1: Chapter 1: Trading a God-Tier Blueprint for an Apprentice – A Huge Loss? No, It's a Huge Profit!

[Parallel World]

Fei City, Anhui Province. Year 2016.

In a dilapidated industrial park in the eastern suburbs, the sunlight was cut into mottled shadows by the towering factory buildings.

Inside a small workshop tucked away in a corner.

"Little Chen, one must have integrity in life."

Greasy laughter came from the phone receiver, the schadenfreude undisguised.

"President Wang, give me a few more days."

He leaned against a CNC machine, surrounded by scattered motor parts on the floor.

The man on the other end of the line was Wang Fugui, the boss of Lubao Electric Vehicle Factory.

He was a character who had built his success on knockoffs and counterfeits and was now thriving locally.

"A few days? It's written in black and white on the contract: seven days!"

Wang Fugui's voice suddenly rose, filled with condescending pressure.

"In seven days, I want to see two hundred motors neatly stacked in my warehouse! Otherwise, you'll return double the deposit plus three hundred thousand in liquidated damages—not a penny less!"

"You..."

"Me what? Do you really think I don't know the state of that little workshop of yours?"

Wang Fugui's words pierced his heart like needles.

"Your parents passed away early and left you this mess, and now all your workers have run off, haven't they?"

"Young man, don't be naive. Doing business isn't playing house. If you can't deliver, I guarantee you'll lose even your underwear. Just wait for the court to seal off that broken factory of yours!"

Click.

The phone was rudely hung up.

The busy signal echoed through the empty factory, sharp and piercing.

Chen Xu slowly slid down to the floor, the phone slipping from his weak fingers and making a crisp sound on the concrete.

It was over.

Everything was over.

He looked around.

This was the only thing his parents had left him—a motor workshop that held half a lifetime of their hard work.

The only two remaining apprentices had broken the most critical spindle of the CNC machine yesterday and fled in fear.

Without the spindle, this machine was just a pile of scrap metal.

With no workers and no key equipment, let alone two hundred motors, he couldn't even manufacture a single qualified part now.

Seven days.

That was Wang Fugui's ultimatum.

Bankruptcy, debt, and life on the streets.

His parents' life's work would come to a complete end at his hands.

No!

He couldn't just give up like this!

Chen Xu's fists suddenly clenched, his knuckles turning white from the force.

At that very moment.

An emotionless mechanical voice abruptly rang out in his mind.

[Strong survival instinct detected in host. Binding conditions met.]

[Universal Technology System, binding in progress...]

[10%... 50%... 100%.]

[Binding successful! Hello, Host.]

Who?

Who's speaking?

Chen Xu jerked his head up, warily scanning the empty factory.

A system?

Chen Xu was stunned.

This was his cheat code!

He suppressed the drum-like pounding in his chest and sank his consciousness into his mind, where a high-tech blue interface unfolded.

The interface was extremely simple.

There were only two main modules.

[technology library]: As long as the host can clearly define a 'need,' the system can provide the corresponding technological blueprint.

[technology points]: Can be obtained by recycling items or topped up at a ratio of 1:1000 RMB.

One hundred million for one draw, and there's no pity system?

What a ripoff.

Chen Xu couldn't help but complain.

[Newbie Benefit Issued: One free lottery draw. Would the host like to use it immediately?]

His only hope!

In his current situation, any technological blueprint would be like trying to put out a nearby fire with distant water. What he needed was a miracle that could solve his problems immediately!

"Use it! Use it now!"

He thought fervently.

The interface in front of him changed instantly. A massive wheel began to spin rapidly, covered in countless blurred icons.

"Give me something useful! Give me something useful!"

Chen Xu clasped his hands together, praying to every deity he had ever heard of.

The wheel slowly decelerated.

The pointer finally landed on an icon shimmering with golden light.

The golden light flared!

[Congratulations, Host! You have drawn a God-level civilization technological creation—the Manufacturing Blueprint for the Causal Law Annihilation Cannon!]

From the basic energy matrix to the final laws of annihilation, every detail was crystal clear.

Chen Xu's expression froze.

Three seconds later, he just wanted to curse.

An annihilation cannon?

I can't even make a motor right now, and you give me an annihilation cannon?

Are you trying to make me carry a cannon barrel to 'physically' negotiate with Wang Fugui?

[Intense emotional fluctuations detected in host. This system provides a recycling service.]

The system's voice chimed in at the right time.

[Manufacturing Blueprint for the Causal Law Annihilation Cannon, recycling value being assessed... Assessment complete. Can be recycled for 500 technology points. Recycle?]

"How... How much?"

Chen Xu doubted his own hearing.

"A God-level civilization! A complete blueprint! A Causal Law weapon! And you're only giving 500 points?"

[According to the system's recycling guidelines, items with no practical value for the host's current civilization level will have their recycling price greatly reduced. 500 points is the final offer.]

Chen Xu laughed from sheer anger.

This system was even more of a scammer than Wang Fugui.

But he had no choice.

A blueprint couldn't put food on the table. Five hundred technology points might be his last glimmer of hope.

"Recycle!"

He grit his teeth and confirmed.

[Recycling successful. Host's current balance: 500 technology points.]

Looking at the lonely 500 points in his account, Chen Xu felt a wave of helplessness.

He opened the technology library, and the dazzling array of technologies inside made his head spin.

"Controllable Nuclear Fusion Technology," price: 8 million points.

"Strong Artificial Intelligence Core Code," price: 500,000 points.

He couldn't even afford a fraction of them.

Despair reared its head again.

What could 500 points do?

Wait.

Chen Xu's movements suddenly stopped.

He stared at the search bar of the technology library as a wild idea took root.

Since it was a 'Universal' Technology System and had everything...

Then, what about people?

What he lacked most right now was people!

"System, can you... exchange for workers?"

[Of course, Host.]

The system's response was crisp and direct.

The interface refreshed, and a new exchange list appeared.

[Bionic Human (Work Type)]

[Lv1 (Apprentice Level): Proficient in basic mechanical equipment operation. Work efficiency +10%, precision +10%. Price: 200 technology points each.]

[Lv2 (Craftsman Level): Proficient in all types of conventional mechanical equipment, can independently complete complex processes. Work efficiency +30%, precision +30%. Price: 1,000 technology points each.]

[Lv3 (Master Level): All-field mechanical expert, can optimize production flows and improve processes. Work efficiency +100%, precision +100%. Price: 100,000 technology points each.]

...

Looking at the list, Chen Xu could clearly hear the frantic pounding of his heart in his chest.

A Lv1 Apprentice Level only cost 200 points!

The line "Proficient in basic mechanical equipment operation" alone was enough to crush his two previous half-baked apprentices.

With 500 points, he could get two!

He would exchange for one first to test it out.

"System, exchange for one Lv1 Apprentice Level Bionic Human."

[Confirming exchange for one Lv1 Apprentice Level Bionic Human. Consuming 200 technology points. 300 points remaining.]

[Deploying Bionic Human...]

No sooner had the words been spoken.

In the open space in the middle of the factory, a soft blue pillar of light appeared out of thin air.

Within the light, a figure solidified from nothingness, rapidly taking shape.

The light dissipated.

A young man wearing blue overalls, with a straight posture and an average appearance, stood there. His eyes were calm and rippleless.

He walked up to Chen Xu and bowed slightly.

"Commander, T-001 reporting for duty. Please issue your instructions."

Chen Xu stared at him blankly, momentarily at a loss for words.

Just like that... he was created?

He pointed to a motor rotor on the ground that had been scrapped due to insufficient precision and ordered tentatively:

"You, take a look at this."

T-001 bent down and picked up the piece of iron.

His fingers slid gently over the surface of the part, his movements fluid and professional.

After only a few seconds, he looked up.

"Reporting, Commander. There are three manufacturing defects in this part."

"First, there is an ovality error of 0.05 millimeters in the axis turning process, which exceeds the standard tolerance."

"Second, the depth of the slots used to fix the magnets is uneven, with a maximum error of 0.1 millimeters. This will lead to unstable magnet installation and affect dynamic balance."

"Third, and most critical, the thickness of the insulation coating on the rotor surface is uneven. There is a risk of breakdown at the thinnest point, which could easily cause it to burn out during high-speed operation."

T-001's description was clear and accurate.

Chen Xu's head buzzed as he listened.

These three defects—forget the naked eye—even the most experienced old master at his factory would have had to spend half a day with calipers and feeler gauges just to barely find two of them.

And this T-001 had only taken a few seconds.

A single glance.

Efficiency +10%? Precision +10%?

You call this 'Apprentice Level'?!

This is clearly a Grandmaster!