156: Chapter 156 A Mysterious Uncle Appears, and His Gift is the Spider Queen's Severed Leg!

The military off-road vehicle rolled over the last curve of the suburban highway,

and the familiar chain-link gate of the Xinghuo Scrap Processing Plant appeared at the end of their vision.

Su Ming glanced out the window, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

This crappy place was where he had started making his fortune.

Back then, he was so poor he had to sleep on the floor,

and it was right here that he chewed through scrap metal bite by bite,

gnawing his mass points from zero all the way into the four digits.

Now that he was back,

with over five hundred thousand mass points and the Six Schools Badge in his pocket,

it felt like returning home in glory.

"We're here," Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng said as he killed the engine.

Su Ming pushed the door open, got out of the car, and stretched.

"Thanks, Brother Chu. Do you want to come in for a cup of tea?"

Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng was just about to agree,

as he really did want to meet that Master Shen.

Just then,

from within the heavy iron gates of the Scrap Yard,

came an earth-shaking "Woof!"

The sound was resonant and full of vigor, carrying a metallic buzz of resonance.

In the next second, a massive dark shadow,

like an out-of-control heavy truck,

charged out from the side door next to the main gate!

"Watch out!"

Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng and Ye Xiao's reactions were almost instinctual.

In an instant, ice-attribute Source Energy covered Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng's body,

as he entered combat mode.

Ye Xiao was even more direct.

With a loud crackle, the lightning on his body surged wildly,

and he transformed into a bolt of electricity, preparing to charge forward!

Holy crap, a Source Beast attack on the city?!

But before they could make a move,

as the dark shadow rushed in front of Su Ming,

it slammed on the brakes,

its massive body carving two deep furrows into the ground.

And then... it stopped.

It was a massive magic dog with a shoulder height of nearly two meters and two heads.

Its fur was dark red like blood,

shimmering with a metallic luster,

and its limbs were thick and powerful.

Just standing there, it exuded a powerful sense of oppression.

Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng's pupils shrank abruptly.

Tier 4! It was absolutely the Aura of a Tier 4 Source Beast!

Yesterday in the Source Abyss, wasn't this dog still at Tier 3 Peak?!

How did it achieve a Breakthrough after just a night's sleep?!

This makes no scientific sense!

Ye Xiao was also stunned.

He looked at the majestic Two-headed Demon Hound,

and then at the lightning that had not yet fully dissipated from his own body,

not knowing for a moment whether he should attack or stand down.

However, what left them even more dumbfounded was yet to come.

The aggressively imposing Tier 4 demon hound

sniffed Su Ming with both of its heads.

The fierce expression on one of its heads instantly melted away,

and its massive tongue shot out with a whoosh,

giving Su Ming's face a frantic licking!

Meanwhile, the other head grabbed Su Ming's pant leg,

rubbing against him affectionately,

its tail wagging like a high-speed propeller.

Alloy bearings and a pile of metal parts fell from its mouth onto the ground,

clattering loudly.

Ye Xiao watched this scene in silence,

his eyes darting sharply toward Shen Qingci!

No, seriously, what kind of background does your family have?

A Tier 4 Source Beast as a pet?

And it's fucking guarding the gate?!

In a place like Jiangcheng,

are the waters really this deep?!

If anyone else says Jiangcheng is a backwater, I'll shock them to death!

At this moment, a scarred-face man wearing overalls ran out from the gate.

It was Scarface Li.

When he saw Shen Qingci,

he immediately bowed and scraped:

"Young Miss, you're back?"

Then he saw Su Ming,

and the smile on his face became even more obsequious,

bowing even lower: "Su, Factory Director Su... Brother Su! You're here too!"

He had almost blurted out "Factory Director Su."

Shen Qingci was already used to Da Huang's reaction.

She patted the dog's head and asked Scarface Li,

"Where's my dad?"

"The boss..."

Scarface Li scratched his head.

"The boss said this afternoon that he had to go on a long trip, and he's already left."

Shen Qingci let out an "Oh,"

showing no surprise on her face.

Her father was always elusive, appearing and disappearing like a dragon,

so she was long used to it.

Scarface Li added,

"However, the boss left instructions before he went,

saying that Mr. Kong Ming is waiting for you in the office."

"Uncle Kong Ming?"

Shen Qingci's eyes lit up instantly.

"He's here?!"

She grabbed Su Ming and was about to head inside.

Su Ming turned back and extended another invitation to Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng, who was still dazing in place:

"Brother Chu, are you really not coming in for a cup of tea?"

Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng rubbed his chin,

then looked at the Tier 4 demon hound still wagging its tail at Su Ming,

and Scarface Li's expression, which looked as though he wanted to enshrine Su Ming.

He decisively shook his head.

He felt his heart had already taken enough stimulation today.

If he went in further, he might truly start questioning his life.

"No, no."

Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng waved his hand.

"My team still has things to handle, and I have to go back and write a report. Let's chat another time."

He felt that any of the things he had seen today,

if written into a report, would look completely fabricated.

Watching Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng's off-road vehicle turn around and leave,

only then did Su Ming pat Da Huang's head.

With a curious Ye Xiao and an impatient Shen Qingci in tow,

he walked into the factory.

...

Inside the boss's office,

a man stood with his back to the door,

in front of a massive French window,

overlooking the entirety of Jiangcheng.

Dressed in moon-white casual wear, with silver hair cascading to his shoulders, his figure was slender and tall.

Outside the window, the dusk was gradually darkening,

making him look like a painting framed by time.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around.

The moment Su Ming saw his face, his inner thoughts were extremely simple.

Holy crap, this guy is ridiculously good-looking.

It wasn't the delicate look of an idol drama male lead,

but a shocking impact that made you feel "this person is not even the same species as me" at first glance.

His facial features were flawless,

with proportions so clean that one would suspect they were Photoshopped.

Yet those silver-gray eyes were incredibly deep and quiet,

without a shred of aggressiveness.

Just looking at you,

you felt like all your little thoughts had been completely exposed.

Su Ming would bet

that if this guy became a celebrity,

he could absolutely unite the entire Federation's fandom.

"Uncle Kong Ming!"

Shen Qingci cheered,

trotting over,

and naturally taking the man's arm.

The man affectionately patted her head,

but his gaze bypassed her and landed on Su Ming.

The gaze was very gentle,

yet it carried a penetrating power that left one with nowhere to hide.

At this moment, Su Ming felt

as if he, from inside out,

from his System space to his DNA sequence,

had been seen through completely.

"You are Su Ming?"

Kong Ming spoke, his voice clear and bright.

Su Ming nodded: "That's me."

"Well, not bad." Kong Ming sized him up and nodded with satisfaction,

"You look sharper than in the videos."

Then, his tone shifted, carrying a bit of elder playfulness:

"Lately, have you been bullying our Qingci?"

"No way!"

Shen Qingci's face instantly flushed red,

as she shook Kong Ming's arm hard, acting spoiled.

"Uncle, don't talk nonsense!"

Su Ming, however, answered with a straight face:

"Reporting to Uncle, no bullying, only mutual assistance and common progress."

"Oh?" Kong Ming raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening,

"Your tongue is quite sweet. Since you're already calling me uncle,

then from now on, just like Qingci,

call me Uncle Kong Ming."

"Alright, Uncle Kong Ming!"

Su Ming readily went with the flow,

calling out as crisply as could be.

The little abacus in his mind was clicking rapidly.

This was someone close to Factory Director Shen,

and seeing how close Shen Qingci was to him,

his status was absolutely not low.

If he didn't cling to this thigh now, when would he?

After calling him that, Su Ming rubbed his hands together,

a mercenary yet sincere smile appearing on his face.

"Well... Uncle, you see,

since this is our first meeting,

according to the traditional customs of the Federation,

shouldn't there be some kind of gesture?

I don't have high demands.

Just give me any random meeting gift, I'm not picky."

Ye Xiao watched from the side, utterly dumbfounded.

Bro, what is your face made of?

Indestructible Heavy Gold?

Shen Qingci was both embarrassed and angry,

wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

This was too embarrassing!

Kong Ming was also amused by Su Ming's antics.

In all his long life,

it was the first time he had seen a Junior demand a meeting gift so righteously.

He shook his head with a chuckle.

"A gift... I have already given you one."

Su Ming froze.

"Already given? When? How come I didn't know?"

He had a look of complete confusion,

and even began rummaging through his pockets and System space on the spot.

"There's nothing! Uncle, you can't lie to an innocent youth like me."

The smile on Kong Ming's face faded slightly,

his tone calm.

"That severed leg of the Tier 8 Void Dark Spider, didn't you take it?"

As those words fell,

the mercenary smile on Su Ming's face froze.

Tier 8.

Void Dark Spider.

Severed leg.

These three terms slammed into his mind.

The mysterious powerhouse who, outside the Purple Pattern Spirit-Locking Array,

had severed the arm of "The Weaver" in a single strike,

saving the entirety of Jiangcheng...

...was actually him?!

By Factory Director Shen's side...

was there actually a terrifying powerhouse who could casually sever a Tier 8 existence?!

Although Ye Xiao didn't know what a Void Dark Spider was,

he knew the weight

of the words "Tier 8."

He subconsciously looked at Kong Ming's gentle and harmless face,

and then at the lightning arcs still crackling on his own hand.

He was truly pitifully weak...

Shen Qingci stamped her foot,

saying with a hint of blame:

"Uncle Kong Ming, so you were there at that time!

How mean of you, watching us get bullied and not coming out sooner!"

Kong Ming affectionately pinched her nose and teased:

"If I had come out earlier,

how could I have seen someone showing off their Divine Might

just to protect our Qingci?"

His gaze drifted meaningfully toward Su Ming.

Shen Qingci's cheeks instantly burned a bright red.

She gave Kong Ming a hard push,

turned around, and ran out.

"I'm ignoring you!"

"Su Ming, Ye Xiao, let's go to the third basement level!

Didn't you guys want to spar? Let's go!"

Right now, she just wanted to quickly escape this place of gossip.

Su Ming was still immersed in shock, staring at Kong Ming.

The person in front of him was physically standing there,

with flesh and blood, warmth and breath.

Yet, with Su Ming's perception—which had become extremely sharp after aligning with the spatial Law—

he felt that something was off about the Kong Ming in front of him.

But he couldn't put his finger on it...

"Go on," Kong Ming waved his hand dismissively.

"Young people should move around more."

...

Xinghuo Scrap Processing Plant, third basement level, Gravity Training Room.

After the previous rampage of the robot,

this place had been completely remodeled.

Right now, it looked like a massive metallic colosseum.

Ye Xiao stood in the center of the arena, his expression extremely focused.

He looked at Su Ming opposite him, Battle Intent burning in his eyes.

"Su Ming, here, I can hold nothing back."

As those words fell,

"[Nine Heavens Thunder Body], activate!"

"Boom!"

A clap of muffled thunder exploded!

Blinding electrical light burst from Ye Xiao's body,

instantly illuminating the entire training room!

Silver-blue lightning serpents darted frantically around his body,

emitting loud crackling noises.

His Tier 3 Silver Early Stage Source Energy was released without reservation,

and his powerful Aura began to warp the surrounding air.

The momentum was grand, and the pressure was terrifying.

Yet, Su Ming, standing opposite him,

didn't even lift an eyelid.

He curled his finger at Ye Xiao, a trace of laziness on his face.

"Come on. Let me see just how capable a Genius from Magic City really is."

"Alright!"

Ye Xiao's fighting spirit was thoroughly ignited by this dismissive attitude.

With a low growl, his right foot stomped hard on the ground!

His entire being transformed into a violent bolt of lightning, shooting toward Su Ming!

[Lightning Flash... Instant Step]!

Seeing that the bolt of lightning, powerful enough to pierce steel plates, was about to crash into Su Ming,

Su Ming suddenly raised his hand,

making a "pause" gesture.

"Wait, hold on a second!"

Ye Xiao froze,

the powerful momentum almost making him unable to stop,

and he came to a halt less than three meters away from Su Ming, looking completely baffled.

"What is it?"

He saw Su Ming looking dead serious,

as he slowly began unbuttoning his school uniform.

"...I'll take off my clothes first."

"Bro, why... why are you taking off your clothes?"

"With your talent crackling all over the place like that, I won't be able to afford replacing my clothes."

He folded his school uniform and placed it on a nearby chair,

Ye Xiao's mouth twitched.

"...So you're afraid I'll ruin your clothes?"

Su Ming was bare-chested,

revealing skin shimmering with dark-gold patterns,

with a lazy and indifferent expression.

"Otherwise? You didn't actually think you were qualified to hurt me, did you?"

Ye Xiao's mouth twitched,

his fists clenching until they popped.

"...You're fucking looking down on me too much!"