Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 109 Why sleep at such a young age? Get up and exercise! (3.4K)

"Perception and configuration of space?"

Lu Mingfei pondered.

The effect of this term is not hard to understand—perception is to open up a "full-view" field of vision within a ten-meter radius, allowing you to perceive even areas invisible to the naked eye? As for configuration, as the name suggests, it's about building a corresponding model in your mind?

"This……"

Lu Mingfei frowned slightly, his expression somewhat strange.

Almost instantly, though only a few days had actually passed, it felt like a long time ago to him, two lines of cheat codes from StarCraft flashed into his mind. The air was thick with the smoky smell of the internet cafe, the clatter of the keyboard, and the hum of the cheap computer case.

war aint what it used to be and black sheep wall.

Turn off the fog of war and reveal the entire map!

【Spatial Configuration】 is simply a weakened version of those two cheat codes combined and then bound by time and range constraints.

But it's still powerful enough!
Lu Mingfei was already quite satisfied; he understood the proverb "a man's greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant." If this thing didn't have limitations on range and time... it was obvious that his brain would be the first to give out.

"Although cheating in PVP games has always been something I'm ashamed of, firstly, this isn't a game. Secondly, I earned this entry entirely through my own efforts!"

Lu Mingfei successfully convinced himself in a very short time, and he subconsciously wanted to continue to focus his attention on learning mathematical analysis.

"Please increase my proficiency in the schedule/planning tool!"

[Warning, it's time for [sleep]...]

The sudden warning was like a bucket of ice water poured over him, extinguishing Lu Mingfei's passion.

"This learning time is far too short..."

A hint of complaint unconsciously surfaced in my mind.

The next second, Lu Mingfei suddenly shivered.

"wrong!"

A chill, like a snake, snaked its way up his spine, startling him awake.

"How could I have such thoughts? I can only sleep for 4 hours a day now! If I increase my study time, won't my sleep time be even shorter?"

He cautiously got up, wary of his schedule suddenly dropping a notification like "Current thoughts have been entered into future schedule plans"... Given how cunning "Cousin" was, it was definitely not impossible for him to do something like that!
The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds, and nothing happened. Only the night wind rustled through the treetops outside the window, a whisper that was blocked by the window.

"Good night."

Zero, who had been sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, stood up as he got up.

Her voice was clear and steady, like the surface of a still lake. After she finished speaking, she stood there quietly, silently watching Lu Mingfei.

"Good night."

Lu Mingfei nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, a little worried that Zero would hit him with another "direct shot"... but in the end, he added.

"See you tomorrow."

"It's past midnight."

Having received the "program instructions," Zero finally left satisfied, leaving behind a rigorous and monotonous statement.

"We should meet today."

……

"Now I know why you made that girl with no job or connections do this job instead of me."

Mai Shude stared at the monitor screen, a slight smile curving her red lips, the screen's light flickering on and off her alluring profile.

"Such a stunning beauty was right in front of her... how could she possibly resist!"

"If it were me doing this..."

She twirled a stray strand of hair between her fingers, and smiled gently, exuding captivating charm.

"If it were me, I wouldn't be able to say 'goodnight' tonight... I'd just wait until tomorrow morning to say 'good morning' to him!"

"puff!"

Su Enxi was taking a sip of water, intending to wash away the crumbs of potato chips in her mouth, when she was choked by Jiu De Mai's sudden outrageous words, her face turning red as she spat the water all over the table.

"Cough...you...you stayed up all night, huh? You're something else, aren't you? You're ruthless!"

“I didn’t say that, you said it.”

Mai Shude retorted, "Tsk tsk, you dirty-minded potato chip girl! She's still a pure, underage high school student!"

"Then it's your turn to carry out the mission?" Su Enxi glared at her with dead fish eyes while awkwardly wiping the wet table.

"Oh?"

Mai Shude's eyes darted around, and her tongue lightly licked the corner of her lips, like a cat smelling blood.

"It's a word?"

"Keep dreaming!"

Su Enxi rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"If I had the chance, I would have done it myself. Why would it be your turn? Only a girl with no job, no connections, and no connections is capable of doing this! That's what the boss said."

"boss?"

The title, which hadn't been mentioned for several days, instantly wiped the playfulness from Mai's face, replaced by a serious expression. She frowned and asked.

"Didn't you say after your analysis that only girls with no connections or income were the most suitable? When did the boss say that? Did he contact you recently? I've been by your side the whole time, how come I didn't know?"

"Do not……"

Su Enxi shook her head, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the bag of potato chips she had just picked up, making a slight cracking sound.

"My boss hasn't contacted me recently..."

Her voice lowered, carrying a deliberately suppressed calm.

"To be precise, ever since he contacted me urgently that day... I haven't been able to reach him again."

Jiude Mai was taken aback.

Their boss is a mysterious figure who is rarely seen. Usually, everything is handled by Su Enxi, the potato chip girl, and he only gives orders personally for particularly important matters.

However, this does not mean that their communication is completely one-way. As the "sole prime minister" who oversees logistics, finance, daily affairs, military command, and other aspects, Su Enxi must have the boss's emergency contact information in case of unforeseen circumstances...

Su Enxi's expression at this moment indicated that the last means of contact had also become invalid.

"You're definitely hiding some information from me."

Jiu De Mai's sharp gaze was fixed on Su Enxi. "The boss wouldn't be completely unprepared for this kind of 'disappearance'."

Su Enxi remained silent for a moment.

The air in the office seemed to freeze, with only the low hum of the air conditioner turning on for heating.

She finally spoke, her voice a little hoarse.

"Okay, later... I contacted him using a special phone."

Su Enxi paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully, or perhaps recalling that unsettling moment. "The call connected, but on the other end... the boss didn't speak, only a... strange sound came through."

"Strange sound?"

Mai Shude repeated, then slammed her hand on the table impatiently, "I know you definitely recorded this! Don't waste time, just play it now!"

"you sure?"

Su Enxi's expression became even more complicated, even carrying a hint of dissuasion.

"I don't really recommend you listen, because I can barely fool myself on my own, but if you're added to the mix..."

"What a joke, what kind of nonsense is this self-deception?"

Mai Shude was completely confused, but she still insisted firmly, "Bring it up right now!"

Su Enxi did not refuse again, probably because this secret had been accumulating in her heart for a long time and now needed an outlet.

She opened the drawer and took out a slightly worn tape recorder and a small cassette tape.

With a "click," the tape was pushed into the slot, and the play button was pressed.

The recording begins to play—first the dial tone, then the waiting ring before the connection is established, and a melody flows out.

Mai Shude recognized it almost instantly—it was Faye Wong's ethereal voice singing "Eyes On Me." The music was by Nobuo Uematsu, and the lyrics by Kazumi Sometani; it was created for Final Fantasy VIII.

That's the style of the boss, that hardcore gamer.

The melody lasted only a few seconds before being abruptly cut off—the call was connected.

However, no calm, playful, or authoritative instructions came through the receiver as expected.

Only one piercing, distorted sound...

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

The recording abruptly ended there.

The office fell into a deathly silence. Mai Shude's usual alluring charm vanished without a trace, leaving only a near-petrified stiffness.

Her pupils dilated slightly, lost focus, and her gaze became vacant.

That sound appeared in her ears very few times.

But some people's voices, once heard, are like a brand etched into the depths of one's soul. What makes them memorable is not the timbre, but the chilling presence that the voice itself carries.

Therefore, even though it was just a meaningless but painful scream, she instantly identified the source of the sound.

"That, that's..."

"I said that."

Su Enxi sighed softly, "Before you listened, I could at least deceive myself a little. Now... I can only face the facts."

"Yes."

She raised her eyes and looked directly into Mai's dazed eyes.
"That screaming sound... was from the boss."

"After that, all contact ceased."

……

[Warning, electric shock countdown...]

Lu Mingfei shuddered, as if the shadow of that soul-piercing electric shock had returned.

"think carefully……"

As he walked toward the restroom, he was making plans in his mind.

"Although the number of times wasn't too many, the frequency of my electric shocks was quite even. It was practically a daily ritual, rain or shine... Damn it! This isn't a good thing!"

After finishing his usual bedtime chores, he came out of the bathroom and, as usual, with a hint of inexplicable anticipation, glanced at the window opposite.

The scene that came into view startled him—the curtains in Liu Miaomiao's room were drawn tightly shut, like an airtight curtain.

This time, not even a sliver of light shone through; it was pitch black, like a forgotten cave.

Did you go to bed early today?

He muttered to himself, but didn't think much of it, and went to bed and turned off the light.

[The [Sleep] plan is about to be executed. Do you wish to continue "Understanding the True Meaning of Words"?]

Is that even a question? Of course, we should continue!
Just as Lu Mingfei was about to undo the [Vitality Micro-Management] to let his drowsiness wash over him and put him to sleep, he suddenly saw many semi-transparent characters pop up in front of him.

【checking……】

[Test complete. It has been determined that the 'Temporary Schedule - Change of Appearance' has been completed.]

Please confirm whether you wish to claim the [Reward: Fitness Proficiency]

Is that even a question? Of course, you should claim it!
Lu Mingfei made the choice almost instinctively.

But, at the very moment of making the choice.

An ominous premonition arose within him, and alarm bells suddenly rang in his mind!

Wait... something seems off?
A large number of semi-transparent characters continued to emerge.

[Confirmed for collection]

[Rewards are being distributed...]

[Entering reward distribution mode...]

Before Lu Mingfei could figure it out, an irresistible, heavy drowsiness, like the entire Pacific Ocean overflowing, suddenly crashed down on him!
His "awake" state, which he was in using the "Vitality Micro-Management" skill, was instantly overwhelmed and swallowed up by the monstrous wave before he could even deactivate it.

With everything going black, Lu Mingfei "fell into a deep sleep".

When I opened my eyes again—

His field of vision was almost filled with semi-transparent characters, accompanied by a cold, mechanical voice.

[Loading reward distribution mode...]

[Warning! The process of "Comprehending the True Meaning of Fire" has been detected...]

[Fusion mode loading]

[Understanding the True Meaning of Fire - Reward Distribution and Fusion Mode Now Open]

[Fusion Mode: You will enter deep sleep and complete [fitness] training in this scenario, continuously gaining proficiency during the training. Simultaneously, you will gain insights into the true meaning of fire.]

"no……"

Lu Mingfei was stunned.

The ominous premonition from before has finally become a reality, unfolding before our eyes.

"Can you still play like this?!"

(End of this chapter)