Suddenly learning that she had inherited a fortune she could never spend in a lifetime, any normal person would feel an uncontrollable surge of ecstasy, and Stelle was no exception.
She had already planned it out: once the shares were inherited, she would first pay back Aventurine's money, then buy a large penthouse in Penacony and live like an emperor! Hehehe.
Thinking of this, Stelle couldn't help but giggle foolishly. She scratched her hair and said, "Himeko, Uncle Yang, leave the share inheritance matter to you! I'll just sit back and wait to spend money! Eat chairman-level feasts."
Himeko nodded: "Rest assured, Stelle. Since it's the will of Senior Mikhail, we won't let it go so easily."
"Speaking of which... the Express does need some maintenance funds. Perhaps after we get back, we can install a dedicated dining car on the Express. Welt, do you have any ideas?"
Welt stroked his chin thoughtfully: "If possible, I'd like to add a workshop car to the Express, to facilitate my research on mechs."
"Oh? I remember you like mechs, but you also really enjoy watching animated movies. Why not consider that?"
Welt waved his hand grandly: "Joking aside, no matter what I vote for, it won't be a movie car. There wouldn't be anyone to watch with me."
"But speaking of which... don't you all feel like our Express crew is missing someone?" March 7th interjected into the trio's conversation, asking doubtfully, "Did we forget about Dan Heng?"
Everyone: Eh?
...
In a room sealed off by iron bars, Dan Heng sat face-to-face with a "Hound." On the table between them was a contract ten centimeters thick.
On the cover of the contract were four large words: "Labor Reform Contract."
Dan Heng was expressionless. Earlier, after being hit by the Great Transport, he thought he could immediately wake up from reality, but unexpectedly, in the "death space," a pop-up window jumped out in front of him: "Watch 60 minutes of ads for free revival."
But time was urgent then, and Dan Heng was anxious to rendezvous with March 7th, so he didn't choose to revive and defaulted to death. As a result, he inexplicably ended up in this place called Dreamflux Reef.
Even more outrageously, not five minutes after arriving here, he was attacked by the "Clockie Statue," and then a group of note sprites dragged him here.
Then, on the grounds of "trespassing a VIP map," he was fined, escalating into the current prolonged battle.
Dan Heng had looked over the contract in front of him: two hundred years of unpaid labor, working 18 hours a day, no salary, no meals or lodging provided.
If there were any difficulties in life during the contract period, one could apply for a loan on the "Penacony Lending Platform," which would offer very favorable lending terms.
To this, Dan Heng had only one thing to say: Is this a contract a human could sign?
"This gentleman, there's one thing I really don't understand."
Dan Heng asked: "Working 18 hours a day without pay, how am I supposed to support myself? If I borrow money, wouldn't I never be able to pay it back in my lifetime?"
The Hound replied listlessly: "We never intended for you to pay it back anyway. The Family would love for you to be tied to us forever..."
Dan Heng: ???
Not even pretending anymore?
Zzzzt—
However, as soon as the Hound finished speaking, a buzzing electric sound rang out. His whole body suddenly jolted, convulsing violently. Then he sat up straight, his eyes wide with dark circles, a fake professional smile plastered on his face as he said:
"Ahem... Sorry, Mr. Dan Heng, that was all just a joke. Allow me to explain."
"Our Penacony Family also implements (non)humanitarian treatment. Although your 18 hours a day are occupied, you still have the remaining 6 hours!"
Dan Heng: "? I don't quite understand."
The Hound spread his arms, his face full of envy: "You can use those remaining six hours to take side jobs and earn money to support yourself!"
Dan Heng: "??? Don't I need to rest? Don't I need to sleep?"
The Hound paused: "Aren't you sleeping right now? This is a dream."
Dan Heng: "..."
He rarely felt this speechless.
Even hundreds of years ago, when he was still screwing screws at the Luofu Vidyadhara screw factory to pay off debts, he hadn't encountered this level of exploitation.
As the saying goes, "There's always a higher mountain," and you think someone's outrageous—chances are you just haven't met someone more outrageous.
"You're even more outrageous than the Luofu's dragon masters." Dan Heng said flatly.
"Luofu dragon masters?"
Hearing this name, the Hound first froze, then stroked his chin in serious thought: "Why does that name sound so familiar? Let me think..."
"Oh, right! I remember! Weren't they the 'Outstanding Alien Exchange Students' from a couple years ago?"
Dan Heng: ???
The Hound said: "Let me tell you, among all the incoming exchange learners, they were the ones most deserving of air-conditioned rooms."
"You have no idea—other alien exchange students come here for welfare benefits and AC, but they were dead set on learning. They absorbed at least eighty percent of our Family culture's essence!"
"I heard after they returned to their own world, they started promoting it vigorously. I'm so jealous—their world's work intensity is only eighty percent of ours."
Dan Heng probed: "So your current work intensity...?"
The Hound: "Oh, one day off every half month, 100 credits a day, work 19 hours a day. The remaining five hours, I usually moonlight as a clown in Aideen Park to earn an extra 50 credits."
"Guess why I've been stalling here with you? It's because I see you're a pretty patient young man. The longer you drag this out, the longer I get to slack off—it's like giving myself a little vacation."
Dan Heng said: "Then you might have miscalculated. There's no way I'll sign this contract. My patience is longer than you imagine—even sitting here for a thousand years is fine. My companions will come looking for me."
"Besides, my side gig is being a writer with a rich imagination. I can spend the next however long in the world inside my head. I suggest you don't waste your time..."
...?
Before Dan Heng could finish, he saw the Hound smacking his lips, looking like he was eating something.
"What are you doing?"
The Hound's cheeks puffed up, mouth stuffed with air. Hearing Dan Heng, he mumbled unclearly: "Oh, I'm eating. Look, strawberry-filled buns dipped in wasabi. Tsk tsk tsk... delicious!"
"Let me tell you a secret: in a dream, as long as your imagination is rich enough, you can imagine you're eating something, and the dream will give you the corresponding feedback."
"Of course, the prerequisite is that your imagination has to be rich enough."
The Hound chewed for a long time, then suddenly frowned at Dan Heng: "Bro, how come you suddenly look pretty handsome?"