I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

On his way back to the workshop, Zhou Weiguo was torn between whether or not to take on an apprentice.

As he walked, he suddenly stopped, his pupils contracting slightly—he had merely taken a stroll around the school, and suddenly he'd been inexplicably transported to a steel mill. Was this really just a coincidence? The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, a chill running down his spine. He couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Could this really be the system playing tricks on me?"

"Hey buddy, was this your doing?" Zhou Weiguo asked coldly in his heart.

After a moment of silence, the system's familiar mechanical voice sounded in my mind: "Host, the fate is truly wondrous."

This ambiguous answer made Zhou Weiguo's temples throb. He gritted his teeth and said, "You just want me to stay stuck in this courtyard house and steel mill, huh? If you push me too far, I'll go to Hong Kong and try my luck, you believe me?"

"The No. 95 courtyard house and the steel mill are the simplest ways for the host to collect positive energy." The system analyzed unhurriedly, "The host might as well recall how much you sacrificed in North Korea to receive the corresponding reward? Compare that to what you gained after returning to the courtyard house, and you should have a better idea, right?"

Zhou Weiguo's brows furrowed deeply, his tone filled with malice: "Am I supposed to put up with those beasts for the rest of my life? If the people from the courtyard house or the steel mill really piss me off, can I kill them? What would be the consequences of killing them?"

"You can kill whoever you want, host." The system's tone was seductive. "However, I remind you, the more central a character is in the original story of the courtyard house, the more positive energy rewards they will bring. In my opinion, slowly tormenting and tormenting them is much more interesting than killing them outright. Of course, if the other party crosses your bottom line..." The system deliberately dragged out the last syllable, "My only suggestion is—You! Die! Him!"

These words made Zhou Weiguo fall into deep thought. Was the system asking him to activate the "Infinite Abuse Mode"? Thinking this, a cold smile crept onto his lips. He was naturally happy to abuse others, but he would never allow himself to be wronged. Anyone who dared to make him feel aggrieved, he would kill without hesitation, even if it came from the Heavenly King himself!

Thinking about this, he suddenly realized that taking on apprentices seemed like a good move. If he could take on a thousand or eight hundred apprentices, not only could they take turns dealing with those "beasts," but he might even be able to train a few top-notch technicians to help China rise again. Moreover, the situation ten years from now is unpredictable, and training a group of capable apprentices might become his solid support in the future.

Thinking of this, a glint of light flashed in Zhou Weiguo's eyes. Since the system had given him this game, he might as well go with the flow and see what kind of outcome it would lead to!

When Zhou Weiguo returned to the workshop, he found it empty, so he walked straight to the workshop across the street.

Walking into the workshop across the street, Zhou Weiguo saw a group of people gathered together, not knowing what they were doing.

He squeezed in out of curiosity and heard a familiar voice shouting.

"Li Erniu, the piece I'm working on has been ruined again because of you wandering around here! This piece is ruined, and I'm going to get another 3 yuan deducted from my pay! It's all because of you, I don't care, you have to pay me back!"

Sitting on the ground, Li Erniu looked flustered, but his tone remained defiant: "Jia Dongxu, I didn't touch you! I was just sweeping the floor, why did you kick over the iron slag I just collected?"

Zhou Weiguo squeezed through the crowd and saw Jia Dongxu pointing his finger at Li Erniu, his face full of anger: "Li Erniu, let me tell you, don't think that just because you serve that Zhou guy all day, he'll take you seriously. Let me tell you, you don't deserve it! Besides, who is that Zhou guy anyway? Isn't he just working here like us?"

To Zhou Weiguo's surprise, Li Erniu's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he suddenly stood up and punched Jia Dongxu.

Jia Dongxu was knocked back, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Jia Dongxu stared at Li Erniu in disbelief, then burst into a tirade: "You always act like a pushover, what, I just cursed at you a couple of times and you dare to hit me? Let me tell you, Li Erniu, you're finished! I'll make sure you get out of the steel mill, and no one can stop me!"

At this moment, Dashan rushed in from outside the workshop and stopped Li Erniu to ask about the situation.

Li Erniu said aggrievedly, "I was sweeping the floor when he ruined his work and insisted that I bumped into him. We've been sweeping for half a year, when have I ever bumped into anyone? He's framing me and even wants me to pay 3 yuan! Oh, and he also cursed Zhou Gong as nobody..."

Li Dashan's face instantly darkened, and he clenched his fists, ready to confront Jia Dongxu.

Just then, Yi Zhonghai stepped forward and shouted, "Li Dashan, what do you want to do? Do you want to fight with your comrades? And you, Li Erniu, if you run into them, just pay some money and that's it. Why make so many excuses?"

The worst part is that you actually dared to hit Jia Dongxu! I think you don't want to work here anymore! Li Dashan and Li Erniu, you two stand up right now, apologize to Jia Dongxu, and compensate him 30 yuan for the damages, and we'll call it a day. Otherwise, I'll fire you on behalf of the factory!

Those around gasped in shock upon hearing this.

Some people whispered among themselves, "30 yuan? I don't even make 30 yuan a month! Da Shan Er Niu is a temporary porter, he only makes 15 yuan a month. Yi Zhonghai is really ripping people off!"

"Yes, Li Erniu is a well-known honest man. If he says he didn't touch it, then he definitely didn't."

"Then why did Jia Dongxu frame him?"

"Hey, are you stupid? It's no wonder Jia Dongxu ruins dozens of workpieces a month! If it weren't for his master Yi Zhonghai's good skills and his covering for him with the director, he would have been fired long ago."

Hearing these comments, Yi Zhonghai shouted, "Who's gossiping? Aren't you all men ashamed? If you have the guts, stand up and say it! Stop talking behind people's backs!"

Zhou Weiguo chuckled inwardly upon hearing this. Yi Zhonghai at this stage wasn't exactly shrewd or artful in his speech; it seemed he was still young and his methods of moral blackmail weren't yet refined.

Thinking this through, he no longer hesitated and stepped forward, saying, "I said it! Master Yi Zhonghai, what's your problem? Everyone in this workshop knows how many parts Jia Dongxu breaks every month. It's obvious he exceeded the breakage limit and didn't want to be fined. He just happened to run into Erniu, this honest guy, sweeping the floor, and tried to extort him! Sweeping is everyone's responsibility in the workshop. Those two brothers have been cleaning for free for over half a year; the whole workshop owes them a debt of gratitude! And you, you just ask for thirty yuan in compensation? That's incredibly shameless! You think you can bully honest people who have no backing? I'm putting this out there—from today onwards, I'm these two brothers' backer, and today I'm going to fight you to the death, Yi Zhonghai. What are you going to do about it?"

Yi Zhonghai was so flustered by Zhou Weiguo's rapid-fire words that he stammered "I...I...I..." for a long time without being able to say a word.

Meanwhile, Li Dashan, seemingly struck by a sudden thought, trembled with excitement. He slapped the still bewildered Li Erniu, dragged him to Zhou Weiguo's side, and knelt down with a thud. Ignoring everything else, Dashan pulled Erniu and kowtowed nine times. After getting up, he called out "Master."