“This is the latest combat-type prosthetic arm crafted by our master, with one thousand standard horsepower, built using the fourth-generation framework...”

Inside the cramped shop, a timid and youthful voice was nervously introducing the products displayed in the cabinet.

“Mm.”

Sitting to the side, leisurely sipping a cup of hot tea still giving off wisps of white steam, Li Chen gave a slight nod, “Go on, continue the introduction.”

“O-okay.”

The female clerk nervously placed the prosthetic she was holding back into the cabinet and cautiously asked, “Then, shall I introduce the electronic prosthetic eye? It’s equipped with radar detection functionality and is a very commonly used piece of equipment among martial practitioners.”

Seeing that Li Chen remained calm and composed, seated unhurriedly without showing any particular reaction, the clerk, Luna, had no choice but to continue introducing each item on the shelves one by one, explaining their specifications and prices in detail.

Thunk.

Li Chen gently set down his teacup.

“Your master’s background is far from simple.”

Although the items on the shelves were all of fairly ordinary grade, their strength lay in their practicality and when combined with prices so low they were practically charity...

No wonder she had once been hailed by countless players as the strongest support during the newbie phase, the so-called mama-tier backer.

If he hadn’t been an idiot right after transmigrating, spending all day circling around the female leads and obsessively pushing main storyline quests, he really should have come to this shop early on to stock up properly.

A bit of regret surfaced.

Still, it wasn’t too late to build rapport now.

If nothing else, Miss Luna here was definitely someone he needed to figure out how to connect with.

‘It’s just… Back then, I also held similar thoughts and followed those bad women around every single day, but in the end, all I got was making myself utterly miserable without gaining anything at all. Perhaps it wasn’t just their fault? Reducing personal emotions to simply being nice to others and giving one’s sincerity might itself be the greatest form of arrogance.’

After all, reality isn’t a game and feelings aren’t a clearly priced affection meter.

‘So, this is just a business transaction.’

Li Chen made his decision.

Unlike Bai Wei, who had reached out to help him when he was in despair, or Liu Yu, who had casually handed over incredibly precious chip data, Luna—this suspected future genius—should be approached through a mutually beneficial professional relationship rather than with immediate emotional investment.

Everything would be a transaction based on profit (objectively) without involving even the slightest trace of emotion.

Once he figured that out, Li Chen put on a smile and began testing the waters.

‘My master’s background…’

Clerk Luna seemed to recall something. Her previously dazed, blush-filled face briefly regained clarity before she instinctively shot a guarded glance at Li Chen.

Deep down, Luna felt immense goodwill toward this man who had rescued her from trouble and shown unprecedented respect to someone from the bottom tiers like her, but anything else was fine—anything involving her master was absolutely off-limits.

‘But, but this good-looking big brother had just saved me… Am I being too ungrateful?’

Luna hesitated for a long while, her pale face filled with indecision.

“Well, um, my master’s skills didn’t come from nowhere, but it involves personal privacy, so I’m sorry, sir, it’s not convenient for me to disclose that.”

After thinking herself nearly to tears, Luna could only give this vague answer.

Looking at her pitifully anxious expression, Li Chen didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt an urge to continue teasing and bullying this girl.

This was no super genius—she was clearly just an inexperienced little girl.

Tsk, after getting used to the fierce and nasty women of a female-dominant world, encountering such a “traditional” girl was rare. Not having some fun with her would be a waste, wouldn’t it?

“Sir?” Li Chen latched onto her choice of words, “Sigh, Miss Luna, don’t you think that given our interaction just now, not calling someone by their name is rather impolite?”

“Eh?!” Luna stiffened, quickly glancing at Li Chen’s flawless face filled with lethal charm and blurted out instinctively, “Th-then what is your name?”

‘I messed up! How could I casually ask a man’s name? Will he get angry and think I’m some ill-mannered wild woman?’

Luna nervously rubbed her hands together.

Just as Luna’s panic reached its peak, a gentle voice cut through her anxiety.

“Miss Luna, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Li Chen.”

A hand as pure as polished jade was extended toward her.

Gulp.

Luna felt her entire body grow increasingly restless.

He was just talking to her normally, so why, why did it feel like ants were crawling all over her body, her heart crashing wildly inside her chest?

‘No, no, no. Slap. What am I thinking!’

Mechanic Luna forcefully pinched her own cheek, forcing herself to regain clarity.

“H-hello.” She replied in a voice as small as a mosquito’s. Subconsciously, she wanted to take Li Chen’s hand, but just as her palm was about to touch him, the shop lights happened to illuminate her rough, calloused hand.

‘Am I worthy?’

Luna blanked out for a moment.

Under the light, Li Chen’s hand—smooth and flawless like an artwork, pure as jade and creamy as milk—stood out starkly from everything around it, like a holy angel fallen into the mortal world.

“I’m sorry, I was adjusting machinery earlier and got quite a bit of machine oil on my hands.”

Luna withdrew her hand and shook her head desperately in refusal, “M-Mr. Li Chen, let’s not shake hands. What if I dirty your hand?”

“Dirty?”

Li Chen looked down at her hand.

Perhaps due to years of labor, Luna’s palm was covered not only in calluses but also in scars, some areas bruised and swollen.

Ugly, filthy, unclean.

Any upper-city citizen who didn’t immediately curse and walk away upon seeing it would be considered highly cultured.

But to Li Chen, these hands were beautiful.

Because they were hands that had once struggled to survive in garbage heaps.

Just like when he had first transmigrated.

The restlessness that had accompanied Li Chen since gaining transmigrator privileges and planning a grand future suddenly dissipated without a trace. Vaguely, he felt some indescribable force brush over him, loosening certain invisible shackles that had constrained him.

“No.”

Li Chen took Luna’s hands in his own, “Your hands fit my personal aesthetic perfectly.”

He quietly felt the sweat in the girl’s palm, gently sliding his fingers to sense the faint trembling pulse beneath.

“Your master was right.” Li Chen said sincerely, “Luna, you’re very talented. I’ve decided.”

Looking at the girl, Li Chen’s gaze no longer carried pure calculation. At this moment, driven by genuine appreciation, he spoke without any conditions attached, “I have a design blueprint that requires a prosthetics specialist to help me forge it.”

He extended a heartfelt invitation, “I wonder, Miss Luna, would you be willing to honor me?”

“I, I...”

Already flushed red and unable to even speak properly from Li Chen’s bold actions, Luna’s brain instantly shut down under this sudden impact.

Jingle jingle—

“Hey, little Luna, I heard someone came to our shop to cause trouble...”

Just as Li Chen was about to lean closer to the petite clerk, the shop door opened.

A woman wearing a short work jacket and tight low-rise jeans, revealing a flat wheat-colored waist, strode in briskly with a neat ponytail tied behind her head.

“Huh?” Seeing the scene before her, the woman awkwardly scratched her chin, “Little Luna, did I interrupt your date? Tsk, eating so well? Looks like I underestimated you. I was even worried about your lifelong happiness...”

“Master!”

Luna rushed toward the woman as if granted a reprieve, burying her face into her chest and rubbing vigorously.

“Alright, alright, good girl, don’t cry. There are outsiders watching.”

The shop owner hugged Luna helplessly, gently patting her. A slight smile curled at the corner of her lips, her face—though not stunning—still full of mature charm and maternal warmth as she indulged the girl in her arms.

“Shop owner, just now...”

Luna painstakingly explained what had happened, then worriedly looked at Li Chen, “Anyway, Master, this kind gentleman just helped me. If the Black Tiger Gang comes to trouble him...”

“Oh?”

The shop owner’s eyes flickered slightly as she looked at Li Chen in surprise.

“I really didn’t expect to see such a man with backbone and so good-looking too.”

She dropped her hands, “As for the Black Tiger Gang? Heh, they don’t have the guts to act up in front of me. Mr. Li Chen, I’ve got your back!”

Truly worthy of being a mama-type shop owner—she really inspired a sense of security.

‘But…’

Li Chen hadn’t forgotten his original purpose for coming to the lower city.

“Madam shop owner, I appreciate your kindness, but I can actually handle this myself.”

Li Chen smiled confidently.

“You?” The shop owner sized him up, “A first-tier martial practitioner, but your cultivation technique seems a bit special?”

Strange, he was clearly a low-level martial artist, yet she couldn’t quite see through him.

Probably his looks were affecting her judgment.

The shop owner shook her head, “The Black Tiger Gang has a fourth-tier martial practitioner backing them. Sir, I understand you don’t want to drag us into this, but this matter was directed at our shop to begin with, so please don’t worry—”

Snap.

Li Chen pulled a badge from his waist.

“In fact, the reason I came to the lower city in the first place was to investigate the criminal activities of the Black Tiger Gang.”

The shop owner, who was about to continue persuading him, froze as she stared blankly at the badge on the counter, the rest of her sentence dying in her throat.

Under the flickering lights, the Public Security Bureau badge gleamed brilliantly, radiating a chilling sense of authority.