On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

"Yes, if my husband hadn't been a member of the Dream Inspection Bureau, had experience related to Dreams, and had access to high-ranking company executives like Lord William through the Bureau, he wouldn't have been selected."

"Although this job is dangerous, the weekly pay is probably more than what the two of us earn in a month combined. Countless people are desperate to get this job. I think my husband is afraid that if he takes time off, someone else will take his job, so he did it."

Mrs. Grand's voice grew softer and softer, and the sorrow on her face made her look many years older. Her back was hunched, as if life had weighed her down and she couldn't straighten up. This explained why Mrs. Grand often displayed a very humble attitude, because their family had reached its limit, and any further accident could be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Through Mrs. Grand's microcosm, Liao Ji gained a better understanding of the current situation in Dream City. Here, there are only two paths to living like a human being: either become a completely ordinary person from the bottom rungs of society, with nothing and no desires, and instead live a life of decadence and debauchery by relying on Dream City's high technology, or join the company and become an employee of a super corporation or conglomerate.

Those caught in the middle, like Mrs. Grand, are the most miserable. But in fact, such people are the most numerous in Dream City. Most of them will probably end up declaring bankruptcy and leaving this bustling city in despair. But Dream City doesn't care. After all, it is the core of the Mechanical Alliance. Every year, countless young people with fresh blood gather from all over the world to pursue their dreams, and so on.

"Thank you, Mrs. Grand. I believe life will get better. If it's convenient, I'd like to treat you to a meal after your husband finishes work. After all, I'd love to get to know someone like your husband who has so much experience in the old world."

"No, no, no, how could we possibly accept your thanks, Professor? Thank you so much! It's an honor for Bill to know a great professor of ancient studies like you. You've set aside your status to dine with people like us. How could we possibly accept that?"

In Mrs. Grand's eyes, Liao Ji was someone who could be personally introduced by Steward William, and he also had the title of professor. These were all important figures who were unattainable and high above ordinary people. So when she saw Liao Ji being so polite, Mrs. Grand was a little flattered and kept thanking Liao Ji. Later, she became so nervous that her face turned red and she didn't know what to say.

Liao Ji quickly changed the subject, which relieved Mrs. Grand, who was so awkward that she didn't know what to say.

Liao Jixian pretended to ask some other basic questions about Zero Dream, such as when it appeared, its scale and scope, and the regulatory policies at the time, as if he were really conducting market research for the Quess Group.

When Mrs. Grand finally mentioned the concept of "dream expansion," Liao Jicai seemed intrigued and pressed for details. Mrs. Grand nodded and said:

"Yes, when this phenomenon was discovered, it caused panic among the supervisory bureau and companies. According to experts, once a certain threshold was exceeded, it would force everyone to become digital life forms and inhale the Zero Dream. Fortunately, it seems that the abnormality of the Zero Dream was also detected later. Two hundred intelligent AIs took the initiative to communicate with us and entered the Zero Dream to curb its expansion."

"These two hundred intelligent machine lifeforms are, according to records, clones created by 'Zero' a hundred years ago, imitating herself. Their specific purpose is unknown, and it seems that such lifeforms exist not only within the Machine Alliance, but throughout the entire world."

"After the two hundred intelligent machines handed over the core chips to us for storage, they infiltrated Zero Dream. Sure enough, Zero Dream's expansion trend immediately stopped, the crisis was resolved, and later, every once in a while, the company's scientific researchers would come to maintain and service these chips to keep Zero Dream stable."

Listening to Mrs. Grand's report, Liao Ji pondered to himself.

There are two key points. One is the number "two hundred". However, according to the data I obtained from Control One, there must be at least tens of thousands of machine servants in Zero Dream.

The one that matches the number two hundred should be the servant of the "control machine" series.

Combined with the intelligence obtained from 86, the number of observation targets deployed worldwide from zero should be in the tens of thousands, and the outline of the matter becomes clear.

All the "observation entities" on the mainland "entered the dream" and became machine servants. However, only the two hundred observation entities closest to zero in the Dream City retained high computing power and were used as intelligent "control machines" to command models.

The remaining observation units are combat units or other logistical aircraft that primarily follow orders and lack independent consciousness.

No wonder Lena said that these "observation subjects" cannot be allowed to wake up from the dream. They are no longer observation subjects, but have been transformed into emotionless killing machines and machine servants in the repeated battles in the dream.

If this isn't corrected, when they return to reality, they will only bring destruction.

The second important piece of information was that the company regularly maintained the chips of these two hundred control machines. After Liao Ji inquired further, Mrs. Ge Lang told him that Kel Technology was the main force behind it, and the second largest was the Emergency Medical Team.

"Alright, Mrs. Grand, what you've provided today has been very helpful. Thank you very much. I think it's getting late, so how about we call it a day?" After chatting about other things for a while, Liao Ji took the initiative to end the meeting.

"Okay, Professor, then I won't disturb your work any longer."

Seeing that Mrs. Grand was about to get up, before leaving, Liao Ji handed her a package that he had been keeping next to his chair.

Mrs. Grand was clearly surprised and puzzled. After opening the package, she looked even more bewildered, because all she saw inside was a gift box containing toys.

“I just happened to see this when I passed by the mall and bought it on a whim. These kinds of mecha toys seem to be very popular now, especially among children. Since David’s birthday is coming up soon, I’ll take it as a birthday present.”

Liao Ji's seemingly casual words left Mrs. Grand utterly astonished. She stared blankly at the toy mecha in her hands, never imagining that this young professor would be so attentive, so unpretentious—no, it wasn't just a matter of being unpretentious, it was...

Mrs. Grand found that she couldn't find the words to describe it, perhaps because she had never encountered such a kind stranger in her more than thirty years in the City of Dreams.

Especially when Mrs. Grand caught a glimpse of the tag still on the mecha toy, its four-figure price tag was something she couldn't even dream of. David usually just peeked longingly at these high-end toys from the shop window. Although young, David was very sensible and knew their family couldn't afford them. But now…

"Mrs. Grand?" Liao Ji called out to the dazed middle-aged woman opposite him.

She suddenly realized that she shouldn't accept such an expensive gift, but then she thought that for a young and accomplished professor like Liao Ji, it might not be much at all, just a token of his appreciation, so she accepted it with great gratitude.

Before parting, Mrs. Grand looked very sincerely into Liao Ji's eyes and said, word by word, "Professor, I believe this birthday gift of yours will be the most important part of David's life. I will use it to teach him well. I don't expect David to reach your level, but I hope that David will become a good person like you in the future."

Mrs. Grand left with the gift. Watching her departing figure and recalling her words of gratitude, Liao Ji shook his head with a touch of self-deprecation. In the end, whether it was the Dragon Kingdom back then or the Mechanical Alliance now, tracing back to the source, he was inextricably linked to it. Some responsibilities truly needed to be fulfilled by him.

Thinking of this, Liao Ji couldn't help but recall the image of a certain pink-haired succubus.

He now seemed to understand why Lena had been so slow to come and see him, and it even seemed as if she was guiding him on his journey through country after country.

Back in China, Liao Ji had this feeling, and now that he's with Mrs. Grand, it's even clearer.

Everyone she met on her journey, regardless of their nationality or status, seemed to be Reina's mouthpiece, as if the pink-haired succubus was using them to denounce her, the scumbag emperor who had stood her up for five hundred years and disappeared without a word.

This arrogance, this willingness to throw a tantrum at the Emperor, is something only Rena among "them" could pull off.

but

Liao Ji flipped his wrist, revealing a capsule-shaped object lying quietly in his palm. This was the "Zero" patch given to him by Lena, a seed that could bring new life to the Mechanical Alliance.

This kind of behavior—constantly criticizing oneself while simultaneously helping oneself and secretly paving the way for oneself, fearing that one might crash—is indeed far less appealing to most people than something that is "given away for free."

No wonder the arrogant attitude has lost its appeal.

But that's just right.

It's enough for me to belong to myself alone.

Liao Ji did indeed need such a process. After all, he was no longer the Ash Emperor. Now he was Liao Ji, no longer using the identity of the Ash Emperor, but rather using "Liao Ji" to rediscover them. This was what he had been doing all along.

This is why Liao Ji used the word "symbol" to describe the Ash Emperor when he was talking to Steward William. He didn't want "them" to like or love only the symbol, but rather him as a person. For this reason, Liao Ji was willing to take many more actions to correct the inherent impression brought about by the symbol of Ash.

Two days later, the press conference of KEL Technology was held as scheduled. With overwhelming publicity and KEL Technology being a high-profile super enterprise, all kinds of media and countless journalists gathered at KEL Plaza.

Under the spotlight, a grand outdoor press conference is about to begin in five minutes.

To ensure the safety of the press conference, there were strict restrictions on the number of people allowed to enter the square that day. It was difficult for ordinary people to enter the square. In addition to the media, those invited to attend were basically professionals in related industries, academic experts, and government agencies, such as the Dream Inspection Bureau.

People from other parts of Dream City who want to watch the press conference will have to rely on live broadcasts on various radio stations, making today crucial for the radio industry as well.

Almost every radio station was broadcasting Kyle Technology's press conference, all vying for today's massive audience traffic. To this end, each station brought out its star host.

Now accompanying Liao Ji as a guest, Yilin, who is bored while waiting, is secretly watching the live stream using a smart virtual machine.

The feeling of being on TV made Irene extremely excited.

The channel she's watching now is Night Love Radio, which previously focused on all sorts of mysterious and strange tales and had even broadcast a program about "murderers."

This radio station is said to have originated from the most chaotic District 13. It is a self-organized enterprise, so unlike other radio stations that have to be more official and pay attention to their wording, Night Love Radio focuses on a fun style, using cheerful narration to bring smiles to its viewers.

Chapter 231 Press Conference

"Alright! Dear viewers in front of the screen, welcome back. To those who just started watching, we are now broadcasting the hottest, most, most, most, most, most exciting event in Dream City today!"

"That's right! You guessed it! It's the new product launch of Keltech! The reason this launch is attracting so much attention is because Keltech claims that their new series of products have the power to destroy the world and set our civilization back a step!"

A cheerful and lively voice came from Night Love Radio, belonging to one of the hosts, a hot and outgoing young woman wearing a punk-style leather jacket.

In contrast, her partner was a completely different person, a quiet and gloomy girl who covered her entire body with a hoodie that was several sizes too big, crossed her arms, and had dark circles under her eyes that made people wonder if it was makeup or real.

After the hot girl's words, she said listlessly and weakly:

“Martha, you read the entire script wrong. It should be ‘enough to change the world and advance our civilization by a generation.’”

"Hehehe, what's the difference? I remember a famous great man from the Demon City once said that the development of technology is, for humanity, an acceleration of self-destruction."

Is the great person you're talking about yourself?

"Uh, okay, Saya! Our focus right now should be on the live stream. Stop going off-topic, or viewers will complain that we're padding the runtime!"

I think your statement above was already a filler sentence.

"cough!!!"

The hot girl on the screen coughed loudly, and the director quickly switched the camera to the live broadcast of the press conference at Kyle Place.

The huge square was packed with people, despite Kyle Technology's strict personnel restrictions. No matter how much security was available, it was no match for the enthusiastic fans who always managed to squeeze in.

This press conference also attracted a lot of attention from investors, who all wanted to get firsthand information up close. After all, in the financial and stock industry, information is money. Being able to get more information than competitors by even a second could mean a profit difference of millions of Ash Coins.

KEL Technology recently suffered a setback in China, resulting in a decrease in the company's market value and a sharp drop in its stock price. It is expected that a positive news item will be released soon to save the market. Now, what they are waiting for is just how good this news is. The hype is being pulled so slowly, and it is clear whether there is any real substance to it.

Whether driven by fans or profit, the crowds flocked to the event, making the thousands of seats set up in advance far from enough. A dense sea of ​​people stood below the stage, with countless expectant eyes focused on the giant screen in the center of the square.

Finally, as the screen was unveiled, the press conference officially began. The beautiful female host joined Ellen, a senior executive of the company and a member of the Keltech board of directors, on stage. As is customary and as a warm-up, she began to introduce Keltech to the public. A series of short films with the theme "Technology Changes Lives" were playing on the screen behind them.

A report resembling an annual summary has been made public, and the data on it shows the billions of dollars worth of arms transactions that KEL Technologies has conducted around the world.

With a smile on her face, the host used a sweet and pleasant voice to promote KEL Technology's philosophy to the audience at the press conference.

The company sent weapons all over the world, enabling unarmed people to finally have weapons, the power to resist injustice, resist evil forces, and defend themselves, which undoubtedly made a huge contribution to world peace.

Ellen, the director standing next to him, then stated that Keltech will focus on exporting more weapons and equipment to the world in the future.

The company's dream is to one day enable everyone in the world to own a gun, because only in this way can a truly harmonious and stable society be created.

The audience at the press conference, especially fans of KEL Technology, burst into enthusiastic applause and cheers after Director Ellen's impassioned speech.

One of them, presumably a die-hard fan of Kyle Technology, felt that what Director Ellen said was absolutely right. In his excitement, he pulled a pistol out of his pocket and fired a shot into the air as a sign of respect.

This sudden action startled the surrounding crowd, with several spectators instinctively drawing their weapons, thinking it was a terrorist attack and preparing to defend themselves.

This triggered a chain reaction, and gunfire erupted continuously for a time.

Fortunately, Kyle Technology's security forces were not to be underestimated. A fleet of drones that were already on standby above the press conference immediately locked onto the people firing their guns and opened fire, effectively silencing them.

Armed guards then immediately entered the scene and dragged away the fans who had been knocked down.

The chaos lasted less than half a minute before it ended. The lively atmosphere quickly overshadowed the incident, and the audience's attention returned to the press conference as if nothing had happened.

Perhaps they've gotten used to it and don't find anything surprising about it?

"Tsk tsk, Saya, look at this! This is the confidence of us Dream City people. How calm and collected we are! If it were people from the Dragon Kingdom or the Holy Kingdom, it would probably be chaos by now, and the press conference would be ruined! Thank you, Kyle Technology! Technology changes lives!"

"I forgot to tell you, Martha, this morning Kyle Technology cancelled our order."

"What?! All my bragging before was for nothing? Damn it! This audience is no good, why did it take so long to fire the first shot? Can't we just fire a missile at this damn press conference?!"

“We’re still hosting the show, Martha, watch your words.”

"Hmph, look at our Night Love Channel viewers, isn't this exactly what they like? Just think about it, a grand launch event that a giant company painstakingly organized is attacked by terrorists, ha! This will definitely be the biggest laugh in Dream City in the past month!"

"Shut your mouth, the radio station has already received enough lawyer's letters."

The press conference proceeded smoothly. As if they had learned from the previous experience, the host and Director Ellen toned down their words, keeping the atmosphere at the scene stable.

After a brief introduction of some other products, the highlight of the press conference, "branding technology" from the old world, finally made its debut in the public eye with the unveiling of the curtain by Director Ellen.

Many people were taken aback. Could patterns really bring power? But as Kyle Technology demonstrated one after another, these tiny patterns, once imprinted on weapons, were able to exert various magical effects. When the incredible things really happened before their eyes, the press conference once again ushered in a new climax.

The sensation caused by this technology is undoubtedly enormous, because the biggest feature of the brand is its flexibility. It can be seen as a more powerful chip that can exert tremendous power in a very small size.