Huff—Puff—
The potion, expired for three thousand years, was roaring through my veins.
My heart was like an engine swapped out for a nuclear reactor; every beat pumped out infinite power. The originally heavy fire axe now felt as light as a chopstick.
I felt terrifyingly strong right now.
"Work! Work!"
Like a madman shot up with adrenaline, I charged into the pile of scrap metal. Although "Code Vision" had expired, relying on intuition and the phone's basic scanning function, I began a frantic treasure hunt.
I kicked aside a piece of rubble and found a mud-stained White Full-Face Helmet underneath.
The design was classic: a T-shaped black visor, with traces of breath filters on the chin.
Beep! [Item: Mass-Produced Trooper Helmet (Damaged)] [Recycle Value: 1.5 Points] [System Note: This batch of helmets has a serious Fire Control System Bug. The wearer's accuracy will be forcibly corrected to 0%. Destruction recommended to avoid accidental injury to teammates.]
"No wonder those guys always miss..." I grinned knowingly and threw it into the bag behind me.
I then pulled a Red and Blue Spandex Suit out of a nearby pile of rebar. The fabric was very elastic, covered in a black web pattern, with a black arthropod logo printed on the chest. Unfortunately, there was a big hole in the mask, and it was stained with some white, sticky, silky substance.
Beep! [Item: Neighborhood Hero's Spandex (Battle Damaged)] [Recycle Value: 2 Points] [System Note: Traces of cheap pizza smell and the scent of poverty detected in the fibers. Repair costs are exorbitant; retention not recommended.]
"The scent of poverty... this system has a poisonous tongue." I shook my head and continued rummaging.
This place was simply a massive graveyard of broken dreams.
I successively found: A Red and White Metal Ball with the button in the middle jammed. The scan showed it contained a "mummified electric rodent." A Rusty Crowbar. System note: "Holy Sword of Physics (Fake). Cannot break the fourth wall." A Gold Ring. Just as I picked it up, eerie whispers came from my ear, scaring me into throwing it into the bag immediately—System evaluation: "Source of mental pollution, smelting recommended."
In less than ten minutes, a small hill had piled up behind me.
The thrill of digging up past legends in a trash heap made me briefly forget my fear.
Until that hair-raising chewing sound came.
Crunch... Crunch...
The sound came from behind a mountain of tires ahead. That sound of metal grinding against bone was exceptionally ear-piercing in this deathly silent wasteland.
The excitement from the potion was still there, but my brain wasn't broken. I immediately lowered my body, sticking to the ground like a gecko. Using a discarded piece of green pipe as cover, I carefully peeked out.
Behind the tire mountain, a creature shaped like a wolf was feeding.
It had no fur, only exposed, rusty mechanical bones. Its head was a modified surveillance camera, the lens emitting a crimson glow, staring dead at a corpse beneath its feet.
[Warning: Scavenger_Hound] [Level: 3]
Level 3. This wasn't something I could mess with.
I held my breath, preparing to retreat quietly. This amount of trash was enough to exchange for quite a bit of money; there was no need to risk my life.
However. Just as I was about to pull my head back, my gaze was firmly seized by something at the mechanical hound's feet.
It was stepping on it like a stepping stone. It was a circular metal device, about the size of a palm. Although the surface was covered in scratches and grease, the inverted triangular core area in the center was emitting a faint, stable Blue Glow.
Even from a dozen meters away, I could feel the faint hum of a magnetic field in the air.
I raised my phone and zoomed in.
Beep! [Item: Miniature Cold Fusion Reactor (Gen 1)] [Status: Casing damaged, magnetic containment unstable, but core energy remains abundant.] [Note: A miracle hammered out by a certain tycoon in a cave. Although the technology is primitive and toxic, it is the perfect independent energy source.] [Recycle Value: 15 Points.]
15 Points? No! "Perfect Independent Energy Source"!
My brain went buzz. The hotel is currently without power. Repairing the circuits costs money, and even if fixed, I'd have to connect to the Main God Space's expensive power grid. But if I have this thing... I have my own generator!
This isn't trash. This is a Heart!
"I must get it."
I swallowed, my heart starting to beat violently. The mechanical hound was still focused on gnawing and hadn't noticed me.
I looked around and picked up a red brick (it looked like the kind a certain plumber used to headbutt).
I took a deep breath, my arm muscles tightening. I had to hit it in one shot, lure it away, grab the loot, and run.
"Go!"
I swung my arm in a full arc and threw the brick in the opposite direction of the mechanical hound—towards a precarious mountain of glass bottles.
Crash!!!
The sound of shattering glass exploded in the silent junkyard.
The mechanical hound's movements froze instantly. Its camera head snapped toward the source of the sound, letting out a low electronic growl. Its hind legs bent slightly, assuming a pouncing stance.
Now!
I shot out like an arrow from a string. Target: That glowing blue heart!
Ten meters. Five meters.
Just as my fingertips were about to touch the reactor. The mechanical hound, which was originally preparing to pounce on the glass mountain, suddenly turned its head without any warning sign.
That crimson lens aimed directly at me in mid-air.
It wasn't fooled?! Or... its sensors had detected me long ago, and it was just baiting me?!
"ROAR!!!"
A tyrannical roar. Abandoning the sound source, it opened its steel maw full of razor-sharp teeth and bit directly at my neck!
Too close! No time to dodge!
In the life-and-death moment, the hyperactivity and brute force from the potion saved my life. I forcibly twisted my waist in mid-air, pulling back the hand originally reaching for the reactor. I took the hit hard with my shoulder, while simultaneously, my right hand snatched the reactor from the ground and jammed it viciously into its open mouth!
"Eat THIS!"
Crunch!
The mechanical hound bit down on the hard lump of metal. The sound of breaking teeth rang out.
Taking advantage of its momentary daze, I used the momentum to roll on the ground. Ignoring the searing pain in my shoulder, I scrambled up and ran!
"Run! Run! Run!"
Behind me came the mechanical hound's roar of absolute fury. It spat out the reactor (luckily the thing was hard enough not to break) and chased after me like a mad dog.
I didn't dare look back. I could hear the heavy metal footsteps getting closer and closer; that hot, foul-smelling wind was practically spraying onto the back of my head.
Fifty meters! Thirty meters!
My lungs were burning, my legs sprinting as if through lead-filled swamps.
The iron door was right ahead!
Just as I lunged for the doorframe, I felt something hook onto my pant leg. Rrrrip—
That was the sound of claws tearing fabric. If I were 0.1 seconds slower, it would have been my Achilles tendon!
I tumbled into the corridor, turned around, kicked the door, and slid the bolt!
I had rehearsed this sequence countless times in my head; now, it was executed in one smooth motion.
BANG!!!
A deafening crash.
The iron door shook violently, dust raining down. A terrifying dent instantly bulged into the center of the metal panel—the result of the mechanical hound's full-force impact.
"Roar... Woo..."
The sound of claws frantically scratching the iron plate came from outside, ear-piercing enough to make teeth ache.
But it couldn't get in. Although this door was broken, it was still part of the "Hotel." Once closed, these were two different worlds.
Huff... cough... huff...
I collapsed on the ground, back against the cold iron door, gasping for air. Cold sweat instantly soaked my entire body.
My shoulder burned with pain, bruised from the impact. My pant leg was torn, and there was a bloody scratch on my calf.
But, looking at the reactor in my arms, still emitting a stable blue light and a soft humming sound, I couldn't help but grin and let out a manic laugh.
"Heh heh... Haha..."
I got it. I snatched it from the mouth of a Lv.3 monster.
I rested for a while, confirming the monster outside had left, before dragging that big bag of "IP Trash" back to the lobby.
By now, the lobby was piled high with the stuff I brought back.
[Potion Duration Remaining: 01:00]
The potion was wearing off; a sense of weakness was creeping in.
I walked to the counter and activated the [Resource Recycle] program.
A blue light swept over the pile of junk.
[Calculating...] [Trooper Helmet with 0% Accuracy: 1.5 Points.] [Neighborhood Poor Guy's Spandex: 2 Points.] [Holy Sword of Physics (Fake): 3 Points.] [...]
Finally, the scanning beam landed on the reactor in my arms.
[High-Value Energy Core Detected.] [Recycle Value: 15 Points.] [Recycle?]
I looked at that number, then at the icy blue heart in my hand.
15 Computation Points? That was a drop in the bucket for paying off the debt. But for this pitch-black hotel, it was a heart, it was light, it was hope.
"No sale."
I selected [No] and carefully placed the reactor on the counter. Then I confirmed the recycling of the other trash.
[Recycle Successful.] [Total Earned: 32.5 Points.] [Current Account Balance: 34.5 Points.] (Plus the previous 2 points)
Although I didn't reach the expected 50 points, I held a priceless treasure in my hand.
The potion's effect vanished completely. I felt like my bones had been pulled out, and I slid limply to the floor.
But looking at the eerie blue glow on the counter, my eyes were unusually bright.
I have money. And, I have electricity.
"Next... is the moment to witness a miracle."