Chapter 4: You wouldn't mind, right?_1

Xu Changsheng's home was in Bei City's E13 District.

Located on the outskirts of the city.

The deeper he delved, the clearer Xu Changsheng's memories became.

To his surprise, his parents had left him some property when they passed away.

An apartment and a small underground two-story workshop.

The apartment was part of an old, dilapidated complex over fifty stories high.

Graffiti covered the walls, and even the security door of the complex was broken.

Piles of domestic trash lay scattered about, used syringes occasionally seen, along with some specially made silicone dolls.

The sounds of arguments, disputes, and agonized wails were heard from time to time.

Ignoring it all, Xu Changsheng, upon entering the elevator, heard the squeaks and groans that made him feel it could drop at any moment.

Just as he was about to enter, a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

Xu Changsheng's face changed, his reaction swift!

He quickly bent down, grabbed the other person's arm, and with a forceful pull, twist, and push, along with an arch of his back, he instantly exerted strength!

His entire body reacted like a chemical reaction!

A tall man was instantly thrown into the elevator with a backdrop!

The immense power made the elevator ding continuously.

"Ouch, damn it, Xu Changsheng, you hit really hard!"

Xu Changsheng paid no attention to him.

Instead, he started to ponder how his own strength... seemed to have greatly increased.

What was going on?

When he felt his heart pumping blood furiously.

He instantly understood.

Heart function had been enhanced!

He had underestimated the impact of this enhancement.

The heart, being the center of blood circulation, its enhancement would bolster the capacity of the circulatory system.

It could even affect a person's explosive power and endurance to some extent.

The strength and reflex he had just demonstrated were beyond his usual capabilities.

After realizing this, Xu Changsheng finally turned to look at the man he had thrown into the elevator.

"Damn it, does the August Bioresearch Institute also train people in physical strength? My hand, it was already broken, and now... it's worse," the man said through gritted teeth, patting the dust off himself as he stood up.

The man was tall, over one meter ninety, and muscular, weighing more than two hundred and fifty kilograms.

Xu Changsheng recognized him; it was his old friend, Mengzi, real name Yang Mengmeng, who worked as a head of security at a bar in E13 District and was mixed up with the gangs in E District.

"Yang Mengmeng, why didn't you go to the venue today?" Xu Changsheng asked directly, avoiding any mention of the judo throw.

Upon hearing Xu Changsheng call his name, the other man's face reddened, even more agitated than when he had been thrown.

He hurried over and hugged Xu Changsheng, "Damn it, boss, can you not call me by my name!"

"Does Meng Ge have noface? What if someone recognizes me, how embarrassing!"

Xu Changsheng went straight into the elevator, "What's the problem? If there's nothing important, I'm going home."

Mengzi quickly pulled him out, raising his right hand to say, "The mechanical arm is malfunctioning, take a look for me. Forget going home, let's head straight to the workshop."

Xu Changsheng frowned, ready to refuse.

[Low-grade modified mechanical arm: increases the strength of the arm by 50kg and comes equipped with a blade for attack.

Mission requirement: Record the mechanical arm's information.

Mission reward: 1. Grade G Arm Weapon - Blade Blueprint Information; 2. Physical Strength +1;]

Seeing the prompt, Xu Changsheng couldn't help but frown, could this too be recorded for information?

And the rewards... were indeed substantial.

Xu Changsheng hummed in acknowledgment, somewhat expectantly heading toward the basement workshop.

Mengzi followed behind, grumbling, "Man, this thing's a money pit, it cost over half a million to modify and just when I was about to get it fixed, it's another twenty grand, such a rip-off."

"When I get the money, I'll get an Odd Evolution Hand. Expensive, yes, but... no need for repairs when it breaks."

Xu Changsheng remained silent the whole time, in keeping with his predecessor's character.

It also helped avoid unnecessary slip-ups.

Mengzi, used to this, kept talking to himself.

Soon, Xu Changsheng arrived at the door of the workshop.

There was a sign hanging above reading "Xu Family's Modification Room," but the dust indicated it hadn't been opened in a long time.

Indeed that was the case.

Ever since the tragedy with Xu Changsheng's parents, he had seldom visited.

Once the two entered, Mengzi immediately closed the door.

Xu Changsheng began tidying up the workbench, with which he was very familiar, having grown up here.

As for Mengzi's door closure, Xu Changsheng didn't say much about it.

According to his memory, this was one of his few friends. If the other party had any hostility towards him, they could very well have launched a blade attack with their mechanical arm when he executed the over-the-shoulder throw earlier.

So, Xu Changsheng didn't take it too seriously.

Both of their fathers were comrades-in-arms. After retiring from the military, Xu Changsheng's father opened this modification shop, while Mengzi's father joined a gang.

Xu Changsheng was a diligent student and managed to get into medical school, which gave him the opportunity to leave E District and develop in a better district.

Contrarily, Mengzi was influenced by the environment of E District, hanging around with all sorts of people and becoming obsessed with gangs and conflicts.

Mengzi's father, who was frustrated with his son's resistance to change, had tried both beating and scolding him to no avail before finally letting him be.

The only relief he had was that Mengzi had made a reliable friend in Xu Changsheng.

Time passed slowly by.

Xu Changsheng had also nearly finished tidying up the workbench.

He turned to Mengzi and said,

"Come sit up here, uh… move around on your own, find a comfortable position."

After hearing this, Mengzi sat down, skillfully slotting his mechanical arm into the workbench, and started moving his fingers. But… something seemed off.

Xu Changsheng couldn't help but lament that in any era, medical students had it the hardest.

The pressure was even greater in this era.

During med school, they had to learn a tremendous amount, including traditional medicine, prosthetic medicine, forensic medicine, odd medicine, and so on—these were all compulsory courses.

Of course, those who could get into a medical school were considered the cream of the crop, and in terms of the selection ratio, they had to be at least of Tsinghua or Peking University level.

Xu Changsheng hadn't graduated from college when his parents met with trouble, eliminating the chance to pursue further studies. So, he returned to the August Research Institute in Bei City.

If he had continued on to graduate school, he might have chosen odd medicine or prosthetic medicine.

These were the most respected and promising subjects in this world.

Mastering just one of them could make one a top-tier existence in this society.

Moreover, medicine was actually the discipline that could best explain the world!

Odd and prosthetic medicine might be the best ways to understand this world.

However, advanced knowledge was controlled by the Federation and corporations. Ordinary people, without access, had no opportunity.

Mengzi looked at Xu Changsheng and couldn't help but smile, "Don't be stressed. I came here for you to have a try. It doesn't matter if you damage it, since it's a work injury anyway, and Old Greasehead is sparing with his money."

"It would end up at a repair shop anyway, so it's good for you to practice!"

"Being a doctor, you need to work with your hands and learn more. Your brother Meng is giving you an opportunity, you understand?"

"I'm good to you, right?"

Mengzi grinned as he laughed.

Seeing this, Xu Changsheng also felt relieved.

It seemed like the chances of completing the task were getting higher.

"It's okay if it falls apart, yeah?"

Mengzi's expression changed, "Bro, take it easy. Don't really break it. It costs over half a million. Old Greasehead would be in so much pain!"

Xu Changsheng ignored him, "Get on."

Mengzi sat on the chair, half convinced and half doubtful, as he extended his hand into the fixture, "I must not have read the almanac before stepping out today; I shouldn't have come to you!"

Xu Changsheng, rarely smiling, began his operation.

As Xu Changsheng disassembled piece by piece, with each bit he understood, he made some progress.

[Recording information in process, current progress: 1%...2%...]

For a moment, he relaxed.

Meanwhile, Yang Mengmeng was not taking it easy.

"Bro, you… I just wanted you to fix it, not to take it apart!"

"Dad, my real dad, seriously, I messed up. It cost over 50 grand. If anything goes wrong, Old Greasehead will strangle me!"

"My lord, my ancestor… Please go easy on it, don't disassemble anymore!"

As he watched the last component come off, Mengzi felt like he was going to die.

"Half a million… there goes my whole dowry!"

At that moment, Xu Changsheng suddenly heard the system voice.

[Ding! Recording complete. Reward acquired: 1. Grade G Arm Weapon - Blade Blueprint Information; 2. Physical Strength +1;]

With the increase in physical strength, Xu Changsheng felt that his power, endurance, and energy had all undergone a strong transformation.

Thinking about it, an increase of nearly twenty percent at once would definitely bring a huge change.

Also, the Grade G Arm Weapon - Blade Blueprint Information had entered his mind.

Xu Changsheng was satisfied!

Only then did he look down at Yang Mengmeng, who had tears in her eyes and a look of complete despair. "By the way, what's the problem with your hand?"

Mengzi, suddenly trembling, the strong man who weighed about 250 pounds and stood nearly six-foot-three, couldn't hold back his tears for a moment.

The look of sheer helplessness, so much like that of a true - simpleton.

Seeing this, Xu Changsheng felt somewhat sorry and shrugged, "Uh… I forgot to ask that at first. You wouldn't mind that, right?"