The Favor of the [Anti-Mystery Equation]

Chapter 35: The Favor of the [Anti-Mystery Equation] (5.6k)

This time, Kevin was no longer as unkempt as before.

He had clearly dressed himself up carefully. His blond hair was pleasantly fluffy, and he wore an exquisite formal suit, as if he were attending some important banquet.

When he kept silent, Kevin really did have that faintly detached air of a Moen University student—a top-tier genius.

Ron had barely dared to recognize this nominal senior of his, but the moment Kevin's classic beaming expression and familiar tone appeared, Ron immediately relaxed.

But good stuff?

What good thing had Professor Deng Yin prepared for him that even required a Heavenly Hearing Media car to pick him up?

Was it related to a megacorp?

A host of questions surfaced in his mind, but Ron did not dwell on them. Instead, he pulled the visibly reserved An Hui along and plopped down inside the extended hovercar.

The moment he sat down on the pure black leather seat, Ron felt a softness that seemed ready to swallow him whole. The warm seat wrapped around him, and in that instant, he even sensed a sweet, delicate fragrance blowing from the backrest, lightly brushing past his ears and making him feel as though he had been immersed in warm water, his heart filled with reassurance.

Reassurance... Wait, what was that smell?

Ron froze and immediately held his breath. He quickly realized that the scent had not come from nowhere—it was blowing out from a vent in the seat's backrest!

"Don't panic, don't panic. It's uncommon in District D, but perfectly normal in District A and District B—that's just ordinary air freshener."

"It freshens the air, relieves fatigue, and invigorates the mind. Some low-quality knockoffs use poor ingredients and can be somewhat addictive, but that definitely has nothing to do with us."

Seeing Ron's caution and vigilance, Kevin turned around and said casually,

"There's nothing cheap in this car. This air freshener is made by Noah Pharmaceuticals—a major brand. Use it without worry."

"Mm, it really is much better than those cheap fresheners we use in the dorms. As expected of a megacorp..."

Ron turned his head and saw An Hui nodding in agreement as well, seemingly long accustomed to such air fresheners. He could not help frowning slightly.

It seemed that in District B, these somewhat addictive "drugs" had already become commonplace.

Though reason told Ron that the air freshener was indeed harmless, habits from his previous life still made him instinctively open the window and use [Vector Manipulation] to blow away all the mist.

Emotionally, he could not accept this sort of thing. Before becoming Superpowered, Ron had often heard of people taking some company's "ability activation serum" and becoming Superpowered—but when he saw that activating their abilities required injecting those serums for eighty-one consecutive days, until their heads were practically pointy before they had a chance of awakening Personal Reality, he had kept well away from them.

As he breathed in the fresh air blowing through the window, he curiously asked Kevin,

"What exactly did Teacher prepare? Why did this car come to pick me up? And how is this connected to Heavenly Hearing Media?"

"I'll explain."

The driver in the front seat, dressed in a suit and sunglasses, with a cloud-and-camera-shaped badge pinned to his chest, took over the conversation.

"Because Ms. Irina, the president of Heavenly Hearing Video, wishes to meet you."

Irina? The president of Heavenly Hearing Video?

Ron immediately grew solemn, recalling exactly who she was.

The president of a Heavenly Hearing Media subsidiary, the person in charge of an important megacorp asset, and a woman known for exceptionally ruthless business tactics.

It was said that several decades ago, the Moen Municipal Government—that was, Moen Commerce—had wanted a share of the video media industry and charged aggressively into the market.

At the time, all sorts of era-specific phenomena—battles between long- and short-form video platforms, cash rewards for watching videos, offline social promotion, and so on—had thrown the video market into chaos.

But after several years, Moen Commerce had exhausted every effort and still failed to defeat Heavenly Hearing Video, ultimately being forced out of the market by Irina. Yet after all these years, this woman was still active on the front lines of work. By Ron's estimate, she had to be over a hundred years old. As he pondered this, he watched the driver skillfully steer the extended hovercar while speaking in a calm, businesslike tone.

"Based on Professor Deng Yin's introduction, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of your personal information and reported it to headquarters."

"Heavenly Hearing Media places considerable importance on talent like you and has approved a sufficient budget allocation for the company."

"But before finalizing the details of our cooperation, Ms. Irina and Professor Deng Yin decided to give you a small reward first."

Assessment? Budget? Cooperation? Reward?

Ron immediately seized on those keywords and instantly understood what was happening.

"You mean Heavenly Hearing Media is planning to invest in me?"

"That's right."

The driver in sunglasses nodded. "Your ability and strength far exceed those of ordinary students, and you have not accepted investment from any corporation. In our company's eyes, your record is excellent."

"We have decided to make a certain level of investment in you in exchange for participation rights in some experimental projects at Moen University."

As he spoke, he very deliberately closed his mouth.

"I cannot discuss the specifics. Ms. Irina will speak with you in detail."

Participation rights in experimental projects? He seemed to have heard of this kind of cooperation model before. Still, investment from a megacorp?

Ron could not help feeling emotional, yet it also seemed perfectly natural.

With an ability as powerful as his, anyone else would have accepted megacorp investment long before the College Entrance Exam and spent Credit Points to breeze through it.

Unlike Ron, who had even been stingy about buying Resurrection Coins. Thinking about those 150,000 Credit Points still made his heart ache. But Heavenly Hearing Media...

As one of Ideal City's three great megacorps, what kind of benefits would cooperation with them bring?

Anticipation rose in Ron's heart. After all, this was one of the colossal entities standing at the three pillars of Ideal City. Even a few Credit Points casually leaked from their fingers would be an astronomical sum beyond Ron's imagination!

Not to mention cutting-edge technologies only megacorps had the chance to access, special equipment that laboratories had yet to mass-produce... Perhaps Heavenly Hearing Media's support might even include a device capable of strengthening his Personal Reality and helping him control [Vector Manipulation].

Carrying that anticipation, the extended hovercar sped through the steel-and-neon cityscape.

The sun set, and the blood moon began to rise.

It was around eight in the evening when they finally left the noisy District D and District C of Ideal City and arrived in a new world Ron had never seen before—

District B of Ideal City.

It was hard to imagine, but upon arriving in District B, Ron strangely felt as though he had traveled backward in time.

There was no longer a dense forest of steel here. Unlike District C and District D, where concrete high-rises were crammed tightly across the ground,

the entire district instead resembled a normal metropolis from Ron's previous life. There were even forests, lakes, mountains,

deserts, and snowfields. Only on closer inspection could one see the distinctly newer projection GG displays between the sparse buildings.

Pedestrians crossed folded bridges stretching between buildings like bands of light. Advanced hovercars roared through the mountains in races, while obvious bubbles floated on the lakes, housing bustling scenic restaurants. In District B, maximizing space utilization no longer mattered so much.

For the sake of living comfort, architects had recreated natural landscapes that had long since been flattened, giving District B's citizens a more comfortable living environment.

Tch, rich people.

Tch, Ideal City.

Thinking of the cramped steel forests and aging shanties in District C and District D, Ron could not help sighing.

He raised his head and saw a high-rise in the distance, its exterior displaying the Heavenly Hearing Video logo. The ninety-nine-story building was brightly lit, clearly still in working hours.

Although Ideal City followed an eight-hour work system, voluntary overtime was extremely common.

Some employees, hoping to get a little more overtime pay from their companies, would rather live at the office. Even when sleeping, they connected their brain-computer interfaces to Personal Reality and used their consciousness bodies to handle work.

Ron was silently thinking this when the extended hovercar suddenly turned. Instead of heading straight into the company building, it drove directly toward a large neon-lit shopping mall beside it.

Kevin opened the car door and gestured for Ron to get out.

"Since we're meeting an important person, junior, you really can't wear that 9.9-Credit-Point free-shipping bargain this time."

As he spoke, he tactfully pointed at Ron.

"Forget the style. At the very least, the fabric needs to be decent."

Who are you calling a bargain?

Those 9.9-Credit-Point free-shipping clothes had kept me warm through every day of my life since coming to Ideal City's Inner City. You are not allowed to insult them!

They did not despise me for being poor, so how could I despise them for being unfashionable?

Ron was about to refuse when he saw Kevin take a black card from the driver and wave it in front of him.

"Come on, let's get you a few decent outfits. This is a meeting gift from Ms. Irina. She said there's no spending limit—buy until you're happy."

"But then again, wearing this kind of industrial trash every day really is bad for your health.

Ms. Irina already said it's a meeting gift. Could he really reject her kindness?

It would be impolite to refuse. Ron felt that this meeting gift really ought to be accepted!

Kevin led Ron and An Hui into the mall and found a clearly high-end clothing store. He tapped a string of check marks on the shopping display, directly buying every style.

"Ms. Irina isn't short on money. If we buy everything, there's no need to pick and choose." He checked the time. "There. Hurry up and pick one to change into. Have the rest delivered to your home. We need to get upstairs quickly."

How was he supposed to choose from this pile?

Ron scratched his head and precisely selected a simple shirt and pair of trousers from among clothes he could not even understand the look of. They looked no different from what he had been wearing before—

Except they cost a thousand times more.

Perhaps because she was about to meet a megacorp president, An Hui seemed quite reserved. For a while, she hesitated, unsure what she should wear.

In the end, under Kevin's anxious urging, she cast Ron a pleading look. But the result of asking Ron for help was that, under his peculiar aesthetic sense, she put on a dress almost identical to a high school uniform.

Anyway, Ron could not tell what made their clothes high-end.

The three of them left the mall, got back in the car, and soon arrived at the entrance of the Heavenly Hearing Video building.

The ninety-nine-story building had looked fine from afar, but up close it truly pierced the clouds. Standing at its base, Ron could deeply feel his own insignificance.

Ron got out of the car, only to see several "people" wandering near the entrance to the Heavenly Hearing Video building. They wore expensive clothes but looked somewhat haggard.

They stood dazed by the roadside, heads lowered and backs bent like puppets with cut strings, swaying as though their spines had been hollowed out.

Their faces bore hazy, intoxicated expressions. Saliva dripped from the corners of their mouths, and clear needle marks could be seen on their bodies, as though they had fallen into another world.

"What's going on with them?"

Ron frowned, only to realize that no one else found it strange.

"A bunch of rich people who got too high."

An Hui tugged at Ron's sleeve and whispered,

"People like this are everywhere in District B. There are quite a few at Moen University too. We need to stay away from them. They're not mentally stable."

So it was caused by drug abuse...

But why did I not remember Ideal City passing the Chemical Euphoria Act?

These severely addictive drugs were supposed to be completely banned!

Ron furrowed his brows, carefully kept a safe distance, and moved away from those zombie-like people.

They entered the elevator and quickly arrived at the ninety-ninth floor of the building.

Since the ninety-ninth floor was the president's top-floor office and belonged to a special Authority level, they had to swipe several Authority cards given by Ms. Irina before they were permitted to open the elevator doors.

Inside an office resembling a nostalgic mansion, the first thing they saw was a dignified silver-haired woman with a sharp appearance, sitting on the sofa and enthusiastically chattering away.

Beside her, Deng Yin, immaculately dressed and leaning on a cane, patiently humored her.

If one listened carefully, one could only make out numbers and symbols that made little sense, with no clue what they were discussing.

Huh? Teacher Deng Yin was here too?

Oh, right. Since he was the one "compensating" me, he could not possibly be absent.

Ron was deep in thought, and the two people chatting naturally noticed their presence as well.

"This is my... friend. Mm, you can call her Ms. Irina."

Deng Yin immediately stopped the intimidating exchange of numerical code and forcefully shifted the topic to Ron, introducing her with a hesitant expression.

Only then did Irina reluctantly stop talking about whatever she had just been discussing and reach out to shake Ron's hand.

Once he approached, Ron realized that she looked far younger than he had imagined.

Judging solely by her face, considering Ideal City's work pressure, Ron might even have suspected that she had only just turned thirty.

And why did it feel like Deng Yin and her had some kind of history?

Ron keenly sensed an unusual atmosphere between the two of them. He merely exchanged greetings with Irina and did not dare ask about their relationship.

Irina seemed eager to return to their previous topic, but Deng Yin had clearly had enough long ago and forcefully brought the conversation back to business.

"Now that he's here, let's get to the point, Irina. This is not only my last chance—it is yours as well. I believe Ron has the potential to gain Prometheus's recognition and wield Sector Authority."

"Heavenly Hearing Media's investment support should be raised to the highest tier. That is the proper price for a genius who will inevitably become Lv.5 in the future!"

What was that supposed to mean?

Ron jolted.

Though he could not understand a word Deng Yin was saying, he had heard the words "Lv.5" loud and clear. Heavenly Hearing Media was actually planning to support him with the highest tier of investment so that he could become Lv.5?

But in the next moment, Ron saw Irina shake her head and refute him.

"I will indeed invest in him, but business is business. I believe the investment tier still requires careful consideration."

"I can give him the highest standard investment on paper right now and include him in the Hundred-Person Investment Plan, but that might actually bury his talent."

Irina's eyes burned brightly. "I must determine whether that powerful ability of his can still display such incomprehensible strength when truly facing the Void."

"If it can, I will apply to headquarters for a unique investment plan tailored exclusively for him!"

As she spoke, she stood up and pressed a button on the desk. The bookshelves in the room suddenly opened, revealing a hidden door. She walked inside and soon returned carrying two items.

One was a silver-white collar similar to the Ability Limiter around Ron's neck.

The other was an iron safety box sealed in layer upon layer, locked so tightly that not the slightest gap remained.

What was that?

The question had only just surfaced in Ron's mind when Irina solemnly opened it layer by layer. Inside the sealed safety box lay a crimson eyeball that trembled as though alive, giving off a faintly eerie feeling!

The crimson eyeball was clearly somewhat illusory, so translucent that one could see the patterns of the iron box through the part it covered.

Did this come from the Void?!

No... Why did this seem even stranger than the finger bone the mad supervisor had obtained?

Ron frowned and secretly switched to [Age of Gods Remnant], activating Magic Vision. Sure enough, under Magic Vision, deep dark-blue magic power surged across the eyeball, utterly out of place with the surrounding space!

Ron could even see that when the magic power touched the air, it fluctuated strangely, as though something were wearing it away.

It looked as though it would be completely shattered if it suffered just a little more powerful erosion—

Yet it still barely maintained a certain degree of magical activity, without completely dissipating into dust.

Why? It had magic power, yet had not been completely worn away. Could it be that the Void's power was protecting it?

Just as Ron was wondering, Irina's expression turned solemn. She placed the small box before him.

"Do not use the power of your ability itself. Just touch it with your body and let your Personal Reality completely envelop it—"

"Then close your eyes and imagine erasing it, like using an eraser to rub out a pencil line."

As she spoke, Irina placed the silver-white collar in her hand on the table as well.

"I will determine the company's investment tier based on the degree to which your Personal Reality affects it. This Ability Amplifier, which can help you control your Ability Model and temporarily strengthen your Personal Reality to Lv.3, will be the first reward I give you on behalf of the company once you obtain a unique investment plan."

Then her tone shifted.

"But that is only if your Personal Reality can erase the Void's influence."

Her tone was grave. "Let me make this clear first: the Void's corrosion is extremely dangerous. This is not Simulated Reality. If you are unwilling to take the risk, I can understand."

"But in that case, I will not give you an investment tier that exceeds ordinary standards."

"You could only become one of the hundred students in [Heavenly Hearing Media]'s investment program and receive our company's more cautious investment plan—"

In that case, this "Ability Amplifier" that could temporarily grant someone Lv.3 Personal Reality would be gone too, right?

A reinforcement device that could temporarily reach Lv.3... I couldn't just let that slip away.

Ron studied the silver-white collar with great interest, then glanced at the eyeball radiating deep-blue magical power, his expression turning somewhat strange.

He hadn't expected that using Personal Reality to wear away mystery depended on one's talent.

Perhaps if someone else had come here, they really might have failed to obtain the highest investment tier because of bad luck.

But for Ron...

What "Void"? What "mystery"?

Take it up with my [Fantasy Dissolution]!

He switched back to [Superpowered] and loaded [Fantasy Dissolution].

Then, he merely gave the eyeball, cold and eerie as it was, a light tap—

The next instant, it truly scattered apart like a pencil drawing erased by a rubber, exploding into powder and vanishing into thin air!

Seeing how effortlessly Ron handled it, Irina's stern warning caught in her throat.

What—was going on?

His Personal Reality, the essence of his ability, he—just how much favor had he received from the [Anti-Mystery Equation]??