Gaining a tiny bit of weight every day, my weight is a billion tons.

The waste disposal plant was eerily silent.

The wind rustled through the tin roof.

Shen Hongyuan sat on the broken folding chair, his left leg crossed over his right.

Not far away, Lu Beichen, who was frozen in place by an invisible space, had his tattered but expensive combat uniform soaked with cold sweat.

The excruciating pain from his dislocated left arm made his face ashen, yet he was completely unable to move his body.

At the other end of the waste pit, Su Ming was no longer content to just lie there.

He quietly got up and poked half his body out of the waste pile.

He maintained a pained expression, as if suffering from the aftereffects of petrification.

Big melons are best enjoyed from the front row.

However, while we can enjoy the gossip, we can't stop eating.

He quietly adjusted to a more comfortable angle, and placed his left hand discreetly on a tungsten-based counterweight beside him.

[Ding! Absorbed high-purity tungsten-based counterweight, mass points +4.2]

Delicious.

"Uncle Shen... Uncle Shen."

Lu Beichen forced out a smile that looked worse than a grimace, trying to break the suffocating silence.

"This is a misunderstanding. I swear, I never tampered with your robot."

It must be because its underlying AI logic is so bad that it suddenly malfunctioned!

I only meant well and tried to stop it, but I never expected... I'd get accidentally injured by this piece of junk.

He raised his dislocated left arm, hissing in pain, but deliberately made the movement very obvious.

"You see, I'm a victim too."

He spoke sincerely, but his eyes kept glancing at Shen Qingci, hoping to gain a shred of pity.

Su Ming mentally gave Lu Beichen a thumbs up.

Good grief, the first thing this guy did after crawling out of the scrap heap was to turn the tables on his opponent.

When it comes to thick skin... I'm afraid it has to be my own thick skin.

[Ding! Consumed alloy drive shaft fragment, mass points +3.6]

Silence spread through the air.

Shen Hongyuan remained silent.

He simply flicked the ash off the cigarette with the fingers holding it.

Seeing that Shen Hongyuan didn't respond, Lu Beichen felt more confident.

What makes you so great? To put it bluntly, you're just a ragpicker.

Lu Beichen straightened his back.

His tone instantly became three degrees firmer.

"Uncle Shen, to put it bluntly..."

His tone was no longer that of a victim's grievance, but rather one of condescending charity.

"The safety facilities in your factory are really outdated."

A military robot can go out of control so easily. What if it hurts someone more important than me today?

"My father is Lu Zhenbang, a senior researcher at the Federal Research Institute! Our Lu family in the capital also has connections in the military!"

I can let today's events go, but you must give me an explanation.

Medical expenses and compensation for emotional distress are the most basic requirements.

He tilted his neck, and his joints cracked.

"Otherwise, I can make a call back to the capital tomorrow, and the Lu family has plenty of ways to get the military to re-examine the operating qualifications of your scrap yard."

"Let's see if your lousy factory can even stay open!"

The series of blatant lies and lies left Scarface Li and the short-haired woman, who had just recovered from their shock, trembling with rage.

Because that bastard almost killed someone just now.

Now he's demanding compensation?

They clenched their fists tightly, their eyes filled with anger, yet they dared not speak out because of the other party's identity.

The Lu family in the capital. Federal Research Institute.

These two words struck harder than a punch from a rock.

Shen Qingci's beautiful eyes widened, and the veins on the back of her hand, which was gripping the cold-bladed Tang sword, bulged.

The blade emitted a slight hum.

What she hated most in her life was this kind of shameless person who turned black into white and treated human life like dirt!

Shen Hongyuan flicked his cigarette ash, remaining calm and unhurried.

"Are you done talking?"

Two words, spoken softly.

But Lu Beichen instinctively closed his mouth.

Shen Hongyuan raised his right hand, put his index and middle fingers together, and gently pinched them together.

Above the fingertips, a faint wisp of dark purple energy appeared out of thin air, leaping gently like a will-o'-the-wisp.

Upon seeing that familiar dark purple ripple, Lu Beichen's face turned deathly pale in an instant!

"this,"

Shen Hongyuan spoke casually.

"I pulled it out from the gaps in the Rock Shoulder Armor."

"Primordial magnetic waves, very pure."

"The energy characteristics of the S-rank special talent [Elemental Magnetic Heart]".

He tilted his head and glanced at Lu Beichen.

"Xiao Lu, do you want to guess how many people within a 500-kilometer radius of Jiangcheng have ever used this kind of energy?"

Shen Hongyuan's voice was calm, yet it struck Lu Beichen's heart like a heavy hammer.

But he remained stubborn, his neck contorted in a defiant manner:

"That...that's just residual energy fluctuations from my fight with it! It doesn't prove anything..."

"Shut up."

"I was right next to you when you were filming the Rock Shoulder Armor. You think I didn't notice?"

Shen Qingci could no longer hold back, pointing the tip of her knife forward, aiming it at Lu Beichen's brow.

"You know perfectly well how long you've been standing on the second floor."

Shen Qingci wrote each word carefully.

"You were standing by the railing watching as the rock burst forth."

Wait until it gets out of control and crashes into the crowd, wait until it causes casualties, and then you jump out and play your savior!

"Your 'hero saves the damsel in distress' script is absolutely disgusting!"

These words caused an uproar in the room!

The workers' gazes instantly shifted from anger to utter contempt and hatred, fixed intently on Lu Beichen.

His pretense was ripped apart in public, and Lu Beichen's handsome face could no longer maintain its mask of hypocrisy, becoming completely distorted.

His pride as an S-class genius led him to choose the most foolish path.

"So what if I did it?!"

He roared wildly, his voice sharp and piercing.

"The lives of a few lowly peasants, plus your pile of scrap metal."

"It's an honor for you lowly commoners to have the chance to be my hero and save a damsel in distress!"

"Shen Hongyuan! If you dare to lay a finger on me, the Lu family will make sure you can't stay in Jiangcheng!"

My brother works at a research institute, and my father holds the approval authority for the core technologies of three military projects!

You're just a junk collector...

He glanced at the workers around him who were staring at him, his eyes filled with ant-like contempt.

Shen Hongyuan's eyes suddenly turned icy cold.

He is now retired from the military.

In the past, he would have crippled any spoiled brat who treated human life like a game.

A terrifying killing intent descended upon the entire waste plant as if it were a tangible force.

He didn't even stand up; he just pressed down in the air.

Suddenly, there was a "click" sound!

The spatial confinement suddenly contracted.

Lu Beichen was speaking when it felt as if an invisible giant hand pressed him down from above.

His knees slammed onto the concrete floor with a loud thud, and a clear cracking sound came from his kneecaps.

"ah--!"

Screams echoed through the factory area.

Shen Hongyuan stood up, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, and stomped it out.

He took out his phone and dialed a number.

The call was connected in just one second.

"Old Zhou, it's me."

He spoke as if they were having a casual chat.

"Help me investigate the Lu family in the capital, specifically Lu Zhenbang. No rush, just give it to me when you're done."

After saying that, he hung up immediately.

After doing all this, he glanced with disgust at Lu Beichen, who was kneeling on the ground, convulsing from the pain and fear.

Killing such a junior would dirty your hands.

"The purchase price of Rock is eight million Federal Credits, let me round it up for you."

He flicked away his cigarette butt, stood up, and said, "It's going back to the factory for repairs, which will delay production by two million."

"My daughter was disgusted by your show, and she's lost a million dollars in compensation for her lost youth."

"Your family members in the factory were also terrified by you, and they should also be compensated one million for emotional distress."

"A total of twelve million, not a penny less."

Shen Hongyuan waved to Liu Feng.

"Lock him in the isolation room on the fifth basement level. He'll be released when the money arrives. If you can't pay..."

"I might as well just rot away here and die."

"Yes, boss!"

Liu Feng had long disliked this kid, and he grinned maliciously.

She held Lu Beichen's hair with one hand, like she was carrying a chick.

They lifted him off the ground and dragged him like a dead dog towards the main building.

As for the Lu family in the capital?

Shen Hongyuan didn't take it to heart at all.

No matter what kind of tiger or dragon you are, once you're in Jiangcheng, you'd all better lie down obediently.

As Lu Beichen was being dragged, he passed by the pile of scrap where Su Ming was lying.

Their eyes met briefly.

Lu Beichen's gaze towards Su Ming was also filled with resentment and venom!

A look that says, "I'll remember you."

Su Ming felt a surge of frustration...

Why the hell are you glaring at me?

What does this have to do with me!

After dealing with all of this, Shen Hongyuan's gaze swept over the messy factory area, and his brows furrowed again.

As his gaze swept across the mountain of scrap, he happened to see Su Ming squatting on a pile of iron.

The boy who was just moments ago on the verge of death, groaning in pain.

At this moment, she was resting her chin on her hand, looking in the direction where Lu Beichen had been dragged away with a look of lingering satisfaction.

That expression showed no trace of the desolation of a "petrified dying person".

They're clearly just bystanders who weren't satisfied with just watching the finale.

Then... their eyes met!

The air suddenly became quiet.

Su Ming was clearly aware that he had been exposed.

His lips began to twitch, his brows furrowed, and he hesitated for half a second...

"Oh my goodness..."

Shen Hongyuan: "..."

Holy crap... I've run into a veteran actor?!

……