique in the entire Security Zone. She could just boil a pot of mushroom soup and pair it with the crispy, delicious wild yam chips. That would be enough to tide them over.

Having made up her mind, her mood brightened considerably, and there was an added spring to her step.

Doctor Jenkins had been observing her the entire time. He noticed her demeanor shift from anxious inner turmoil to cheerful relaxation. He was deeply puzzled, wondering what kind of mental gymnastics the woman had just performed to cause such a drastic change.

Being a man who loved to get to the bottom of things, his inability to figure out the twists and turns of her mind left him itching with curiosity. And just like that, the man who had been waiting to enjoy a good joke was now the one suffering from burning suspense.

Sev couldn’t care less what he was thinking. She had simply let a polite pleasantry slip, only to run into an idiot who took a mere courtesy as a literal invitation.

But it was fine now; she had a perfect solution.

Upon arriving at the gate of her yard, Sev scanned her irises, and the gate clicked open.

She had originally thought that since Doctor Jenkins wasn’t registered in the system, he would be blocked outside by the security gate. She was fully prepared to watch him hop madly in frustration.

To her surprise, he simply pulled out a card that resembled a work ID and swiped it over the scanner.

BEEP.

A robotic voice announced, "Welcome, district public official, for your inspection!"

"Holy crap! He can do that? This is so infuriating!" Sev fumed inwardly.

Meanwhile, the children were all gathered in the yard, anxiously waiting for their adoptive mother’s return. It was completely dark out now. In the past, whenever she went out scavenging, she would always make it back before nightfall.

They couldn’t help but worry. Had their adoptive mother encountered danger in the wilderness? Was she injured, or perhaps even dead?

The eldest, Rusty, couldn’t stop his mind from racing. "If our adoptive mother really is dead, what will the four of us do?" he wondered.

Hearing the commotion at the door, the four little ones forgot all about how their adoptive mother used to beat and scold them. They rushed over in unison and clustered around her.

"Mom, why did you come back so late today?" the youngest, Rose, asked directly.

"I’m sorry, Mom was delayed by a few things today and made you worry. We have a guest," Sev said with a warm expression. "This is Doctor Jenkins. Come over and say hello to Mr. Jenkins!"

"Hello, Mr. Jenkins!" the four little ones chorused, all bowing politely to him at the same time.

Doctor Jenkins was surprised. He hadn’t expected this young woman to already have four children. Of course, judging by their appearances, these children bore no resemblance to her whatsoever; they were most likely adopted orphans.

The Security Zone provided a certain amount of child support subsidies for adopting orphans, which was probably her motivation for taking in all four of them. Doctor Jenkins remained noncommittal on the matter. Life in the wasteland was incredibly difficult for the impoverished. She had merely taken advantage of a policy loophole—there was nothing to condemn her for.

The three boys noticed that the wicked woman’s expression was even more exaggerated now than when she took them to collect their monthly subsidies. Back then, even though she put on a show in front of the staff, her smile had been incredibly fake. Any of them could tell at a glance that she was just acting.

But right now, the wicked woman’s smile was warm, looking entirely genuine.

Still, they didn’t have time to dwell on whether her expression was real or fake. Their adoptive mother had returned safely, meaning they didn’t have to worry about becoming orphans again.

Sev was very satisfied with the children’s performance. She could have had them address him as "Doctor Jenkins," but she deliberately told them to call him "Mr. Jenkins" to close the distance between them. Even if it didn’t foster any deep affection, it at least made sure they left an impression on him.

This man could serve as a potential connection for the children in the future. It was absolutely the right move to start buttering him up now.

"Rose, did those mushrooms Mom asked you to keep an eye on dry out properly?" Sev asked, looking at her youngest daughter with a gentle, pleasant expression.

The three boys instantly tensed up. "What is this wicked woman trying to do? Could this Mr. Jenkins be her lover? Are the two of them teaming up to poison us?" they thought frantically.

Rose, however, was completely oblivious. "They’re totally dry!" she said cheerfully. "They break as soon as you snap them. I already packed them all into the synthetic fiber sack."

"Go get a bowl, fill it up, and bring it to me," Sev instructed.

The three boys were so nervous their hearts leaped into their throats. "Is this wicked woman dropping the act entirely? Is she planning to poison us right out in the open?" they wondered in sheer panic.