Poison Douluo kicked the obsessed Tang San straight out of the Internet Cafe.
"Boss Dai, help... help me up..."
Tang San scrambled off the bluestone paving in a sorry state. The once-proud heir of the Tang Sect now looked like a soulless husk.
He stared at the Internet Cafe's blast-resistant glass door. His longing for "cyber technology" had become an obsession.
Inside the Internet Cafe, the atmosphere had frozen solid!
Every eye was fixed on the blue-glowing briefcase.
"Gulp..."
Someone swallowed audibly.
This was a legendary treasure that could slow time itself!
Put it in the hands of any agility-type Soul Master, and the result would be terrifying!
"Boss..." Zhu Zhuqing carefully lifted the Sandevistan, unease flickering in her catlike eyes. "How do I use this in the real world? Do I absorb it like a Soul Bone?"
At that, Chen Xin, Ning Fengzhi, and even Tang San outside the door all pricked up their ears!
This was the secret they were desperate to learn!
If this "cyber Soul Bone" could be absorbed so easily, the entire Soul Master system of the Douluo Continent would be upended!
"Absorb it? That's outdated."
Lin Ye leaned lazily against the counter. "This is the pinnacle of technology, not some crude thing you get by hunting Soul Beasts! To use it, you need a precise operation—cyberware implantation."
"Im... implantation? Like in the game?" Zhu Zhuqing froze.
"Exactly!"
Lin Ye snapped his fingers, and the wall behind the ordinary-looking counter slid apart.
"Hiss—"
White, sterile mist poured out.
A futuristic operating room filled with mechanical arms and holographic scanners appeared before the stunned crowd!
"Introducing the latest premium service at this shop: cyberware modification!"
At some point, Lin Ye had put on a professional-looking monocular holographic display. He looked as though Night City's Vic had possessed him. "Contestant Zhu Zhuqing, would you pay ten thousand Gold Soul Coins to have this perfect metal spine embedded in your body forever?"
"Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins?!" Ning Rongrong protested on Zhu Zhuqing's behalf. "Boss, that's robbery! Zhu Qing ran away from home. She barely brought any money!"
"If it's too expensive, don't get it installed." Lin Ye shrugged. "But if you try to absorb this thing by force, the rejection could kill you."
"I'll do it!"
Zhu Zhuqing cut Ning Rongrong off without hesitation.
She walked calmly toward the cold, metallic operating room. With each step, the resolve in her eyes grew stronger.
She would no longer be a pawn in the Star Luo Imperial Family's political marriage.
She would no longer depend on that cowardly man who had run away.
Flesh was weak. Mechanical Ascension awaited!
Bang!
The operating room's alloy doors shut with a heavy thud.
A long wait began in the Internet Cafe.
Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo in the viewing area, along with Qian Renxue and Dugu Bo in the corner, all waited anxiously.
They were desperate to know what would happen when this godlike technology was implanted in a Soul Master of the Douluo Continent!
Half an hour later.
"Hiss—"
The operating room doors slowly opened.
Zhu Zhuqing stepped out.
She still wore her close-fitting black nightwear. On the surface, nothing seemed to have changed.
But when Sword Douluo Chen Xin looked closer, he discovered that the aura of an agility-type Soul Master had vanished from her!
"Zhu Qing! Are... are you all right? Did it hurt?"
Ning Rongrong hurried toward her. In her rush, she turned and accidentally struck the drinks cabinet with her elbow.
Bang!
The cabinet door sprang open. Five or six chilled glass bottles of cola toppled from the top shelf toward the floor!
The precious black drinks were about to shatter.
"I feel... better than ever!"
Zhu Zhuqing raised her head. A startling electric gleam flashed through her catlike eyes.
As she did, everyone saw a conspicuous metal seam just below the smooth, fair skin of her nape!
It was a cooling vent for the "Peregrine Falcon" Sandevistan embedded in her spine. A faint blue light pulsed steadily within the seam.
Bzzzt—!!!
She hadn't released her Martial Soul!
Nor had she summoned a Soul Ring!
A jet of hot white vapor burst from the metal vent on Zhu Zhuqing's back. The dazzling blue light surged, flooding the entire Internet Cafe!
"What?!"
Under that light, Ning Fengzhi, who had been looking down at his tea, saw the cup in his hand stop in midair.
The tea splashing from it seemed to have been paused, each crystal-clear droplet suspended in the air.
To Chen Xin, the world had become a bizarre slow-motion scene.
He watched the glass bottles about to hit the floor hang motionless in midair!
"Is... is this... time standing still... in the real world?!"
Outside, Tang San pressed himself against the glass door and shouted, but his voice stretched into a strange, drawn-out sound.
And in everyone's slow-motion view—
Zhu Zhuqing moved!
She became a black blur no one could track!
"Whoosh!"
A light breeze swept past.
The time-stopping field vanished.
"Splash!"
The tea Ning Fengzhi had spilled finally fell back into his cup with a crisp splash.
The entire Internet Cafe went deathly silent.
Ning Rongrong stood with her hands over her mouth, staring at the drinks cabinet she had knocked open.
The five or six bottles of cola that should have shattered on the floor were back on the top shelf, exactly where they had been!
Even their labels faced the same way!
Three meters from the cabinet, Zhu Zhuqing leaned elegantly against the counter.
In her hand was a chilled bottle of cola with its cap already removed. She took a leisurely sip.
"Hiss—"
She had been too fast!
For that brief instant, even Chen Xin's Spiritual Power had completely lost track of Zhu Zhuqing!
[Ding! The first Grand Prix has concluded successfully!] [Revenue target met. The Internet Cafe's reputation has risen significantly!] [Origin Internet Cafe will soon upgrade to Lv3!] [Estimated upgrade time: seventy-two hours!]
Lin Ye raised an eyebrow and continued reading the reward preview below.
[Once the upgrade is complete, the Internet Cafe will expand with a new area and unlock the following privileges:] [1. Unlock one new staff position (Note: To maintain Origin Internet Cafe's standards, the new employee must still meet the "top-tier looks" requirement. The system will automatically rate their appearance.)] [2. Unlock one new dimensional game prize wheel (A new game is coming. Host, please prepare.)]
Before you continue