Why Do All the Villains Look at Me Like This? - Chapter 45

Hours later, Meng Xuexiao followed the bronze-skinned youth into the manor, having changed into the uniform of human livestock.

The manor of an alien beast wasn’t much different from a human one. The only distinction was that giant apes lounged on sofas watching television, while humans toiled on their knees, bent over in servitude.

The manor grounds were littered with gift boxes of varying sizes, all uniformly gold. Judging by their material, they appeared to be made of solid gold, their reflections radiating an aura of decadent luxury.

Many would never witness such a sight in their lifetime.

But Meng Xuexiao knew that for Zhuoyue, such lavish tributes were utterly unremarkable.

After receiving these boxes, Zhuoyue would simply toss them into a warehouse to pile up. Over time, they would be completely forgotten, not even worth dusting off.

The treasures truly worthy of Zhuoyue’s attention, those used to line its nest for lounging, were meticulously selected masterpieces. Any item casually retrieved would be a renowned artifact.

Yet even these trivial trinkets demanded meticulous care. Over a dozen people maintained the gift boxes alone.

The contents of the gift box required the human livestock to wear gloves and use magnifying glasses for maintenance, treating them as if they were priceless artifacts.

The meticulously preserved gift box was soon carried away by four human livestock. While it appeared small to the giant ape, it was a massive object for humans, so heavy that the four carriers struggled under its weight.

Sure enough, one of them slipped, stumbled, and nearly scraped a corner of the box against the ground.

“Useless wretch!” the giant ape roared, lashing out with a whip studded with sharp iron spikes. The spikes instantly pinned the man’s head to the ground.

Blood gushed out in torrents, splattering everywhere. The giant ape hastily discarded the whip, swiftly grabbed a cloth, and completely covered the gift box on the ground.

The cloth quickly soaked through with blood. The giant ape’s heart pounded as it carefully pinched the blood-soaked cloth with two fingers and lifted it slightly.

Beneath the cloth, the gift box remained pristine, its pure gold surface gleaming without a speck of blood.

The giant ape exhaled in relief and ordered another of its kind to drag away the lifeless human livestock.

As the body was dragged past, it came dangerously close to Meng Xuexiao. A trail of crimson blood stained the ground, nearly reaching his feet.

A wave of intense, metallic bloodiness surged into Meng Xuexiao’s senses, causing his nose and eyes to throb painfully.

At that moment, the giant ape that had just killed someone turned its gaze toward Meng Xuexiao, “The hauling team is short one member, and now another one conveniently arrives. What a stroke of luck!”

Meng Xuexiao immediately held his breath.

He wasn’t a fool. Hauling was grueling work, and extreme exhaustion naturally led to mistakes. And once a mistake was made…

Meng Xuexiao recalled the bronze-skinned youth’s warning and the bloody example that had just unfolded before him. He had absolutely no desire to take on this task.

But the giant ape clearly didn’t care about his opinion. Snorting through its nostrils, it began directing the remaining three human livestock to reposition themselves, treating them no differently than humans would chickens, ducks, or geese—slaughtering them without a second thought.

“Lord, I usually keep my mouth shut, but since you’re overseeing us today, I dared to say a few words,” the bronze-skinned youth said, shoving Meng Xuexiao aside. He forced a smile and squeezed past to stand before the giant ape, whispering a reminder.

“That one’s useless.”

The other three human livestock grimaced in disgust. One spat softly, muttering, “Just because they treat him like a dog, does he actually think he is one? Is he desperate to impress his ‘Ape Daddy’?”

The Giant Ape heard every word clearly but paid no attention, its eyes gleaming with amusement as it watched the Bronze-Skinned Youth.

To them, humans were merely playthings.

Unfazed, the Bronze-Skinned Youth grinned even wider, prompting another round of muttering, “Shameless.”

“You wouldn’t believe it! He’s all thumbs, utterly hopeless. His eyes are always glued to the ceiling, terrified of missing out on anything good. He thinks if he shows off enough, he won’t die without anyone noticing!”

“I see right through his little schemes!”

The Empire’s border was practically lawless. Desperate low-level Alien Beasts would occasionally snatch a human livestock for food. Human lives were cheap here; even if someone noticed, they’d likely turn a blind eye.

In this place, most of the human livestock harbored their own “little schemes,” hoping to be remembered by their masters and warning lower-level Alien Beasts against easily preying on them.

While such clandestine tactics were common among the human livestock, having them laid bare so bluntly was both embarrassing and infuriating.

The other three immediately began muttering curses, “Is he trying to cut off our lifeline?! That selfish bastard!”

The Giant Ape’s eyes darted involuntarily. Normally, it would let the human livestock squabble like dogs over scraps, but these were no ordinary times.

The Bronze-Skinned Youth had previously emphasized Meng Xuexiao’s cunning and clumsiness. If he accidentally damaged the tribute, punishing the human livestock would be trivial, but what about the ruined offering itself?

Though their King merely tossed these trinkets into a dusty warehouse, the consequences of presenting a substandard tribute…

The Giant Ape shuddered at the thought.

Last time, a count had made a minor oversight, a speck of mud clinging to the treasure he offered. His entire territory, including its inhabitants, had been annihilated by the Golden Giant Dragon’s Dragon Flame.

At that time, Burning Sun, wielder of the Dragon Flame, sat upon a throne carried by his servants. He drained the fiery liquor from his golden goblet and tossed it aside carelessly.

The goblet crashed into the inferno with a crackling sound. The dukes and counts groveled on the ground, necks hunched, none daring to lift their heads.

Burning Sun saw no innocents in his eyes. His methods were absolute annihilation, far crueler than the ancient emperors who executed entire clans.

Decades later, the land remained scorched black, forever uninhabitable.

The Giant Ape shuddered, “Pah! Humans are nothing but scheming trash! What kind of garbage did the Boss capture this time? If we weren’t short on manpower…”

He glared fiercely at Meng Xuexiao, then pointed a claw at a quick-witted-looking man, signaling him to take his place immediately. Turning to the Bronze-Skinned Youth, he barked, “Keep a close eye on him. If he breaks anything, you’ll share his fate!”

“Understood!” The Bronze-Skinned Youth’s voice rang with conviction as he bowed deeply to the Giant Ape. “Mission guaranteed!”

This display of hierarchical order pleased the Giant Ape. He let out a dignified “Hmph” and turned away, no longer concerned with the matter.

Meng Xuexiao watched the Giant Ape’s massive back recede into the distance until it vanished from sight. Only then did he hesitantly whisper, “This… is it really okay not to do this kind of maintenance work?”

If he remembered correctly, the Bronze-Skinned Youth had initially said he was here to work, right?

The Bronze-Skinned Youth glanced sideways at him, neither confirming nor denying, “Do you want to do it?”

“Uh…”

Meng Xuexiao’s tongue immediately tied itself in knots, leaving him at a loss for words.

How could he possibly want to do that? It was thankless, backbreaking labor—no reward for success, but death for failure!

But if he refused, that wouldn’t work either…

Because…

Meng Xuexiao surveyed the surroundings. Throughout the manor, human livestock toiled with their heads bowed.

The Giant Ape Clan wouldn’t keep this crowd around for nothing. Everyone was working now…

Meng Xuexiao bit his lip, still torn. His pale lips, usually relaxed, now bore a vivid red line from his teeth.

The Bronze-Skinned Youth needed no further explanation.

His lips curled slightly as he lowered his voice, “If you don’t want to do it, then don’t.”

Though his tone wasn’t particularly gentle, people who had just survived a crisis often experienced the “suspension bridge effect,” and his words carried a strange sense of reassurance.

The man who had been conscripted to take over the maintenance work spat disgustedly, “Impressive. Now you’re pretending to be a good person?”

He pointed at Meng Xuexiao, “I advise you not to be fooled by him. This guy’s filthy. He’d sell anything to get the Great Ape Lord’s attention!”

As he spoke, Meng Xuexiao turned his gaze to the bronze-skinned youth.

The youth’s eyes were too clear, utterly devoid of negative emotion, like a pool of pure water held aloft, radiating a soft light.

When the bronze-skinned youth looked into them, he saw his own reflection, twisted and mercenary.

The moment his gaze met his reflection in Meng Xuexiao’s eyes, he jerked his gaze away as if shocked.

There were mirrors in the manor. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen himself, nor the first time he’d heard such a sharp assessment of his character. But in this moment…

He truly felt… filthy.

The young man chuckled self-deprecatingly. Many claimed to emerge from the mud untainted, but such ideals rarely held true.

Having grown up in the mire, he naturally carried the earthy stench of the soil. When deliberately placed beside truly fresh, beautiful flowers dripping with dew, the contrast was stark.

He quickened his pace, his voice stiff, “Keep up.”

They skirted past the human livestock diligently tending to the offerings, weaving through the manor until they reached a door.

The manor’s exterior was cluttered with offerings, but behind this door lay an orderly space, far more pleasant than the outside. The stench of sweat from the human livestock had been replaced by the aroma of cooked food.

Few human livestock were present, most were Giant Apes. Yet even these apes were dressed with far greater care than their counterparts outside. They wore spotless aprons, masks over their mouths, and gloves on their hands.

Perhaps hearing Meng Xuexiao and the bronze-skinned youth’s footsteps, the central Giant Ape—the one surrounded by the others—glanced over and coughed, “What’s this? It’s not yet time to deliver the Master’s meal.”

The bronze-skinned youth bowed slightly, “Didn’t you complain last time about the kitchen being short-staffed? I think he could give it a try.”

“Really? The kitchen isn’t just for anyone, especially not a human.” The Giant Ape’s gaze toward Meng Xuexiao was critical.

The bronze-skinned youth explained, “He’s new here and hasn’t picked up the bad habits of the low-quality human livestock. He’s still relatively clean, probably didn’t crawl out of some filthy gutter.”

That… does seem to be the case.

The Giant Ape’s eyes settled on Meng Xuexiao’s hands.

The youth’s hands were spotless, even under his fingernails. Their delicate pinkness resembled rose petals freshly fallen from a bloom, soft and inviting like a decorative pastry on a cake.

“He can stay, but we have plenty of dirty work,” the Giant Ape warned bluntly.

The bronze-skinned youth didn’t hesitate, “Of course, of course! You can order him around as you please. He’s easy to feed too, just toss him a bite when he’s hungry.”

He secretly winked at Meng Xuexiao.

Regardless of the circumstances, in the eyes of the Giant Ape, Human Livestock were ultimately just livestock. If Meng Xuexiao wanted to survive here long-term, he had to adapt to this reality. All he could do was pave the way for the young man as best he could, making his path as smooth as possible.

Upon receiving the signal, Meng Xuexiao responded without hesitation, “I will follow your commands without question!”

He had already observed that kitchen work was far less strenuous than maintaining the tribute offerings. Handling miscellaneous tasks there would likely not cost him his head.

This was undoubtedly the best job available in this place!

In the Empire, survival came first.

Meng Xuexiao’s unwavering compliance finally satisfied the Giant Ape.

“Very well,” it grunted. “Make do with this for now.”

The Bronze-Skinned Youth maintained his composure, though a great weight had lifted from his heart. He bowed deeply to the Giant Ape once more, but as he straightened, he felt a tug on his sleeve.

He glanced down instinctively and saw a hand clutching the corner of his sleeve. The pale fingers looked thin and small against the dark fabric, even somewhat pitiful.

Meng Xuexiao smiled at him, his lips moving silently as he whispered in a voice only they could hear, “Thank you.”

The Bronze-Skinned Youth froze momentarily, then abruptly yanked his hand away and strode several steps in the opposite direction.

“…It’s too early to be thinking about that! Just focus on your work for now.”

The Bronze-Skinned Youth curled his bronze-colored knuckles and quietly rubbed the fabric Meng Xuexiao had just gripped. The boy’s warmth seemed to linger there.

If this manor had someone like him, it wouldn’t be so bad.

They could wake up together in the morning and sleep foot-to-foot at night.

Living together, sharing meals and daily necessities.

The youth’s steps quickened involuntarily. He rounded a corner and collided head-on with the Giant Ape that had dragged Meng Xuexiao out earlier.

Seeing the Bronze-Skinned Youth still wandering around, the Giant Ape immediately showed impatience, “Why are you still here? Have you found the treasure the Boss teleported? The King’s tribute collection starship is almost here!”

The tribute was supposed to be personally delivered to the King, but the Giant Ape Clan’s Boss lacked the rank to meet the King directly. He could only entrust the tribute to nobles sent from above, who would then relay it.

The youth’s eyes darkened, and the corner of his mouth, which had been subtly curving upward, straightened, “I understand. I’ll find it as soon as possible.”

He quietly slipped a hand into his pocket, touching a folded note. A single line was written on it, “Destroy the most important tribute.”