Steam Old Days: The Extraordinary Begins with a Corpse Collector

In the sewers of Shizijie, in the old town of Chongqing, amidst the fog.

Wearing a rubber waterproof suit, Lyndon stood in the sewage, using a net to fish something out of the viscous water.

The thick steam pipes roared overhead, constantly emitting scorching heat waves.

This makes the already pungent and unpleasant air even worse.

Sweat soaked Lyndon's clothes, but he continued working in the sewage, with a few drops of condensation occasionally dripping onto his neck.

Old John sat on the cement platform to the side, not doing any work.

He gripped the gun, his eyes warily fixed on the darkness on either side of the pipe, as if guarding against something terrifying.

Two kerosene lamps hung on the wall behind me, their flames flickering inside the glass shades.

The dim light shone on old John's back, illuminating an iron bucket beside him.

The iron barrel was filthy, and piled up with bones of all sizes inside.

"You're still missing a left hand. Be careful, young man!"

Old John glanced into the metal bucket and gave a hoarse reminder.

"These things smell too strong. I'm worried they'll attract ghouls. Let's hurry."

Lyndon didn't say anything, but kept stirring the sewage, searching for the missing limb.

Meanwhile, whispers kept echoing in his mind.

"Searching for debris in the sewers, skill level +1"

"Searching for debris in the sewers, skill level +1"

"Searching for debris in the sewers, skill level +1..."

Suddenly, Linden had a thought. He tossed the fishing net in his hand; it was quite heavy.

When the net was lifted, he craned his neck to look inside.

A dark, palm-shaped object lies quietly in the net.

【成功回收全部碎片，熟练度+10，收尸人LV.2（190/200）—>LV.3(0/300)】

[Gained new skill: Overclocking Senses (Passive)]

An even louder voice echoed in his mind.

Lyndon was overjoyed and turned to shout loudly at old John.

"Found it! Found it!"

Upon hearing this news, Old John immediately jumped up from the stage.

His previously tense face relaxed instantly, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out.

"God bless you! Great job, kid, I knew you could do it!"

He holstered his revolver, then deftly picked up the iron bucket and his kerosene lamp and jumped into the ditch.

With a splash, a spray of water rose from the murky ditch.

Upon seeing the severed hand, old John let out an excited roar.

"Hoo hoo! After handing the body over to the boss and getting the money, I'm going to take a shower, change into some decent clothes, and then go to the tavern for an ice-cold beer. Oh, and women too!"

Old John, undeterred by the disgust, picked up the severed hand and threw it into the metal bucket, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Lyndon walked past old John, went up to the platform, and took back his kerosene lamp.

On the stage, Lyndon had his back to old John.

A thought struck him, and suddenly, an old parchment book appeared before him.

Lyndon waved his hand, and the pages of the book turned.

Twisted characters were written on it in ink.

Name: Lyndon Copperfield

Current Occupation: Corpse Collector LV.3 (0/300)

[Existing Skills: Robust Physique (Passive), Corpse Collection Technique (Active)]

[Learnable Skill: Overclocking Senses (Passive)]

Upon seeing this, Lyndon drew a checkmark on the paper with his finger.

[Learning Skill: Overclocked Senses (Passive)]

[Effect: As a qualified body collector, you must pay attention to all aspects of your surroundings when handling the scene. Your various senses will be enhanced to varying degrees.]

As the words reappeared on the parchment, Linden let out a long breath. At that moment, the flowing sewage in his eyes had patterns.

His hearing was greatly enhanced; he could even hear the dripping sound on a wall twenty meters away.

"After spending three days in the sewers, I've finally been promoted today."

Linden stretched his limbs, feeling a mix of emotions.

Since transmigrating to this world, aside from receiving a salary, the only thing that makes Lyndon happier is when he levels up.

Thinking of this, Lyndon's thoughts drifted back to a month ago.

Back then, he was just a workaholic, working 007 every day. Unable to bear the daily overtime, he fell asleep on his desk and was born.

The level of technology in this world is very similar to that of the Victorian era in the West in the previous life.

Steam roars, the Industrial Revolution, giant ships sailing...

It also includes church theology, alien infiltration, and supernatural abilities.

And the name of this body of his is Lyndon Copperfield.

Copperfield was a student at Langton University, studying architecture. His family was originally quite well-off, but his parents died in a disaster during an ocean voyage while trying to do big business.

His family went bankrupt as a result, and he dropped out of school. Later, he was tricked into becoming a corpse collector by a shady intermediary.

The job of collecting corpses has low barriers to entry and the salary is quite good, but not many people are willing to do it.

It's because every job I take is like gambling with my life.

If the corpses you collect are ordinary ones, even if you're lucky, the task is easy and the pay is quite good.

But once the corpse is linked to the alien species, it's basically a death sentence!

Fortunately, Lyndon awakened his cheat ability, which gave him renewed hope.

The book in Lyndon's mind was called "The Book of Fate".

Based on his month of research, he has basically figured out how to use it.

By playing a designated profession, you can improve your corresponding profession level.

Each level up grants different skills, and reaching certain stages unlocks new professions, thus... changing your destiny.

"I'm still five levels away from unlocking my second class."

Thinking of this, Lyndon's hope was rekindled.

He didn't want to rot away in the alleys of the old town.

He had to do something, especially since he had a cheat code to rely on.

First, you need to have a goal and find a way to get out of your current situation and make your life better.

Gradually, Lyndon's eyes deepened.

Suddenly, a thin arm wrapped around Lyndon's shoulder.

Old John grinned, revealing his yellow teeth.

"Hey kid, wanna go have some fun? My treat!"

Old John's eyes lit up at the thought of those hot women.

"No, I need to save money."

Lyndon waved his hand, declining old John's offer.

"Save money? What for?"

As a shrewd, opportunistic man who believed in living for today and sleeping on the streets tomorrow, old John simply couldn't understand Lyndon's thinking.

"Save money to buy a small house in the city center."

Lyndon said casually.

"As you know, the air quality in the old town is so bad that even a mouse would be poisoned. So I'm thinking of buying a small house in the city center. It's not as good as the suburbs, but it's still better than here."

Lyndon frowned and looked around.

The dark sewers were stuffy and humid.

The air was filled with the smell of various chemicals and coal slag fermenting together.

Every breath I took felt like my trachea was being burned, making me nauseous.

Even with rubber plugs stuffed into his nostrils, Lyndon still couldn't stand it.

This is one of the reasons why, even though the boss would give an extra shilling for collecting bodies from the sewers, very few people are willing to do it.

"I'm saying, can't those factory owners install some water purification equipment? Look at this! Sewage is flowing into the Thames; even fish and shrimp can't survive in it!"

"Equipment? They're not making money anymore? The cost of machines is more than the cost of people!"

Old John scoffed, spat into the water, and rolled his eyes.

"They'd send their kids to work in coal mines just to save a few cents! A bunch of money-grubbing whores!"

Beneath the prosperity of the Victorian era lay the blood and sweat of countless workers.

"Alright, enough joking around, we need to hurry up and go."

Old John's smile faded, and his voice suddenly rose, sounding both urgent and tense.

He surveyed the dark and silent surroundings, the lampshade in his hand creaking.

"Now that the work is done, don't dawdle any longer. If you run into ghouls, you won't be able to leave even if you want to."

Ghouls are a type of alien species.

They are carrion-eating monsters that hide in dark, damp places, and will actively attack humans when they are hungry.

Therefore, working in the sewers requires two people working in shifts, one armed with a gun and the other with a knife, in case of emergency.

Even so, the mortality rate among corpse collectors remains at a relatively high level.

Lyndon was aware of the danger, so he wasted no time and followed behind Old John toward a manhole cover about two or three hundred meters away.

They came down from there, and they will return to the ground from there.

The murky water flowed by, making a rustling sound.

The passageways inside the sewers were very narrow and slippery, and one could easily fall into the ditch if one was not careful, so the two of them walked very carefully.

The oil lamp creaked and swayed in their hands, casting their shadows high and low.

Lyndon slung the net over his shoulder; his senses were now unusually sharp, and even in the quiet sewers, he felt an unbearable commotion.

Especially the clicking and clacking sound of the gears of old John's pocket watch.

When they reached the last hundred meters, Lyndon suddenly stopped.

His ears twitched, as if he had heard something, and he immediately turned his head to look behind him.

The oil lamp was held high, but its light could only illuminate a distance of less than five steps ahead.

There was only darkness ahead.

"What's wrong?"

Old John also stopped and asked.

"I think I heard something?"

"What did you hear?"

Old John tilted his head, listened for a while, and said, "No? Are you too nervous? If you ask me, you should come with me to relax a bit..."

Lyndon frowned, held his breath, and carefully tried to discern the sounds coming from the pipes.

His hand was already on the short knife at his waist.

Suddenly, Lyndon turned his head sharply and shouted.

"run!"

Old John was startled by the sudden situation. Although he didn't know what had happened, seeing Lyndon's nervous look, he couldn't help but start running.

Disorganized footsteps echoed through the empty underground pipes.

It was at this moment that a mournful roar came from the darkness behind them.

Old John broke out in a cold sweat and ran even faster.

He gritted his teeth and cursed fiercely, "Damn ghouls!"