The journey was eventful but ultimately safe, and Brian Clark arrived at his destination without incident. The endless expanse of garbage stretched on and on, but it was obvious that several large areas were noticeably newer than the rest—these were Brian Clark’s targets this time.

“Scan initiated!” Wendy’s voice was unhurried and slow, carrying a hint of age, Brian Clark thought helplessly. Still, his eyes swept alertly around. There was no helping it—whenever Wendy began a full holographic scan with its electronic eye, it would stop all other activities. Brian Clark suspected it was because the AI was too outdated. At times like this, vigilance depended entirely on Brian Clark himself.

While scanning the surroundings for places where mutant creatures might appear, Brian Clark muttered to himself, “Old guy, you’d better not let me down today. I haven’t seen anything new in ages! Come on… come on…” Brian Clark couldn’t help but hum a little tune. On this trash planet, where he was the only person, if he didn’t talk for too long, Brian Clark wasn’t sure he’d even remember how to speak. Even though there was no one to talk to here, talking to himself had become a habit.

Brian Clark’s expression was calm, but his slightly tensed body betrayed that he was on high alert.

“Scan complete!” To Brian Clark, these words were music to his ears. He let out a long, relieved breath.

“Switch to alert mode!” Brian Clark ordered Wendy. He then carefully examined the scan map exported by the AI. Several bright red spots stood out sharply on the map. Brian Clark couldn’t help but get excited—it looked like he wouldn’t be going home empty-handed this time.

In the garbage heap, Brian Clark spat out some sand that had fallen into his mouth through a gap in his mech suit.

“Damn it! Not a single useful thing—seriously, could I be this unlucky?” Brian Clark wailed, his earlier excitement long gone. He’d searched so many places, but all he found were completely useless things. Now, only the last spot remained, and it was the smallest target of all. Judging by its size, Brian Clark couldn’t imagine what use such a small thing could have, but determined not to miss anything, he dove headfirst into the mountain of trash.

Brian Clark half-reclined in his chair, chewing on freshly roasted rat meat while fiddling with his only find of the day.

It seemed to be a metal pendant, with a dark metallic sheen, only about the size of three fingernails, round in shape, with curved blades around the edge. Its surface was covered in strange patterns—seemingly chaotic, yet somehow following a certain order. Unfortunately, a missing section and several broken blades made it clear this was a defective item.

Brian Clark muttered, “What is this thing? Such a strange material!”

His thumb brushed lightly over one of the curved blades, and a tiny cut appeared—yet Brian Clark didn’t feel a thing until a bead of blood welled up and he felt a slight sting.

“So sharp!” Brian Clark murmured in surprise. “Could this thing be some kind of hidden weapon?!” He stared at the droplet of blood hanging from the blade that had cut his thumb.

A bizarre scene unfolded!

The blade suddenly absorbed the blood droplet like a sponge. Metal that could absorb blood? Brian Clark was startled. No mistake—he’d just touched it, it was definitely metal! Brian Clark would bet anything that what he’d just seen wasn’t an illusion!

And the strangeness didn’t stop there.

After absorbing the blood, the pendant began to emit a faint buzzing sound. The curved blades around it suddenly retracted into the pendant, and the mysterious totem-like patterns on its surface began to move. The pendant seemed to come alive, like a machine suddenly starting up, and Brian Clark’s drop of blood was the catalyst.

Brian Clark’s face was now completely blank with shock!

A voice appeared in Brian Clark’s mind without warning: “Dual-proton verification complete. Brainwave match. Brainwave lock engaged!”

Brian Clark jolted, leaping to his feet and shouting, “Who’s there? Show yourself!” His hawk-like eyes narrowed sharply as he scanned his surroundings, his hand quietly reaching for the knife strapped to his leg.

“Are you sure?” The voice sounded a bit uncertain.

Section Two

“Are you sure?” The voice sounded a bit uncertain.

“Cut the crap! Come out and say that to my face!” Brian Clark’s expression was a little impatient, but the gravity in his eyes was at odds with his tone. His whole body was slightly crouched, like a bow drawn and ready to strike at any moment.

“Then I’ll come out!” The voice remained as flat and emotionless as ever.

As soon as the words fell, the entire room suddenly darkened. Before Brian Clark could react, there was a thunderous crash, and a tidal wave of garbage engulfed him.

The trash planet was as calm as ever.

After a long while, near the pulse signal relay station, a hand—black with grime—suddenly reached out from a pile of garbage. Soon after, a filthy figure crawled out of the heap.

“Cough, cough, when it rains, it pours… cough…” Brian Clark cursed as he brushed dirt and sand out of his clothes. Up to now, he still had no idea what had just happened.

Was this the legendary suicide attack?

Looking at the devastation before him, the entrance to his home had completely vanished, and all he could see was garbage—nothing but garbage. Brian Clark felt a chill in his heart. How long would it take to clear a path out of here?