229: Chapter 229 Immortal Emperor Becomes Security Guard! I Locked His Cultivation with an Employment Contract

Arrogant Dragon stood at the entrance of the HR Department for seventeen seconds.

During those seventeen seconds, he went through a full progression from fury to bewilderment and finally to the absurd.

Fury, because—he was an Immortal Emperor! A being who had slain thousands of enemies and ruled over the heavens in his previous life! And now, they wanted him to fill out a form for a job?

Bewilderment, because—he discovered that his Immortal Emperor's pressure was completely ineffective in this hall. It was as if an ordinary person had walked into a bulletproof glass room; no matter how loud they shouted, no one outside could hear them.

Absurdity, because—he saw Black Star (the former Dark God) mopping the floor, Aged One (the Incarnation of Time Laws) organizing filing cabinets, and Blue Flame (the Manifestation of Fire) boiling water for tea.

"What are you looking at?" Black Star said without lifting his head from his mopping. "Newcomers go get their work badge first. Over there, window three."

Arrogant Dragon's hand, which was holding his sword, trembled.

But he took a deep breath and decided to endure for now—he had to figure out what exactly had happened to this world.

He walked to the third window.

Sitting inside was a smiling Data Ghost—it was the remnant consciousness of Alpha, who had been revived by Lin Chen and assigned to work as an HR Specialist.

"Name?" Alpha asked.

"Arrogant Dragon."

"Former names?"

"Immortal Emperor Aotian, One Sword That Cleaves Eternity, Supreme of the Heavens..." Arrogant Dragon reeled off a long list of titles.

Alpha tapped on a virtual keyboard. "Mhm, I'll just put 'Arrogant Dragon (Former Immortal Emperor)'. Position of interest?"

"I want to see Lin Chen," Arrogant Dragon said through gritted teeth.

"The Chairman is very busy." Alpha looked up. "Choose a position first. After you pass the probation period, you'll have a chance to see him at the quarterly employee meeting."

"You—" Arrogant Dragon suppressed his rage. "What positions are available?"

Alpha pulled up a list:

[Currently Vacant Positions in The Group:]

1. Interstellar Freight Security (Night Shift): Responsible for escorting cross-dimensional cargo; requires the ability to withstand Void Storms. Monthly salary: 8,000 dimension points.

2. Horror Instance Tester: Experience newly developed horror scenarios and provide feedback. Monthly salary: 7,500 dimension points + mental distress subsidy.

3. Debt Collection Specialist: Visit door-to-door to collect overdue debts. Monthly salary: 5,000 base + 20% commission.

4. Chairman's Office Cleaner (Temporary): Requires a political background check. Monthly salary: 6,000 dimension points.

The veins on Arrogant Dragon's forehead throbbed.

"I choose... the fifth option."

"There is no fifth option," Alpha said with a smile. "Or you could choose 'Entrepreneurship'—leaving The Group to find your own way. But be warned, the Zeroing Storm is still raging outside. For an independent individual without The Group's protection, the average survival time is 3.7 hours."

Arrogant Dragon fell silent.

He sensed his surroundings—indeed, deep in the universe outside the hall, that white storm capable of erasing everything was still raging.

Only the sphere of influence of the Epoch Management Group was protected by some kind of rule barrier.

"I... choose the first one," he squeezed the words out through his teeth.

"Interstellar Freight Security, confirmed." Alpha printed out a labor contract. "Once you sign this contract, you'll be a regular employee of The Group. There is a three-month probation period, during which you'll enjoy basic benefits but won't participate in profit sharing."

The contract floated in front of Arrogant Dragon.

He glanced at the terms, and his pupils suddenly constricted.

"Article 6, Clause 3: 'Employees must unconditionally accept the modification and optimization of their ability systems by The Group'... What does this mean?"

"It means exactly what it says," Alpha explained. "Your Immortal Emperor cultivation is based on the laws of the old universe, which are too inefficient under the new rules. The Group will help you 'upgrade' to a power system better suited to the current environment."

"You want to strip me of my cultivation?!" Arrogant Dragon recoiled.

"It's not stripping; it's a job transfer," Alpha said patiently. "It's like upgrading a steam engine to an internal combustion engine. You're still you, but your power system is more advanced."

"I won't sign!"

"Then please leave." Alpha put away the contract. "Next—"

"Wait!" Arrogant Dragon looked at the fragments of the Zeroing Storm howling past the window. "I... I'll sign."

He pressed his Immortal Emperor's seal onto the contract.

The moment the contract took effect—

Buzz!

An invisible chain of rules extended from the void and bored into Arrogant Dragon's dantian.

He felt his Immortal Emperor Origin like a wild horse being fitted with reins, as all his power circulation routes were forcibly modified.

"What have you done to me?!" he cried out in shock and anger.

"Just installed a 'Group-Compliant Power Regulator'." Alpha handed him a work badge. "Now your cultivation output limit is locked to the 'Security Guard Requirement Value' to prevent you from destroying company property in a moment of impulse."

Arrogant Dragon tried to circulate his immortal essence.

Sure enough—the power that could once slash through stars with a single sword was now only enough to light up the indicator on his work badge.

He had truly become... a security guard.

"Alright, go get your gear." Alpha pointed toward the Logistics Department. "Your first shift is at eight tonight, escorting a batch of 'emotional crystal' to the Seventh Sector. Don't be late; being late results in a deduction from your perfect attendance bonus."

Arrogant Dragon walked toward the Logistics Department in a daze.

On the way, he ran into Black Star, who was taking a smoking break.

"Yo, newcomer." Black Star exhaled a puff of dark smoke. "Still can't wrap your head around it?"

Arrogant Dragon stared at him. "You guys... just accepted it like this?"

"What else?" Black Star gave a bitter smile. "I wanted to resist when I was first recruited, too. But then Lin Chen activated the 'Believers' Voluntary Choice Clause' in my Divine Kingdom—now my believers can switch their faith at any time, and they live better after switching. If I act out, they'll abandon me en masse."

He pointed to the work badge on his chest. "Do you know what this is called? A 'Godhead Locking Device'. Now I'm just a wage earner with some special abilities."

"But you're the Dark God—"

"I used to be." Black Star stubbed out his cigarette. "Now I'm the 'Chief Consultant of the Horror Instance Development Department'. I earn twelve thousand a month, and they pay for my five insurances and one fund. It's quite good."

With that, he picked up his mop and left.

Arrogant Dragon stood frozen in place.

Just then, Aged One walked past carrying a box of files and glanced at him. "Newcomer, let me give you a tip—don't think about revenge. Lin Chen buried a 'Karma Backlash Clause' in the contract. If you harbor malice toward The Group or your colleagues, it will trigger an automatic punishment."

"What punishment?"

"At best, your salary is docked; at worst..." Aged One paused. "'Forced transfer to toilet cleaner,' and specifically for toilets contaminated by time loops—the kind that can never be cleaned."

Arrogant Dragon: "..."

He numbly collected his security uniform—a set of black tactical gear printed with The Group's logo, along with a baton that could fire rule-binding beams.

Then, he arrived at the cargo port.

His first escort mission was to transport three crates of "emotional crystal" to the Seventh Universe Sector, which was currently undergoing rescue operations.

Traveling with him were two veteran guards—one was a retired Interstellar Mercenary, and the other was a bankrupt former Merchant Guild Guard.

"New guy?" Old Li, the mercenary, sized him up. "You look a bit green. What did you do before?"

"Immortal Emperor," Arrogant Dragon said sullenly.

The two veteran guards froze for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Immortal Emperor? I might as well say I'm the Creator God!" Old Zhang, the merchant guard, patted him on the shoulder. "Brother, you have to be realistic to get by here. No matter how awesome you were before, now you're just a security guard. Work hard, and you can get the perfect attendance bonus at the end of the month."

Arrogant Dragon didn't want to talk.

The cargo ship took off and entered the Dimension Lane.

Outside the lane, the Zeroing Storm raged eternally like a background wall.

Arrogant Dragon watched the stars being swallowed by the storm and suddenly asked, "Lin Chen... the Chairman, what exactly is he trying to do?"

Old Li lit a cigarette. "Who knows. Some say he wants to save the whole universe, others say he's just a profiteer. But I only know one thing—without him, my whole family would have died in the Zeroing long ago."

Old Zhang nodded. "When my merchant guild went bankrupt, I was drowning in debt. It was The Group's 'Debt Restructuring Plan' that saved us. Now I'm paying off my debts, but at least I'm alive."

Arrogant Dragon fell silent.

He was beginning to understand this world—this wasn't the universe he was familiar with, where power made one king.

This was... a commercialized universe that ran on contracts and rules.

No matter how high your martial power, if you violated the rules, you couldn't move an inch.

No matter how deep your cultivation, without a contract's protection, you could be phased out at any moment.

Just as he was thinking—

Boom!

The ship suddenly jolted violently!

"Enemy attack!" Old Li instantly drew his sidearm.

The monitor showed three pitch-black warships appearing ahead in the lane—their hulls were marked with a skull and gold coins.

"It's the 'Void Pirates'!" Old Zhang's face changed. "They specialize in stealing The Group's supplies!"

The pirate ship sent a transmission: "Leave the cargo and get lost. We'll give you ten seconds."

Old Li gritted his teeth. "Send a distress signal!"

But the signal was jammed.

Arrogant Dragon looked at the three warships and suddenly smiled.

It was the first time he had smiled since his revival.

Because he discovered—the energy fluctuations of the pirate ships were far stronger than his current "security-limited cultivation."

But he was an Immortal Emperor.

Even if his cultivation was locked, his combat instincts and experience remained.

"You two," Arrogant Dragon stood up, "steer the ship into a dive 37 degrees to the right, and activate all decoys simultaneously."

"Huh?" Old Li was stunned.

"Do it." Arrogant Dragon's voice carried an unquestionable authority—the residue of an Immortal Emperor's aura.

Old Li reflexively complied.

The ship made a sharp turn and dove.

The pirate ships immediately gave chase.

Just as they entered a specific angle—

Arrogant Dragon suddenly opened the cargo hold, grabbed an "Emotion Crystal" with his bare hands, and threw it with all his might toward a rule instability node on the side wall of the lane.

The crystal shattered.

The massive emotional energy detonated the node, triggering a localized rule storm.

The three pirate ships were caught off guard, swept into the storm, and their hulls began to disintegrate.

"Now!" Arrogant Dragon shouted. "Full speed ahead!"

The ship brushed past the edge of the storm and broke through the encirclement.

Ten seconds later, the pirate ships were reduced to fragments in the rule storm.

There was dead silence in the cargo hold.

Old Li and Old Zhang stared blankly at Arrogant Dragon.

"How... how did you know there was a rule node there?"

"I can 'see' it," Arrogant Dragon said indifferently. "My cultivation is locked, but my vision remains."

He looked at the pirate wreckage on the monitor, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

What was the difference between these pirates and the "highway-robbing cultivators" he had encountered in his previous life?

It was always the weak trying to rob the strong.

Only the means had changed from spells to warships.

The essence remained the same.

"Alright." Arrogant Dragon sat back down. "Continue the delivery. We should be safe now."

The ship successfully arrived at the Seventh Sector, unloaded, and returned.

When they returned to The Group's headquarters, Alpha was already waiting for them.

"Arrogant Dragon." Alpha pulled up the mission report. "You used unauthorized tactics, damaged Group property (one Emotion Crystal), and contacted dangerous rule nodes without approval... According to regulations, your performance bonus for this month will be deducted, and you will receive one major demerit."

Arrogant Dragon frowned. "But I saved the cargo and everyone on board—"

"That's why we're only docking your pay and not firing you." Alpha smiled. "Furthermore, in view of the 'tactical talent' you displayed in this incident, The Group has decided to transfer you to the 'Special Operations Department'."

"Position: Crisis Management Specialist."

"Monthly salary: 15,000 dimension points + mission allowance."

"Now, sign the new contract."

A new labor contract floated before him.

Arrogant Dragon glanced at the salary column and then at the terms.

This time, he didn't hesitate.

He signed.

Alpha took the contract and handed him a new work badge. "Welcome aboard officially. Your first mission—"

He pulled up a holographic image.

On the screen was a cultivation world being swallowed by the Zeroing Storm.

"This world has seven Tribulation Transcendence Stage Ancestors. They've refused The Group's rescue, insisting on using 'traditional methods to face the Heavenly Tribulation'."

"Your mission is: Persuade them to accept 'Scientific Tribulation Insurance'."

"Any method is fine, but take note—you cannot damage the world's cultural heritage, nor can you kill anyone."

Arrogant Dragon looked at the familiar cultivators on the screen and suddenly smiled.

"Simple."

"I'll let them see..."

"How an Immortal Emperor who has been beaten down by society works."

He took the mission brief and turned toward the teleportation gate.

For the first time, there was a bit of drive in his step.