Chapter 1399
Chapter 1399 - 1395: Fictitious Assets
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The return journey was very smooth. Lu was sent back to Wanjing by a dedicated train and car, with a military Quasi-God called over for an urgent task to make small talk along the way.
Many people probably worried that some kind of "accident" might happen again along the way... If a real explosion had occurred within the Eastern Country city of the Secret Realm, it would surely be more than just an unpleasant situation.
It’s worth mentioning that the attitude of the Quasi-God towards Lu Ping’an was now essentially one of equals.
He was an escort but also a Watcher... Most of the time, he stayed in the next compartment, actively warning anyone attempting to attack the vehicle.
Lu Ping’an, however, found this uncle quite pleasant, at least he was a good talker. After all, by now, probably no one would believe that Lu Ping’an would simply stop at the seventh-tier...
"Pretty interesting..."
At this moment, on top of the train carriage, Lu Ping’an was enjoying the view of the scenery rushing backwards while gladly watching the "great battle" on the table.
𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
One side of the battle consisted of plastic soldiers, a commemorative toy set that Lu Ping’an had just purchased.
On the other side were plates, porcelain bowls, flavoring agent bottles, and cups that had sprouted limbs, wielding forks and soup spoons as weapons.
The two sides staged a "cartoonish war," battling it out in a lively mess. Lu Ping’an found it very entertaining, while the Quasi-God in the next compartment was watching with his scalp tingling... Even he couldn’t understand what exactly Lu Ping’an’s ability was; he was only constantly warned by his spiritual intuition about its threat.
"Fictitious Assets (Mid-Level Golden): Even a shell company is still a company, a fake life is still a life... Grant a certain amount of assets to an ’existence,’ and before its assets are depleted, it will become a temporary living thing."
The effect seemed absurd, but when actually put to use... it seemed even more absurd.
"It seems like as long as I give enough points, I could make this train stand up and box... Uh, isn’t that the Mechanic Spiritualist’s ability?"
"At your level, many abilities of the lower-tier Life system can be ’mimicked’ by you. They’re just combinations of your lower-level abilities."
Big Cat also helped to facilitate the research, and at this moment, sitting opposite a uniformed Major General Lu was a crisply dressed woman in uniform.
Only then did Lu Ping’an realize that Big Cat also had a military rank... Although it had been canceled more than a decade ago, she was actually a temporary Major General with her own jurisdiction.
It seemed that the rank was given to her temporarily during a certain battle when she took a side with the Eastern Country. Since she didn’t refuse, the Official naturally wouldn’t retract it (now canceled).
Now, when she requested a uniform... the personnel from the Long-Arm Tribe Military Region were overjoyed and immediately gave her a set of female General’s uniform, just without the shoulder insignia.
Changing clothes seemed ordinary but was actually the most explicit statement of stance.
"Since machinery can be animated, Tree-men should also be usable, right? This is like you’ve snatched Liu Zibei and Fang Wen’s jobs..."
Upon hearing this, Lu Ping’an tried it out...
"Ahhh! What is that..."
The screams of the attending servants in the next compartment were the response.
The roadside trees climbed up one by one, transforming into Tree-men and making a break for it, naturally causing quite a stir.
"Major General Lu!"
The accompanying personnel panicked. They were in domestic territory now.
"Don’t worry, I’m just testing my abilities. I didn’t put much power into it, it will be fine soon..."
In fact, Lu Ping’an only gave them the minimal amount of points and commanded them not to attack anyone.
And so, under everyone’s watchful eyes, they quickly lost their drive, collapsed onto the ground, and turned into a bunch of broken wood...
"I think I understand now. It’s a very interesting ability, with a low floor and a high ceiling, and quite amusing..."
Lu Ping’an was almost able to understand the trait of this ability now; it was a quite "convenient" ability during actual combat.
First of all, its "granting of fictitious life" and Chris’s "revival" were not the same level of power at all. It actually resembled more of an integrated evolution of Lu Ping’an’s original "life programming" and "bestowing of newborns" after having acquired the "Life and Death Rules."
Depending on the "existence" size and substance, the consumed life-points would also differ, and as the Creator, Lu Ping’an could set "rules"... or rather, establish "corporate goals" during production.
"It could make them become soldiers, and all that’s needed is to assign a soldier identity, followed by defining an enemy to attack....."
What Lu Ping’an could pre-determine was the "identity (scope of business)" as well as the "business objective (attack target)," and also a "budget (life-points consumed over a specific time)."
Now, Lu Ping’an was turning cups, bowls, and vases into a "Legion," ordering them to attack a "Legion" made up of toy soldiers..... And even if the toy soldiers didn’t receive clear attack orders, they would not hesitate to launch a counterattack as "soldiers" when attacked.
Throughout this process of distorting life, Lu Ping’an’s "life programmer" clearly played a role, granting them external features more fitting of their "identity."
"The operating budget is the points expended periodically, uh, it seems related to their intelligence, with a certain bonus to combat power, though it doesn’t seem like much....."
The total budget was limited (Lu Ping’an made a one-time payment, with the option for continuous linked payment); the periodically expended "budget" was the maintenance cost for these fictitious lives.
It was as if Lu Ping’an, the investor, had given a company a sum of money but specified the direction of use and specific projects.
The higher the budget’s maintenance cost, the higher the intelligence was, and if Lu Ping’an was willing to spend enough points, some could even converse with Lu, the Creator...
"We want wages! Cash! We also need housing; toy boxes are too small...."
Lu Ping’an squashed it with a slap.
He also realized that after establishing the three elements, these lives seemingly possessed complete selves, meaning they could do whatever they willed.
"Need to be careful with backlashes and betrayals during use....uh, can’t I just threaten to cut off their supply and have them work for me without pay?"
Indeed, the "Malicious Acquirer," along with Lu Ping’an, who originally had no limits, were a perfect match.
This interesting ability seemed to be the foundation for several combined capabilities, and Lu Ping’an was also familiarizing himself with its use along the way... This was an ability that depended both on the reality of combat environments and the limits of the user’s imagination.
But that did not mean it was not strong in actual combat...
"Oh, you want blood and souls, huh? A hundred each time for an awakening? No way, a maximum of three... Not agree? If you don’t, I’ll use the lance instead of you."
At that moment, Lu Ping’an was negotiating terms with his own "Beheading Sword Lady."
That dangerous weapon from the Abyss was floating in front of Lu, constantly threatening him with its blade, demanding higher compensation.
Clearly, since they were granted wisdom and a self, they would naturally not settle for just "being alive".... The Beheading Sword was straightforward in demanding blood sacrifices and souls, which would make it more complete and powerful.
But Lu wasn’t about to indulge her, already planning to pull out a backup weapon to render her jobless...
"Ten, at the very least!"
When that raspy voice echoed through the entire carriage, Lu Ping’an laughed with pleasure.
This wasn’t just about him hiring a "bodyguard," but also about those "taboo weapons," "taboo items" in his inventory, all becoming an extension of his power.
"Bane has his beast legions; perhaps, I will have my own legion too."
At that moment, Lu Ping’an truly understood why, once someone stepped into the realm of Rule-level, the disparity became so vast... Goals that had been insurmountably difficult to achieve in the past could now be realized with just a thought.
"Now me, I seem pretty strong, right?"
— End of Chapter 1399 —