Chen Yuan squatted beside a pile of scrap on the outskirts of Rustiron Town, using a bent piece of metal shaped like a hook to search for something. He moved slowly and carefully, like an old farmer looking for missed stalks of wheat between the furrows. Three days ago, he had been in his cramped rented room, tapping away at code in front of his computer, working overtime until two in the morning and forgetting to eat dinner. Then came a violent wave of dizziness, as if something had thrown him down from a great height. When he opened his eyes again, he was lying amid this heap of junk, surrounded by the smell of engine oil and rusting metal.
