The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Chapter 115 Profitable Deals

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate." Yu Qing had arranged everything and was ready to be Hongqiu's comforter for a day. But at this moment, comforting others was something he was afraid he couldn't do; ulterior motives were more likely.

He had assumed the job would involve a private space and face-to-face communication with someone who needed comforting, but it turned out to be quite different.

He was led up to a garden on the third floor. It was a wondrous world of blooming flowers. He even thought it was a visual treat for him.

However, when he reached out to touch a delicate flower, he discovered it was merely a virtual scene created using six-dimensional imaging technology. This technology combines three-dimensional images with auditory and olfactory sensations, along with the flow of time.

Simply put, as long as you don't expose it, it's real. It still has birdsong, flowers fragrance, and the sound of wind rustling through the grass. The real world, in its presence, seems like a dull wax figure.

Since the technology here is so advanced, they could easily create a super chatbot to replace him, the so-called comforter. Why should he, a mere mortal, have to embarrass himself here?

Just as he was confused, a voice suddenly rang in his ears and said, "Don't you think you're being incredibly rude? You came here without even taking a shower!"

Another voice said, “You can’t blame him. The human body can’t withstand scrutiny. Your visual perception is ten million times that of the human eye, so in your eyes, every pore of his body looks like a filthy, open-air garbage dump.”

Your sense of smell is the same. Whether you can smell him or not is a disaster! His tiny body is a cosmic exhibition hall of stench.

"Yes, that's true. He definitely didn't wipe his butt after pooping today. And look at his hair, it's practically a mushroom colony."

"So, what a lucky thing it is that you gave up such a wretched physical body!"

Only then did Yu Qing realize that his so-called comforter was actually there to serve as a negative example, to console those pure consciousness beings who had just lost their physical bodies.

He wasn't angry; after all, he had only come to gather information.

He laughed and said, "A maggot that crawled out of a cesspool shouldn't laugh at the stench of the cesspool."

"That makes sense! That makes sense! Let's stop thinking about the pitfalls of the past and become Yu Zi; that's the best way out for humanity."

Upon hearing the word "Yu Zi," Yu Qing suddenly remembered something. It turned out that they were the ones who announced the severing of ties with First Paradise decades ago.

Yu Qingnian asked, "What is Yu Zi...?"

The voice laughed, "How ignorant you are. We, these pure consciousness beings, are the universe beings. From now on, we will be free and unrestrained in this universe, no longer confined to any object or region."

Yu Qing muttered, "It still needs to be stored in a container; it can't be a virtual one either..."

"We are encapsulated in spheres, but do you know how sturdy these spheres are? If it went to the center of the sun for a bath, it would still feel cold when it came out."

Yu Qing could only hear their voices but couldn't see them, so he provoked them by saying, "People say that when the soul is scattered and the body is lost, you are just ghosts. What nonsense! You are nothing but empty shells."

The voice laughed again, "You just can't see us. We are clearly tangible and colorful, but your eyes can only see objects of seven colors, while we are the 116th color. In terms of our perception, you are truly crippled."

Yu Qing reneged, saying, "Seeing is believing. If I can't see it, then it doesn't exist."

The source of the voice flickered, and two purple spheres appeared. One of the spheres said, "Now you can see, right? We must acknowledge our flaws and shortcomings; we cannot deceive ourselves by denying others."

Yu Qing laughed and said, "Those who have no hands or feet are not necessarily stronger than us humans."

A purple ball said, "I brought you here to comfort our newly naturalized Yu Zi, not so you could be arrogant. Alright, I've brought him here. You can talk amongst yourselves for the rest of the time."

After he finished speaking, the purple ball disappeared, leaving only another purple ball beside him.

The purple ball rolled around him a few times and said, "I feel like I've seen your portrait somewhere before... but you weren't this young..."

Yu Qing laughed and said, "Maybe I just have a common face. May I ask why you became a pure consciousness entity by registering your citizenship in Hongqiu?"

"Let me correct you, your name is Yu Zi. Everyone has to go through this phase. When you reach a point of no return, what else can you do but be Yu Zi?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing recalled the globe containing the consciousness of the Celestial Ancestor, only that science wasn't as advanced back then. This person seemed to be near death, which was why he uploaded his consciousness to this purple sphere for preservation.

"I think you must still yearn for some pleasurable physical experiences, right?"

"What physical experience is there? Thinking about it now, it's just working day and night year after year! That guy was right, it's just a stinking carcass, there's really nothing to miss. But, little brother, you really smell terrible, please cover your mouth when you speak."

"Now that you've come to your senses, it seems I don't need to comfort you anymore. Could you tell me if there are any fun places to visit around here?"

"Hongqiu is pretty good."

"I mean, wherever there are people...where there is physical life..."

"Yes, there is, but I advise you not to go. The cost there is beyond what a poor guy like you can afford."

"How do you know I'm just a poor kid! I'm rich..." Yu Qing stopped mid-sentence.

Purple Ball laughed and said, "Isn't it obvious? How rich can you get by volunteering here just to get a few free meals?"

Yu Qing joked, "You must be a very wealthy person. Have you brought all that money with you into this world?"

Ziqiu was silent for a moment, then said, "Those guys from Hongqiu got off easy..."

"You gave all your money to Hongqiu?"

"If we don't give them to them, who should we give them to? Should we just hand them over to those who are hoping to take my place every day? They can forget about it."

"Judging from your tone, you used to be a high-ranking and powerful guy."

"It's not quite that simple, but if I stomp my foot, the earth will tremble slightly."

"That's not enough? That's impressive enough!"

The purple ball rolled forward a few times, then turned to face the front and said, "Young man, if you can do me a favor, I can make you richer than a country."

Yu Qing laughed and said, "With such a high price, it must be quite difficult to meet."

"You're very smart. But what good is intelligence alone? You need to find a way to control your destiny. To get opportunities, you can't be afraid of difficulties." "Then tell me. I at least need to know if the benefits far outweigh the costs."

"97000 trillion RB, what kind of effort could yield such a huge return?"

"If you can't even save your life, then all the extra effort is wasted."

"No, you're wrong. With such a large stake, we have to try, no matter how great the risk."

Seeing that Yu Qing wasn't interested, Zi Qiu assumed he was afraid of death, so he said, "This matter isn't easy, but it won't cost you your life. If you win, you'll have everything; if you lose, you can go back to being a poor boy. So, are you in or not?"

Yu Qing thought to himself, "This guy's tone is so arrogant, he must be a big fish and know a lot." So he replied, "If it's appropriate, there's nothing wrong with it."

"Didn't you want to go to some fun places nearby? Once this is done, Feixi City will be yours. Feixi City is much more lively than here."

"Is that city you mentioned far from here? What's fun about it?"

"It's not far. Feixi City is only 28 kilometers away from here. You can find all the most fun things in the world there! Everyone who comes to Hongqiu to become a citizen first goes to Feixi to have a good time for a few days and say goodbye to their physical bodies with a smile. It would be a shame not to leave their bodies with a few scratches!"

Yu Qing felt a surge of secret joy. The person behind Chang'e was probably there. He wanted Chang'e to stop him from going there, so could his appearance have some effect on him? If so, he had to go and check it out even more.

"That's great. Tell me, what do you need me to do for you? Just to make it clear, I don't want Fancy, I just want to go there and have a few days of fun."

"That's so pathetic... Fine, that's your problem. I just need you to help me find someone."

"Find someone? That's easy. Who do you want to find?"

The purple ball spun around once and sighed, "My good-for-nothing daughter!"

Yu Qing was somewhat skeptical of Zi Qiu's words. If it were that simple, why would they offer him such a high price? He said, "Since you're father and daughter, why did you lose contact?"

"She's too willful, only willing to hide outside and live a life of debauchery, refusing to take over my business! So in a fit of anger, I gave most of my assets to Hongqiu, but the remaining small portion is still quite considerable for you..."

Yu Qing laughed and said, "What does that have to do with me? It might just be a little attractive to your children."

"No, you can share that money as long as you find her."

Yu Qing shook his head and said, "It sounds like a lie..."

“I’m not lying to you. There’s a condition for inheriting my fortune: she must marry a man, and if she divorces, she will lose two-thirds of it…”

"Sorry, I can't take this job. I absolutely can't handle a woman who doesn't even respect her own father. Besides, even a pig could think of that. You're at least a hundred years old, who knows if your daughter is some seventy or eighty-year-old woman!"

The purple sphere circled Yu Qing again and said, "Unfortunately, although I have super-strong visual nerves, I don't have a biological tracing module. What planet are you from? For ancient humans, people usually got married in their twenties or thirties, but nowadays, don't people usually get married in their sixties or seventies?"

"See, I guessed right! In her sixties or seventies, her face is covered in wrinkles..."

The purple ball bounced upwards forcefully and exclaimed, "My god, you must be a time traveler from ancient times! Women these days are in their prime at sixty or seventy. Besides, who has wrinkles on their face these days? Everyone's made of smooth, creamy material..."

Yu Qing realized he had misspoke; his life experience in the First Paradise was no longer relevant to this world. A hundred-year-old woman wouldn't have wrinkles on her face; she'd long since been made of P++ or something similar…

He could only add, "I was just using ancient examples to highlight how different we are. I'm not talking about appearances, but rather that older people tend to be cunning and difficult to deal with..."

Ziqiu laughed and said, "That's true! I didn't expect you two to become a perfect couple. You just need to help her get my money. After that, you can go your separate ways. She can get a third of it, which is better than getting nothing at all."

"Can't you change the will? Give all the money to her."

"My physical life is already dead. Have you ever seen a dead person go back and change their will?"

"Then let your daughter find a man to cooperate with; maybe she'll actually get married!"

"Now the laws and regulations have changed. Property that remains unclaimed for three years will be confiscated and taken over by the public. No wonder this is the case. In the past, some wills were still being executed even after two or three hundred years without any heirs. This is absurd, and they couldn't even be declared invalid..."

Yu Qing was a little nervous. So, does this mean that Tianzu's actions back then... might not count? So he said, "I've never heard of such a thing. Is there such a law?"

"Yes, it will be implemented starting next February. It should have been done a long time ago. If such a law had existed back then, I wouldn't have racked my brains trying so hard to get it..."

"What will we get in hand?"

"Why do you care so much? Just tell me if you're going to do this deal or not!"

Yu Qing's attention was now focused on the Shengtian Group. If he couldn't take over Shengtian by February of next year, the Heavenly Ancestor's will would become invalid. Although he wasn't particularly interested in wealth, it was too important for the development of the clan…

So he muttered to himself, "I can't give up..."

Upon hearing this, Ziqiu assumed Yu Qing had agreed and happily said, "Great! Only a fool would give up such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Let me tell you what to do next."

Yu Qing realized that Zi Qiu had misunderstood him, but then he thought that he had nothing to lose, so it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

"Say it, I'm listening."

"Once you arrive in Fessi City, go to 713 in Block 2B39. There's a white villa there. You can go in as long as you answer the correct password. That used to be my residence. There's a photo of my daughter and her biometric card in the drawer of the study."

She often changes her appearance, so you might need an identification card to find her. There's a necklace in the desk drawer; insert the card into the pendant. If the pendant flashes an alarm, she's within five meters of you. If it flashes red at the same time, she's no more than one meter away.

"Wait a minute, searching like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I can't do this."

"Don't worry. She probably hasn't left Feixi City. She's probably in some entertainment venue there, surrounded by a group of men. She's most likely her..."

"Ugh, I don't like women like that..."

"Don't even mention you, I hate her too. Otherwise, I would have given her my assets long ago. Now I have no choice; if I don't give them to her soon, they'll be confiscated next year. Thinking about it now makes me heartbroken; she hasn't had any contact with me for ten years..."

(End of this chapter)