Chapter 1: Settling Scores on the Spot

Pain.

It hurt a lot.

Li Aiguo endured the agony and slowly opened his eyes. The look of pain on his face was replaced by shock.

A soot-blackened ceiling, grimy walls, a crooked square table, a stool with a broken leg, an old-fashioned iron-cased thermos, and a washbasin stand made of steel rebar—these were all the furniture in the room.

In the corner of the room,

Cobwebs were thick and dense, and the window was tattered, pasted over with yellowed old newspapers.

The room was filled with a damp smell and permeated with a sense of decay.

The only bright thing was the wall calendar.

"1956"

The bright red characters caught Li Aiguo’s eyes, and his brain throbbed with intense pain.

The original owner's memories flooded in like a tide, drowning him.

That’s right, like many ambitious youths on Blue Star, Li Aiguo had transmigrated.

He had transmigrated into this era of fiery passion.

The predecessor’s name was also Li Aiguo.

He was eighteen years old this year and had lost his mother at a young age.

The predecessor’s father was a glorious train driver.

Trains in this era had simple structures and low safety standards.

While dealing with a sudden accident, the predecessor’s father was severely injured. After lying in bed for several months, he passed away.

At that time, the predecessor was only fifteen.

Too young to take over his father's position, he could only enter the Railway Academy to study professional knowledge.

After three years of hard work, the predecessor successfully graduated from the Railway Academy. As long as he passed the skills test, he would become a train driver.

"I was a luxury cruise ship captain; coming to this era to drive a big train can be considered a match for my expertise."

"Hiss... so painful."

Li Aiguo leaned on the edge of the bed, trying to sit up, but the pain in his body struck again.

*Cough, cough.* Something seemed wrong with this body.

He rolled up his sleeves; his arms were covered in bruises and swellings.

He lifted his tattered shirt; there was a gruesome bloody gash on his stomach.

He pulled up his work-cloth trousers; his calves were covered in scars.

It could be said that there wasn't a single intact spot on Li Aiguo’s entire body.

"To beat someone into such a state—what a vicious heart."

Filled with indignation, Li Aiguo searched through the predecessor’s memories and found the memories filled with humiliation.

When the predecessor’s father was alive, as a first-class train driver, he earned eighty-nine yuan a month, and the family lived quite well.

On top of that, Li Aiguo was a well-known handsome guy in the Four Nine City, very popular with young girls.

Relatives from the Qinjiagou Commune helped introduce a young bride to Li Aiguo.

The girl’s name was Qin Huairu. Although she was a commune member, she had a good background, was smart, and had a sweet tongue.

More importantly, she was beautiful.

The kind who, when she walked in, you saw her chest first, and even after she left, you could still see her hips.

She looked just like the female spies in the movies.

Li Aiguo, a hot-blooded young man, couldn't hold back at the time and agreed to it.

At the very beginning, Qin Huairu fulfilled her duties as a fiancée, often staying at the Li family home in the capital to wash and clean for Li Aiguo.

Ever since Li Aiguo’s father was injured, everything changed.

Although his father was injured in the line of duty and all medical expenses were reimbursed, and the department had issued a large subsidy, Li Aiguo was a filial child and couldn't bear to see his father suffering in bed.

In the following years, he visited famous doctors everywhere to treat his father.

As a result, not only did he fail to save his father’s life, but the family’s savings were also completely exhausted.

Seeing the Li family in ruins, Qin Huairu didn't hesitate at all. She took the dowry given by the Li family and wiggled her hips as she married into the Jia family in the middle courtyard.

Li Aiguo was young and impulsive; he couldn't stand such humiliation and went to the Jia family to demand an explanation.

Instead, he was beaten up by Jia Xudong and Shazhu, and his arm was broken.

Li Aiguo didn't expect them to be so brutal and immediately wanted to go to the neighborhood office to report them for assault and battery.

Yi Zhonghai, the First Uncle of the courtyard, came out as usual to smooth things over.

He hoped to keep Li Aiguo’s matter contained within the courtyard.

Yi Zhonghai was a eunuch and couldn't have children, so he wanted Jia Dongxu to be his son and protected him in everything.

By now, Li Aiguo had seen through Yi Zhonghai’s true colors and naturally couldn't agree.

Fearing that the futures of Jia Dongxu and Shazhu would be affected, Yi Zhonghai actually instigated the two to beat Li Aiguo to death.

After the beating, they threw Li Aiguo into the room to fend for himself, intending to kill him to silence him.

Recalling the predecessor’s unwillingness at the moment of death, Li Aiguo gritted his teeth until they rattled.

"You bunch of animals, I will never let you off!"

However, the Li Aiguo of his past life was a luxury cruise ship captain whose side job was a figure photographer.

In this era, once these skills were displayed in public, he would inevitably be branded a hooligan.

Surviving in this era was a huge challenge in itself, let alone taking revenge.

Everything had to start small.

Enduring the pain, he struggled to sit up. Li Aiguo dug out a small bag made of white thread from under the damp, black bedding.

Inside was a roll of worn-out banknotes and ration coupons.

Eight yuan and two mao in cash;

Ten jin of national grain coupons;

Two jin of sugar coupons;

Two match coupons;

The rest were miscellaneous coupons: cloth coupons, egg coupons, seasoning coupons, undershirt coupons, stool coupons, etc.

This was all of Li Aiguo’s property.

If he was frugal, it could last for two months.

Once he passed the train driver assessment and became a train driver, life would surely get better.

Recalling the knowledge the predecessor learned at the railway vocational school, Li Aiguo suddenly noticed a transparent screen appearing under his eyelids.

There were bright red characters on the screen.

Steam Engine Operation: 21.

Cooking: 15.

Bicycle Riding: 95.

Manual Nuclear Bomb Assembly: 0;

Photolithography Machine Manufacturing: 0;

Sow Postpartum Care: 0;

Current Remaining Skill Points: 0

(Full score 100, 60 is passing, skill points are gained through diligent study and practice)

Li Aiguo’s eyes widened suddenly.

Sure enough, as a benefit for transmigrators, the system might be late, but it would never be absent.

After studying it carefully, Li Aiguo understood the system’s function.

The system covered all the technologies in the world,

From how to make a two-dimensional foil to playing marbles, there were hundreds of thousands of items.

As long as he added points to the corresponding subject, he could improve his skill level.

Skill points could be obtained through reading, studying, and practicing skills.

With the system’s support, becoming a train driver would be easy.

If he kept a low profile until the spring flowers bloomed, he would surely be able to achieve great things through his own efforts.

Li Aiguo clenched his fists tightly.

Eh... he didn't seem to be in pain anymore.

Li Aiguo rolled up his sleeves and found that the wounds on his body seemed to have faded quite a bit compared to just a moment ago.

The bloody gash that was bleeding earlier had already scabbed over.

His previously delicate arms were now covered in muscles like the gnarled roots of an old tree.

It seemed that with the system’s support, his physical fitness had also been greatly improved.

However...

This didn't seem like a good thing for the current Li Aiguo.

He was just about to go to the police station to report the case, and the healing of his wounds was equivalent to destroying the evidence.

Li Aiguo was the type of person who never held a grudge.

He took revenge on the spot.

Listening to the laughter coming from the middle courtyard, a cold sneer curled the corners of Li Aiguo’s mouth as he stood up and walked slowly toward the door.

He pushed the door open.

Outside, the sun was bright, and the birds were singing.

His burly figure stepped into the light.

(End of chapter)