Courtyard House: Primordial Chaos Pearl

As the rooster crowed for the first time, Lin Dong had already packed up the vegetables in the Chaos Space. This time, he didn't go to the black market first, but instead headed straight for Woniu Mountain with his canvas bag on his back—based on his previous exploration, he determined that there were still undiscovered veins deep within the mine, but he hadn't been able to search for them thoroughly last time due to the workers' disturbance.

To prevent further trouble, he specially changed into patched old work clothes, smeared a layer of ash on his face, and hid the steel shovel and claw hammer under the firewood, pretending to be a farmer gathering firewood on the mountain. When he reached the entrance of the mine, he first lay on the outside of the barbed wire fence and observed for a while to make sure there were no patrolling militiamen before he quietly climbed over the fence.

This time, he went straight to the mine where he had previously discovered azurite, maximizing the "Spiritual Aura Detection" function of the Chaos Pearl. An invisible wave swept across the pit wall, generating a strong sensation at the western fault line, even clearer than with the azurite. Lin Dong was overjoyed and began digging along the crack in the fault line. He had barely dug half a meter when the Chaos Pearl suddenly became hot, and a warning sounded in his mind: "Unstable geology ahead, impending collapse."

He had just taken two steps back when a deafening roar erupted, and rubble from the pit walls poured down, completely burying the spot where he had just been standing. Lin Dong broke out in a cold sweat; thankfully, the Chaos Pearl had given him a warning, or he would be buried under the rubble by now. He steadied himself, walked around to the side of the fault, and carefully cleared away the rubble with a steel pick.

Half an hour later, a dark gray ore the size of a millstone was revealed, its surface covered with silvery-white crystals. "Lead-zinc ore, containing 58% lead and 31% zinc, with trace amounts of germanium." The Chaos Bead's prompt made Lin Dong's breathing quicken—lead and zinc are important raw materials for manufacturing batteries and alloys, while germanium is a scarce strategic resource in this era, more valuable than copper and silver.

He used a steel pick to break the ore into small pieces, and just as he put them into his canvas bag, he heard a "crack" sound of a tree branch breaking at the pit entrance. "Who's down there?" A familiar, gruff voice rang out. It was the two steelworkers from last time, followed by a man in a black jacket, clutching a dagger.

"It's you, you little bastard! Last time you lied to us saying you knew Section Chief Wang, and we got yelled at by the team leader!" The worker on the left roared as he slid down into the pit. "We've been eyeing this mine for a while now. Hand over your stuff if you know what's good for you, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

Lin Dong's heart sank; they were being harassed. He tightened his sling over his shoulder and said in a deep voice, "The mine belongs to the state; no one can take it for themselves. If you keep messing around, I'll call the police."

"Call for help? This place is deserted, you could shout until you're hoarse and no one would come!" The man in the black jacket sneered and lunged forward, his dagger aimed straight for Lin Dong's chest. Lin Dong was prepared, dodging to the side and circulating his Chaotic Body Refining Technique, punching the man in the stomach. The man was struck as if by a heavy hammer, flying backward and crashing into the pit wall, unconscious.

The other two workers, pale with fright, but emboldened by their numbers, charged forward with crowbars. Lin Dong, instead of retreating, advanced, grabbing the crowbar from the worker on the left with his left hand and punching him in the face with his right. The worker screamed, blood streaming from his nose. Seeing this, the worker on the right swung his crowbar at Lin Dong's back, but Lin Dong ducked and elbowed him in the waist, sending the worker clutching his back and groaning to the ground.

"Get out! If you dare come back, I'll break your legs!" Lin Dong shouted coldly. The two workers scrambled away the unconscious man in the black jacket and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Lin Dong breathed a sigh of relief. The fight had made him realize that the "Chaotic Body Refining Technique" could not only increase strength but also improve reaction speed, making it more than enough to deal with several ordinary men.

He dared not linger, carefully collected the ore, and quickly left the mine. This haul was quite bountiful; besides lead-zinc ore, he also collected a considerable amount of ore containing associated germanium. He didn't go to the purchasing station in the south of the city, but went straight to Boss Li's hardware workshop—only Boss Li could afford such rare ore, and he wouldn't ask any questions.

When Boss Li saw the lead-zinc ore, his eyes widened. He was especially excited when he heard it contained germanium, rubbing his hands together. "Young man, you're my lucky star! I'll give you three yuan a pound for lead and zinc, and five yuan a gram for germanium! I'll give you one hundred and twenty yuan for all of this!"

The price far exceeded his expectations, and Lin Dong immediately made the deal. Boss Li then handed him a slip of paper: "This is my friend in Tianjin. He specializes in collecting rare metals. If you find anything good in the future, contact him directly. He'll offer even higher prices than me." Lin Dong took the slip of paper and kept it safe. This was his opportunity to open up a larger market.

It was dusk when he returned to the courtyard house. As soon as he entered, he saw his third uncle, Yan Bugui, and his son, Yan Jiecheng, standing in the yard, seemingly waiting for him. Yan Bugui's eyes lit up when he saw his canvas bag, and he quickly came forward: "Lin Dong, you're finally back! I need to talk to you."

"Third Uncle, what's the matter?" Lin Dong knew in his heart that Yan Bugui must have heard some rumors or seen him frequently exchanging money and wanted to get a share of the profits.

"Here's the thing," Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses, "My nephew works as a purchasing agent at a hardware factory. Recently, the factory has been short of copper and iron raw materials. I heard that you know some channels for buying metals. Could you help me make some connections? If it works out, I'll give you 20% of the profits."

Lin Dong sneered inwardly. Yan Bugui was trying to use his connections to act as a middleman and profit from the difference. He deliberately feigned reluctance: "Third Uncle, it's not that I don't want to help you, but the boss I know only accepts smuggled goods, and the crackdown has been strict lately. If we're caught, I'll be implicated too."

Yan Jiecheng immediately said, "What are you afraid of? We'll do the deal at night, without anyone knowing. As long as we have the raw materials, the factory will give us a good kickback."

"No, the risk is too great," Lin Dong firmly refused. "I'm just an ordinary citizen; I can't afford to take such risks. If Uncle San really wants to do it, let's go through the proper channels."

Seeing that Lin Dong was unyielding, Yan Bugui's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but he didn't dare to lash out—he knew Lin Dong was not someone to be trifled with now. "Alright, think it over some more, and come find me anytime you've made up your mind." With that, he left dejectedly with Yan Jiecheng.

Lin Dong returned to the house, hid the money under the bed board, and took out the "Hardware Processing Handbook" to look through it. He wanted to use the lead-zinc ore refined this time to make a few battery casings—Boss Li said that recently someone from the agricultural machinery station had contacted him to order battery parts, and if he could make them, it would be another considerable income.

Just as Lin Dong entered the chaotic space to prepare for shaping, he heard a slight prying sound coming from the door. His heart tightened, and he silently stepped out of the space, hiding behind the door. The prying sound grew louder, and after a moment, the bolt was pried open, and a figure peeked in—it was Jia Dongxu.

Jia Dongxu's leg wasn't broken at all; he was just faking it to scam money. He'd been itching to steal from Lin Dong, seeing him exchanging money every day, and under the cover of darkness, he planned to sneak in and steal something. He tiptoed into the house, rummaging through drawers and cabinets for money, muttering, "That little rascal, he's definitely hiding a lot of money. Once I find it, it's mine."

Lin Dong sneered from behind the door, then suddenly spoke up: "Brother Jia, what are you looking for? Want me to help you find it?"

Terrified, Jia Dongxu turned to run. Lin Dong stepped forward, grabbed him by the back of his collar, lifted him up like a chick, and punched him in the stomach. Jia Dongxu curled up on the ground in pain, cold sweat pouring down his face.

"Lin Dong, you dare hit me? My mother will not let you get away with this!" Jia Dongxu shouted, his voice trembling with fear.

"So what if I hit you?" Lin Dong squatted down, grabbing his collar. "You broke into a private residence and stole things. I can take you to the police station right now and have you jailed!"

Jia Dongxu turned pale with fright and begged for mercy repeatedly: "Brother Lin Dong, I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again, please forgive me."

Just then, Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu rushed in. Seeing Jia Dongxu lying on the ground, Jia Zhangshi immediately started yelling and rolling around, "Lin Dong! You heartless bastard! You hit my son again! I'll fight you to the death!"

"Aunt Jia, look carefully. It was your son who broke into my house and stole things. I was just acting in self-defense," Lin Dong said coldly. "If you cause any more trouble, I'm going to the police station right now and let the officers settle this!"

Qin Huairu quickly pulled Jia Zhangshi aside and said to Lin Dong, "Brother Lin Dong, Dongxu was just confused for a moment, please forgive him. Our family will definitely discipline him properly and never let him bother you again."

"I can forgive him, but he must apologize to me and compensate me for the broken door latch," Lin Dong stated.

Jia Dongxu dared not disobey and quickly apologized, "Brother Lin Dong, I was wrong. I shouldn't have stolen your things. I'll fix the door latch for you tomorrow."

"Get out!" Lin Dong shouted coldly. Jia Zhangshi quickly helped Jia Dongxu up, and they slunk away. Qin Huairu walked last, glancing back at Lin Dong's house, her eyes filled with resentment and greed.

Lin Dong closed the door, looking at the broken latch, and sneered inwardly. The Jia family was still up to no good; it seemed the last lesson hadn't been enough. He decided that if they dared to come again, he wouldn't let them off so easily.

He returned to the chaotic space, purified the lead-zinc ore, and silently chanted "Shaping." The Chaos Pearl emitted a golden light, and soon, several battery casings were made, with smooth surfaces and standard dimensions, even better than those produced by hardware factories.

After finishing the outer casing, he used the by-product germanium to make several semiconductor components. He remembered that Boss Li had said that radios were very popular now, and semiconductor components were scarce. If he could make them, he would definitely be able to sell them for a good price.

After finishing these tasks, he entered a meditative state. The first level of the *Chaotic Body Refining Technique* was now stable, and he began his attempt to break through to the second level. Chaotic power circulated rapidly within his body, cleansing his meridians. Although it was somewhat painful, he gritted his teeth and persevered. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly opened his eyes. The chaotic power within him was twice as strong as before. The second level of the *Chaotic Body Refining Technique* was complete!

He stood up, stretched his limbs, and felt a surge of power coursing through his body. He punched the wall, leaving a shallow dent. Lin Dong nodded in satisfaction; now, he could easily handle four or five burly men.

The next morning, Jia Dongxu indeed came with tools to fix the door bolt. He kept his head down, not daring to look at Lin Dong, and left quickly after fixing the bolt. Jia Zhangshi didn't cause any more trouble, only occasionally cursing in the yard, but not daring to name names.

Lin Dong took the battery casings and semiconductor components to Boss Li. Upon seeing these items, Boss Li was speechless with excitement: "Lin Dong, you're a genius! The people at the agricultural machinery station will definitely be scrambling for these casings, and these semiconductor components—I know a radio factory owner who's in dire need of them. I'll get in touch with him; I guarantee you a good price!"

Sure enough, the radio factory owner arrived in less than half a day. Upon seeing the semiconductor components, he immediately decided, "I'll take all of these components. Fifty dollars each, ten of them is five hundred dollars! From now on, I'll take as many as you have!"

Lin Dong was shocked. Five hundred yuan! That was a huge sum of money back then, enough to buy a bicycle. He immediately agreed and signed a long-term supply agreement with the radio factory owner.

Returning to the courtyard house with the money, Lin Dong felt even more confident. He knew that with the Chaos Pearl and these avenues for making money, he would soon be able to escape this scheming courtyard. But before leaving, he wanted to make those who had bullied him pay the price they deserved.

That evening, Lin Dong prepared a lavish feast and invited He Yuzhu over for dinner. He Yuzhu's eyes widened at the sight of the table laden with meat and wine: "Lin Dong, you're living the high life!"

"Brother Zhu, from now on, follow me, and I'll guarantee you'll live the high life." Lin Dong poured He Yuzhu a glass of wine. "But you have to promise me you won't help the Jia family anymore. They're a bottomless pit."

He Yuzhu took a sip of his drink and sighed, "I know I was foolish before. If they come looking for me again, I definitely won't pay them any attention."

The two chatted and ate, finding themselves getting along very well. Lin Dong knew that He Yuzhu wasn't a bad person at heart, just too kind and easily manipulated. He decided that he would take He Yuzhu with him to make money, so that he could also live a decent life.

As night deepened, He Yuzhu staggered back into the house, drunk. Lin Dong stood at the door, his eyes cold as he gazed at the lights of the courtyard. The Jia family, Second Uncle, Third Uncle… your good days are numbered. His path of revenge had only just begun, and his glorious life was about to unfold.