1: Chapter 1: Demanding Unpaid Wages, Broken Bones, and That Crisp "Ding"

Parallel world, Dragon Country, Southeast Coast, Changning City.

At the "Xinwang Electronics" factory office building, the door to the General Manager's office on the third floor was slightly ajar.

Zhang Cheng stood at the door, his washed-out overalls covered in oil stains and mud. He tightly gripped a crumpled timesheet, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force. He took a deep breath, and the air, mixed with the smell of low-quality tobacco and mold, choked his lungs, making his already tight throat even drier.

"Manager Wang, are... are you in?"

Zhang Cheng knocked on the door, keeping his voice as humble as possible.

No one answered from inside; only the clattering of mahjong tiles and the coarse laughter and curses of several men could be heard.

Zhang Cheng gritted his teeth and pushed the door open.

The office was filled with swirling smoke, making it hard to keep one's eyes open. A large mahogany desk had been pushed to the side, and a mahjong table had been set up in the center. Four men sat around it, puffing out clouds of smoke. The leader was a fat man with a face full of flabby flesh and oily skin; a thick gold chain around his neck swayed with every move he made to draw a tile.

This was the workshop director and personnel manager, the "local tyrant," Wang Defa, nicknamed Wang Pangzi.

"Manager Wang..." Zhang Cheng called out again, his voice slightly louder.

Wang Pangzi frowned and slammed his tiles onto the table. His tiny, mung-bean-sized eyes squinted over, full of impatience: "Are you calling for a ghost? Can't you see I'm busy? Get out!"

Zhang Cheng didn't move; his feet felt as if they were nailed to the floor. He knew that if he didn't get the money today, he truly wouldn't make it through the New Year.

"Manager Wang, I don't want to disturb your fun. But... I resigned half a month ago. Regarding those three months of back pay and the overtime pay, do you think..."

"Wages?" Wang Pangzi acted as if he had heard a joke and sneered. He turned to the men beside him, who looked like thugs, and said, "Listen to this, this pauper came to ask me for money. Hey, I say, Zhang Cheng, did your brain get caught in a machine tool?"

A man beside him with a buzz cut and tattooed arms chimed in sarcastically: "Exactly, Zhang Cheng, don't you know the rules of our factory? Resigning voluntarily means deductions for this and that; your meager wages were offset long ago. You're lucky we didn't make you pay the company back for machine repairs, and yet you dare come asking for money?"

Zhang Cheng's chest heaved violently, a surge of anger rushing to his head. He slammed his timesheet onto the mahjong table piled with cash: "Wang Defa! You can't be this heartless! This twelve thousand is hard-earned money I made working day and night! I'll accept the performance deductions, but why the hell aren't you paying the base salary?"

*Slap!*

Wang Pangzi suddenly stood up and delivered a backhanded slap, landing crisply on Zhang Cheng's face.

The blow was extremely heavy. Zhang Cheng's ears rang, half his face swelled up instantly, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"I gave you face, didn't I? You dare slam my table?" Wang Pangzi pointed at Zhang Cheng's nose, spitting in his face as he spoke. "Don't come here playing the victim! I'm telling you, I have plenty of money!"

Saying this, he grabbed a stack of red bills from the table, waved them in front of Zhang Cheng's eyes, and then, as if feeding a dog, casually pulled one out and contemptuously threw it into the spittoon at Zhang Cheng's feet.

"Want money? Fine. Pick that up and lick it clean, and that'll be your travel expenses. As for the rest, not a single cent! Get out!"

Humiliation.

Naked humiliation.

Zhang Cheng looked at the bill in the spittoon, covered in phlegm and cigarette ash, and his eyes instantly became bloodshot and crimson.

He was poor, he had no background, but he was still a human being! A person with flesh and blood!

"Wang Defa, fuck your ancestors!"

Zhang Cheng finally exploded. It was the madness of an honest man pushed to a dead end. He let out a roar like a red-eyed bull and charged recklessly at Wang Pangzi, swinging his fist to smash that nauseating fat face.

"Fuck! You're revolting?! Hit him! Beat him to death!" Wang Pangzi hadn't expected this usually submissive "soft persimmon" to dare fight back. He shrank back in fear and roared loudly.

The three thugs, who had been itching for a fight, immediately surrounded him.

*Thud!*

The tattooed man with the buzz cut reacted the fastest, grabbing a nearby folding chair and smashing it hard against Zhang Cheng's back.

Zhang Cheng felt a surge of intense pain in his back. He stumbled and fell onto the mahjong table, scattering the tiles everywhere. Before he could crawl up, a rain of punches and kicks descended upon him.

"You dare raise a hand against Brother Wang? Tired of living!"

"Hit him! Break his legs!"

Heavy work boots kicked violently at Zhang Cheng's stomach, ribs, and head.

At first, Zhang Cheng could protect his head and struggle a bit. But soon, the intense pain robbed him of his ability to resist. He felt his ribs break, his breathing became as difficult as a bellows, and his mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood.

Wang Pangzi had regained his composure by now. He pushed the thugs aside, raised his foot clad in an expensive leather shoe, and stepped hard on Zhang Cheng's face, grinding down with force, distorting Zhang Cheng's face against the cold, dirty floor.

"Pui!" Wang Pangzi spat a thick glob of phlegm onto Zhang Cheng's hair and grinned savagely. "Little bastard, you want to fight me? Why don't you go ask around who's in charge of this development zone? I originally just wanted to swallow some of your wages, but now, you won't even have enough for medical bills!"

"A-Biao, drag him out and throw him into the trash pit on the back mountain. It's the middle of winter; let him sober up."

"You got it, Brother Wang!"

The tattooed man named A-Biao grabbed one of Zhang Cheng's legs like he was dragging a dead dog, pulling him all the way out of the office and down the stairs.

Zhang Cheng's head thudded against the steps, leaving a trail of blood.

His consciousness began to blur.

The sky outside was pitch black, and a cold sleet was falling.

*Thump!*

Zhang Cheng was thrown heavily into a pile of foul-smelling construction waste.

A-Biao stood at the edge of the pit, urinated down into it, and walked away cursing: "In your next life, keep your eyes open. There are some people you just can't afford to provoke."

The cold rain, mixed with mud and urine, poured over Zhang Cheng's wound-covered body. The bone-chilling cold made his entire body convulse uncontrollably.

It hurt.

The pain was excruciating.

Zhang Cheng lay in the mud, staring at the pitch-black sky, as tears mixed with blood flowed down.

He was so unwilling!

He was an orphan with no background, no savings, and not even a relative to turn to.

For twenty-four years, he had been an honest man, working diligently and never doing anything against his conscience.

Why? Why did the world treat him like this?

Was it really as Wang Pangzi said—that a poor person's life isn't a life? That honest people deserve to be bullied, trampled upon, and finally die like trash in this forgotten corner?

If the law couldn't control them... if reason couldn't be heard...

Zhang Cheng's fingers dug deep into the soil, his nails splitting as blood stained the black mud.

"If I could do it over... If I had power..."

"I would kill him... I would kill them all!!!"

He roared in his heart. That overwhelming hatred and despair seemed to break through some kind of shackle, reaching deep into his soul.

Just as Zhang Cheng felt his life force slipping away with his body temperature, and his consciousness was about to fall into an endless abyss—

[Ding—]

A crisp, cold, yet heavenly electronic notification sound exploded deep in his mind without warning!

This sound wasn't a hallucination; it was as clear as if it were etched directly onto his nerves.

Following that, a series of cold, mechanical synthesized voices, like rolling thunder, instantly dispersed the muddle and lethargy in his mind:

[Detected that the host's life is in critical danger; soul fluctuations are in a state of extreme anger and despair...]

[System activation conditions met!]

[Death Soldier System, binding... Binding successful!]

System?!

Zhang Cheng snapped his eyes open. Although it was still a pitch-black rainy night, a pale blue, semi-transparent light screen floated out of thin air on his retina!

The writing on it was sharp and clear, emitting a faint blue glow:

[Newbie Gift Pack has been distributed!]

[Given the host's current poor physical condition and inability to execute revenge commands, the system is automatically initiating emergency repair and enhancement procedures!]

[Congratulations to the host! Obtained Newbie Exclusive Reward: Tenfold Constitution Enhancement!]

[Modifying host's body...]

In the next second, a warm, domineering heat current appeared out of thin air at Zhang Cheng's heart, then surged like a bursting dam into every limb and bone!

"Ugh..."

Zhang Cheng couldn't help but let out a low growl.

But this sound was no longer a weak moan; it was full of power.

His spine, which had been somewhat hunched from years of labor, straightened like a great dragon, letting out a series of "crackling" pops.

Power!

Endless power emerged from every cell!

Zhang Cheng sat up abruptly from the mud pit. He clenched his fist, and the terrifying grip strength from his knuckles made him feel like he could punch through a steel plate!

Tenfold Constitution!

This wasn't just a tenfold increase in strength; it was a comprehensive qualitative change in reaction speed, durability, recovery, and stamina!

He was no longer Zhang Cheng, the worker who was at everyone's mercy; he was now a ferocious beast in human skin!

Zhang Cheng slowly stood up, letting the rain wash away the dried blood on his body. He looked up at the nearby office building, which was still brightly lit. The despair in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a killing intent as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.

"Wang Defa, A-Biao..."

The corners of Zhang Cheng's mouth curled into a cruel arc, his voice raspy and low, like a demon from hell.

"It's time to settle our accounts."

He needed helpers. More importantly, he needed a knife—a knife that could kill for him without getting his hands dirty.

Zhang Cheng's gaze fell back onto the system panel.

[Host: Zhang Cheng]

[Current Constitution: 10 (Normal human limit is 1)]

[Current Points: 1000]

[Redeemable Items:]

[Death Soldier Summoning]

└── Junior Death Soldier: 10 points/each (Evaluation: Excellent recruit level, absolute loyalty, fearless of death, possesses basic tactical literacy, low social intelligence, only executes simple commands.)

└── Intermediate Death Soldier: 100 points/each (Evaluation: Special forces constitution, masters specialized skills, possesses basic social intelligence, can execute missions independently.)

└── Advanced Death Soldier: 1000 points/each (Evaluation: Soldier King constitution, proficient in command and planning, intermediate social intelligence and management ability, can lead a squad.)

└── Special Death Soldier: Various types, prices range from 100-5000 points (Possesses top professional skills, such as hackers, assassins, financiers, etc.).

[Equipment Exchange] (Note: 1 point ≈ 10,000 RMB purchasing power)

└── Weapons: AK-47 assault rifle (1 point), Glock pistol (0.5 points), fragmentation grenade (0.1 points)...

└── Protection: Kevlar body armor (1 point), tactical helmet (0.3 points)...

└── Vehicles/Heavy Weapons: Toyota armed pickup (10 points), 60mm mortar (5 points), Stinger missile system (starting from 1000 points)...

[Functional Services]

└── Death Soldier Summoning Space (Not unlocked)

└── Real-time Holographic Map (Not unlocked)

└── Direct Skill Infusion (Not unlocked)

Zhang Cheng's breathing was as heavy as a bellows. His hands trembled as he tried to touch the light screen, but he felt nothing. That thing was projected directly onto his visual nerves.

"10 points for one?"

Looking at that number, a surge of wild joy rose in Zhang Cheng's heart.

He now had 1000 points; didn't that mean he could summon 100 Death Soldiers?

However, he didn't need that many right now. This was domestic territory; the sudden appearance of a hundred undocumented people would be too conspicuous.

To deal with those few pieces of trash like Wang Pangzi, one was enough!

"System, exchange for one Junior Death Soldier!"

Zhang Cheng thought silently.

[Command confirmed. 10 points consumed. Please set the Death Soldier's appearance and initial identity (the system will automatically rationalize their existence).]

Zhang Cheng quickly formulated a plan in his mind.

Since it was revenge, it had to be ruthless.

"Set as... a taciturn, cold-faced passerby. Name him 'Wang Wu'. Ordinary appearance, someone who wouldn't be found in a crowd, but absolutely ruthless in action, leaving no survivors!"

[Setting complete. Death Soldier 'Wang Wu' has been generated. Deploying...]

The air in front of Zhang Cheng suddenly distorted.

A man wearing a black raincoat, lean but possessing the hardness of an iron nail, walked silently out of the darkness.

He wore a baseball cap with the brim pulled low, obscuring his face, showing only a resolute jawline. Rain hit his raincoat and slid off soundlessly.

Wang Wu walked up to Zhang Cheng, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a low, raspy voice devoid of any emotion:

"Master, Wang Wu awaits your orders."

Looking at this killing machine that was completely under his command, the last bit of anxiety in Zhang Cheng's heart vanished.

He reached out and pointed at the small building emitting a dim yellow glow in the rain.

"Wang Wu."

"Present."

"Go in. Those four people inside—however they just beat me, you return it to them a hundredfold."

Zhang Cheng paused, a red light flashing in his eyes.

"Except for that fat man, whom I want to personally greet while he still has a breath left... for the others... show no mercy!"

"Yes!"

Wang Wu stood up, turned, and vanished into the rainy night like a lone wolf hunting in the dark, heading toward that building.

Zhang Cheng followed closely behind with composed steps.