"Even if we take it away, there's nowhere to use it for now. This kind of large equipment requires electricity that we can't handle at our base, and it needs specialized workers for operation... it's just a loss we'll have to accept."
Mercer didn't care about this at all; some jobs are just for the money, but not others. If burning these would make Qiwei feel a bit better, he certainly wouldn't feel distressed.
Qiwei turned to Mercer and gave an apologetic smile: "I... had forgotten about this earlier."
"No worries, it's just a bunch of old equipment. Besides, this stuff must have caused you quite some suffering." Mercer smiled, looking at the old equipment covered in signs of use.
Qiwei sighed, having already spread all the fuel; just a spark would turn this factory into a living hell.
To avoid accidents, she could only lead everyone out through a side door, whispering, "It did cause a lot of misery... I first had to learn the basics of assembly line work; if I made a mistake, I'd get beaten.
They wouldn't hit your hand because they still needed you to work, so they'd lash your legs instead, so you could still sit and work on the line.
Once you got familiar with the operations, they'd increase your workload to make sure you were exhausted every day. Once, the sister next to me was so tired she got dizzy from low blood sugar and fell onto the conveyor belt.
No one had time to react before her hand got caught in the machine's conveyor belt; by the time they saved her, one arm was crushed. The company not only didn't compensate her but demanded she pay for the loss... I never saw her again after that."
As Qiwei walked, she spoke softly, "Every machine here has cost someone their life, some from overwork, others committed suicide using the machines from losing their sanity.
Once, someone even tried to burn down the factory to die with the boss... but the outcome was just a few more security guards in the factory and a set of second-hand firefighting equipment."
Qiwei smiled, but her eyes remained cold: "Unfortunately, the boss didn't show up for work today; otherwise, I'd surely throw him into the machines and burn him to ashes with them."
She exhaled a long breath with a sense of regret; unlike Rebecca, Qiwei only felt an indescribable satisfaction from her revenge.
A few of them walked out of the factory, retracing their steps back to the car. As Qiwei lit a lady's cigarette again, she activated the overclocking program left by the server.
All the factory's machines started overclocking and running idle without anyone around. Perhaps some metal part caused a spark, or maybe a circuit shorted out; in any case, in less than a minute, thick smoke began rising from the factory.
Two minutes later, a colossal blaze erupted like a conflagration devouring the earth.
Raging flames consumed everything, the red glow reflecting against the sky, resembling a painting of fiery clouds marking the impending night.
Qiwei simply sat in the car, calmly watching the flames burn in the distance.
At that moment, she felt an indescribably liberating feeling.
It was as if her unbearable past was burned away alongside it.
"Thank you, Mercer."
Qiwei spoke softly.
Mercer's prosthetic eye glowed faintly, and upon hearing her words, he only smiled slightly: "Weren't you the one who did it all? We didn't really help at all."
"No... without your quick cracking program, I'm afraid just getting in smoothly would've been quite troublesome... anyway, thanks."
Qiwei said softly, a faint smile on her face, her pupils reflecting the factory's flames. After a long pause, she spoke softly, "Let's go."
"No rush."
Mercer smiled and winked at her.
In the distance, a luxury sedan was speeding towards them.
"Didn't you want to see the factory owner burn with the factory?"
"I borrowed the communications system from the guy in the dormitory for a bit and notified him about the accident at the factory, telling him to come quickly... see? Isn't his timing just perfect?"
Mercer laughed, and Qiwei then saw the luxury sedan accelerating uncontrollably, heading straight for the blazing inferno of the factory.
The window was rolled down just enough for Qiwei to see the terrified expression of the factory owner in the back seat.
"Let them burn together."
Mercer smirked, signaling for V to start the car: "But now... we have to get moving."
In the distance, a fleet of NCPD police cars, sirens blaring, raced towards them.