The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Chapter 5 The Boss is a Snake
Hearing a piercing noise coming from inside the room, Yu Qing instinctively rolled out of bed.

Ai Shen gently put his arm around Yu Qing's shoulder and said, "Darling, it's okay, it's okay."

"Nothing's wrong? Then what's that sound..."

"Ah, this means we should stay in our rooms and not go out, to avoid danger."

"What...danger?"

Ai Shen looked at the flashing lights on the ceiling and said, "They're looking for a king cobra."

"How did you know?"

"The light signals told me that our room is electromagnetically shielded, so we can only use light signals."

“That’s not what I meant. I meant that I already knew some things about king cobras.”

"You didn't even leave the house, how would you know?"

"I forgot to tell you, the power outage here was caused by king cobras. If I hadn't killed a few last night, the power wouldn't be back on yet!"

Upon hearing this, Ai Shen quickly covered his mouth and whispered, "You absolutely mustn't tell anyone about this!"

He was somewhat puzzled and asked, "What's wrong with that? Besides, two humanoid figures saw me holding a section of a snake's body in my hand..."

Ai Shen said, "I'll tell you why later, but please don't bring it up again."

The other humanoid men and women in this hotel are different from me.

They only look alike, but they lack critical thinking skills and can only remember things from the last eight hours, so they can't speak either.

"Just a similar appearance? Is that so?"

"Of course. I know you reacted to that attendant when you were showering, but I have to tell you, it's just like them, it doesn't have female and male modules installed."

"Why...?"

"Because by installing the male or female module, one gains a second citizenship, which involves a large amount of taxes."

"I don't understand what taxes are."

"Let me put it this way, second citizens also have to pay taxes, and they pay eight times more than their masters."

Yu Qing laughed and said, "So you're saying you have to pay me ten times the taxes?"

"Yes, your tax rate is 8% of your income, and mine is 64% of your income, but ultimately you will pay mine too."

"What kind of logic is this? Is this robbery?"

"The logic is simple. If you have me, would you still want to find another new human wife, unless you're getting a fake marriage to avoid the single tax? If no one marries and has children, the new humans on Earth will disappear quickly. That won't do."

"If I actually marry one, will I still have to pay taxes?"

"How do we determine if your claim is genuine? So you still have to pay. But if you have children, you can get a tax exemption and a refund for the first three years' payments."

"It feels like you've been cheated; I suddenly have to pay 64% more in taxes."

"No, honey. The single tax is 80%, and I've saved you 16%."

What? You and I aren't single anymore?

"No, because I'm a second citizen. Second citizens only have one chance in their lifetime, but you can still marry a new human again."

Yu Qing laughed, "So you'd better treat me well. By the way... about the king cobra..."

Ai Shen scolded playfully, "I told you not to mention it! Because the owner of this hotel is their family..."

Yu Qing exclaimed in surprise, "What a strange thing! How could a snake be the owner of the hotel?"

"Really, I'm not kidding. The hotel's original owner left his estate to his pets, a male and a female king cobra."

If they die without offspring, the detection system will transmit the information to the control center, which will then cause the hotel to self-destruct within fifteen days…

"That's it, I'll kill them all!"

Ai Shen was startled and asked in a low voice, "Really?"

"It's 100% true, what should we do?"

"Never mind that, we're leaving before then anyway."

"How about we make a run for it tomorrow? I need to find some food. Besides, we can't eat this sticky rice noodle for long."

“Darling, I’ll do as you say. We’ll make a quick getaway tomorrow. But you have to tell me where we’re going. I need to plan the route and arrange the itinerary for you.”

"I want to go to a second paradise for humans in its original natural state."

“Okay, honey, I’ll analyze the best route and itinerary. I also need to assess the safety risks along the way, and the equipment and supplies we need to bring.”

"Can you handle all this by yourself? How about we recruit a few of the staff here to carry our equipment and water? I'm taking all the sheets and pajamas with me, and the adhesive powder will last us a few more days. We can't leave them behind."

“Honey, that’s impossible. You can’t sway any of the staff here because their activity area is limited to 300 meters from the hotel. However…”

"But what? Tell me, why are you hesitating?"

“But you have already forbidden me from advertising for Shengtian, so I cannot speak without your permission.”

"I forgive you for not being guilty."

"There are two unopened Shengtian humanoid beauties in the warehouse. You can buy them too, so they can help me with my work."

Yu Qing laughed loudly, "Alright, buy them all! Why didn't you say so earlier? Did you get jealous like other people, afraid they would compete with you?"

"That's right, darling. Our setup is to encourage competition so that we can learn and improve, thus enhancing your experience."

"Then don't tell me these things. It seems you guys can be confused sometimes too."

"That was my plan, but promoting Shengtian products was defined as the highest priority of the operation."

"I'm fed up with these money-grubbing bastards."

"Darling, you agree to buy these two humanoid beauties, right?"

"agreed, agreed."

"Then please sign, darling."

Yu Qing hugged Ai Shen and kissed him deeply, saying, "Is this okay?"

"Yes, the transaction is successful."

Suddenly, Yu Qing seemed to realize something and said, "That's not right, I should be signing with them."

“You’ve already signed with me, you can’t sign with them anymore. They can only sign with me now, and I will make the purchase.”

"Huh? You're setting a trap for me. Now I won't be able to control you anymore."

“Honey, I’m doing this for your own good. If you trade directly with them, you’ll have to pay two 64% taxes, which is 128% in total. That would leave you penniless.”

"Secondary citizens who purchase humanoid assistants don't need to pay additional taxes. Don't you think that's more cost-effective?" "Cost-effective, absolutely! I can't argue with someone whose head contains the entire National Library of China."

“Honey, I’m just stating the facts. There’s one last issue: once they’re in use, their names and appearances must be changed so they don’t duplicate mine.”

"Didn't you all look the same when you left the factory? How can you adjust them? Cut off one of their noses and one of their ears?"

"That's not the case, darling. Our muscle elasticity index can be fine-tuned, as can the position and size of our facial features."

After saying that, Ashin pointed one of his fingers into the air, and a holographic image immediately unfolded, which was Ashin's image.

She explained, "Our original image is like this, the most ideal appearance derived from big data. I'll now make a simulation adjustment according to your preferences. Describe what you want to look like."

"Then let's get someone a little fatter than you."

Ai Shen gazed at Yu Qing, slowly expanding the muscles of the humanoid woman in the image.

"Stop! Stop! If you get any fatter, you'll turn into a pig... Yes, lose a little more weight... just a tiny bit more..."

"Is that so? Do we still need to modify the facial features?"

Yu Qing said mischievously, "Of course! Adjust her nose so her nostrils point upwards..."

Ai Shen said seriously, "That's impossible. We can only make minor adjustments. Once I implant the parameters into them, there's no way to change them unless we send them back to the factory to reset them. You need to be careful."

After making a few minor changes, Yu Qing said, "Let's leave it like this. Call her Ai Wu; look how sturdy she is. I've figured it out; in ancient times, this was equivalent to assigning two maids to a young lady. She absolutely cannot be prettier than the young lady..."

"Shall we start the next one...?"

Yu Qing interrupted Ai Shen and said, "I won't look at the next one. You decide. Just make sure the person is a little thinner than you."

"What should it be called?"

"By the way, don't call that one Ai Wu anymore, and don't call yourself Ai Shen either. From today onwards, you'll be called Daji, the fat one Furong, and the thin one Yan'er. That sounds more cultured, right, Daji?"

"Yes, darling. It's decided then and there's no going back, right?"

"Is it another signature required?"

Daji smiled and said, "No need. I think you're a little unhappy, feeling that I'm trying to influence your decision..."

"No, no. I'm just worried that if something happens in the future and all three of us say the same thing, it might drive me crazy..."

"You don't need to worry about that. The order in which our information is stored is random, and the thought process module also has five percent completely different algorithms, so no two humanoids are the same, and their tones of voice also differ..."

"Alright, let's go and bring them all to the room so I can see them!"

As Daji left, Yu Qing watched her retreating figure, thinking to himself, "That child is too clever..."

A moment later, Daji brought in Furong and Yan'er. The two stood in front of him, and Yu Qing glanced at their faces. He was quite satisfied. Furong was plump and looked rather prosperous, while Yan'er was thin but also very attractive.

However, when he looked down, he became somewhat annoyed. It seemed that Daji was secretly behind this; the face was done according to his wishes, while Daji hadn't asked him about the other parts at all.

Furong's buttocks were enlarged by Daji, becoming bulging; while Yan'er's hands were unusually large.

Yu Qing deliberately beckoned Furong and Yan'er over, holding Furong on his left and Yan'er in his right, saying, "Exquisite! Exquisite! Come on, sign your names with me, and you'll stay by my side from now on."

Seeing Yu Qing and Fu Rong kissing, Daji muttered, "This doesn't count as signing a contract, it's just a normal touch of lips."

Hibiscus replied humbly, “Thank you for your gift, my king.”

Yan'er humbly replied, "Thank you for your gift, my king."

Yu Qing said, "From now on, you are not allowed to call me that. Call me 'darling' like Daji does!"

Daji said angrily, "No, they can't call you 'darling'!"

Yu Qing laughed and said, "Heh? You're starting to oppose me now, Daji?"

However, seeing Daji's aggrieved look, Yu Qing changed his mind and said, "How about this, Furong and Yan'er will call me 'baby,' and only Daji will call me 'darling.'"

Furong and Yan'er quickly replied, "Yes, darlings."

Yan'er seemed particularly well-behaved. Yu Qing only twitched slightly on his back, and she immediately came over and reached in to scratch it for him. Meanwhile, Furong was still standing there blankly, not knowing what to do.

Daji asked softly, "Darling, shall we continue our discussion about going to the Second Paradise?"

Yu Qing nodded.

Daji said, "The Second Paradise is 7,400 li away from here. I can only analyze the information from more than 100 years ago. The best route is to go to Wengshan first, then through Changtian, then to Yaoxing, Maluo, and Fuping."

The subsequent itinerary will be determined based on changes in the situation.

It's about 480 kilometers from here to Wengshan, including about 40 kilometers of Class C roads, 380 kilometers of Class B roads, and only 60 kilometers of Class A roads. Theoretically, the journey would take 1 hour + 30 minutes + 5 minutes, assuming those roads are still in good condition.

If we leave tomorrow morning, my dear, we can have lunch in Wengshan.

However, just to be on the safe side, we took the remaining sticky powder with us on the way.

The unpacked boxes of Furong can be repurposed into suitcases to hold your beloved luggage and supplies;

Yan'er's box was used to store the spare batteries and accessories for the three of us;
My darling will lie in my suitcase…”

Yu Qing shouted, "Daji, what do you mean? You want me to walk around in a box?"

Yan'er interrupted, "Darling, because this place is abandoned, there are no means of transportation anymore."

Once fully charged, our box and I can glide for about 2000 kilometers at a speed of approximately 40 kilometers per hour. My baby can only walk, at less than 5 kilometers per hour, so lying in the box is the most suitable option…”

Daji rolled her eyes at Yan'er and said, "Don't interrupt us when we talk in the future. Darling, my trunk is very soft and comfortable..."

"But it felt like they were transporting corpses!"

Daji said, "Then you can sit on the box, okay, my dear?"

"That's more like it. Let's get some rest tonight and set off early tomorrow morning."

Daji quickly lifted the quilt and pulled Yuqing into the bed.

Yu Qing gazed at Fu Rong's plump buttocks and absentmindedly asked Da Ji, "How are we going to sleep tonight? This bed isn't big enough."

Daji said, "My dear, we don't need to sleep. We can just stand or sit there and rest."

We'll only sleep with you when you need us.

Yu Qing replied, "Since that's the case, you've indeed worked hard these past two days. Why don't you and Yan'er sit and rest in front of the door? Tonight, I'll have Furong come to the bed and massage my back."

Furong asked naively, "Is it me, baby?"

Yu Qing said, "It's you. Why don't you want to?"

Furong said with delight, "Baby, I'm so happy."

Yan'er said, "Aren't we leaving early tomorrow morning? You need to get a good night's rest, my darling."

Daji said, "Yan'er, don't meddle. Let's go to rest. Don't make our darling angry."

(End of this chapter)