Chapter 55

After hastily bidding farewell to Aili, Bai Xiaofei jogged back to his room.

Locking the door, closing the window, and drawing the curtains, everything was ready.

Then, the pitch-black iPhone 6 Plus appeared.

"Beep!"

"System reboot complete!"

"Time-space traverser starting to rescan and filter surrounding time-space worlds..."

"Beep!"

"Scan complete, 38,596 time-spaces detected, beginning classification and matching... Match complete! 29,856 suitable time-spaces for training, starting to crack time-space vulnerabilities... Crack successful! Starting to build time-space connections..."

"Beep!"

"Warning! Insufficient time-space origin power, partial time-space construction failed! Successfully constructed 3,159 time-spaces!"

After a series of somewhat familiar electronic sounds, the pitch-black screen of the iPhone 6 Plus finally lit up, displaying a line of text and a matching cold electronic voice.

"Beep! System detected subpar hardware. Do you wish to consume 500 energy points to update and reasonably upgrade it?"

"Yes or No?"

"Yes!"

Bai Xiaofei, without a moment's hesitation, knew that the hardware essential to the system's survival must be upgraded.

"Beep!"

"System carrier is upgrading, estimated time required: 15 seconds. Please wait, 15, 14, 13, 12... At the same time, a hazy white light enveloped the entire iPhone 6 Plus.

"...4, 3, 2, 1."

"Beep!"

"System carrier upgrade successful, please choose the appearance type!"

"1: Original appearance (no energy consumption). 2: Wristwatch-type smartphone (100 energy points). 3: Laptop-type computer (300 energy points). 4: Glasses-type AI (500 energy points). 5: Biological chip-type AI (1000 energy points)"

Bai Xiaofei was taken aback, then he laughed.

Originally, Bai Xiaofei had always been very worried that his iPhone 6 Plus might break or get lost one day, which would be disastrous. Now, with the upgrade, the appearance type could be changed, which was very considerate. Although it required energy, compared to the unknown risks, it was still very worthwhile!

Looking at the five options provided by the system, the first one was directly passed. The second one consumed the least energy but was practically useless. If it got damaged during a fight, he would have nowhere to cry! The fourth one was the same, no need to even think about it! The third one had moderate energy consumption and was very convenient to operate, but it was too large and not easy to carry. Compared to the original iPhone 6 Plus, it seemed to have more disadvantages except for the larger screen!

The only remaining option was the one that consumed the most energy—the biological chip-type AI.

Bai Xiaofei asked, "System, how big is this biological chip-type AI? How do I operate it? And... how much energy do I have now?"

The traverser replied, "Host, the biological chip-type AI is only 10 cubic millimeters in size. It will be directly embedded in the host's brain's neural center, powered by a biological energy system. The host can use their mind to directly control and use it. The content displayed by the AI will be transmitted directly to the host's retina through the optic nerve! The host currently has 27,500 energy points."

"27,500 energy points!"

Bai Xiaofei couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. He had originally been worried about not having enough energy to choose the fifth option. Since he had so much energy, there was no need to hesitate: "System, I choose the fifth option—the biological chip-type AI! By the way, does the system include installation?"

"…Included!" The traverser paused for a moment, then replied speechlessly.

"Beep!"

"Host has chosen the system carrier appearance type: biological chip-type AI. Starting to change and install..."

Visible to the naked eye, the pitch-black iPhone 6 Plus instantly shrank, then transformed into a fine stream of light, drilling into Bai Xiaofei's forehead. At the same time, Bai Xiaofei felt as if an ant had crawled into his head, causing an unbearable itch, which was probably the chip moving toward the core of the neural center.

After a short while, Bai Xiaofei no longer felt the itch, but a sudden pain. Then, a series of flashing images began to appear in Bai Xiaofei's eyes, eventually stabilizing.

"Beep!"

"System carrier installation successful, trial operation normal!"

The things Bai Xiaofei saw in his eyes suddenly changed, switching from the images of the room's furniture to the familiar movie website interface of the time-space traverser.

After the upgrade, the "website" had undergone significant changes. The categories of movie resources were no longer the original romance, comedy, drama, etc., but more detailed categories such as horror and supernatural, action and martial arts, science fiction, and mystical fantasy.

The covers of these movie videos were no longer gray and unselectable but normal colors that could be chosen. However, in the upper right corner of each cover, a number was displayed, ranging from 1,000 to 1,000,000,000. As Bai Xiaofei focused his gaze, a piece of information instantly appeared in his mind:

"This number indicates the energy value required to traverse to that time-space world. The higher the energy value, the greater the danger. The energy consumption can be borne independently by the host or shared with the system according to a specific ratio.

If the host chooses to share the energy consumption with the system, they must complete the time-space tasks assigned by the system. The number and difficulty of the tasks, as well as the host's gains in that time-space, are directly proportional to the ratio of energy consumption. If the host bears the energy consumption independently, the system does not assign tasks, and all the energy and gains in that time-space belong to the host!"

After reading the information, Bai Xiaofei was taken aback, thinking, "Is this the new rule after the upgrade? It seems pretty good!"

Clearly, Bai Xiaofei was quite pleased with the new task rules. As long as you had enough energy, you could be your own boss! Even if you didn't have enough energy at the time, you could still "borrow" from the system, although it would reduce your gains, it was still acceptable.

After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to gain, you must be willing to pay.

Moreover, the new rules no longer had the previous mandatory requirements, such as immediately returning after completing a task, time intervals for traversing time-spaces, and random traversing without the ability to choose. Now, the system gave Bai Xiaofei more freedom to choose, which, if planned well, could significantly enhance his capabilities!

Shifting his gaze, Bai Xiaofei focused on the energy value. The system quickly provided an explanation:

"Energy value is the universal currency of the time-space traverser. Traversing time-spaces, the time-space mall, the exchange system, attribute enhancement... all require energy values. There are two ways to obtain energy values: 1. Completing system tasks, altering plots, obtaining treasures, defeating bosses... in time-space worlds. 2. Exchanging luck, willpower, treasures... in the real world."

After understanding the fundamental matters concerning his life, Bai Xiaofei's gaze shifted directly to the most attractive option—the time-space mall.

Bai Xiaofei now had over 26,000 energy points, which was a considerable fortune. After working so hard to earn so much "money," what was the point if not to spend it? The system had finally set up a time-space mall, and if he didn't go shopping, it would be a waste. If he happened to find something extremely suitable for himself or a great ability, it would be a huge gain!

Thinking this, Bai Xiaofei opened the time-space mall interface, eager to see what could be exchanged.

Then, Bai Xiaofei's joy came to an abrupt end.

...