Tears moistened the corners of her eyes.
She sniffled and wiped them away with her arm, acting as if nothing happened, but Stark couldn’t just pretend he didn’t see.
“So moved?
That can’t be right…”
“Ahem, what are you crying for?”
“I am not!”
“Sigh…”
Still claiming she’s not a tsundere?
But lately, she’s dared to talk back and even punch him; perhaps that’s a good sign?
“The Wolf Cub is dropping little pearls; I have to record this.”
“I’ll show it to you in ten years, haha…”
Stark laughed brazenly, and Silver Wolf flushed with anxiety.
“Don’t you dare record!”
“Call me Dad and I won’t…”
“Stark, you big meanie!”
“…”
Silver Wolf was furious and chased Stark all around the basement, but she couldn’t catch him.
It looked like she was on the verge of collapsing on the floor, throwing a tantrum in frustration…
“Ahem!”
“Willis.”
Willis, who had arrived long ago, quickly popped his head out.
He had been there for a while, but seeing Stark holding Silver Wolf, he hadn’t dared to interrupt.
“Y-Stark, brother.”
“You’re here.”
Seeing someone arrive, Silver Wolf immediately composed herself, switching back to her usual cold-but-cute expression, and stared silently at Willis for two seconds.
Willis’s hair stood on end; his survival instinct spiked.
“Uh…
I, I just got here, Sister Wolf.”
Silver Wolf let out a soft huff and turned her head away, remaining aloof, though in reality, her toes were curling so hard they were almost tearing through her shoes, and the flush on her face refused to fade…
I want to die, I want to die, I want to die!
Stark ruffled her hair; this daughter of his who cared so much about saving face was quite cute, though her idol baggage was a bit heavy.
He teased Silver Wolf brazenly.
“Willis, did you bring the people and the goods?”
“I did, Brother Stark, er…
Uncle Yun?”
“They’re all outside.”
“Let them all in.
Don’t worry, as long as the goods are right, you’ll get your money.”
Soon.
Stark showed Silver Wolf what he had been secretly doing every day recently: recycling waste resources, or in short: scavenging.
A group of people walked in carrying bags big and small.
These little scavengers might not necessarily grab anything good, as Scrap Mountain was crisscrossed by various factions.
Those mechanical prosthetics, high-energy robot wrecks…
But things like broken phones, household robots that were almost completely unusable and nearly scrap iron, and certain electronic parts that were still intact…
Even if they didn’t recognize them, they could still find them if they were lucky.
“Are you buying, U-Uncle Yun?”
They were still somewhat fearful of Stark.
No matter how arrogant they acted outside, it was inevitable they’d be afraid after seeing the person who could easily crush them.
Based on their limited experience.
Perhaps Stark was a big shot from some gang who retired here to live out his days?
Otherwise, there was no explaining his skills, or the rumors about his special relationship with the fast-food restaurant owner.
All signs indicated that this man was definitely not simple.
“Buying, of course I’m buying.
Come, come, Wolfie, you pick first.”
“…”
“You…
act normal.”
Silver Wolf glared at Stark, planning to settle scores when she went to sleep at night.
Then, she looked at the pile of junk, her hands clenching slightly.
In the past, she wouldn’t even have been able to scavenge these things; Punklorde had a clear hierarchy, but things were different now.
A smile curled the corners of her lips as she leaned in to sift through the items.
The knowledge in her mind differed somewhat from reality; she needed networked equipment.
It didn’t have to be a traditional computer, as long as it had computing power support.
Preferably…
An artificial intelligence would be best, but the junk currently here clearly lacked the potential to be assembled into an intelligent machine; there was only a broken little robot.
The chip…
It was an old model long since replaced.
Well, what kind of treasure could one expect to find in a pile of trash?
Still, it was enough.
It would be enough to let her hack into the network and practice.
It was like a snowball rolling; she would climb up step by step.
Until she reached the top of Punklorde.
“Give me the little robot, and this, wait…
Stark, this power supply device seems to be…
Hmm.”
Stark covered Silver Wolf’s mouth.
He had seen it; it was a super energy storage battery, using special materials to draw Imaginary energy.
The energy utilization rate and output rate were far higher than nuclear batteries.
After all, they weren’t on the same level.
This didn’t make sense…
Planetary-level individual weapons used this stuff.
If one had to mention something higher, perhaps only Firefly’s SAM armor would qualify.
But that thing burned life.
“Uncle Yun, is, is it very valuable?”
The little guy who brought this item widened his eyes in excitement.
He had asked people in the black market, and they all treated it as a light bulb.
But he felt it looked kind of nice, and maybe Stark would buy it as a decoration for his daughter, so he brought it along.
Stark sighed and looked melancholically at his own cub.
That wasn’t how you did business.
If you were that excited, it would be a miracle if the other party didn’t know it was valuable.
What a spendthrift!
“That’s right…
it is valuable.
You’ve picked up a real bargain.”
He had a bit of a headache.
How should he set the price?
Saying the real value was five million credits wasn’t enough, and besides, he seriously suspected…
This thing was in perfect condition; how could it be scrap?
Who threw this away…
So hard to guess!
“I’ll price it for you at five…
five…”
“Five hundred?”
“Pfft…”
A familiar price; Stark’s lips curled up involuntarily.
Memories flooded back to Silver Wolf, and she quietly flushed red, kicking his shin.
What are you laughing at…
Don’t laugh!
“Sigh, isn’t this a coincidence, Wolf Cub?”
“Hmph…”
“Xiao Wu, right?
Your Uncle Yun isn’t kidding with you.
I’ll take it for one thousand.
You definitely won’t find this price anywhere else.”
“Besides, you might even be in danger.”
“It’s your first time doing business, so Uncle will give you a bit more.
Remember to come find me next time you have good stuff.”
Stark directly put the item away.
This kind of opportunity wasn’t something a junior could handle; it was like seeing a puppy on the side of the road strutting along with a hundred-dollar bill in its mouth.
It’s simply a waste of treasure…
If it dropped the bill, it might still be able to trade it for half a sausage to eat.
If it didn’t, it might be taken away by dog traffickers along with the money.
Stark was saving him!
“Thank you, Uncle Yun!”
Xiao Wu wasn’t greedy; this price had already exceeded his expectations.
Even if it might be worth far more, every orphan living in the Black Alley understood.
You need to have the life to spend the money you earn.
Compared to those people in the black market, this person who had beaten them up earlier actually felt less dangerous.