Sixteen: Mechanical Engineering

This floor is entirely composed of neat, rigid office buildings, roughly six meters in height and split into two smaller levels. Thousands of Black Coffin’s official clerks work here. I don’t know what they are busy with, but they certainly look the part, scurrying about with documents in hand.

Alas, a pathetic bunch of corporate drones.

Some recognized me and asked for my autograph. I was quite gratified; they are truly worthy servants of the Black Coffin, and their cultural literacy is genuinely heartening.

Tucked between the office buildings are small cafes, a cut above the ones on the thirtieth floor. Betty was waiting for me in a corner, wearing sunglasses. When she saw me, she pretended to be indifferent, though she was clearly relieved. After all, our interests are tied together; whether she lives a comfortable life in the future depends entirely on my whim.

She said, "So you really did come back alive."

I replied, "What kind of talk is that?"

She took out two hundred thousand gold coins and handed them to me, saying, "An advance on your royalties."

The gold coins appeared in my pocket with impossible speed—a truly inexplicable phenomenon, as I am clearly a man indifferent to fame and fortune.

I said to the waiter, "Bring this lady a bucket of your finest coffee. It’s on me."

Betty laughed, "You are as humorous as ever."

I couldn't help but lament the degradation of this society; there is no world more tragic than one where a serious and solemn man is mistaken for a comedian.

She took out a high-end recorder and said, "Try to speak as naturally as possible, even an accent is fine. These clips will be included as a bonus with the deluxe edition of the book."

I felt a bit nervous but began to recount my story: first Charon Pharmaceuticals, then Charon Heavy Industries. I obviously couldn't say that I had instigated the upheaval in Weeping Village, so I simply stated that they had fulfilled their initial promises.

Betty recorded and asked questions as we went. The interview lasted two hours. She was clearly pleased, yet thoughtful. She said, "The content is rich, but my readership includes many of your female fans. Girls, you know, aren't very interested in all this killing and fighting. Hmm, it’s necessary to make some adjustments to your persona."

I became alert and asked, "What kind of adjustments?"

She said, "That Zoti... we could change him into a handsome middle-aged man, turn him into your 'CP' (romantic partner), and weave in some love and hate—you know, you as the dominant one and him as the submissive."

I raged, "What CP? Don't mess around! That’s an old man!"

Betty nodded, "Understood. Then we'll write it as a subtle crush, building an ambiguous atmosphere. That will double the sales."

I had intended to refuse, but that last sentence made me agree completely. In this day and age, one must have an inclusive heart.

Betty then suggested having the mother-daughter duo of Veline and Ruibin fall into a love-hate relationship while competing for my affection. I felt this change would only lead to Lamia and me having a love-hate relationship first, so I tried my best to dissuade her. She accepted, though reluctantly; it seemed that without this, she wouldn't know how to fill the missing word count.

It was fortunate I didn't tell her about Nana Christian and Typhon.

She pulled a brick-like camera from her bag and said, "Next time, take more photos. We can hold a raffle for the fans; that’ll bring in a fortune."

I complained, "I’m barely fighting for my life, where would I find the time to take pictures?"

Betty laughed, "You don't need many, five or six will do. Just strike a pose next to the corpse after you kill a demon."

There was no helping it. I have a family to support, so I had to follow the advice of this quintessential gold-digger.

I said, "Well then, until next time."

***

Betty stared, dumbfounded, at the bucket of coffee the waiter had brought. I paid the bill and left.

The Mask was still at the detective agency. He had found a turtle-shaped hat from somewhere and was wearing it. He probably didn't know that this item had negative connotations in the previous century, though fortunately, he wasn't married.

I laughed, "My partner! That’s a very trendy look you’ve got there!"

The Mask said, "I’m hoping it will grant me good luck and help me avoid future disasters."

I cleared my throat, nodded, and asked, "Are you finished with those cases?"

The Mask smiled and said, "To me, that wasn't even a warm-up." He pointed to a deposit slip on the table for about three thousand gold coins—my share. Sigh, it’s truly meager, but since we’re essentially doing this as a loss-leader, there’s no help for it. I wonder how many philandering couples he had to catch for that amount.

He asked, "Weren't you supposed to bring back twenty million?"

I laughed out loud, looking around furtively, and said, "The sky outside is very blue. You shouldn't stay cooped up all the time; it’s best to go out for a walk."

We stared at each other for a moment, then the Mask said, "Were you swindled again?"

I hurriedly said, "I made a very important investment. It is the most promising major project to date; we are now the founding figures of Weeping City!"

The Mask sighed, his expression actually looking quite skeptical. This ignorant child was simply being too overbearing! I am so shrewd—how could anyone in this world possibly swindle me?

I changed the subject, saying, "A big shot from the Sword and Shield Association came to the Black Coffin—a great beauty with truly incredible swordsmanship. Her name is Nana Christian. I took her to see Typhon, and it turns out they are sisters. Seeing them standing together was a real feast for the eyes. They were casting glances at me, but I am a man of integrity..."

For some reason, the Mask's hat seemed to turn greener and brighter; the green light was truly blinding. He remained silent for a moment and said, "Don't attract them here. I’m afraid nothing good will come of it."

I felt the Mask was afraid of them and asked, "What are you afraid of? They aren't your wife, are they?"

The Mask said, "Who says they aren't?"

I couldn't help but laugh heartily, "You lunatic, is every woman your wife?"

The Mask laughed too. He took out a black box and said, "I found an interesting videotape on the black market. You might be interested."

He had an old projector in his small room, a machine on the verge of turning into dust. Seeing his mysterious smile, I understood immediately and said, "We... should view this with the solemn mindset of honoring ancient heritage."

The Mask said, "Naturally."

We sat cross-legged. I checked the room—no tissues, which was a real shame. He started the projection. On the screen was an office; a beautiful woman in professional attire sat quietly, and a bearded man in a suit walked toward her.

Oh, the customs of the previous century are always so exciting. I couldn't help but clench my hands.

Turning around, I saw the little girl we helped last time, Ashi, standing behind me, along with her rescued sister. They stared with clear, innocent eyes at the ever-changing images on the screen.

I was terrified and shouted, "Who let you in!"

Ashi said, "You didn't close the door, so we just walked in."

I saw the film was still in the dramatic, conversational stage and felt relieved, saying, "Get out! We are studying classified documents!"

Ashi yelled, "Don't try to fool me. I know you're watching something indecent. If you don't let me watch, I'll go out to the street and tell everyone!"

***

I was burning with anxiety, trying to think of how to trick her, when the person in the film said, "I am Professor Longinus. This is classified information from the Charon Company. This data must never fall into the hands of personnel below level seven."

Hearing that the plot was not what I expected, I looked back and realized it was indeed a younger me. I hadn't expected him... that I had actually filmed such a video. Was it for public service? That seemed impossible.

Saint Longinus said, "This is the headquarters of Charon Heavy Industries. What you are seeing now is the Eukos-Von Reactor, also known as a solar-powered controllable nuclear fusion reactor." The camera panned out; it was indeed the Charon Heavy Industries of the previous century, full of science-fiction factory facilities. The simple, magical light made the factory seem as if it were performing sorcery.

I asked, "Isn't it... that kind of video?"

The Mask said, "You want to watch that kind? I have some. I'll go look for it right now..."

I urged, "No, just watch this!"

Saint Longinus said, "Theoretically, a perpetual motion machine does not exist, but thanks to the Eukos, we have achieved perpetual motion under certain limited conditions. Charon Heavy Industries realized the possibility of an apocalypse, and these Eukos-Von reactors are the very means they—we—can use to rebuild human civilization after the world ends."

The younger me was truly extraordinary; the explanation was of documentary quality. But the next scene shocked me even more.

"I" walked up to the reactor's control panel and entered my palm print. The floor sank, and a drone camera followed me into the underground. Here was another factory, with a hundred robust metal armors arranged in glass cases, each about two meters tall.

Saint Longinus said, "These are the heavy industrial robots of the 'Last Supper' batch, or 'LAST' for short. They use superior artificial intelligence and draw energy directly from the reactor. They can be used for construction, patrol, defense, and reconnaissance, and they obey all orders from high-ranking Charon personnel—except for harming another high-ranking person. Their work efficiency is twenty times that of an average French man, five times that of an average American man, and three times that of an average Chinese man."

I was so surprised my jaw dropped. This is exactly what I need to fulfill my long-cherished wish! With these helpers, I could build a small-scale Black Coffin in just a few years!

I hurriedly called out to Faja in secret, "Did you see that? Little Princess?"

Faja said, "Yes, it is truly an amazing discovery. I have searched the reactor's master computer, and there are no records of this. This is indeed top-secret."

I asked, "Is it real?"

Faja searched for a moment and said, "Yes, I have found the corresponding user interface."

I asked, "Can you gain control of these robots?"

Faja said, "Regrettably, no. There are only two current controllers: one is Professor Longinus in the video, and the other is the late Chairman of the Charon Board of Directors. Only the clear voiceprint of Professor Longinus can awaken them."

I rejoiced, "That’s all there is to it? My voice will do!" This news made me restless; I couldn't wait to return to Weeping Village immediately.

Faja said, "I am not certain. I need to further verify the voiceprint between you and Professor Longinus..."

I asked the Mask, "How did you find this?"

The Mask said, "I heard you were going to Charon Heavy Industries, and I suddenly remembered seeing something similar for sale on the black market."

I hugged him, and I also hugged the two little girls, scaring them so much they turned and ran. I knelt on the ground, raised my hands, and wept, saying, "Now, we are rich! Truly, genuinely rich! We can become useless humans and never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of our lives, all supported by robots."