Chapter Thirty-Two: Maintenance and Business Trip

A few minutes later, in the office of the Chief of the Medical Department at Branch 16 of Dreamweaver Entertainment.

Ren Yiyi said nothing and did nothing, merely staring at Mo Wen. Several minutes passed in this heavy silence.

Eventually, she was the first to break, frowning coldly. "Won big, did you? Feeling happy now?"

"The whole company is buzzing with rumors that you’re the strongest individual combatant in humanity. Other companies have caught wind of your legend, too. If it weren't for our containment protocols, you’d be world-famous by now."

Mo Wen kept his head down, offering no reply.

Anyone who has been a student knows that when you’ve done something wrong and upset a teacher, being singled out for mockery is a no-win scenario. To talk back makes the teacher angrier; to admit fault leads to being interrogated with, "If you knew, why did you do it?"; to remain silent triggers, "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you ignoring me?"

Trying to put on a show of remorse is fundamentally dishonest and ineffective. It is a death trap of a question.

However, Mo Wen possessed a unique aura.

When he wasn't stoking his fighting spirit or steeling his resolve, standing there all alone, he looked for all the world like someone whose parents were dead, whose relatives had abandoned him, who was drowning in debt, suffering from a terminal illness, unable to afford a meal, and forced to work himself to the bone during his spare time—perhaps even selling his own blood just to survive.

Faced with this version of Mo Wen, Ren Yiyi found her own psychological defenses crumbling first. She sighed helplessly. "Fine. Let's set aside the fact that you went overboard during your sparring session, caused collateral damage, and sent poor colleagues to the hospital."

"They're actually bragging about how they were so strong they forced a certain 'strongest combatant' to lose control of his power. They treat their injuries as badges of honor, smiling even more broadly than those who weren't hurt at all."

"Can you please, for once, pay some attention to your own body?"

"Tell me, what do your prosthetic diagnostic reports and your brain scan say?"

"Clinically dead!"

"If I hadn't received reports from others and ordered you to undergo an immediate physical, you wouldn't even have known you were dead!"

Mo Wen didn't argue that his constitution was tough, or that he had already returned from the grave, or that such injuries were merely scratches to him. He remained silent, awaiting Ren Yiyi’s verdict.

Facing this stubborn, "dead" piece of work, Ren Yiyi was exasperated. She gnashed her teeth, wishing she could pry open his skull to see what was inside... well, she already knew, which only made her angrier.

"One day, you idiot, your own willfulness will be the death of you!"

"Listen closely and remember this! Your psionic energy might keep you from dying, but if your Dream-Creator core is damaged and your energy goes out of control, you will perish completely—not a scrap left behind."

"From now on, report every training session and mission to me. You are forbidden from training under time-dilation states. If you do something stupid, get checked immediately. I don't want to see a prosthetic suit wandering around filled with nothing but rotting brain mush."

"Now, stand outside the door. Wait for me to come out and take you for maintenance."

Mo Wen obediently walked out, closed the door, stood at attention, and focused his mind, reviewing what he had learned recently.

It was strange. Even after he was confirmed brain-dead, he still felt the exhaustion from the memory-downloading device. He couldn't use "brain death" to skip the cooldown period.

Before long, Ren Yiyi emerged with a sour expression and dragged Mo Wen off for maintenance.

At 1.35 meters tall, Ren Yiyi usually carried an air of authority when she was expressionless, but now, with that scowl and her aggressive demeanor, she looked more like an angry elementary schooler.

Strange. Had she gotten shorter?

...

Half a day later, Mo Wen finished his maintenance and opened his eyes, but it wasn't Ren Yiyi standing before him.

The Chief of Field Operations Branch 16 stood in front of him, with a projection of the Headquarters Chief standing by his side.

Upon seeing Mo Wen wake up, the Headquarters Chief spoke eagerly, "You're awake. Do you remember the matter regarding the [Group] agent?"

"We have reached a conclusion. It was all a misunderstanding. The [Group] agent acted overzealously; he will personally apologize and offer compensation. Furthermore, you have been granted the opportunity to travel to the [Group]'s orbital fortress to meet Qi Shiming in person."

"Ever since he unified humanity and re-established order, he has been very busy, gradually distancing himself from worldly affairs to focus all his energy on the research of new psionic technologies, hoping to solve societal problems through breakthroughs."

"But if you gain his recognition, you gain the recognition of the [Group] and every other company."

The Headquarters Chief gave a bitter smile. "To be honest, I'm quite reluctant. Before you caught the [Group]'s attention, we could have considered keeping you. But after meeting Qi Shiming, I fear you will choose to join the [Group] and stay on the fortress."

"That is a place where people strive for the future of all humanity, far from the disputes of the world, pursuing progress for progress's sake."

"It is a tremendous honor to stay there. Some people go up and never want to come down, wanting to spend their entire lives there. Few are willing to return. If I hadn't been there and come back myself, I would have suspected they had installed a high-powered brainwashing device on the fortress."

"Heh, there's no need for anything like that. The temptation of using your own hands to create unprecedented greatness is the greatest lure of all."

"Psionic popularization, artificial genetic modification, the new humanity of innate psionic awakening, the psychic consciousness network, star gates, hyperspace... some of these projects are truly heart-stirring just to look at. More importantly, many of these technologies have been gradually realized over the years."

"It's a pity. If the technology had been in its infancy back then, if they had made the decision to confirm that the old humanity would inevitably be transformed rather than hesitating over whether to phase them out, so many of the old humanity wouldn't have died over the years."

Hearing this, the Branch Chief gave a light cough, and the Headquarters Chief realized he had digressed. He smiled, and the projection patted the Branch Chief on the shoulder. "Alright, why don't you tell Mo Wen the rest."

The Branch Chief didn't stand on ceremony and spoke directly to Mo Wen. "In short, tomorrow, your squad needs to take a rocket to the fortress."

"Dragon-Sword Ninja, Phantom, and Ren Sisi are all excellent new humans, but they have their own flaws."

"Dragon-Sword Ninja has serious genetic issues. He possesses a violent urge to kill; he calls any old human he sees a 'mortal' and wants to kill them. While he can control himself perfectly now, a trip to the fortress might solve the problem at its root."

"Phantom... I don't know if you've noticed, but whenever he's truly needed for action, he tends to disappear without a trace. He's hard to find otherwise, too. He claims it's 'energy-saving idealism'."

"As for Ren Sisi, her talent is simply far beyond the norm. She can't find an opponent within the normal range, lacks motivation, and has become a bit lazy."

"Take them up to see the fortress and witness how those who truly dedicate their lives to humanity struggle and strive. Perhaps it will help them go further in the future."

Although Mo Wen didn't know the specific situation of the fortress, his luck had always told him that his life was nothing but ups and downs. Even though he had recently awakened his psionic powers and seemed quite strong, he didn't feel his luck had changed much.

But if he didn't go to the fortress, given his luck, he feared Dreamweaver Entertainment might suffer for it.

He had actually grown quite fond of this place.

"Can I go alone, without my teammates?"

The Branch Chief frowned. "You may have some prejudices, but this is truly a good thing."

"I have already informed your teammates. If you really don't want them to go, you'll have to convince them yourself."