The Genius Construction Worker Who Moved to America - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 21

Perfect Contribution Score

In one corner of the yard of a house cordoned off by restricted access barriers.

Sophia Miller stood before a pond that had been born anew. Her eyes grew hot again.

The pond, hidden beneath wild overgrowth mere days ago, had transformed as if by miracle in the span of just a few days.

More brilliant than before, yet gentler all the same.

The pond touched by Kang Jun’s hand seemed to have existed in that very spot from the beginning, harmonizing with its surroundings.

The layered bottom extending from the drainage outlet’s end, the contours of earth at the pond’s edge, the landscaping calculated even for the direction moss would grow.

Everything felt natural.

But the pond held no water yet. The bottom gleamed only with the mortar that Kang Jun had tamped down firmly.

The reason lay in the water channel method Kang Jun had designed.
The channel he had carefully constructed drew water from the Mountain Midslope Water Source using gravity alone.

A grade of one to fifteen hundred.
For every fifteen hundred meters of horizontal distance traveled, the elevation dropped one meter—a slope imperceptible to the naked eye.

Kang Jun had pushed the System-granted ability to its absolute limit, calculating the grade with his bare eyes.

As a result, the water had to flow through the winding channel for kilometers at an agonizingly slow pace.

Crunch, crunch.

Kang Jun stepped into the yard, clad in work clothes caked with dust.
He gave Sophia a silent nod of acknowledgment as she gazed at the pond.

Seeing Kang Jun’s appearance, Sophia asked in a startled voice.

“Inspector, where have you been? Your clothes….”

Kang Jun washed his face with his hands and spoke.

“Ah, I was just checking on the water channel.”

As he alternated his gaze between the newly installed roof and the pond, Sophia poured out her admiration.

“I simply can’t believe it. That roof, and even the stone embankment of the pond…. How on earth did you manage it? You must have used a crane or a boom truck, surely?”

It was a reasonable question. For a project of this scale, heavy machinery would be essential.

Over the past five days, following Kang Jun’s instructions, no one had been permitted to enter within this barrier. Not Leo, and not even Sophia, who served as the dedicated accountant.

To her question, Kang Jun lowered his voice and replied.

“No. I did it all alone, with my own hands.”

His words carried weight—a protest too, directed at the dormant System.

Sophia’s eyes widened.

“I… you mean you renovated this entire house and pond by yourself? All by hand?”

It was beyond belief. No matter how skilled a craftsman might be, there had to be limits.
Yet looking around, there was no sign that any machinery had been used.

No tracks from a crane’s treads, no tire marks, no signs of a ladder being dragged. Only the footprints of a single adult man filled the yard.

The reason Kang Jun had undertaken the work entirely by hand was to maximize his Contribution Score.

He’d carved wood with his bare hands through sleepless nights.
He’d moved massive stones and swung the mallet thousands upon thousands of times.
With perfect focus, he’d adjusted the slope and laid the irrigation channels with meticulous precision.

Yet still, the System had given no response.

The geothermal heat and hot spring water flowing beneath this land.

Without ownership, all the sweat he’d shed would come to nothing.

Trickle-trickle, splash—

The sound of water echoed softly across the quiet yard.
The stream, having flowed for kilometers down a gradient of 1 in 1,500, finally spilled over the edge of the channel and fell to the bottom of the pond.

‘Is it finally complete?’

Then.

Ding-ding-ding!!! Ding-ding-ding-ding!!!!

The notification chimed directly in Kang Jun’s mind. Golden holographic windows began flooding his vision.

[Objective Achieved! 1,248 Lot Site Renovation Complete!]
[Analyzing Contribution Score….]
[Manual labor ratio 99.9%, external equipment dependency 0.1%, creative design and terrain utilization 100%.]

[Final Contribution Score breakthrough: 90.1%!!]

[The great god of architecture gives a standing ovation to the agent’s flawless craftsmanship!]
[“To carve a slope of 1 in 1,500 with bare human hands! You are my most perfect creation!”]

Along with the congratulations, the god of architecture’s praise burned itself into Kang Jun’s mind.

At the moment the pond’s floor grew wet, the System announced the 90 percent Contribution Score achievement. The judgment had been held in abeyance all this time because the water hadn’t pooled.

Then came the remarkable revelation from the System.

[Hidden Mission Unlocked!]
[Contribution Score will be re-measured at 98% assuming the pond is completely filled with water.]
[Upon achieving 98% Contribution Score, an unprecedented privilege will be granted.]
[Privilege Reward: Skill ‘Inviolable Sacred Realm’ – Absolute extraterritorial rights and System protection within owned territory]

“Gasp…!”

Kang Jun’s eyes snapped open. His breathing quickened, and his heart began to pound.

[Inviolable Sacred Realm]
If this privilege were activated, no law of the United States and no official authority could exert physical force against him within the land he owned.

In short, he was obtaining a legally unassailable fortress.

Kang Jun would have cheered aloud if not for Sophia Miller standing right in front of him.

But his joy was short-lived—the System’s core reward began to activate.

[In accordance with Special Contract Clause Article 9, the Agent’s Contribution Score has exceeded 90%. Ownership of the aforementioned structure and land is hereby transferred to the Agent. Commencing System-level title transfer procedures.]

Shhhwiiing—!

The air around Kang Jun shimmered. Reality twisted, and a dizzying sensation swept through him.

The System was beginning to correct reality itself.

In America, a foreigner can own real estate as long as they have capital and a lawful contract.
The gears of causality turned, one by one overwriting the records of reality.

In the LA County Registry Server, the ownership data for 1,248 Lot shifted from Sophia Miller to Kang Jun.

The purchase price was two hundred thousand dollars. The System immediately deposited the sum into Sophia’s bank account.

Tax payment records and capital gains receipts were registered in the system. A perfect, flawless title transfer—beyond suspicion.

“Huh…?”

Sophia pressed her forehead and shook her head. The System’s power was recombining her memories.

After a moment, she regained her composure and turned to Kang Jun.

“I’m so glad I transferred the house to you, Director. To preserve my father’s memories so beautifully… thank you. Perhaps this house was always waiting for someone like my father.”

“I’m the one who should thank you, Sophia. I’ll take good care of the pond in the yard and keep it from drying up.”

Kang Jun answered smoothly, but inside, he could only shake his head at the absurdity.

Such power—to rewrite even human memory itself. Sophia accepted without the slightest doubt that she had transferred this house to Kang Jun.

‘Good. Now this land is mine.’

Kang Jun stamped his foot, feeling the warmth of the earth beneath him.

His mind painted a rosy future. The dream of developing the hot spring water beneath the ground and building a resort in the heart of Pasadena Old Downtown set his heart alight.

* * *

Time at the construction site moved swiftly.

The emergency restoration project for Pasadena Old Downtown had a deadline of sixty days. Now, with thirty days remaining—half the schedule—they were at the midpoint.

The restoration work had surpassed sixty-five percent completion.

One hundred fifty workers dispatched from Blackwood Construction and dozens of heavy machinery moved with organic precision under Kang Jun’s command.

In Section A, the forty-two houses that had lost their roofs were finished with H-beam reinforcement and Douglas fir arch integration.

In Section B, eighty houses where the waterproofing layer had collapsed were nearly complete with double waterproofing sheets.

In Section C, the cracked entrance road was being continuously filled by an asphalt finisher, relentless in its pace.

It was a pace unprecedented anywhere in the entire United States.

Kang Jun returned to the office, leaving Sophia to inspect the materials at the site. He looked utterly exhausted.

Leo, who had been reviewing documents, looked up in alarm. Through the System’s reality correction, he too was aware that the 1,248 Lot belonged to Kang Jun.

“Oh my! Mr. Choi, what’s wrong with you? You’re putting too much energy into fixing your own house, aren’t you? You need to keep an eye on the site too. Who knows when the mayor might make a surprise inspection?”

Kang Jun pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator and drained it in one long gulp.

“Don’t worry, Leo. The site is running smoothly.”

Joy radiated from his face, barely contained. He had just seized a plot of prime land.

That was when it happened.

Bang!

The office door swung open and Max, the site foreman, stepped inside.

Normally he would have launched into a gruff rundown of construction progress, but today was different. Moving with an oddness that belied his bulk, he opened his mouth hesitantly.

“I… Master Choi. There’s something I need to tell you.”

His face was clouded with confusion and remorse.

Leo stepped forward and asked what was wrong. Max bit his dry lips before answering.

“I just got word from the head office. They’re ordering a complete withdrawal of equipment and personnel tomorrow morning.”

“What… what did you say? A withdrawal?!”

Leo shot to his feet.

The project still had thirty days remaining. They were pulling out all the cranes, excavators, and dump trucks right when finishing work was in full swing.

Kang Jun’s brow furrowed.

Blackwood Construction had been providing equipment under an agreement with City Hall to avoid responsibility for shoddy work.

And now they were suddenly ordering a withdrawal? This was no mere whim.

Then.

Ding-ding!

Leo’s phone pierced the silence. It was Tom, the mayor’s chief of staff.

Leo steadied himself and picked up the call.

[Leo! Is Mr. Choi with you? You both need to get to City Hall right now! As fast as you can!]

An urgent voice crackled through the phone. Kang Jun and Leo immediately climbed into a pickup truck and headed for City Hall.

* * *

Screeeech!

As they opened the VIP room door, they found Mayor Scott sitting there, his face ashen. Across the table lay official documents stamped with red seals.

Mayor Scott turned to the two men entering and spoke with grave intensity.

“I hate to pull you away from such a busy site, but this matter… well, it’s not something we can discuss over the phone.”

Scott slid a document across the table toward Kang Jun. It was a “Work Cooperation Suspension Notice” that Blackwood Construction had sent to City Hall.

As the mayor spoke, both Leo’s and Kang Jun’s expressions hardened.

“Blackwood pulled a stunt. They’re threatening to withdraw all equipment and personnel unless we address your residency status.”

“My residency status?”

Leo jumped up from his chair.

“Your visa. They’ve made it clear that supporting equipment and personnel under the direction of an illegal worker on a Tourist Visa violates federal labor law.”

Scott wiped his face with both hands before continuing.

“If they strip out all the equipment, how are we supposed to finish this project? If we miss the construction schedule, City Hall will have no choice but to demand contract termination and penalties from Golden Gate, the primary contractor. And that’s not all….”

“There’s more?”

“They’re threatening to report you to Immigration for illegal employment tomorrow if you don’t step down as project superintendent and hand over all construction authority to Blackwood.”

Acquiring land with a foreign visa had been manageable enough. But with only the visa he held now, there was no telling when he might be deported.

‘Living abroad isn’t easy. I should probably leave the administrative side to a professional.’

Kang Jun nodded silently at the mayor’s words. Scott let out an exasperated sigh at his calm demeanor.

“This isn’t the time to be so composed. Do you have some way to handle this?”

“I don’t, personally. But….”

Kang Jun smiled wryly and continued.

“I know someone who can solve this for us.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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