Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

The roar of the jeep sounded particularly jarring in the steel mill's residential area late at night, but Jiang Chen didn't drive the car directly back to the security office. Instead, he parked it in a shadowy spot two alleyways away from the courtyard.

It was late at night, and the cold wind howled, swirling withered leaves on the bluestone road.

Jiang Chen tightened his officer's overcoat and, under the cover of night, quietly returned to No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. The front and middle courtyards were quiet, save for the occasional snore and muttering in one's sleep. Like a nimble cat, he avoided all possible noises, slipped into the backyard, pushed open the door, locked it, and drew the curtains—all in one fluid motion.

Inside, the coal stove fire had long since gone out, and a chilly coldness permeated the air.

Jiang Chen didn't start a fire. He sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes gleaming with barely suppressed excitement. Tonight's gains weren't just about that heavy chest of gold; they were the capital to completely turn the tide.

"System, bring up your personal panel."

With a thought, a pale blue light curtain appeared in the darkness.

[Host: Jiang Chen]

Current trading points balance: 3180 points

System space: 10m³ (expanded)

[Unlocked features: Dimensional Trading (Lv1.5), Emotion Collection, Blueprint Scanning]

Looking at the space, now expanded to ten cubic meters, Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction. Immediately after the transaction in the air-raid shelter, he had spent 1000 points to expand the space; otherwise, there would have been no way to properly store the fifty kilograms of gold and the previous munitions. Ten cubic meters was enough to fit a truck, or… empty the Lou family's basement.

But this is not enough.

In this turbulent era, besides material reserves, one's own strength is the key to survival. Although his physical abilities are now three times that of an average person, more than enough to deal with a few thugs or troublemakers from the security department, this strength is clearly insufficient to face the impending storm, as well as the agents, assassins, or even higher-level threats he may encounter in the future.

His gaze fell on another option in the system store.

[Unlock access to the Basic Dimensional Processing Plant: 1000 points.]

[Note: Independent processing areas can be created within the system space to purify, assemble, and modify raw materials. This is a prerequisite for realizing "individual soldier military industry."]

"Unlock." Jiang Chen said without the slightest hesitation.

[Ding! 1000 trade points consumed. Basic Dimensional Processing Plant unlocked.]

Current balance: 2180 points.

A thunderous roar seemed to echo in his mind. In a corner of the system space, a hazy mist dissipated, revealing several miniature machine tools with futuristic designs and a cold, metallic sheen. Although there were no blueprints or materials yet, this meant that he would no longer need to rely entirely on external supplies. Even a scrap metal pipe could be transformed into a deadly weapon here.

After doing all this, Jiang Chen took a deep breath, flipped his hand, and a glass tube emitting a faint blue light appeared in his palm.

Type II Gene Enhancement Fluid (Wasteland Military Version)

[Efficacy: Deeply restructures the gene chain, significantly increasing muscle density, nerve reaction speed, and bone strength. Side effects: Severe pain may occur during use.]

"Fortune favors the bold, what's a little pain?"

A fierce glint flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes as he tilted his head back and drank the icy blue liquid in one gulp.

The medicine went down my throat and initially tasted like a mouthful of ice water. However, just three seconds later, a burning sensation, as if from hell, exploded in my stomach and surged wildly through my veins to every part of my body.

"Hmm!"

Jiang let out a muffled groan, his whole body suddenly arching into a shrimp-like shape. He bit down hard on the towel that had been prepared beforehand, and the veins on his forehead bulged like earthworms.

pain.

Excruciating pain.

This pain wasn't like an injury; it felt more like someone was taking a dull knife and smashing his bones inch by inch, then piecing them back together. It was also like countless ants gnawing at his every nerve, tearing and reassembling his cells.

Sweat instantly soaked through the thick cotton coat, dripping from the ends of his hair onto the cement floor, where it pooled into a puddle.

Jiang Chen curled up on the bed, his body convulsing violently and uncontrollably. His consciousness began to blur, as if he were in a giant furnace, every corner of his body being forged by flames. He could even hear the teeth-grinding "crackling" sound of his bones growing, a signal that his bone density was rapidly increasing.

Hang in there...

He roared inwardly. In this cannibalistic world, only the strong have the right to set the rules. If you can't even withstand this little bit of pain, what's the point of talking about rewriting your destiny, or controlling the overall situation?

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly. Every second was agonizing.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe an hour, maybe a whole night. The tearing pain finally receded slowly like a tide, replaced by an unprecedented, explosive power.

Jiang Chen slowly opened his eyes.

In the darkness, a chilling glint flashed in his eyes, like a lone wolf patrolling its territory in the night.

He sat up, feeling not at all tired, but rather incredibly light. He looked down at his hands; a layer of dark grease and grime had seeped from his skin—the impurities that had been expelled from his body.

I moved my neck a little, and my cervical spine made a series of crisp popping sounds.

Jiang Chen casually picked up a military green iron tea mug from the bedside table. It was a common item in this era, made of enamel, hard and durable.

He gently closed his five fingers, without feeling any force at all.

"Squeak—"

A sickening metallic creaking sound rang out.

The sturdy iron teacup was molded in his hands like dough, instantly twisted and deformed, and finally shaped into a scrap iron disc, with enamel fragments falling off its surface.

Jiang Chen looked at the discus in his hand, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

This power has likely surpassed human limits, reaching a superhuman level. On the system panel, the words "[Combat Mastery]" have quietly jumped from "Beginner" to "Intermediate," and his physical stats have doubled across the board.

If he were to encounter that undercover agent, Old Li, again, he wouldn't even need to use a gun; he could smash the other man's head like a watermelon with a single slap.

After a quick wash and changing into dry clothes, Jiang Chen walked to the window and gently lifted a corner of the curtain.

The night was deep, and the darkness before dawn was the most intense.

Just then, a light footstep came from the direction of the front yard, accompanied by a distinctive humming tune that carried a hint of lewdness and smugness.

It's Xu Damao.

This guy has obviously just come back from fooling around outside, or he's been out scheming somewhere.

Jiang Chen stared at the figure swaying in the night, his eyes sharp as knives. The first phase of "primitive accumulation" was complete; he was fully prepared in terms of funds, space, and military strength.

Next comes the second stage – “capital plunder”.

Xu Damao is the "key" that will unlock the Lou family's treasure trove for him.

"Thump, thump, thump."

A very faint knock sounded on the door.

Jiang Chen's lips curled up slightly. This hunting dog had a keen sense of smell; it had come knocking on the door as soon as he returned.

He walked over and flung open the door.

Outside the door, Xu Damao was raising his hand, ready to knock again, when he suddenly saw Jiang Chen's cold and stern face. He trembled in fright, and then his face was filled with an extremely obsequious smile. His small eyes gleamed with an excited light of anticipation for doing something bad.

"Section Chief Jiang... you're still awake?" Xu Damao lowered his voice, looked around, and crept up to you like a thief. "I have something very important to report about the Lou family, something extremely important..."

Jiang Chen looked down at him, stepped aside to make way, and spoke in a calm voice that revealed neither joy nor anger:

"Come inside and say, 'I've been waiting for you for a long time.'"