1: Life is meaningless

9:31 PM, inside the pub, a company dinner was underway.

“Life is full of hope! I’m still young and have a bright future, good days are beckoning to me.”

A young colleague, eyes crinkled in a smile, spilled half a pint of beer from his raised glass due to his body swaying too much.

Thud—

Setting down his glass, Su Yue shook his head at the eloquent young colleague and chuckled.

“Come, let me do some calculations for you and tell you—life has no hope.”

He stretched his shoulders, peeled a salted peanut from the plate, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

“You are 25 this year. Your family paid the down payment, and you took out an 800,000 yuan loan to buy a 120-square-meter apartment.”

“An 800,000 yuan loan, with 750,000 yuan in interest. You took out a 30-year loan, paying 4,500 yuan each month. This is a fixed expense.”

“Three meals a day: 5 yuan for breakfast, 20 yuan for lunch, 20 yuan for dinner. That’s 45 yuan a day, not much, right? Calculated over 30 days a month, that’s 1,350 yuan.”

“You also drive to and from work. Let’s say 20 yuan for gas. There are 26 working days in a month, so that’s 520 yuan.”

“Once a month, you meet friends for two gatherings, each costing 100 yuan, totaling 200 yuan.”

“Not counting clothes, medical expenses, social obligations... just these expenses alone, your fixed monthly expenditure is—6,570 yuan.”

The private room fell silent, all colleagues held their breath, listening to Su Yue’s calculations.

“This monthly expenditure is still based on the premise that you don't have a girlfriend.”

“With a girlfriend, dates, meals, gifts, hotel rooms... let’s say 800 yuan a month, not much, right?”

“6,570 yuan + 800 yuan = 7,370 yuan.”

He peeled another salted peanut, chewed it, and then ‘gulped’ down a large mouthful of beer, letting out a hiccup.

“Your current salary is 5,500 yuan a month. You’re barely getting by, relying on your parents.”

“When you find a girlfriend and get married, the bride price and wedding preparations will total about 200,000 yuan.”

“These are just the beginning. If you have a child, there’s childbirth, nursing, subsequent check-ups for the child... all of which cost money...”

Thud—

“Stop, stop...”

“Life... life, it really has no meaning!”

“Wuwuwuwu—”

The young man sitting opposite Su Yue put down his glass, covered his face, and sobbed over the table.

His colleagues comforted him while looking at Su Yue with complex expressions.

Su Yue continued to calmly peel salted peanuts from the plate, putting them into his mouth one by one, chewing expressionlessly, his jaw muscles bulging and contracting.

Life truly has no meaning, no hope.

Su Yue, having lived two lives, was certain of this.

In his previous life, Su Yue had died from overwork due to the 996 work schedule, and then transmigrated to this parallel world where living customs and the global structure were all the same.

He had thought he could achieve great things after transmigration, just like the protagonists in online novels.

But Su Yue found that life was still the same as in his previous life: home, company, a monotonous and boring two-point-one-line existence.

For ordinary people who follow the rules and proceed step-by-step to achieve a good life, there’s a good analogy:

Lu Zhishen and Li Kui stacking up—man upon man.

Toiling daily, just to earn a few meager coins to get by.

Day after day.

All grand words, all dreams, all passions, were extinguished amidst data reports, repeated bows to clients, and countless late-night overtime sessions.

Su Yue yearned for a life of excitement and unrestrained freedom.

But reality, aimed a cold gun at him, and at all social animals, killing the desires within him.

Days, they just repeated, boring, every day the same.

...

At 11:40 PM, as the dinner was about to end.

The company’s female President Lan, with her cool and distant demeanor, arrived late, her high heels clicking.

“Sorry, something came up, I’m late.” President Lan’s expression was cool, and the apology she intended to convey felt a bit stiff.

The other tipsy managers quickly said it was fine and asked President Lan to say a few words.

“Then, I’ll give a closing speech.”

Clink clink clink—

With that, President Lan used a delicate golden spoon to tap the rim of her champagne glass, producing a crisp sound that drew the attention of the employees around the tables, who were already putting on their coats and were blurry with drunkenness, to look at her.

Her dark hair was pulled back into a bun, revealing a slender, fair neck, giving her a capable and sharp appearance; beneath her willow-like brows were almond-shaped eyes, and her small cherry lips held a hint of red.

Her long, off-white trench coat covered most of her curves, but at her waist, it suddenly ‘caved in’ on both sides, ‘a slender waist that can be grasped with one hand’ was the best description.

Lan Zijun was strikingly beautiful, very ‘aggressive’ in her looks. Coupled with her usually quiet nature and powerful aura, she exuded an intimidating ‘do not approach’ vibe. Even her occasional smiles felt like they held a hidden agenda.

‘Ice Beauty’ was the best description for her.

“Everyone, I have a few words to say.”

Swish—

Upon hearing this, all employees put down their cutlery and stared intently at Lan Zijun’s lips.

“The company has come this far, thanks to everyone’s hard work. Thank you all.”

After speaking, Lan Zijun bowed slightly to express her gratitude, prompting a resounding round of applause from everyone.

“I hope everyone can continue to work hard and achieve new glories. New colleagues who have joined the company, please keep up with the company’s pace. The company guarantees that you will realize your self-worth and simultaneously earn a fortune. Does everyone have confidence?!”

“Yes!!”

Even with her highly inciting and passionate words, President Lan’s delivery was ‘chillingly cold.’

But the employees were very quick-witted. Fearing an awkward silence, they shouted in unison as if injected with adrenaline, their voices seemingly capable of tearing off the roof.

At this moment.

Su Yue, sitting in the co-host seat at table 3, didn’t join the shouting. He chuckled softly, peeled a salted peanut, and put it in his mouth to chew.

“Alright, thank you everyone. Please be careful on your way home!”

After finishing her speech, President Lan’s face remained devoid of a smile. After instructing a few executives, she left.

The employees watched, their eyes red with envy and excitement, discussing animatedly.

“President Lan is so beautiful, I really like her.”

“My pee is yellow, let me wake you up!”

“A true strong woman, ordinary people can’t match her.”

“That’s why President Lan is still single.”

...

Not participating in the discussion, Su Yue waved goodbye to his colleagues.

Standing at the hotel entrance, looking at the line of taxis waiting for passengers, Su Yue sniffed. He didn’t want to spend money on a taxi, so he pulled out his phone, turned around, and walked to the nearby Hello Bike parking area.

“Beep—Welcome to Hello Bike.”

He straddled the bike and rode off towards his rented room.

The cold wind of early morning was crisp, blowing on Su Yue’s flushed face from drinking. He held the handlebars with one hand and wrapped his coat tighter around himself with the other.

It really was a bit cold.

Whoosh—

A new Audi A6L sped past Su Yue.

Its integrated taillights cut a dazzling beam of light through the night, full of cyberpunk style.

Su Yue watched the Audi drive away, subconsciously calculating how long it would take him to buy one with his current salary.

There weren’t many people on the road late at night, so Su Yue pedaled faster.

Unconsciously, 20 minutes passed.

After turning a familiar corner, the asphalt road became broken, and after another 30 meters, it turned into a concrete road.

The surrounding tall buildings disappeared, replaced by rows of single-story houses with chimneys.

At this point, he entered the area where he rented—the City Village.

Compared to apartments or residential buildings closer to the company, the rent in the City Village was forty percent cheaper.

Another 5 minutes of cycling.

Su Yue stopped at the entrance of a detached house with its own courtyard, the main building being a two-story house.

He locked the shared bike with Bluetooth, paid, then took out his keys to open the gate and walked into the courtyard.

Opening the door and stepping into the living room, the main light was already off, with only a small night light on the wall emitting a faint yellow glow.

Tiptoeing, Su Yue took off his coat.

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He shared the house with someone, and returning so late, his roommate on the second floor was already asleep.

Out of politeness, Su Yue couldn’t make noise and disturb his roommate’s rest.

But no matter how careful he was, he still inadvertently made a sound.

Click—

Su Yue heard a switch click upstairs, followed by the white light illuminating the stairway to the second floor.

It seemed his roommate was awake, so Su Yue simply turned on the main living room light.

The darkness was dispelled, and everything became bright.

Tap tap tap—

The sound of slippers rubbing against the floor tiles echoed. Su Yue looked up, first seeing a pair of small, delicate, fair, and slightly rosy jade feet.

His gaze extended upwards, to a pair of straight, fair, long legs.

Further up, his eyes followed the undulating curves of a shapely body, finally resting on a face of unparalleled beauty.

“Yawn—You’re back?”

His female roommate, Lin Jia, rubbed her sleepy eyes. The lingering drowsiness hadn’t completely faded, but she still managed to give Su Yue a smile.

Lin Jia was a Sales Director at a Fortune 500 company. She was highly capable in business, efficient, fair-skinned, beautiful, and had long legs.

Although she always smiled, her interactions with people revealed a cold demeanor of ‘I am the Queen,’ making her unapproachable. Even her occasional smiles felt like they held a hidden agenda.

With a monthly salary of 63,680 yuan, Lin Jia was capable of renting a house dozens of times better and more expensive than this City Village.

But Lin Jia liked the quietness here, and the pleasure of being able to plant flowers and vegetables in the courtyard.

And her reason for co-renting with Su Yue was twofold: first, she saw that Su Yue had no ulterior motives and was easy to get along with; second, Su Yue was strong and having a man at home would be safer than living alone.

The two had been co-renting for over 2 years now.

Living under the same roof, they got along harmoniously, never having a single argument or fight.

And with such a celestial beauty by his side, Su Yue had never made any inappropriate moves.

It was very simple.

Their statuses were too disparate, a difference like heaven and earth.

A bottle of body lotion Lin Jia used cost Su Yue’s three months’ salary!

Such a vast chasm lay between them, making the pragmatic Su Yue very sensible.

While daily life was harmonious, Su Yue never harbored any improper thoughts; he simply treated her as an ordinary roommate, neither humble nor arrogant.

...

“Yes, I’m back. Sorry, did I wake you up?”

Su Yue’s tone was slightly apologetic. Lin Jia waved her hand, her smile already answering ‘it’s okay’ for her.

“I made tomato and beef brisket today. I saved a bowl for you in the pot in the kitchen. If you’ve already eaten, just have it for breakfast tomorrow. Don’t mind it.”

“How could I mind? Thank you.”

“Then I’m going back to sleep.”

“Okay, good night.”

“Good night.”

Her dimples blooming at the corners of her mouth, Lin Jia turned and went upstairs. The thin silk tie of her flimsy nightgown fluttered behind her, making her silhouette appear even more slender and graceful.

Watching Lin Jia go upstairs, Su Yue turned and went to the kitchen.

He lifted the lid of the pot, and hot steam carried the sweet aroma of tomatoes.

A full, large bowl of tomato and beef brisket soup.

Wow, Lin Jia left me so much!

Surprised, Su Yue carefully took out the bowl. After setting it down, he quickly touched his earlobes to cool his fingers.

He took out a spoon and took a large sip.

“Ohh—”

The sweet beef brisket soup warmed a path through Su Yue’s body, all the way to his navel, making him let out a comfortable sound.

Lin Jia’s cooking was truly excellent.

Gulp—gulp—

Drinking in large mouthfuls, Su Yue’s drunkenness largely dissipated, and his heart was filled with emotion due to Lin Jia’s warm gesture.

Life was tough, but occasionally there would be a piece of candy.

He put down the spoon, preparing to lift the soup bowl to his mouth.

But before his hand even touched the rim of the bowl, his body stiffened.

Ding ding ding—

A series of electronic ticking sounds inexplicably echoed in his ears.

Su Yue hadn’t even had time to look for the source of the sound when an even more startling situation appeared.

“Do you want to start building your Intelligence Outpost?”

On a frosted interface, neat black characters appeared vividly before his eyes!

Huh?!

Su Yue’s body trembled slightly, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

I drank too much, I’m hallucinating.

He reached out and rubbed his eyes hard, then opened them again.

The text was still there.

Hiss—

He gasped, turned on the nearby faucet, and splashed water on his eyes.

The icy sensation spread throughout his body, and Su Yue shivered. By muscle memory, he grabbed a towel and dried his face.

“Do you want to start building your Intelligence Outpost?”

The text was still there, and the prompt sound in his ears was still there.

Oh my god!

At this moment, Su Yue was completely sober, his drunkenness entirely gone!

It wasn’t a hallucination; the text really appeared before his eyes!

As a transmigrator, after the initial confusion, Su Yue reacted.

This... isn’t this a cheat code?!

That’s right, it’s a cheat code!

An excited heart, trembling hands, Su Yue felt as if electricity was coursing through his body.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

He took several deep breaths, steadying his mind, and looked carefully at the option interface.

“Do you want to start building your Intelligence Outpost?”

At this point, there was no need to hesitate; just choose ‘Yes’ and be done with it!

“Yes!” Su Yue licked his lips.

The interface changed accordingly.

“Please select the location you want to build:”

“Bedroom”

“Basement”

“Storage Room”

Along with the option interface, a 3D model of the small courtyard and the house also appeared, with the three locations marked with flashing lights, allowing Su Yue to make a better judgment.

He subconsciously touched his chin, quickly thinking.

Although he still didn’t know what ‘Intelligence Outpost’ meant.

But understanding it literally, it would naturally be better to establish it in a hidden place.

After a few moments, Su Yue made a decision, his mind stirring slightly:

“Build the Intelligence Outpost in the basement!”

Su Yue had three reasons for choosing the basement.

First, when he rented the place, the landlord only gave Su Yue the basement key; Lin Jia didn’t have it.

Second, Lin Jia had clearly stated that she disliked dark places, so she would never go to the basement, not even if she were to die.

Third, the landlord had moved abroad permanently, and the rent was paid six months at a time via WeChat and Alipay, so the landlord wouldn’t return to use the basement.

Considering these points, it was no exaggeration to say that the basement was exclusively Su Yue’s!

Choosing to build the Intelligence Outpost there couldn’t be more suitable!

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