Chapter 1 The Mysterious System in the Scrap Yard

"Lin Yuan, it's time to pay the rent for this month!"

"I know, I know, give me two more days, sister-in-law."

Lin Yuan hung up the phone and slumped into that creaky old office chair, irritably scratching his hair, which was matted with grease.

Another debt collector.

The landlord, material suppliers, and a few buddies he'd borrowed money from to keep afloat—the calls kept coming in one after another, like summons from the grim reaper.

His "Yuanshen Scrap Recycling Station"—it sounded impressive, but in reality, it was just a half-dead, dilapidated mess. Located on the outskirts of the city, it occupied a decent amount of space, but business had been bad for the past two years. The prices for the scrap iron and steel he collected kept plummeting, and his rate of sales couldn't keep up with his acquisitions. His capital chain had long been stretched to the breaking point and could snap at any moment.

"Damn it, I shouldn't have listened to those bastards back then, yapping about how environmental protection was the next big trend and that you could make a fortune collecting scrap."

Lin Yuan spat, fished the last crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and fumbled for a long time before managing to shake one out.

He lit the cigarette and took a deep drag, the acrid smoke making him cough.

Surrounded by swirling smoke, he looked at the mountain of scrap metal, a bitter feeling rising in his heart.

His parents had passed away early, and he didn't have any fancy degrees. Relying on sheer strength and a passion for machinery, he'd opened this scrapyard, hoping to make something of himself. Instead, he'd become a "debt-man" that everyone avoided like the plague.

"If I don't find a way to get some cash soon, I'll be starving by next month."

He crushed the cigarette butt, stood up, and grabbed the plasma cutter he'd been using for years. Regardless, life had to go on, and the work had to be done.

In the center of the yard sat a massive hunk he'd just hauled back from a nearby demolition site. It was supposedly the bottom of a discarded pressure vessel from some old factory—thick and tough. Standard oxy-fuel cutting wouldn't stand a chance; he had to use plasma.

"Hum—"

The plasma cutter roared to life, a blue-white arc jumping at the nozzle tip, emitting a piercing buzz.

Lin Yuan put on his goggles, aimed at the thick steel plate, and began to cut through it, bit by bit.

Sparks flew everywhere, and the air was filled with the acrid stench of molten metal. He'd done this job thousands of times; he knew it like the back of his hand.

However, just as the tip of the plasma cutter penetrated the core of the steel plate and was about to pierce it through completely, something strange happened!

"Zzzzt—!"

A blinding light, a hundred times brighter than the cutting arc, erupted from the cut. Lin Yuan felt only a vast whiteness before his eyes, and a terrifying, indescribable electric current surged through the cutting gun and instantly coursed through his entire body.

"Fuck!"

He only had time to utter those two words before his entire body felt like it had been struck by an invisible giant hammer. He stiffened, his brain buzzed, and he instantly lost all consciousness.

He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps a second, perhaps a century.

Lin Yuan's consciousness slowly awakened from the chaos.

He felt as if he were submerged in warm water, his whole body floating, the agonizing pain of the electric shock completely vanished without a trace.

"I… am I dead?"

His heart skipped a beat. Could he have died from being electrocuted while cutting? What about all that debt he owed? Wouldn't the landlord tear his scrapyard apart?

Just as his mind was racing, a cold, emotionless, synthesized mechanical voice rang out directly in the depths of his mind.

【Compatible host mental fluctuations detected… Initiating binding…】

【10%… 30%… 70%… 100%】

【deep space salvage system binding successful.】

【Welcome, sole scavenger.】

"Who? Who's talking?"

Lin Yuan was startled, his consciousness shrinking back in alarm. Where was this voice coming from? It wasn't heard with his ears; it was ringing directly inside his brain!

【This system is a relic of a higher-dimensional civilization, designed to salvage lost technology from the dark regions of the universe.】

【The host can use this system to project their consciousness into a salvage drone and enter the "Cosmic Graveyard" to perform salvage operations.】

A torrent of information surged into Lin Yuan's brain like a tidal wave, leaving him momentarily dazed.

deep space salvage system?

Cosmic Graveyard?

Salvage drone?

What was all this? Was he hallucinating from the electric shock? Or… did he really stumble upon a legendary "golden finger"?

As a small scrapyard owner who loved reading the occasional web novel in his spare time, he knew exactly what a "system" meant. But could such a pie-in-the-sky miracle really fall on a loser like him?

He tentatively thought in his mind: "System? Can you hear me?"

【Yes, host.】 The cold voice rang out again.

Lin Yuan's heart hammered wildly.

It was real! This thing was real!

He forced himself to calm down and began to organize the extra information in his brain.

Soon, a translucent blue light screen, resembling a game interface, unfolded in his "field of vision."

【deep space salvage system】

【host: Lin Yuan】

【Mental Strength: 8 (Average for an ordinary person is 5)】

【Status: Mild mental backlash (initial binding overload)】

【Salvage Drone - "scavenger no. 1"】

【Level: LV1】

【Energy Reserve: 100 / 100】

【Load Limit: 50kg】

【Stealth: Extremely low】

【Functions: Basic grasping, basic scanning】

【Upgrade Options: Locked】

【Salvage Zone: No. 001 Newbie Zone - "Silent Star Sea"】

【Zone Danger Level: Low】

【Warning: Any salvage activity may generate energy fluctuations, attracting the unknown dangerous creature "Void Devourer". Please operate with caution and return in time. If the drone is destroyed, the host will suffer severe mental backlash, with a risk of death.】

Looking at the information on the screen, Lin Yuan gasped.

Good grief, isn't this just a high-spec version of an "online claw machine"? Except instead of dolls, he was grabbing alien technology. And… if he failed, he could die!

"Void Devourer…"

Just hearing the name made a chill run up Lin Yuan's spine.

But coexisting with the fear was an irrepressible excitement and thrill.

What was his situation right now? Drowning in debt, with nowhere to turn. Forget the risk of death; if things continued like this, the debt collectors would drive him to his grave anyway.

Now, a massive opportunity was right in front of him.

Lost technology in the Cosmic Graveyard!

Even if he only salvaged a small piece of special alloy, as long as it didn't exist on Earth, its value… would be immeasurable!

Take a risk, and a bicycle becomes a motorcycle! Gamble, and the scrapyard becomes a military factory!

"Do it!"

Lin Yuan's eyes instantly became resolute. He was sick of being poor, and he was fed up with this life of being chased by people demanding payment.

"System, how do I start salvaging?" he asked in his mind.

【The host only needs to focus their mind and silently say "Enter Salvage".】

【The first salvage will consume 10 energy points to open a subspace channel.】

Lin Yuan took a deep breath, as if making a major decision, and closed his eyes.

Everything around him went quiet, and he could hear his heart pounding violently.

"Enter… Salvage!"

The next second, a powerful suction force came from the depths of his consciousness, as if his soul was being forcibly pulled out of his body. Between the spinning dizziness, his "field of vision" suddenly changed.

He was no longer standing in that familiar, rust-smelling scrapyard.

In its place was an extreme darkness and deathly silence that could not be described in words.