Chapter 9 Even a bionic electronic heart can dream of real people…
Before coming for the interview, Pei Qing never imagined that there would be so many people at a job fair for a cleaner.
Thank goodness she arrived early, otherwise she would probably be number over a thousand. Holding her number 301, she stood in the middle of the queue, somewhat at a loss.
Seeing Pei Qing's dazed expression, the scalpers who had been asking around immediately swarmed around her like annoying flies to a meal. "Are you selling this number plate? I can offer a high price! Five hundred star coins, okay?" "Get up, you heartless devil! I'll offer a thousand star coins!"
This situation further solidified Pei Qing's determination to get the job. Come on, even a number that wasn't very early in the application process was being snapped up by people, so imagine how great the benefits would be if she actually got the job! She was lost in her fantasies.
"Sorry, I'm not selling."
Upon hearing Pei Qing say she wasn't selling, the scalpers didn't pester her any longer and continued asking around. They actually managed to catch a few more, and both sides left satisfied.
"Hey! Sister, let me tell you, these guys are regulars who stake out spots to sell number plates. It's become a whole business chain." A thin woman with blond hair who looked a bit malnourished nudged Pei Qing's shoulder.
When did this person appear? Pei Qing tried hard to recall, but to no avail. Everyone she met seemed to be very outgoing and familiar.
"Don't you need to wait in line?" Pei Qing asked.
The woman, B, proudly held up her number plate, exclaiming, "I'm lucky today, I got number two hundred and above!"
"Speaking of which, this is the first time I've gotten such a good number. The previous times I was always number 300 or higher, always near the edge, always..."
Pei Qing realized from her words that there was a limit to the number of cleaners being hired, so her number 300-something wasn't considered high up. She was a little worried and wondered if she should look for other jobs in case she couldn't get a spot.
Pei Qing turned to leave, but the blond-haired girl B quickly grabbed her. "Hey! Sister, where are you going? Even if you're going to the restroom, you should register your name tag first. Otherwise, it'll be invalid once you leave the recruitment area, and all your efforts will be wasted!"
"I'm afraid I won't be able to get a spot and will waste my time."
Woman B immediately laughed, "Sister, are you new here?"
Pei Qing nodded.
"Ha, no wonder. That explains why you seemed so indifferent. Well then, I, Er Mao, will do you a good deed by telling you today, as a way to accumulate merit!" With that, Huang Mao grabbed Pei Qing's hand and began to explain in detail.
"Let me tell you what a cleaner does first. Here, 'cleaner' is a general term. Whether it's handling corpses, destroying waste, or collecting energy, it's all called 'cleaner'."
"The most sought-after job is energy harvesting. Although it is the riskiest job, it is also the most rewarding and the very reason why this dilapidated little planet can still exist."
Pei Qing had heard of these things. The most widely used energy source by major energy technology companies today comes from the enormous energy released by the cataclysmic explosion a century ago. The more severely a planet's ecosystem is damaged after the cataclysm, the more energy it contains.
It is no exaggeration to say that the disaster brought not only the pain of the complete destruction of human homes, but also an enormous supply of energy, or rather, a replenishment.
Since the advent of the interstellar age, humanity has been dedicated to finding energy and modifying itself. In terms of self-modification, humanity has achieved remarkable results through gene fusion, as detailed in the latest "Interstellar Species Encyclopedia" compiled by the Federation.
In terms of energy, due to overexploitation and utilization, most of the planets have little or no energy reserves, or even that they are depleted. Although the energy brought by the catastrophic explosion has extremely strong radioactivity, if properly stripped and controlled, it will be the greatest energy source in the history of the Federation.
This new energy source is named ISET. Just one microgram of solid ISET can power a mech for dozens of days.
Of course, as mentioned earlier, ISET also has significant side effects. Its radiation is more harmful to the mental level than to the physical level, and then it spreads from the mental level to the physical level.
However, the specific side effects are kept under top-level federal secrecy and are unknown to the public. Currently, the only company that uses ISET appropriately and safely is Haite Energy Technology, which reportedly has the support of high-ranking federal officials.
Other energy companies need to sign agreements with Haite in order to use it safely, and only then will Haite provide them with technical support. Since the emergence of the new energy ISET, the previously unknown Haite Energy Technology Company has become a behemoth, and it is no exaggeration to say that it has achieved a dominant monopoly.
"So, what you're trying to tell me is that the job posting for cleaners was initiated by Haite Energy Technology Company? But what does that matter?" Pei Qing summarized Er Mao's words.
"Sigh, you seem pretty smart, how come you're so dense?" Er Mao said with a look of disappointment.
"What I'm trying to say is, all that stuff about cleaning up and disposing of bodies is useless. If you get a chance to join Haite in the future, you'll be set for life! Do you think that's why so many people are fighting tooth and nail for it? The salary is way higher than this!"
After Er Mao shouted that, Pei Qing understood a little. To put it bluntly, none of them really wanted to be a cleaner. They were all after the chance to climb the corporate ladder at Hai Te.
“I think you’re a very honest person, so I’ll have something to say to you from the bottom of my heart,” Er Mao said, as the group moved very slowly and the sun rose higher and higher. She wiped away the sweat dripping from her brow and squatted down to continue.
"One of my aunts lives in Haitt—"
"To be a cleaner too?"
"No, listen to me, it's a cleaning worker."
So, what's the difference between these two? Looking at the person opposite her, who was sweating profusely with anger, Pei Qing decided it was better to keep her mouth shut.
"In short, she told me that Haite is short-staffed lately, but the people from those big planets are no good; who knows if they'll steal the data and run away—"
"Can even cleaners steal data?" Then isn't the data center's security department a bit incompetent?
"Ugh! Let me finish what I'm saying! I'm going crazy!" Damn it, why is this lousy task so hard?! More money! I absolutely have to pay more!
"Sorry, I can't quite control my mouth. Please continue, I'll try to control myself." Pei Qing immediately made a zipping motion with her hand over her mouth to indicate that she would not interrupt anymore.
"Forget it, whatever. Just do your best. Once you get in, it'll be worth it. Don't even think about finding another job. There's no way you'll find one with better pay."
Sister Er Mao helplessly held her head in her hands. Why couldn't this child explain himself? She fell into deep thought. Had her spiritual body stopped working?
"That can't be," said Er Mao, a seemingly frivolous young punk but actually a senior member of the Federal Intelligence Service, as she looked at the little parrot perched on her shoulder and fell into deep thought again. "It's still there, isn't it?" she thought, slightly relieved.
Every Federation citizen whose spiritual entity can materialize is not to be underestimated; they generally possess unique abilities related to the characteristics of their spiritual entity. For example, Er Mao's most outstanding ability is parroting, which is classified as a spiritual ability and is at level S.
The effect is similar to psychological suggestion, including but not limited to hypnotic commands and confusion, but it is much more powerful and can even directly control the weak.
This was the first time she had experienced such a devastating defeat since Er Mao awakened his abilities. So far, there are only two possibilities for someone immune to her abilities: one, this person is mentally challenged and lacks mental power, but that's impossible; two, this person's mental abilities far surpass hers.
However, there are very few people in the Federation with spiritual abilities, and only about twenty have abilities above SS level, all of whom live in seclusion. Because such abilities are against human ethics and cause great harm, they are subject to restrictions. At least as far as Er Mao knows, she is definitely the only one in the several planets nearby.
What on earth is going on? Could this person be a real idiot, just appearing normal on the surface? As soon as he finished thinking this, Er Mao slapped himself for thinking such unrealistic things.
This was a mission issued by the organization, so it must have been investigated. Besides, this person doesn't look stupid at all. Moreover, everyone is born with mental power; the only difference is the strength of that power and whether it can be materialized.
Pei Qing watched helplessly as the blond-haired woman B looked distressed and conflicted. She swayed unsteadily, and the little parrot on her shoulder seemed to be about to fall off. Its colorful little wings tried to maintain its balance, but it seemed a bit top-heavy.
Rocking and rocking, the rocking made Pei Qing a little sleepy. Just a second before she was about to close her eyes, the little parrot tilted its head and fell off Er Mao's shoulder. Pei Qing was startled, her eyes widened, and she instinctively reached out to catch it, but it was too late; the little parrot fell to the ground.
Then it dissipated into dazzling points of light and entered Er Mao's body.
Pei Qing was no longer sleepy at all. So this was a spirit entity? She had thought Er Mao had brought her pet. The compulsory education at the welfare center didn't include anything about spirit entities; Pei Qing only knew a little about them from news reports about spirit entity riots at military academies.
What is her spiritual experience like? Does she have a spiritual body? She doesn't even have spiritual power now, it comes and goes.
Er Mao was still in EMO mode when Pei Qing almost slapped her in the face with a claw. If her handsome face were disfigured, how could she flirt with those little Os?
Er Mao quickly took out his small mirror and carefully checked his face. Hmm, thankfully, he was fine.
She then yelled at Pei Qing, still shaken, "You! How could you be so clumsy! You almost scratched my face!"
"No, I haven't met her yet." Pei Qing still looked like she was about to drive someone crazy, completely out of sorts. It was hard to tell if she had even heard what I just said. She hadn't left yet, so she probably wasn't going to leave.
So, she probably barely managed to complete the task, right? That little bit of money... hehe, this task was really good, the return was really high! I'll take it again next time!
Far away in a tall building, by an inconspicuous window, a high-precision mechanical energy telescope is slowly being retracted. Several people, completely covered in protective suits with not a single hair showing, are discussing something, seemingly in great intensity.
“We absolutely cannot let this continue… It’s been so long, there’s no need to…”
"We can't be so arbitrary...after all..."
"Alright." The person next to him, who was listening with his arms crossed, and who seemed to be the leader, made the final decision.
"Continue to observe. Do not act rashly without orders from superiors. Tell the parrot to continue monitoring and not to return without orders."
At the recruitment venue, Er Mao said she was going to the restroom, but she ended up being gone for thirty minutes. There were only a dozen or so people ahead of her when it was her turn. When there were only five people left, she returned with a long face.
Er Mao stared at Pei Qing's honest and handsome face, her innocent and clear eyes, utterly speechless! Good heavens! She had gone there happily, thinking the mission was over and she would receive a bonus, only to be given the order to continue following up!
"What's wrong?" Pei Qian felt that she should show concern for the kind-hearted person who was willing to help.
Looking at her face, Er Mao had no words to express his bitterness, so he could only wave his hand and go in first, since it was her turn.
After this group of people, it was Pei Qing's turn. She swallowed hard. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any tricky questions. She didn't want to waste the whole day on something that was ultimately pointless.
The group came out quickly, and Pei Qing, with her sharp eyes, spotted Er Mao at the very back. She quickly waved to her and called out, "How were the questions? Were they difficult?"
"It's alright, but you..." Er Mao paused, then said, "You should be fine."
"I'm not going to talk to you anymore, it's too hot. I'll go wait for you over there."
The employees inside came out to call for people. As soon as Pei Qing went in, she heard the people outside telling those in line to go back, saying that they had recruited enough people this time.
It seems I'm actually quite lucky.
To everyone's surprise, Pei Qing saw an unexpected person as soon as she entered the door.
Please, someone tell me! What is that perverted guy doing here?! Looking at his location again, Pei Qing felt that she was definitely doomed this time.
"I should have left earlier. What a waste of time." Pei Qing thought to herself, head down, completely unaware that the man's green eyes lit up the moment he saw her enter.
Like a wolf that has been lying in wait for a long time, finally seeing the prey it has been longing for.
A note from the author:
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This chapter is a bit long-winded; I'll just briefly explain the plot here. ORZ
The main problem is that the editor criticized me, so I need to control the content these days, otherwise it'll be gone...
It's okay! Just wait a few days and you'll recover!
Lastly: Please comment and favorite! My darlings! Help the author climb the rankings! Yay!
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