Chapter 4 of 100
Chapter 4
5 min read1,349 words
Lu Xin saw a nail on the ground. The nail was five centimeters long, with the sharp end pointing up, and it was extremely sharp, potentially causing injury. He quickly bent down to pick it up.
A few days ago, he had hurt his back while helping to move alloy products. It still hurt a bit when he bent down. As he stared at the nail, a thought flashed through his mind: How nice it would be if the nail could automatically jump into his palm.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, something strange happened. When his hand was still more than forty centimeters away from the nail, the nail jumped into his palm on its own.
Holding the nail, Lu Xin could clearly discern that its purity was low, with too many impurities and a sparse molecular density, indicating that it was made from recycled iron. Despite this, the nail was still hard enough to pierce through a person's foot.
Lu Xin realized that this might be the third characteristic of his metal control ability: the ability to move metal with his mind.
He focused his mind, staring at the nail in his hand, and thought, "This nail should be placed on the table next to me." As soon as this thought appeared, the nail zipped over to the table.
Lu Xin was overjoyed and continued to use his mental power to move other metal parts around the lab. He didn't care if the surveillance cameras above recorded his actions, as Li Li, who had intended to harm him, had surely turned them off.
Just as he was enjoying himself, the door to the high-entropy alloy lab suddenly opened, and Li Li, the team leader of the maintenance crew, entered with two mechanics.
Li Li had heard a thud an hour ago and assumed that Lu Xin had fallen into the furnace and been reduced to ashes. To his shock, Lu Xin was standing there unharmed. He was so startled that he wondered if Lu Xin was a ghost!
Lu Xin noticed Li Li's panicked look and quickly reviewed the events of the afternoon. It was clear that the lubricating oil on the foot pedal above the furnace and the remote opening of the furnace lid were both Li Li's doing, intended to harm him.
Lu Xin wanted to grab Li Li by the neck and demand an explanation, but he knew that such a confrontation would be futile. After all, he was just a newly graduated college student and a mechanic, with little influence. Li Li could easily turn the tables, accusing him of making false accusations.
Lu Xin quickly assessed the situation. He couldn't expose Li Li on the spot, but he needed to find out the real reason behind Li Li's actions and find an opportunity to take revenge. He forced a harmless smile and said, "Team Leader, there's oil on the foot pedal, and the furnace lid suddenly opened. I was afraid of falling, so I didn't go up. You should fix it."
Realizing that Lu Xin hadn't climbed up, Li Li calmed down. He wanted to ask why he had heard a thud earlier but feared arousing Lu Xin's suspicion. He glared at Lu Xin coldly, "If everyone were as cowardly as you, how could we carry out our maintenance work? How could our equipment function properly? You're a college graduate, and you lack this basic awareness!"
"Damn, you're clearly trying to kill me, and you're spouting such high-minded principles. How shameless!" Lu Xin suppressed his anger and stood aside, watching coldly as Li Li repaired the temperature control device.
Li Li used the remote control to close the furnace lid and wiped off the lubricating oil on the foot pedal before slowly climbing up to start repairing the temperature control device.
Lu Xin, standing one meter away from the temperature control device, could clearly sense the movement of all the metal components inside. It was evident that the device was in perfect condition, confirming his suspicion that Li Li had deliberately tried to harm him.
Li Li pretended to open the cover of the temperature control device, tightened a few screws, and then closed the cover. He looked down at Lu Xin and sneered, "You're a college graduate, and you can't even handle such a simple task. You're a waste of space!"
Lu Xin wanted to curse at him, "Damn your mother," but then thought, "Li Li is in his forties, so his mother must be in her sixties. Too old, no appetite. I'll curse his wife instead!"
As Li Li was about to climb down, Lu Xin saw the nail on the table. The nail was five centimeters long and extremely sharp. If it were to land under Li Li's foot, it would certainly give him a taste of his own medicine.
Lu Xin focused his mind, staring at the nail on the table. The nail moved according to his thoughts and appeared under Li Li's foot just as he was about to land.
Despite wearing thick-soled safety shoes, Li Li, a 200-pound man, could not avoid the nail when he jumped down from the furnace. The sharp tip of the nail pierced through his safety shoe and into his foot, causing blood to instantly soak his shoe.
"Ouch!" Li Li collapsed to the ground, wailing.
He glared at Lu Xin angrily, "Damn, who put the nail there!" Among the three mechanics present, he suspected Lu Xin the most, but since his attempt to harm Lu Xin had failed and there was no evidence, he could only glare at him.
Lu Xin ignored Li Li's venomous gaze and said calmly, "The people in this lab are really careless. They ignore the 5S principles of organization, tidiness, cleaning, cleanliness, and discipline. They leave nails lying around. Team Leader, you should report them to the factory manager and make them pay for your injury!"
The other mechanics chimed in, "Lu Xin is right. Team Leader, report them and make them pay!"
Li Li glared at Lu Xin with hatred and cursed, "What a lousy idea! This is a key laboratory of the group, and everyone here has a higher status than us. Reporting them is pointless! Just consider it an accident. Damn, what are you standing there for? Help me to the medical room!"
Lu Xin's anger intensified. "Damn, you tried to harm me first, and now you're being rude. I'll get you back when the opportunity arises."
Li Li, not trusting Lu Xin, had the other two mechanics support him as they walked to the medical room. Lu Xin, thinking of another chance to get back at Li Li, followed them diligently.
At the medical room, Lu Xin wanted to go in, but Li Li glared at him, "Unlucky guy, wait outside!"
The female factory doctor, looking elegant in her white coat, removed Li Li's safety shoes and socks. She found that the thick soles of the safety shoes had prevented the nail from piercing through his entire foot. She pulled out the nail and tossed it onto a table by the window, then disinfected the wound, applied medicine, and bandaged it.
Seeing the beautiful female doctor, Li Li's thoughts became lively. He wanted to stay in the medical room longer and had the two mechanics help him sit down on a chair.
Lu Xin, outside the window, focused his mental power on the nail on the table but found that he couldn't control it through the glass.
At that moment, the beautiful female doctor, annoyed by the strong smell of cigarettes from Li Li and the two mechanics, frowned and opened the window. Lu Xin's mental power reached through the window, and he controlled the nail, which instantly moved to the chair.
Li Li, wary after his previous experience, checked the chair before sitting down. Finding no nail, he sat down confidently.
"Ouch! My butt!" The five-centimeter-long, sharp nail pierced through his safety pants and stabbed him in the perineum between his anus and genitals.
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