Rain tapped softly against the window of the hostel room, blurring the dim city lights outside. Inside, Shen Fu sat cross-legged on the thin mattress, sleeves rolled up, his hands moving like a surgeon's.
A disassembled pair of Bluetooth earbuds lay in front of him. Tiny screws, a half-burned circuit board, and plastic casing surrounded him like puzzle pieces.
He had no background in electronics. No tools beyond a secondhand screwdriver set and a chipped soldering pen he bought for ¥10.
But he had an Appraisal.
Appraisal Activated
Item: Earbuds (Faulty - Speaker Wire Detached)
Repair Difficulty: Low
Resale Value After Fix: ¥30
Estimated Repair Time: 6 minutes
Success Chance: 95%
Shen Fu inhaled and went to work.
By the end of the hour, ten pairs were working. By morning, twenty-five.
Each pair was neatly bagged with hand-scribbled labels, priced, and ready.
[Fixer Challenge Progress: ¥0/¥2,000]
Units Ready for Sale: 25
Est. Value: ¥700+
He posted them on multiple platforms: Xianyu, WeChat groups, even Taobao's secondhand corner.
He didn't pretend they were new. He listed them honestly: "Refurbished. Fully tested. Cleaned. Budget-friendly."
Within two hours, he had his first order. Then another.
By noon, he had made ¥180.
By the time the sun set over Shanghai's skyline, he'd cleared ¥760.
At 8:34 p.m., a man messaged him directly on Xianyu.
User: Mr. Fang
"You fix these yourself?"
"How many more do you have?"
"I run a kiosk in Nanjing East. I'll take 50 units if you can match quality."
Shen Fu's heart thudded.
"Can meet tomorrow. Cash on delivery. ¥25 per pair."
Pause.
"Deal. Send location."
Shen Fu stared at the screen, mind racing.
Fifty units. One order. ¥1,250 in a single drop.
He opened the warehouse box again. Still over 120 pieces to sort through.
[Appraisal Scan Complete: 92 units fixable | 45 units junk | Est. Total Profit: ¥3,800+]
[Optional Skill Unlocked: Quick Hands Lv. 1 – Reduces repair time by 30%]
He got back to work, fueled by cold instant noodles and raw determination.
This wasn't survival anymore.
It was scale.
By the next afternoon, Shen Fu was standing at Nanjing East, near a crowded pedestrian street. He wore his cleanest clothes, earbuds boxed in a repurposed rice sack.
A tall man in a polo shirt waved him down.
"Fang?" He asked.
The man nodded. He opened one box, tested the pair.
"Clean work. You do all this yourself?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm. I need someone reliable. These sell fast. Come by every three days. Can you handle supply?"
Shen Fu hesitated—then remembered the full box still waiting. The skill upgrades. The unlocked "Passive Module" will come if he completes registration.
"I can handle it."
Fang handed over a thick envelope. He counted quickly. ¥1,250.
[Fixer Challenge Progress: ¥2,010/¥2,000 – COMPLETE]
Reward Unlocked: "Fixer" Passive Skill (Repairs now increase resale value)
Bonus: Inventory Expansion + Batch Upload Feature
Business Boost: +10 Client Interest (Online)
[Mission Update: Business Registration Status – 65% Complete]
Time Remaining: 43:11:07
He had money in hand. He had supplies. He had a returning client.
He was no longer some broke scavenger scraping by.
He was building a supply chain.
That night, back in his room, the system pinged again.
New Feature Unlocked: "Side Hustle Radar" – Scan Local Deals & Liquidation Listings Nearby
Range: 1.5km | Refresh: Every 3 hours
Shen Fu activated it instantly.
A map exploded in his vision with red, yellow, and green icons scattered across the streets nearby.
• "Bookstore closing: furniture & electronics giveaway"
• "Hotel auctioning lost items: bulk phones, chargers, clothing"
• "Night market stall liquidation: cooking appliances, open stock"
• "Divorced couple selling everything cheap (fire sale lol)"
His hands itched.
There were opportunities everywhere.
And now he had the tools to grab them.
But he wasn't just going to flip cheap junk forever.
He wanted infrastructure. He wanted systems that made money for him.
And he only had 43 hours left to go legit.
He looked down at his old notebook—the one he'd scribbled plans in before the system ever appeared.
A page stood out:
"Start small. Build steadily. Own the streets. Own the city. Own the country."
His signature was beneath it.
"Shen Fu."
He stared at it for a long second, then stood up.
Tomorrow, he'd collect the business certificate.
The day after that?
He'd start recruiting. Because if he was going to rise...He wouldn't rise alone.