Would You Like Some Service?

The man next door reaches through a hole in the wall to pass over medicine, food, and water.

"I'll kill you later."

Cheng Junning smiles.

There is only one rule for surviving in this world.

The police must commit crimes,

Doctors must be willing to kill,

Teachers must be skilled at incitement,

Chefs must smile as they poison you,

And judges must specialize in taking sides.

Cheng Junning sums up the rule like this: Never become anyone's service provider, because every request for help is an execution carefully disguised.

Every time he completes a paradox, doing the opposite when someone begs for help, offering himself when someone tries to harm him, or pulling the trigger when someone surrenders, he earns Paradox Points, which he can trade for supplies to stay alive.

Cheng Junning asks the killer, "Why?"

The man next door passes him a note: "My paradox is that, in a world where everyone is trying to hurt others, I really do just want to be good to you."

Cheng Junning quickly returns the food and water.

Soap's completed million-word novels include Earth, 30,000 Years Later, The Infrastructure Frenzy, The Great Tang Institute of Technology, The Wizard Academy, and Theatrical Invasion. Visit the author's page to read them.

Jinjiang author: Soap Slides a Little

Theme: Keep struggling to survive