Chapter 28 Mr. Bongbong

Russell was still worried about Glass's current situation before entering the Hive Nightclub.

— To be precise, when Russell heard from an Inferior that "Glass was in the nightclub," he couldn't help but worry and feel indignant for her.

In the Tianen Group, where entertainment reigned supreme, Glass had more than half of her body transformed into beautifying prosthetic bodies, apparently not just for journalism but initially aiming for being an "idol."

Considering the huge cost of prosthetic body transformations and the potential cyberpsychosis from intense cybernetic enhancements, it was unlikely she had undergone the transformation herself... but rather, someone was quietly financing her from behind the scenes.

This kind of support definitely wasn't without strings attached.

She might be a plaything or a tool for some Big Shot.

The purpose of her high-definition thieving prosthetic eye, possibly funded by the Big Shot behind her, was to infiltrate other Big Shots, using her own body to stealthily capture criminal evidence or vital information to bring someone down.

After all, that's how corporate wars are portrayed on TV and in novels—if it were merely for "aesthetics," there was no need to install such an expensive prosthetic eye.

It's improbable that the rich backer was adopting the philosophy "expensive is beautiful" to assist her transformation, right?

However, such worries vanished completely after Russell entered the Hive Nightclub—

In Russell's mind, a nightclub should be a place for drinking and singing that looks splendidly luxurious and solemn, either adorned with gold bricks or marbled. Yet, the first impression the Hive Nightclub gave him was more akin to a dark internet café and an underground arcade.

Upon entering, the vibe was distinctly cybernetic with a dazzling array of colors. Blue, red, green, and purple lights intertwined and flickered along a long corridor.

To the right of the entrance, a giant doll with an exaggerated smile suddenly popped out, holding a box and continuously bowing and waving at him.

It was like those large, adorable mascots frequently seen in malls for promotional events, but this one moved slowly and clumsily and was not cute at all—its head comprised strange balding curly hair, ugly features, and a fat body. Its features were squeezed into a sycophantic, ugly smile, and its wide-open mouth was reminiscent of a Joker.

Upon seeing Russell enter through the door, it immediately bounced over from the side, blocking his way with the box in its hands.

Seeing such an ugly thing as soon as he stepped in, Russell shuddered in fright.

He stared for a while before realizing it was a person in a mascot costume.

...Incredible, whose mascot is this? So underworld?

Normally, aren't mascot costumes supposed to be cute? This one, however, seemed as if it had just come from a makeup room at the Tokyo Olympics, very underworld-like...

Russell was still unsettled as he carefully noticed that the box held white masks.

There were two types of masks in the box, one was a Sad Face Mask, and the other was a smiley face mask.

"So, am I supposed to choose one to wear?" Russell asked courteously, suppressing his disgust.

The clumsy, ugly Mediterranean doll exaggeratedly bent over to him, bowing repeatedly. Russell guessed it meant yes, but the costume's short neck made it hard to nod.

Russell noticed that there weren't many Sad Face Masks left, but quite a few smiley face masks remaining.

Was it that many people had picked the Sad Face Masks... or were there originally not many?

Considering Inferior looked like a reliable man, and since he hadn't briefed him thoroughly about the details here, it probably didn't matter which one he chose.

Thus, Russell selected a smiley face mask simply because it looked more pleasant, and put it on himself.

The short, fat mascot jumped around happily, dancing a ridiculous dance.

Russell tried not to look at him and politely said thank you.

After all, everyone is a worker; it's not easy for you either, brother...

After putting on the mask, Russell continued walking forward.

He had just reached the end of the long corridor and turned around when he heard the door behind him creak open again.

He was curious and harbored a bit of a mischievous streak, wanting to see the new guests get startled. Thus, Russell turned around with a beaming smile.

—— Bang!

What he heard was a very distinct dull thump.

The ones who entered were two very young-looking girls, dressed like high school students.

As they came in, one of the girls with brown, curly hair and bear ears punched the ugly mascot at the door hard.

"Good morning, Mr. Bongbong!"

After delivering the punch, she cheerfully greeted him. Her voice sounded warm and enthusiastic.

The fat, Mediterranean-styled, clumsy and comical mascot immediately made an exaggerated move, falling hard onto the ground with the momentum.

It seemed his costume was stuffed with something like a sandbag—hitting it didn't sound like hitting a person, more like punching a sandbag. Moreover, this sandbag had been specially treated to produce a louder noise, thereby enhancing the "impact feeling."

As the mascot fell to the ground, it also carefully didn't scatter the masks all over, instead setting the box holding them gently onto the ground next to it.

Of course, one couldn't talk while wearing a mascot costume—industry rules. Thus, the Mediterranean mascot with the exaggerated smile expressed a comedic plea for mercy through a rich set of body motions, causing the two girls to burst out in laughter.

The other girl who hadn't thrown a punch was noticeably smaller and skinnier compared to her bear-eared companion.

Her body had a few deep blue scales scattered about and a lizard-like tail. Seeing that the mascot was still on the ground begging for mercy and hadn't gotten up, she ran over, holding up her skirt, and gently kicked the kneeling Mediterranean mascot.

"Mr. Bongbong, get up and fetch our masks!"

The lizard girl was clearly well-mannered, so when she kicked while wearing a mini skirt, she didn't lift her leg too high—probably only to knee height.

When the mascot was kicked, it emitted a loud noise. It dramatically fell backward, dramatically hitting a wall before dramatically bouncing back, still wearing the exaggerated smile on its face.

Then it kneeled on the ground and lifted the box with masks, letting the two girls pick.

Russell watched this scene, feeling slightly uncomfortable as he shrank his neck.

...So the mascot costume was specifically placed at the entrance to be beaten—it seemed truly annoying.

No wonder the corridor was so spacious. It was probably to prevent breaking anything.

The "Mr. Bongbong" mascot costume was even equipped with padding, likely to protect against guests who were fitted with power-assisted prosthetic arms delivering heavyweight punches; its "sound enhancement" effect was meant to amplify the physical sensation of hits, enabling even teenagers without mechanical bodies or muscle power to enjoy hitting it more thoroughly.

Is this the residents of Happiness Island's... daily entertainment?

Russell felt rather mixed emotions.

The two girls seemed to have noticed Russell.

They looked up. Russell noticed that they wore Sad Face Masks, unlike his own.

"Hey!"

The taller girl waved enthusiastically at Russell.

Russell immediately turned and ran back the way he came, scared—though he felt they probably wouldn't come over to punch him, he instinctively shrank back.

Mainly, he dared not stay and talk with them...

Having witnessed them beating someone, Russell felt somewhat guilty inside. It was like feeling nervous, excited, and anxious all at once when first surfing the internet as a kid, hearing that "it's full of bad kids" inside, so he entered with trepidation and excitement, not daring to respond to anyone, only able to nod or shake his head.

After turning the corner, the double layers of thick leather curtains brought back those memories for Russell.

These materials provided excellent soundproofing and light-blocking properties.

After lifting the heavy curtains, Russell encountered a scene even more thrilling than before—