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

On the phone screen, a combat readiness message was displayed in bold red.

This completely wiped away the remaining mockery from Shen Hongyuan's face.

The pinned message from the Southern Military Region's combat readiness group.

"[Level A Warning] Abnormal activity at the entrance to the Southern Abyss."

The rate of expansion of the Yuanyuan Crack increased by 3.7% compared to the previous month.

Border troops have entered a state of Level II combat readiness.

Although he has retired, his military status remains, and he has never left this group.

For every percentage point the abyssal fissure expands...

This means that the number and strength of the infiltrated source beasts are both increasing.

Especially the source beasts, which are even more terrifying and bizarre than the alien beasts.

He glanced subconsciously in the direction Shen Qingci had left.

My daughter's training mission is at the entrance to the Southern Abyss.

Rock was originally meant to be her bodyguard.

As a result, that bastard surnamed Lu ruined him.

Shen Hongyuan's teeth itched; he wished he could go down to the fifth basement level right now and kick Lu Beichen a couple more times.

He put away his phone and his gaze fell on Su Ming.

The kid was still standing there with an innocent look on his face.

Shen Hongyuan's mind raced.

An extremely bold idea popped into my head.

Su Ming felt a chill run down his spine from his gaze.

That old man's eyes are weird. Is he planning to dissect me for research?

"You heard it too, didn't you?"

Shen Hongyuan stood with his hands behind his back, his tone suddenly becoming businesslike.

"Rock Solid, eight million Federal Credits. A limited edition from the Federal Research Center, with no more than twenty units available nationwide."

"You think what you did today is worth eight million?"

Su Ming knew perfectly well that it wasn't even worth eight million, let alone eight million.

He never really wanted the robot.

What he wants is to first firmly anchor the price at this absurdly high level, and then slowly negotiate downwards.

Even if he only gets to sort heavy items, he'll still make a killing.

He was figuring out how to lower the price gracefully.

Shen Hongyuan spoke first.

"Giving it to you is not out of the question."

Su Ming was stunned for a moment, and the words he had prepared got stuck in his throat.

"what?"

"But there's a condition."

Shen Hongyuan stared at him, speaking slowly but with each word carrying uncompromising weight.

"The day after tomorrow, my daughter will be going to the entrance of the Southern Abyss to carry out a training mission."

Rock was her bodyguard, but he's useless now. You go with her and make sure she's safe.

Entrance to Yuanyuan?

He had only seen that place in textbooks.

Ordinary people only know that place is called the Abyss, but the older generation of awakened beings insist on calling it the Source Abyss.

What you call yourself doesn't matter.

Importantly, every entrance to the abyss is a gray meat grinder where alien beasts and source beasts dance together.

He's only a Black Iron rank, going to a place like that...

But then I thought about it again.

Isn't the college entrance examination practical assessment testing real-world experience?

No matter how much scrap metal he chewed at the junkyard, it couldn't make up for his lack of practical skills.

A trip to the abyss might just fill that gap.

Moreover, he was very curious whether the system could devour a monster if he killed it.

Would the efficiency of swallowing be higher than that of gnawing on scrap metal?

As for Shen Qingci's long, straight, SS-grade legs... that's definitely not the point.

How could Su Ming, a dignified seven-foot man, be bewitched by mere beauty?

His main goal was to get a close-up, comprehensive, and preferably low-angle "academic observation."

Advanced Valkyries demonstrate extreme power generation techniques using their legs, hips, waist, chest, and other body parts during actual combat in the Abyss!

Purely for the sake of martial arts!

Su Ming wiped away the drool that had inadvertently flowed to the corner of his mouth.

"Boss Shen, it's not that I don't want to go."

But as you can see, my body... while it's tough, to be honest, I don't even know how long I can last."

He glanced around, lowered his voice, as if revealing some embarrassing secret.

"And I'm not lying to you, I really do have a... affinity for heavy metal."

Shen Hongyuan raised an eyebrow.

Su Ming gritted his teeth, as if he had made a great decision.

"Give me one day. Let me stay at the factory for one more day."

I'm confident... I'll advance to Bronze rank. Then, my chances of success in the Abyss will be much higher.

Shen Hongyuan almost burst out laughing.

Advancement to Bronze rank in a single day?

From Iron to Bronze, even a breakthrough within a year is considered genius.

But he remembered the feeling of his hand on the boy's shoulder earlier.

The density of solid tungsten steel.

Liu Feng's report also mentioned that "bone density has reached the level of pig iron and is still soaring."

The speed at which this talent mutates is indeed beyond the comprehension of common sense.

"one day?"

"One day," Su Ming said, holding up one finger. "And I have a small request."

"explain."

"Tomorrow I want to work in the heavy goods area outside the sorting area..."

coming.

Shen Hongyuan sneered inwardly.

After going through all this trouble, this is what this kid really wants.

The heavy objects area was filled with scrapped armor plates, mecha wreckage, and military-grade alloy components.

Each piece contains tens or hundreds of kilograms of high-purity metal.

If this kid's "secondary mutation" really does require absorbing high-density metal to maintain his life.

That heavy goods area was like a life-saving pharmacy for him.

The two stared at each other for three seconds.

An old fox and a young fox, both know what the other is up to.

Shen Hongyuan blinked first.

Qingci's talent lies in attack.

He does indeed need a "shield" that is tough enough and monstrous enough to protect his daughter.

Take a gamble!

"Okay." Shen Hongyuan nodded.

"I promise you. Tomorrow, you can move freely throughout the waste disposal site, including the heavy-duty area."

He looked at Su Ming's eyes, which lit up instantly.

"This robot is yours now."

"In addition," Shen Hongyuan added,

"If you do well on this mission, I'll allow you to go to the 'hidden storeroom' and choose any item you like when you return."

"A hidden storage? What's that?" Su Ming asked subconsciously.

"You'll find out when you come back alive."

Shen Hongyuan smiled mysteriously and offered no further explanation.

We're leaving the day after tomorrow. The mission will last three days, and we'll be back just in time for the college entrance exams.

Su Ming decisively extended his right hand.

"make a deal."

Shen Hongyuan squeezed it, and felt that familiar sensation again.

It has the feel of normal skin, but underneath lies an incredibly high density that sends chills down your spine.

He released his grip and made a gesture towards the empty space above the rocky ruins lying on the ground.

The 2.4-ton steel behemoth slowly rose and hovered in mid-air.

"How do I take it?"

Su Ming walked over and wrapped his arms around Pan Shi's waist.

With waist and stance in perfect harmony, unleash a powerful burst of strength!

In Shen Hongyuan's suddenly contracting pupils, there was the robot weighing two and a half tons.

Su Ming forcefully lifted him up from mid-air!

Although he was a little unsteady on his feet, he did indeed pick him up!

"...It's not that heavy." Su Ming's face turned red, but he still couldn't help but stubbornly insist.

Shen Hongyuan: "..."

What a pervert!

We gave away eight million today, so giving away another million won't hurt.

He pulled a dark silver bracelet out of thin air and tossed it to Su Ming.

"A 10-cubic-meter space bracelet, military-grade, just needs to be attached to the eye to record a bio-iris scan."

As a top-tier spatial awakener, creating a separate storage space is just a matter of a few words for him.

Su Ming was so happy he couldn't stop smiling.

Fortunately, the military equipment is advanced; it's not some kind of blood oath ceremony.

Otherwise, given his current physical condition, it would be really difficult to bleed him.

He quickly leaned closer to complete the gene entry.

As soon as I put the robot into the bracelet, I felt like I had reached the pinnacle of life.

As Shen Hongyuan watched him stuff the rock into his spatial bracelet, he suddenly felt as if his heart was bleeding.

Nine million.

Nine million was gone in a single day.

Su Ming put on the bracelet and gave Shen Hongyuan a sincere smile.

"Thank you, boss! I'll come to work first thing tomorrow morning!"

He turned and slipped away.

I was afraid the old man would change his mind!

……

Su Ming left the scrap yard, humming an off-key tune.

They walked briskly towards the suburban market.

I must treat myself today.

As usual, there was a long queue in front of the Feimaotui fried rice stall.

The shirtless man was tossing an iron wok, his sweat dripping with the smoky aroma of the wok.

After waiting a few minutes, it was his turn.

"Hey buddy, you're here again?" The swift-footed guy recognized him immediately. "The same old story?"

"Add an egg, add ham, and add an extra serving of meat! I'm in a good mood today."

The older brother kept working, chatting idly as he tossed the wok around.

"The college entrance exam is coming up soon, right?"

"yes."

"Sigh, by the time you guys finish your college entrance exams, I guess I'll have to close this shop too."

"Big brother, you're going to university too?"

As soon as I asked the question, I realized something was off.

That sturdy build and those wok-flipping skills... they don't look like it at all.

The older brother grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

"No, I repeated a grade for three years and dropped out a long time ago."

He put the fried rice into a lunchbox and poured a spoonful of homemade chili sauce on top.

"It's my younger sister. She's also taking the college entrance exam this year. I'll take her to Beijing after the exam."

"I've saved up for tuition fees by setting up a stall here for two years."

Su Ming took the lunchbox and silently ate a couple of bites.

The fried rice smells especially good today.

"Big brother, what level of talent does your sister have?"

The swift-footed man wiped his sweat, smiled mysteriously, and his face was full of pride.

"S-Rank Support Type!"

……