Chapter 269: Boy, do you crave power?

Just then, a heavy mechanical rumble came from beneath the trash mountain.

Two beams of strong light pierced the acid rain curtain, sweeping over A Qi.

A Qi's body stiffened suddenly, and the crowbar in his hand clanged onto the scrap iron pile. He turned his head in terror.

A hover armored vehicle painted with the tycoon emblem stopped at the foot of the trash mountain.

The vehicle doors opened, and three burly men stepped out.

No, to be precise, they were three half-human, half-mechanical monsters.

Their right arms had been brutally severed and replaced with industrial-grade mechanical prosthetics fitted with hydraulic clamps and high-voltage stunners. On the back of their heads was implanted a flickering, faintly glowing Grade 1 Spirit Crystal.

Spiritual qi flowed from the crystals into their meridians, driving the heavy mechanical prosthetics and producing a grating gear‑meshing sound.

"Harvester." A Qi's teeth chattered as he spat out the name that struck fear into all who heard it.

"Zone 9527, pauper A Qi, your breath tax is nearing the red line. Come with us—Mine Shaft 213 needs a filler laborer."

His remaining flesh eye fixed on A Qi, as if looking at a commodity awaiting a price.

"Under Tycoon Clause 74, those who fail to pay taxes on time have their personal assets seized. You have no decent parts at all, so we'll take your person to settle the debt."

"Take him away. Either down the mine, or to the biological lab as test material for prosthetic rejection reactions."

The other two Harvesters strode onto the trash mountain, their mechanical prosthetics crushing scrap iron with a dull thud.

A Qi's face turned deathly pale as he gripped the crowbar tightly and shouted his defense:

"Isn't today not over yet? There are still three hours until sunset—I can still scrape together ten credit points!"

"Oh? You didn't know?"

One Harvester snorted, "The tycoon just issued a new policy to optimize the slums' air resources—breath tax settlement moved up half a day. If you have credit points, pay now. If not, quit the chatter—come with us."

"If he could have scraped anything together by now, giving him half a day wouldn't make him able to come up with it."

"Cut it out!"

A Qi fell into despair.

Because he only had five credit points left.

It was nowhere near enough to pay the breath tax!

Just as the Harvesters prepared to step forward and seize him, a lazy, mysterious voice sounded in A Qi's mind without warning.

"Dig behind the black disc and the rusty tread on the left side of the abandoned trash heap."

A Qi shuddered all over, looking around in terror, but saw nothing.

"Don't bother looking—do as I say, unless you want to become fodder in the mine." The voice carried a hint of mockery.

"I have it! I have it!"

A Qi grasped at straws.

Right after saying that, he immediately ran to the back of the trash heap as the voice directed.

As for the Harvesters, they couldn't care less what A Qi was doing.

With his Qi Refining Third Layer strength, what did he have to fear from a lowly commoner running away?

Ding!

A barely audible cracking sound rang in A Qi's ear.

He lowered his gaze—it was a fingernail‑sized fragment of spirit crystal emitting a faint blue light.

A Qi's eyes widened instantly.

This was a fragment of a Second‑Tier Spirit Crystal; even on the black market it could fetch a full hundred credit points!

It was worth ten days of his breath tax!

He snatched up the crystal without hesitation and turned to hand it to the two tax collectors.

"Idiot, I advise you not to pull it out directly."

In his mind, Gu Yuan's voice sounded again, a lofty warning: "Wealth moves hearts—you, an ant, cannot guard something like this."

But the utterly terrified A Qi, now a black‑listed nobody, wouldn't listen. He lifted the damaged crystal high: "I've got money! This crystal is definitely worth a hundred credit points—enough to pay ten days of tax!"

The two uniformed men saw that flash of blue; the eyes behind their masks lit up instantly, greed plainly visible.

A hundred credit points.

That's a day's pay for them.

Even split, each would walk away with fifty points.

How could this lowly wretch have such damn‑good luck?

The leader of the uniformed men snorted, arms crossed, and said bluntly: "The item's fine, but you still haven't paid your credit points."

A Qi staggered, shouting: "Why? This crystal is clearly worth a hundred credit points."

"I say it's worthless, so it's worthless. Do you… have ten credit points now? If not, come with us."

Hearing that, A Qi felt as if he'd plunged into an ice cave, utterly despairing.

Just then, the uniformed man shifted his tone, putting on a show of great compassion:

"But look, seeing you pitiful, we brothers are willing to lend a hand privately. We'll buy this crystal from you for ten credit points—just enough to pay today's tax. Otherwise, you're reporting to the mine with us right now."

"This is clearly worth a hundred points—you're outright robbing me! I won't stand for it!"

A Qi burned with rage, clenching his fists tightly as he roared:

"Not satisfied?" the uniformed man gave a cold snort; his right sleeve burst open, revealing a mechanical prosthetic arm gleaming with faint azure spiritual light, etched with inferior cultivation formation patterns.

Accompanied by the harsh grating of gears, the spiritual power fluctuation of a Qi Refining Stage Third Layer mixed with the mechanical arm's icy might, pressing down on A Qi's head like a tangible weight.

Faced with an absolute disparity in strength, A Qi's legs gave way and he collapsed into the mud.

He was completely subdued.

He clutched the crystal in his hand tightly, endless regret welling up in his heart.

He regretted not heeding that mysterious voice's warning; in this man-eating world, weakness is original sin, and flaunting wealth is practically asking for death.

He humiliatingly released his grip, agreeing to this extortion-like deal.

Only after a long while did the two uniformed men, triumphantly, take the crystal element and leave.

That languid voice once again echoed faintly deep in A Qi's mind.

"Young man, do you crave power?"