What a Sweatshop

When Su Wen walked out of the Mental Review Bureau.

He clearly saw Jiang Menghan sitting under a tree in the distance.

The girl was holding a book, reading intently.

But before he could get too close, She gently closed the book, as if she had anticipated this scene, and asked:

"Did everything go smoothly?"

"Inherent human rights. Compared to a Transcendent, I am first and foremost a Legal Citizen protected by the law."

He replied with a smile.

"Surely, Miss Jiang doesn't want me to do something else in the Special Affairs Bureau that would make headlines."

"I'm not that bored."

Jiang Menghan looked at him with clear eyes, "If you were to make headlines, it would probably be because of your illogical acts of heroism before."

"That was a decision I made after careful consideration at the time."

(I was worried about a stubborn girl whose phone was turned off.)

Su Wen didn't say the last part.

He simply and naturally took the unopened drink from the girl's side, And while twisting open the cap, he asked her:

"What are you reading?"

"Shelley's Poetry Collection."

The girl replied calmly, and then she added:

"Also, the newspaper in your hand is outdated."

Su Wen didn't quite understand Jiang Menghan's statement.

He opened his phone and saw that the notification bar had already reached 99+ red dots, and he realized that he had probably missed something again.

After all.

All the major media outlets were dominated by it.

Like the last hard science fiction film, it was still the mysterious production company Azure that caused the sensation:

But this time it brought a documentary:

[Night Watch, Waiting for Dawn to Arrive]

And the most impressive scene, besides the segment where he saved Count Reinhardt, was the handsome Europa man leaning against the wall in the burning banquet hall, watching the dawn gradually rise outside the window in the finale.

[Rhine Mr. is so handsome]

[He's my idol from now on]

[Who recorded this documentary?]

[If I were there, I would definitely have fallen in love with him]

[Please watch your words, the person upstairs, Rhine is my husband]

[Standard gun-holding posture, and the Angle Offset from the recoil of the muzzle is not affected at all during movement, this Night Watch is definitely trained]

The comments in the documentary were overwhelming.

The vast majority were praise.

Perhaps many people don't understand the meaning that this documentary wants to express.

Just as the people of England don't make browsing The Times their first priority when eating breakfast every morning. On the contrary, The Guardian, with its more relaxed and lively style and focus on the scientific community and young people, might be more pleasing.

Looking at those comments.

Su Wen nodded silently, "First time I've discovered that there can be a male protagonist who is only slightly less handsome than me."

"Vulgar."

Jiang Menghan gave a very pertinent reply to his sentence.

"Isn't vulgar good? I think you're especially beautiful too, especially when you're reading."

Su Wen looked at the girl beside him with a hint of playfulness and a hint of seriousness, "Really."

"Idiot."

Jiang Menghan closed the book, her fair and beautiful face slightly red, and then she turned her head and said softly, "It would be even better without all those meaningless qualifiers."

That sentence.

Su Wen didn't know if she heard him.

He smiled gently and said, "After all, I haven't changed at all. What do you want to eat later? You decide."

"Those glutinous rice balls from the shop across from the high school street."

"Miss Jiang, may I ask how many times you've eaten at that place? Aren't you tired of it yet?"

"Nope."

The two of them were just like they were in high school.

He braved the risk of being beaten up by Jiang Menghan's army veteran father under the cover of night, greeting her downstairs at her house.

Then, the two of them would go to familiar shops when the plane tree leaves filled the street corners in early autumn, ordering some affordable handmade desserts, plus a piping hot baked sweet potato.

And back then.

It seemed to be that same shop.

Time passed quickly.

Su Wen's identity as a Transcendent only circulated within a small circle for a while due to confidentiality regulations.

After that, the release of the [Night Watch, Awaiting Dawn] video and the promulgation of the [Equality Act] in Westminster completely overshadowed it.

He didn't really care about it.

After all, assuming there was no danger of death.

Su Wen just wanted to lie in bed and rest.

Just as he was browsing Twitter and Facebook for news about Grandma Smith's dog breaking through to First Order Transcendent and speeding around in a Ford, The [Time Travel Game] countdown, which had been still for ten days, began to turn again:

[There are 15 natural days until the 'player's' scheduled death time]
[Timer started]
[Do you want to start the game?]

He had no choice but to send Jiang Menghan a message:

"Call in sick for me, I can't make it today."

"Get some rest."

Miss Jiang's reply was simple and clear, neither asking what happened nor suspecting that he had overslept again.

Su Wen liked this kind of tacit understanding.

He turned on the computer and prepared to start the game.

[Coastal Dismantler]
[Game Type: Simulation Building Game]
[Real-World Time Span: Eighteen Days]
[Game Difficulty: Low]
[Game Background:

Time: Early Origin Era, Location: Coastal area of East Asia, Pacific Ocean shifting point.

Due to the upwelling of deep-sea ley lines, the tropical cyclone at the center of the oceanic low-pressure system gradually formed a hurricane, pushing towards the coastal areas of East Asia.

Although the Meteorological Bureau has strengthened its publicity efforts.

However, due to the influence of the Spiritual Energy Tide's deflection force, the super hurricane [Ewiniar] changed its course without warning.

It engulfed the returning [Voyager] relic research vessel, and the ancient virus [Ilofenchi-Type 3] carried within it also rapidly replicated its genetic information in an unattended state.

Laying the groundwork for the subsequent 'information pollution' event, 'Sleeping in the Deep Sea', and 'Song of Death' timelines.]

[Game Objectives:]

[One Star: Construct the target buildings (four buildings) using waste materials while saving as much money as possible.]

[Two Stars: Reduce the impact of the typhoon or rescue the Voyager in time (choose to complete)]

[Three Stars: Hidden Objective]

[Note: Completing the minimum score will prevent the player's death in reality.]

[Trial Ability: Basic Modular Construction (Trial)]

[You hear a message from the sea breeze.]

This game was different from the previous adventure games.

Su Wen's screen opened to a roaring junkyard of mechanical scrap.

But before he could even begin to operate, a digitized contract popped up in front of him:

[Please agree to the following terms and conditions]

[I have no criminal record on Earth, the Moon, or Mars (Border Regulations ETR-03 also apply)]

[I have not participated in any labor unions or mutual aid societies, or other undesirable organizations]

[I will complete my basic 16-hour daily work tasks with a positive attitude and abundant positive energy.]

[I can adapt to a work environment with prolonged exposure to high-decibel mechanical noise and 'low-risk situations']

[Confirm your acceptance into Schlote Heavy Industries?]

What kind of sweatshop is this?

Even the production team's donkey couldn't handle this.

Only a fool would go.

Su Wen looked at the 'heartwarming' prompts.

He decisively clicked 'No.'

[Are you sure you want to decline?]

The roar of the ventilator fans in the abandoned mechanical recycling plant echoed in the background.

The Death Countdown in front of his eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of dusty gray filter.

Did they think creating this atmosphere would trick me into accepting?

After clicking the gray 'No' button over a dozen times to no avail, Su Wen discovered...

...he was truly out of options.

"Alright, you win."

He clicked the 'Confirm' button, three times larger than the 'No' button.

[Congratulations, you have successfully been employed by Schlote Heavy Industries.]

[Please begin your work as a scrap metal recycler in a timely manner.]

Looking at this line of text, Su Wen raised his right hand in front of the screen, making the universally recognized gesture of 'friendship.'

"Good one, Schlote Heavy Industries.

Just you wait until I'm done with this game. You better be ready to receive the righteous reports from the masses."