Chapter 164: Future Technology

Chapter 164: Future Technology

"Leader Xue, congratulations on your promotion."

"Leader Xue, you're only twenty-four and already a leader. Your future is bright. Please take care of us."

"Leader Xue, your responsibilities will only grow. Be sure to stay safe and take care of yourself."

From the moment Xue Pengkai stepped through the company's entrance to his journey to the base, dozens of employees greeted him with smiles, nodding and bowing, their eyes filled with envy and admiration.

Boring people, boring social interactions.

Xue Pengkai's face was a mask of perfect politeness as he nodded and returned their greetings, but inside, he was thoroughly annoyed. These people had no special skills, mediocre work abilities, and couldn't pass the advancement exams. They always tried to curry favor with their superiors to make their lives easier.

They didn't understand that the key to advancement was to discard unnecessary emotions and remain rational at all times. The higher one's position, the more detached they had to be. No manager would change their schedule just because someone was flattering them.

Reaching the company's basement, Xue Pengkai approached a familiar door.

This was a scene he had seen almost every day for the past three years.

No matter how terrifying a place might be, it becomes mundane after repeated exposure. Fear stems from the unknown, and once the unknown is known, the fear naturally subsides.

A mechanical eye on the upper right corner of the door emitted a red light, which scanned Xue Pengkai's body. A cold, mechanical voice then spoke.

"Security Department Leader Xue Pengkai confirmed. Welcome home."

The door split open, revealing a dark, gaping maw.

Everything will be better, everything will be better.

He repeated the mantra to himself, took a deep breath, and stepped into the base.

The interior of the base was entirely covered in a special metal, a pristine silver that stretched as far as the eye could see. Apart from the various ethnicities of the staff, the only other colors came from the cold, sterile machinery.

The corridors branched out in all directions, mostly interconnected except for certain restricted areas. However, the number of doors was overwhelming, with a silver door separating every few meters.

This was for the safety of all employees.

After passing through three doors, Xue Pengkai arrived at his office. As he pushed the door open, his tense body stiffened. Sitting in his chair was a woman with golden, shoulder-length hair and a beautiful face, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

She wore the company's standard, elegant uniform, with a Roman numeral "IV" badge on her chest. Her face was expressionless, and this was his superior, Security Department Head Kelly Hopson.

"Head, what brings you here?"

She raised a hand to stop his question and spoke in a cold, stern voice. "State the password first."

"Embrace the past."

"Look to the future."

Kelly nodded, her ice-cold expression softening slightly.

"Embrace the past, look to the future." Similar passwords were used by competing companies, such as the Lighthouse Corporation's "In the darkness, the light within" and the Psychological Treatment Institute's "Unity of knowledge and action, I think, therefore I am."

"Xue, you have tamed the Level 3 Sealed Object 'Son of Fertility' and the Level 2 Derivative 'Magic Sprite,' successfully advancing to the position of Leader. Congratulations are in order."

Xue Pengkai nodded cautiously. "It's all thanks to the company's training."

Kelly didn't comment on his formal response, her tone remaining unchanged, her pauses precise.

"Your clearance will be expanded, and you will be handling Level 1 Sealed Objects and Level 0 derivatives. This is a very dangerous task, so I need to conduct a psychological test and cognitive correction to ensure your mental and physical health."

"Understood. I am willing to undergo the test."

"Then let's begin. The test for Security Department Second Group Leader Xue Pengkai will be recorded and evaluated by five heads."

Kelly activated the recorder and took out a pen and paper. "Have you consumed alcohol, taken any psychoactive drugs, or engaged in any other behavior that might disrupt your cognition in the past twenty-four hours?"

"No."

"Can you guarantee that your answers to all questions are truthful?"

"Yes."

"Have you had any thoughts that contradict established norms, such as 1+1=2, water being highly toxic, or loving someone to the point of sacrificing your life?"

"No."

"Are you curious about box-shaped objects and do you have an urge to open every box you encounter?"

"No."

Kelly paused, then took out a sheet of paper with eight different images, four on the top and four on the bottom.

"Please read out the images on this paper from left to right, top to bottom."

"A contract with unclear content, a black goat giving birth, a seed emitting a bright light, a book with a strange cover."

"That's an unknown badge? A wanted poster with no portrait, a stone tablet with nine rules, and the last one… I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand."

As he saw the last image, Xue Pengkai's face contorted in pain. He clutched his head with both hands, his eyes bloodshot, and began repeating, "I don't understand."

Kelly's face showed a hint of disappointment. She put away the paper and quickly walked to the paper shredder on the right side of the office. As the paper was shredded into dozens of pieces, Xue Pengkai's symptoms began to ease.

"Phew~"

He let out a deep breath, clutching his rapidly beating heart as it gradually calmed down. He had felt his mind go blank, his body temperature spike, his heart race, and his breathing become rapid, almost to the point of fainting.

Swallowing hard, he asked hoarsely, "What was that just now?"

"It's a memetic infection that causes cognitive dissonance. Don't worry about it. As long as the secondary infection source is destroyed, it's harmless."

Kelly sighed. "The company has been looking for someone resistant to this meme, but so far, no one has succeeded. I have high hopes for you. You are the only Chinese person to advance to Leader or higher, besides Head Chu Liang."

"You are intelligent, decisive, humble, and reflective, far superior to those arrogant fools. If it weren't for the racial issue, more Chinese would have advanced."

"Unfortunately, you failed as well."

Seeing Xue Pengkai's calm and unperturbed expression, she nodded in satisfaction. "Don't worry about it. This is just my personal expectation and won't affect the test results. In fact, considering my interference, your final score will be higher."

Xue Pengkai finally breathed a sigh of relief, gradually relaxing.

"Next, let's review some key information. Let's start with our company."

"Sure, Supervisor." Xue Pengkai thought for a moment, going over the content in his mind, and then slowly provided his answer. "At its core, it's a massive multinational organization. The company is authorized and commissioned by the governments of major countries and operates independently of judicial jurisdiction. Our goal is to seal away anomalies, events, and individuals that pose a threat to the world."

Seeing that Kelly didn't say anything, he assumed his answer wasn't complete enough and continued.

"The company's philosophy is to use sealed items to advance human technology and improve quality of life, aiming to make the world a better place. We focus on current efforts while also looking forward to a brighter future."

"The company isn't the only sealing organization. Similar organizations include the Lighthouse Corporation, which aims to destroy all sealed items to restore the world to normal; the Mental Health Clinic, which dreams of a unified human ascension; the Story Editing Department, which cares only about finding all sorts of entertainment; and some other relatively weaker and less well-known sealing organizations."

"There are some incomplete points, but generally correct," Kelly nodded. "Tell me about the sealed items."

"Sealed items are anomalies that exceed human understanding and modern technology, items whose workings cannot be analyzed. They could be peculiar life forms, magical artifacts, or strange phenomena."

"The levels of sealed items are classified based on their impact range: Level 3 affects individuals or streets, Level 2 affects entire cities, Level 1 affects cities to countries, and Level 0 affects entire continents or the world."

Kelly wrote a few comments on a piece of paper and added, "It's important to note that the classification of sealed items is based on their impact range, not their specific strength. So, a Level 3 sealed item can be highly dangerous, while a Level 0 sealed item might not cause severe consequences."

"Of course, once an item's impact range extends to the entire world, even minor changes can have massive effects. Level 0 sealed items are always the top priority. Remember this."

"Yes, Supervisor Kelly, I will remember."

Xue Pengkai's heart skipped a beat, silently praying that his answer wasn't too poor.

Kelly smiled, closed her notebook, and after a moment of thought, looked up at Xue Pengkai. "Do you know what our contact target is today?"

"Yes," Xue Pengkai controlled his expression, trying not to appear nervous.

"A Level 0 humanoid derivative."

He hadn't expected to encounter a Level 0 sealed item derivative so soon. Theoretically, he should still be in the adaptation phase for his new job.

"Don't be afraid. It's probably the least harmful Level 0 sealed item or derivative, aside from the Tree of Wisdom."

Kelly comforted him, "I haven't shown you his file yet, so please understand. The information on any Level 0 sealed item is strictly confidential and can only be given to you right before your assignment."

With that, she took out an envelope, tore it open in front of him, and then carefully handed him a piece of paper.

"Take a look."

Xue Pengkai steadied his nerves and carefully read through the first Level 0 sealed item file he had ever held.

Level 0 Sealed Item: "Doomsday Horn"

Description 1: This is a golden horn made of an unknown metal, 1.2 meters long, with an unknown hardness. No method can damage it, and its weight is almost zero.

Description 2: The Doomsday Horn has been blown three times in history. The first time was by the discoverer, a common woman named Kasan, on April 13, 1886, in [location redacted]. When Kasan blew the horn, it attracted Derivative 1 [data redacted], resulting in the death of 93% of the local population and the eternal madness of the remaining 7%. The location is now sealed and cannot be mentioned.

Supplementary Note 1: Attempts to erase the memories of the mad people were ineffective, suggesting a memetic influence.

Supplementary Note 2: Attempts to reverse time for the mad people were also ineffective, suggesting that Derivative 1 either never left or its influence transcends time and space.

Description 3: The second blower was Mad Scientist P, who successfully infiltrated the room where the Doomsday Horn was kept and blew it for the second time. This attracted Derivative 2, a monster that feeds on planets.

Supplementary Note: With the help of the Story Editing Department, Derivative 2 was lured away by the sealed item "Mary Girl" and left the solar system.

Description 4: The third blower was [data redacted], who intended to destroy the world. However, this time, no anomalies appeared globally, except for the sudden appearance of Derivative 3.

Supplementary Note: Derivative 3 is an unknown creature that appears as a three-year-old child. After isolation, examination, and genetic comparison, it was identified as an anomaly mimicking an East Asian human.

Supplementary Note: Derivative 3 exhibits human emotions like curiosity and shame, and its cognitive abilities are similar to those of a human. It believes itself to be Chinese, with intelligence comparable to that of a normal adult and good moral character.

Supplementary Note: Like a normal human, Derivative 3 breathes, drinks, eats, and excretes. It grows normally with age and has not shown any extraordinary strength or abilities. It is initially determined that its human-like cognition and its true nature are in conflict, preventing it from exerting its powers.

"You should always remind and reinforce the idea that Derivative 3 is human."

Kelly spoke seriously, "Start with the basics, like not calling him 'Derivative 3,' but using his name instead."

Xue Pengkai, taking his senior's advice to heart, nodded earnestly. "What is his name?"

Kelly slowly revealed the name of Derivative 3.

"Lu Ke."

Uninstalling the app and not paying attention to comments and data has really improved my mental state. It feels less anxiety-inducing to write now.

This volume actually involves some simplification, and I will strive to make it accessible for those who haven't been introduced to this world before.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end