ocean-life Chapter 69 : Chapter 69
Chapter 69 : Chapter 69
Chapter 69 : “Only he himself knows the reason for doing this.”Inside the mountain villa, a rainstorm howled and beat against the windows.
Around the old round table sat a two-meter-tall tyrannical T-Rex, a humpback whale that was hunched over and struggling to sit on a chair, an evil silver-shaded with various patterns, and a red fox.
And Chu Zu, in a black suit and white shirt, with a blank expression.
Not far from them, there was another table of little yellow chickens, their little beaks opening and closing non-stop, but their chirping was blocked by a soundproof barrier.
Before coming, the system had introduced many things about the "Host Exchange Conference" to Chu Zu.
For example, the venue of the conference was randomly determined.
It could be a very old-fashioned company's year-end conference, a magnificent royal palace, or the roof of a demolished building.
For example, the hosts were divided into tables according to their current mission evaluation.
Those at the same table were in a similar score range, which was convenient for exchanging experiences.
For example, all hosts would be temporarily separated from their systems…
But it didn't mention that all hosts would participate in the conference in their sea of consciousness simulation form.
Sitting among the many images that were on the verge of violating the "Copyright Law," Chu Zu was extremely out of place.
The humpback whale said softly to the tyrannical T-Rex: “This… sir?”
The tyrannical T-Rex: “Madam.”
The humpback whale clearly didn't know how to distinguish the gender of a T-Rex.
You couldn't tell anything from the T-Rex's voice, which sounded like it had a reverb effect.
The humpback whale quickly corrected itself: “This madam, your tail has hit my tail three times. It hurts a little…”
The tyrannical T-Rex opened its giant mouth full of sharp teeth: “I'm very sorry. I'll correct it right away.”
Its tail swept, and the gust of wind almost sent Chu Zu next to it flying.
Chu Zu grabbed the red fox that had really been sent flying, put it back in its place, and received a grateful look.
The T-Rex was already starting to twiddle its fingers in shame.
Its arms were short, and its nails could barely touch, making a metallic scraping sound.
Chu Zu: “...”
Is your exchange conference like this every year?
He didn't know what the situation was like at the other tables.
At Chu Zu's table alone, besides the awkwardness of "there's a human among us," there was also the silence that fell because no one knew what to say.
Chu Zu glanced around.
The tyrannical T-Rex and the humpback whale were too realistic.
He really couldn't see any expression on their faces.
The silver-shaded and the fox, because they were "imitating" DOsney, had vivid human expressions under their animal features, and their awkwardness was obvious.
He cleared his throat: “Welcome to the ‘Host Exchange Conference’.”
“I’m very happy to see everyone gathered together. The purpose of this event is to help us get to know each other better and exchange our work experiences.”
Chu Zu said, “I am the system in charge of this conference. You can call me… ‘One Punch Explodes the Earth’.”
The atmosphere at the table immediately lightened a lot.
The only "human" was not a human, but the host.
That made sense.
And there was no need to rack their brains thinking about whether to take the initiative to break the ice.
It was great.
Without a system present, no one knew that Chu Zu was also a host.
He was a human, and there was no human option in the sea of consciousness simulation.
And how could a host resist the temptation of transformation!
Moreover, Chu Zu was very calm when he lied.
He had a blank expression but a gentle tone, which was in line with these hosts’ stereotype of a system.
“The theme of this time is the ‘Lying Conference.’
Considering that lying to strangers can easily cause unnecessary misunderstandings, before the theme officially begins, please briefly introduce yourselves.”
Chu Zu said, “It's just the most basic exchange, such as how to address each other.”
Before coming, the little yellow chicken had told Chu Zu that contact between hosts was generally limited to the exchange conference.
Apart from the newcomer exchange, there was only the exchange meeting before the year-end selection of advanced specialists.
Each time, the seating would be arranged according to the selection level, so the chance of meeting an acquaintance was still very high.
But if they only met twice, they probably wouldn't be considered acquaintances—because the turnover rate in this industry was quite high, and some hosts would directly reveal their real names when they met, hoping to stay in touch after they left their jobs.
“We can’t stay in touch.”
The little yellow chicken said, “Because—”
It was forcibly muted again and turned to curse at its superior.
According to Chu Zu’s rating, the hosts at this table were all the best of the newcomers.
Not only did they do their jobs well, but their personalities were also… very unique.
The tyrannical T-Rex: “I am Longlong.”
The humpback whale: “My name is 52 Biscuit.”
The evil silver-shaded was stunned: “Why hasn't Tomorrow's Oark shut down yet?”
Longlong: “Teacher Guanfu, your name is very unique. It reminds me of my motherland. At that time, my name was also very long.”
The evil silver-shaded: “...”
The evil silver-shaded: “Alright, then my name is Guanfu.”
The red fox was amused by this group of people and laughed on the table for a long time.
When it was his turn, he wiped the corner of his eye: “I was originally going to say my name is ‘One Punch Explodes the Earth’…”
The red fox scratched its head and looked at Chu Zu, “That was my screen name when I was on the reader forum.”
“How about I just call myself Big Mango.”
If the system was there, the little yellow chicken would definitely look at its host immediately, its mouth rounded into an O.
Chu Zu just lowered his eyes, and countless thoughts formed in his mind.
After about three or four seconds, he spoke again: “Now that all the hosts have a basic understanding of each other, since we are engaged in the work of ‘correction,’ we should have extraordinary logical analysis skills.”
Chu Zu’s finger tapped on the table, “How about we play a game—has everyone heard of ‘Turtle Soup’?”
52 Biscuit slammed the table with its fins, making a loud noise: “I know! It’s a situational puzzle!”
The host tells a story, usually a very short one, just one or two sentences.
The players ask questions, which can only be answered with "yes" or "no."
By constantly asking questions, the players gradually piece together the hidden details and the full picture of the event.
The players’ goal is to piece together the truth behind the complete story by constantly asking questions and solving the contradictions in the puzzle.
Guanfu and Longlong were a little confused.
Big Mango, like 52 Biscuit, was more eager to try.
Chu Zu only briefly introduced the rules and didn’t care if Guanfu and Longlong understood.
After he finished, he began his “story.”
“An employee died in the office. There was a piece of paper and a pen on the table.”
The round table instantly fell silent.
Everyone was waiting for more details.
However, Chu Zu clearly had no intention of saying more.
“That’s it?”
Guanfu couldn't help but ask.
Chu Zu: “Yes, that’s it.”
“Did he commit suicide?”
52 Biscuit was the first to break the deadlock.
“No.”
Chu Zu’s answer was simple and direct, his tone still calm.
“Did his body have any hidden problems such as illness or overwork?”
Guanfu asked.
Chu Zu: “No.”
“So it was a murder…”
“No.”
“A qualified enterprise should be equipped with surveillance, right?”
Longlong said.
Guanfu could roughly tell from Longlong’s expression that this person was probably not a native speaker and was using a crappy translator bought from the mall.
He helped summarize: “Was there surveillance in the office?”
Longlong gave him a fierce and grateful look.
Chu Zu: “Yes.”
Guanfu: “Did the surveillance capture the process of his death!”
Chu Zu: “No.”
“Was the surveillance broken?”
“Yes.”
“Was it intentionally damaged?”
“No.”
The silence lasted for a moment, and finally someone broke the deadlock and continued to ask questions.
52 Biscuit: “Was there anyone else in the room?”
“No.”
“Were the doors and windows locked?”
“Yes.”
“What did he write?”
Guanfu asked eagerly, trying to break the current deadlock.
Chu Zu: “This is not a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question.”
Guanfu was a little embarrassed, and the others also fell into thought.
52 Biscuit: “Was there an important clue related to the cause of death written on the paper?”
“No.”
This answer made the few of them even more confused.
There was no important clue on the paper, so what did the paper and pen on the table represent?
Guanfu was getting a little worked up and continued to ask.
“Was he writing before he died?”
“Yes.”
“Did the surveillance capture the process of him writing?”
“No.”
“Did the surveillance fail before he died?”
“Yes.”
“Did he have any contact with anyone before he died?”
“No.”
“Was he scared before he died?”
“No.”
This employee died alone in the office, with a seemingly meaningless piece of paper and a pen on the table.
The surveillance had failed, and the doors and windows were locked.
He was neither affected by the outside world, nor did he have any internal fear or illness.
What was the truth that the answer pointed to?
Longlong shivered.
The shiver of a tyrannical T-Rex was extremely powerful.
Chu Zu had to fish out Big Mango, who had been blown away by the wind, for the second time.
“I am scared. This seems to be a supernatural story, without a doubt. My body temperature is dropping rapidly. The problem of global warming is thus solved. I have become a scared but happy T-Rex.”
“...”
Guanfu complained: “This is the charm of machine translation. Is her system bullying an honest person, not even buying her a better translator?”
52 Biscuit empathized: “My system is also very stingy. It said that it absolutely cannot be like the destitute little chicken from the ‘Side Character Correction System’ next door.”
He sighed, “I asked how destitute it was, but it wouldn't say. Instead, it scolded me for not working hard enough, saying that the destitute little chicken next door has already ascended to heaven with its Shiba Inu.”
Chu Zu: “...”
This group of hosts began to exchange stories about how "every family has its own problems."
The environment of the exchange conference was randomly set in a snowstorm mountain villa.
The air was filled with moisture, and the furnishings were also made to be oppressive.
This did not affect the hosts’ enthusiasm after they started chatting.
Longlong said that she did the work of "Overbearing CEO Correction".
The main thing was to not speak human language.
She didn't know why her evaluation was surprisingly high.
Guanfu was a "Regretful Character Correction" specialist.
Before he joined, he thought he would be changing regretful endings into happy endings.
After he started working, he found out that the author couldn't write regretful endings.
He was planning to quit after a few more times.
He was good at it, but he couldn't get used to it.
“Working on tragedies all day, who can stand it?”
52 Biscuit: “I’m in the same line of work as you…”
Guanfu: “...Can you not let me see a ferocious and happy smile on a humpback whale’s face, please? I’ll be scared to tears.”
Longlong seemed to have triggered some kind of keyword: “Your tears are very cheap and have ruined my precious mood. This is a successful table. You should laugh like a baby. I understand now. The greedy woman wants a kiss. That is absolutely impossible.”
“...”
Chu Zu didn't participate in the conversation at all, sitting quietly like a real system.
Big Mango suddenly spoke: “Is he a side character?”
The other hosts were still laughing at Longlong’s speech.
They didn't react when they heard Big Mango’s words.
It took them a while to remember that the Turtle Soup game was not over yet.
Not every host and system had a "close" relationship.
Most of them only treated them as a program with a certain personality setting, communicating when needed, and directly ignoring them when they couldn't get a result, and then looking for them again when they were needed.
When they thought Chu Zu was a system, they also tacitly accepted the mode of getting along.
The group of them didn't understand why Big Mango suddenly mentioned a side character.
Big Mango had been thinking and had not been paying attention to the topic at the table.
Suddenly being stared at by several pairs of eyes, he explained awkwardly: “I just remembered it when Teacher Biscuit mentioned it.”
“I have read a lot of revised works by revision teachers before, and I have also posted a lot of comments on the internet. I decided to join after being contacted by the system.”
“After I joined, I asked the system. It only said it was a ‘Side Character Correction’ specialist. The specific name could not be revealed.”
“I’m a ‘Tyrannical Protagonist Correction’ specialist. I’ve encountered many side characters in my work, so I paid more attention to them. The system reminded me not to pay too much attention to side characters who are not mentioned in the original text. If a story line that is not in the original text is pulled out, the author will cause trouble.”
Big Mango said: “It said it was not the little yellow chicken of the ‘Side Character Correction’ system, which would directly go to the author to brainwash them. That was extra work, and it didn't work overtime…”
The other hosts had not been involved with "Side characters."
At most, they had heard of "ascending to heaven with a chicken and dog."
This was like poking a hornet's nest of gossip.
“They can even go to the author to brainwash them?”
Guanfu was surprised, “I thought the rules were the rules…”
52 Biscuit: “I thought so too. This specialist is quite capable. He can even make the system work overtime? No… can he even modify the story line?”
Big Mango was now at ease: “The revision is so good. Let me show you the comments I left on the forum back then.”
He took out his phone from his pocket.
Chu Zu had seen it in the mall.
It was just a device similar to a phone.
It couldn't make calls and wasn't connected to the internet.
At most, it could take pictures, play the built-in match-three game to pass the time, and act as an electronic memo.
He had a system and a diary, so there was no need to buy one.
Big Mango placed his phone on the round table, opened the photo album, and on it were carefully preserved screenshots.
***
I’m really impressed.
Can someone please control Nilia?
I can understand that he wants to rewrite the history textbook.
I don’t lose anything by him releasing the history book he wrote as a free extra.
But can this dog-thing please not add his own stuff to 99% of the serious literature?
Does anyone understand?
I was still moved that this credit score spinning top’s academic achievements were actually passable.
The next line was—
“Sagteni I stretched out his slender fingers and helped Naqiya up. His eyes, more beautiful than rubies, shone with a brilliance comparable to diamonds. The king’s indescribable beauty showed a strong and firm will, and even a hint of tenderness.”
…I killed Nilia.
I killed Nilia!!!!!
YUE｜Commented on 2024-04-30 13:12:32
I never would have thought that the main text would be so satisfying, and the extra would make me want to vomit.
I really hate Nilia’s lack of boundaries.
What did the readers do wrong to be disgusted by you along with Polika?
Sharking to Saint Imolai in three days｜Commented on 2024-04-30 13:12:59
He calls this official history.
He even had the history professor revise it.
I imagined the kind of questions this person’s brain could come up with.here's a high probability that they will be deleted by the author. The only teacher and system who would negotiate with the author for the sake of the whole text is that one teacher and system—”
He looked at Chu Zu, “Is he a side character?”
Chu Zu had been listening to them talk quietly all along.
All eyes were on him.
After a long silence, he suddenly smiled, and his eyes also curved a little.
At this moment, all the lights in the mountain villa suddenly went out.
The sound of the rain became more and more urgent, and the thunder rumbled like drumbeats.
A mechanical voice with no emotion sounded at all the round tables.
Congratulations to the ‘Side Character Correction’ specialist 3549 for winning the Best Newcomer award.
Let us give a warm round of applause to the winner of this evening’s Best Newcomer award.
We also wish you all a more brilliant future in your work!
The little yellow chicken at the next round table jumped up from its seat, flapped its wings, and showed off to all the little chickens at the table.
The only spotlight shone on Chu Zu.
A small crown descended from mid-air and slowly landed on his head.
There was also a very tacky display of confetti.
The hosts at the round table: “...”
Guanfu: “What kind of BUG is this? A system is giving an award to a system? Or is ‘One Punch Explodes the Earth’ this specialist’s system, and was temporarily pulled over to be the host of our table?”
52 Biscuit: “...There’s another possibility.”
Longlong: “Lies are like dew, crystal clear at first glance, but when the sun rises, they eventually disappear without a trace.”
Big Mango’s eyes were wide.
Chu Zu took off the small, palm-sized crown from his head, intending to give it to the little yellow chicken to make it happy.
He nodded with a smile: “Isn't the theme of this time the ‘Lying Conference’?”
Guanfu was stunned for a moment, then slapped the table with his cat paw, laughing as he said: “You really tricked me. Damn it, how can you guys who do side character correction be so terrifying!”
52 Biscuit quickly stopped the T-Rex next to him: “Longlong, don’t learn to slap the table, don’t!”
Big Mango was still in a daze.
Chu Zu said to him gently: “Yes.”
“Because he is a side character and accidentally entered the main storyline, so without being affected by the outside world, nor having any internal fear or illness, the surveillance broke, and he died.”
Big Mango: “...Then what was written on that piece of paper?”
“Some possible causes of death were written.”
“Causes of death? He knew he was going to die?”
“Who knows.”
Chu Zu shrugged, “Maybe he knew, maybe he didn't. Only he himself knows the reason for doing this.”
Big Mango was lost in thought, not knowing what he was thinking, and didn't ask any more questions.
The host exchange conference ended after the newcomer award was presented.
The little yellow chicken at the round table began to look for its host to meet up.
Chu Zu watched the system come running over, bouncing and hopping.
He placed it on his shoulder and put the small crown on its head.
“Now you don't have to go and fight with your superior.”
The little yellow chicken was very happy, its face flushed: “Hehehe.”
It waved its little wings and pointed the host in the direction of the exit: “I wasn’t completely idle just now. I’ve already received the next mission. We have plenty of time to prepare this time!”
Chu Zu walked through a crowd of non-human creatures.
The advantage of his height was completely gone in front of countless T-Rexes and humpback whales.
“What’s the next mission?”
Chu Zu knew his own physique.
If he was squeezed, he would probably fall apart.
So he simply found an empty space and waited until the other hosts had mostly left.
System: “Fifty Billion Years of Solitude, a science fiction ensemble piece. I’ve read the story summary and character introductions, and I don’t know how to summarize this character—the readers say he’s a very, very bad green tea!”
Chu Zu: “...”
Chu Zu: “Then I have to prepare well. I’ve never played this kind of role before.”
The little yellow chicken had 100% faith in its host's abilities and didn't think this was a problem at all.
It was still giggling foolishly with its little crown.
Most of the hosts had dispersed, and Chu Zu was also planning to go back to his sea of consciousness to sort things out.
He walked to the door, and someone called out to him from behind.
“Teacher—!”
It was Big Mango.
A very serious little yellow chicken followed closely behind the red fox, still shouting at him to slow down.
Running up to Chu Zu, Big Mango was out of breath.
He supported himself on his knees and looked up: “You… you haven’t introduced your name yet…!”
Chu Zu waited for him to catch his breath and said good-naturedly: “I am Chu Zu.”
Big Mango pursed his lips and quickly glanced at the system behind him.
He swallowed and said: “I am… Earth Big Mango.”
Chu Zu nodded: “I’ll remember it.”
He said, “See you at the next year-end advanced specialist exchange conference.”
Earth Big Mango’s eyes sparkled: “Okay, I’ll work hard!”