“Understood…” Li Cheng颐 was enlightened. This Mech Artisan was simply a money-burning, extravagant profession. Without a gold mine backing them, it would be impossible to sustain.

As the Mech Artisan's closest weapon, it was most appropriate to have a complete understanding and mastery of every component.

“Thank you!” He sincerely expressed his gratitude.

“No need. I also relied on the boss to get through my difficult times. Now that you have the boss's support, develop well, and we'll meet at the association later.” Ding Ning patted Li Cheng颐's shoulder amiably. Clearly, he didn't know what Shindra had said to him, and his attitude was quite good.

Having witnessed the terrifying speed of the Feiyi, Li Cheng頤 now had a faint inclination in his heart about the choice of the main flower for the Second Flower God position.

“By the way, you mentioned earlier that Mech Artisans also have basic force field protection, right?” Li Cheng頤 suddenly asked.

“Of course, but it's very weak. It's equivalent to wearing a full-body bulletproof vest. It can block ordinary bullets, but against the Feiyi, it's just a layer of fragile skin, easily broken,” Ding Ning nodded.

“Can I see it?”

“Sure.”

Ding Ning raised his hand.

“Fire Scythe, Type II,” he said in a low voice.

Seeing Li Cheng頤's somewhat puzzled gaze, he smiled and explained.

“Because the Feiyi is extremely fast, and some modes have enormous destructive power and a wide range of impact, we need to set up some restrictions and activation methods to prevent the consciousness from sometimes reacting erratically and causing misoperation. What I just did was my activation method.”

“I understand,” Li Cheng颐 nodded, watching the other party with curious eyes.

“So, is this basic protective force field activated now?”

“Yes, you can reach out and touch me,” Ding Ning nodded.

Hearing this, Li Cheng颐 quickly reached out towards the back of Ding Ning's hand.

But strangely, when his fingers were still more than ten centimeters away from the back of his hand, he felt an invisible resistance blocking him from getting closer.

“This is the protective force field. I can only afford the basic one. The more expensive ones are more effective, and some can even be compared to the strength of a fully modified cyborg, impenetrable even by armor-piercing sniper rifles. But that kind of strength, the price and maintenance costs… you know,” Ding Ning raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“There probably aren't many Mech Artisans, right?” Li Cheng颐 asked.

“A typical corporation will only support one Mech Artisan because they consume too many resources. Top-tier corporations will support multiple, but there's also resource allocation. This means that the competition to become a Mech Artisan is very fierce. After all, there are only so many resources,” Ding Ning affirmed. “So I strongly suggest you take the amateur route, play around with it first, and see if you can stick with it.”

“Thank you for the advice!” Li Cheng颐 nodded solemnly.

After personally witnessing the Feiyi and the basic protective force field, he suddenly understood.

His evolved Wisteria Flower Scale Armor could only barely defend against pistol bullets, and whether this level of strength could withstand the Feiyi was still unknown.

And listening to Ding Ning, the protective strength of a fully modified cyborg was far beyond this level.

This meant that the strength of his Flower Scale Armor, in terms of pure physical defense, was currently far inferior to these technological means.

‘So… the true power of the Evil Flower should be the Flower Whisper. Whether in normal state or wearing the Flower Scale Armor, it should be centered around the Flower Whisper ability.’

‘There are many means in reality that are stronger than the Flower Scale Armor, but there will absolutely be no means comparable to the Flower Whisper ability.’

Li Cheng頤's understanding of how to use the Evil Flower deepened.

‘And the strength of the Flower Scale Armor should not be its intensity, but its ability to fight supernatural monsters and quickly improve the wearer's physical fitness.’ He recalled the time he tore apart the Large-Faced Monster with his bare hands.

If he could evolve to the second stage and integrate this characteristic of the Flower Scale Armor into the external armor, that would be the truly perfect application.

Next, he asked Ding Ning many questions about the daily use of the Feiyi, and the other party answered them all with a good attitude.

After learning that even the most basic Feiyi cost tens of millions, Li Cheng颐 finally understood a truth.

That is, in this era, in this world, there are too many things that money can buy.

The number of ordinary people is perhaps just a number to the high-level military.

The two chatted until dusk, and then Shindra arranged for them to have dinner together at a butter hot pot restaurant in the mall.

As they raised their glasses and exchanged pleasantries, Shindra herself didn't go, but Song Ran accompanied them. They ate and drank happily.

After mixing a few glasses of red and white wine, Ding Ning started to put his arm around Li Cheng颐's shoulder and call him brother.

After exchanging phone numbers, Ding Ning suggested taking Li Cheng頤 out for some nighttime entertainment.

But Li Cheng颐 politely declined.

He still preferred to be with people he cared about, rather than simply satisfying his physical needs.

It was already past nine o'clock when they came out of the hot pot restaurant.

Li Cheng頤 strolled slowly along the sidewalk, passing a musical fountain. The fountain lights changed colors, and many nearby residents were standing around, taking a walk.

He paused, wearing only a simple tracksuit. The cold wind, carrying moisture, made him feel a bit chilly.

It was July, and the temperature difference between day and night was getting larger. The evenings were cooler than before.

Beep beep beep.

A children's toy train, making strange electronic music sounds, slowly drove over from not far away.

A dozen or so children on the train were shouting excitedly. A few worried parents followed beside the train.

The red toy train slowly passed by, followed by the somewhat noisy sound of the musical fountain.

Li Cheng頤 was about to turn around and go to the bus stop when suddenly a rising female voice came from behind him. “Li Cheng頤?”

“What are you doing here? What a coincidence.” The female voice was slightly happy, and she quickly approached from behind.

Li Cheng颐 sounded somewhat familiar, and he turned around to look.

A young woman in her early twenties was standing a little over a meter behind him.

The woman had red shoulder-length hair, wore a black fitted dress, and had a gray cardigan draped over her shoulders.

She wore light makeup, crystal earrings, and a small white leather bag on her shoulder.

She looked like a typical office worker.

“Chen Pi?” Li Cheng頤 recognized her at once. This was Chen Shan’s daughter, Chen Pi. Of course, that was just her nickname; her full name was Chen Yijun.

But because everyone called her Chen Pi, over time even her real name had become somewhat unfamiliar.

“You’re so slow to react?” Chen Pi said with some dissatisfaction. “I’ve always remembered you. You said you wanted me to be your secretary.”

She took two steps forward, stood next to Li Cheng頤, and looked at the musical fountain.

“Since we haven't seen each other in so long, want to grab a drink?”

“Sure.” Li Cheng頤 had no objections. Anyway, it was late, the botanical gardens were closed, and he could take some time to think clearly about what to choose as his second main flower before deciding tomorrow.

*

*

*

At a nearby fast-food restaurant.

The two sat down and ordered.

“It’s been a while. You seem to be in good spirits?” Chen Pi said with a smile as she picked up her barley tea and took a sip.

“I’m alright, I’ve just been exercising lately,” Li Cheng頤 replied. Every day he was doing physical training, combat, and shooting, mentally tense, rushing forward with all his might. Anyone would have a significant boost in energy and spirit.

“It’s such a coincidence to run into you here. Didn’t my dad introduce you to a job last time? The manager there even called my dad to ask about it.” Chen Pi was also a little puzzled about this.

Logically speaking, it was difficult for college graduates to find jobs these days. Of course, it was still easy if they lowered their standards.

But after studying for so many years, no one would be willing to settle for a job with the lowest salary right out of school.

So the job that her dad, Chen Shan, had found for him took this into account, and the pay wasn’t bad at all.

The only thing she didn’t expect was that Li Cheng颐 hadn’t even bothered to try.

“It was my oversight. I’ve already found a job. I just forgot to tell the teacher.

Actually, I understand the teacher’s good intentions, but I also understand many things myself. I’m not some talented person. If I were to join someone’s company, it would mostly be because of Teacher Chen’s reputation.

So I thought, instead of causing trouble for the teacher, I might as well venture out on my own,” Li Cheng頤 said softly.

He could never go back to an ordinary office job.

But on the surface, he had to respond appropriately, after all, they were just being kind.

“Then how is it going now? What are you doing?” Chen Pi asked.

“It’s in the biomedical field, it’s alright… just so-so,” Li Cheng頤 didn’t have much to say.

His life now revolved around the Dead Angle. The only thing he could mention to outsiders was the shell company the boss had set up. Well, it did have products, so it couldn’t be called a shell company.

“What do you mean ‘alright’? I think you’re just embarrassed to say it?” Chen Pi gave him a knowing look.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. In the beginning, everyone has to go through a period of hardship and simplicity.”

Li Cheng颐 could only smile in agreement. He couldn’t exactly say that he had to train every day until the evening, doing combat and guns in rotation. And he was getting paid 20,000 a month. What kind of biomedical job was that?

If she asked him anything too technical, he’d be completely clueless.

The two chatted for a few more sentences about Li Cheng颐’s job, and soon the topic turned to Chen Pi’s own position.

She began to complain that she had just returned to the country and wasn’t used to many things in life. Her boss at work didn’t care about anything all day long, and she had already had several conflicts in just a few months.

When there were achievements, they belonged to the boss, and when there was trouble, it was up to them subordinates to deal with it. The job also paid little, had a lot of work, and was annoying.

Clearly, Chen Pi was treating him like a trash can, dumping all her work frustrations on him.

Li Cheng頤 nodded in agreement on the surface, watching Chen Pi start drinking beer cup after cup before even starting her meal, and felt a little helpless in his heart.

After experiencing the Dead Angle, looking at these work troubles again, they were really just trivial matters.

Now, listening to her complaints, he didn’t feel annoyed at all. Instead, he felt that at this moment, he had a lot of the reality of life.

Soon, after a meal, the two slowly left the restaurant. Li Cheng颐 called a taxi for Chen Pi and sent her into the car.

“See you later,” Chen Pi waved at him. She didn't even notice that her dress had been pulled up into a short skirt by the seat, revealing her pale thighs.

Li Cheng颐 quietly reached out to pull it down to cover them, then straightened up and waved his hand.

“See you.”

“Don’t be shy. Let me tell you, don’t think I’m saying something you don’t want to hear. This society is all about you helping me and me helping you. Relationships are built on exchange. You think my dad is helping you, but if you go in there, any news about the company, inside connections, wouldn’t you give them to my dad first?” Chen Pi sat in the car, already calling herself a “socialite” after drinking a few bottles of alcohol.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Li Cheng颐 nodded repeatedly. Unfortunately, he might be pulled into a new Dead Angle at any time, and perhaps in the future, he would gradually become further and further away from ordinary people…