Chapter 1

"Collecting scrap!"

Hao Meng rode his six-tenths new tricycle, wandering and shouting in the alleys of the old city. He was twenty-one this year, but he had been in this line of work for almost a year. In plain terms, Hao Meng was now a scrap collector.

"Scrap collector, do you want beverage bottles and cardboard?" A middle-aged man came out and asked.

Hao Meng grinned and said, "Sure, as long as it has value and can be recycled, I'll take it!"

"Then follow me home to pick it up!" The middle-aged man led him back.

Besides the cardboard and beverage bottles, there were also some old books. The middle-aged man said they were left by his grandfather, but had already been appraised and found to have no value. They were taking up space at home, so he decided to sell them. After all, they weren't worth much.

"Beep: A valuable, recyclable, and repairable 'item' has been found in the recycling station!"

A mechanical female voice clearly echoed in Hao Meng's mind.

Hao Meng's heart stirred, but he didn't show any excitement on his face. After settling the accounts and paying, he rode his tricycle out of the alley, found a deserted place, and with a wave of his hand, the scrap in the tricycle disappeared in an instant.

In a fully metal-structured, tens of thousands of square meters large, enclosed warehouse, these items were piled in one corner.

A transparent page appeared in Hao Meng's mind, similar to a game options box, with three golden characters clearly written: 'Recycling Station.' Below, there were three options: Sell, Repair, and Buy.

The huge warehouse was marked with gray, white, and green, indicating the names of the scrap items.

Beverage bottles (white): Recyclable materials, 1 gold coin (GB) per 100 kilograms.

Waste cardboard, books (gray): Recyclable materials, 1 gold coin (GB) per 500 kilograms.

The green item was among the pile of old books.

Finding the item and holding it in his hand, Hao Meng chuckled and muttered, "Good stuff!" His eyes were filled with greed as he looked at the green name.

'Oily Monkey Stamp' (green): Recyclable item, has some value, recycling price 45 gold coins, can be repaired.

Hao Meng had already experimented with this. Any item placed in the 'Recycling Station' warehouse could theoretically be repaired, but many items had little repair value. For example, a pen, a book, or a piece of paper, if damaged and unusable, could be repaired for a certain amount of gold coins and then used again.

45 gold coins?

Hao Meng's face lit up with joy. This was enough for him to work hard for many days. After all, 500 kilograms of cardboard could only sell for 1 gold coin.

However, this was the first time the 'Recycling Station' had alerted him to a valuable item. Hao Meng naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to sell it to the system. Valuable items should be repaired and then sold.

The oily monkey stamp was not a single stamp but a small set of four, tucked in an old book. It was covered in black stains, and one wouldn't notice it was a stamp without a closer look.

"How many gold coins does it cost to repair the 'Oily Monkey Stamp'?"

"Beep: 15 gold coins!"

Hao Meng frowned. 15 gold coins was not a small amount for him. He would have to use all his savings to gather enough!

After some thought, he pedaled his tricycle back.

At the outskirts of the city, Hao Meng rented a house with a large yard. The rent was 7,800 yuan per year, which he considered his temporary home. The scrap he had collected was neatly stacked in the yard.

Hao Meng was a native of Shicheng, and his family's conditions were neither good nor bad. His father and stepmother were both employed, but Hao Meng had grown up with his grandfather. When his grandfather passed away, Hao Meng was already over 18 and began living alone. To put it mildly, his relationship with his family was somewhat distant.

When Hao Meng said he wanted to be a 'Scrap King,' it stunned all his friends.

As for the 'Recycling Station System' in his mind, it entered his body a week ago. It was a black, coal-like object, very hard, but he didn't know what kind of crystal it was. At first, Hao Meng thought it was glass, but later... it accidentally drilled into his body.

The huge warehouse, tens of thousands of square meters large, was on Hao Meng's middle finger. It was similar to storage rings and belts in games, used for storing items, but this wasn't a storage ring. The 'Recycling Station' had transformed it into a 'Storage Finger.'

After the initial unease, anxiety, and excitement, Hao Meng had gradually adapted to the existence of the 'Recycling Station' system over the past week.

"Take a risk, and a bicycle can turn into a motorcycle!" Hao Meng muttered, putting all the scrap in the yard into the 'warehouse.'

"Sell!"

"Beep: Congratulations, you have received 26 gold coins."

"Beep: Your transaction amount exceeds 30 gold coins. We will give you a free item. Please check your inventory!"

A prize?

Hao Meng looked into the warehouse and saw a shiny object. With a thought, the item appeared in his palm: a small disposable syringe containing about 3 grams of purple liquid.

Basic Gene Improvement Agent (Gift): Quantity 1. Effect: Improves the user's physical condition, increases strength, speed, reaction, and brain memory coordination. Note: This product is technologically mature and has no side effects. Use with confidence!

Hao Meng's intuition told him that this 'gene agent' was a good thing, even though it was a gift.

For the moment, he ignored it. Selling all his possessions and adding the six gold coins he already had, his total assets in the recycling station reached 32 gold coins.

"Repair the monkey stamp!"

"Beep: Repairing 'Oily Monkey Stamp' will cost 15 gold coins. Do you want to pay?"

"Yes!"

"Beep: Repair complete!"

The 32 gold coins automatically became 17 gold coins, with 15 gold coins deducted by the 'Recycling Station.'

Four brand new monkey stamps appeared in Hao Meng's hand, with no wrinkles or defects, in perfect condition, and absolutely rare treasures.

Hao Meng thought for a moment and tried to recycle the monkey stamps again.

"Beep: Four-leaf monkey stamp, value 150 gold coins. Do you want to sell?"

"No!"

Hao Meng directly chose no, looked up at the sun, and chuckled. With the 'Recycling Station' in his possession, could his good days be far away? 15 gold coins for repair, and the price directly multiplied by ten, selling for three times the original price. This was all money!

The Treasure Temple Antique and Art Market!

Hao Meng first bought a stamp album from a regular stall, carefully placed the four-leaf monkey stamp inside, and then walked in.

Yuanbao Hall, the owner was a fat man in his thirties with small eyes and a smile that wasn't unpleasant, attracting customers into the store.

"Boss, do you collect monkey stamps?" Hao Meng walked in, asked the owner, and then pulled the fat man aside to ask quietly.

The fat man's eyes sparkled, and he nodded with a smile, "Of course, why wouldn't we? Little brother, do you have monkey stamps to sell?"

"Four-leaf, give me a price!" Hao Meng directly opened the stamp album and revealed the monkey stamps inside.

When he walked out of Yuanbao Hall, Hao Meng had 50,000 yuan in cash.

"Ring ring..."

Hao Meng's phone rang. He took it out and saw an unmarked number. He didn't know who was calling.

"Hello, is this Mr. Hao?" The voice was soft and pleasant to hear.

Hao Meng was taken aback and replied, "Yes, who are you?"

"I saw your information online. I have some scrap to sell. Can you come over? There's quite a bit!"

Hao Meng, hearing about a 'job,' immediately smiled, "Sure, send me the address, and I'll come right away." As a modern scrap collector, Hao Meng's business couldn't be limited to just wandering the streets. His principle was to collect any item with recyclable value.

Of course, this kind of business had only started recently. Hao Meng had posted many ads on local websites, QQ groups, and social media.

The address given was near the city center, in a high-end residential area. In the past, Hao Meng might have been a bit hesitant, but now, with 50,000 yuan in his pocket, he was in high spirits and rode his tricycle, humming a tune, to the location.

As a first-tier city, Shicheng's housing prices were not much different from other places. A high-end residential area near the city center would cost at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per square meter, so it was safe to say that the people living there were wealthy.

"Hey, do you know where you are? Don't just barge in here." Hao Meng was stopped by a security guard at the entrance of the residential area.

"Brother, I was called by a resident!"

"Called by a resident? What do you do?"

"I collect scrap!" Hao Meng smiled, feeling no shame or embarrassment in his profession. He earned his living with his own hands, neither stealing nor robbing. What was there to be ashamed of?

"Collect scrap? You can't come in here. This place is for high-ranking officials and wealthy people. How can a smelly scrap collector just walk in?" The security guard, not much older than Hao Meng, sneered and mocked him, as if his own profession was noble and prestigious.

"From your accent, you're a local, right? Why look down on scrap collectors?" Hao Meng looked at him and asked with a smile.

Before the security guard could speak,

"Business needs, didn't come in a luxury car. Don't put your eyes on your forehead. Talking nonsense can get you killed, you know? What's wrong with being a scrap collector? Are scrap collectors not people? I'm in a good mood today, so I won't argue with you." Hao Meng said, opened his old shoulder bag, and showed a stack of new banknotes. He took out two and threw them at the security guard, "Take the money and get lost. It's a tip, damn it!"

Then he calmly rode his tricycle into the residential area.

The security guard was stunned and didn't dare to stop him again.

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End of the page.