Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Rosie - S-Rank Hacker!
Alexander's eyes shone brightly, unable to conceal the excitement within his heart.
Thinking of the potential and future power of the Mercenary Guild, his blood surged with anticipation.
His ambition grew like a wild prairie in midsummer, rapidly expanding.
With a gust of wind, the wild grass seemed to connect with the sky.
However, there was a fundamental problem at hand:
How to take the first step?
The beginning of everything is difficult.
Going from zero to one is hard, but from one to ten, it becomes easier.
First and foremost, he had to stay low-key and avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
There were still many top-tier Awakeners in this world.
For the sake of safety, the initial Mercenary Guild didn't need a physical presence.
All activities could be conducted online.
The first Super Fruit could be sold online to exchange for future operating funds.
For an organization of such scale, money was indispensable.
But then another problem arose:
The internet has a memory, and the cyber police are not just idle.
If this matter were discovered, not only would the future Mercenary Guild be in jeopardy, but he himself would be plunged into endless trouble.
Alexander's gaze sharpened slightly as he muttered to himself:
"If only I had a top-tier hacker."
After a long silence, Jack, who had been trembling beside him, tentatively spoke up:
"Alex, do you need a hacker?"
Alexander glanced at him, a bit moved:
"What, you know a hacker?"
It's important to note that very few people in the slums even owned a computer, let alone had top-notch computer skills.
Jack timidly responded:
"Alex, don't you know? Rosie awakened as an S-Rank hacker."
Alexander was somewhat skeptical:
"Rosie is a hacker? Are you kidding me?"
After the appearance of the monsters, the entire world had been busy dealing with them.
The communication systems had been paralyzed for a long time.
By the time the situation stabilized, the global level of computing had significantly declined.
Hacker talents like these were relatively rare and certainly more in demand than his talent as a Farmer.
If Rosie really had an S-Rank talent, she wouldn't still be stuck in the slums.
Jack quickly explained:
"Under normal circumstances, Rosie could indeed find a decent job. But Alex, you know she has neither connections nor looks..."
Alexander suddenly understood.
Internet companies are undoubtedly desirable workplaces.
Without any connections, Rosie had little chance of getting in based solely on her abilities.
If she were a beauty, or even a girl who looked decent with makeup, she might have caught the eye of an interviewer.
Unfortunately, her appearance left much to be desired.
It's the same everywhere, even on Earth.
Countless capable women with less-than-ideal appearances get overlooked.
Alexander's interest was piqued.
If that's the case, then he must recruit this S-Rank hacker for himself.
He glanced at Jack:
"I remember you used to bring a laptop to school to play games, right? Bring it to me tomorrow night."
How could Jack dare say no? He gratefully left Alexander's courtyard.
...
The next morning.
Alexander arrived early at the agricultural store, secretly observing Rosie's daily routine.
Rosie would be a key member of the early stages of the Mercenary Guild, so it was worth getting to know her better.
It turned out Rosie had more than one job.
In the morning, she worked at the agricultural store.
In the afternoon, when the shopkeeper's wife woke up and came to the store, Rosie would ride her bike to a restaurant in the new town and head straight to the kitchen.
When she came out, smelling strongly of oil and detergent, she looked visibly exhausted.
But her workday wasn't over yet.
On the way, she devoured three or four steamed buns and then biked to the mall.
When Alexander next saw her, Rosie had already changed into a large bear costume.
It was the peak of summer, and the sun was scorching.
She tried hard to play the role of a cute character, handing out flyers on the busy street.
Her work didn't end until evening.
When she took off the headgear, her entire face was flushed from the heat, and her hair, drenched in sweat, clung to her neck like it had been soaked.
A man who appeared to be the mall manager came out and handed Rosie fifty solars.
She was overjoyed, clutching the fifty solars tightly, and bowed repeatedly to the manager in gratitude.
After changing her clothes, she hurried off to her next part-time job at a restaurant.
Alexander frowned.
Wearing that outfit in such weather and working all afternoon, only to be so delighted with fifty solars?
How much could she have earned from her previous two jobs?
This was the reality for the residents of the slums.
Separated by only a small canal, the lifestyles in the slums and the new town were worlds apart.
The employers in the new town knew that anyone coming there to look for part-time work was certainly from the slums.
If they didn't provide jobs, the people from the slums would have no income apart from farming.
The people in the slums wouldn't collectively refuse low-paying jobs in the new town.
Even the residents of the slums were locked in fierce competition among themselves.
No wonder the slums were referred to as the ghetto.
As night fell, Rosie finally finished her day's work. She squatted by the roadside, letting the evening breeze cool her down before she felt rested.
Once she regained her strength, she got on her bicycle and began riding back to the slums.
Just as she was about to cross the canal that divided the old and new towns, three delinquents, with cigarettes hanging from their lips and hair dyed in various colors, wearing bean shoes, blocked her path.
"Fat pig, what a coincidence. We're out of money for the internet."
"You know the drill, we've been watching you all day. Just give us twenty solars each, and we'll call it a day."
Rosie was terrified, nervously clutching the eighty solars in her pocket:
"I-I don't have that much."
Her voice was still soft and pleasant, extremely soothing to the ears.
But her appearance did not win their sympathy.
One of the delinquents, angry, slapped Rosie across the face, cigarette still in his mouth:
"People from the slums have no shame, huh?
If it weren't for us in the new town giving you a bite to eat, you'd all be sleeping in the stinking canal.
I don't want your money; I want the money you got from our new town!"
Rosie was stunned by the slap, tears welling up as she rubbed her eyes.
Her feet still on the bicycle pedals.
The delinquent didn't care if Rosie was willing or not and reached into her pocket, forcibly pulling out the eighty solars.
The fat pig of a delinquent grinned broadly:
"See, wouldn't it have been better if you had given it to me earlier? You could have kept twenty solars."
After speaking, he motioned to his gang of scoundrels and they prepared to head toward the internet cafe in the new town.
Suddenly, they stopped in their tracks.
A lean young man stood in their way:
"Give the money back to her."
The streetlight stretched his shadow long across the ground.
Rosie noticed him and wiped her tears:
"Alexander? What are you doing here?"
The delinquents laughed.
"We wondered who it was. Turns out it's just another rat from the slums!"
"What's this? A hero rescuing a damsel in distress? You've got strange taste, brother."
Rosie quickly interjected:
"I'm fine, Alexander, don't worry about me. I don't need the money."
Alex didn't move, still blocking the delinquents' path.
The delinquents were infuriated and prepared to beat him up.
But when the first delinquent charged at Alexander, he froze in place.
He saw the young man in the black tracksuit holding a green flame in his hand!
Then, with a light touch of his finger on the delinquent's forehead, the green flame instantly engulfed the young man's entire body!
Before he could even scream, he was reduced to ashes in an instant.