Mini World Game Console-Chapter 683 - 684: Playboy [Second Update]

After reaching the agreed location, Bai Ji stopped the car, checked the time, and took out a Spinning Top and a launcher gun from a storage compartment in the car.

It seemed this toy wasn't popular anymore. When Bai Ji was a child, tops and yo-yos were in vogue. He'd always liked playing with tops, a hobby he maintained to this day. Back then, spinning a top required a sawtooth whip-like string. Now, with technological advancements, you could just fix the top on the launcher and shoot it out.

Bai Ji aimed at the windshield and launched the top. Then, his eyes focused. Ice flowers burst in front of the top, restraining its kinetic energy, allowing it to spin on the car's dashboard without hitting the windshield.

Ice flowers burst incrementally, controlling the top's direction. Each explosion added kinetic energy, keeping it swaying back and forth on the dashboard for several minutes without stopping.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Bai Ji immediately blinked, causing the bottom of the top to freeze and fix it in place.

He quickly stashed the top and the launcher gun away, looked at his phone, and found that Ren Suo had sent a new location. He immediately got out of the car, ice forming under his feet, and ran towards the destination with light steps.

When he arrived at the Northeast entrance of the square, he saw a group of people gathered under the statue that served as a landmark. It seemed to be a guy surrounded by several young girls.

This scene was not unfamiliar to Bai Ji; after all, he often found himself as the main character in such situations. However, as he got closer, he couldn't help but show a look of surprise on his face, "You..."

At that moment, a young girl heard his voice and turned her head. She covered her mouth in surprise, glancing between the two of them as she spoke with an incredulous tone, "Handsome, are you two twins?"

"What?" The others turned to look at the commotion. Other passersby at the entrance of the square also couldn't help but be drawn in by the scene: two handsome men with identical hairstyles and appearances, both wrapped in thick clothes and scarves, with skin as fair as a female celebrity's!

The only difference was that one seemed a bit aloof, the other a bit like an idiot.

Seeing that a commotion was brewing, Ren Suo quickly turned down the other girls' invitations for a meal and walked into the square with Bai Ji, arm in arm, laughing. "Surprised, aren't you?"

Although Ren Suo didn't want to reveal his ability to shapeshift, he couldn't help but have a tiny bit of desire to show off.

However, finding the right person to boast to wasn't easy. His family was out of the question, and bragging to Dong Chengling and the others felt strange. He could only find other men to brag to. However, he was afraid that Zhao Huo, Yu Kuangtu, and others would blab. After some thought, he realized that only Bai Ji and Li Dan were safe choices for him to show off to. With Li Dan not around, and since he had transformed into Bai Ji, he decided to give Bai Ji a 'surprise'—he trusted Bai Ji's acceptance and confidentiality immensely.

And Bai Ji didn't disappoint Ren Suo; always cool and composed, his jaw nearly hit the floor.

At the restaurant they had reserved, the female receptionist almost couldn't move her legs when she saw the two of them. She led them to their table. After Ren Suo declined table-side service three times, the waitress left with a disappointed look.

Finally, Bai Ji came to his senses and asked, "What happened?"

"Nothing much, just that I've become exactly like you," Ren Suo chuckled, waiting for Bai Ji's retort.

However, Bai Ji just smiled, took a sip of Brown Rice Tea, and said, "Awakening Technique?"

"Hmm, last night, while researching awakened spells, I discovered they could be used to adjust one's own body. So, I used you as a specific target for the adjustment." Ren Suo again used the Awakening Technique as a shield—a tried and true strategy.

This excuse was hardly solid and easily raised suspicion. However, Ren Suo didn't use it on just anybody. Firstly, only those he trusted had the chance to ask. Secondly, he only offered this explanation to those who would indulge him.

Bai Ji didn't press further but instead seriously advised, "If it's not necessary, don't use this ability in front of others again. Even if you do, try to change into someone completely fictional or someone willing to provide you with an alibi. You are not a warrior responsible for frontline actions. This kind of ability will only draw unnecessary surveillance and suspicion to you."

"I understand," Ren Suo said. "It just can't be undone in a moment; the spell will release automatically after a while."

"No, you don't understand well enough," Bai Ji lowered his voice. "Although there are many awakened spells, very few directly alter flesh and bones, as this is closely related to genetic information. As a Natural Series Awakener, I'm actually considered lower-middle tier among Awakeners."

"Cheng Ling belongs to the Space Series, but at most, she's also just a middle-tier Awakener."

"What the state really values are Material Series Awakeners, Biological Series Awakeners, and Physical Series Awakeners." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Ren Suo interjected, "That's completely different from the typical setup in supernatural power literature, where usually it's those with ice, fire, or space powers that are most valued, right? Physical abilities tend to be associated with expendable forces. My ability is at best good for espionage, wouldn't you say?"

Bai Ji shook his head. "Literature is one thing, reality is another. Ice, fire, lightning, electricity – these energies that humanity has long mastered – are actually worth little in modern society. They only retain value for destruction."

"You know as well that the state has long hidden the truly important Awakeners. We Combat Series Awakeners, unless we reach Fourth-tier Levels, are just cogs in society."

"However, Material Series, Biological Series, and Physical Series Awakeners hold the potential to be replicated and studied by research institutes. The Material Series is an obvious example; the Extraordinary Materials developed by the state have already become key strategic resources. Biological Series and Physical Series have also become important national research projects."

"On this point, even Space Series isn't as important as your transformation ability. The state doesn't yet have the capability to manufacture space equipment, and only a handful of Cultivators can learn Space Spells."

"But your transformation ability could serve as a template for biological engineering. To put it simply, it could crack the human genetic code. More significantly, it could even affect the development of longevity technologies."

"If you expose this ability, the state certainly won't let you be a spy, even though your ability is indeed very suitable for it."

"But how can temporary intelligence compare with long-term benefits? The immense value contained within your transformation ability far exceeds the limits of espionage."

Ren Suo blinked and subconsciously pulled the scarf around his neck down to cover his mouth.

Although Ren Suo always paid attention to national strategy, compared to a Cultivator like Bai Ji who had served in the military, there were certainly many things he took for granted.

He could only think of uses like intelligence operations but forgot that the ability itself could potentially become a direction for human technological research.

But this ability had nothing to do with awakened spells at all. If Ren Suo exposed it, he really wouldn't have any explanation to offer. It seemed he couldn't casually show it off in the future.

Seeing that Ren Suo finally understood the gravity of the situation, the dishes arrived. Bai Ji began to eat and said with a laugh, "But you really did startle me just now. I haven't slept well these past couple of days and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me."

"Oh, right," Ren Suo asked, "how come you passed through Baiyun? Didn't you go home for the New Year?"

"I was called back to base for training on the first day of the New Year."

"Training? Base?" Ren Suo was taken aback.

Bai Ji mouthed the words "Yangtze River."

Ren Suo said, "But hadn't you already retired from there and been transferred to Heavenly Lotus Academy to become a teacher? Why do you still need to go for training?"

Bai Ji shook his head. "I haven't retired. When needed, I must immediately return to the troops and rush to the frontline for combat. Being a school teacher is actually a sort of 'free-range' training. Our potential has been recognized by the organization. Since they don't have more targeted training methods for us, they let us return to teach and learn theory for better Cultivation."

Ren Suo marveled, "Then why suddenly start training? Could it be... should I start preparing food supplies in advance?"

Bai Ji shook his head. "I don't know. It might just be routine training."

Ren Suo grimaced. "Routine training would have you training on the first day of the New Year? There must be something urgent happening for them to make you go to the base early to train and adapt..."

"Don't worry," Bai Ji shook his head again. "If a war were truly imminent, I would certainly be stationed long-term at the base, not coming home for New Year's after just a few days of training. I feel the country might also be unsure if something will happen, so they're just having us front-line soldiers make preparations. If nothing happens, I'll most likely continue teaching at the academy."

"I hope nothing does happen," Ren Suo sighed. "I still want to live to a hundred, wait for the day of brain-computer interfaces, and then directly eternalize myself in the network through Datafication..."

"Even if war breaks out, you'll definitely be fine," Bai Ji smiled. "You're a Healing Cultivator, very safe in the rear."

Ren Suo chuckled. "Once war breaks out, nowhere is safe. As a Third-turn Cultivator who has received so many government subsidies, if the Fourth-Stage Cultivators can't hold out and they need us Third-turn Cultivators, then I, as the country's 39th-ranked Cultivator, would have to fight when needed and sacrifice if necessary."

Bai Ji looked at Ren Suo and opened his mouth, but said nothing.

After dinner, Ren Suo made a request to Bai Ji, "Could you use your ID to help me set up a computer at the internet cafe? And, um, deposit about a dozen hours of internet time."

"Are you planning to play on the computer for a dozen hours?" Bai Ji chuckled softly.

"What else would I do? Walk around with your face?" Ren Suo complained. "Do you know, just this morning, nearly ten girls hit on me! Ten! In one morning! How do you stand it!?"

Bai Ji replied, "I'm usually surrounded by other female teachers. You get used to it."

Ren Suo was shocked. "How can you get used to that?" It's a good thing I'm not as handsome as you; otherwise, Cheng Ling and the others would probably never allow me to go out. Though, I don't go out much anyway...

"Cheng Ling? Them?" Bai Ji slightly raised his eyebrows, repeating the words with a teasing tone.

Ren Suo suddenly became awkward. Talking to his parents about his Boundless Love was one thing, talking to Dong Chengling and the others about his sincere feelings for them was another, and discussing his ambitions with other friends was yet another. "Well... it's a long story," he said. "I'll tell you when the dust settles."

"Speaking of which, don't you have a girlfriend?" Ren Suo suddenly changed the subject, eyeing Bai Ji. "With your assets, I feel like you could become a playboy who toys with women."

"..." Bai Ji raised his eyebrows. Do you really have any room to talk?

"I don't have a girlfriend because I have certain expectations for my other half," Bai Ji casually replied.

"So your standards must be pretty high. You must know quite a few girls, yet you don't like any of them?"

"Yeah. Across Four Oceans, Seven Continents, over two hundred countries, more than two thousand ethnic groups, and a population of seven billion... I just can't find a girl I like."

As they reached the internet cafe's entrance, Bai Ji used his ID to create an account, then said goodbye to Ren Suo, "Keep working hard, don't give up on the person you like, and have no regrets. See you at Lian Jiang."

Ren Suo, who was being hit on by the female cashier at the internet cafe, hurried to his computer. Hearing Bai Ji's voice, Ren Suo turned and waved goodbye to him.

「Three hours later.」

Bai Ji drove home and called out as he entered, "Grandma?"

"Why are you only back now?" Grandma, who was watching TV in the living room, came over to help him with some luggage and complained, "Didn't you say you'd be back at noon? I already bought groceries, and only then did you say you couldn't make it back for noon..."

"I had lunch with a friend," Bai Ji smiled. "It just slipped my mind, and then he happened to not oversleep this morning, so—"

"Hm? Which friend?" Grandma's senses sharpened. She looked at Bai Ji and said, "You had a meal with a friend, Little Bai, and you're still this happy? Are you in love?"

"Grandma, I'm happy because I can finally come home," Bai Ji said with a wry smile.

"It's not the same, not at all. Even when you're happy to be home, you usually hide it well. Not like now, you've been wearing a smile ever since you got back."

Grandma didn't buy it. "Since you've already eaten together, why not invite them over for a meal someday? Grandma will cook! Little Bai, you've never brought anyone home for a meal. This time, you must let Grandma meet them..."

Bai Ji reined in his smile, speaking softly, "But... my friend is a guy."

"A guy?" Grandma paused for a moment. Bai Ji nodded, his face calm as he watched her, already prepared for anything.

"But..." Grandma blinked and said, puzzled, "Boys need to eat too, right?"