area51novel Page 90
Page 90
Life is peaceful and serene, but Shi Huaiya and Chen have not returned.
Yun Yi looked away, wiped his forehead in embarrassment, and thought to himself that he would have to tell 002 later that she was not allowed to hug him!
002 is much taller than her; if she dared to let her try carrying it all the way, her old back would probably break on the spot.
While Yunyi was pondering how to dissuade 002 from his idea, in the apartment, Minerva, sitting opposite Hoshiguma, had a fleeting look in her eyes before gently lowering herself down with the robotic arm.
She straightened up and looked up to meet Hoshiguma's gaze, her expression calm. "Please discuss this here. There is no one else on this floor except for you and me."
So this was a place they had specifically chosen. Hoshiguma thought to herself, "Just as I thought." She nodded in agreement, "Alright, then please go ahead and tell me, starting with the current state of the apartment."
“Yes.” Minerva nodded, and the robotic arm, under her control, took out a stack of white papers. Hoshiguma could vaguely see that there were pictures and words on them, and the content was rich.
Minerva handed the paper to Hoshiguma. "Look, this is the record since I moved into this apartment."
Then, she briefly explained to Hoshiguma all the tasks the temporary worker had been doing in the short time since Yunyi left her at the apartment.
After each item was explained, Minerva would pull out the corresponding decision draft, process record, results record, and improvement draft from the paper to explain and supplement it, so that Hoshiguma could confirm and understand it.
Just like when facing Anzo's story, Hoshiguma listened attentively, thought carefully, and responded. The two capable people collided, and although the content involved was several times more than Anzo's story, it seemed that from beginning to end, it might only take half the time of Anzo's story.
Yunyi finished the last bite of his dumpling and listened listlessly to the somewhat professional exchange between the two sides.
In general, it means implementing humanistic management, prioritizing ability while giving secondary importance to character, preparing courses to improve everyone's abilities and conduct, arranging relatively complete management rules and constantly improving them, etc.
Minerva's words were much more concise and objective than Amso's, but the things she confessed were not just one or two, but covered all aspects of the 356 victims left behind, so you can imagine how complicated and chaotic they were.
Yun Yi listened more and more, feeling that she wasn't cut out for this, so she simply stopped listening. Anyway, she was the boss in the plan, and as long as the results and direction were confirmed, and given the special nature of Terra, she just needed to ensure that her combat power was online, that would be enough.
Having finally found some free time, Yun Yi thought for a moment, and amidst the background noise of Hoshiguma and Minerva's conversation, she summoned the system panel, opened the shop, and happily browsed the high-value items that could improve her strength.
Because the system store includes a huge number of worlds such as anime, movies, comics, games, and novels, it doesn't have a very detailed index. It only has a rough limit, so the products displayed in the store are very bizarre and strange, with all sorts of amazing things.
For example, right now, Yun Yi, despite setting a limit on improving his own strength, has come across a product called a space fortress.
"?" A question mark popped into Yun Yi's mind. How could a space fortress be related to improving one's own strength?
Driven by this curiosity, Yun Yi clicked on the product's detailed page.
[Item: Starry Sky Core - Planetary Symbiotic Space Fortress]
[Instructions for use:]
(1. Core users are bound to the Fortress Soul. PS: Binding the main user requires an additional 200 points.)
(2. Select a habitable planet as the anchor star. On the anchor star, the higher the prosperity and scope of the region actually controlled by the core user, the greater the physical strength of the core user will be.)
(3. Completely control the anchor star. The fortress can assimilate the planet, making it "unselectable": Only by completely killing the core user can enemy units use any means to attack the planet and the friendly creatures living on it.)
Volume 2: Fireworks at Dragon Gate: Chapter 160 System: Out of Prison! Yun Yi (dizzy): Good baby!
(4. Only by completely controlling the previous anchor star can the next anchor star be selected. The feedback from different anchor stars can be infinitely superimposed.)
(5. For each selected anchor star, a soul can be bound to a living being as an assistant user. The lifespan of the assistant user is automatically equal to that of the anchor star. The assistant user gains the authority to assist in managing the anchor star and one-twelfth of the physical strength fed back by the anchor star.)
(6. After completely controlling the anchor star, you can choose whether to bring the star of the anchor star into your control range. PS: If you choose to do so, you will need to pay between 1000 and 2000000 points.)
[Product details (click to view)]
[Product Source (Click to View)]
[Product Positioning: Growth-type Item]
[Price: 150000]
As Yun Yi watched, his casual expression gradually turned serious. The direct boost to physical strength and the maximum lifespan of the user were exactly what she needed.
Her physical condition is her weakness. Without the Nirvana armor, any skilled local in Terra could easily wipe out her health bar in one hit. Even with the Nirvana exoskeleton armor, it only prevents the opponent from catching her. If she gets hit, she'll still die.
Although she could be resurrected, she had come to a realization after her last battle with Lappland.
As an ordinary person, she should try her best to maintain her life and avoid dying, otherwise she could easily fall into that kind of bloody pleasure.
In that case, her temperament might not change much overall because of the eternity of the soul, but she would inevitably become more indifferent to life—which is not a good thing.
Moreover, and most importantly, who wouldn't want to be invincible from every angle, with no weaknesses? Anyway, she wanted to be; it was exhilarating, and she wouldn't easily get hurt by reality.
The same applies to extending the user's lifespan. As long as Swire is bound to her, she doesn't need to worry about lifespan—although there are many lifespan-extending items in the system shop, most of them are not as permanent as this one.
Yun Yi stroked his chin, suppressing his excitement, and opened the product's detailed specifications. After all, the description only mentioned the feedback capability, but didn't specify the amount of feedback.
As a space fortress, the Starry Dome Core has an absurd number of parameters. The pop-up interface filled her field of vision, and there seemed to be more than a thousand of them. It would take her forever to see them all.
Yun Yi quickly filtered the parameters on the panel, focusing only on those related to improving strength.
The number of pop-up interfaces was reduced by more than half in an instant, but there were still quite a few left, roughly estimated to be several hundred or even a thousand pages.
Her lips twitched involuntarily. As expected of a space fortress, it was a behemoth.
Yun Yi rested his chin on one hand and tapped the armrest with the other. What should he do? He couldn't just force himself to watch, could he?
Her gaze swept over the system panel. Huh? That's right, the system! The system has strong computing power, so why not just let it analyze and summarize it?
Come to think of it, it feels like the system hasn't spoken for a while; it's quite good at entertaining itself.
Yun Yi sighed inwardly, then focused his mind and called out to the system, "System, are you there? Come and help me."
[Yes! Yes! Yes!] The system responded excitedly, tears of joy streaming down its face. It could finally speak! It had been such a long time coming!
This time He must perform well and not let the main body issue the mute command again. It's so painful not being able to speak T^T!
The system, brimming with energy and constantly monitoring Yun Yi's situation, responded without Yun Yi needing to ask. It immediately rolled up its nonexistent sleeves and focused its computing power on rapidly analyzing the space fortress's parameters: [Don't worry, I'll analyze the fortress parameters for you right away!]
"Then I'll leave it to you." Yun Yi raised an eyebrow, wondering if it was just his imagination, but the system seemed a little more reliable now?
The system's computing power was indeed very strong. As soon as Yun Yi finished speaking, it produced the result: [Alright, the fortress's feedback on physical strength, simply put, means an overall enhancement.]
'...? What are you talking about? Isn't that obvious?'
The system's abrupt and incoherent conclusion made Yun Yi press her brow. Honestly, she shouldn't have repeatedly placed unrealistic expectations on the system. 'Reanalyzing, what I want to know is the specific numerical value and proportion of physical strength reported by the fortress.'
[Wait, I haven't finished yet!] Seeing the familiar impatience on Yun Yi's face, the system didn't dare to delay and immediately blurted out all its conclusions.
[What I mean is that the improvement in your physical strength is the result of a tenfold increase in the combined strength of your control over the civilization, scope, thought, soul, and everything else in the region. This result will comprehensively enhance every aspect of your reaction speed, strength, speed, physique, and so on.]
Ten times more than everything, comprehensively strengthening every aspect of the body?
Yun Yi was startled by this number, and then realized that the system's description was still quite vague, so how strong exactly is ten times everything?
"That's a bit abstract. Could you give me an example? I want to know just how powerful this so-called 'everything' really is."
The system immediately drew a town on the control panel, which then vanished in a beam of light. [It's simple. Take this town as an example. The power of this is enough to annihilate this land, this town, and every living being within it—from the material to the spiritual to the soul—in a single strike.]
Yun Yi's eyes lit up. This strength was far greater than she had imagined! The feedback to her would be ten times stronger. If she controlled the entire planet, wouldn't she be able to easily destroy ten planets with a single blow?
Thinking this, Yun Yi immediately forced herself to calm down. She felt something was amiss. 'So powerful, and only requires 150,000 points? Even the Nirvana Ship's fourth tier, with 500,000 points, only destroys a star system, not even involving the spirit or soul. Are you sure you're not mistaken?'
[Of course not!] The system suddenly raised its voice; it couldn't let the main body think it was incompetent and shut it down. [The item you're interested in is a growth-type item. To obtain the corresponding bonus, you need to work hard to meet the corresponding conditions. Of course, it's cheaper than a ready-made item that grants that power immediately upon purchase.]
[Look] The system displayed the description of the Starry Sky Core right under Yun Yi's nose: [If you don't have any actual controlled territory on the anchor star, then this product can only provide you with an auxiliary user position and cannot provide you with any bonuses.]
[Conversely, once you buy the Nirvana in its fourth gear, you can simply drive it around and smash planets at will.]
The system spoke quickly and urgently, but fortunately, its corresponding words were displayed in the pop-up window, so Yun Yi didn't have to be unable to understand what it was saying because he couldn't hear it clearly.
Yun Yi frowned as he read the system's words, a mixture of understanding and confusion in his expression. "I understand what you mean, but the Starry Sky Core's potential is clearly higher than that of the Nirvana, isn't it?"
Volume 2: Fireworks at Dragon Gate Chapter 161 Minerva: I'm dying, please grant my wish!
The system made an "uh" sound, then said uncertainly, "[Perhaps it's because your growth potential is ridiculously high, so the store thinks finished items are more valuable to you?]"
"No need to say anything, I understand." Yun Yi immediately realized that he wouldn't get an answer; the system was once again failing him as usual.
If she doesn't know, she doesn't know. In any case, she can buy a space fortress with extremely high growth potential at a low price, and she is the one who benefits.
Thinking this, Yun Yi canceled the detailed parameter interface and returned to the Starry Sky Core's description page. With a thought, he added it to the shopping cart in the lower right corner, planning to discuss whether to buy it with Shi Huaiya when they went to bed that night.
After finishing these tasks, Yunyi returned to the main page of the online store, which displayed a wide variety of product icons. He continued to browse through them with great interest, hoping to find another high-quality item with the same cost-effectiveness as the Starry Sky Core.
The system? Naturally, it was muted again, but this time it wasn't due to Yun Yi's unintentional words, but simply a version upgrade.
[Main requirement detected, system upgrade in progress...]
The tiny bullet mark was covered by the Taobao interface. Yun Yi, who was staring at the interface, didn't notice it at first, but was then attracted by the two people in the projection.
When her attention shifted, she subconsciously dismissed the system panel, causing the upgrade information to be lost.
Meanwhile, the efficient Hoshiguma and Minerva easily finished discussing the apartment's situation.
Hoshiguma handed the paper back to Minerva, his golden eyes full of admiration. "Miss Minerva, your considerations are truly comprehensive and meticulous. You've done a great job. I will report it truthfully."
"Yes, thank you." Minerva didn't stand on ceremony; she accepted the paper calmly.
“You’re welcome. It’s my duty.” Hoshiguma lowered her chin, her eyes concealing her personal emotions, and looked seriously at the small-looking Volper in her eyes. “Now, please state your wish and elaborate on it.”
When Hoshiguma lowered her voice and spoke of her wish in a solemn tone, Yun Yi, who had been paying attention to the projection, immediately noticed it and turned to look at Minerva on the projection, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.
In the projection, Minerva nodded decisively, but what she said first was not a wish, but rather a clarification of her future stance: "I will join you and that person."
Yun Yi raised an eyebrow. Was this... a way to increase the probability of his wish being granted by first showing loyalty?
Hoshiguma's gaze swept over Minerva's expression, which was calm to the point of being inexplicably devout. Was this... a genuine desire to join?
“And I have only one wish—please help me become stronger.” Minerva didn’t care about Hoshiguma’s scrutiny.
She tilted her head back and calmly met the officer's gaze. The clicking sound of the mechanical arm beside her, its gears meshing and turning, was so loud at that moment that it seemed to drown out Minerva's voice. "No matter the means, no matter the cost."
Even if it's just for a fleeting moment to reach that height...
"Enhance your strength?" Hoshiguma gently tapped the Hannya, her eyebrows slightly raised. "How much stronger exactly? Also, could you please explain why?"
“…” Minerva looked at the barely perceptible thought that flashed in Hoshiguma’s eyes, then silently closed her mouth again, and quickly and carefully observed the person in front of her.
She quickly realized it wasn't her imagination; improving someone's strength didn't seem to be difficult for the police officer in front of her and the person behind him, even if it was uncertain.
So, the original draft she wanted to say, "the stronger the better," could no longer be translated as "Liu Yinqi Yi Ren Er Ba Si (IV)."
External forces that lead to increased strength usually have a proportional relationship with the amount of resources consumed.
If the person in front of me and the organization he represents could elevate a person to an extraordinary level, then my wish would absolutely never come true.
Minerva, having considered this, abandoned her initial plan and decisively chose to tell the truth: "Rhine Lab, I hope to obtain the power to destroy this place, even just one of the kos."
Hoshiguma frowned. Rhine Life Sciences? The biotechnology company from Columbia?
Yun Yi's eyes widened for a moment. Huh? Isn't this the hometown of her wet nurse who pioneered the land?
“I don’t think I need to explain the reason.” Minerva raised her hand, and the mechanical arm beside her simultaneously raised its rough and huge fingers. The mechanical fingers, which were slightly rusty, slowly lowered, and the index finger gently rested on Minerva’s clean palm, which she had specially washed after arriving at the apartment.
She grasped the severed knuckle, lowered her gaze, and wiped open the hidden door on it. A white symbol resembling a broken Möbius strip appeared before Hoshiguma and Yunyi, with "+" and "-" symbols forming two eyes on the ring. Below it was a countdown screen with numbers continuously decreasing.
【257:27:41】……
【257:27:39】……
[25衵三J丝O七二迩ba逝7:27:37]...
Minerva raised her eyes and held up the knuckles in her hand, displaying the countdown timer. Her tone was indifferent, as if it were none of her business. "This is my remaining lifespan. Rest assured, with the right tools, I can double the time. Before I leave, I can definitely create a complete apartment plan for you..."
Upon hearing this, Yun Yi sighed and thought, "Who cares about this when life and death are at stake?"
If she weren't afraid that her appearance would cause the other person to faint, she would have really wanted to teleport over, grab this nonchalant guy, and shake him violently to teach him some respect for his own life!
Hoshiguma was also caught off guard. She frowned inwardly and immediately stopped him from continuing, saying, "Stop. We can talk about wishes and plans later. The most urgent thing is to solve your lifespan problem. Now I'll ask you questions and you can answer them."
Minerva obediently stopped, without asking why the flag was eight, and simply nodded.
"How did you end up at the auction house?" Hoshiguma lowered his golden eyes and looked intently at Minerva.
Everyone has their own secrets. Minerva's clothing and appearance had little to do with Lungmen. She originally did not intend to investigate the origins of this person who was unlikely to leave the Nirvana and wanted to handle the matter simply. However, plans still cannot keep up with changes.
Hoshiguma calmly thought that the remaining Conar probably wouldn't end easily either.
Minerva felt the pressure from Hoshiguma suddenly increase, her fingertips tightened around the mechanical knuckles in her hand, and she answered briefly without changing her expression, "Escaped from Rhine Labs and ended up in the wilderness. She was kidnapped while wandering and then sold to an auction house."
"Would you mind telling me about the lab?" Hoshiguma calmly continued to ask.
“Of course.” Minerva’s tone rose slightly, a rare occurrence, and a genuine surprise flashed through his heart. “That’s one of Rhine Lab’s many illegal experimental bases, specializing in chip implantation. For this purpose, they’ve borrowed the prosthetic modification results from other experimental bases.”
Hoshiguma pondered. These two types of technologies had been very popular internationally some time ago due to their promising prospects, but...
"The base's experiments have all failed without exception, wasting too many resources, and a final ultimatum was issued 32 days ago."