They made a short stop at a charging station.
While the vehicle recharged, Song Ran tossed a bottle of sour plum juice into the truck, then motioned for Li Chengyi to follow him to the restroom.
Inside, the two stood side-by-side at the urinals.
Li unzipped his pants, started relieving himself.
So did Song Ran.
Suddenly, a rainbow glow lit up the stall, illuminating the walls in dazzling colors.
"Welcome to the Intelligent Urinal System. Initiating real-time urine analysis…"
"Urea levels: normal. Uric acid: elevated. Calcium: normal. Potassium: normal…"
Li Chengyi looked down.
What he saw was not a regular penis.
It was golden.Glowing. Covered in LED lights.
What… the actual… hell!?
He stared in shock, nearly forgetting he was still peeing. Song Ran calmly gave himself a shake, zipped up, and walked off like nothing happened.
He totally did that on purpose…
A minute later, Li returned to the truck, visibly rattled.
Song Ran was waiting. "Let's go. Battery's full."
"Bro… you're insane," Li muttered, shooting him a thumbs-up with a conflicted expression.
They got back in, buckled up, and faced forward. The narrow road ahead cut through dense forest.
Li couldn't help it. "So… uh, that thing of yours…?"
"Hmph." Song Ran gave a sly smile and spit out the window.
"A man… shouldn't have weaknesses."
He clapped a heavy hand on Li's shoulder, stepped on the gas—
VROOOM!!
The black SUV roared to life. Twin silver exhaust pipes rose from the rear, spewing bright blue jets of propulsion.
Li's scream was drowned by the engine as the car took off like a missile.
Song Ran's face lit up with manic joy. He gripped the wheel, body swaying, singing in some unidentifiable language while the truck shook violently.
Li realized the trees were shrinking below them.
He leaned out the window in disbelief.
The car's wheels had retracted. Two black wings unfolded from the sides.The front transformed into a sleek, angular structure.
"Relax. We'll be there soon," Song Ran shouted.
"WARNING: Left wing damaged. Structural failure likely. Please repair immediately."
A red light blinked. A robotic voice repeated the warning.
WHAM! Song Ran slapped the console.
"Meh, forgot to patch it. We'll fix it later."
Li Chengyi's eye twitched.
You're flying a half-broken, duct-taped Frankenstein plane—and I'm supposed to stay calm!?
His pulse spiked. Cold sweat trickled down his neck.
"It's fine. There are parachutes."
"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SKYDIVE!!" Li screamed.
"I'll teach you. It's easy," Song Ran said cheerfully.
The wind shoved Li's words back down his throat.
Beneath the blue sky, a black SUV with wings rocketed above the treetops, wobbling, weaving—but somehow still heading in the right direction.
They finally arrived in Tiamog, a coastal city north of Yi Nation, bordering the vast Fermos Ocean. It was earthquake-prone but rich in seafood, filled with fishing villages and marine companies.
On an unnamed beach…
"BLEEEUUUUGH!!"
Li tumbled out of the SUV, dry heaving onto the sand.
He'd already puked out everything earlier—there wasn't much left but bile and self-hate.
"You've got no stamina, bro." Song Ran lit a cigarette, took a long drag, then tossed Li a pair of brown AR glasses.
"Here. For you."
"Can I… change the color?" Li asked weakly.
"Just adjust it yourself. It's handy out here. But don't overuse it near cities. High-level hackers can kill you through these things."
No joke, Li thought. These things cost at least 200,000 a pair. Not something ordinary people could afford.
"Are they isolated network units?"
"Yeah. No external signal. Battery lasts a full day."
Song handed him a small silver box and opened it.
Inside were two tiny silver clips, shaped like hairpins.
"Personal translator devices. Take one."
Li clipped his near his shirt collar. The AR glasses booted up.
"Please define startup gesture."
He made a quick finger-heart motion.
"Startup gesture confirmed. Please select mode…"
"1 – Engineering Mode. 2 – Normal Mode."
"Normal."
The HUD lit up.
Suddenly, the entire beach sharpened in extreme clarity. Waves, coral, even specks of sand… every detail popped into view.
Zoom Range: x1–100.
"Let's go. Boss's men are here," Song said.
Li looked at the lower corner of his vision.
3 targets. Distance: 19.76 meters.
Three men approached, wearing dull gray work uniforms and yellow helmets. They were short, maybe 5'6" or less, and stood awkwardly before Song like timid schoolboys.
Their language was unfamiliar, but Li's translator blinked green and kicked in:
"Housing's a ways off. We'll guide you there. Rain hit hard yesterday—ground's soaked. Machines are struggling."
Song cut them off. "What's the progress? Boss pays well. We care about results."
"We've dug about 250 meters. But the structure's unstable. Reckless drilling could collapse the internal cavity. We're waiting for our expert's calculations."
"Which expert?"
"Dr. Ding Chongyi."
"…Her?" Song's expression soured.
"She's on-site. Arrived yesterday," the worker said.
Song cursed under his breath.
Li noted his reaction.
Anyone who can piss off someone like Song Ran… must be quite the character.
"She's… annoying," Song muttered. "But among Level-2 analysts, she's the best we've got."
They got into their respective trucks and drove inland.
As they passed coconut trees and rotting shells, Li stared out the window.
"So… what's with Dr. Ding?"
"She's the type you hate but can't replace. Technically Level-2, but easily performs at Level-1. She's the only one like her in the company."
Li raised a brow. "Just put up with it. If she speeds things up, it's worth it."
"You'll understand once you meet her."
Song floored the gas.
The SUV howled forward like a beast unleashed, tearing down the narrow highway.
[🔥 Chapter End – Suspense + Tease]A buried parking lot, an eccentric expert, and the truth beneath the surface...What secrets lie under the sands of Tiamog?💬 Drop a comment if you think Dr. Ding is friend or foe!📚 Add this book to your library to stay updated!