Chapter 29 Underworld Backend Management System (1)

It is well known that programming is a profession where sudden death is extremely common.

Even within the programmer community, a truly absurd joke has been circulating for a long time—

The programmer who died from overwork during the 996 work schedule was sent to the underworld, where the King of Hell asked him to work on the underworld's backend management system and continue working 007 overtime.

So when Zhang Mo opened his eyes in his sleep, he saw a crooked stone arch bridge in front of him, with the words "Bridge of Helplessness" carved on the bridge railing, and he felt a deep sense of speechlessness.

The river beneath the bridge was murky, occasionally rippling with strange waves, as if something was swimming in it, which was quite eerie.

She looked down at herself; she was still wearing the cotton pajamas she had worn to bed, with slippers on her feet. The soft fabric contrasted sharply with the cold, damp environment.

So what exactly is going on?

She's been feeling great lately, and she hasn't been working overtime. How could she possibly sleep herself to death?

Just as I was wondering what was going on, I suddenly heard a series of "clack-clack" footsteps behind me, accompanied by the crisp sound of metal clashing.

"You must be Zhang Mo, the current administrator of the demon race?" A clear voice with a touch of childishness rang out.

Zhang Mo turned around and saw a little girl, no more than 1.2 meters tall, standing on the steps behind her. She was dressed in a jet-black Gothic Lolita outfit, with silver crosses sewn all over the hem of her skirt. Her hair was styled in pigtails, with small skull decorations tied to the ends. Most incongruous of all, she was holding a gilded scepter that was taller than herself, and two tiny will-o'-the-wisps were glowing in the eyes of the skull at the top of the scepter.

"I am the current King Yama of the Underworld, Jing Ci," the little girl said, her voice carrying a majesty that belied her appearance.

Facing the King of Hell, Zhang Mo was not afraid, but rather found it somewhat amusing, and said with a faint smile, "There are no good people before the Mirror of Retribution, but there are those who look back at the Ferry of Compassion. A good name."

The Mirror of Retribution is located in the territory of King Qin Guang, the first hall of the underworld. Legend has it that it was formed from the condensation of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and is situated on the right side of the inner hall of the Gate of Hell.

This platform is about ten feet high, with a giant mirror with a circumference of ten spans hanging on it. The mirror faces east, and above the mirror are the seven characters "No good people stand before the Mirror of Misfortune".

Whenever a soul travels to this place, this mirror will reflect all that they have done in their life, and all their hidden sins will be exposed. The virtuous, because of their clear minds and bright spirits, will only see a pure reflection in the mirror and can go directly to the heavens or to another palace to have their merits and demerits assessed; while those who have done many evil deeds and have little good intentions will be brought before the mirror to see their evil thoughts in life and to foresee the terrible things that await them in hell after death.

Jingci's big eyes sparkled, the blue-green will-o'-the-wisps on her scepter flickered, and her twin ponytails jingled as the little skull on her head swayed: "You really are as amazing as the legends say! I made the right choice asking you for help!"

"Help? So, I'm not dead, am I?" Zhang Mo asked, her hands unconsciously slipping into her pajama pockets.

"No, no, no, of course not!" Jingci quickly said, "It was just a dream!"

"That's good." Zhang Mo breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "What did you need me for?"

“It’s hard to explain here. Let’s go to the study and talk.” Jingci flicked her wrist, and the gilded scepter drew a circle in the air. The blue-green will-o’-the-wisp followed and circled in the same arc. The next second, the scene changed, and the two of them (… well, I can’t think of a better word for now, so let’s just call them people) appeared together in an unusually messy study.

Jingci said warmly, "Sit down!"

Zhang Mo looked around but couldn't find a place to sit. There were bamboo slips piled up to half a person's height on the ground, some tied with red ropes and some scattered on the ground. The calligraphy on them was neat and some was messy. There were also several scrolls that were half-stained with ink. Even the stool was full of messy bamboo slips.

Jingci was slightly embarrassed, her face flushed, and she waved her scepter again, conjuring two futons before the two of them sat down together.

"Ahem, it's like this." Jingci's little face was all scrunched up, her fingers unconsciously picking at the metal decorations on the scepter. "My dad... was the previous King of Hell. He quit three months ago and eloped with Meng Po."

"Meng Po?" Zhang Mo asked, her voice tinged with curiosity. "The one who brews Meng Po soup? The one every ghost has to drink before reincarnation?"

Jingci nodded resentfully, her twin ponytails swaying gently with her movements: "Yeah, he really is a bastard! He's so carefree! Leaving me with a mess!"

Zhang Mo empathized deeply and comforted her, saying, "I understand. Who hasn't had an irresponsible father?"

Actually, Zhang Mo wasn't too concerned about who became the King of Hell. What she was more curious about was something else: "If Meng Po leaves, what happens to the Meng Po soup? Will we just stop drinking it?"

Jingci sighed and casually pulled a cardboard box from under the table next to her. Inside were a bunch of glass jars filled with black powder.

It looks exactly like cheap instant coffee powder.

"This is what she left behind before she left. She said to just brew it with boiling water. She also left the recipe and told us not to look for her again."

Zhang Mo: "......"

Well, well, well, these days it's really a case of consumption downgrading; even the soup of oblivion has become pre-made.

"Of course, that's not the point. The point is, after I took over, I discovered that many judges had miscalculated the accounts and deducted the wrong lifespans from many people! There was simply no way to balance the accounts!"

You might not know this, but every thousand years, the Heavenly Dao also assesses our Underworld. Small errors are tolerated, but if the error is too large, punishment will be imposed!

At that time, my dead father and I will both be reduced to ashes!

"That old geezer is gone, but I've only lived for seven hundred years! I don't want to disappear! Waaaaaah!"

The seven-hundred-year-old girl cried as sadly as a seven-year-old, her tears falling onto Lolita's skirt, leaving tiny damp patches.

Zhang Mo understood: "So, you want me to write a 'Hell Management System'?"

Jingci stopped crying instantly, quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve, and tugged at Zhang Mo's sleeve, shaking it: "Right! I heard that human companies now use some kind of system for accounting, it's fast, accurate, and can even check for errors! Can you help me write one? The kind that can automatically calculate lifespan, correct errors, and balance the books!"

Afraid that Zhang Mo would refuse, she quickly added, "I won't let you work for nothing. Within my authority, I can agree to anything I can do!"

“For example.” Jingci raised her hand, and a scroll of bamboo slips flew over and landed steadily in her hand. She unfolded the scrolls. “This girl named Zhang Youxuan seems to be someone you know.”

Her case is clearly wrong. Under normal circumstances, this girl would have at least 60 years left to live.

Of course, her situation was more complicated, mainly due to the influence of Wang Heng...

"If Wang Heng hadn't defied the laws of nature and fathered Yang Qiang for his own selfish desires, his entire family wouldn't have died."

Zhang Mo looked at Jing Ci with some surprise, not expecting her to know so much: "You mean, you can bring her back to life?"