Ning Chuan stood in place for a long time before his violently pounding heart gradually calmed down.
He stared at the robot on the ground, now completely still and even more twisted and broken after being forcibly suppressed by the silver light restraints, his gaze complex and inscrutable.
The killing intent had been real—those cold, mechanical, precise assassination movements were no illusion.
But… that trace of sorrow had been real too.
What kind of past was hidden within this contradictory creation?
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
The risky attempt had come at a cost, but it had also yielded valuable information: Spirit Power could activate it, but it would also trigger its dangerous defense protocols.
Until he had absolute control and repair capabilities, he must not attempt it lightly again.
His gaze fell on the robot’s body, no longer curled up but forcibly stretched out by the light restraints.
Only then did he notice that while its overall lines were hard and angular, they carried a strange sense of fluidity and slenderness, especially in the construction of its waist, abdomen, and joints.
It was different from the rugged combat robot he had imagined, closer to… the silhouette of a female form?
A killing machine with a female appearance, possessing high intelligence and emotions?
Ning Chuan shook his head, dismissing the unimportant thought.
Whatever it had once been, now it was just a pile of trouble that needed handling and… a potential treasure.
“I’m still too weak right now.” Clenching his fist, Ning Chuan felt the Level 20 Spirit Power within him.
In this All-Heavens Scrap Station, this amount of power was like dust.
Forget repairing the robot—he couldn’t even venture beyond the Safe Exploration Platform, relying only on a four-meter-long rake to barely hook garbage from the edges.
His exploration range extended only four meters outward from the platform’s edge.
This was far too limited!
Looking at the piles of various discarded items just beyond the platform, so close yet out of reach, a strong sense of frustration welled up in him.
A mountain of treasure was right before his eyes, yet he could only scrape off a few crumbs!
“I must expand the range!” The thought arose naturally.
“If… I clean up this area around the platform that I can reach, will anything change?”
The Station only stated that the platform was absolutely safe; it never said whether the platform might change due to the Station Master’s actions.
It was worth a try!
For now, repairing the robot was a distant prospect, and exploring the unknown was too risky.
So the most practical and safest goal was to thoroughly clean up his own “little plot of land” first!
Action now!
Ning Chuan gripped the Soul Power Rake again, temporarily setting aside the earlier peril.
No longer reaching ambitiously for distant objects that looked flashy and might contain high energy or high risk, he instead fixed his target firmly on all the relatively “safe and harmless” looking garbage within a four-meter radius of the platform—everything he could reach.
First were those scattered metal fragments, broken bone fossils, dried energy block residues, unknown rock fragments…
Ning Chuan carefully raked, hooked, and dragged them back to the platform, feeding them into the Decomposition Light Pillar.
“Acquired: Inferior Iron Ore x 3”
“Acquired: Weathered Beast Bone x 2”
“Acquired: Discarded Energy Battery Casing x 1”
“Reward Points: 5”
The gains were meager, and the points increased slowly, but Ning Chuan was not discouraged.
Next came some partially buried, larger objects.
A massive rusted gear, a broken stone pillar, and even half of a damaged, thick metal plate that resembled a spaceship hatch.
These items were extremely heavy, difficult to drag, and consumed a significant amount of Spirit Power.
But Ning Chuan gritted his teeth and persisted, prying them out bit by bit from the garbage pile and dragging them onto the platform.
“Acquired: Rough Bronze Ingot x 1 (Large)”
“Acquired: Granite Debris x 1 (Unit)”
“Acquired: Aerospace-grade Aluminum Alloy Plate x 1 (Damaged)”
“Reward Points: 18”
The process was monotonous and exhausting.
He mechanically repeated the actions of raking, dragging, and decomposing.
When his Spirit Power was depleted, he would meditate to recover; when his mind grew weary, he would rest briefly.
But Ning Chuan remained resolute and unwavering, like the most patient scavenger, gradually consuming the garbage around the platform.
Time slipped away quietly amidst the busy work.
Finally, after raking out the last piece of black, charcoal-like substance stuck in a crevice, dragging it onto the platform, and decomposing it…
Ning Chuan stopped, panting, and looked around.
Within a four-meter radius centered on the platform where he stood, the originally piled, compressed, and uneven garbage had been completely cleared!
It revealed a relatively flat ground covered in dark dust and scattered debris.
This area formed a stark contrast with the still mountainous piles of garbage on the outskirts, like a tidal flat exposed after the tide receded.
It was done!
Just as Ning Chuan thought this was merely a visual tidying with no other special changes, feeling slightly disappointed…
Hum!!
The entire metal platform suddenly began to vibrate intensely!
The silver patterns along the platform’s edge, which had previously only glowed faintly, now erupted with dazzling, brilliant light!
The light flowed and converged like living things, becoming brighter and more complex than ever before!
Then, under Ning Chuan’s astonished gaze, those glowing patterns seemed to come to life, beginning to spread beyond the platform, into the newly cleared blank area!
Like golden ink dripping into clear water, or an invisible brush sketching out territory.
The silver light patterns, starting from the platform’s original boundary, rapidly extended, intertwined, and imprinted themselves precisely along the edge of the cleared four-meter radius area!
They engraved patterns on the ground that shared the same origin as those inside the platform but were simpler.
Streams of light flowed, connecting with each other to form a new, larger circular boundary!
Within a few breaths, a new platform boundary with a radius expanded by a full four meters had taken shape!
The humming gradually subsided, and the light of the newly formed silver patterns also gradually receded, becoming stable and soft.
But they were truly present, clearly marking a new safe zone several times larger than the original!
“Detected that the Station Master has cleared and stabilized the area around the Station.”
“Platform safe range expansion successful!”
“Current safe area radius: +4 meters.”
“Station Master’s effective operational range increased.”
“Reward: For first platform expansion, additional points awarded: 100 points.”
“Current total points: 166.”
The timely notification brought delightful news!
Ning Chuan gazed at the newly extended boundary of the platform, which now reached deep into the former garbage heap, and at the land outside that had just been covered in trash but was now within the absolute safe zone.
A tremendous sense of accomplishment and excitement surged within him!
The radius had expanded by four meters!
This meant the explorable area had multiplied several times over!
Many garbage piles that had previously been just beyond the reach of his rake, leaving Ning Chuan to sigh in frustration, were now within easy reach!
Moreover, there was an additional reward of 100 points!
Indeed, diligent cleanup paid off!
This garbage station truly encouraged its station master to expand the territory!
Ning Chuan’s spirits soared, and his weariness vanished instantly.
Hoisting his rake, he strode toward the newly expanded edge of the platform.
Standing at the new boundary and looking toward areas that had once been out of reach, his eyes immediately lit up.
Not far ahead, a pile of previously buried waste had been exposed, and among it, a few objects seemed to emit a faint glow unlike that of ordinary metal…