Automatic Equipment

Hao Ren seriously doubted if Raven 12345 was truly a freak from the Empire's Time-Space Administration Bureau. He absolutely refused to believe that a super civilization could be composed of such unreliable individuals. Unfortunately, he hadn't had the chance to meet any other members of the Time-Space Administration Bureau or high-ranking officials from the Xiling Empire yet. Raven 12345 had said that this place was remote and underdeveloped, and it was entirely possible that no one had visited it in years due to its low administrative level…

Regardless, Hao Ren no longer doubted Raven 12345's identity or the authenticity of that super civilization. If nothing else… this large house located in an alternate dimension, along with the high-end, sophisticated, yet understatedly luxurious and meaningful facilities within it, were definitely not something humans could have built! For instance, the place he was currently in, a room called the New Employee Onboarding Reinforcement Center… it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Raven led Hao Ren through the mansion, taking many twists and turns. Along the way, they passed by numerous strange rooms filled with crystals or peculiar equipment. Hao Ren, like a country bumpkin, walked with his mouth agape. Just as he was starting to wonder if this massive house had any end, Raven led him into a grand hall that was completely out of place with the rest of the surroundings.

This hall was filled with a sense of technology. It was a regular hexagon, with each wall gleaming with a silvery-white metallic luster. Blue and white streams of light pulsed slowly on them, like veins. The hall was extremely tall, and many faintly glowing crystals were suspended from the ceiling, filling the entire room with a soft blue luminescence. Along the walls of the hall, Hao Ren saw many peculiar devices he couldn't comprehend. They looked like some kind of control consoles, but there were no buttons or joysticks. Holographic images floated above each "console," and the only potential control component of the "console" itself was a hexagonal crystal panel—completely different from the machinery on Earth.

"This is the Reinforcement Center, a miniaturized version," Raven 12345 said, pointing to the equipment in the hall with a proud expression. "In the early days, Examiners had to undergo unified reinforcement and assessment in the Empire's capital, Shadow City. Back then, the Time-Space Administration Bureau wasn't as large, and there weren't as many matters in the Macro World, so they could manage. But that's not possible now, so the assessment, initial training, and reinforcement for newly appointed Examiners have been decentralized to various nodes and even base worlds. Our location is quite remote, and the nearest void node requires several jumps to reach, so I simply applied for a place like this in my own home. By the way, I initially wanted to apply for magical energy equipment; I really can't handle these technology-based devices… but I made a mistake when writing the report…"

Hao Ren listened, feeling dizzy. Raven 12345 had a habit of talking to herself. Once she started speaking, she didn't care whether the listener understood. Hao Ren was completely bewildered by the common knowledge of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. What was this white-haired witch babbling about that anyone could understand!

"What is this 'reinforcement' you're talking about… what exactly is it?" Fortunately, Hao Ren wasn't completely overwhelmed by the information. He maintained his basic vigilance. The atmosphere of this place reminded him of research centers that were constantly dissecting things, and the Xiling Empire was still a "group of aliens" in his mind (after all, he had been an atheist for over twenty years; the word "god" was far less understandable to him than aliens). Let's imagine this: a human, falling into an alien's biological laboratory to undergo reinforcement… if Hollywood directors got their hands on this plot, it would be a bloodbath if it didn't spill at least a screenful of blood!

The characters in novels who were overjoyed upon hearing that aliens wanted to perform physical reinforcement on them were clearly not as farsighted as Hao Ren. Of course, if you insisted on calling Hao Ren a coward, there was nothing that could be done about it…

"It's just ordinary physical adjustment. Don't worry, it won't make you uncomfortable, nor will it be harmful," Raven 12345 pushed Hao Ren towards the center of the hall. "Hundreds of thousands of new Examiners undergo reinforcement every day, and there has never been an accident. You can rest assured! Our standards have always been humane… Stand here and don't move! I'll bring up the Adjustment Pod."

Hao Ren stood there trembling. Then he saw Raven make a few gestures in the air, and the ground beneath his feet vibrated slightly. Following that, a piece of equipment full of technological aura slowly rose from a rectangular opening in the ground.

It was a silver-white metal box, a little over two meters long, roughly rectangular, with one end larger than the other. It was exquisite and luxurious, with a lid on top, and a cross made of crystals on the lid…

The metal box's lid slowly slid open. The more Hao Ren looked, the more confused he became: "...Why does this thing look a little familiar?"

Raven 12345's eyes widened immediately: "How is that possible! This is the latest model Universal Adjustment and Reinforcement Integrated Pod. It was just unpacked the day before yesterday. Where could you have seen it before?"

Hao Ren thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead and shouted, "I remember now! This shape is a damn coffin!"

Raven 12345 slapped Hao Ren on the shoulder: "Forgot the employee handbook? No swearing in front of superiors! If you must swear, wait until the superior finishes speaking!"

Hao Ren shifted his shoulders and tried to pull back: "Are you sure you want me to lie down in this box? I'm telling you, I have principles. The shape alone is creepy enough… Hey, don't push me! I absolutely will not go in! Don't think you can make it not a coffin just because you plated it in silver! It even has a cross on it, you…"

Raven 12345 lifted Hao Ren with one hand and tossed him into the "coffin": "What's with all the fuss, big man! Get in there!"

Hao Ren couldn't resist this crazy white-haired witch at all. After a moment of dizziness, he found himself lying in the large box. At the same time, a transparent barrier extended from the four walls of the metal box, completely trapping him inside.

Hao Ren resigned himself to his fate, but after waiting for a long time without any further action, he craned his neck to look to the side and saw Raven 12345 engrossed in a Data Terminal. He banged on the sides of the metal box: "What next? What do we do now?"

Raven 12345 didn't look up: "Don't make noise, I'm looking for the manual… Why do they make tech-side things so complicated? Where is the switch on this thing?"

Hao Ren: "...Damn it! I quit! I'm breaking the contract! I'm out! You're completely unreliable! I…"

"Oh, found it!" Raven 12345 slapped a spot next to the "coffin," and Hao Ren's mighty protest came to an abrupt end. The last thing he saw was a blinding white light that pierced his retinas.

Darkness, cold, boundless chaos. Space seemed to have lost its meaning. Hao Ren felt his soul detach from his body for an instant, drifting in an ethereal and indescribable dimension. He tried hard to find even a shred of familiar sensory input, but found nothing. There was no sound, no light, no temperature or touch. A person's spirit was confined in a small bottle, drifting alone…

Well, he probably drifted for about ten seconds, then Hao Ren heard a "pop" sound beside his ear, followed by someone pulling him up by the arm. His vision also began to gradually recover.

The light and lines in his vision coalesced into a figure—Raven 12345's beautiful face and her signature silver hair. She patted Hao Ren's shoulder, looking delighted: "Alright, done."

Hao Ren jumped up, only to realize he was still standing in the coffin-shaped metal box, almost losing his balance and falling. He steadied himself and carefully hopped onto the ground: "Is that it? Why does it feel like only a short while has passed?"

"Yes, twelve seconds," Raven 12345 said, holding up the Data Terminal. "Just like it says in the manual: press the switch, select the beginner mode, wait twelve seconds, hear a 'ding,' and the hatch will automatically open. Then, take the user out—although you jumped out yourself."

"Is this thing a microwave oven?!"

Raven 12345 shrugged: "The usage is similar anyway. Aren't the procedures for beginner-level equipment all like this?"

Hao Ren was dumbfounded by the white-haired witch's composure and thick skin. In the end, he could only console himself: at least nothing went wrong, and his body parts seemed to be all there.

Then he clenched his fist, wanting to check if this alien reinforcement technology was reliable and if he had truly embarked on the path of a master like those in novels, clad in snow-white robes and moving like the wind. To his surprise, he discovered—that will be discussed in the next chapter.