Chapter 275: Beauty Like Flowers (XII) (Extra Update)
Snake Taoist awoke to find himself back in the lounge at Rising Dragon Group headquarters.
“Citizen Xinghuan EFH98324651 Snake Taoist, detecting your Awakening, you may now exit the rest pod,” a sweet yet cold mechanical female voice announced. “Should you wish to continue use, you will be charged 1000 Interstellar Coins per minute.”
Upon hearing that price, Snake Taoist, who was still groggy, shivered and scrambled to his feet.
Snake Taoist stood on the ground, then turned back to silently curse at the exorbitant rest pod.
The lounge walls were silver-white and mirror-like on all sides, reflecting Snake Taoist’s current appearance clearly.
“Still quite handsome,” he self-assessed.
He only remembered feeling like meat on a grill, being seared until his skin was charred.
But now, his body was completely intact, and aside from his Daoist robe being a bit dirty and torn, there was no sign of the abuse he had suffered.
Recalling the scene before he fainted, Snake Taoist was truly moved to tears.
He thought of an old poem passed down by his ancestors:
“Low-dimensional children bully me, old and powerless; how can I bear to face them as interstellar pirates?”
At this moment, as he covered his face and sighed, he completely failed to notice a small, black Little Tentacle peeking out from behind him in the mirror.
“Excuse me, where is The Metamorphosis production team?”
Standing alone in the lounge, Snake Taoist looked up and asked.
“I apologize, but according to protocol, you should now proceed to Settlement Office Room 315. A route has been planned for you; please follow the displayed route. Any deviation will be at your own risk.”
The mechanical female voice mercilessly rejected Snake Taoist’s request.
As the voice fell silent, a glowing light strip appeared on the floor, guiding him towards the door.
“Damn it!” Snake Taoist cursed.
He really wanted to ignore the guidance and go find that hateful production team to complain, preferably by unfurling banners and rolling around on the ground.
But the last phrase, “at your own risk,” was a clear warning.
He remembered someone who tried to deliberately not follow the planned route and was arrested directly on charges of “infringing commercial secrets,” and even sentenced to seventy years.
He was just an outdated old actor; it wasn’t worth becoming an enemy of the massive Rising Dragon Group.
So, with a flick of his robe sleeve and a cold snort, he obediently followed the guidance.
He soon arrived at a small room, which was entirely filled with mist. Snake Taoist even thought he had arrived in some southern region.
Inside was an impatient, bespectacled woman whose translucent body was covered in water stains, indicating she was the source of the mist.
“ID.”
The woman said coldly, unwilling to utter even one more word.
Fortunately, Snake Taoist was quick-witted and immediately reacted by offering her his wrist.
A flash of light from her hand read his information.
“Alright, acting fee settled at 1120 Interstellar Coins.”
“How can it be so little?!”
Upon hearing the number, Snake Taoist roared.
His anger flared, his vertical pupils dilated, his slender nostrils flared, and his long tongue frequently flicked out.
Threatening hissing sounds filled the small room.
The woman glanced at him coldly, her eyes containing a warning, and Qi surged around her.
The mist in the room grew heavier, and drops of rain fell on Snake Taoist.
Those in charge of money would naturally not be ordinary individuals.
“Energy particle fluctuation detected. Warning!”
The mechanical female voice suddenly blared overhead, its tone more severe and cold than ever before.
“Ms. Water Cloud, do you require security?”
Ms. Water Cloud looked at Snake Taoist with a cold smile, her meaning self-evident.
Snake Taoist quickly suppressed his temper and respectfully bowed.
“Ms. Water Cloud, this is all a misunderstanding. I just spoke a bit loudly… My apologies, cough cough, I’m getting old and can’t control my volume.”
Seeing him calm down, Ms. Water Cloud looked up and said, “It’s fine, Rose, alarm disengaged.”
“Understood, Ms. Water Cloud. I wish you a smooth workday.”
Snake Taoist relaxed, touching his vulnerable spot.
Truly, day by day, an old man’s heart can’t take it.
“Could you please check again for me? I remember it should have been 100,000 Interstellar Coins, and the director even promised me an additional 12%…”
“Moreover, the cross-dimensional acting fee shouldn’t be so low.”
Snake Taoist said respectfully, even grinning to reveal his crimson gums and a row of fangs, displaying what he considered a “sunny” smile.
Though the woman found the smile unsightly, she still snorted lightly and opened her optical computer.
A massive light screen appeared in mid-air. As her eyes moved, the interface on the screen switched rapidly, clearly indicating she was inputting a query in her mind.
Snake Taoist watched enviously; he also wanted to use a brain-computer interface, but he didn’t have the money.
The treatment at Rising Dragon Group was so good!
“Found it.”
Ms. Water Cloud said indifferently.
“It appears you were originally supposed to guide the female protagonist’s growth and serve as a mentor, appearing for at least ten years. However, you withdrew early, appearing for less than ten minutes. The difference from the originally agreed-upon plot length is too great, so payment is being issued proportionally.”
“Considering this, giving you 1000 Interstellar Coins is already an extra favor, plus the 12% subsidy. Don’t push your luck.”
Snake Taoist gritted his teeth in frustration after hearing the explanation.
While secretly cursing the production team for being unethical, he could only smile and obediently take the money.
Upon leaving Rising Dragon Group, he was met with towering skyscrapers that reached into the clouds, and everywhere were augmented reality neon signs, a dazzling sight. Various flying cars crisscrossed the sky, and luxury cars sped by with a wailing sound. Snake Taoist inexplicably felt so tiny.
So tiny, like a speck of dust, about to be buried in this surging Cyber Mortal World.
Even if he disappeared, no one would know.
Looking at the “Vacant” sign lit up on the flying taxis in the sky, the exhausted Snake Taoist truly wanted to hail one to go back.
But thinking of his pockets, he gave up.
Next to him was the flying car station. Snake Taoist dragged his body inside.
A swipe of his wrist, and he passed through the laser-formed gate.
Such gates could prevent New Human of any size from passing.
He squeezed together with a pile of people of various sizes, shapes, and smells, waiting for the next flying car.
Ten seconds later, the flying car arrived.
Before Snake Taoist was ready, he was pushed and shoved into the flying car by a pile of warm, smelly Physical Body.
The gaps around him were filled with various Physical Body limbs. Your ear was pressed against someone else’s eye, someone else’s chin was digging into your forehead. No one wanted to be this close, but it was too crowded, there was simply no way around it.
His whole body felt locked, unable to move. Fortunately, his body was flexible, and he could barely find a small space to fit himself.
This made him recall the feeling of being enveloped by that little girl’s Little Tentacle.
For some reason, it wasn’t uncomfortable like now; instead, it felt like returning to his mother’s embrace.
In a daze, a Little Tentacle emerged from the top of his head, curiously observing the strangely shaped humans in the carriage.
Some with form, some without.
Purely humanoid, and some like Snake Taoist, with animal elements, and even plant elements.
Those with mutated limbs, those that looked terrifying, those that were simply incomprehensible…
Is this what a “New Human” is?