After dinner, Chen Ci cleaned up the dishes, wiped them dry with kitchen paper, and neatly placed them in the cupboard.

He gave the kitchen a quick once-over, then tried mopping the living room floor. Finally, he stood at the entryway with a mop in hand, one hand on his hip, and let out a long sigh.

Housework was more tiring than he’d expected.

Thankfully, Chen Ci was in excellent shape, so he didn’t feel exhausted—just a little sore.

He had cleaned every reachable spot in the house. Standing in the living room, looking at the now sparkling space, he felt a genuine sense of accomplishment.

A whole new experience.

After washing the mop and putting everything back, it was time to head out.

He got dressed, pulled on a mask, tugged his cap low over his eyes, and headed to the station.

Half an hour later, Chen Ci got off on the southern side of the 13th Information Processing Zone.

Familiar with the route, he weaved through the low-slung sheds and arrived at Fu Tianhe’s place. Lifting the thick plastic curtain, he slipped inside.

Fu Tianhe hadn’t returned from work yet, but he should be back soon.

Chen Ci sat quietly on the couch, which had been covered with a clean towel, and waited patiently.

Sure enough, Fu Tianhe walked in about ten minutes later.

Seeing that familiar figure again, he was no longer surprised like the first few times. Fu Tianhe carried a grocery bag, set it on the workbench, and smiled at Chen Ci. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Chen Ci shook his head.

Fu Tianhe took off his jacket and pulled out a small packaged cake from the bag. “I got you something. Not sure if you like this sort of thing.”

Chen Ci walked over to take a look. The palm-sized cream cake was topped with freshly sliced strawberries—something Fu Tianhe probably assumed an Omega would like.

Chen Ci wasn’t hungry and rarely ate sweets, but when Fu Tianhe carefully unwrapped the packaging with clean hands and offered it to him, he still accepted it.

Lowering his gaze, he stared at the cake for a few seconds and took a small bite.

The cream was overly sweet, and the texture wasn’t smooth—it didn’t compare at all to the pastries he usually had.

But Chen Ci still took a second bite.

Since he didn’t say he disliked it, Fu Tianhe relaxed. He poured some water for Chen Ci—he had specifically stocked paper cups since realizing Chen Ci might drop by unexpectedly.

Despite not being hungry, Chen Ci finished the whole cake and ended up a little full.

“Have you eaten?” he asked Fu Tianhe.

“Yeah, I had dinner at the staff cafeteria.” Fu Tianhe was wiping down the workbench while mentally reviewing where they’d left off in yesterday’s lesson.

Chen Ci learned frighteningly fast. His grasp and understanding of technical concepts were jaw-droppingly efficient. In just a few days, he could already program the machine to manufacture parts that met Fu Tianhe’s standards.

Last night, Fu Tianhe had dug out a book he’d used ages ago. Its corners were worn like soggy pickled greens, but he carefully patched it up so it wouldn’t fall apart at the slightest touch.

It had been his very first reference book. Over the last decade, Fu Tianhe had crossed oceans, traveling from one beacon to the next, relocating from place to place, never settling down—but always carrying this book.

He’d never had formal schooling. All his engineering knowledge came from self-study, developing a unique system over years of hands-on work and constant refinement.

Now, he was passing this memory-laden book to someone else. It was emotional, but not hard to let go.

Because Fu Tianhe knew—Jiu Yue would cherish it for him. Probably even more than he had.

“This is the book I used when I first started learning.” He handed it to Chen Ci. “You can look at it when you’re free at home. I’ve made some notes in it—they’re a little faint, but if anything’s unclear, just message me.”

“Okay.” Chen Ci took the book. From its patched-up appearance, he could tell it had been around for quite a while. In a world still ravaged by a millennia-long flood disaster, paper books were extremely rare due to the scarcity of wood.

He carefully placed it in his shoulder bag, making sure the corners wouldn’t get bent.

Since he’d started studying with Fu Tianhe, Chen Ci had been carrying this small crossbody bag, handy for storing parts and tools.

Fu Tianhe had created a study plan for him. According to the schedule, today they were supposed to look for new components.

Noticing that Chen Ci hadn’t resisted “treasure-hunting” at the junkyard these past few days, Fu Tianhe didn’t hold back anymore. He straightforwardly said, “Come on, let’s see what we can find today.”

Chen Ci nodded. He pulled out another mask from his bag and layered it on. Though the double layer made breathing a bit tough, it was enough to block out most of the junkyard stench.

The two of them grabbed their tools and walked the path into the junkyard. Quite a few scavengers were there already.

Technically, this was just a temporary waste storage site for the 13th Information Processing Zone. Once the pile reached a certain volume, Chensha would transport it all to the base’s outer rim for centralized processing and recycling.

With most of the world submerged and resources critically scarce, efficient recycling was the only way to stay afloat.

Scavengers had to search before the trash got hauled away.

This time, Fu Tianhe led Chen Ci deeper into the site. He acted like the stench didn’t bother him at all, chatting casually with Chen Ci along the way. “With both of us here today, maybe we’ll find something really good.”

Being treated like a lucky charm, Chen Ci gave a small nod.

As usual, Fu Tianhe spotted a piece of scrap equipment buried in the heap and yanked it out with practiced force, crouching down to dismantle it on the spot.

Chen Ci stood nearby, handing him tools from time to time but never touching anything himself—he deliberately avoided getting dirty.

Fu Tianhe was fast and efficient. The bag quickly filled up with salvaged parts. Anything too far gone to be of use was tossed aside, and he got up to look for more gear.

Digging through trash for usable parts took sharp eyes and loads of patience. Plus, one had to endure the ever-present stench. Stay too long, and the nausea became almost uncontrollable.

A bolt fell from the appliance and clinked to the ground near Chen Ci’s foot, still slick with grease.

Fu Tianhe, engrossed in his task, didn’t notice. But after a few days of learning, Chen Ci recognized that this type of bolt was useful in many places—it shouldn’t be wasted.

He glanced at Fu Tianhe, who clearly didn’t have a free hand right now, then lowered his gaze to the bolt.

Quietly, he released his mental power, shaping it into a firm thread that shifted form at his command.

Like invisible fingers, the bolt trembled, lifted silently, and flew with perfect precision into the open bag—without drawing a single glance.

Anyone who saw it would doubt their own eyes.

Fu Tianhe, closest to Chen Ci, noticed nothing. As Chen Ci had guessed, he might be a strong Alpha, but he didn’t have mental power.

Seeing that the Alpha hadn’t noticed, Chen Ci grew bolder. His power extended behind him and “retrieved” a broken circuit board as well.

Fu Tianhe finally finished dismantling the appliance and stood up, checking that he had grabbed all usable parts.

He hefted the bag. It sagged heavily over his shoulder.

Huh? Was it always this heavy?

He didn’t think much of it. Dragging the sack along, he suddenly spotted something in a corner: a lone Samuelton component set.

Wait—what?!

A nearly 90% new Samuelton component set. With some tweaks, it could yield a lot of valuable parts!

Fu Tianhe rushed over. Just as he squatted to check the model, a steel rod swept in from the side and flicked the spherical component away.

Fu Tianhe looked up.

A stocky middle-aged man in overalls was glaring at him. The man’s face was fleshy, with mean, slanted eyes, and he held a metal rod curved into a hook at the end—just like a butcher’s tool hooking into a heart.

The guy had straight-up snatched it from him.

Well then. Looks like things were about to get messy.

Fu Tianhe stood up. The smile vanished from his lips. The Alpha’s warm demeanor disappeared, and even his left eye, always so gentle, now looked as cold as his prosthetic.

“Buddy,” he said coolly, “If I’m not mistaken, I found that first. Can we not follow basic order here?”

The man sneered. “It doesn’t have your name on it. How can you prove it was yours?”

He knocked the Samuelton component with his hook. The clinking of metal made Fu Tianhe wince.

This guy had no clue how valuable that thing was. Letting it fall into ignorant hands like his was a total waste.

“That’s a Samuelton set. If you sell it straight up, you’ll get maybe half its real value. It’s a total waste.”

His tone only made the man more convinced that this was something worth keeping.

“I don’t give a damn. Take your little lover and get lost.” The man gave Chen Ci, standing neatly behind Fu Tianhe, a lewd glance, then bent down to pick up the component.

Fu Tianhe’s expression turned icy.

In one swift move, he stomped down on the man’s arm. “What did you say?”

The man didn’t flinch. He snorted and shook off the foot. “Touched a nerve? Isn’t he your little plaything? What’s a pretty boy like that doing here digging through trash? Go home, have some babies, do something useful for humanity!”

Fu Tianhe’s foot had barely come off when it stomped squarely onto the man’s face.

He’d been walking through the junkyard all day. The sole was caked in slimy filth—and now it was grinding into the guy’s greasy mug.

The man staggered and fell back in fury, eyes blazing. With a twist unbefitting his size, he grabbed the iron hook and aimed it at Fu Tianhe’s throat!

Fu Tianhe whipped the sack full of parts around, blocking the hook. Then, with a palm strike to the man’s wrist—maybe hitting a nerve cluster—the man yelped in pain, dropping the hook with a loud clang.

In this chaotic place, no one would bat an eye if someone got killed. The body could just be tossed on the trash heap. No cleanup necessary.

Chen Ci calmly took two steps back—just in case the scuffle got too wild or someone’s blood splashed onto him.