Gloom hung over Shrek Academy's temporary lodgings in Heaven Dou City.
The room reeked of medicinal liniment and suffocating despair.
Dai Mubai lay sprawled on a wooden bed like a soulless lump of mud.
A swollen red handprint marked his once-handsome face, refusing to fade even under ice packs.
"The engagement's over... Zhu Qing really dumped me..." Dai Mubai stared blankly at the ceiling, repeating those words as if possessed, tears of regret still trickling from the corners of his eyes.
At another table in the room, Tang San was in an even more frenzied state than Dai Mubai.
Huge dark circles hung beneath his eyes, which were webbed with alarming red veins.
A jumble of discarded papers covered the table, filled with all manner of bizarre "hidden weapon sketches"—crooked drawings of Kinetic Pistols, abstract trajectories of smart homing rounds, and joint diagrams of Gorilla Arms painstakingly dredged from memory.
"No! This doesn't follow the principles of mechanical leverage! Without soul power driving it, where does that terrifying kinetic energy come from?!"
Tang San snapped his pen in two and clawed fiercely at his hair, sinking deep into a bout of "insufficient firepower anxiety."
Ever since Lin Ye had permanently banned his account, and he had witnessed time freezing and overwhelming firepower firsthand, this proud genius of the Tang Sect had suffered a complete collapse of conviction.
He desperately wanted that technology!
If he could just crack the secrets of that "Sandevistan" and those "smart weapons," his Tang Sect Hidden Weapons would be able to slaughter gods outright!
But his account had been banned. And now that he no longer qualified as Zhu Zhuqing's "family," he wasn't even allowed through the Internet Cafe's doors to watch other people play!
"Brother, you haven't slept for a whole day and night. Have something to eat."
Just then, the door eased open.
Xiao Wu entered in an adorable pink bunny-eared outfit, carrying a steaming bowl of rice porridge, her face full of concern.
"Look at you! Your hair's a bird's nest, and Boss Dai got beaten up so badly! What kind of terrifying magic does that crooked place called Origin have?" Xiao Wu asked with a puzzled pout.
Tang San raised his head, his bloodshot gaze settling on Xiao Wu's innocent, exquisitely beautiful face.
Then, suddenly!
"Origin Internet Cafe is upgrading... urgently hiring a good-looking new attendant..." Lin Ye's casual announcement before closing the doors echoed through Tang San's mind!
That's it!
Since Boss Dai and I are banned and can't get in, why not send someone trustworthy who hasn't been blacklisted to infiltrate the enemy?!
If she lands that crucial "cafe attendant" position, not only will she get free access to that terrifying cybertechnology, she might even be able to use her staff privileges to smuggle blueprints out of the game!
And in terms of looks, figure, and that naturally sweet, ditzy charm, Xiao Wu standing before him was absolutely top-tier across the entire Douluo Continent!
"Xiao Wu!"
Tang San rose to his feet and excitedly seized both her hands.
He drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his frenzied expression and replacing it with a look of solemn righteousness.
"Xiao Wu, Shrek Academy and my Tang Sect are facing a terrible crisis of survival! Now... only you can save us!"
Startled by Tang San's grave demeanor, Xiao Wu's bunny ears stood adorably upright. "Brother, what are you talking about? If it'll help you, I'll do anything! Do you need me to ambush someone?"
"No, this isn't about fighting!"
Although Tang San felt that sending his little sister to work at a dangerous, crooked establishment was rather unethical, the overwhelming temptation of the "cyber path" still drove him to shamelessly speak:
"I need you... to apply for the attendant job at Origin Internet Cafe."
Oscar had just walked in with a basin of water for washing faces. His hands shook in shock, and the basin dropped straight to the floor, splashing Ma Hongjun all over.
"T-Tang San?! Have you lost your mind?!"
Oscar pointed at Tang San, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. "Just yesterday, you called that place a den of evil that bewitched people, and today you're pushing Xiao Wu into the fire?! You want her to be a server, pouring tea and fetching water?!"
"What do you know?!"
Tang San shot Oscar an irritated glare, then turned back to Xiao Wu and began his impassioned sales pitch. "Xiao Wu, this isn't some ordinary job! This is a great undercover mission!"
Tang San began painting a rosy picture. "That shop's owner is cunning, and he possesses secret arts powerful enough to turn the continent upside down! He's targeting me, but not you! If you use your outstanding beauty to secure the attendant position and infiltrate their ranks, you'll gain access to their deepest secrets!"
"As long as you steal... ahem, learn from the principles behind that 'Sandevistan,' I'll be able to create the greatest hidden weapon in the world! Then we can easily help Boss Dai avenge the humiliation of his broken engagement and restore Shrek's glory!"
Hearing this from his bed, Dai Mubai actually felt tears of gratitude glimmer in his swollen eyes.
Tang San... you're even sacrificing your own little sister for me... what a true brother!
"An undercover mission? Stealing peerless hidden weapons?"
Xiao Wu blinked her lively eyes. Although she had absolutely no idea what cybertechnology was, the moment she heard she could help Tang San achieve his grand dream, her innocent heart blazed with enthusiasm!
"Okay! Brother, don't worry! I'll complete the mission!" Xiao Wu planted both hands on her hips with bold confidence. "It's just being a cafe attendant! Not only will I steal their hidden weapon blueprints, I'll work hard and earn every last coin that heartless boss has!"
"My wonderful little sister!" Tang San looked at Xiao Wu, deeply moved, as though he could already see Legendary Cyberware beckoning to him.
"But, Brother San..."
Ma Hongjun raised his hand beside them, spoiling the mood with a hesitant reminder. "Aren't you making this sound too easy? Boss Lin specifically said he wanted godlike beauty. Now the place in Heaven Dou City is closed and offline, and the crown prince is publicizing it. Countless powerful nobles might be fighting for that spot."
Ma Hongjun swallowed and pointed at the street outside. "I went out to buy buns earlier, and I heard that even those gorgeous upperclasswomen from Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the pretty core female disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect are all preparing their resumes for interviews! Xiao Wu's beautiful... but the competition's brutal!"
Tang San's expression darkened at those words.
True, that Internet Cafe was famous now.
A single attendant position meant direct, close-up access to "divine power."
How could those people in Heaven Dou City possibly pass up such an opportunity?
"We're going all in!"
Gritting his teeth, Tang San slapped the table and pulled out his shriveled wallet.
"Oscar, Fatty, Mubai! Hand over every Gold Soul Coin you have! Shrek Academy is entering its highest state of combat readiness!"
"We have to put everything into giving Xiao Wu a complete makeover! From clothes and hair to interview answers! Over these next three days, even if we have to spend every last coin, we must make sure Xiao Wu outshines every other beauty and takes first place at that brutal 'cafe attendant beauty contest' three days from now!"
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