Forge a path to success

It paused for a moment, then modified its instructions: "No. Next time, I'll go myself."

"Commander, your orders are quite unreasonable and carry a significant risk of wasting resources." The think tank's response was meticulous. True Machines are always like this; they faithfully execute all correct orders, but they will immediately question any unreasonable ones.

"You do not have sufficient permissions. Read this."

The Warlord sent it a highly classified document before returning to intelligence processing. The think tank carried out the instructions; it was a report recoded by the Warlord, which began by explaining the naming convention of the experiment numbers. Z-3000-3 represented the third special anomaly discovered in the year 3000 of the Candlelight Calendar.

Following this is information about the singularity "Chu Hengkong," including personality analysis, strength assessment, and his place of origin. Hidden section - 11.

Code name: "Earth".

(I've been running around a lot these past few days and need to travel for two days, so I'll be taking a two-day break. Updates will resume on Saturday.)

Chapter 93 Basic Personality Questionnaire (Part 1)

Life, the world, and values—the summation of one's understanding and reflection on these three elements is what people often refer to as "worldview, values, and beliefs." In recent years, there have been broader interpretations of this definition, but the fundamental premise of the concept remains unchanged. It encompasses one's understanding of the external world, one's understanding of oneself, and the self-affirmation made regarding the reasons why one can live and should live.

How should life unfold? What does the world look like in our eyes? What should be elevated and what should be despised? The general public holds a set of universally accepted views on these questions, and those who go against these views are simply seen as outcasts by others.

Unable to live an optimistic and positive life. Operating within a dark and filthy environment. More concerned with meaningless scraps of paper than with treasure. Such a person is truly outrageous. This is simply an oddball lacking common sense. But conversely, are others' definitions always correct? Should the consensus of the majority be followed?

That doesn't seem right. Something's gone wrong. The person walking on the road is yourself, and the person striving to think is also yourself. When the perception of others, rather than your own, is used as the standard, the moment this fact is established, what the person experiencing encounters is something else entirely—

Nothingness.

"—Welcome to the Dragon City Roundtable. I am Haurhardt, the good detective of Dragon City. Today, I will once again bring you a logical dialogue that strikes at the heart of the matter!"

A small round table, a high stool, a tentacle-wielding man with an expressionless face, and a black-haired girl wearing round glasses. The girl, who had launched into a rapid-fire 371-word outburst, pounded her fist on the table. The man opposite her rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

“No, you are Ji Huaisu,” Chu Hengkong said.

"And today's guest is none other than... the city's most famous and popular celebrity, Detective Chu, who has transformed into the Iron-Bone Master after returning from his adventure!" The black-haired girl ignored the other person's statement with an air of indifference. "I'm sure everyone in front of the water screen is just as excited as I am for the insightful opinions he will bring us!"

Detective Chu silently extended his tentacles and grabbed Miss Haurhart's black wig.

“No, you are Ji Huaisu,” he repeated.

"Would it kill you to go along with the atmosphere?"

"Your series of outrageous remarks have brought the atmosphere to a freezing point." Chu Hengkong put his wig back. "So what's going on here?"

Having just returned and barely rested for a few days, the captain dragged him into this interview room, which was clearly hastily set up. Posters of the famous black-faced poet's tour adorned the walls, while eye-devouring dolls, which had recently become inexplicably popular, sat on the table. In the corner, a potted plant resembling an eel's head wriggled eerily. The atmosphere in the room was more than just unpleasant; it was downright unpleasant.

Miss Huaisu, however, remained oblivious to all of this. She flipped through the manuscript in her hand, saying casually, "There will be a basic personality survey after your transformation, followed by a practical test. Originally, it was supposed to be a questionnaire, but I found it too boring, so I changed it to a Q&A. Just treat it as a regular chat radio program~ By the way, I asked Vande to help me write the opening remarks."

No wonder there's so much poorly written nonsense.

"Cooperate properly and don't lie, or your salary will be reduced." Miss Ji... Hagihart flashed her little fangs menacingly. "Continuing from our previous topic, what's Detective Chu's opinion?"

"The comments are as biased, narrow-minded, and harsh as those of the contributor, but they cannot be said to be entirely without merit."

Detective Chu picked up his teacup, which contained lemon tea that was half ice. He took a sip and said calmly, "Values ​​are indeed important, but they can't be called necessary. The most obvious manifestation of this is one's understanding of the world."

"Oh, Detective Chu made a statement that was unnecessary for his worldview," Miss Haurhart added fuel to the fire.

"For example, the earth is round, the sea is finite, and the stars are lifeless wastelands far beyond. That's how I used to perceive the world. What does Haurhart think?"

Miss Haurhart looked at me like I was a fool.

"Ah Kong, what are you talking about? First of all, the earth is definitely square."

“Very interesting.” Chu Hengkong nodded repeatedly. “Continue.”

“The sea is boundless, and the stars in the sky are all gods. These are basic common sense, just like how squid can grow out of the ground!” Miss Haurhart slammed her manuscript on the table.

“This is natural for someone like you who grew up in Huilong City, but for people from my hometown, it's a fantasy. However, this difference in worldview doesn't actually affect our lives.” Chu Hengkong tapped the table. “I still believe the world is round, and this doesn't affect my ability to work and earn money in the city or my normal cultivation, because my activity range is limited to the small city of Huilong. I only need to know the rules within the city to easily survive. So, what meaning does a 'worldview' about the world outside the city have for me?”

“I really want to say that you’re just making excuses…” Miss Haurhart gritted her teeth. “It’s true that even if you treat the world like a football, it doesn’t stop you from doing your job as a detective. But people will say you have no common sense if you do that.”

Chu Hengkong put down his teacup and shook his tentacle: "Is common sense useful?"

"Two questions have been raised in a row."

"Tomatoes are both vegetables and fruits. Snow actually has no color. The original Gundam was only 18.5 meters tall. These common sense facts and essential knowledge are two different concepts. To survive, you just need to know how to eat and breathe; to become stronger, you just need to learn martial arts and how to kill. I've lived with this kind of thinking until now and haven't found anything wrong with it. People who constantly complain about 'lacking common sense' may not actually value common sense that much; they just want to show off that they know more."

He started talking big, pontificating and offering his opinions, completely unlike his usual silent self. If it were just casual conversation, the assassin wouldn't be so talkative, but since this was a questionnaire to assess his mental state, he didn't mind saying a few more words.

Ji Huaisu scribbled notes in her notebook, nodding frequently: "Detective Chu is the so-called 'necessityist,' someone who operates at the lowest possible level and survives at the lowest possible level."

"That's a good word."

"Yet this detective spends his time fishing and playing games!" Ji Huaisu pointed at the guest with one finger, her tone as if she were accusing someone in court. "Not only is it a waste of time, but it's also completely unnecessary. You're just trying to create a persona of being unconventional!"

Chu Hengkong propped his chin up with one hand, staring at his fingertips for a few seconds: "You've been playing Ace Attorney X-Case lately, haven't you?"

"That game is so much fun!"

"Fun games bring joy, and that's their necessity." He pointed out sharply, his tentacles clenched. "What's the point of a life if you can't even experience joy?"

Ji Huaisu gasped: "Wow, there's actually such a legitimate statement about indulging in frivolous pursuits and wasting one's life."

"You should distinguish between legitimate interests and being addicted to games. I have my own set of standards for games." Chu Hengkong became serious. "I am very selective about game genres, only playing high-quality games, and ensuring that I can pause the game at any time without interfering with my work. I never touch mobile games or competitive games, and I only dabble in visual novels for a basic understanding. I always finish my basic work for the day before playing games, and my continuous gaming time never exceeds one hour. I only relax in games and never let games accumulate stress. My boss says I'm very normal."

"What is gal?" Miss Ji blinked.

"A rather uninteresting type of game." Chu Hengkong coughed twice. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is..."

"So what is that gal?" Miss Ji asked eagerly.

Oh no, I've clearly hit a nerve. Why is this girl, who loves outdoor activities, fixated on this particular word? I feel like her gaze isn't just genuine interest, but more like she's caught a mouse by the tail... no, like she's got something on her hands! This detective's intuition is a bit scary.

Chu Hengkong stopped his chaotic thoughts and said calmly, "It's a text-based game where you interact with virtual female characters..."

"Ah Kong, you, you, you actually tried to have a romantic relationship with a little person on a screen?" Miss Ji covered her mouth in astonishment. "Oh my god, how disgusting..."

"Shut up! I rarely play this kind of game to avoid being misunderstood by others, so why are you nagging me about it today?!"

Ji Huaisu wrote furiously: "Important developments today. Detective Chu after his transformation, the girl he likes, the girl on the screen... suspected influence of the Ultimate Body True Machine..."

"What does this have to do with the promotion? I don't really care, but I feel like my spine is throbbing with anger."

"Ahem, enough with the pranks, let's get down to business." Ji Huaisu twirled her pen with a smile. "Detective Chu just mentioned a very interesting point: 'To avoid being misunderstood by others.' As a necessityist, are the opinions of others also necessary?"

"The degree of severity needs to be discussed in different categories, but overall it is necessary."

"reason?"

"Feelings. Being admired, praised, respected, and needed—even though I'm an assassin, I'm still human. Enjoying positive treatment makes me happy. If I'm misunderstood, I need to find a way to clear my name; if I'm hated, I need to resolve the hatred as soon as possible. Only by doing these things can I have a good environment and live happily."

Half of the lemon tea had been drunk during the conversation, and after being refilled, the cup turned an eerie green, tasting remarkably like mint. Ji Huaisu downed half a cup of mint tea in one gulp, seemingly lost in thought: "At this point in the conversation, simply stating the facts isn't quite enough, so..."

She took out a letter from behind her back, unfolded it, and read aloud: "Now we will begin the citizen mailbox mailing segment!"

Is this questionnaire, which involves sitting and chatting without doing anything, not going to end yet?

"A letter from Mr. Floating Dumbbell, a citizen." Ji Huaisu imitated the uncle's accent: "My daughter can only live near the safe because of her race, and it's inconvenient for her to go out. Recently, through continuous training, I've finally been able to carry the safe on the street, but my daughter said this week that she wants to go to school. As a father, I'm very gratified to hear this, but I'm also worried that my daughter will be ostracized if I carry the safe to accompany her to school. What should I do? Please advise me, Detective."

"Um……"

After reading the letter, Miss Ji remained silent for half a minute before saying, "Compared to the opinions of his classmates, this father seems to have more things to care about, such as safes, safes."

Chu Hengkong praised, "You've trained yourself to the point where you can carry a safe in just six months. Well done."

"Is this the focus? Is it a muscle issue? Am I the only one who thinks it's strange that my daughter lives in a safe?"

"This father's dilemma, to put it bluntly, is the fear that parents often have when they first send their children to school." Chu Hengkong tossed the Eye Demon doll up with his tentacle. "I suggest that you still send your child to school."

Miss Ji threw out a small, fragment-like speck of light, knocking the eye demon doll back into the air: "You haven't considered your daughter's feelings at all. She wants to be respected by her classmates, wants to be friendly with everyone, wants a peaceful school life. If she comes to school with such wonderful dreams, but is ostracized because of the safe, how heartbroken would that girl be? That's why Father hesitated."

This girl's control over the power of glimmering light has become even more refined... She wasn't this adept when she first joined the company. She's twisted a perfectly good shield into a light dart, and if she can't find a way to upgrade it, she feels like she's going to drive herself crazy...

Chu Hengkong dismissed his habitual strength assessment, took out a paper straw from his cup, and casually cut, unfolded, folded, and pieced it together to make a paper stool as thin as a cicada's wing. The eye demon doll in mid-air landed precisely on the paper stool, its expression like that of a king being held high.

“This is the kind of life my father envisioned,” he stated.

"Although the visuals are a bit absurd, they are generally correct."

“Then you haven’t understood the feelings of children.” Chu Hengkong laughed. “Elders always hope that children live in a carefree environment, but children who want to go to school don’t crave the treatment of being the center of attention. They want to interact with their peers, communicate with people other than their parents, and experience group life in unfamiliar environments… I have had similar experiences, so I know very well that these elements that parents overlook are the feelings that children value most. To give up out of fear of difficulties is, from a child’s perspective, completely reversing priorities.”

Ji Huaisu flicked his finger at the paper stool, and the stool leg broke on the spot. The eye demon doll rolled from the stool onto the table, and then from the table onto the ground, making a rather pitiful thud.

"But even innocent children can harbor malice, discriminating, gossiping, ostracizing, and bullying without considering that they themselves will be the ones who get hurt. What should we do if things escalate to that point?"

"Then go and think, communicate, fight, and make the most of your strengths to solve all these problems and enjoy a pleasant college life. That's the meaning of going to school."

“Children don’t listen to reason. What if your daughter eventually finds that violence is worse than communication, according to your theory?”

“Then use violence. Since violence can solve problems decisively, why not use it? Including the ‘degree’ of demonstrating power, these are the abilities that can be learned in school, experiences that are more valuable than knowledge.” Chu Hengkong used his tentacles to hook up the eye demon doll. “Therefore, the decision rests with the daughter, not the father. Afterwards, you might as well ask your daughter if she has the confidence to overcome these difficulties and take control of herself.”

"It's so pitiful for a father who can't help..."

"Don't consider accompanying your daughter to school. Just put the safe down and go to work. From your daughter's perspective, this is the best way to handle it."

Ji Huaisu crossed his arms over his chest: "Cruel. Ruthless. Cold-blooded. Utterly devoid of humanity! It's unbelievable that this is the insight we're offering!"

"Would you have liked Mr. Hime to accompany you when you were in elementary school?"

"What are you talking about? Get home and have some tea right now."

Chu Hengkong sighed heavily: "I heard these kinds of things every day back then, that's why I understand..."

Ji Huaisu naturally ignored her partner's ramblings—it was obvious that they were about his experiences on missions around campus—and then took out the second letter.

Is this bizarre reader letter section going to continue? What channels are these opinions being collected from? Or rather, when are they going to finish this basic personality survey?

Chapter 94 Basic Personality Questionnaire (Part 2)

"The second letter today comes from a kind-hearted citizen, Hami Melon Meow Meow."

Judging from the pseudonym, this citizen was thoroughly polluted within less than a week of arriving.

"I apologize for writing so abruptly. I have long lived in a small town and am new to this bustling metropolis. I am filled with anxiety and trepidation every day. Fortunately, I have received the kind assistance of a benefactor, which has allowed me to settle down in a corner of the world and escape the troubles of the outside world. Last night, I dreamt of a white dragon and saw a beautiful branch. I was delighted that the gods had noticed me, but I am worried that I am too humble and weak to shoulder such a great responsibility. I also think of my former master, whose kindness is as heavy as a mountain. Although I wish to do my best, I fear that I will become a laughing stock. I am caught in a dilemma..."

Miss Huaisu stammered more and more as she read, and before she had finished, she looked up blankly and asked, "...Ah Kong, what is all this?"

Chu Hengkong tried hard to suppress his laughter, but failed.

"Let me translate. This citizen is very talented. After coming to Huilong City, she was recruited by a discerning employer. She is interested in applying for the job but is hesitant because she is worried about being gossiped about if she changes jobs. By the way, her previous company went bankrupt."

"I completely understand. In other words, this is an employment issue."

"No, it's a matter of perspective," Chu Hengkong pointed out. "This citizen's abilities are evident from her own account; finding a job is not a problem for her. What's holding her back is the opinions of others, something Miss Ji should be well aware of."

"I understand, I understand~"

Ji Huaisu, true to form, pointed at the bewitching doll on the table, saying, "Too brutal. Unreasonable. Lacking in righteousness. Unable to see justice. Violent traffickers. Such accusations, if accumulated, will become the straw that breaks the camel's back..."

The beholder doll swayed back and forth as it was poked by the straw, and finally fell off the table with a gentle tap.

Ji Huaisu put away the straw: "Human beings have their limits. If they are constantly criticized like this, they will naturally break down one day."

"How did Miss Ji overcome that?"

“I didn’t overcome it.” Ji Huaisu flicked her ponytail. “Your sister Huaisu never cares about these nagging comments, so I didn’t feel bothered at all from beginning to end. The more threatening thing was that I almost killed them a few times because I couldn’t control myself… but that’s a topic of endurance, let’s skip that.”

"Thank you for your valuable advice, Miss Ji." Chu Hengkong picked up the Eye Demon doll again. "Speaking of which, I believe the reader of this letter can understand that what is troubling them is not the criticism of others, but their own beliefs. Worrying about what others say is essentially an anxiety stemming from their own belief that 'this is wrong.' Rather than considering the surrounding environment, they should seriously think about whether they want to go to work."

Are there any suggestions beyond theoretical discussions?

"Go to work. Even if you don't go to a local company, you can always look for a private company or start your own business. It's always more meaningful to take the initiative to do something than to stay at home doing nothing."

Ji Huaisu nodded repeatedly: "Just a quick aside, completely unrelated to this investigation: I've heard that Lord Huilong of this city and that renowned Netherworld God are relatives within five generations!"

“Treat the city like a family business; it’s like a subsidiary.”

“Instead of saying that, we should mention that the deity also owns shares in our city.” Ji Huaisu put down the manuscript that had been turned to the last page. “Well then, today’s investigation and interviews should be coming to an end. In the end, what exactly is ideology? Judging from Detective Chu’s remarks, the ideology that is important to most people seems to be nothing more than a constraint in his eyes.”

They are constrained by preconceived notions and therefore unable to make choices.

They are constrained by preconceived notions.

Even if one's understanding is vague, it doesn't affect one's current actions.

In this way, the idea itself seems to lose its meaning.

"That's true when it comes to the specifics, but focusing on the big picture is still important. Ultimately, two people who are fundamentally different cannot act together. The fact that Miss Ji can talk to me like this shows that our views are generally aligned."

Different road non-phase plan.

Lacking common sense, having incompatible personalities, and holding vastly different views on values, this does not preclude communication. Good and evil, conscience, morality—as long as they share a common understanding of the core concepts, even a hitman and a police officer can cooperate and have open discussions.

Ji Huaisu pointed at him with his pen: "Therefore you can tolerate differences in details and differences in understanding, but there must be a fundamental consensus—people can only come together if they reach a consensus on basic cognition."

"A very apt summary."