The Third Dimension Is Heresy

A blast of intense light did more than rob a person of sight. The powerful stimulation also left the brain momentarily stunned. Jiang Zhengtai was no exception, and his movements faltered!

Si Ming seized that momentary opening, closed in, and pressed his gun against Jiang Zhengtai's chin.

"That really caught me off guard. A psionic gun can fire 'flashbangs'? Is that a new function the Mohist Academy of Science added to its weapons?"

Jiang Zhengtai kept his eyes shut, a smile still on his lips, but obediently raised both hands and admitted defeat.

"It has nothing to do with the psionic revolver. It's a secret move from the martial manual I studied, the Blazing Yang Battle Art. Normally, this move, 'Solar Flare,' requires at least level-four internal cultivation, but I found a shortcut. I used the psionic revolver's True Qi burst circuit to gather the light that would normally spread out into a beam and direct it at my target. That way, even with my level of internal cultivation, I can use it two or three times."

After explaining, Si Ming didn't move the muzzle away. Instead, he continued his threat. "I need a promise. If you have no intention of mending your ways, don't go playing with her feelings."

Jiang Zhengtai chuckled for a while, then asked, "Do you think someone like me, who tells others outright that I'm pursuing true love, doesn't care what people think, and utterly detests women, would go and deceive a woman's feelings? Even pretending for the occasion would be an insult to true love, as far as I'm concerned."

Si Ming thought about it. The guy was a pervert, but he was indeed an open and aboveboard pervert, and there was nothing to criticize about his character. He had also kept to the ground rules he had agreed on with his master, never crossing the line while examining Si Ming's physical condition.

And just as Jiang Zhengtai had said, someone who declared he was gay the first time he met another person clearly had no intention of hiding his secret. Otherwise, even if he managed to fool someone for a while, they would only have to ask around a little to discover the truth.

Si Ming asked suspiciously, "Then why did you flirt with that openly lewd woman?"

At that, Jiang Zhengtai laughed again, a laugh full of an elder's wisdom. "So here's the question: do you think that woman called Yao Bilian really likes men?"

"...Huh?" Si Ming's brain froze for a moment. He finally managed to understand what Jiang Zhengtai meant. "Huh-"

Chapter 29: The Third Dimension Is Heresy

"Could it be that people of a kind can sense one another? But do gays and lesbians count as the same kind? I seem to have heard of something called gaydar, but can gaydar detect lesbians too?"

Si Ming recalled their sparring match two days ago and still found the final outcome somewhat hard to accept. After all, Yao Bilian often told him dirty jokes and, unlike Jiang Zhengtai, showed no strong aversion to the opposite sex. She seemed like a thick-skinned young woman waiting to get married.

"Could she be bisexual? Or is she deliberately putting on an act? It's not impossible. Society as a whole is extremely unfriendly toward homosexuals. Warriors like Pervert Jiang, who dare to face a bleak life and look squarely at dripping blood, are still rare. Normally, people would choose to hide it."

In the end, Si Ming didn't dare ask her directly, because he didn't know what would happen if he did. If he brought trouble down on himself, he would only have himself to blame for the suffering.

When all was said and done, he wasn't Yao Bilian's parent, so there was no need to concern himself so much. Even if Yao Bilian really did have a problem with her sexual orientation, as long as she wasn't being deceived and she and Jiang Zhengtai were both willing, no one else had anything to worry about.

"Hey, kid, what are you thinking about? Miss Yuezheng Yao will be here soon. Hurry up and get ready to protect her. We can't overlook the slightest thing!"

The chief escort shouted the reminder to Si Ming. He wore a close-fitting black outfit with leg bindings and wrist guards, a black jacket and riding trousers, and a crimson belt tied around his waist.

This world had no security guard profession; its place had been taken by escorts, who should have died out. After the Second Industrial Revolution, and particularly after the advent of True Qi trains, escorts had already lost their value. Caravans no longer needed to hire people to protect their merchandise.

Originally, they should have vanished into the long river of history like their counterparts in another world. But perhaps because the change had arisen spontaneously rather than from an invasion by another country, the escorts had ample time to seek a new path, and they actually found one. They remained in their old line of work, but changed the object of their protection from goods to people.

"I really don't know what the Mohist Knight Guard was thinking, sending a green little brat here. I bet you haven't even grown all your hair yet. You don't need to worry about anything else; just don't go getting in our way with your clumsy hands and feet," the chief escort said in a muffled voice.

If Si Ming had really been a youth of this age, he might have flown into a rage out of rebelliousness, determined to show the man what he could do. But as someone who had entered society and held a job, he knew full well that the more you did, the more mistakes you made, and the less you did, the fewer mistakes you made. He couldn't have asked for anything better than to stay out of it and do less work. In any case, if something went wrong in the end, the person in charge would be held accountable first. If you didn't have a diamond drill, why take on porcelain work?

So, after glancing at the man, Si Ming said nothing. He quietly found a corner to sit in and didn't get involved in the escorts' security work.

He wasn't actually doing nothing, however. He took out a small case the size of a wallet, and when he opened it, a little spider crawled out.

Si Ming placed the little spider on the wall, then activated his smart briefcase. After he entered the program, an image appeared on the palm-sized screen: it was the little spider's view!

This was an insect-type living surveillance carrier device developed by the Mohist Academy of Science. The little spider was indeed a living spider, not an intelligent machine. A miniature camera had been fitted to its body, while the controller emitted bioelectric currents to stimulate its nerve fibers and produce electrochemical reactions, transmitting nerve impulses to the central nervous system and thereby controlling the creature's movements.

Martial artists' reactions were keen. If they spotted a robot on the wall, they would undoubtedly destroy it, but if they saw a spider, they would very likely overlook it without thinking. Besides, with the Mohist School's current biotechnology, it still couldn't freely control the movements of large animals and could only experiment with comparatively simple little insects.

In Si Ming's view, though, this was all black technology. He didn't know whether the technology his previous life's governments kept hidden could do the same thing. In any case, as an ordinary nobody, he had never seen it.

A common belief on the internet in his previous life was that military technology was more than twenty years ahead of civilian technology. From what Si Ming had encountered at the Mohist Knight Guard base over the past few days, he had discovered that the Mohist Academy of Science's technology was more than fifty years ahead of civilian technology.

He guessed that this was probably because people in his previous life had roughly similar physical capabilities, about as different as a GM and a Zaku. Barehanded, even an expert couldn't handle ten people attacking at once.

In this world, the difference between one person's abilities and another's was as vast as heaven and earth, practically the difference between a mass-produced Zeon and the Strike Freedom Gundam. That disparity was also reflected in technology, allowing high-end technology to leave civilian technology far behind.

Just as Si Ming maneuvered the little spider into the star's dressing room, the already noisy sounds outside suddenly swelled. Even backstage, he could seemingly feel waves of sound crashing over him, striking the dam and making it tremble.

"Looks like the big star is here."

Although Si Ming didn't pay much attention to entertainment, he had heard Yuezheng Yao's famous name on television, in the news, and through other media. The young woman was nineteen and a disciple of the Music School. It was said that a hundred larks had sung together when she was born. Born with a fine voice, she was praised for her heavenly, ancient tones, heard but once in a century.

Moreover, her family's learning ran deep. The surname Yuezheng had originally been the title of an official responsible for managing music at court, and the Yuezheng Family had a weighty voice in the Music School. Yuezheng Yao had received a good education from childhood. Not only was she talented and beautiful, she was also praised for both her virtue and her artistry. She had debuted at fifteen and advanced one step at a time. Now she was a rising diva, touring the world and whipping up a storm of youth wherever she went.

Although singing stars were regarded as a lowly trade in the Sea Continent, charm was impossible to resist. As the Tao Te Ching said, "When all under heaven know beauty as beauty, ugliness comes into being." In his previous life, stars from a certain small country had been especially fond of plastic surgery. Everyone knew their beauty was fake, yet they still had heaps of fans fawning over them.

As long as they were pretty and knew how to act sexy, that was enough. What everyone liked was that outer shell; they didn't care in the slightest what was inside.

The Sea Continent had at least not sunk to that level. If a star lacked unimpeachable character and presentable talent, people would only regard her as a famous courtesan, no matter how pretty her skin was.

Si Ming didn't go to join the excitement. He felt nothing for three-dimensional stars. Didn't they still shit, piss, and pick their noses all the same? Eat too many sweet potatoes, and they would fart just like anyone else. Only elementary schoolers would think stars pooped little pink bunnies and sprayed seven-colored rainbows from their noses.

If he wanted an idol who wouldn't make his heart ache, he still had to look in the second dimension. It was better to be a heretic than to cover his ears while stealing a bell and refuse to acknowledge reality.

Not believing anything would happen under so many watchful eyes, and with nothing else to do, Si Ming decided to sort through the psionic guns concealed on his person. After sparring with Jiang Zhengtai, he had come up with many ideas for improving his Gun Concealment Art, allowing him to shoot more discreetly.

Before long, the concert began. Though he wasn't fond of three-dimensional stars, Si Ming had to admit that the girl's voice was exceptionally pleasant. It was like a feather drifting down from a blue sky and landing right on the tip of your nose, bringing an indescribably delightful tickle.

The atmosphere at the venue was exceptionally heated. From time to time, screams of "Yuezheng Yao, I love you!" and "Fairy Yue, marry me!" rang out. It was like a volcanic eruption. Clearly, even Mohist School philosophy couldn't save brain-dead fans.

Two and a half hours later, the concert finally ended, and the audience began to leave. Nothing had happened along the way, but nothing happening was normal. Otherwise, no one would be willing to work as a bodyguard.

"All right, it's time for me to call it a day too."

Si Ming stretched. He had almost fallen asleep just now.

Just as he was about to bring the little spider back, a stunning beauty appeared on the screen, her skin fairer than snow and her features as lovely as a painting. She entered the dressing room alone and casually shut the door behind her.

That must be Yuezheng Yao. She really is beautiful, and she has a nice figure too. But she might be about to change clothes, and prying into someone else's privacy isn't something an upright gentleman would do.