"Brother, where are you going?" Ye Qingqing asked, puzzled, as she watched Ye Yun getting dressed.
"Going to Wang Fatty… Uh, I mean, Uncle Wang's place," Ye Yun replied, quickly correcting himself when he saw the furrow in his sister's brow. He knew that if he didn't change his wording, he'd be in for a long lecture.
"Didn't Uncle Wang give you time off?" Ye Qingqing asked, still confused.
"I'm just going to look around. Don't worry, I'll be back early. You should go to bed soon," Ye Yun said, his voice casual. He couldn't tell her the real reason he was going out; she'd only worry more.
"But your injury still isn't healed!" Ye Qingqing's concern was clear. Ye Yun's chest was still wrapped in bandages, and she was upset that he was going out like this, not taking care of himself.
"It's fine, didn't you say I'm like a cockroach? I'm indestructible!" Ye Yun quickly deflected, eager to avoid a long, serious discussion. Before his sister could say more, he turned and fled, his steps quick as he left.
"Such a pain," Ye Qingqing muttered, watching her brother leave, stomping her foot in frustration.
It didn't take long for Ye Yun to arrive at the shop. After crossing a few streets, he reached the nondescript little store with the sign that read Wang Ji Carlos Material Recycling. The corner of the sign displayed Uncle Wang's contact number.
He had passed by that sign countless times, and there was even one occasion when it nearly fell off and hit him. But today, he walked right in, his mind focused on other things.
Inside, a chubby young man wearing a black work uniform, his face slick with grease, smiled broadly and waved at him. "Ye Yun, didn't Uncle Wang give you a couple of days off? What are you doing here all bandaged up?"
The guy was Yuan Chao, a classmate from Sanchuan Middle School. Like Ye Yun, he worked part-time at the shop to support his studies. Yuan Chao was one of Ye Yun's closer friends.
"Hey, fatty! What's with that smile? Did you win the lottery?" Ye Yun greeted, slipping into his work clothes.
"Heh, let me tell you, this is big news," Yuan Chao's round face practically split from the smile. "I've got the qualifications to become an Awakener!"
"Really?" Ye Yun was taken aback. Today was the day for the Sanchuan Middle School exams, which were a day ahead of their school's schedule. But hearing Yuan Chao—who was typically shy and reserved—say this was still a surprise.
"Of course, no joke!" Yuan Chao pulled out a small metal card from his pocket, proudly showing it off. "This is my proof."
Ye Yun snatched the card from him, inspecting it closely. The card was made of polished alloy, and intricate patterns coiled together to form the words Awakener.
"Be careful with it!" Yuan Chao snapped, snatching the card back with exaggerated care, as if it were a priceless treasure.
"Look at you, fatty, a phoenix rising from the ashes," Ye Yun said, laughing as he ruffled his friend's hair. "I'm happy for you, really."
Yuan Chao puffed out his chest, his pride evident. "You bet! I'll show them all!"
"Don't worry, Ye Yun. If anyone gives you trouble, just tell them to watch out for Fatty Yuan!" Yuan Chao slapped his chest confidently. He remembered when he had first started at Wang Ji Carlos Material Recycling. He had almost failed to meet the minimum work requirements that day, but thanks to Ye Yun, who had helped him out by doing extra work, he was able to keep his job. Now, with the Awakener credentials, he was finally standing on his own.
"Yeah, I'll let them know I've got Fatty Yuan on my side," Ye Yun replied, genuinely pleased to see his friend still the same. It was comforting that Yuan Chao hadn't changed just because he'd become an Awakener. Often, when someone's status changed, their relationships could sour—especially between friends. But Ye Yun appreciated that their friendship seemed to be unshaken.
Equality for everyone? That was something the weaker people told themselves to feel better. In reality, how could the status of an Awakener ever be equal to that of an ordinary person? That was the unspoken rule of society—the default, unacknowledged hierarchy.
Ye Yun knew this all too well. Though he didn't say it out loud, the world they lived in was built on these unspoken rules. It was the kind of world where strength ruled, and the strong could shape their destiny. And now that he had the power of the system, he would no longer be at the mercy of those in higher positions. He'd be the one calling the shots. But for now, he had to bide his time, carefully planning his next moves.
"Fatty, what are you dawdling for? Do you really think that just because you've become an awakened, you don't have to work anymore?" A deep, rumbling voice sounded, and both Ye Yun and Yuan Chao turned to look. It was Wang Shan.
"Look at you, am I that kind of person?" Yuan Chao responded with a smile, secretly giving Ye Yun a gesture behind his back, signaling him to be careful. Then he quickly scurried into the back. He didn't dare show off in front of Uncle Wang; people involved in the Carlos material business in N City weren't the kind to be messed with.
"Hey, Uncle Wang, have you eaten?" Ye Yun waved and greeted.
"You still coming to work even though you're not fully recovered?" Wang Shan asked.
"I'm just thinking of paying back the hospital fees, and anyway, I've recovered long ago." Ye Yun rolled up his sleeve and struck a bodybuilder pose. But just then, a cold wind blew through a crack in the door, sending a chill down his spine.
"You can come if you want, but remember, don't overdo it. If you slow things down, I won't let you off easy." Wang Shan laughed heartily, patted Ye Yun on the shoulder, and walked away.
Ye Yun scratched his head awkwardly before heading to his own workstation.
The Carlos material recovery was the visible part of the shop's work, but what Ye Yun did was much more advanced — processing those materials.
For instance, to make a communications device, one needs the vocal organ of the low-level Carlos creature, the Thousand Sound Bug. However, this organ is fragile and delicate. If the manufacturing company were to process it themselves, they'd face many risks, so it's cheaper and safer to buy pre-processed ones.
Thus, shops like this, which collect and process Carlos materials, make good profits. They get materials at low prices through various channels, and after processing, they sell them at a significantly higher price.
In a small partitioned room, there was a large processing table and a chair, with piles of Carlos materials scattered across the floor. The materials had just arrived that day, still dripping blood. This was Ye Yun's workplace, which looked more like a small slaughterhouse.
Ignoring the bloody scene and the nauseating smell, Ye Yun calmly donned a disposable mask, sat down, and casually picked up a piece of Thousand Sound Bug's throat bone from the pile, preparing to process it.
The vocal organ of the Thousand Sound Bug is hidden within its tough throat bone, and because of its position, it's unsuitable for machine processing, so it must be done manually.
"Detected the slave-level Carlos Thousand Sound Bug gene, extraction complete, gained 3 evolution points."
Ye Yun opened his attribute panel and, sure enough, saw that his evolution points had increased from a dismal 0 to 3.
He squeezed the material in his hand, but something didn't seem right — the bone seemed a bit more porous than usual.
Without hesitation, Ye Yun's bone carving knife smoothly dug into the throat bone, moving back and forth with such fluidity that it looked almost like an art form. After countless repetitions, his motions had become automatic.
Soon, a dark, almost ink-like stone, with many tiny holes, was extracted. This was the vocal organ of the Thousand Sound Bug, an essential material for making communication devices.
"Incredible, the speed has increased by two levels!" Ye Yun glanced at his watch, excitedly exclaiming.
With this increase in processing speed, he could gain precious evolution points faster and process the materials more quickly — truly killing two birds with one stone.
Just as Ye Yun felt like he was on a roll, seeing the incoming money and rising evolution points, he couldn't help but laugh aloud, looking like a fool who had been hit on the head by a pile of gold.
But the next second, his laughter abruptly stopped as a shoe suddenly fell from the sky, hitting his face squarely.
"Stop laughing, you idiot! Don't you need to work?!" The voice of the angry woman from the next room shouted.
"See, I told you, low profile! You need to know how to stay low!" The system's voice rang out, sounding far too gleeful.
Ye Yun (—): "..."