Volume One, Chapter Two: Climbing the Mountain, Catching Mice

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“I need a blade, five meters long, thirty centimeters wide, with a spine five centimeters thick.”

“Buddy, this isn’t a knife shop, okay? Wait, what did you say? How long?”

The owner, who was about to take a sip of water at his desk, froze mid-motion, holding the cup awkwardly in the air—somewhat comical.

“Five meters.”

“Hey, don’t joke like that.”

The owner was fairly good-natured and didn’t lose his temper immediately. To most people, it would have seemed like a prank.

“Twenty thousand is okay, right? Here’s ten thousand as a deposit. I want your best alloy,” Zhang Wei said, pulling out a thick stack of cash.

No matter what you say, cash is the most convincing.

“Yours…” The owner looked at the cash in disbelief. Now he wasn’t sure anymore.

So this wasn’t a joke?

Why was he pulling out money?

“Can you make it?”

“We can, but we can’t put an edge on it here.”

Making an alloy blade wasn’t difficult or technically demanding; the real issue was the generous payment.

“As long as you can make it, no need to sharpen. I also need a shield, think of it as a steel door, also twenty thousand. Here’s ten thousand deposit for that,” Zhang Wei took out another ten thousand.

“Let me tell you the specific requirements…”

The owner remained silent, dumbfounded, while Zhang Wei explained his demands for the weapon and shield.

A few minutes later.

“So, can you do it?”

“Yes.”

“How many days to finish?”

“About a week or so.”

Zhang Wei frowned; a week was too long—by then, the mechanical civilization would have arrived and changed everything.

“No, that’s too slow. I can only give you three days. I’ll pay extra.” Zhang Wei pulled out another twenty thousand.

“No problem in this line of work.”

Three days to earn sixty thousand—what could be better?

“Good. If there are any issues, we’ll stay in touch.” Zhang Wei left his phone number and took the owner’s business card.

By the time Zhang Wei left the shop, night had fallen.

After some thought, he turned back home. He had some matters to recall carefully—after all, these events were from ten years ago, and many memories had grown hazy.

At home, after hastily eating something, Zhang Wei sank into thought.

“Right, there was a high-grade source crystal spotted in Chuan City when the mechanical civilization arrived. If I can get that source crystal…”

“The location is…”

“Xin Feng Mountain, the summit. No one knows the exact grade or type of the source crystal.”

“This source crystal must be obtained.”

Just then, Zhang Wei’s phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, a murderous aura instinctively surged within him, but he still answered.

“Wei Zi, where are you?”

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“At home,” Zhang Wei replied briefly, suppressing his anger.

“What’s the point of staying home? Come to Golden Classic, there are girls.”

“I’m not coming. Have fun yourself. Bye.”

“Ah? I’m telling you, my sister’s coming to see me in a couple of days. Don’t you want to…”

*Beep beep…*

Zhang Wei hung up, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

The caller was Han Xu, once considered a good brother and also Han Xiao’s younger brother.

The very person who had ended Zhang Wei’s life.

“She’s coming? She’s actually coming? No, it’s not time yet. I can’t kill her now.”

“Calm down!”

Zhang Wei silently urged himself to stay composed.

Yet his body still trembled beyond control.

He then blocked all of Han Xu’s contact information. He dared not see Han Xu, fearing he might lose control and stab him.

He dared even less to meet Han Xiao, because he might really kill her on sight.

...

Golden Classic KTV.

Han Xu stared blankly at his phone.

“That bastard. Did he know I wanted him to pay the bill? Pretending to be dead? And he says he likes my sister? I’ll introduce him to no one—ugh!”

“No, his behavior is unusual. He must be hiding something. I need to investigate.”

...

Three days later.

Zhang Wei’s long-awaited war blade and shield were completed.

After inspecting them personally, Zhang Wei paid the remaining twenty thousand without hesitation and had the workers load the two large items.

“Yes, this car. Just load them in.”

Under Zhang Wei’s direction, the workers put the items in the trunk without comment. To them, Zhang Wei was just a fool with too much money.

What was in the trunk?

If he wasn’t mistaken, it was a huge pile of mousetraps.

Even for a house infested with mice, a thousand mousetraps seemed excessive.

Zhang Wei said nothing. Although the war blade and shield looked unappealing, they would suffice for now.

After handing over the blade and shield, Zhang Wei called for a designated driver.

“Driver, can we go to Xin Feng Mountain?”

“No problem at all,” the driver said cheerfully—no doubt because Zhang Wei paid well.

After tossing his electric scooter into the back, he climbed into the cab.

Half an hour later, the heavy truck entered Xin Feng Mountain.

But Zhang Wei’s truck could only reach halfway up since there was no road beyond.

“Driver, just stop here.”

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“Stop here?” The driver was puzzled.

Xin Feng Mountain wasn’t very high and wasn’t a tourist spot; hardly anyone came. He couldn’t understand Zhang Wei’s actions.

He’d already seen the contents of the trunk.

In his mind, this young man must be here to catch mice.

But that hobby was a bit hard to understand.

“Yes, here is fine. Thanks.”

“No trouble at all. I’m off. If you want to leave, just call me.”

“Okay.”

Before leaving, the driver handed Zhang Wei a business card.

Zhang Wei casually dropped the card aside without even glancing at it—no need.

Then he looked up toward the summit.

“This should be the place. The source crystal will be at the top. Hopefully, nothing’s changed.”

Zhang Wei got out and began climbing, wanting to see the summit’s condition first.

Also, to scout for good mouse-catching spots.

However, as he ascended, his expression gradually turned stunned.

Not because there was anything remarkable at the summit, but because he saw a large mining operation.

“How did I forget this?” Zhang Wei smacked his forehead.

The mine was bustling with dust and activity.

“Chuan City Mining. The boss’s son is one of the future top ten war gods of the Dragon Nation, the absolute ruler of Chuan City.”

“No contest. His family is powerful. The mining dump trucks are registered under his name. His newborn mecha is even stronger than others’ advanced models.”

Zhang Wei felt a pang of envy.

If only his funds were sufficient, he’d get a dump truck too—even a secondhand one would do.

“Forget it, better not get involved with him for now.”

Actually, Zhang Wei could also try to acquire a dump truck. With the mechanical civilization, one person can only pilot one mecha. Those with multiple vehicles can only pilot one, while the others can be assigned to their juniors.

For example, Zhang Tao, heir of Chuan City Mining, can pilot one mecha himself, and assign other dump trucks to his younger brothers.

If Zhang Wei shamelessly became one of his juniors, he might get a mecha.

But then Zhang Tao would be his master, able to revoke his usage rights anytime.

That was definitely not what Zhang Wei wanted.

“The source crystal dropped at the summit—could it have been seized by Zhang Tao?”

“Excuse me, I didn’t mean to snatch your source crystal. Don’t come looking for trouble.”

“Wait—no, even if he has a dump truck, who knows who would cause trouble to whom? Or maybe I should become his junior?”

Zhang Wei’s eyes gleamed slightly.

Having a future top ten war god as a junior didn’t sound so bad after all.