Inside the employee dormitories aboard the Ecology Vessel under Pier Point's Technical R&D Department—
Jiang Ling sat upright at his desk, staring at the holographic document flickering across his communications screen, a frown tugging at his brow.
"So... the higher-ups want me to take the lead on this research project called Mirror?"
As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward the figure on the other side of the screen—a middle-aged man in a wrinkled white lab coat, with graying hair and a scruffy beard, looking as though he hadn't slept properly in years. Jiang Ling seemed to be searching his face for an answer.
"Jeez, kid, that's a pretty pointless question," the man grumbled in obvious irritation. "The proposal's right there in front of you, and you're still acting like I'm the one who can call the shots?"
He sat up abruptly, and when he looked at Jiang Ling again, there was undisguised envy in his eyes, along with a trace of jealousy.
"The proposal makes it crystal clear—whoever leads this project gets resource allocation authority at P40 rank. Do you have any idea how much stuff there is to skim from that?"
"I honestly don't get why you're hesitating. Pull this research off, and before long you'll have an ecology vessel of your own orbiting Pier Point. This is a gift from the heavens—a mountain of fortune dropping straight into your lap!"
Hearing that, Jiang Ling merely pressed his lips together and silently lowered his gaze to the line in the proposal describing his responsibilities.
Initial Task Plan: Due to the special nature of this research, assistance from the Genius Society is essential. Project lead Jiang Ling must first contact the relevant members to confirm their willingness to cooperate.
To facilitate the project, Jiang Ling's resource authorization has been temporarily adjusted to P40 rank. Should required resources exceed current rank limitations, an expedited evaluation request may be submitted to the Strategic Investment Department.
Note: If #76 Screwllum, #81 Ruan Mei, #83 Herta, and #84 Stephen Lloyd all decline to participate, standard accountability procedures will be initiated.
Whether one looked at the project itself or the vast authority the company was offering, this truly was "fortune falling from the sky."
But Jiang Ling would rather have none of it.
Compared to the projects he had handled over the past few years in Technical R&D, this one was saturated with uncertainty.
The whims of geniuses were impossible to predict. They might agree to cooperate because they happened to be in a good mood—but the opposite could just as easily be true.
If his luck was truly bad enough for all four geniuses to reject him in succession...
The consequences would be unthinkable.
After all, compared to the executives who had proposed the project, a middling researcher like him was a far easier target to squeeze.
If it came to that, the stable life he had spent more than three years clawing out for himself at Pier Point could collapse into nothing in an instant.
At the thought, Jiang Ling drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Then he looked up at the still-chattering man on the screen, who continued rambling about how "this is a good thing" and "you have to seize the opportunity," and said softly,
"...Thank you for the trouble, Mr. Crawford. I'll think it over."
"At the very least... let me come up with a preliminary execution plan first."
The moment he finished speaking, he shut off the communications screen without hesitation. Silence returned to the dormitory.
Feeling the tangle of thoughts in his mind, Jiang Ling let out a soundless sigh. Then, exhausted, he lay back on his bed, staring blankly at the soft light overhead while his thoughts drifted.
As a transmigrator, Jiang Ling had accepted reality when he was eight years old.
No cheat power isn't so bad. At least I didn't get dumped into the cesspit of Warhammer.
To survive in this universe full of lunatics, he had chosen, like most ordinary people, to use the Interastral Peace Corporation as his backing.
With the precocious maturity brought by transmigration and the effort he'd put in after recognizing reality for what it was, he had become a researcher in the Technical R&D Department, fighting for a life of his own.
And the upheaval brought by this project called Mirror...
It could very easily shove him straight onto the chopping block.
"...Sigh."
Thinking that, Jiang Ling let out a long breath. Amid his tangled thoughts and intermittent prayers, he slowly closed his eyes.
And just before his consciousness sank into darkness, a familiar, weathered voice rang out from the depths of his mind.
[Do you want to know the meaning of life?]
[Do you... want to truly live?]
?!
The instant he heard those unmistakably iconic lines, Jiang Ling jolted in alarm.
What the hell is this??? Is the Lord God Space here to snatch people up, or is some yellow-skinned recruit officer here to drag me off?
No matter which one it is, I'm not going!
Compared to running missions in the Lord God Space or getting hauled into the Warhammer cesspit as disposable combat power, living in this universe full of maniacs was still preferable!
But the silver-white light did not stop approaching just because Jiang Ling rejected it.
In the blink of an eye, it arrived before him—and only then did Jiang Ling see its true form clearly.
"This is... a mirror?"
He blinked, staring at the mirror that had floated right up to him, his expression instantly turning strange.
There were no classic Yes or No options on it. No golden giant either.
There was only a face both familiar and unfamiliar.
Heavy dark circles under the eyes. An old-fashioned pair of black-framed glasses resting on the bridge of the nose. A faint sorrow lingering between the brows, impossible to dispel...
Aside from those differences, the reflection in the mirror looked exactly like Jiang Ling.
And yet, before he could even question what he was seeing, the silver radiance surrounding the mirror abruptly began to swell.
The sudden burst of light made Jiang Ling raise an arm instinctively to shield his eyes. Only when the brilliance faded did he slowly lower it.
The scene before him...
Had already changed beyond all recognition.
Gone was the pale, monotonous décor of the employee dormitory. Gone too was the pitch-black space he had just seen.
In its place was a platform Jiang Ling found astonishingly familiar.
Looking at the scene before him—and at the researchers in standard issue uniforms moving back and forth—an undisguised look of shock appeared on his face.
"This is... Herta Space Station? How am I here...?"
At that moment, Jiang Ling felt as if his brain simply wasn't enough to process what was happening. Everything was too bizarre.
And just as his thoughts were on the verge of crashing, a slightly puzzled female voice suddenly sounded beside him.
"Mr. Jiang Ling, why are you here?"
He turned toward the voice on instinct.
A blue-eyed girl with rose-red hair was looking at him with mild confusion.
It was Asta—the acting lead of Herta Space Station.
As if noticing his gaze, Asta pressed her lips together before asking tentatively,
"Weren't you supposed to be representing the company in discussing cooperation with Madam Herta? Why are you standing out here on the platform?"
"...?"
At those words, the confusion in Jiang Ling's eyes deepened, shading even into something like disbelief.
He had only just been worrying about this very matter—so how had he somehow ended up at the station already?
He was eighty—no, ninety—percent sure there was absolutely nothing wrong with his brain.
So if he wasn't the problem... then what was?
Surely this wasn't some prank by a Fictionologist or a Masked Fool looking for entertainment, was it?
And just as Jiang Ling was trying to make sense of the situation, a softly silver-glowing panel suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Faced with Asta's question, your answer is...]
[1. "Sorry... I was a little nervous, so I came out to get some air. I didn't want the meeting to collapse because of my nerves."]
[2. "I can't tell! I really can't tell anymore!!"]
[3. "To be honest, compared to talking with that old woman Herta, I'd much rather discuss the cooperation details with you and have you pass them along for me."]
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