What does it look like when a seven-story apartment building collapses?
…
It's probably like watching a small mountain suddenly cave in.
A huge structure, nearly thirty meters tall, crashing down is enough to bury everything around it.
Especially after being struck by a meteorite.
The debris from the impact was flung out with immense kinetic force.
Some flying bricks shot hundreds of meters away, smashing into unlucky targets like meteor hammers.
Tilted walls came down like avalanches, crushing anything beneath them into pulp.
So at that moment, the workers regretted not having more than two legs—they were sprinting for their lives!
Even the lawyer beside Xi Shenlian instinctively tried to run.
But then he noticed something—Xi Shenlian wasn't panicking at all.
He stood there like he was watching a kid's sandcastle fall apart.
No fear.
Just a bit of… interest.
That was when the lawyer's brain kicked into overdrive.
And he realized—sticking close to Xi Shenlian was probably a lot safer than running blindly.
So, he immediately positioned himself next to Xi Shenlian, showing utter loyalty and devotion.
Honestly, if someone snapped a photo of that scene, it would probably win a photography award.
The only problem was the lawyer's legs were shaking like crazy, just like a frightened bird.
Seeing this, Xi Shenlian chuckled lightly.
He didn't move.
He just stood quietly and calmly watched the building collapse ten meters in front of him.
Letting debris fall all around him.
To him—
Being destroyed by a meteorite?
That was way more spectacular than some slow demolition by machines.
So, of course, he had to appreciate it.
During this time, the terrified lawyer soon noticed something strange—none of the large chunks of rubble were landing near them.
Only a few harmless pieces came close, and even they exploded mid-air, like they hit some invisible barrier.
Meanwhile, Xi Shenlian maintained his calm, almost admiring expression.
He hadn't moved an inch.
His composure made the lawyer gulp nervously.
He even started pinching his own thighs, trying to force his legs to stop shaking.
He wanted to stand tall in front of this big shot!
But… his body wasn't cooperating at all.
Half a minute passed.
The dust settled.
Xi Shenlian looked at the rubble that was once his apartment and casually snapped his fingers.
"Go check with the workers about any casualties or losses. If there are any, tell them I'll cover it."
"Also, have them start digging through the ruins."
"I'm curious about that meteorite."
He didn't know exactly what it was, but based on the reaction from his [Extra Talent], he could tell it had value.
"Ah?"
The lawyer blinked, then quickly nodded as he realized Xi Shenlian was giving him instructions.
"Yes! Right away!"
A few minutes later, the report came back.
There was significant equipment damage, but personnel injuries were minimal. Just two workers had leg injuries and needed hospital treatment.
For engineers, this wasn't uncommon.
Getting hit by falling debris is just part of the job.
So the workers got back to digging, as their employer requested.
Some even seemed excited.
After all, when would you ever get to see a meteorite crash into a building?
And on top of that, dig it up with your own hands?
That's bragging rights for life.
Only the two injured guys were crying in pain.
Clearly, joy and sorrow don't always come in equal measure.
…
Time passed.
The excavation continued.
Even the police showed up.
After all, a meteorite crashing through a building and sending rubble flying across neighborhoods was bound to attract attention.
But after learning it was an accident and that Xi Shenlian was handling compensation, they just took a look and left.
Eventually, after the combined efforts of machines and manpower, a massive pit was dug out.
That's when they realized—
The meteorite had punched through all seven floors like it was foam.
Like a space-based weapon, it tore through the structure and buried itself dozens of meters into the ground.
To be honest, this thing could probably pierce a military bunker.
When they finally reached it…
It was only about the size of a car.
But it was unnaturally heavy.
Even a crane couldn't lift it.
And its surface gleamed with a strange metallic sheen.
Xi Shenlian stared at it thoughtfully, then pulled out his phone.
When in doubt—look it up.
No point in just standing around.
With the help of his AI assistant, he quickly identified the object.
[Arach Metal].
An ultra-rare metal from outer space.
Usually only found through sheer luck.
Incredibly scarce on Earth.
Measured in grams.
It's crucial for aerospace tech and ultra-precision instruments.
It's worth hundreds of times more than gold by weight.
And it's hundreds of times heavier than gold by volume.
So, if you calculated the value of this car-sized piece of Arach Metal using gold as a baseline…
It would be worth as much as tens of thousands of gold-filled cars.
That's hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of tons of gold.
In Xi Shenlian's previous life, the total amount of gold mined by all humanity didn't even come close to that.
Even if undeveloped reserves were larger than what had been mined…
This amount of value could easily buy an entire country like Japan.
A hundred trillion yen?
A thousand trillion yen?
…