Chapter 3

Each person's workbench is actually a metal table over a meter long. One end of the metal table is fixed with a rotary vise, and in front of the table, there are tool slots filled with various tools such as hand saws, files, hammers, chisels, taps, dies, straight rulers, dividers, drawing pins, and vernier calipers. At the other end of the table, there is a foot-operated grinding wheel, and next to it, a metal anvil. This is the most common apprentice-level workbench, and also the cheapest. It is said that the high-end workbenches come with steam power modules and smelting furnaces. With just such a workbench, the experts can create anything in the world.

Since he had made up his mind, there was no reason to hesitate. Zhang Tie put on his work clothes, put on his safety goggles, and picked up the longest steel wire. He soon got to work. Without a dedicated steel wire control board, he could only use the available tools. First, he fixed the steel wire and a wooden board in the vise, then placed the mandrel and fitted one end of the steel wire. After carefully winding it a few times clockwise and checking for any issues, he started to wind it with confidence. The work was not difficult, and before long, Zhang Tie had almost completed his first spring. He counted the number of coils, cut off the excess on the anvil, and used the grinding wheel to smooth the sharp ends of the steel wire. A simple cylindrical spring was successfully made. He tested it, and it was indeed very elastic. The successful creation of the first spring boosted Zhang Tie's spirits. The next two springs did not take much effort, but he did spend some time on the spring hooks. In the classroom, while Zhang Tie was still struggling with the chisel and the spring hooks, some students had already completed three different types of springs. Finally, the bald man entered the classroom, answered a few questions from the students, checked everyone's three works, and then expanded on topics such as spring tempering, top end rounding and tightening, torsion spring winding, and the manufacture of internal and external torsion arm tools. After that, he had everyone try out their springs. The three-hour morning session passed in this way...

Lunch was served in the school cafeteria, which was one of the school's benefits. However, the cafeteria's food was never very good, often lacking in oil and fat for weeks, barely enough to fill one's stomach. Even so, the rush of students to the cafeteria at mealtime was always overwhelming. It seemed to be a deliberate arrangement by the school, with each grade having a separate cafeteria and a fixed number of diners, but the number of plates in each cafeteria was always a few less than the number of diners. This resulted in a few unfortunate students going hungry every day, often fainting during the afternoon military skills training. Zhang Tie had encountered this situation twice, and from then on, he deeply understood the first rule of survival in the Black Iron Age—do whatever it takes to fill your stomach first.

The only rule in the school cafeteria was to queue up. Apart from that, there were no other rules. Therefore, if you didn't want to be one of the few who went hungry, you had to be able to get in line early and have the strength to avoid being bullied. Of course, luck was also important.

Just like now.

Zhang Tie was in the middle of the queue. After a morning of classes, these fifteen or sixteen-year-old boys were already starving. The queue was long, and more students kept pouring in. Zhang Tie was somewhat relieved that he had rushed out of class quickly; otherwise, he might have missed out on lunch. As the last few students at the back of the queue looked worried, those at the front were already receiving their lunches. At this moment, the noisy cafeteria suddenly fell silent. Zhang Tie turned around and saw Gris and his group swaggering in. Gris and his group were the last to arrive at the cafeteria but did not queue up. Instead, they walked straight to the front of the line. The few students at the front who had just received their plates immediately turned pale.

Damn, these bastards are so annoying, always doing this every noon! Zhang Tie cursed in his heart...

"Ha ha, we'll trouble you guys today!" Gris and his group walked up to the students who were about to receive their lunches, speaking politely but with a haughty attitude. They stood with their heads held high, noses in the air, arms crossed, and faces wearing smirks, looking at the pale-faced students like cats watching mice.

"Damn, they're so arrogant!" A person next to Zhang Tie whispered.

"If you could beat them, you could be as arrogant as they are and take others' food!"

"I heard that Gris has been so arrogant lately because he passed the Level 2 Combat Soldier test and has already ignited two bright spots in his body. Such achievements at this age are rare in the Seventh Middle School!"

"He just has a natural advantage in height and strength. What's so great about that? A bunch of simple-minded, muscle-bound guys. Are they trying to get the school's attention and a recommendation before graduation with such childish methods?"

"Hmph... Hmph... Don't be jealous. This is called natural talent. Their strength far exceeds ours. We can't afford to provoke them..."

"Who cares that their fathers are big shots in the Coal and Steel Federation!"

"What big shots? Pfft, just a guard captain in someone's household?"

"Being close to a big shot makes you a big shot too!"

"If it were me, I wouldn't give them anything. What the hell do they think they're doing!"

"Based on their ability to beat you up for a month after you leave the school, isn't that enough?"

As Zhang Tie's companions whispered, the students who had their plates taken away walked over, looking dejected. People looked at them with sympathy or indifference, but no one offered any words of comfort. This was something one had to learn to survive in the school, and it was also the reason the school deliberately put out fewer plates—everyone had to fight for their own survival. If you didn't fight for yourself, no one would fight for you. For those without strength, the world offered only two choices: either endure and survive, or suffer and break. There was no third way.

As those students passed by Zhang Tie, he noticed their defeated and embarrassed faces and thought about a question—what would he do if he were in their place? What if one day, those people were not after a plate but his wife? If his wife were Daina, what would he do? This thought made Zhang Tie's heart tighten, and he seemed to see Daina's face, filled with despair and tears. The young man's heart suddenly ached.

No...

A wild beast-like roar echoed in the young man's heart...

...

On the second floor of the cafeteria, which was the staff dining area, a few pairs of eyes watched the scene downstairs through thick glass partitions.

"A Level 2 Combat Soldier, that's too powerful for these kids. Gris alone can easily take on a dozen of them. At this age, his physique and strength are a huge advantage!"

"Gris's group only has four people, but there are hundreds of students in the queue. The school's efforts to teach these kids are only half successful. They've learned to compete and fight for their survival, but they haven't learned the other half, which is unity and cooperation..."

"That's the difference between humans and beasts. Even the weakest humans, when united, can fight against the strongest beasts..."

"Maybe they'll understand someday, but I doubt it will happen now..."

"Let's wait and see. Maybe someone will wake up down there!"

The voices behind the glass gradually became indistinct amidst the clinking of cutlery and the sound of chewing, and finally disappeared...

Zhang Tie ate his meager lunch without much taste, then queued up to wash his plate and utensils at the sink and returned them to the cafeteria. He felt a sense of emptiness, and the image of Daina's desperate, crying face kept appearing in his mind. He walked with his head down, lost in thought, and noticed his old, worn-out leather shoes with two patches. His mood sank even lower. Finally, as he walked past the small forest on the school grounds, Zhang Tie realized he had been surrounded by several people.

"Did you feel pretty good this morning when you played us?" Before Zhang Tie could react, a fist landed hard on his stomach, almost making him vomit his lunch. Zhang Tie bent over in pain, suddenly snapping out of his green, youthful thoughts. Damn, it's bad, how did they surround me? I noticed these guys looking at me with ill intent during class, but I forgot about what I did to them this morning. These thoughts flashed through Zhang Tie's mind in an instant.

"Beat him up!" As the voice reached his ears, Zhang Tie, still bent over, saw a pair of feet in front of him. Without thinking, he quickly grabbed the feet and pushed hard, causing a cry of surprise as the person was knocked to the ground. He then pounced, hitting the guy's nose while he was still dazed, causing him to fall backward. Zhang Tie followed up, pouncing on him...

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