Chapter 1

In Room 502 of Building 8 at the Capital Aerospace University, Li Xiang pushed open the door and walked in, holding a rocket model about half a meter tall.

"Huh, Old Four, what model is this rocket? I've never seen it before."

The one speaking was a chubby guy with glasses named Qiao Wenbo, who was the second oldest in Room 502.

Li Xiang placed the rocket model against the wall, pulled over a chair, and plopped down, saying, "This is our group's graduation project, a two-stage recoverable launch vehicle. Of course you've never seen it."

Qiao Wenbo stood up from his seat, crouched in front of the rocket model, and examined it for a while before saying with interest, "This model is really well-made, with good proportions and detailed craftsmanship. Where did you get it made? It must have cost a lot, right?"

"It didn't cost much at all. The materials are leftover scraps from the lab's rocket parts processing. We made it ourselves, a few of us in the group, over two weeks of our free time. It's a 1:30 scale replica, complete with fuel tanks, engines, steering mechanisms, and recovery systems. If you scale it up and add fuel, it could fly."

"But it's a collective effort of your group. How did you end up bringing it back here?"

"Now that the graduation project is done, the model isn't useful anymore. I plan to take it home and put it in my study as a decoration. After all, I studied aerospace vehicle design, and it would be nice to have something to remember it by."

"Old Four, are you really planning to go home and take over the family's clothing factory? Won't all the things you've learned over the past four years be wasted? And what about your internship report? The clothing industry has nothing to do with aerospace."

Li Xiang shrugged, saying helplessly, "I can't find a good job, what can I do? I've sent my resume to several state-owned enterprises and research institutes related to aerospace, but I haven't heard back from any of them. The private aerospace companies in the country are still in their infancy, and I don't want to work for them. So, I'll go home and take over my mom's clothing factory. As for the internship report, I'll write something about the application of new synthetic fabrics in aerospace. It should pass. What about you, Second Brother? You haven't even started sending out resumes or looking for a job. Are you planning to focus on preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam?"

Qiao Wenbo patted the thick English book in his hand and said, "Yes, I'm preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam next year. I've already contacted a mentor. As long as I meet the required score, I can get in. I'm just buried in my studies right now."

Li Xiang gave him a thumbs up and said, "Second Brother, you have a great attitude. From elementary school to university, it takes 18 years, and another three years for a master's degree. By the time you graduate, you'll be at least 27 or 28, and you'll have spent your best years studying."

...

While chatting with Qiao Wenbo, Li Xiang started to dismantle his desktop computer.

Qiao Wenbo saw his actions and asked curiously, "Old Four, why are you taking apart your computer? Do you plan to take it home with the model?"

Li Xiang kept working and answered casually, "Of course not. It's too big and heavy, and I might not even use it at home. When I came back to the dorm, I saw someone downstairs buying used computers. I plan to take this computer down and sell it."

"If I remember correctly, you bought this computer last year, and it cost over ten thousand yuan. You won't get much for it as a used item. Isn't that a big loss?"

"What can I do? I'll take the loss. It's too big to take on the high-speed train. If I send it by courier, the shipping cost alone would be over a hundred yuan, and it might get damaged during transport. It's better to sell it directly. Second Brother, give me a hand and help me carry the monitor downstairs."

"Alright, I'll carry the monitor. Wow, this thing is really heavy."

The person buying used computers downstairs was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a slightly worn blue work uniform and a tattered straw hat. He was squatting next to an electric tricycle, smoking a cigarette. If it weren't for the sign on the tricycle advertising the purchase of used computers, speakers, and printers, he would have looked like an old man collecting scrap.

Li Xiang placed the computer on the tricycle and said to the middle-aged man, "Boss, how much can you give for this computer? It has a 9th generation i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, a Colorful GTX2060 graphics card, and a 27-inch high-resolution monitor. The keyboard is a German mechanical one, and the mouse is a Logitech. They are all high-end products."

The middle-aged man didn't rush to give a price. Instead, he took out a small screwdriver from his pocket, skillfully unscrewed a few screws, opened the case, and checked each component one by one before saying, "The configuration is good, and all the components seem to be in order, right?"

"Of course, I was still using this computer to play games yesterday. What could be wrong with it?"

The middle-aged man reassembled the RAM, graphics card, and CPU cooler, paused for a moment, and said, "Alright, I won't test each component. It's too much trouble to connect it to power. Student, I'll give you 2500 yuan for this computer. What do you think?"

Before Li Xiang could say anything, Qiao Wenbo objected, "Boss, your price is too low. This computer has a high configuration and cost over ten thousand yuan when we bought it. It's only been used for less than a year, and it's already depreciated by 80%? That's ridiculous!"

"Student, computers and phones are electronic products that upgrade very quickly. As soon as a new model comes out, the previous generation's value drops significantly. I'm already giving you 2500 yuan, which is a good price. How about this, I'll add 300 more, making it 2800 yuan. What do you think?"

"2800 is still too low. Don't think we students don't know the market for used computers. A quick check on platforms like Xianyu and Zhuanzhuan shows everything clearly. The GTX2060 graphics card alone sells for at least a thousand yuan used. We won't sell the whole computer for less than 4000 yuan."

"Student, the prices you see online are often inflated. The actual transaction prices are much lower. How about this, I'll give you 3200 yuan for the whole computer. That's already a good price."

...

After a heated negotiation, the computer was finally sold for 3500 yuan. The middle-aged boss took out a stack of red bills from his waist pouch and counted out 35 of them, handing them to Li Xiang.

"Student, here's the money, exactly 3500 yuan."

Li Xiang took the money, about to say something, when a cold female voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "The total value of recycled items exceeds 10,000 yuan. The Multiverse Scavenging System has been activated. Time until spatial travel: 23:59:59."

The sudden voice startled Li Xiang. "Multiverse Scavenging System? What is this? Is it a golden finger, or am I hallucinating?"