"Ding."
Hearing the notification chime, Lin Mai paused for a second.
He had already set the Dimensional Chat Group to Do Not Disturb, and logically, it should only make a sound when he was directly mentioned. So what was the meaning of this sudden chime?
Could there be a balance payment notification here too?
Exiting the current interface, Lin Mai noticed the group leader's avatar flashing, indicating an incoming private message.
Oh, it's a private chat, then.
He skimmed through Shen Qingluo's chat history, then quickly tapped out a reply on his mind-keyboard:
"So, what is the price?"
...
[Viaduct in the Storm]: "So, what is the price?"
"What kind of price nonsense is this?"
Shen Qingluo could tell at a glance that he was drooling over red packets again.
When the newbie was in the group earlier, he had spoken to Megatron just like that, and now it was only getting worse.
Still, she found it quite absurd—how could a Maybach even have consciousness? She was forced to believe in panpsychism now.
By the second half of the spiritual energy recovery, would the figurines in her own home start spawning artifact spirits?
After pondering for a moment, Shen Qingluo decided it was pointless and shifted her gaze back to the private chat interface.
[Dimensional Cute Newbie]: "V50 to you."
[Viaduct in the Storm]: "Alright, let me take a screenshot first."
[Viaduct in the Storm]: "[Image]."
"Let me see how much..."
Sitting cross-legged on her computer chair, after sending a red packet containing 50 points, Shen Qingluo immediately double-tapped to open the image in the interface.
"Holy shit, 999 points?!"
...
Cyberpunk 2077 world.
Night City, a bustling commercial street.
V was driving a black Caliburn, slowly rolling down the window as he watched the group chat history with great interest.
Before long, however, the smile vanished from his face.
"The newbie is this rich?!"
Upon seeing the exclusive red packet, V nearly sprang to attention right there in the car.
50 points, just like that?
This wasn't some cheap Crazy Thursday; with this sum of money, he could finally unlock the store feature!
If he had known, he would have recommended some cyberware upgrades.
V slowly sat back down, keeping the car steady, and covered his face with his left hand as he wept.
The wealth gap in the group chat was terrifyingly large.
He had joined the group a week ago, but after seven days of daily check-ins, he had only managed to acquire 60 points—putting him appallingly far from unlocking the store feature.
"Oh well, whatever. Since the plan is to burn Night City to ashes, I can endure this minor setback."
"However, since the new group member is such an RNG-blessed prodigy, if I start sucking up to him right now, wouldn't I have the first-mover advantage?"
V hatched a ruthless plan.
...
What Lin Mai did not know was that the entire group now regarded him as a lucky mascot of sorts.
After sending the red packet, he stayed right where he was, observing Megatron's movements in the group chat.
In the original work, Megatron was actually a villain with quite a bit of charismatic appeal. At his core, he was a former miner who possessed true leadership abilities under the grand scheme, winning countless fans.
Some things, if left to Optimus Prime to do, might genuinely not have been handled as well.
Meanwhile, Lin Mai was facing a massive problem.
[Drop-Resistant King of Cybertron]: "[Red Packet]."
[Drop-Resistant King of Cybertron]: "I've arranged an energy core for you. As for transformation, if there's anything you don't know, you can private message me—consider it after-sales service."
[Drop-Resistant King of Cybertron]: "..."
[Drop-Resistant King of Cybertron]: "Not claiming it?"
[Viaduct in the Storm]: "There are a bit too many passersby around here. If I claim the red packet and an energy core just appears out of thin air, it might put me in a dangerous situation."
Kendo dojo, roadside parking space.
Lin Mai lingered in place, while the sleek, glossy black car body was surrounded entirely by curious onlookers.
There was no help for it; after all, he was a Maybach.
As a top-tier luxury vehicle of this era, it was a rare sight even in coastal cities flush with wealthy merchants.
Besides.
Even if there hadn't been onlookers, an object materializing out of thin air would be enough to shock plenty of people.
Being unable to claim the red packet—that was the reason for the dangerous predicament he mentioned.
[I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman]: "Huh?"
[I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman]: "Newbie, isn't your world a supernatural one? You guys even have Spiritual Words; having an object appear out of thin air should be totally normal, right?"
[The Infamous V]: "Having a Spiritual Word ≠ being able to flash-step. Inequality annihilated."
[I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman]: "Only knowing how to meme, are you? Believe it or not, we'll burn you to ashes?"
[The Infamous V]: "I wouldn't dare, sis."
[Group Leader / Dimensional Cute Newbie]: "Well, things are a bit complicated to explain, so let me answer."
[Group Leader / Dimensional Cute Newbie]: "The Spiritual Word users in this world operate in small cliques. Normal people don't even believe in supernatural phenomena; if one actually shows up, it just turns into a ghost story."
[Group Leader / Dimensional Cute Newbie]: "Even Cassell College promotes itself outwardly as a prestigious regular university and won't describe anything supernatural."
[I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman]: "Ohh."
[I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman]: "Analyzing it that way, can we understand it as supernatural power actually being in a weak position in the newbie's world?"
[Group Leader / Dimensional Cute Newbie]: "Spot on."
[Group Leader / Dimensional Cute Newbie]: "But the ceiling of that power is also extremely high, so it's still quite simple for the newbie to grow stronger."
[Group Leader / Dimensional Cute Newbie]: "It's just... uncertain whether a car can awaken a Spiritual Word, haha."
Saying this, Shen Qingluo stopped mid-sentence, hesitating.
After all, the Dragon Race's Spiritual Words were tied to bloodline, originating from the Four Monarchs and the White King. No matter how you looked at it, a car couldn't possibly possess bloodline, so a Spiritual Word was out of the question.
Still, comfort was in order.
After all, you take the National College Entrance Examination, he takes the Gaokao, and I sell roasted sweet potatoes—everyone has a bright future, right?
Besides, given the newbie's overpowered luck, who's to say he couldn't eventually ascend as a Machine Supreme or a Namo Gatling Bodhisattva, spinning at thirty-six hundred revolutions per breath, using great mercy and compassion to deliver all living beings.
Wait!
Shen Qingluo suddenly realized something.
Back in Dragon III, an Ancient Dragon embryo was able to erode an iron ship and fuse with it into one entity—so wouldn't a Maybach drinking Dragon Blood straight be totally fine too?
Holy crap! Could this be: flesh is weak, machine ascension?!
...
After a while, the kendo class finally ended.
Chu Zihang returned his bamboo sword to its rack and picked up a towel to wipe his neck. His slender, powerful arms were dotted with beads of sweat, still deeply engrossed in today's intense training battle.
"Master, did I perform all right?"
Master Musashi looked at Chu Zihang with hesitation; this young man's talent for kendo was astonishing.
Having only started learning a few months ago, he was already able to effortlessly spar with multiple people. If this continued, he feared even he would have to admit his age in the end.
"All right? More than all right, Zihang. You were born for kendo!"
"Oh."
With a deadpan expression, Chu Zihang nodded.
He pushed open the glass door of the kendo dojo, his gaze falling upon the Maybach and the slovenly middle-aged uncle standing beside it.