32: Chapter 32 Man vs. Machine

"Beep. ID number 090943, facial recognition successful!"

"Please unload the firearm magazine, return it to its original position, and then depart."

Su Fan returned the QBZ191 automatic rifle, having fired all 100 rounds, to the controlled area, left the shooting training hall, and then clocked out to head home.

For the past half month, it had basically been like this every day: starting to Cultivate at nine in the morning until twelve, and then combat and shooting training in the afternoon.

Back on the very first day he participated in the group Cultivation, Su Fan had noticed something that others could never have discovered.

That was that the Spiritual Qi here was much thinner compared to the Tianxuan Continent.

To be precise, at least a hundred times thinner.

Extremely, extremely faint.

When he Cultivated according to the Qiankun Spirit Gathering Art on the Tianxuan Continent, he would only need to inhale Spiritual Qi for half an hour to require an entire day to refine it. Here, even if he absorbed it for a whole day, it wouldn't compare to a single deep breath on the Tianxuan Continent...

He didn't know if this was just the case in this Safe Zone, or if it was like this for the entire Earth.

Speaking of that Qiankun Spirit Gathering Art, Su Fan had tried to follow the Mind-Cultivation Technique chants in his memory, attempting to reach the same ideal state of Cultivation he had on the Tianxuan Continent, but it had no effect.

Instead, he inhaled a large amount of Impurities, leading to twice the effort for half the result.

Consequently, his cultivation level had seen almost no growth, let alone a Breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage Middle Stage.

...

Returning home, he casually picked up the premium Spiritual Liquid distributed to everyone by the bureau. These Spiritual Liquids were Spiritual Qi compressed through technological means; once opened, they would evaporate, but sealing them back up would keep them in a liquid state.

He inhaled some; it was indeed purer than the Spiritual Qi in the air, but it still couldn't reach the concentration of the Tianxuan Continent.

And they claimed this was a month's supply. What was this amount even good for...

Sitting on the bed, Su Fan used his Divine Sense to check the panel of his Golden Finger, the 'Happy Life simulator'. During this time, he certainly hadn't forgotten about the simulator.

After all, the simulator had given him such great benefits.

He checked the simulator's status almost every day, but for the past few days, the simulator had been displaying that it was charging...

[This simulator is currently charging Happiness Energy... Current energy value 9.25%]

It was just like a mobile phone needing a charge when out of power, except the simulator was charging with Happiness Energy.

He didn't know how this Happiness Energy was actually obtained.

The number on the light screen increased by a little bit every day.

Su Fan remembered it was 8.59% yesterday. Based on his observations over the past few days, it charged an average of about 0.6% to 0.8% per day. There was some fluctuation, but it stayed within that range every day.

In other words, it would take at least about 150 days for the simulator to finish charging?

"So, what exactly is this Happiness Energy, and how do I obtain it?"

Carrying this question, he had asked the simulator many times.

The simulator did not answer.

Unlike the anthropomorphic System written about in many web novels, Su Fan's simulator was very rigid and would not communicate with its host.

However, Su Fan didn't complain about it.

If he didn't have this Golden Finger, he would still be a web novel writer earning one or two yuan a day. Now that he had joined the Justice Bureau, his salary for the first month of his internship was 6,000 yuan, and after the internship month, he would become a regular employee with a salary of 8,000 yuan.

"Qin Xiaoxiao is actually quite nice. She said she would give me a raise; everyone else gets 3,500, but she actually raised mine directly to 6,000..."

Thinking of Qin Xiaoxiao, his female superior, Su Fan felt quite grateful.

However, the fact that he hadn't revealed his Golden Core Stage cultivation level at the beginning had made him struggle with it for a while.

Eventually, after thinking about it carefully, it was better not to show off his sharp edge.

It wasn't that he wanted to play the pig to eat the tiger or pretend to be weak to slap faces.

It was just that this was the real world!

There were many unknown things; even if he was at the Golden Core Stage, so what?

Could one person take on the entire Earth alone?

Revealing his full cultivation might have improved his treatment a lot, perhaps allowing him to become a deputy bureau chief or something, sitting above Qin Xiaoxiao, but firstly, he wasn't keen on enjoying the feeling of power, and secondly, he was easily satisfied; 6,000 yuan a month was already quite good.

He could go to Shaxian and add two eggs to every meal.

Cultivators on Earth could not reach the state of those on the Tianxuan Continent, who could go long periods without eating or drinking; instead, they were like normal people and needed to eat three meals a day.

Furthermore, they would get drowsy and want to sleep after staying up for at most three to five nights.

"It seems that there really are many unknowns on Earth, waiting to be unveiled..."

...

...

Justice Bureau, 13th Security Section.

Qin Xiaoxiao, dressed in a form-fitting azure uniform, stood tall and straight before everyone and announced to all members: "There will be a combat drill from the First Security Division shortly. The theme of this drill is 'Man vs. Machine'. Personnel from other Security Sections are all going to watch, so you should go and watch too. Mind your discipline!"

As soon as Qin Xiaoxiao finished speaking, the entire Security Section seemed to explode with excitement.

"The First Security Division? I heard there are quite a few top-tier experts at the Foundation Establishment Stage there?"

"What does 'Man vs. Machine' mean?"

"It means Cultivators fighting against drones. 'Man' refers to the Cultivators, and 'Machine' refers to the drones."

"Can drones defeat Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage? Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators can perform Sword Flight!"

"That's hard to say. Drones nowadays are very powerful; not only do they carry particle beam weapons, but they can also lock onto, track, and launch advanced missiles, and they can even carry micro-explosives to conduct suicide attacks..."

"Let's go, let's go, there's a good show to watch!"

Everyone headed to the drill grounds together.

By this time, hundreds of people had already surrounded the drill grounds; they were comrades from other Security Sections who had come to observe and learn.

At this moment, in the sky above, several Cultivators performing Sword Flight were standing in a straight line, and about a kilometer opposite them was the drone formation they were to fight against.

Watching these Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators performing Sword Flight, the Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators from other Security Sections all looked on with yearning expressions and envious eyes.

"Sword Flight is so cool. I hope that one day I can also perform Sword Flight..."

"Then hurry up and Cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage!"

"Sigh, those Senior Brothers are one-in-ten-thousand Geniuses. They reached Foundation Establishment in three years; across the entire Great Xia, they are rare as Phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, only a handful exist!"

Even in Qin Xiaoxiao's eyes, a look of yearning was revealed.

Although she was the Section Chief of the 13th Security Section, compared to these Senior Brothers from the First Security Division, her cultivation and combat power were still far too inferior...

At this moment, inside the drill grounds, several drone operators held remote controls in their hands, their eyes fixed intently on the screens, ready to control the drones to start the fight at any moment.

They were all Mortals who had not experienced an Awakening of supernatural power, chosen as the best from the military and police. Now that it was a new era where technology and Cultivation coexisted, the battlefield could not do without such technological talent.

"Ready!"

"Begin!"

With a whistle from the referee, the Man vs. Machine battle began.

A swarm of drones flew with a buzzing sound toward the Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators opposite them. The speed of the drones was already extremely fast, but in the eyes of these Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators, it was still too slow.

"Swish!"

"Clash!"

"Clang!"

Streaks of various elemental Spells attacked the outer shells of the drones, but the drone shells were harder than an iron turtle; how could they be so easily destroyed?

A few drones finally caught up to one Cultivator and fired cluster weapons at him. Colorful dummy projectile sparks exploded in the air, and this Cultivator was instantly eliminated...

"It seems that the combat power of drones isn't that weak either..."

Su Fan, watching the sky, muttered to himself.

He thought, perhaps one day, technological means might really be able to defeat the big shots of Cultivation...

The Man vs. Machine battle continued.

After a while, the Cultivators finally thought of a countermeasure, which was to destroy the propellers of the drones.

...

Su Fan watched with great interest until the end.

This Man vs. Machine battle naturally ended with the victory of the Cultivators from the First Security Division, while those Mortal drone operators all looked dejected and unwilling to accept it...

"...Is it really so difficult for Mortals to contend with strong Cultivators even when exhausting all technological means?"