C7 Special Drink

Wu Ge emerged from the recycling center with a look of dejection, having made the decision to sell back all 100 kilograms of trash to the proprietor.

Naturally, it wasn't feasible to sell it for two yuan per kilogram.

Instead, he sold it at the owner's buying rate of one yuan per kilogram. The recycling center owner couldn't contain his laughter, having made an easy hundred yuan. He'd bought the trash back and could now resell it for another hundred yuan profit.

Wu Ge had never seen such a way of doing business.

As Wu Ge was leaving, the owner kept waving goodbye, calling out to him.

"Bro, you're welcome to come back and buy anything, anytime. Whatever you want, I'll give you a discount."

Wu Ge was convinced the owner considered him a fool.

But Wu Ge was no fool.

He knew that his clever ruse wouldn't fool the system, so he resolved to go back to diligently collecting trash.

"What's wrong with being down-to-earth?"

After stepping away from the recycling center, Wu Ge took a moment to collect his thoughts.

He realized that although his recent actions might have seemed foolish, he had only lost a hundred yuan and had quickly made it back by picking up more trash.

It was hardly a setback.

He still had plenty of time to collect trash; it was nothing to worry about.

As he passed by a clump of bushes,

Wu Ge was pondering his next trash-picking location when he spotted a discarded can in the underbrush.

He didn't know who had so carelessly littered, but finding the can brought a surge of joy.

He swiftly shouldered his burlap sack and went to retrieve it, tossing the can inside.

Almost immediately, Wu Ge heard the system's notification chime.

"Ding! You have found a can. Reward: 200 yuan!"

Then Wu Ge saw the message on his phone indicating a deposit of 200 yuan to his bank account, and he couldn't help but laugh heartily.

"Just like that, not only is the lost hundred yuan back, but I've made another hundred on top. Nobody makes money as fast as I do."

Wu Ge had initially considered hailing a cab to return home,

given the remote location and the distance involved.

But then he thought better of it and decided to walk instead.

"After all, I'm out here to collect trash. Who knows how much I'll find on my way back?"

Wu Ge couldn't help but think he might make some extra cash, so why not go for it?

With that thought, he sprang into action.

He strained his ears and scanned his surroundings.

He was laser-focused on spotting any trash on the streets, completely oblivious to everything else around him.

Interestingly, if there was one thing the streets were not short of these days, it was an assortment of trash.

It seemed to be everywhere.

As he walked, Wu Ge enjoyed quite the haul.

The system notifications were a constant presence in his mind.

"Ding! You have picked up a plastic bag. Reward: $20."

"Ding! You have found a condom. Reward: $50."

"Ding! You have found a cardboard box. Reward: $30."

"Ding..."

The notifications from the system were incessant.

As a result, the path Wu Ge walked was left spotless, even cleaner than if the sanitation workers had swept through.

Yet, he noticed that while the system accepted any trash, each item had its own value.

Wu Ge soon realized that not all trash was worth picking up. For instance, tissues discarded on the ground fetched a mere $3.

And who knew what they had been used for? It wasn't worth the effort to pick up such dirty items.

The same went for cigarette butts—tiny and troublesome to collect, not to mention barely worth a few dollars.

Reflecting on his experience, Wu Ge concluded:

"The higher the value of an item, the more it's worth the effort to pick it up. The value of trash can be gauged by what a recycling center would pay for it. If even they wouldn't bother with it, then it's not worth much at all."

This brought to mind the system's name.

It was called the Trash Picking System, not the Garbage Recycling System.

With this in mind, Wu Ge decided to focus on collecting only the valuable trash from now on.

After his route, when Wu Ge returned to his starting point, he twisted his waist, feeling a bit sore.

He had been bending and stooping the entire time, and now his back was protesting.

Clearly, even trash picking was no walk in the park!

But when Wu Ge checked his phone and saw his bank account had swelled by an impressive 70,000 yuan, he couldn't help but beam with joy.

How many people his age could boast a balance of 70,000 yuan? Especially when it was amassed in such a brief span of time. In under a day, Wu Ge had already raked in over 70,000 yuan. "It seems there's a plethora of items out there more valuable than cans," he mused, reflecting on his earlier estimate that not all of the 70,000 yuan came from collecting bottles. A significant portion of the money was likely due to stumbling upon discarded items like tire rims, each fetching a cool 5,000 yuan.

Then there were the dilapidated desks someone had tossed aside, probably by students who had worn them out and carelessly discarded them. Such valuable refuse was the main source of Wu Ge's earnings. Just a few finds like these along the way, and he had already hit the 70,000 yuan mark, leaving Wu Ge thrilled.

Yet, despite this success, Wu Ge remained unsatisfied with his current state. He had previously given a hundred yuan to an elder on this street, but he hadn't even begun to sift through the trash here. Observing the old man's sly demeanor, Wu Ge suspected he had already combed through the street's refuse, which is why he hadn't been swayed by Wu Ge's money to comply obediently. But trash was constantly being produced; there was never a shortage of it to find.

Upon spotting a garbage bin, Wu Ge dove into his search. He swiftly located a bottle and prepared to stash it in his sack. "Another two hundred yuan in the bag," he chuckled as he slipped the bottle into his backpack. Just as he did, the system's voice chimed in.

"Ding! You've found a sports drink bottle. Reward: one bottle of a special drink! Special effect: upon consumption, it instantly restores all your energy, eliminates fatigue, and sharpens your mind. Would you like to claim it?"

Wu Ge hesitated. "I've seen plenty of bottles like this one before. Why haven't I encountered such a reward until now?" he wondered aloud, his excitement palpable.

"Claim it," he responded. In the blink of an eye, a new beverage materialized in his hand. This drink appeared indistinguishable from any other, but Wu Ge knew this one was unlike anything available in stores.

The beverages purchased from the store might have a slight effect, but for the most part, they're just as effective as their advertisements claim—which is to say, not at all.

However, the bottle Wu Ge now held was a reward from the system.

Its benefits were clearly described.

"Want a sip?"

Without hesitation, Wu Ge popped open the drink and downed it with relish.

He let out a satisfied sigh.

"Ah, that hits the spot!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly, he felt invigorated, as if the aches in his back and the fatigue that cloaked him had been swept away. It was like he had just enjoyed a hearty meal followed by a refreshing nap.