At this moment, he finally understood—he had still imagined this world as far too simple.

However, perhaps out of greed, or perhaps out of some inexplicable arrogance, after a fierce internal struggle, Jason Carter eventually calmed down and suppressed his urge to run away deep within his heart.

There was no expression on his face; Jason Carter did his best to make himself look less afraid.

“Believe?” Miss Grace Bennett sneered, but the trace of indescribable emotion beneath her brows could not be completely hidden. It was just that this distant word had long since vanished from the wasteland, which was filled with hunger and death. Even though Jason Carter had just uttered this enchanting word, the muscles on Grace Bennett’s face only instinctively showed disdain.

With a sigh, Grace Bennett walked toward the kitchen.

“Your naivety is honestly troublesome… but, I don’t dislike it.”

“……” Hearing Grace Bennett say this, Jason Carter gradually let out a sigh of relief, the tension in his heart easing.

Maybe he had bet right—Grace Bennett didn’t intend to do him any harm.

Otherwise, she’d had plenty of chances to get rid of me; there was no need to drag it out until now… The heavy weight pressing on Jason Carter’s heart was finally lifted.

“…Since you’re my employer, then besides protecting your life, I think… I also have an obligation to make sure you’re not deceived by people with ulterior motives. Hmm… how should I put it, if someone covets your belongings, it’s a hassle for me too. In the future, if you’re going to make deals with others, you’d better bring me along.”

Standing at the doorway, Grace Bennett suddenly poked her head back in and said.

“……”

Could this be… tsundere?

“…Don’t look at me with that expression! Damn, you’re giving me goosebumps, ahem.” Grace Bennett hurriedly avoided Jason Carter’s gaze in a fluster, darting into the kitchen. But not long after, a startled scream came from inside, “Ah! H-how is this possible? The fridge!”

Excuses, trust, even most of Jason Carter’s words were fake, all just to avoid unnecessary trouble and danger.

Yet that moment of emotion was real.

In that instant, Jason Carter unexpectedly found that this wild woman wasn’t so annoying after all… in fact, she was kind of cute?

“Stop eating canned food, tonight we’re having fresh vegetables! To celebrate… to celebrate my very first employee!” As if to vent his happiness, Jason Carter burst out laughing and rushed into the kitchen.

Standing frozen in front of the fridge, Grace Bennett even forgot to retort about being called an employee, just staring blankly at the tomatoes… and eggs inside.

All these fresh ingredients had been stuffed in by Jason Carter before she came back.

“You…” Grace Bennett turned her head stiffly, her voice trembling in a daze.

“Don’t ask yet, I know you must have a lot of questions. Let’s talk about it over dinner. For now… um… do you know how to slice tomatoes?”

Leaving the dazed Grace Bennett where she was, Jason Carter walked over to the fridge with a smug smile, taking out a few tomatoes and eggs.

“Tonight, we’re having tomato and egg stir-fry!”

Chapter 5: It’s All the Alcohol’s Fault

The reason for making tomato and egg stir-fry was simply because Jason Carter’s cooking skills were just so-so, and this was the only dish he could reliably make.

Now that he had money, maybe he should hire a housekeeper?

But then Jason Carter shook his head to himself—his secrets were far too shocking for the world, and having a housekeeper take care of him would be too inconvenient.

Better to find a girlfriend.

Thinking of the several kilograms of gold bars casually tossed in the living room, a smug smile flashed across Jason Carter’s face.

Grace Bennett, full of questions, was slicing tomatoes stiffly. Staring at the enticing red juice, she had already lost count of how many times she’d swallowed her saliva.

Since Jason Carter said he’d explain everything at the dinner table, there was no need to rush. Grace Bennett silently sliced the tomatoes, unconsciously sneaking another glance at Jason Carter, who was beating eggs beside her. That faint, almost imperceptible smile of “happiness” on his face, for some reason, made her heart flutter a little.

“Go easy… you’re about to chop the cutting board to pieces…”

“Ah, oh.” Jason Carter’s voice startled Grace Bennett, and she quickly looked away. Realizing her odd behavior, a strange mix of anger and embarrassment welled up inside her. Yet… beneath that anger and shame, there was a faint taste of happiness.

Happiness? What a distant word…

It seemed she had to trace it back to her days living in the shelter.

Grace Bennett vaguely remembered that when she was very young, the shelter’s doors hadn’t been unlocked yet. Thinking back now, it was practically paradise.

No crime, no classes, order regulated by the main brain, everyone equally fulfilling their duties and enjoying fair resources. With no conflicts of interest, everyone was kind, everyone was happy. Although people occasionally missed the distant blue sky, no one ever doubted that they were happy.

Yes, compared to the cruel wasteland, Shelter 071 was nothing short of paradise.