Chapter 99: The Starworks Meat Processing Plant and the Loyal Gatekeeper

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Shi Tiexin was very familiar with the location of the Stellar Meat Processing Plant; he had once worked there illegally. It was neither too close nor too far from Xiong An Security Company. Running at a moderate pace, Shi Tiexin arrived at the plant’s gate five minutes early.

With his outfit, there was no need to announce himself—there was no way anyone could mistake him. A middle-aged man in his fifties immediately came out from the gatehouse. His skin was equally darkened, not due to ethnicity but from years of sun and wind exposure.

“Are you the one here for the trial work?” The man spoke with a slick, oily tone, carrying the condescending air typical of a seasoned middle-aged slickster.

Shi Tiexin was all too familiar with such a look—the kind where someone barely spares you a glance and seems only intent on squeezing you for more work to make their own job easier.

But Shi Tiexin had no grounds to argue—how could he? He still needed to earn his keep under this man.

So he showed appropriate respect: “Yes, I am. You must be Director Wei.”

“Oh, yes, that’s me.”

Of course, Old Wei wasn’t really a director; he was just a petty team leader of an outsourced group. But who doesn’t like hearing flattering titles? Especially when spoken earnestly by a broad-browed, serious-faced man like Shi Tiexin—it had its effect.

Still, Old Wei was an old hand; he wasn’t going to be swayed by a mere “Director Wei.” Smooth words mattered little if the attitude was bad. If he was already hostile, no amount of politeness would help.

“You’re late. Next time, be twenty minutes early! Remember: no being late, no leaving early, no slacking off during work, no leaving your post without permission. Keep your eyes sharp while working, and be alert when company leaders are around. Got it?” Old Wei pulled out a small notebook and slapped it into Shi Tiexin’s arms. “This is the work code. Read it carefully.”

“I understand,” Shi Tiexin nodded earnestly.

“Work is in three shifts: the day shift is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the evening shift from 4 p.m. to midnight, and the night shift from midnight to 8 a.m. The shifts rotate in order—day, night, then evening, and back to day.” Old Wei’s tone was stern. “Come early for shift handovers. Don’t keep others waiting or they’ll dock your pay. Understand?”

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“I understand, I understand.”

“Listen carefully, kid. I don’t care much about temp workers like you. If you do your job honestly, I won’t bother nitpicking. Why would I pick a fight if I don’t get the money deducted? But if the factory catches you slacking, no one can protect you, and the penalties will stack up. So be smart, understand?”

Shi Tiexin nodded. “Don’t worry, Director Wei. I understand.”

“Understand? Ha, you better understand well.” Old Wei gave him a sarcastic look. “Your post is the gatehouse at Factory Two’s entrance—security check, guarding the gate. Shift handover is at 8 o’clock. Let me see—you still have three minutes.” With that, Old Wei turned and walked back into the duty room, slamming the door shut.

“Alright, Director Wei, I’m heading there now,” Shi Tiexin said politely through the door.

Wei didn’t say where Factory Two was, and Shi Tiexin didn’t ask. Having worked here illegally before, he was familiar with the layout. Wei watched like it was a joke as Shi Tiexin took the direct route to Factory Two without wandering once, and could only snort coldly.

With his back turned to Old Wei, Shi Tiexin’s expression faded completely, returning to his usual cold and resolute demeanor.

Majestic Champion Shi, Big Brother Tie, the Iron Overlord—now talking sweetly to such a petty old fox was humiliating, but under a roof, one must bow. Shi Tiexin saw right through Old Wei’s mindset.

Overall, working here was not ideal—Old Wei seemed to have ill intentions, a petty troublemaker who damaged others for his own amusement. But it wasn’t the worst; Shi Tiexin was familiar enough with the place to avoid being completely in the dark.

Before long, Shi Tiexin arrived at Factory Two’s gate.

He knew exactly what kind of place Factory Two was—not a good one. Especially the environment was almost inhumane. Sure enough, as soon as he stepped through the side entrance, a strange, indescribable odor hit him. It was the smell of intermediary substances used in artificial meat processing—a strange scent that at first almost seemed sweet, but quickly became nauseating.

The security post was at the start of an isolated passage. After passing security checks here, one had to proceed through the alley for multiple layers of inspection. Only after passing through the final air shower room could one officially enter the factory floor.

Endless odors blew out from the air shower, hitting the security station directly. Because of airtight requirements and environmental standards, there was no free ventilation here. The large ceiling fans roared continuously. The sounds, the lighting, the smells—all confirmed this was no pleasant place.

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The guard taking over from Shi Tiexin was a young man who gave a brief handover before hurrying away, leaving Shi Tiexin alone to get used to handling the handheld security scanner.

Looking around, narrow, cramped, suffocating—this post was probably the worst-conditioned spot in the entire meat processing plant.

But Shi Tiexin didn’t mind the environment, nor did he care about Old Wei’s arrangements.

Through a lifetime of struggle, he had seen far crueler, more shameless people than Old Wei. He had endured worse environments too—his old dormitory, the garbage shift building, was hardly better in terms of smell.

He wasn’t picky or fragile; he could bear it all.

Scanning the area, he noticed a security camera pointed directly at him. Looking at the black lens, Shi Tiexin let out a slight chuckle: “Hey, working under the camera—this’ll be fun.”

It seemed there would be no slacking off or rehearsing speeches during work this time, which made him a little unhappy.

But looking on the bright side, coming back to the meat plant was something of a “homecoming.” This security post, no matter how bad, was still better than the illegal work he did before in the powder coating workshop, where the conditions were even harsher and the pay was only three points a day. Now, dressed in a uniform with proud shoulder epaulets, earning seven points a day—it was nearly perfect.

And all these improvements had come from rising to the top of the orphanage hierarchy, becoming the Iron Overlord.

Survival of the fittest.

Shi Tiexin silently cheered himself on; he had to find time, get stronger and stronger. Only then could he one day bring down every roof he was forced to bow under and make them watch him take charge.