Chapter 2

Every morning, the villagers would go up the mountain to cut bamboo. It was during one of these bamboo-cutting sessions that they found Chang Ming hanging from a bamboo branch and brought him back.

Chang Ming had slept for a whole day and night, and now it was time to go up the mountain to cut bamboo again. He sat on the slope by the mountain path, holding the wrench his grandfather had left him, silent and deep in thought.

His parents had long since divorced and each had their own family; he had no ties to the world he came from. However, in this new, unfamiliar world, he needed to start over, to adapt and survive.

But was this world really the place where his dreams could come true?

As he pondered this, he suddenly heard hurried and loud footsteps coming from the other end of the mountain path.

Chang Ming turned around and saw a strange mechanical vehicle. At first glance, it looked like a cylinder with eight long metal legs. The vehicle walked on the mountain path with large, steady steps, looking rather comical but also fast and stable.

It was clearly designed for mountain climbing, but the ride inside must be quite bumpy, right?

The mechanical vehicle walked to the village entrance and stopped. The door on the cylinder's outer wall opened, and four people got out. The first two had pale faces and took a while to look at the village. One of them, a middle-aged man with a round face and a slight build, asked, "Is this Jinzhu Village?"

The person behind him, a thin and short man, nodded and said, "Yes, the Lian family mostly collects the golden silk here."

The round-faced man's expression changed slightly. "They only sell to the Lian family?"

The thin man nodded. "I think so... hehe."

Oh no, they're here to cause trouble!

There were only four of them, so they couldn't possibly take on the whole village. But Chang Ming had heard them mention the "Qi family and Lian family." If they had backing, the villagers might be in trouble!

Chang Ming stood up, intending to go to the village to warn them. As soon as he moved, they noticed him.

He wasn't wearing the clothes of this world when he arrived, but he had changed soon after waking up. Even so, his appearance was completely different from the villagers. After all, the villagers were constantly exposed to the elements, and few had skin as smooth and tender as his.

His appearance gave them a different idea. They exchanged glances, and the round-faced man walked over and smiled. "You're not from around here, right? What brings you to such a remote mountain?"

Chang Ming laughed and said, "I just arrived, just taking a look around, hehe. I wonder what brings you here?"

The two men exchanged glances again, and the round-faced man said, "We are from the Qi family in Zihua Town. We came here to do some business with the villagers."

Chang Ming said, "I've only been here for a short time. For business, you should talk to the village chief. I'm just a guest. How about I go and inform the village chief for you?"

The slightly plump middle-aged man bowed and said, "That would be very kind of you, sir."

Chang Ming also made a random bow, patted his buttocks, and walked leisurely toward the village. As soon as he was out of their sight, he started running, rushed to the village chief's house, and whispered, "Uncle Village Chief, it's bad, someone is here to cause trouble!"

The village chief was about sixty years old, with gray hair and a beard, and had high prestige in the village. He had been feeling unwell recently and was still in bed when Chang Ming arrived. Hearing Chang Ming's words, his face changed, and he exclaimed, "The Qi family! Why would they come here? Did something happen in Zihua City?"

Chang Ming was a bit confused, and the village chief explained, "The Qi family and the Lian family are the two major families in Zihua City. Their relationship is somewhat tense, and they have constant disputes, but they've never really come to blows. Our Jinzhu Village has been doing business with the Lian family, and they come to collect the golden silk at the end of each month."

The village chief's throat itched, and he couldn't help but cough violently.

Chang Ming quickly got a cup of water and patted him for a long time, finally helping the village chief stop coughing.

The village chief said, "We want to be fair, but the production of golden silk is limited each month, just enough to supply the Lian family. If we take care of one side, we can't take care of the other, so we have to rely on one family for now..."

Chang Ming scratched his head and said, "That does sound a bit troublesome."

The village chief shook his head and said, "No matter what, since they've come to our door, we have to see what they want."

Chang Ming followed the village chief out of the door. The four people had already entered the village and parked their mechanical vehicle in the central drying field. This was where the villagers dried the golden bamboo they cut in the morning. The Qi family people parked their vehicle there, damaging several bamboo poles. The villagers were very upset, and a few wanted to confront them, but they were held back by others.

Everyone was waiting for the village chief to resolve the situation.

Chang Ming followed the village chief over, and the four people's gazes swept over them—no, their gazes were different from before!

Earlier, they had spoken to Chang Ming politely, but now their eyes were filled with obvious hostility and disdain.

They had already inquired about Chang Ming's background from the villagers and learned that he wasn't the important person they thought he was. The round-faced man remained calm, but the thin and short man was angry. Damn, just a nobody from the countryside, who doesn't even know what a mechanical engineer is, and he scared me! Luckily, I asked more questions; otherwise, being scared off by such a fool would be embarrassing!

As for whether he had misjudged or if Chang Ming had intentionally deceived him, he was used to being in charge in Zihua City and wouldn't bother to care.

But knowing that Chang Ming had no background, the round-faced man's expression also turned cold. He said rudely, "You old man, you're the village chief? You've been supplying the Lian family with golden silk for years. Don't you think you're ignoring us Qi family?"

The village chief coughed lightly and said, "Sir, you may not know, but the production of golden silk is not easy..."

Before he could finish, the middle-aged man interrupted, "Stop talking nonsense. Where is the golden bamboo forest? Take us there!"

The village chief was taken aback and said, "The bamboo forest is behind the mountain, but even though the golden bamboo is ready, the process of making golden silk is complex..."

He was interrupted again, "Stop making excuses, take us there now!"

Chang Ming stepped forward and said, "What's the point of having more bamboo if it can't be processed and used..."

Before he could finish, the thin and short man suddenly slapped him hard! Along with the slap, a voice full of contempt shouted, "When the masters are talking, what place is there for a little brat to speak?"

The slap came suddenly, swift as lightning. Chang Ming's reaction was already quite fast, but he still couldn't dodge it. The tips of the fingers grazed half of his face, causing a burning pain. Soon, that half of his face swelled up.

He wiped his mouth, and his hand was full of blood. He hadn't had time to clench his teeth when he was hit, and his teeth had bitten his tongue, filling his mouth with the taste of blood. In his entire life, including his previous one, Chang Ming had never suffered such a humiliation. He was furious and roared, "I'll be damned!" He turned around and rushed forward, pulling out a heavy object from his pocket and smashing it toward the man's head!

The Qi family people were used to getting their way in Zihua City, and no one had ever dared to challenge them. They had never expected that a little brat like this would dare to fight back.

This overconfidence cost the man who hit Chang Ming. What did Chang Ming have in his hand? Of course, it was his grandfather's multi-purpose wrench!

An eighth-level technician's wrench was not a cheap tool; it was made of solid material and felt heavy in his hand. The blow to the back of the man's head made him stagger forward, his head ringing, and blood immediately flowed down his face.

When the man came to his senses, he was furious. He slapped his left hand on his right arm, and a ring on his hand glowed. Then, a grayish light enveloped his hand, spreading to his arm, and soon covered his entire forearm.

The gray light dissipated, and Chang Ming was shocked. The man's right arm was covered in a steel shell, with sharp steel claws extending from the gaps between his fingers, gleaming with a menacing light. It looked like a weapon!

Wolverine?

Damn, this doesn't look good!

But he wasn't about to give up. He sneered, "Damn, your head is pretty hard!"

As he said this, he raised the wrench, ready to fight, when the round-faced man suddenly pulled the "Wolverine" back and stared at Chang Ming's wrench, saying, "Wait!"

The man's face was covered in blood, and his head must have hurt more than Chang Ming's face. He protested, "Second Manager, he hit me like this!"

The slightly plump Second Manager scolded, "Shut up, can't you see what he's holding?"

The man wiped his face, looking even more ferocious. He saw the wrench in Chang Ming's hand and gasped, "A mechanical tool?!"

The Second Manager became even more serious and asked, "Who is your master?"

My master? I don't have a master. Are you talking about my grandfather? He's not from this world.

Chang Ming was taken aback but quickly thought.

I heard that mechanical engineers have a high status in this world? This wrench is professional-grade, and they must have mistaken it for a top-notch mechanical engineer's tool. I don't look that impressive, so they must think I'm his apprentice...

That's right, it must be that!

He sneered, "My master isn't here. What, are you going to take advantage of me while he's away?"

This provocation made the other side even more cautious. The Second Manager pulled the small man behind him and said with a smile, "Misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding! I'm truly sorry, we mistook you for someone else... We accidentally hurt you, and you retaliated. How about we just let it go?"

Chang Ming knew he couldn't show weakness at this moment. The more resolute he was, the more uncertain they would be. He coldly laughed, "Hehe, just like that, and I'm the one who started it and am in the wrong?"

The Second Manager's attitude became even more humble, "I'm truly sorry. How about this, we have ten silver coins here, as compensation for your medical expenses?"

Ten silver coins? Chang Ming said unhappily, "You think I'm a beggar?"

The Second Manager looked distressed, "We left in a hurry and didn't bring much... We only have fifty silver coins in total, but our intention to apologize is sincere..."

Chang Ming glanced at the villagers' expressions. They all had wide eyes, and when they heard about fifty silver coins, they looked incredulous. Hmm? Could fifty silver coins be a lot of money in this world?

He coughed and said, "Tsk, trying to get rid of me with such a small amount... Fine, I'll take that thing too, fifty silver coins for fifty silver coins!"

He pointed, and it was the ring on the small man's hand!

The small man's face fell, and his eyes were full of pain.

The Second Manager, however, smiled. He subtly pinched the small man and said, "Alright, no harm, no foul, let's be friends! This Mad Tiger Ring is a token of our goodwill!"

Under the Second Manager's stern gaze, the small man reluctantly took off the ring and handed it to Chang Ming.

Chang Ming tossed it in his hand and said, "I don't really want this broken ring, just a reminder for you to be more polite to strangers. You never know when you might kick a hard stone."

The Second Manager nodded in agreement, smiled, and asked the village chief a few more questions about the golden bamboo. Learning that the production was limited, he didn't press further and left with his people.

As soon as they left the village, the small man said unhappily, "Second Manager, your style is too cautious. So what if the guy's master is a high-level mechanical engineer? He's not even here, and we're scared like this?"

The Second Manager's face darkened, his eyes full of malice. He said, "Hmph, do I need you to tell me my style? That guy is bullying us with his master's name, which is truly hateful! But that wrench is not simple. If it really belongs to a high-level mechanical engineer, we can make a friend with fifty silver coins and a Mad Tiger Ring, which is worth it. If he's just bluffing..." He glanced at the small man and sneered, "Getting the Mad Tiger Ring back would be a piece of cake."

The small man was convinced and said with a grin, "As expected of the Second Manager, you think things through!"

The Second Manager thought for a moment and instructed someone behind him, "Tell the Fulin Group to keep a close eye on this village and find out this guy's background. If he really has a high-level mechanical engineer as a master, let it be. If he's just bluffing... he needs to know that the Qi family isn't easy to take advantage of!"

He paused and added, "Besides this guy, we need to be more cautious about the matter we heard about earlier!"

***

As soon as those people left, Chang Ming's face turned even colder.

He knew that he had only intimidated them by pretending to have a powerful master. But he couldn't have done otherwise; the slap was not just humiliating, and the round-faced man's gaze was full of probing.

He had seen such gazes many times in his previous career. They would use various methods to probe your weaknesses, and once they found a way to exploit you, they would not hesitate to do so.

Back then, the loss might have been just money. Now, that slap made it clear to him that in this world of the strong preying on the weak, it could cost him his life!

Now that they had suffered a loss, would they just let it go?

There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Chang Ming knew this was just the beginning.

This was a strange world, and he had just arrived with no foundation.

Putting aside other thoughts, in such a world, how could he survive without the ability to protect himself?

He touched his face, which was still burning.

For survival, to avoid such humiliation again, he had to become a mechanical engineer—

A powerful mechanical engineer!

***

The first task of a new book is to climb the rankings. I need clicks, favorites, and recommendations! Goal: New Book Rankings!

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