The Automated Device

Hao Ren wondered if Raven 12345 was the only freak in the Space Administration of the Xi Ling Empire. He couldn’t believe that such a super-civilization was made up of such unreliable fellows anyway. Unfortunately, he had yet to get a chance to meet the other members of the Space Administration and the senior executives from the Xi Ling Empire. Raven 12345 did mention earlier that the administrative level of this deserted place was not high enough. However, it is not impossible that they could have visitors from the Space Administration.

Despite that, Hao Ren no longer suspects the identity of Raven 12345 and the existence of the Xi Ling Empire. This otherworldly mansion, the state of the art, extravagant and elegant facilities in it were definitely not created by humans. To confirm that, the room they were in at that moment was called the New Employee Bioenhancement Centre which looked as if it was ripped right out of a science fiction.

Raven walked Hao Ren around the mansion. Along the way they walked pass many strange rooms full of crystals and bizarre devices. Hao Ren was awestruck by everything he saw along the way that his jaw literally dropped. Just as he was wondering if there is an end to this mansion, Raven led him into a hall which just looked quite out of place. It was very modern and advanced, even compared to the rest of the building. The hall was a perfect hexagon. Each of its walls was plated with chrome and glossed over with silver. Streams of light in hues of blue and white was pulsing slowly on the walls, like blood vessels. The hall had a high ceiling and was ornamented with numerous crystals floating and shimmering in the air, saturating the hall in baby blue. Along those walls, Hao Ren noticed that there were lots of peculiar devices unknown to him. He thought they looked like some kind of operating board but there was no button or operating lever on them. There were holograms floating above each of those ‘operating boards’. The only discernable and probable control unit was a hexagonal crystal board which was vastly different from any of the machinery on earth.

"This is a Bioenhancement Centre, the smaller version," Raven 12345 pointed proudly at the devices in the hall. "In the earlier days, agents have to stay in the capital of the Empire and undergo the Unified Bioenhancement and assessment in the City of Shadows. During that time, the Space Administration was relatively small and nothing much was happening in the Macro World so it’s easier to govern. But now that is no longer viable. Therefore, all assessments, elementary training as well as intensification of new agents were transferred to Nodes and even to the Basic Worlds. This place is relatively remote and recently we took a few leaps to connect with the void node. So I simply applied for a facility like this in my dwelling. At first, I thought of applying for a magical facility as I’m really confused by those technologically advanced devices. However, I made a mistake in the application …"

Hao Ren’s head was spinning while listening to Raven 12345. She had this problem where she would just keep on talking regardless of whether her audience could or could not understand her. Hao Ren had zero knowledge of the Space Administration. How then, could he understand what the white haired succubus had been babbling on about!

"What the heck is the bioenhancement thingy you mentioned?" Hao Ren had managed to keep his sanity even after all the information bombardment. The atmosphere of this place reminded him of some scientific research centers conducting non-stop experiments and dissections. In his mind, the Xi Ling Empire was still "the aliens". (He had been an atheist for more than 20 years after all. To him, the idea of "Gods" was far harder to grasp than that of "aliens".) Let’s think about it, a human falling into the hands of aliens to undergo bioenhancement. If this had been in the hands of the Hollywood directors, it would be a waste if it wasn’t all bloody and gory!

In fiction, those who got very excited and overjoyed when the aliens were about to enhance them were definitely not as deliberative as Hao Ren. Well, one might say that Hao Ren was actually terrified.

"Don’t worry. It’s just a simple physical readjustment. It will not be uncomfortable or do you harm." Raven 12345 pushed Hao Ren to the center of the hall while explaining, "Everyday there are hundreds of new agents receiving bioenhancement and we’ve never had one accident, so don’t worry. We always follow the humanized standards… Stand still! I’m going to bring the Bioenhancement and Reconfiguration Chamber up."

Hao Ren stood there, trembling. Raven proceed to hit the invisible buttons, the floor shook slightly and the chamber rose slowly from the rectangular hole on the floor.

The silvery white metal pod was rectangular in shape, approximately two meters long, with one end bigger than the other. It was very exquisite, covered by a lid embellished with a crystal cross.

The lid of the metal pod slid open slowly. Hao Ren was confused and asked, "Why do I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere else?"

Raven 12345 was shocked as said, "How could it be? This is the latest model of the Universal Bioenhancement and Reconfiguration Chamber. I unboxed it just two days ago. Where have you seen it before?"

After thinking for a while, Hao Ren slapped his head, exclaiming, "Now I remember! It’s a f*cking coffin!"

Raven 12345 slapped Hao Ren’s shoulder, "Don’t you remember the employee code of conduct? Never cuss in front of your superior! If you had to do it, do it after your superior has finished her words!"

Hao Ren tilted his shoulder and stepped backward quickly. "You want me to get in there? I have to tell you that I am a man of principle. Just the shape of this thing is enough to scare the hell out of me... Hey! Don’t be pushing me! I will never get in! It is still a coffin even if you plate it with silver! There’s even a cross on it…"

Raven 12345 lifted Hao Ren single-handedly and threw him into the ‘coffin’. "Be a man and just get in!"

Hao Ren was helplessly unable to fight against the crazy white hair succubae. After being spun around for a moment he found himself lying inside the box. At that moment, a layer of transparent protective screen extended from the four sides of the metal pod, completely trapping him inside.

Hao Ren could only give in. However, nothing happened after a while. He turned his head to the side and found Raven 12345 holding up a data terminal, looking enthralled. He hit the two sides of the pod and shouted, "Then, what’s next!?"

"Don’t shout! I’m looking for the user manual. Why the heck is this so complicated! Where’s the switch?" said Raven 12345 without looking up.

At that Hao Ren shouted, "Fxxx! I resign! I break the contract! I quit! You can’t be trusted at all!"

"Oh! Found it!" Raven 12345 then slapped on something on one of the sides of the "coffin" and Hao Ren’s drastic protest stopped at once. The last thing he saw was a dazzling white light penetrating into his retina.

Darkness, frost, silence and endless chaos. It was as if time had lost its meaning. At that moment, it felt like his soul had left his body, floating in an intangible and indescribable dimension. He tried his best to retrieve any bits the five familiar senses, but to no avail. There was no sound, no light, no heat and no touch. The spirit of man, confined in a small bottle, floating alone…

After about 10 seconds, Hao Ren heard a loud noise. "Bang!" The next thing he knew was somebody grabbing him by his arms and pulling him up and he gradually regained his sight.

Rays of light within his sight came together and consolidated into a figure. It’s Raven 12345’s beautiful cheeks and her signature silver hair. She patted Hao Ren on the shoulder and seemed satisfied. "Okay. It’s done!"

Hao Ren sprang up and realized that he was still standing in the coffin-shaped metal pod. Had he not kept his footing he might just tumble out of it. He balanced his body and jumped out of the pod carefully. "So, that’s it? Why do I feel like it had only been a short while?"

"Yes, twelve seconds," said Raven 12345 while waving the data terminal in her hand. "Exactly the same as what’s written on the manual. Just press the switch, choose an automated mode and wait for about twelve seconds. Wait for the sound ‘ding’, the red light to come on and the chamber lid will then open automatically expelling the subject out of the pod. But you yourself jumped out of the chamber."

"Is that a microwave oven!?"

Raven 12345 shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Anyway, the methods of operation of all devices are more or less the same. Isn’t that the standard of procedure for most of the automated devices?"

Hao Ren was stunned by her calmness. His only comfort was that at least nothing unfortunate had happened and all parts of his body were still intact.

He then clenched his fist to see if the alien bioenhancement technology really worked. He wondered if he was on the same path as those masters in those stories. He was so surprised to discover that --- to be revealed in the upcoming chapter.