Chapter 278: Beauty Like Flowers (15)
After a day of tossing and turning, Snake Taoist was already stinking.
He, who always loved cleanliness, couldn't stand it anymore. He could only endure not flicking his tongue, keeping his olfactory organs isolated in his mouth, pretending not to smell anything.
He entered the constant-temperature bathroom, ready to take a comfortable shower.
However, the light today seemed to have a problem; it flickered and then went out, leaving the room in darkness.
Snake Taoist, who was initially enjoying the feeling of water rushing over his body, was startled by the sudden darkness, causing the scales on his neck to stand on end.
He nervously rubbed his body, and the image of that figure hanging in the dark bathroom, swaying back and forth, suddenly appeared in his mind…
Stop! Can't think about it anymore!
Snake Taoist quickly finished his shower, wrapped himself in a bathrobe, and rushed out of the bathroom.
Indeed, the main control panel outside showed that the bathroom light was off.
Snake Taoist clicked "Open," and the bathroom lit up.
His heart settled; it seemed the light wasn't broken, but the main control had an issue.
This apartment was still a bit old; the main control frequently malfunctioned.
It was said that in the city, people used optical computers to control everything in their homes anytime, anywhere, and had long since eliminated such outdated fixed main control panels.
When he had money, he would definitely move to the city!
Forget it, let's not think that far ahead.
I'll find someone to fix it tomorrow.
For now, never mind, continue watching TV.
Snake Taoist looked up and found that the optical screen was actually broadcasting a live stream of some cute new female streamer bravely venturing into the world of Swordsman.
A cute cat-eared female, wearing a tattered shirt and exposing large areas of skin, was panting as she ran across the grassland, with a bunch of mermen chasing and attacking her. She ran while whimpering and fighting back, and the next second, there was a pile of mermen corpses on the ground.
"When did it switch to this channel? Our old man doesn't watch game streams!"
Snake Taoist wondered, manipulating the optical screen back to the previous channel.
Originally, he really didn't want to continue watching this damn program and increase their viewership, but he couldn't help but be curious, wanting to see how the program would proceed without him.
Hmph, it definitely wasn't out of curiosity about what would happen to that smelly kid and Xiao Xiao.
No wonder so many people watched this broken program; it really hooked people.
But to Snake Taoist's surprise, the commercial quickly ended, and the screen began to show the host connecting with an old scholar.
Xiao Xiao's live broadcast screen was interrupted, probably in the process of being arranged.
The communication connected, and the screen split into two: one was the host, and the other was the mysterious scholar.
The connected scholar still maintained the appearance of an ancient human, no different from the middle-aged men in historical records, except for his crimson eyes, showing no other New Human characteristics.
"This old fellow looks a bit familiar," Snake Taoist said, looking at the scholar thoughtfully.
The fleshy host first professionally squeezed his face, smiling to express his welcome.
"Professor Ke, hello! I am Pan Cake, the host of 'Deformation Plan · Beauty Season.' I am very pleased to invite you to our live broadcast room to provide a professional perspective for our program and analyze our protagonist Xiao Xiao's path of The Metamorphosis from an academic perspective."
"Haha, I am also very happy to share my thoughts with everyone. I wouldn't say I'm a professional; today, I am just an ordinary audience member," the scholar humbly said a polite remark.
"Professor Ke, you are too modest," Pan Cake said, then turned to the audience and said, "I believe friends who are more concerned about the New Human research academic community have already recognized him. Professor Ke is Professor Ke Zheng, a New Human Studies professor at Federal Empire University. He has extensive research in areas such as the formation of New Humans and the advancement of their abilities, and he is also a technical consultant for our Rising Dragon Group, participating in the research and development of Rose."
Rose's voice sounded at the opportune moment: "Yes, welcome, Professor Ke."
"Hello, Rose, long time no see," Professor Ke politely smiled.
"Not very long, about 3456 microseconds ago," Rose's voice was calm.
"Little Rose is getting more and more humorous," Professor Ke's smile deepened, and deep crow's feet appeared at the corners of his eyes.
After Rose and Professor Ke finished their interaction and showcased Professor Ke's persona, Pan Cake quickly brought the topic back.
"Professor Ke, I wonder what you think after watching this season of our program?"
Professor Ke smiled and said, "I think it's excellent!"
"To be honest with you, I am also a fan of Liu Sheng Jie, haha."
As soon as these words came out, the barrage next to them also increased.
【Even Professor Ke supports Liu Sheng Jie!】
【Let's just follow that big kid and call her 'Liu Sheng Jie'!】
【Good idea, our Liu Sheng Jie is the most amazing!】
【Support Liu Sheng Jie!】
Pan Cake also laughed, his flesh jiggling.
"It seems Professor Ke really watched our program and liked it."
"Of course, it's true!"
"I guarantee everyone that what Professor Ke said is absolutely not from a script, nor are we paying him to be a shill!"
Professor Ke also joked, "Haha, the money for being a shill is extra; please settle it then."
The two exchanged pleasantries in a very standard way for a while, then used a slightly awkward, light humor to warm up the atmosphere before getting to the main topic.
"All right, let's get back to the main point," Professor Ke said. "To be honest, how many seasons has our program been running? I don't remember, but it's considered a very long-running program."
"But it has always been loved and watched by the audience. Why?" Professor Ke paused. "Because everyone hopes to see how a person transforms into a New Human in a natural environment."
"This is exactly the kind of narrative that is missing in our current society."
"Nowadays, young people are too smooth; as long as they follow the steps, they can Awaken as a New Human when they reach a certain age, and they can even choose their own direction according to their preferences."
"You should know that in ancient times, or in lower-dimensional worlds, many humans had to endure a lot of hardship to become New Humans."
"Moreover, without the protection of inhibitory agents, many natural New Humans would get lost in the abyss, lose their self-awareness, and forever become slaves to obsession, which is what many lower-dimensional worlds refer to as weird objects."
Snake Taoist listened thoughtfully, recalling when Liu Sheng asked him if he was a "weird objects."
Something was off.
How could a native child like her know?
In her society, this concept shouldn't exist yet.
"Of course, in academia, we refer to these failed transformation products as…"
"Abyssal trash."
"This name is extremely insulting, but there's no way around it; it's the truth," Professor Ke smiled gently.
"Once they become that form, they will forever sink into the abyss, wandering and traversing between various dimensions, various Universes, and various planets…"
"Therefore, the danger of this Awakening transformation is self-evident."
He spoke clearly and methodically, and his demeanor was refined and elegant. Many viewers who used to dislike listening to lectures and studying in school found themselves listening intently.
【No wonder there are so few natural New Humans; it turns out to be so dangerous!】
【First time hearing about Abyssal trash, learned something new!】
【We already learned all this in school; you guys haven't heard of it?】
【No, we haven't; what's wrong with that? It's because those teachers weren't as good at lecturing as Professor Ke!】
【If I had Professor Ke as my teacher, I wouldn't be in this mess now.】
【Think about our three great Empires; how many Professor Kes can there be?】
Professor Ke saw the screen full of praise and smiled faintly.
"So our program is to fully, directly, nakedly, and vividly display this cold, cruel, and bloody danger to everyone, letting everyone see what kind of twists and turns and hardships early humans had to go through to become New Humans."
His voice grew lower and lower, and his eyes became deeper and deeper, with a hint of excited bloodlust.
"I believe it can serve as a very good warning and educational tool for the current restless younger generation and the entire entertainment-first society."