C3 A Huge Sack

At that moment, Wu Ge had eyes only for the trash can, unable to focus on anything else. Consequently, he completely missed the system's alert tones. He felt as if he had been trash in a past life. That's why now, Wu Ge felt an inexplicable kinship with garbage. Forget being a mere hammer worker! That wasn't his destiny. His calling was to collect trash; that was the true purpose of his life. He was indifferent to the judgments of others because he knew once he had money, none of it would matter.

While Wu Ge fervently rummaged through the garbage bin, the system's notifications kept dinging away. "Ding! You've picked up a pair of stockings. Reward: 100 yuan." "Ding! You've picked up a pair of underwear. Reward: 200 yuan." "Ding! You've found a chewed piece of gum. Reward: 20 yuan!" "Ding…" The alerts were relentless.

By the time Wu Ge registered the system's notifications, he had completely emptied the trash can, leaving it spotless. Then, his phone began to buzz with a barrage of messages. Without even looking, Wu Ge knew these were alerts for deposits into his bank account. After taking a moment to collect himself, he checked his phone and saw an additional balance of over 2,000 yuan. The system's rewards for each item he collected, even something as small as a piece of gum, were finally dawning on him.

The trash can had been brimming with refuse, and in just that short span, he had made a tidy sum. The entire episode had taken no more than two minutes. It was clear to him now: any trash was valuable to the system, which would accept anything and everything, with a monetary exchange for each item.

But there was more. As Wu Ge pondered over his recent haul, the system chimed in once again. "Ding! Pick up a piece of rag. Reward: One navy blue home shirt. Would you like to claim it?" The notification persisted. "Ding! Pick up a piece of torn rag. Reward: One navy home shirt. Would you like to accept it?" It was then that Wu Ge truly took notice.

It turns out that trash can be exchanged for more than just money; there are other rewards as well. For instance, Wu Ge recently spotted a torn rag nearby, and the system offered him a Heilan Home shirt as a reward, asking if he wanted to claim it. If the reward were cash, it would be directly deposited into his bank account, but how would he receive non-cash rewards? Wu Ge was intrigued.

"Claim it!"

As soon as he uttered those words, a shirt materialized in his hands. It was indeed a shirt. The fabric felt incredibly comfortable, and Wu Ge instinctively checked the label and material. One touch was all it took for him to recognize it as an authentic Heilan Home garment, a brand he was familiar with. Though such a shirt might only cost a few hundred yuan, Wu Ge wasn't concerned about the price. What mattered to him was the variety of the system's rewards; it wasn't just money, and that was thrilling.

"Wait a second?"

Something occurred to Wu Ge.

"I picked up so much trash earlier. Why did only that rag earn me a shirt?" He had certainly picked up more than just one rag in his recent spree. After pondering for a moment, Wu Ge realized the system's rewards seemed quite unpredictable. All the rewards were random, without any fixed pattern. For example, picking up a can might earn him 200 yuan one time and only 190 the next. A rag might fetch 10 yuan once, but then a branded shirt the next time.

"These rewards are all random!" Wu Ge patted his chest, trying to settle his excitement. If this was the case, it made the surprise even sweeter.

Wu Ge glanced at the trash can with a hint of regret. The bin, once brimming with garbage, had been thoroughly emptied by him, and not a single piece of trash was left. If there were, he would have gladly dived back into the heap. The old Wu Ge would never have considered picking up trash, but now, if asked to do it, he would simply say, "Bring it on!"

"Is there another reward?"

Hearing the tinkling sound again, Wu Ge wondered if he had just become too accustomed to the system's notification tones, or if his ears were playing tricks on him.

Upon closer listening, Wu Ge realized that it was indeed a system notification.

He listened calmly.

"Congratulations to the host for completing your first trash-picking mission! Your initial reward has been issued. Would you like to claim it?"

"First trash-picking mission?"

Wu Ge remembered that this was from when he picked up his first can.

But he had been too engrossed at the time to notice.

He had nearly stumbled right into the heap of garbage.

And he had missed such an important message.

There was even a reward for the first time.

Without pausing, he decided to claim it.

"Claim."

"Ding! Permanent equipment has been issued. Please be ready to receive it."

As Wu Ge was momentarily stunned, an object materialized in his hand. It felt rough yet soft. Upon closer inspection, Wu Ge was surprised to find that it was a sack.

It was styled like those snake-skin bags.

It could hold a lot of items.

Many scrap collectors used these kinds of bags for their convenience and practicality.

"Just a sack?"

Wu Ge was puzzled by the sack in his hand.

He had expected a 200 yuan reward for collecting bottles, so why was the reward for his first mission just a sack?

How much could a sack possibly be worth?

"Fifty yuan could buy dozens of them!"

While Wu Ge was still pondering, the system's voice chimed in again.

"Ding! This sack is not your ordinary sack. It contains a storage space of 20 x 10 cubic meters!

Besides the host's personal items, the sack can be used to discreetly collect trash. After all, having trash disappear from your hands as you pick it up would be quite bizarre.

From now on, all collected trash must be placed in the sack to be recognized and exchanged for rewards.

The system will also distinguish between the host's personal belongings and trash; personal items cannot be exchanged for rewards as trash."

Once the system finished explaining, Wu Ge grasped the concept.

He immediately examined the sack.

"This is no ordinary sack; it's essentially a two hundred cubic meter warehouse, yet it's only this small."

The amount of material that could fit in a two hundred cubic meter space was immense.

This sack alone could be considered a golden ticket.

The fact that he could store all his possessions in this sack was nothing short of astonishing.

Despite the sack's shabby appearance, Wu Ge's heart was soaring with excitement. To him, this was nothing short of a miraculous tool. With such ample space, he marveled at the sheer volume of items it could hold. Even for collecting trash, it could accommodate an enormous amount, more than enough to outdo most of his competitors. "Hahaha, no one can stand in the way of my ascent now," he thought. The very idea filled him with such elation that he felt like leaping for joy.