Reborn in 2004 as a Recycling Mogul

The black Grand Cherokee rolled over the rutted dirt road, its undercarriage scraping with a teeth-grinding screech. The windows were shut tight, but the stench of burnt plastic, rotting acidic liquid, and heavy-metal dust still slithered in through the air-conditioning vents like a snake that could squeeze through any gap.

“Brother Mo, are we really going in?”

In the passenger seat, Old Liu clutched his N95 mask, his face grimmer than the overcast sky outside. He pointed toward the village shrouded in a gray haze, his voice muffled as if he were speaking underwater.

“Blackwater Village is infamous as a ‘cancer village.’ Even the city environmental protection bureau won't go in without protective suits. We're gambling with our lives here.”

Chen Mo said nothing.

He held the steering wheel with one hand, staring ahead through the windshield.

In his field of vision, the dilapidated village that Old Liu wanted to avoid at all costs looked completely different…