Old Wuâs words made the manager hesitate for a moment, and he asked, "So whatâs his background?"
"I donât know."
"You donât know?"
"I really donât know. Heâs a newcomer; probably got into some trouble and ended up here."
"Doesnât know much. Just helped him get an identity through Old Wu yesterday. His nameâs Mu Shuikong."
"Old Wu seems quite interested in this new guy too. Looks like his old habits are kicking in."
The manager, seeing Old Wu trying to change the subject, quickly interrupted, "Donât worry about othersâ hobbies. Help me investigate him a bit, just in case heâs some spy."
Old Wu looked unconcerned and said, "What are you worried about here? If heâs a spy, so be it. What could he possibly steal from you?"
"With such good skills, he still comes to this backwater to find work. Do you really think thereâs no issue?"
"Is it really necessary? How many people who come to our Pirate Space Station have no problems?"
"Iâll pay."
"You shouldâve said so earlier."
Old Wuâs attitude changed instantly, his face brimming with enthusiasm as he said, "How do you want me to investigate him?"
"Just figure out his purpose for coming to the Space Station. As long as it doesnât affect us, his identity or background doesnât really matter."
"Iâm not planning to have him do any work, just help me train people. If his skills can be passed to even a fraction of my squad of good-for-nothings, I wouldnât need to wear this uniform every day."
Old Wu glanced at the managerâs work clothes and laughed, saying, "Think about where we are. Who with skills would come here to suffer?"
The manager clicked his tongue in annoyance, looking at Old Wuâs face, and said, "Your skills arenât bad either. If you were willing to work harder and help me train people, I wouldnât be so eager to keep someone now."
"Heh heh, I donât have that much energy to spend on such things. Better leave it to the younger folks."
"Actually, I think, why wait for me to figure out what Little Mu is here for? Just trust Old Wu. Isnât his intuition usually spot on?"
"Since heâs interested in Little Mu, just invite the guy over directly."
The manager wasnât angry at Old Wuâs words. Instead, he seriously considered his suggestion and said, "Youâve got a point. If I have you probe him and he gets upset and leaves, itâs hard to find someone else with such skills."
Old Wu chimed in with the manager, "Exactly, exactly. Oh, and werenât you going to have me work today? Just get him to do it instead."
The manager turned and glared at Old Wu, immediately wrapping his arm around his neck.
"Donât even think about it. Youâre not getting away."
"This is an order from above. Canât let a newcomer do the work."
"Anyway, Iâll go and keep him here first. Later, you can check him out for me, and Iâll reimburse your expenses."
Old Wu struggled a bit, realizing he couldnât break free. He rested his arm on the managerâs shoulder and said, "Since you put it that way, of course Iâll help you figure it out."
"Take it easy, donât overdo it."
"No worries."
After reaching an agreement, the two released each other and left the spaceship.
The manager soon returned to Chen Ming, with a very serious look on his face, and asked, "Youâre Mu Shuikong, right?"
Chen Ming nodded and replied, "Yes."
"Youâve performed very well. I think our maintenance plant really needs someone like you. Are you interested in staying?"
Chen Ming wasnât surprised by the managerâs invitation. As long as he agreed, the maintenance job would be his.
But suddenly, a thought crossed Chen Mingâs mind: if thereâs a job, shouldnât there be a contract?
But at this Pirate Space Station, teetering on the edge of legality, could a legally binding contract really mean anything?
Chen Ming glanced at Old Wu, who was whistling beside the manager. He was giving Chen Ming a big thumbs up, the same cheerful smile he had when he ripped him off for 3000 bucks before.
Suppressing the urge to punch Old Wuâs face, Chen Ming decided to take a chance and trust him for now. If thereâs trouble, he could always bail.
After pretending to think for a moment, Chen Ming replied, "Iâm very interested in this."
The manager couldnât help but smile at Chen Mingâs affirmative response.
Although Chen Mingâs background was unclear, his skills were undeniable, and the two people he knew also endorsed him. The risk didnât seem too great.
The manager slightly restrained his expression and continued, "The maintenance plantâs HR is unavailable today. Could you come back tomorrow? Let me pay you for today first."
"Sure."
Chen Ming casually agreed but immediately remembered a conversation with Bald earlier, who mentioned that maintenance work was usually paid weekly.
Since they had to wait for the ship ownersâthe pirates, to inspect the work before the final payment was made.
Feeling puzzled, Chen Ming glanced at Bald, who was eavesdropping on their conversation, and saw his expression was also surprised.
But Bald quickly hid his surprise. Recalling Chen Mingâs skills, he then found everything made sense.
This made Chen Ming even more baffled. But since they were offering money, he couldnât possibly refuse it, right?
Chen Ming took out his terminal, pulled up the transaction interface, and showed it to the manager.
The manager quickly wired over the labor fee for maintaining six ships, totaling two hundred thousand.
More than what Chen Ming had originally expected.