Chapter 11 There's a hundred million in this card.

The black Hongqi sedan drove exceptionally smoothly; the interior was so quiet that one could hear their own breathing.

Lin Yuan sat on the soft back seat, his body somewhat stiff. He stole a glance at the serious-looking guard beside him, who stared straight ahead and sat bolt upright like a statue.

This was the first time in his life he had ever ridden in such a high-end car. Back when he was collecting scrap metal, he had seen bosses driving Mercedes and BMWs, but compared to this car, they always seemed to be missing something. From the outside, this car looked low-key, but once inside, it had an indescribable aura that made one feel suffocated.

His mind was a mess.

His life had taken a massive turn all because of that impulsive cut he made this afternoon.

The scrap yard was gone. From now on, he wouldn't have to worry about a few thousand yuan in rent, be cornered by suppliers demanding payment, or listen to the landlady's sharp and mean voice dun him for debts.

But his freedom seemed to be gone as well.

Academician Wang said he would be given a generous reward to resolve all his worries.

How much would it be? One million? Or two million?

Lin Yuan's heart began to race uncontrollably. If it really was two million, it would be more than enough to pay off his hundreds of thousands in debts. With the remaining money, he could buy a house in his hometown's county seat, get a storefront, open a small restaurant, and live out the rest of his life in comfort. It felt just like a dream.

But the thought of potentially being confined to one place and unable to leave at will made him feel a bit uneasy.

What was this? Trading freedom for money?

But on second thought, what kind of freedom did he have before? Working from dawn to dusk, dealing with piles of scrap metal, smelling of engine oil, and begging everyone for help just to make ends meet—was that freedom? That was just suffering.

Now, although he might not be as free, at least he didn't have to worry about money anymore. Besides, what he was doing sounded pretty impressive—contributing to the country and advancing technological development by a hundred years!

Thinking this way, the sense of loss in his heart immediately faded quite a bit.

"A person has to aim for something," Lin Yuan muttered to himself. "Either money or stability. Now I have both, even if the circumstances are a bit unusual. I should be content."

He didn't know how long the car had been driving; Lin Yuan felt like he was about to fall asleep. Outside the window, the familiar city scenery had long since disappeared, replaced by a pitch-black countryside. Finally, the car entered a tunnel that looked quite ordinary.

The tunnel was very long and spiraled downwards. Lin Yuan felt his ears popping; they were going underground.

After another ten minutes or so, the view suddenly opened up.

Lin Yuan's mouth slowly fell open.

The car stopped in a massive underground space that was beyond imagination. It was brightly lit, as clear as day. No ceiling could be seen overhead, only crisscrossing steel structures and enormous ventilation ducts. The surrounding walls were made of smooth, silvery-white metal and were spotless.

Countless personnel in different colored uniforms were busy at their posts, while various vehicles and equipment that Lin Yuan had only seen in science fiction movies shuttled silently along predetermined tracks.

This place didn't look like a base; it looked more like the underground transportation hub of a futuristic city.

"Good heavens... how much money must it have cost to build this?" Lin Yuan was stunned. Compared to this place, his scrap yard, which spanned several acres, wasn't even worth a toilet.

The car door opened, and Director Chen's secretary from before—a refined-looking young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses—gestured for him to step out.

"Mr. Lin Yuan, please step out. Director Chen and Academician Wang are already waiting for you."

Lin Yuan followed him out of the car. Stepping onto the floor, which was as polished as a mirror, he felt that his mud-stained old sneakers were completely out of place in this environment. He instinctively rubbed his soles against the ground, trying to scrape off the mud, only to find the floor was too clean for anything to come off.

The secretary noticed this small gesture but said nothing, simply leading the way with a smile.

They passed through several heavy metal doors that required facial and iris recognition before entering a high-speed elevator. There were no buttons inside; the secretary just tapped a few times on a screen on the wall, and the elevator began to ascend rapidly.

With a "ding," the elevator doors opened.

What lay before them was no longer a massive space filled with industrial vibes, but a quiet corridor covered in soft carpeting.

"Mr. Lin Yuan, this is your living area," the secretary introduced. "You will be staying here from now on. To the left are your bedroom and study; to the right are the accompanying gym, entertainment room, and medical monitoring room. A dedicated nutritionist will prepare your three meals a day, and you can call service personnel at any time through the terminal in your room for any lifestyle needs."

The secretary pushed open a door. Lin Yuan peered inside and was stunned once again.

This wasn't just a bedroom; it was practically a presidential suite in a five-star hotel. Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window... wait, they were underground, so where did a floor-to-ceiling window come from?

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the "window" was actually an ultra-high-definition screen covering an entire wall. It displayed pastoral scenery identical to his hometown, with even the distant small river clearly visible.

"This is an environmental simulation system that can simulate real-time scenes and weather from anywhere on Earth according to your needs," the secretary explained. "We understand you might find it difficult to adjust to life underground, so we hope this makes you feel better."

Lin Yuan touched the large bed, which looked incredibly expensive, and then glanced at the independent study next to it, which was larger than his scrap yard office. He felt like he was dreaming.

"Um... I'm staying in such a large place all by myself?"

"Yes, Mr. Lin Yuan. Considering the confidentiality requirements and your importance, the entire living area currently serves only you." The secretary's tone was flat, as if he were stating a trivial matter.

Lin Yuan felt his throat go dry.

This treatment was too good, wasn't it? It was so good that it made him feel a bit uneasy.

"Director Chen and Academician Wang are waiting for you in the reception room." The secretary led him through the living room to another door.

Opening the door, he saw Director Chen and Academician Wang sitting at a large conference table, with steaming tea set out.

"Comrade Xiao Lin, you're here," Academician Wang said, immediately standing up warmly upon seeing him. "Sit down, sit down. You've been on the move all night; you must be tired."

Director Chen merely nodded slightly, his gaze remaining sharp.

Lin Yuan sat down awkwardly on a chair, only daring to perch on the edge.

"Comrade Xiao Lin, I know that suddenly accepting all of this might be a bit of an adjustment," Director Chen spoke first, his voice devoid of much emotion. "However, the country needs you, and the people need you. We will not forget your contributions."

He gave a look to the secretary beside him.

The secretary nodded and took two items out of his briefcase, placing them gently in front of Lin Yuan.

One was a brand-new ID card. The photo was still his original one, but the name, address, and ID number had been completely changed.

The other was a black bank card.

"This ID card is your future identity. From today onwards, the name 'Lin Yuan,' along with all his past social information, has been sealed. In the future, you will need to use this new identity externally."

"As for this card..." Director Chen paused, looking Lin Yuan in the eye. "This is the first reward given to you by the state. We have already paid off all your debts through special channels. This includes your bank loans, payments owed to suppliers, and money borrowed from friends—not a single cent is missing."

Hearing this, the heaviest stone in Lin Yuan's heart finally fell to the ground.

"Thank you... thank you, country!" He was so excited he was almost incoherent.

"This is only the beginning," Director Chen's tone remained flat. "There is also a sum of money in this card for your personal and family settlement expenses. The password is six eights."

Lin Yuan picked up the card, his hands trembling slightly. In his life, the most he had ever had in his account was no more than fifty thousand yuan. How much would be in here... fifty thousand? Or a million?

"There's a query terminal nearby; you can check it now," the secretary reminded him.

Lin Yuan nodded and walked to a device similar to an ATM against the wall, clumsily inserting the card.

He took a deep breath and entered the password with a trembling hand.

Check balance.

A long string of numbers popped up on the screen.

Lin Yuan's eyes instantly went wide. He leaned closer to the screen and counted the string of zeros one by one.

"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions, ten millions... hundred millions?"

"One... one hundred million?"

Lin Yuan felt his brain go "buzz," and it instantly went blank. Thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, he rubbed them hard and counted again.

That's right—behind that "1," there were exactly eight zeros, no more and no less!

One hundred million!

A figure he hadn't dared to even dream of in his life had suddenly appeared in his bank account.

He felt his legs go weak and almost failed to stay upright, hurriedly grabbing the machine beside him for support.

"This... this is for me?" He turned around, his voice trembling as he looked at Director Chen and Academician Wang.

"Yes, one hundred million." Director Chen's expression didn't change at all, as if it were a trivial number. "This is just an advance payment. In the future, every time you complete a successful salvage, there will be a corresponding reward based on the value of the items brought back. There is no upper limit."

No upper limit!

Lin Yuan felt his heart beating so fast it seemed like it would jump out of his throat.

He had thought he was entering a cage, but now he realized he had fallen into a rice vat! And a rice vat piled high with gold and diamonds at that!

"In addition," the secretary added, "we investigated your social relations. Your parents passed away early, and you have no immediate relatives. There is only a distant uncle who helped you when you first opened the scrap yard. We have already given him a five-million-yuan 'dividend' in the name of an 'Overseas Investment Company,' which is enough for him to live out his later years in peace. Externally, the story is that you were scouted by this overseas company and sent abroad to manage a long-term project, and you won't be back for the next ten years."

Listening to these arrangements, the last bit of worry and concern in Lin Yuan's heart vanished.

The state had thought of everything, arranging things he had thought of and things he hadn't with absolute clarity.

Now, he truly was a person with no strings attached, a "scavenger" who only "salvaged" for the state.

"I... I understand." Lin Yuan let out a long breath and walked back to the conference table to sit down again. This time, there was no longer any awkwardness or unease in his eyes, replaced instead by an unprecedented determination.

"Chief, Academician Wang, whatever you need me to do next, just give the word!"