Orders Flood In

Twenty yuan wasn't much, but it marked an extremely important beginning and carried extraordinary significance.

At the very least, it proved that the business model Han Yang had chosen was genuinely viable.

After finishing that order, Han Yang immediately updated his shop and listed more services.

Gathering herbs on Forest Planet, farming monsters, side quests, mining on Iron Planet, forging equipment, revenge kills, player kills, and so on—more than a hundred in total, covering basically every common power-leveling service in Cosmic Warfare.

Besides that, Han Yang followed the example of other shops and introduced various package deals, trying to cover every possible customer need.

As for prices, power-leveling jobs with different technical difficulties naturally came with different price tags. But regardless of the price, they all followed the rule of being one-third cheaper than market rates. The lowest was still four yuan per hour, while the highest reached nearly ten yuan.

On his first day of business, within twenty-four hours, Han Yang received three orders and played for a total of fifteen hours. His average hourly rate came to 6.2 yuan, for a total of ninety-three yuan.

An ordinary power leveler would probably have been so exhausted after playing games for fifteen straight hours that their brain would have turned to mush. Yet Han Yang was still full of energy, without the slightest fatigue. Not only had he controlled the robot to play games, he had also spent eight hours studying on his own, cleaned the house, found time to cook two meals, and even taken a nap.

An income of ninety-three yuan was quite considerable for Han Yang. If he could maintain that level, he would earn more than 2,700 yuan a month, more than he made as a warehouse manager at the cold storage facility.

On the second day, Han Yang received another six orders and played for a total of nineteen hours. His average hourly rate was 6.9 yuan, and his total income was 131.1 yuan.

Perhaps because his reputation had begun to spread, on the third day, not only did three previous customers return with new orders, but more than a dozen new customers also poured in. That day, Han Yang finally experienced what it felt like for orders to flood in.

The game couldn't run multiple instances, and even if the robot could work around the clock, it still couldn't finish so many orders. Left with no choice, Han Yang painfully apologized to several customers who had come late and explained that their orders would have to wait in line and could only be handled after some time.

"Boss, hire more people. If you can't do it, I'll just find someone else."

"My friend said your prices were good and that you farmed monsters fast and well, so I came here. But I still have to wait in line? Are you messing with me?"

"I've never seen anyone turn down money. Whatever. Bye."

The customers whose orders he could not take were full of complaints. Han Yang could only keep a smile on his face, apologize and explain as best he could, and promise that he would immediately hire more people and give them discounts later. Only then did he barely manage to placate them.

He had already placed orders for new computers and materials to assemble robots, which were expected to arrive tomorrow. But even once they arrived, assembly would still take time.

That day, under Han Yang's control, the robot worked nonstop for an entire day. It didn't use the bathroom, eat, or rest. Its dedication moved even Han Yang and would have put any workaholic to shame.

The only issue was that it leaked a little lubricating oil. Han Yang simply lifted the back cover of its metal casing and added some oil without shutting it down, and the robot continued working tirelessly.

Because its schedule was packed with orders that day, Han Yang's income hit another record high: a full 152 yuan!

If he could steadily maintain that income—and at the moment, the odds looked good, since orders were plentiful, old customers kept coming back, and new customers streamed in endlessly, leaving Han Yang with no shortage of business—then one computer and one robot could earn him more than 4,500 yuan a month, comparable to what laborers made through grueling physical work.

But this was far from Han Yang's limit.

On the fourth day, the newly purchased computers and robot components arrived.

This time, Han Yang directly bought three computers and enough components to assemble three robots. It cost more than ten thousand yuan, and the twenty thousand yuan he had borrowed from Shen the Butcher was basically gone.

Although he had entered a state of extreme poverty once again, Han Yang was not worried in the slightest.

What was there to fear? Wasn't cash flow pouring in nonstop?

After carrying several large boxes home and assembling the computers, Han Yang immediately set about assembling the robots without stopping.

With the experience of assembling the first robot, putting together the second one went much more smoothly. Han Yang even modified and optimized it to some extent, making its operation more stable. At the very least, it would no longer leak lubricating oil.

Over the course of the day, while continuously controlling the first computer and robot at work, Han Yang assembled the second robot. After testing its stability, he immediately put it to work.

At that moment, Han Yang already had four backlogged orders in hand, with new ones still arriving continuously. That was only because many customers had chosen other shops instead due to the wait.

With the new computer added to the operation, Han Yang's pressure immediately eased considerably.

After working all day, Han Yang felt somewhat tired. During the gap after one order was completed and before the next began, he left home and headed toward Aunt Wang's food stall.

Once he left home, the signal disconnected. Without Han Yang's control, the robots immediately stopped operating the computers.

That was the downside of this setup. The Brainwave Control Device's signal strength was limited, and the connection would break as soon as he left home. But at his current stage, Han Yang had no way to solve that problem.

I should stockpile some food and try to eat at home from now on.

Han Yang thought to himself.

"Aunt Wang! A large bowl of beef noodles, with... with two eggs! And an extra serving of meat!"

Now that he had a steady income, Han Yang naturally no longer scrimped on food.

Han Yang's generosity made Aunt Wang pause in surprise before she said, "Xiaoyang, you're here. Sit down, it'll be ready soon!"

A steaming bowl of beef noodles was brought over. Two fried eggs were hidden beneath the noodles, while six or seven large chunks of beef covered the top. A layer of oil floated on the soup. Han Yang picked up the chili, added a heaping spoonful, stirred it evenly, and started eating.

This was the best meal Han Yang had eaten in years. After gulping down the noodle soup, he wiped his mouth and paid the bill without hesitation—an astonishing twenty-two yuan, enough to feed him for more than a day in the past. After greeting Aunt Wang, he headed straight for a supermarket a few hundred meters away.

He bought some instant noodles, dried noodles, vegetables, and other supplies, then stopped by Shen the Butcher's meat stall on his way home.

"Give me two jin of sliced pig head meat, and cut me another two jin of raw pork. I've transferred the money directly to you."

Han Yang did not have a refrigerator at home, so he did not dare buy too much fresh food.

Shen the Butcher glanced at Han Yang and silently went to cut the meat.

"What have you been busy with these past few days? Haven't seen you leave the house."

Shen the Butcher only asked after handing Han Yang the meat.

Han Yang smiled. "Starting a business!"