Chapter 30

Hao Ren was extremely skeptical about whether Raven 12345 was actually a freak from the Imperial Temporal Administration—after all, he couldn't believe that a super-civilization could be made up of such unreliable individuals. Unfortunately, he hadn't yet had the opportunity to meet other members of the Temporal Administration or high-ranking officials from the Xi Ling Empire. Raven 12345 had said that this small place was so remote and underdeveloped that it was possible for years to pass without anyone coming to check on it...

But no matter what, Hao Ren no longer doubted Raven 12345's identity or the authenticity of that super-civilization. Just the large house in this other dimension, and the high-end, luxurious, and sophisticated facilities inside it, were absolutely something humans couldn't create! For example, the room he was currently in, known as the New Employee Training Center, looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Raven led Hao Ren through the mansion, winding around for a long time. They passed many strange rooms filled with crystals or peculiar devices. Hao Ren, like a country bumpkin, walked with his mouth agape. Just as he was about to doubt whether this large house had an end, Raven led him into a hall that was completely different from the others.

This hall was filled with a technological atmosphere, shaped in a regular hexagon. Each wall gleamed with a silvery metallic luster, and blue-white light flowed through it like veins. The hall was extremely high, and many glowing crystals floated on the ceiling, casting a soft blue glow throughout the room. Along the walls, Hao Ren saw many strange devices that he couldn't understand. They looked like some kind of control panel, but had no buttons or levers. Each "control panel" had a holographic image floating above it, and the only possible control was a hexagonal crystal plate—completely different from any Earth equipment.

"This is the Training Center, a miniaturized version," Raven 12345 pointed to the devices in the hall, looking quite proud. "In the early days, all auditors had to go to the capital of the empire, Shadow City, for unified training and assessment. Back then, the Temporal Administration was small, and there weren't as many matters in the Macro World, so it was manageable. But now, it's not feasible. So, the training and assessment of new auditors, as well as their initial training and enhancement, have been decentralized to various nodes and even basic worlds. This place is quite remote, and the nearest void node requires several jumps to reach, so I applied to have such a facility in my home. By the way, I initially wanted to apply for magical equipment, but I can't handle these technological devices... I made a mistake in the report..."

Hao Ren listened, feeling dizzy. Raven 12345 had a habit of talking to herself, and once she started, she didn't care whether the audience understood. Now, Hao Ren was completely confused about the Temporal Administration's various common knowledge. This white-haired witch was babbling on, and who could understand all of it!

"What kind of enhancement are you talking about?" Hao Ren finally asked, still maintaining a basic level of caution. The atmosphere in this place reminded him of those research centers that always studied slicing and dicing, and the Xi Ling Empire still seemed like an "alien group" to him (after all, he had been an atheist for over twenty years, and the word "god" was far less understandable to him than "alien"). Imagine: an Earth human, falling into an alien bio-lab, about to undergo enhancement... If this scenario were given to Hollywood directors, it would be a bloodbath on screen!

The characters in novels who immediately rejoiced at the prospect of alien body enhancement clearly didn't have Hao Ren's foresight, of course, if you insisted that Hao Ren was just being cowardly, there was no way around it...

"It's just a regular body adjustment, don't worry, it won't make you uncomfortable or harm you," Raven 12345 pushed Hao Ren towards the center of the hall. "Every day, hundreds of new auditors undergo enhancement, and none of them have ever had an accident. Just relax! We always follow a humane standard... Stand still! I'll bring up the adjustment chamber."

Hao Ren stood trembling, and then saw Raven press a few buttons in the air. The ground beneath him vibrated slightly, and a high-tech device slowly rose from a rectangular opening in the floor.

It was a silver metal box about two meters long, roughly rectangular, with one end larger than the other. It was exquisitely decorated, and the lid was adorned with a cross made of crystals...

The lid of the metal box slowly slid open, and Hao Ren became increasingly puzzled. "Why does this thing look familiar to me?"

Raven 12345 glared at him. "How could it! This is the latest model of a universal adjustment and enhancement chamber, just unpacked a few days ago. Where have you seen it before?"

Hao Ren thought for a moment and then slapped his forehead. "I remember! The shape is that of a coffin!"

Raven 12345 slapped Hao Ren on the shoulder. "Did you forget the employee code? No cursing in front of your superiors! If you must curse, wait until they finish!"

Hao Ren leaned back, trying to pull away. "Are you sure you want me to lie in this box? I'm a principled person, and the shape of this thing is creepy enough... Hey, don't push me! I absolutely won't go in! Don't think that just because you've coated it in silver, it's not a coffin! It even has a cross on it, and you..."

Raven 12345 picked Hao Ren up with one hand and threw him into the "coffin." "Stop being such a sissy! Get in there!"

Hao Ren couldn't resist this crazy white-haired witch. After a dizzying spin, he found himself lying in the large box. A transparent barrier extended from the walls of the metal box, trapping him inside.

Hao Ren could only resign himself to his fate, but after waiting for a while, nothing happened. He craned his neck to look around and saw Raven 12345 engrossed in a data terminal. He pounded on the walls of the metal box. "What next? What do we do now?"

Raven 12345 didn't even look up. "Shut up, I'm looking for the manual... Why do they make these tech things so complicated? Where's the switch?"

Hao Ren: "... Damn! I quit! I break the contract! I'm out! You're completely unreliable! I..."

"Oh, found it!" Raven 12345 slapped a spot next to the "coffin," and Hao Ren's indignant protest was cut short. The last thing he saw was a blinding white light piercing his retinas.

Darkness, cold, and boundless chaos. Space seemed to lose its meaning. Hao Ren felt his soul detach from his body and drift in a mysterious and indescribable dimension. He struggled to find even a hint of familiar senses, but found nothing—no sound, no light, no temperature, no touch. His mind was trapped in a small bottle, drifting alone...

Well, it probably drifted for about ten seconds. Then Hao Ren heard a "bang" and felt himself being pulled up by the arm. His vision gradually returned.

The light and lines in his field of view coalesced into a figure—Raven 12345's beautiful face and her signature silver hair. She patted Hao Ren on the shoulder, looking pleased. "Done."

Hao Ren jumped up, realizing he was still in the coffin-shaped metal box. He almost lost his balance and fell, but he steadied himself and carefully jumped to the ground. "Is that it? It felt like just a moment."

"Yep, twelve seconds," Raven 12345 waved her data terminal. "Just like the manual says: press the switch, select the simple mode, wait twelve seconds, hear a 'ding,' the red light turns on, the lid opens automatically, and then take the user out—though you jumped out yourself."

"Is this thing a microwave?!"

Raven 12345 shrugged. "Well, the usage is similar. Isn't that how all simple devices work?"

Hao Ren was speechless at the white-haired witch's calmness and thick skin. He could only console himself: at least there was no accident, and all his parts seemed to be intact.

Then he clenched his fist, checking if the alien enhancement technology was reliable, and if he had really become a master like those in novels, moving with the grace of a snow-white cloak. To his surprise, he found—more in the next chapter.

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