SA Chapter 5: Agree for a Surprise

Immediately, Sifan took the contract and looked at it. At the end, there was an excessively demanding requirement.

"Homeowners may not inspect progress before the renovation is completed! No information (including design drawings) will be provided before completion."

Damn! The system is really something; I'm left speechless.

Utterly dumbfounded, Sifan rechecked the terms carefully. The earlier ones were normal, only the last one was outrageously tricky.

"System, what's this about? Can the terms be changed?" Sifan asked.

"The contract is set by the system. Signing any contract not specified by the system means no use of any system capabilities or terminators."

The system's cold response chilled Sifan's mood by half.

In the end, he gritted his teeth.

"Qiangzi, if you trust me, just leave it all to me. I guarantee you'll get more than your money's worth with the master's touch, but the master does have special requirements," Sifan explained.

A master! That’s a real big deal. Despite the power and influence of Fan Qiang's father, even he would have to humble himself before a true master.

After much deliberation and a call to his wife for a brief consultation, Fan Qiang finally decided.

"Sifan, I'll sign the contract! As long as you can satisfy my wife, that's all I need," Fan Qiang said, his confidence still shaky. "But can you tell me what kind of master would have such high demands?"

Sifan thought to himself: It's designed by Skynet, isn't that prestigious enough? But he couldn’t reveal that.

In the end, all he could offer was, "World-class." These two words were like a gold-plated sign. Any design by a world-class master would definitely surpass that of any ordinary decorating firm.

Fan Qiang finally signed the contract and handed over the keys to Sifan.

"Bro, I don’t have other demands now, but I should be able to make one request, right? I'm getting married on October 20th. It's already the 3rd, and we have only 17 days left. The normal timeline for renovation isn’t enough, so please make sure the paint job is well done. My father has sponsored me with 500,000, but I want to buy my wife a car, so the budget for the renovation is a bit tight—200,000. Go ahead and do what you can." For the sake of the master's craftsmanship, Fan Qiang really went all out.

His apartment was 160 square meters in size, spacious and airy, situated in a high-rise. Usually, it had a view over the river from halfway up the hill, promising a decent appreciation in value.

Who would have guessed he’s from the Urban Construction Bureau?

After settling things, Sifan was eager to get the blueprints ready and start work quickly, as having two terminators standing guard at home was really a waste of time. Wasting time is wasting life, after all.

As he hurriedly traveled by car to Fan Qiang’s new home in the new district.

This time, the trip didn’t take long. Jiangcheng's new district was somewhat of a ghost town, but since the city hall was located there, many administrative units were also situated in the new district, meaning there was no traffic congestion, and he could speed straight to his destination at 60 mph.

In the car, Sifan finally decided to ask the system what exactly was wrong.

This was nerve-racking. He still remembered when the system first arrived, it seemed to have emotions, but now it had turned into a pure robot.

"System, why was your intelligence level and tone of speech different when you first started compared to now?"

After holding his breath for over two minutes, Sifan couldn't hold back any longer and inquired in his mind.

"The main Skynet system is currently absorbing and organizing data from this world; the operating system in use is a custodial subsidiary system, lacking a knowledge base,"

The system casually provided an answer to Sifan. So, the system in use wasn’t the same one as initially; the system was organizing data. Perhaps even the style of the renovations was due to the data assimilated from Earth.

Once again, when Sifan was deep in thought about the system, the taxi driver had already stopped at the gate of the Urban Construction Bureau's Integrity Housing Complex, which used a closed community management system. Right now, an elderly man was blocking a familiar-looking Dongfeng van at the gate.

Sifan asked the taxi driver to let him out and saw Tianyi Decoration Company's van parked at the gate, ceaselessly persuading the old gatekeeper, but to no avail. The old man didn’t care much about it! Without the homeowner's consent or a pass, there was no getting in.

At this moment, Sifan came from behind and saw in front of him was Zhang Mingyu, although now he was standing in a rather dramatic pose, his buttocks wrapped with who knows how many bandages, noticeably bulging out several sizes. He was anxiously speaking with the old gatekeeper.

"Yo! So it’s big boss Zhang Mingyu. Now you've even come down personally to drum up business in Lianzheng community, must be tough! Stop bothering the gatekeeper, this place doesn't allow random posting of ads," Sifan said, taking delight in Zhang's misfortune.

He casually waved a pass in front of the old gatekeeper, then tucked it away again.

The old gatekeeper gave him a look that said, "You get it."

"Damn it, Sifan, did you set me up? I ended up in the hospital for a tetanus shot, my butt took eight nails, you ruthless kid!" Zhang Mingyu bellowed upon seeing Sifan, charging at him like a mad dog.

However, he clearly overestimated his health, forgetting his injuries, and just as he charged, he collapsed with a loud "Ow!!~~" Falling flat on the ground, standing was a struggle.

Unbeknownst to Sifan, nails were the least of Zhang's problems; a splinter had struck right in the bullseye, causing rectal damage. Going to the toilet was going to be a major issue for him for months to come.

"Everyone, come out and beat this kid down; I'll take responsibility for anything!" Zhang Mingyu shouted, with three or four laborers inside the truck. But they just ignored him.

This guy often acted too big for his boots, and they all knew how Sifan was treated and got along with him well. They were definitely not going to help Zhang Mingyu.

They all bowed their heads and started blaring "Dead by Love" inside the truck, completely drowning out Zhang Mingyu's cries for help.

Sifan didn’t care about him at all, noticing something more interesting. These old timers seemed to be here to discuss a new order; otherwise, they wouldn't have come empty-handed. After taking care of his business, Sifan really wanted to watch the show.

"Ha ha ha! Zhang Mingyu, you guys just wait here. I've got work to start, I'm off to make some money!" he laughed loudly as he walked inside.

Behind him, Zhang Mingyu's eyes shifted. Suddenly, a sly smile appeared on his face: "Wait and see, Sifan. Isn't it your classmate’s order? Next time you come to me for a simple renovation, it's 200,000, not a penny less. I'll make sure you can't find a single worker in Jiangcheng to help you!"

With his mad laughter trailing off, Sifan swaggered into the community, turning around to flip a bold middle finger to the sky!

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!~~ You better take care of yourself first! Oh, I just remembered something. Aren't you trying to snag the order from Chief Hao for your cousin-in-law’s house? When I get a chance, I'll definitely give you a hand!" The laughter turned around, and Zhang Mingyu's face turned the color of liver.

Because the order he was vying for was indeed the renovation of a house for Chief Hao's cousin-in-law!

And... he had quoted a massively inflated price.