5: Did you take a powerful pill?

“Holy crap! Old Liu, did you eat some kind of super pill?”

Old Zhang exclaimed.

Even though Liu Jiangyi had some expectation of his current strength, he couldn't help but be secretly amazed.

What shocked him even more was that the Ore instantly shattered completely, and two energy stones rolled out.

You have to understand, such a large piece of Ore would usually take at least a whole morning of hard digging, but now he solved it with one hammer blow, and it seemed effortless.

Old Chen's eyes were practically popping out; he leaned over with a fawning expression: “Old Liu, what kind of Spirit Pill did you take? Share it with your brothers, send a link, please, thank you, old friend!”

Liu Jiangyi chuckled, secretly pleased: System-produced, it must be a high-quality product!

But he casually replied: “Heh, I’ve been recuperating lately, and I feel rejuvenated.”

Old Zhang and Old Chen exchanged glances and, in unison, let out a disdainful “Tsk~!”

They clearly didn't believe that excuse.

Without a shovel, Liu Jiangyi simply used his bare hands.

He took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and punched the Ore wall.

“Bang!” Another piece of Ore shattered in response, and another energy stone rolled out!

In just a few seconds, three energy stones were in his hands!

Liu Jiangyi couldn't stop smiling.

At this efficiency, digging dozens of energy stones a day wouldn't be a problem!

Five were the basic work quota, and he could keep the rest at a two-to-one ratio! This income was higher than his previous monthly salary!

Thinking of this, Liu Jiangyi became even more motivated.

He swung his fists, like a human excavator, charging through the mine tunnel.

“Bang, bang, bang!” Explosions rang out one after another, and energy stones continuously appeared like mushrooms after rain.

The surrounding miners were completely dumbfounded, each one staring in shock.

“Holy crap! Old Liu, did you eat a Great Strength Vajra Pill?” Old Zhang exclaimed.

“This is too exaggerated! One punch per Ore, faster than I can with a shovel!” Old Chen couldn't help but curse.

“Old Liu, you wouldn't have… had a Breakthrough, would you?”

A miner suddenly asked cautiously.

As soon as these words came out, everyone suddenly understood.

“That's right! This strength is comparable to a First-Rank… oh no, a Second-Rank Martial Artist!”

“Third-Rank! I think he's at least a Third-Rank Martial Artist! That's the kind of strength that can punch a wild ox to death!”

“What kind of dumb luck did Old Liu have to suddenly have a Breakthrough?”

Everyone discussed animatedly, their gazes towards Liu Jiangyi filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

An afternoon passed in a flash, and Liu Jiangyi had already dug out more than seventy energy stones, piling them into a small mountain.

He stopped, feeling the surging power within his body, and had a preliminary assessment of his strength: at least comparable to a Third-Rank Martial Artist!

In this world, a Third-Rank Martial Artist was already considered an outstanding individual, capable of serving as a centurion in the military!

“That's enough for today.”

Liu Jiangyi patted the dust off himself, preparing to finish work.

He poured the energy stones with a rustle into a specially made bag; the heavy sensation made him happy.

Facing the envious, jealous, and hateful gazes of the surrounding miners, Liu Jiangyi strolled to the supervisor's office.

Before he could even report his glorious achievements of the day, the supervisor slammed his desk, spitting saliva everywhere: “Liu Jiangyi, you're fired!”

Liu Jiangyi was stunned.

Actually, he had long expected this.

Working in a Radiation Mining Area was trading one's life for money.

Radiation, that thing, kills invisibly. Once a miner developed symptoms, the mining area had to pay a large sum in compensation, fifty energy stones!

Therefore, there was an unwritten rule in the mining area: miners who were about to die were all dismissed, euphemistically called “caring for employees.”

He just didn't expect that right after he obtained the Invulnerable Body, he would encounter this “care.”

What a great loss for the mine!

If it were before, Liu Jiangyi would definitely have knelt down, hugged the supervisor's leg, and cried and begged to stay.

But now…

He stroked his chin, thinking to himself: How can someone like me be a commoner!

“Well then,” Liu Jiangyi sighed, feigning regret, “Last month's salary hasn't been settled yet, plus the severance pay, please calculate it for me.”

The supervisor's greasy face showed a hint of disdain; he slowly counted out five energy stones and threw them on the table: “Is that enough? Take it and get out! Oh, and leave the bag.”

“Enough my ass!”

A fire instantly ignited in Liu Jiangyi's heart.

He took a step forward, staring coldly at the other party, “My monthly salary is thirty energy stones, isn't it? Including the work I did this month, and the severance pay, it should start at fifty, right? Are you trying to fob me off with beggar's scraps?”

The supervisor's eyes widened; he clearly hadn't expected a miner who was usually so subservient to dare to talk back to him like this.

“It's good enough I'm giving you five! People like you should be secretly happy to even get a job! Don't be ungrateful!”

These words were like pouring a bucket of hot oil on Liu Jiangyi's anger.

He narrowed his eyes, “I'll ask again, are you sure you're not giving it?”

The supervisor waved his hand, righteous: “No! Take it or leave it, if you don't want it, get out! Say another word, and I won't even give you these five energy stones!”

“I seem to recall that your son is about to go to college.”

“You wouldn't want to get no energy stones at all, and your son can't pay his tuition, would you?”

No sooner had the supervisor finished speaking than he suddenly felt a tearing pain deep in his Soul.

He raised his head in horror, only to see Liu Jiangyi's pupils flickering with an eerie light, like two burning black suns.

“Tsukuyomi!”

Liu Jiangyi retracted his slightly raised finger, and the supervisor's face instantly became deathly pale.

Immediately, he unexpectedly slumped onto the office desk, spitting out a large mouthful of blood, and directly kicked the bucket.

A large section of the ledger on the desk was splattered wet.

Liu Jiangyi stood still, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

The effect of this “Tsukuyomi” was much more potent than he had imagined.

Was it because the other party's brain capacity was worrying?

Just as he was considering whether to conveniently search the supervisor's “secret stash,” the office door creaked open.

A man in a gray miner's uniform poked his head in, and upon seeing the scene inside—the supervisor with blood at the corner of his mouth, eyes rolled back, slumped on the desk—he was immediately scared to death, his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, and directly screamed: “M-murder—!”

…

The scene shifted. In the manager's office on the top floor of the mine's watchtower, the quiet atmosphere was suddenly broken by the commotion outside.

With a loud bang, “Thud!” the door was violently kicked open.

The woman, who was applying lipstick in front of the dressing mirror, her hand trembled, and the bright lipstick drew a thin red line at the corner of her mouth.

Liu Ruyan's eyebrows shot up, and she was about to explode, but she froze when she saw who had entered.

It was that miner named Liu Jiangyi?

He actually dared to cause trouble?

And… he even dared to kick her door?