Chapter Sixteen: The Million-Dollar Debtor of the Mechanical Recycling District

Accompanied by the roar of machinery, Su Wen began his first formal session with the game.

The background of the scene was a vast, azure sky, against which a cluster of recycling machinery, constructed from countless yellow and black striped beams, loomed. The game’s protagonist was clad in a heavy, fully-enclosed work suit.

【Congratulations, Recycler No. SLT-3701. Due to your physical fitness passing the assessment, you have been successfully selected for the BHX Zone Scrap Machinery Recycling Project.】
【Due to the 'Island Relic Point Electromagnetic Burst' incident that occurred one year ago, a large quantity of mechanical waste was discarded.】
【Schlott Group has currently purchased the usage rights for this mechanical waste.】
【All you need to do is recover as much valuable material as possible, and we will credit your account with the corresponding funds.】
【Note: To protect the rights and interests of our employees, Schlott Group has thoughtfully introduced the 'Prosthetic Modification Program': Whether it is an exoskeleton implant or a mechanical arm replacement, you may replace your parts at a discounted price should your body suffer irreversible damage.】

"So, the coastal 'Island Relic' buffer zone in the BHX area was contracted out by Schlott Heavy Industries. No wonder they’re so arrogant, demanding sixteen hours of labor a day."

Su Wen often kept up with the news. He was well aware of the electromagnetic burst at the Island Relic a year ago. At the time, several tech companies had dispatched exploration teams, but when the crisis suddenly erupted, those high-precision scientific marvels were all reduced to scrap metal. Although exploration of the Island Relic had since restarted, the buffer zone remained in place.

Naturally, the Binhai New District was nearly seventy or eighty kilometers away from the old city, so even the electromagnetic explosion a year ago had no impact on his living environment.

【Good morning, Recycler SLT-3701, please start your recycling work.】

As the mechanical prompt sounded, Su Wen examined his surroundings on the computer screen. It was a cramped, dilapidated workshop. To his left was an employee terminal resembling an old-fashioned computer, used for purchasing and upgrading recycling tools and protective gear. To his right was a rusty, open-concept kitchen, with a dark gray, industrial-style pipe running above it. Not far away, a door with a sign likely marked the office area.

The deafening roar of massive machinery echoed in the background, a cacophony of countless fans and engines running simultaneously. Su Wen finally understood the line in the contract slave agreement: "I am capable of accepting long-term work in high-decibel mechanical noise."

He listened for only a moment before his brain felt like it was about to explode. He hurriedly turned down the volume. Fortunately, he was using a computer terminal; if this had been a full-sensory experience, he would have likely been driven to cyber-psychosis within two hours and locked away by the Mental Review Bureau.

【Alert: As the recycler is currently in a mild Cohen radiation field, please ensure you are wearing your protective equipment to avoid mutation.】

This was clearly the tutorial phase. Following the game’s prompts, Su Wen searched the shabby employee terminal:
【LT-1 Polymer Isolation Protective Suit, Price: 10,000 credits】

He looked at the earthy-gray, bloated astronaut suit on the screen. Calling it "second-hand" would have been a compliment. *How are they not just robbing me? How much starting capital do I have again?*

Su Wen checked his personal savings in the top right corner: 0.

The next second, before he could even browse other options, the terminal emitted a static-filled alert:
【Because the recycler has not yet purchased protective gear, the terminal has automatically processed the purchase for you.】
【Your current total income: negative 50,000 credits. Please work hard to become the wealthiest Schlott employee.】

At this rate, he was only going to become the most "indebted" Schlott employee.

【Game Tip: You currently require a multi-functional disassembly gun, a tractor beam, and a high-pressure cleaning water gun as your recycling tool kit.】
【The corresponding funds have been deducted.】
【Your current total income: negative 376,000 credits. Please work hard to become the wealthiest Schlott employee.】

He hadn't even been on the job for half an hour, and Su Wen was already realizing just how black-hearted this "black-hearted" company could be. But he didn't expect that this wasn't even the bottom line for Schlott Heavy Industries.

【Please begin your recycling work.】
【Current Recycling Zone: Empty】
【Based on your Recycler Level, you may currently dismantle and recycle three types of scrap machinery:】
【1. California, USA 'Ray-Angton' Explorer Yacht.】
【2. Isaiah Tech Small Environmental Purification Drone.】
【3. Schmidt Heavy Industries Marine Relic Excavator.】

Su Wen could view the details of these three types of machinery through the terminal. The Explorer Yacht was about three meters wide and six meters long, with a flexible impact-resistant shell; because of the electromagnetic burst, the shell was largely intact, but beyond the power unit, the internal circuitry was mostly destroyed. The Isaiah Tech drone had its lighting module and drone wing segments well-preserved. As for the Schmidt Heavy Industries Marine Relic Excavator, it was the most wrecked of the lot. Although large tech companies were known for ignoring labor laws, Schlott Heavy Industries was even more extreme, exploiting their employees to the bone—let alone their machinery. Perhaps only the drill bit and a few scattered internal structures were salvageable.

With that, Su Wen selected an Isaiah Tech Small Environmental Purification Drone to begin his work.

【Game Tip: Abandoned machinery 'Isaiah Tech Small Environmental Purification Drone B303' has been allocated to you.】
【The corresponding funds have been deducted from your account.】
【Your current total income: negative 1,676,000 credits. Please work hard to become the wealthiest Schlott employee.】
【Friendly Tip: The selling price of the functional components you dismantle will count toward your income.】

He now understood how this wretched company turned a profit: all risks and liabilities were offloaded onto the recyclers, while they collected their money regardless. However, this was a link in the "future timeline." Su Wen understood that this would surely have a critical impact on the development of subsequent events.

He pushed open the door to the old workshop. After passing through a disinfection chamber that sprayed low-quality atomized gas, he stepped into the open work area. The scene shifted into a massive cyberpunk landscape. Twisted piles of machinery were stacked into mountains of scrap, seven or eight meters high, along the coastal buffer zone. Under the clear sunlight, the rusted metal salvaged from the seabed shimmered with a dull, eerie light.

In the recycling yard, a large mechanical arm had already deposited a small drone. Su Wen equipped his multi-functional disassembly gun, tractor beam, and high-pressure water gun. Dressed in the heavy, archaic astronaut-style protective suit that left him completely unrecognizable, and with his current "income" of negative 1.676 million displayed in the corner, he began his work.