Cutting-edge Technology: I Provide the Brains, the State Provides Everything

353: A reunion with Wang Peng, who had become a business tycoon.In the small room, smoke curled in the air. The smell of low-quality charcoal mixed with the aroma of cumin, stinging the eyes. But for Lu Chen and Wang Peng now, this scent was more intoxicating than any Higher Dimensions aromatherapy.

”Ha—!” Wang Peng downed a bottle of ice-cold beer in one go and slammed the empty bottle onto the wobbly computer desk. The priceless ”President of the Myriad Worlds Chamber of Commerce” badge was tossed casually among a pile of kebab skewers, stained with red chili oil.

”Refreshing!” Wang Peng let out an earth-shattering burp. ”Brother Chen, you have no idea. Up there, drinking that ’nectar of the gods’ every day, my mouth was practically going bland! Nothing beats a gulp of draft beer!”

Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, twirling the thermos that hadn’t rusted but instead had been polished until it shone. He looked at his best friend, who, even after ten thousand years, remained as rotund as ever, a smile playing on his lips.

”Fatty.” Lu Chen kicked him. ”Stop crying poor to me. I heard from Old Ye that you’re quite the big shot now.”

”Big shot?” Wang Peng’s hand holding the kidney skewer paused, a look of disdain appearing on his face. ”That’s just for show for outsiders.”

”Beep beep beep—” Just then, the seemingly ordinary digital watch on Wang Peng’s wrist suddenly projected a massive holographic screen. The screen instantly filled the cramped room.

On the screen was an alien creature with three heads and a body flowing with liquid diamonds. It was the President of the ”Andromeda Business Alliance,” a big shot whose mere stomp could cause a financial tsunami across half the universe. At this moment, however, the President was kneeling on the ground, all three heads dripping with cold sweat.

”Pre... President Wang! Please show mercy!” The President’s voice trembled, laced with a sob. ”We really didn’t know that planet was reserved by you! If we had known it was your ’private pig farm,’ we wouldn’t have dared to develop it even if we had ten thousand guts!”

”I beg you! Please don’t cut off our ’Earth Federation Currency’ settlement channel! We’ll go bankrupt! Trillions upon trillions of our citizens will starve to death!”

Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. Is this the Wang Peng of today? A single sentence can decide the life or death of a super civilization?

Wang Peng didn’t even glance at the screen. He was focused on tackling the slightly burnt chicken wing in his hand. ”So noisy.” Wang Peng muttered, casually grabbing a peeled clove of garlic from the table and throwing it at the holographic projection.

”I didn’t say I was going to kill you.” ”Look at you all scared.” Wang Peng chewed the garlic while speaking indistinctly: ”Since you did something wrong, you have to accept the punishment.”

”That Andromeda thing, hand over 90% of this quarter’s GDP to the Earth Federation as ’emotional damages’.” ”Any objections?”

”No objections! Absolutely none! Thank you, President, for sparing our lives!” The President looked as if he had been granted an amnesty, kowtowing like pounding garlic.

”Alright, get lost. Don’t disturb me drinking with my brother.” Wang Peng waved his greasy hand. ”Pop.” The screen disappeared.

Wang Peng turned his head, instantly putting on a cheeky expression, and picked up the bottle to refill Lu Chen’s glass. ”Come on, Brother Chen, let’s keep drinking! Where were we?”

Lu Chen looked at him. There was a hint of amusement in his eyes, along with a touch of gratification. ”Not bad, Fatty.” ”90% of their GDP? You’re going to suck them dry.” ”The profiteer who used to only calculate small change has now learned to play ’macro-control’?”

”Eh, that’s nothing.” Wang Peng waved his hand, his fat cheeks wobbling, yet exuding an unsettling composure. ”Brother Chen, when you first handed ’Myriad Worlds Internet’ to me, I swore an oath.” ”I want to be your most solid money bag.”

Wang Peng reined in his smile. He stood up and walked to the window. Although this was just a corner of Earth, he seemed to be overlooking the commercial map of the entire Multiverse.

”The ’Earth Federation Currency’ now is not just money.” ”It is a rule.” ”It is a chain more effective than any law or any force.”

Wang Peng reached out a hand and grabbed at the void. ”As long as I want to.” ”I can make a Level 5 civilization rich overnight.” ”And I can also make them...” Wang Peng clenched his fist tightly. ”Return to a primitive society in one second.” ”This is the power of commerce.” ”This is... the account I give you.”

Lu Chen remained silent. He watched this back. The fatty who once cried in the college dorm because he lost five hundred yuan had truly grown up. He had spent ten thousand years turning himself into a legend. A God of Commerce who, despite having no combat power, could make all the gods and demons beg for mercy on their knees.

”You’ve worked hard.” Lu Chen walked over and patted Wang Peng’s broad shoulders.

”It’s not hard work!” Wang Peng turned around, his eyes suddenly turning red. The Merchant God who dominated the myriad worlds instantly vanished, replaced by the little brother who came to his big brother to pour out his grievances.

”Brother Chen, you don’t know how difficult those aliens are!” ”To promote Earth Mahjong, I personally played cards with the Zerg Queen for three years! My hands were rubbed raw!” ”And that Lord of Light, he insisted our hot pot wasn’t authentic and almost flipped the table!” Wang Peng complained, snot and tears streaming down his face.

Lu Chen listened quietly, handing him a tissue from time to time. This was the real Wang Peng. In front of outsiders, he was an arrogant tycoon. But in front of Lu Chen, he never needed to pretend.

After pouring out his grievances, Wang Peng’s emotions stabilized. He seemed to recall something and mysteriously pulled a box wrapped in layers of force fields from his bosom. ”Oh right, Brother Chen.” ”Coming back this time, besides seeing you, there’s a serious matter.”

Wang Peng placed the box on that greasy table, his expression becoming unprecedentedly grave. ”I bought this at the lowest level of the ’Abyssal Black Market’ from an ancient consciousness that was about to dissipate.” ”It cost three whole galaxies’ worth of resources.”

”Oh?” Lu Chen became interested. ”What is so expensive? It wouldn’t be some queen’s photo album, would it?”

”Stop joking, Brother Chen.” Wang Peng didn’t smile. He carefully undid the seal. Inside the box, quietly lay a... chip. It wasn’t a silicon-based chip, nor was it a photonic chip. It was a chip that looked like it had been polished from some kind of... biological bone. On it was engraved a line of text that Lu Chen had never seen before, yet he could understand it instantly.

”This is...” Lu Chen’s pupils constricted sharply. The ”pangu” system inside him actually let out a shrill alarm at this moment! [Warning! Super-dimensional data source detected!] [Source: ... Outside the server!]

”The seller said.” Wang Peng lowered his voice, as if telling a forbidden secret. ”This is an ’admission ticket’.” ”Leading to that...” ”The one who created our universe program...” ”The programmer’s computer.”

Lu Chen reached out, his fingertips hovering above the chip. He could feel it; it contained a rule completely different from this universe. That was... the coldness of reality.

”Admission ticket?” Lu Chen picked up the chip and examined it closely. The corners of his mouth slowly curled into a crazy arc. ”Fatty, you’ve done a good business deal.” ”This isn’t an admission ticket.”

Lu Chen suddenly looked up, staring at the fake starry sky outside the window. ”This is clearly...” ”That ’player’...” ”Dropped wallet!”

Lu Chen gripped the chip tightly in his palm, turned to look at Wang Peng, his eyes as sharp as blades. ”Get ready.” ”Since we have the key.” ”Then we shall...” ”Go to that ’Real World’...” ”And check the water meter!”