The two of them looked toward the road leading into the villa complex and saw three camouflage-painted jeeps speeding their way.

Fang Chenyi didn’t even have to think to know. This had to be the people Ouyang Jun, the man he had just spoken to on the phone, had sent to pick up the helicopter.

Sure enough, the jeeps pulled to a stop in front of Fang Chenyi and Bai Menghan. The doors flew open, and five or six men in camouflage uniforms jumped out. They immediately gave Fang Chenyi a standard military salute.

The gesture caught Fang Chenyi a bit off guard. He quickly waved his hands, but before he could speak, a very familiar, hearty voice rang out.

"Haha, you must be Fang Chenyi, Brother Fang. We spoke on the phone. I’m Ouyang Jun! On behalf of myself and our academy, I want to express our sincerest gratitude for you generously lending us the helicopter!"

As he spoke, Ouyang Jun, a man who looked to be at least fifty, also snapped to attention and saluted Fang Chenyi.

"Whoa, whoa, please don’t. I don’t deserve that. As a citizen of Huaxia, it’s the least I can do."

"Haha, excellent! Truly a fine son of Huaxia! Here, this is my identification, and this is the official loan agreement we’ve drawn up for you. Don’t worry, we’ll bring this big guy right back to you as soon as we’re done with our experiments."

As he spoke, Ouyang Jun’s eyes drifted to the brand-new helicopter parked nearby.

Fang Chenyi took the man’s credentials and examined them carefully, then did the same with the loan documents. It wasn’t that he was reluctant to lend out the helicopter; he was more concerned that their identities might be fake. After all, for a machine worth 350 million US Dollars, it wouldn’t be surprising if some unscrupulous people tried to scam it away under false pretenses.

Just as Fang Chenyi was carefully verifying the documents, a black Audi sedan sped over from a distance.

The car stopped beside the group, and two middle-aged men got out and walked over briskly. "Haha, Professor Ouyang, you beat us here!"

After their greeting, the two men turned to Fang Chenyi. One of them clapped him on the shoulder and said, "This must be Mr. Fang. So young and so accomplished!"

Seeing the newcomers, Fang Chenyi stopped trying to verify the documents in his hands. It was a no-brainer—he’d seen these two men on local television countless times. Their presence was all the confirmation he needed.

Once identities were confirmed, they didn’t waste any more time. After a few words, four of the men Ouyang Jun had brought with him stepped forward. With a nod from Fang Chenyi, they boarded the helicopter and began their inspection.

Down on the ground, Fang Chenyi sighed with a hint of regret. "Ah, if I’d known you guys needed it, I would have contacted you before I brought it back. As it is, all the weapon systems have been removed."

Hearing Fang Chenyi’s regretful tone, Ouyang Jun just laughed heartily.

"Haha, we have no use for that stuff. I’ll be frank with you, the real reason we’re borrowing your helicopter is for its defensive radar and other onboard systems. That should make things clear, right?"

Just as he said that, the men on the helicopter gave an "OK" sign to the group below. Then, a backpack was tossed out of the helicopter’s window.

Fang Chenyi was a bit confused by this, but before he could ask, Ouyang Jun explained, "Those are all tracking devices. Haha, looks like the inspection is done. We’ll be on our way now!"

After saying that, Ouyang Jun shook Fang Chenyi’s hand again, ready to depart.

Just then, Fang Chenyi seemed to remember something. He quickly called out to Ouyang Jun, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue booklet.

"Oh, right. Since you’re here, could you take a look at this? See if I can fly planes in Huaxia with it."

Ouyang Jun took the small blue booklet from Fang Chenyi and was instantly stunned. He stared at Fang Chenyi in disbelief, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke.

"My god, Xiaofang, you actually have this kind of pilot’s license! What talent! I never thought someone so young could be this skilled! Tell you what, I’ll file a report with my superiors and get you an assignment on an aircraft carrier!"

Hearing this, Fang Chenyi nearly slapped himself. ’I just had to open my big mouth!’ he thought. ’Why the hell did I show him that? It’s not that I’m unwilling to fight for my country, but my grand enterprise of scavenging has only just begun! In terms of contribution to society, I’m sure my scavenging will be far more significant. If I end up on an aircraft carrier, what could I possibly scavenge? I can’t just jump into the sea to pick up fish and shrimp, can I?’

In the end, Ouyang Jun only left, albeit with a look of regret, after Fang Chenyi assured him that if the time ever truly came when he was needed, he would absolutely be the first to step up.

But when the helicopter’s massive engine ROARED to life, Char and the others, who had been busy in the kitchen, came running out. Seeing the aircraft they had fought so hard to get permission to fly now taking to the skies without them, they all started to panic.

They only calmed down after Fang Chenyi explained that he had sent it off with a professional organization for a safety inspection.

"Haha, now that everything’s settled, we’ll be heading back," said one of the officials. "But rest assured, Mr. Fang, we’ve taken note of your contribution. You’ll definitely have a spot among this year’s Ten Outstanding Young People of our city!"

Fang Chenyi watched them all leave, then shook his head with a wry smile. He had lent them the helicopter with no expectation of anything in return.

After dinner, Fang Chenyi and Bai Menghan went for a walk out front, then went back inside for some... exercise.

When it was past eleven o’clock, he gave Bai Menghan another light kiss, got up, and left the villa. Hopping on his golden bicycle, he began his grand scavenging operation for the night!

Even with 1.3 billion in his bank account, Fang Chenyi was not satisfied.

He reached out and picked up a discarded shipping box, and a pleasant notification immediately sounded in his mind.

[Host has collected one cardboard box. System Reward: 300 yuan. The reward has been transferred to the Host’s bank account. Please check your balance.]

...

One trash can, two trash cans... Half an hour flew by, and Fang Chenyi had already cleared out most of the trash in the residential complex.

Without looking, he habitually used his tongs to pluck another small object from a trash can and toss it into his woven bag. Just then, the long-awaited sound of a special reward notification finally echoed in his mind.

[Ding! Host has collected a dilapidated...]

[To be continued...]

P.S. That’s all three Chapters for today!