Chapter 4: Modification of the Scrap Yard

The young woman had messy short hair stained with dust, and her features were half-hidden by the disarray, making her look quite ordinary. She was over 1.7 meters tall, but unfortunately, she was as thin as a bamboo pole; combined with her green suit, she looked like a green bamboo pole topped with a pile of messy hair.

Liu Mu stood with her hands behind her back, looking like a simple, honest rural elder inspecting her crops. With Xu Xiaoxia's detailed introduction and several managers interjecting to butter her up, she quickly selected five off-road vehicles with the best performance and configurations.

As for the two recreational vehicles, they were available, but their configurations were not the best.

After consulting with Wu Hong, Xu Xiaoxia called the head office, and the company immediately agreed to ship two vehicles directly from Country D, though it would take half a month.

For such a major brand in the automotive circle, customers often requested fully imported vehicles, and some even supported customization and modification, so Xu Xiaoxia was very knowledgeable about this.

She immediately explained to Liu Mu, "The factory has finished vehicles, but air-freighting them requires some procedures and processes. Sister Liu Mu, do you think you can wait half a month?"

Liu Mu nodded, "It's fine, I trust you to handle it."

This one sentence instantly elevated Xu Xiaoxia's status in the dealership significantly. On the spot, Wu Hong and the finance department manager both promised to recommend her to the company, saying, "Young people like Xiaoxia who are so steady, hardworking, and talented are truly rare. We will definitely recommend her to be our store's sales shift manager."

"Yes, yes, Manager Xu has outstanding ability; with a platform, I believe her future will be limitless!"

Xu Xiaoxia did not decline at all. She was a legitimate graduate with a major in commerce from a 985 university; if it weren't for being held back by her stepmother and muddled father, how would she be selling cars at a 4S dealership?

Liu Mu didn't care about these things; she handled the paperwork, swiped the card, and took delivery of the cars.

In less than three hours, five new cars with license plates were parked in the warehouse she had just rented.

A thirty-percent deposit had already been paid for the two recreational vehicles. Fearing the big client might run off, the company immediately settled the sales commission and salary for Xu Xiaoxia.

That's right, a portion of it was even given in advance; the finance department said it was out of trust for Liu Mu.

In fact, they didn't need to worry at all. When the contract was signed, the bank had already set aside the vehicle purchase funds separately; as long as Liu Mu agreed to pay after receiving the cars, the transaction would be completed.

This was also a measure beneficial to both parties. Liu Mu didn't have to worry about the cars having issues; if something really went wrong, the bank could directly help her recover the deposit.

Xu Xiaoxia's phone kept buzzing with text messages. The young girl was so excited she couldn't stop grinning, and she didn't leave even after helping Liu Mu park the cars.

"Sister Liu Mu, you gave me so much face today, I just knew you were my benefactor!"

The young girl had a sweet tongue and immediately said she wanted to treat Liu Mu to lunch, insisting on choosing an expensive restaurant.

"There's no need for lunch, you can help me with something else instead."

At first, Liu Mu hadn't thought of it, but now that she had bought the cars, she needed to utilize the people she could.

Haicheng was developing rapidly, and naturally, many factories were being dismantled and sold. Liu Mu asked Xu Xiaoxia to help her inquire about which old factories were selling scrap metal recently.

"Old machinery, old equipment, as well as scrap steel and new steel—the scope is unlimited. I can go pick it up myself. If you don't have any leads yourself, please trouble yourself to ask Uncle Xu for me."

As soon as Xu Xiaoxia heard this, her eyes lit up, "Sister Liu Mu, you're doing big business now, aren't you? Scrap steel trading is nothing to mess around with. However, don't worry, as long as you want to collect it, I guarantee I will find you a source."

Benefits weren't given for nothing. Liu Mu was very satisfied that Xu Xiaoxia didn't delay for even a quarter of an hour and immediately called her father and several other people.

Liu Mu parked her beat-up tricycle next to the luxury cars, picked one at random to drive out, and locked the warehouse.

Xu Xiaoxia had just finished her call and, seeing her about to leave, immediately came over to ask, "Sister, I don't know if you're interested in something. Actually, many people who buy cars at our store also want to make some private modifications. If you want to modify your cars, I have connections here too."

"That sounds great, can we go now?"

Although off-road vehicles were good, in the apocalypse, they needed to be sturdy, and there was plenty that needed modification.

'Red Star Repair Shop' was only a ten-minute drive from the warehouse. Upon arriving, Xu Xiaoxia introduced the Boss to Liu Mu.

The Boss was about the same height as Liu Mu, but he was much sturdier; the same volume could fit two Liu Mus.

The big guy was named Hu Xing, a retired veteran. Seeing Liu Mu's plain appearance, he was indeed a bit skeptical.

"They say the wealthy are low-key, Boss, but you are too low-key. If you weren't driving a Knight, I would have thought you were the young girl who came to our place to collect scrap the day before yesterday."

Liu Mu pulled out a pack of Seven Wolves cigarettes and handed one to the Boss, "Brother Xing, do you think there's a possibility that I *am* that young girl who collects scrap?"

The cigarette had just been placed in his mouth and, before he could even light it, it fell into the mud soaked with motor oil, "What the hell? Who did you say you were?"

Xu Xiaoxia also widened her eyes, looking back and forth between the two, "You two know each other?"

Liu Mu had originally intended to find Hu Xing anyway; she hadn't expected it to be such a coincidence that the person Xu Xiaoxia introduced was her, "It's me. I've saved up a bit of money over the years and bought some things. Brother Xing, I have another matter, do you think you could help me out?"

The business Hu Xing and his group were engaged in wasn't just repairing and modifying cars—that was just on the surface. Privately, they were deeply involved with the underground forces of Haicheng.

And there was another reason Liu Mu dared to approach them single-handedly: she knew their deepest secret—they worked for the government.

This fact only became apparent after the 'Seven-Day Burning', when they helped maintain urban order and put on their military uniforms again.

Hu Xing invited them into his office, and Liu Mu asked Xu Xiaoxia to help talk to the technicians outside about the modifications.

As for her own affairs, naturally, the fewer people who knew, the better. Once the apocalypse began, one couldn't trust anyone.

After stating her requirements, Hu Xing looked Liu Mu over again, his gaze as sharp as a needle.

He asked, "Boss Liu, what are you talking about? I don't understand what you mean. We are just a repair shop; we can't handle the things you want, nor can we do such a large-scale project."

Liu Mu had long expected Hu Xing to push back, so she immediately feigned profundity and said, "Brother Xing, I call you 'Brother'! Being able to say these things means you must know something. You don't have to worry; when it comes down to it, I'm just a scrap dealer who made a little money by catching a trend. If you really won't take my job, I can only go find someone else."

"However, before we talk business, I'll be blunt: once the job is done, the labor fee will be... this much!"

Liu Mu made a gesture with her right hand, her small eyes looking very sharp.

Hu Xing followed her eyes, shook his head, and laughed, "Seventy thousand won't do. I still have to find people to plan, install, and manage it—I can't do it!"

"Tsk, Brother Xing, you guessed too low," Liu Mu also shook her head, moving her fingers again to signal him to keep guessing.

"Seven hundred thousand?" This amount was just for labor fees, which was not a small sum. Although Hu Xing and his group seemed to charge hundreds of thousands or millions for car modifications, that included parts and technology, so there wasn't much left for each person to split.

Liu Mu had seen all kinds of people since she was young; with just one look, she knew Hu Xing was already tempted, but she still shook her head, "Keep going!"

"Seven million... no, wait, Boss, how big of a project are you trying to pull off?" Hu Xing hurriedly got up to close the office door tightly, returned to sit next to Liu Mu, his hands shaking with excitement, "Seven million? You're not joking with me? Materials and engineering personnel are separate?"

Liu Mu was satisfied and withdrew her hand, "Naturally, it's seven million. To be honest with you, Brother Xing, I've worked diligently for so many years; it's time to expand the business. You can go see that area of ours anytime; it's just too suitable for a large dumping ground."

"I had my eye on that terrain from the beginning and have been planning for so many years. This first step still relies on your help, Brother!"

Hu Xing rubbed his hands together, excited, "Boss Liu is truly no ordinary person. I won't hide it from you either: the first time I saw you, I felt you were someone destined for big things."

"Fine, you give me this project, and I can get the people in place immediately. Also, that car of yours outside, I guarantee I'll have it modified perfectly for you."

With that, the matter was settled. Liu Mu immediately paid two million, which was both for the car modification and as a deposit, and they agreed to conduct an on-site inspection the next day.

Hu Xing watched her swipe the card and felt a bit more at ease.

The card was a bank card, which meant Liu Mu's money had been registered with the bank. Regardless of whether the source was entirely legitimate, at least it could withstand an investigation into its origin.

Leaving the repair shop, Liu Mu let Xu Xiaoxia go back to work first, while she herself hailed a taxi to the warehouse and drove out a smaller off-road vehicle.

The vehicle sent for modification was nearly twice the size of the one she was driving; in fact, in times of peace, it wouldn't be very suitable for the road—too flashy.

Even the current one was considered a luxury car on the road, and it had plenty of power when driven.

The remaining time, according to Liu Mu's plan, was spent visiting almost every major shopping mall in Haicheng, especially the warehouse-style shopping centers in the South City.

To put it like a country bumpkin, although she was a Haicheng local, she had truly never seen so many goods in her entire life.

However, she didn't buy much; the biggest difficulty was that her system only stored and decomposed scrap items, and perfectly good things couldn't be put inside.

In the early days when humans underwent Evolution and gained superpowers, she had barely managed not to starve to death by relying on this function, but it was also extremely useless.

Just think about it: others either evolved powerful combat abilities or extreme speed, or were even able to use superpowers, purify air and water, and some could even conjure food out of thin air, but her... a scrap-collecting system.

Teaming up was useless, and trying to survive alone was just asking for death; she had struggled to get by with a few people she had been cooperating with, but in the end, she still died at their hands because of a mouthful of food.

The moment she was reborn, Liu Mu clearly defined the path she wanted to take; since individual combat strength would sooner or later be inferior to others, she would become a person of value.

A person's value is nothing more than knowing a certain cutting-edge specialty and... having immense power.

The former was impossible to achieve in three months, but there were ways to achieve the latter.

She wanted to become the number one Merchant of the apocalypse, or rather, a profiteer.

Wherever there are people, there is trade; food, medicine, daily necessities, weapons, and even raw materials—there isn't a single thing that doesn't require trade.

Over the next week, Hu Xing brought people to conduct a field survey, and after the technicians clarified Liu Mu's requirements, they quickly provided the design drawings.

Luo Sanlin also helped Liu Mu obtain the construction permits; with the paperwork in hand, she directly bought fifty mu of land and two hills from two nearby villages.

Of course, what she bought was only the three-year usage rights, but after three months, it would become permanent private property.

As for the materials, Hu Xing, as the general contractor, would naturally procure them; all Liu Mu had to do was check whether these materials met the requirements for fire and cold resistance.

One day, Hu Xing drank two jin with Liu Mu and, emboldened by the alcohol, teased, "Boss, I understand you wanting to set up a yard to expand your business. I also understand needing a basement to store valuables, but you're building eight basements—not to mention digging deep, you've also divided them into freezers, temperature-controlled rooms, and even radiation-proof ones..."

"No, normally 1.5 meters deep is enough to block 99.9% of radiation, but you want to dig five meters."

"Did you get some kind of news, or are you just being too cautious?"

Because of the alcohol, Liu Mu's cheeks were flushed, but her mind was very clear. "Speaking of this, Brother Xing, you and I have a friendship, but I... I'm embarrassed to say, hehe..."

Hu Xing immediately put down his wine glass. "You say we have a friendship, yet you won't even reveal a hint to me, sister. You still don't treat me as one of your own; what's there to be embarrassed about?"

"Sigh," Liu Mu let out a long sigh and wiped her eyes, and two lines of tears flowed down. "Brother Xing, you also know that I have no parents. The suffering I've endured all these years, sigh, it's unspeakably painful."

"Like how you all give me face by calling me Boss Liu, but you don't know that just a few days ago, someone pointed at my nose and cursed me as a bastard, a thing with no father or mother!"

"I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but why am I building these? Why? Isn't it just because I'm fucking scared?"

"You say I've been stingy for ten or twenty years, and now that I can finally do a little business, what if someone comes at night and gives me a bullet? I'm just..."

"I'm just a short-lived ghost! A bastard short-lived ghost. My heart is afraid, so afraid that I don't even dare to find a husband, just for fear of being killed!"

Hu Xing was moved by her crying and immediately began to comfort her, and before he knew it, he had poured out his own story—how he couldn't get promoted in the army, how it was difficult to support his family back home, and how he had gathered a group of old brothers to start the factory.

The two, who were not related by blood, patted each other's shoulders and wept bitterly; this meal of wine made them sworn siblings!

The subsequent construction went so smoothly it was almost unbelievable; one month later, the software and hardware facilities for all eight basements were completed.

For the sake of caution and sufficient funding, Hu Xing took charge, and almost every item of the intermediate construction was carried out by different people.

In other words, no third person knew the full extent of the underground project besides him and Liu Mu.

Finally, to put Liu Mu at ease, after Hu Xing explained the method for the system settings and security passwords for each location, he completely avoided them.

Things were simple after the ground was backfilled and leveled.

On the hillside above ground, a three-story functional building and the surrounding double-layered walls were constructed together, taking only half a month to complete.

On the day of completion, Liu Mu specifically invited a few acquaintances to eat, and Xiao Feng and her brother were also among the invitees, but she adamantly refused to let Liu Mu order food from a restaurant outside; she nagged for a long time, dragged people to a nearby vegetable farmer's house to collect vegetables, went to a pig farm to pick out a big fat pig to slaughter, and even went to the market to get chicken, duck, and seafood...

"With all this, let alone a few tables of guests, even a hundred tables wouldn't be a problem."

Liu Mu's beat-up tricycle was loaded with pork and vegetables, and all the way there, she listened to Xiao Feng nagging about being frugal. "Is it easy for you to save up money for so many years? This time you're contracting land, laying foundations, building a yard, and even building a new house. It's not that I, your sister, am lecturing you, Xiao Mu, that Zhou family looks down on you, just treat him like a fart and let it go. Can you really waste your own money just to make them think highly of you?"

Liu Mu didn't know how Li Erpo had been spreading things outside, but now it seemed she had been completely misunderstood.

"Right, Sister Xiao Feng, you're right. I'll definitely live my life well from now on!"

She thought saying this was fine, but her face was pinched by Xiao Feng. "Don't be too stingy with yourself. Look at your little face, there isn't even two taels of meat on it!"

The small building at the Scrap Station didn't need much decoration; she just bought simple furniture and set up the functional items.

Looking at the things placed on the ground, Hu Xing believed even more that Liu Mu wanted to hide her wealth and truly lacked a sense of security.

Luo Sanlin had come to see it twice in the middle, but he was pulled away by Liu Mu to talk, so he had no idea about the existence of the basements.

He only knew that Liu Mu had contracted dozens of mu of land, as if she were going to open a large scrap recycling plant.

This afternoon, after being led by Liu Mu to take a tour around the vicinity, Luo Sanlin was dissatisfied.

"Xiao Mu, what is this you've done? You rented the land and leveled it, but never mind not laying a concrete floor. Why is the place you live in built so crudely? I know you want to accomplish something to show everyone, but you can't treat yourself so poorly."

"Your body is the capital of the revolution; you can't be so perfunctory with yourself!"

Liu Mu handed him a cigarette while agreeing, only saying that she was young and could work hard and strive!

With her bird's nest hair stained with cement dust, that set of green cultural shirt washed until it was white, and that shabby attitude, even the cigarettes she handed out were Red Plum brand from a small shop.

Seeing this appearance, Hu Xing couldn't help but praise her in his heart; this Boss was truly low-key.

With a person like this, who would have thought she had an off-road vehicle worth eight or nine million after modification?

Who would have thought that beneath their feet was that basement? And the construction cost of each one was no less than five million!

This person... is too fucking good at acting!